Wednesday: The forecast shows rain is coming in two days. No one believes it because it’s 75 degrees, sunny out, and we’re all at the beach.
Thursday: The temperature drops ten degrees overnight, and clouds move in. Students move around campus in tiny clumps, walking as fast as possible. Some shoot fearful glances at the sky. We didn’t have to handle rain until this year. Californians clutch their feeble umbrellas, terrified of what’s coming.
Thursday night: The rain starts. You’d think it was the apocalypse. Some professors take the chance to preemptively cancel class for the next day. Students start placing bets on whether or not classes will get cancelled. No money is involved—if class gets cancelled we’re all winners.
Friday morning: Attendance in class drops to half its normal rate. Nor-Cal kids show up in light rain coats and tiny umbrellas, soaked through from the waist down. So-Cal kids thought their hoodies would protect them, and show up to class soaked in regret. Washington and Oregon kids show up smugly dry. They were raised in this, and they wear their knee-high rain boots, color-coordinating coats, and umbrellas with pride. Joke’s on them, they wasted that much room in their suitcase. Arizonians are ten minutes late because they had to figure out what rain is before they could go outside.
Friday afternoon: Class still isn’t cancelled. Students (except for the Washington kids) all look like they just got off Splash Mountain. Everyone is angry. The most popular tweet of the day is “I didn’t pay 60k a year for rain.”
Friday night-Sunday: No one leaves the house. Students are living off of whatever they had in their fridge when the rain hit. All plans are cancelled. The power goes out, taking the Wifi with it, and you figure it’s the perfect time to get some homework done. You take a nap instead. The kid down the hall hasn’t changed out of their PJs in three days, but you don’t know that because you haven’t gotten out of bed since your last class ended. Thank goodness you have Cheez-its sitting next to your bed.
Monday: Probably sunny and 75 again. Thanks, Pepperdine.