The day at hand

Work today - woke up at home, looked outside - the bare glimpse of the sky I could see through the shutters was a down payment on the full gloominess of the sky. 

Go outside to the car - the world seems soaked- a cold chilling rain that seems to instinctively get half the people off the road staying indoors for the day and the rest driving half the speed they normally would to make sure nobody goes any faster on the roads anyway.

Yes, I know you need to reduce speed when it is wet. But sitting behind someone doing 20kph in a 50kph zone is not that much safer - potential road rage and piano falling incidents making up the numbers.

What super slow drivers should be forced to drive, right?

What seems funny is that on the other side of the city you saw weather like this much more often- people were used to it.  I always wonder why one place 45 minutes further north from where I live now got so much more rain. 

I know it's probably got to do with the plateu rising out of Sydney in the north, the urban heat effect, prevalent ocean temperatures and wind direction and greenery, but the reality of it is still quite stark. 

I'm also one who doesn't get cold easily - yes, if you stick me in a snowdrift and pour ice down my back I will be very cold and an enemy for at least a day - but unlike most Sydneysiders I don't automatically reach for my jumper if the temp hits under 20. Or even 10 - it has to be single low digits before I can think about putting on one of my 3 jumpers. And so on days like today, everyone looks at me like I'm some sort of fool and I constantly get asked "aren't you cold?"

"Why yes, but I had to burn my only jacket last night to keep warm and cook a rat for dinner. " I reply. Or wish I could.

Ok, if I lived in a place like this I would wear a jacket or 7. But it's Sydney, so no. 

"No." I actually reply, as little defensive tone in my voice as I can make it. "I'm just great thanks". They look at me like something is wrong with me on some cellular level and don't know whether to pity me or dissect me for science. "You sure?"

Internal feeling after the 6000th repeat of  that question this winter.

"Pretty sure" I finish. 

5 minutes later, rinse and repeat. 

Oh the joys of a (not so) cold day.