In A Rainy Mood, Anyone?

Oh god. It's Monday again. Already.

Let's revolt by hiding under our headphones all day.

Rainymood.com

A Regatta. Then Beer.

A few months ago, my boyfriend took up rowing. He joined a club that practices very early in the mornings on Saturdays and Sundays and instantly loved it. After his first weekend, they moved him from the beginners to the intermediate class. The second weekend, they moved him from the intermediate class to the advanced class. And now here we are: This past weekend, on Saturday, he was in his first regatta.

He rowed alone (sculling) first, then in a four-man boat, then in a two-man boat. In his first race, he tipped the boat near the finish line and fell into the lake (his first fall ever) in freezing water. In his second race, his team didn't make it down to the start line in time and the regatta staff began the race without them. And in his third race, the wind picked up and was so strong that he and his rowing partner (both novices) soon lagged far behind the other racers.

Considering these results, a lot of people might chalk this first regatta up as a disaster. But I'm so proud of him for keeping his head held high and laughing it all off as no big deal. He's doing something he really likes and having a lot of fun at the same time. "I just really wanted to leave a lot of room for improvement," he says.

After the regatta, we meandered over to the Great Arizona Beer Festival, on the other side of the lake, where some drunk dude approached me and seemed to oddly be hitting on me by way of trying to claim I cut in front of him in line. My boyfriend calmed him down. We went on to have excellent barbecue and try a few brews, too. The weather was perfect -- sunny and 72. Overall, it was a very fun day spent outdoors.

Sunday, however, it started to rain here again. The weather experts say that Phoenix has already received more rain this year in these three and a half months than we usually do in an entire calendar year. Something to do with the El Nino effect. Regardless, I'm ready for the rain to stop. Each time the temperature climbs to 70, a rain comes along and drives the temperature back down to 50. And I don't like it. (I know, I know. The rest of the country is playing a small violin in my honor for this. Thanks.)

But what good does moving to the sunniest, hottest part of the country do for people who hate being cold if it's just going to rain and be cold all the time? BOO. Me no likey.

Anyway, that was my Saturday.

I leave you with this -- an awesome video you will want to watch from beginning to end, whether it's raining or shining where you are. Rock out, be enthralled, and enjoy.

All I Could Think Of Was Jack Black Saying, "Get Ready to Feel the Thunder!!!"

So I know there are other important things going on in the world, like the fact that Barack Obama just gave his acceptance speech last night, and also, the fact that John McCain has chosen a woman from Alaska that no one has ever heard of before to be his running mate ... but put all those political questions you're mulling over on hold and check out this storm we had last night.

It's still monsoon season in Arizona, and last night Mother Nature reminded us just exactly what that means. Several thunderstorms merged into a single superstorm over the Phoenix metro area and gave locals an incredible light show.

Less like lightning, actually. More like a strobe light. Check it out:

Have you ever seen anything like this in your life?

It's like God was having a disco party or something...

Ladies and gentlemen, proof that it does, indeed, rain in the desert from time to time. And when it rains, it pours.

And then an actual news report covering the storm:

This is the part that's really going to get you, though:

This year, Arizona State University (in Tempe, Ariz., just south of Phoenix) erected what it calls a "bubble dome" on campus for the football team to practice in. The 103,500-square-foot, climate-controlled facility was just completed this month and cost a total $8.4 million to install.

Well guess what. The bubble was not built to withstand 70-100 mph winds. And last night, it deflated.

It used to look like this.

Now it looks like this.

Ready? All together now...

HA!