david@randvax.ARPA (David Shlapak) (02/25/84)
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OK, cbd@ihu1e.UUCP, let's flip the coin...
I lived in the Chicago area (Evanston, to be be precise) for four years
before moving to LA and, while I'd gladly move back to the Second
City for a variety of reasons, meterological variety sure as hell
*ain't* one of 'em!!
During my time in Chicago I learned one truism about the weather there---
if it's nice in the morning, don't worry, it'll stink by lunch...out
of any 365 day period you might get 30 days of pleasant weather. The rest
of the time it was raining or snowing, below freezing, or so windy that
any sort of outdoor recreation (tennis, softball, etc.) became a
parody.
And let's not forget that on the "North Shore" where I dwelt there's
a marvelous phenomenon called "lake effect." Although the causes
are complex, "lake effect" boils down to one thing...if O'Hare Airport
had 6 inches of snow my parking lot would have two feet; ditto for
rain.
Yep, that sure is this reasonable human being's idea of great weather...
I remember my first winter out here watching the AFC championship game
between Cincinnati and San Diego. I called my former roommate, a Cincy
native and, at that time, a Chicagoan. He couldn't go to work 'cause
his car was frozen and the snow had blocked his door...besides which the
wind chill factor was close enough to absolute zero that being outdoors
longer than 30 seconds meant certain death...Well, I felt bad for poor
Bruce as I changed into my swim trunks and headed for the beach...
Now as for Hawthorne where you "lived" while you were in Lotusland,
hell, Hawthorne smelled bad and was smoggy when the Indians were the
only folks west of the Rockies!! For those of you unfamiliar with
LA geography, Hawthorne is three oil refineries and some speed traps.
Nobody "lives" in Hawthorne...you just strap on your respirator and get
through there as fast a possible staying low to the ground all the
time...
As for seasonal variety in LA, it beats anything anywhere I've ever
seen. This is the first winter where I've been more than an hour's
drive from subfreezing weather and significant snow...you have to
wait three months at a shot to enjoy nature's variety...I can shiver
through a snowball fight in the Angeles Forest in the morning and
bake in Santa Monica in the afternoon...THAT'S variety...
Earthquakes, yes...smog, yes...floods, fires, valley girls, yes, yes,
like yes...but weather...hoo, hoo, if it makes living in what is
alternately the Great White North and the Rainy, Sweltering, Swamp
easier to bear, feel free to knock Souther California's weather, please
be my guest...I'll suffer all the way to the pool...
Cheers!!
--- das