By Beauty Damned

Mourning Weather

I don't know why I even bother checking the weather anymore. It's always wrong. It was my friend Myra's birthday almost two weeks ago. We've been trying to plan a day when I could take her to lunch at one of her favorite places. It was decided that today would be the perfect day. It was going to be sunny, her boss is out of the office, and of course, it's FRIDAY. I made a reservation at Cafe St. Bart's where they have the best white sangria in town and some great food and atmosphere. The best thing about St. Bart's is that when the weather is nice, they seat you on the outside terrace of Saint Bartholomew's Church. It has a great vibe that always makes me feel like I'm on vacation, even though I'm sitting only a few steps from the sidewalk on Park Avenue.

So I was disappointed when I woke up this morning and heard the rain coming down outside and felt the darkness all around. I woke from a dream in which I was crying uncontrollably over someone's death. I don't remember who it was that died in my dream, but I know the dread and despair that I felt was deep. When I opened my eyes, and I heard the rain falling, it didn't feel like it could be time to get up yet, but unfortunately, it was. I slipped into black jeans, a black v-neck sweater and my Adidas. The rain cock-blocked my fashion options and black seemed like the only appropriate thing to wear.

I got to work and after conversing with my lunch mates, we decided it would be best to cancel the reservation and wait for a sunnier day. Otherwise, we would be seated INSIDE St. Bartholomew's Church, which is, needless to say, not the same as sitting outside. Who really wants to eat inside a dank old Catholic church? Not moi.

Meanwhile, I would like to give the weather folks a piece of my mind. What is the point of trying to plan your life around their flimsy reports? It's foolish and I really have only myself to blame. We should do away with daily weather reports. We could all wake up in the morning and live spontaneously depending on the weather as it truly is, rather than being disappointed that it isn't what some jackass in a suit, in front of a blue screen, in a studio with no windows, had predicted.

Rainy days make me miss being in gradeschool and playing heads up seven up and having the teacher read a story outloud during recess instead of going out to play. Of course, I was raised in California, where a rainy day was a rare thing that inspired a buzz of excitement all around, whereas here in NY, the novelty taps out pretty quickly.

But it's still FRIDAY! I'm going to march on Sunday from Manhattan to Brooklyn to stand up for the rights of gays and lesbians to marry. If you're in the area, you should join in the fight for equal civil rights!

Posted by Maria at May 20, 2005 11:38 AM