98)

last night, there was a pretty bad thunderstorm. so bad, in fact, that the tornado sirens went off. i like storms when they're not capable of producing serious amounts of damage, and tornados? forget everything about that. i stayed in bed for five or ten minutes, listening to the thunder rolling in, the sirens fading in and out, and finally i got up, deciding to go downstairs and wait it out just in case.

i don't know where it comes from, but dangerous storms are something i've always been terrified by. i remember being much younger, watching TV when bad weather was on the way, getting totally freaked out by the screen the television station used to segue into the severe weather report (a barn, a silo, and a windmill... and the music? creepy). oh, and that time we went to dinner at tgi friday's, and the sky was green? i also recall the time i was stuck in my first middle school's basement during a ridiculous storm, and having to go down to the basement when i lived in the dorms. severe weather? not so much a fan.

the storm was bad, but there weren't any tornados. i figured everything would probably be fine, and i was right. now i'm down at the apartment (more cleaning and packing awaits) and let me tell you, there's a pretty intense storm going on outside. lots of thunder and lightning and rain. this has been a crazy summer, weather-wise... i love it. as scared as i can get, there really is something soothing about a good storm. after all, it'll pass eventually.

for now: listening to the beach boys, checking the radar, watching the rain, brainstorming dinner options. i'm glad it's friday--and i can't believe it's one of the last fridays we'll spend here. also, is it really almost august? it's weird... this is the first time i won't be going to school in... sixteen years. i'm still not sure how i feel about that; i guess we'll see in a few weeks.

in the meantime, hooray summer!
(thank you for being good to me.)