the deluge of '08

It appears as though Honolulu has been taken over by a monsoon. I am not entirely clear on the exact meteorological definition of the word "monsoon," but this is what I imagine one being like. It began yesterday evening and continues still.

This is what Manoa Valley usually looks like from my lanai.


And this is Manoa Valley completely imperceptible to the human eye thanks to torrential downpour.


This may come as news for those that believe I live each day in a constant state of paradise. While there is a noticeable lack of blizzards, we are blessed with sporadic yet inevitable bouts of rain. Usually it lasts a few minutes and can be escaped by walking two blocks in any direction. Usually it occurs, inexplicably, without a cloud in the sky and only takes the form of a harmless mist. However, I haven't seen blue sky for the last two days.

Last night I was certain that palm trees would be uprooted. There is some sort of wind tunnel-ish vortex present in front of my apartment building between the parking garage and lobby, the center of it being a very large tree. This poor mass of foliage was being whipped back and forth so ferociously I couldn't help but being reminded of someone headbanging, which of course only brings to mind Wayne's mullet headbanging along to "Bohemian Rhapsody" in Wayne's World. Between the rain slamming against my window pane, my blinds being whipped around in a frenzy despite my window being shut (there must have been a tiny crack where the wind got through), and my window rattling from the force of the gales outside I couldn't fall asleep until 4:30am.

Mind you, I've slept through my share of thunderstorms in Michigan. I love them, in fact, and they usually lull me to sleep. I also believe it rains more forcefully and with more quantity (i.e. the droplets are larger and closer together, if that makes sense) there. But damn...

I woke up and I couldn't see anything but white out my window because the fog/mist was so thick. Like pea soup, haha. And this persisted throughout the day.



The strangest part of it all is how much I liked it. It was nice to have variety. It was nice to be a little chilly for once, even if the rain was joined by a distinct mugginess. I felt the need for a hot caffeinated beverage, which is often never the case here unless I'm somewhere heavily air-conditioned. Rain can be soothing. It can be a great excuse to have a lazy, cozy, introspective day. It can also be peaceful and almost ethereal.