Insane in the rain

Recently there was a giant storm, Hurricane actually. Gale force winds raining sideways rather than up and down- you get the picture.

My friend Rick and I were bored.

Rick Publishes a Weekly newspaper and I design the covers. We share an office under a bridge, in a small town in Georgia. Our downtown is a square with all business facing each other like a giant monopoly board.

I am from California, so I am still figuring out quirky habits of southerners. I am fairly certain there is a law in the south which mandates that if there is a storm- all citizens must drop what they are doing and make a run for the nearest grocery store to stock up on supplies. It doesn't matter if your pantry is full, you must go or you will be alienated for life. I didn't figure this out until I had lived here for 3 years.

If you don't run immediately to the store, everyone will know. This is because everyone in town is in the one open line- baskets overflowing. They have plenty of time to take roll. If you are absent from the tally, whenever anyone speaks your name thereafter, it will always be followed by "Bless his/her heart". This, (I learned fairly quickly) is the southern way to soften a negative statment lest it be considered gossip. Example: "Bless her heart, she's just looking for someone to love her, I'm sure she doesn't mean to be an utter prosititute husband stealer")

I digress...

The point is, on this particular day, downtown was a deserted because everyone was (of course) at kroger. As I said, Rick and I were bored... bored and alone.

I'm not sure how the idea occurred to us, ( Perhaps because the only other person downtown was the local Radio D.J.) but we came up with a gem of an idea to liven things up...

This is our version of a radio station stunt.

Our local radio station broadcasts from a window in the square (Think Northern exposure)

Giggling at our cleverness, we gathered sturdy umbrellas and headed to the radio station. Like trained military professionals, (In our minds) we timed our excursion precisly. We went went the D.J. was live at five.

Then, like the childish adults we are, we went running past the window as if the winds were blowing us away (Mary Poppins Style) The d.j. the true professional he is, was able (just barely) to contain his laughter. We were not. we managed to convice a total stranger to join in our game, and the three of us took another pass. Then rick and I made a break for the bridge.

Unforseen complication: we were completely soaked and we still had a paper to put out. So much for our career in the military.

I am 34. Rick is ageless put pushing 200 at least. We live in a small town and are easily amused. Rick's wife Patty was not as amused as we were..Oh well... at least we didn't have to stand in line at kroger, bless our hearts.