The weather gods have spoken.

Winter is officially here in SF. Yesterday was the first day of rain. Forecast says that it will be followed by 4 days of rain. We'll probably see two or three more days of sun shine for fleet week.. and then 2 to 3 months of constant light flurries. I don't mind the drizzle. Having lived in Seattle and endured the 7 months of constant rain, the bay area weather seems tame, and it doesn't bother me at all. Plus like I always say, raindrops go well with a bowl of noodles, or a cup of joe, jazz on the side...

I do have to say that the rain seems to bring out the worst of the city. Yesterday I commuted home from the gym... usually a 15 minute ordeal. In the rain it always seems longer. Not only are you tired, you're damp on the inside from the sweat, and damp on the outside from the rain. And the rain doesn't do so well on Muni (the local public transportation system). On the 1, going from Financial District, through Chinatown to Fillmore, you get a colorful array of smells since the fogged up windows are kept shut to keep the rain out. And everyone drags the rain in on their clothing, shoes and umbrellas. There are little potholes of water on the uneven floor of the bus. It's inevitable that someone will slip and fall..

Yesterday walking around, I couldn't help but notice the bits and pieces of trash lying about, floating in puddles that were left because the city has yet to figure out a good drainage system. And on the news, there was a slew of traffic accidents and jams. I guess, over the course of the summer, people lose their ability to drive in the rain.

Don't get me wrong... I do love living here. These are just observations that I always make when this time of year comes around.

It's lunch time, and it's wet out, so I think I'm going to go get a bowl of pho.. and maybe listen to some jazz..