You know you live in Philadelphia when you spend all week in anticipation of Friday because it's only going to be ninety degrees by then.

Only.

There's an old song by the Lovin Spoonful called Summer in the City that hits the whole thing right where it needs to be hit.  I love that song. 

And holy crap, how about that storm yesterday?  I was actually caught outside in it, but I do that sort of stuff on purpose.  Growing up on the south shore of a Great Lake it's pretty hard to ruffle my weather feathers.  Seventy-five mile winds and dime sized hail?  Bring it. 

I didn't even carry an umbrella with me yesterday.  But I will admit that when the hail started I tucked myself into a subway stairwell on Broad and Ellsworth and watched the thing from a dozen feet or so underground with a dozen or so strangers.. 

And to make is awesomer?  Someone above ground and across the street was shooting fireworks and flares into the air during the whole thing.  Why?  I don't know.  Dangerous?  Hells yes.  But it was still pretty damned cool.

I love extreme weather.  It brings us all together in a strange and beautiful way.  We are all at the mercy of something big that we can't control, and we start taking care of each other like old comrades.  We laugh in spite of it, complain because of it, check in on our neighbors, and when we pass on the street or wait in line at the bank we always have something to talk about.

Talking about the weather isn't so bad.  I don't know why it gets such a bum rap.

Weather is the common denominator. 

If you ask me, at least.

But who am I?

Just a girl who's happy there's a break in the heat.

***

I'm headed down to Baltimore tomorrow.  MJ is hosting and (blogless) Nadine and I are driving down in her car and Tavia is coming from Central PA and Nicole is headed over from the Eastern Shore.  We all used to waitress together back in the golden olden days, so you know there'll be no shortage of storytelling and laughing and catching up. 

I can't wait to get some time in with my fatgirls.  It's much needed, and next time I hope even more of us can make it.  We are literally all over the globe these days, so it's not so easy.  Used to be we were about sick of each other every damned day now we are heartsick for one another.  Funny how times change.

Also?  We will be making Lavender Gin Fizzes to wash down the crabs.

PS- I've never eaten a crab out of the crab and I don't know if I'll be able to stomach it but there will be plenty of other food.  I have issues with using an animal's carcass as a vehicle to eat said animal.  Or like, meat off the bone.  Using a chicken drumstick bone or a rib as an emmereffing HANDLE to ease you in the gnawing of the meat?  Ohmygross.  Also, I'm not a big fan of cutesy nicknames to distract a person from what they are actually eating.  It's not a drumstick.  IT'S A G.D. LEG!  YOU ARE EATING SOMEONE'S LEG!  Ever wonder why fish is called fish and chicken chicken and turkey turkey and crabs/shrimp/lobster/ scallops, crabs/shrimp/lobster/scallops but beef isn't called cow and when you eat a pig it has a billion different names depending on what part you are eating? 

I think that's racist. 
Specist. 
Definitely some sort of -ist.