Storms

Whenever I hear the word "storm", I think of the phrase "Viene la tormenta!", which is one of the best lines out of one of my favorite movies. I wonder whatever happened to the kid who said it? Did he have any idea that a single line from his bit part about scamming some hippie chick in a jeep would still send chills down the spine of random swim coaches several decades later? I doubt it.

I also love the way the final music blends with the bleak scenery to create a haunting image that makes you beg for a sequel. Wow.

And at the risk of revealing too much of my tender and sentimental side, I will proudly admit that I still rank "Terminator" as my favorite love story of all time. Am I alone with this viewpoint? Or do we just not talk about it because it seems weird to rank a killer robot movie as more romantic than anything with Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan? Seriously, if you are not moved by the relationship between Sarah Connor and Kyle Reese, you must be an emotionless cyborg yourself. And if the passion between the fugitive lovers is not enough, you have the different, yet intensely powerful emotional and caring relationships between Sarah and her unborn son, between John and Kyle, and between John Connor and all of humanity. It's touching and moving on many levels; making for a timeless romantic classic, indeed.

On the other hand, if the picture to the right is what you think about when you hear "storm", then I guess we're coming at it from slightly different perspectives, aren't we?

Hmm. That just gave me an idea for tomorrow's trivia quiz! We'll talk about superhero catch phrases. Should be fun!

Anyway, the point is that I woke up around midnight last night because hailstones were battering my patio, my chimney, and my windowpanes. Since my windows are beneath upper-story overhangs and sheltered by trees, it requires some pretty enthusiastic wind energies to fling precipitants with enough force to impact the glass. Sounded like a heck of a storm. So of course, I crawled out of bed and went over to peer out the window to see what I could see.

Rain, hail, and a dark damp parking lot. Pretty much what I should've expected. Is it the fact that it's midnight that makes us jump up in anticipation of seeing Riders of the Apocalypse, Ringwraiths, and/or an angry Thor? Or is it just human nature to want to ooh and ahh over stuff that's loud and violent? A good lightning storm can occasionally provide visual entertainment superior to 4th-of-July festivities, but most rain/hail storms lose their watchability as soon as you realize that no witches are being blown past the window, and that Munchkinland is not on your itinerary after all. And when you factor in astigmatism/myopia like I have, well, you tend to quote the police tape unspooler guys: "Nothing to see here, folks. Move along. Move along."

Once back in bed, though, I continued to listen to the concussive symphony for another 15 minutes or so until it mellowed to an all-liquid patter, at which point I went back to sleep.

The real question is whether the interruption of my sleep will affect my cognitive abilities at the office today. I have a proposal document due to the customer at 2pm, and will have to be sharp and efficient in my editorial duties. With the deadline looming, and the science team egregiously behind schedule, it's going to be a real challenge to obtain, clean up, and post the document online within the time allotted. If I'm yawning and struggling to prop open my eyelids as I attack these editorial tasks, it could be a rough day, indeed.

Anyway, I hope you got a good night's sleep despite the storm, and that you're feeling refreshed and alert throughout your Thursday. If you get the chance, let me know your thoughts about your favorite love-story movies...and have a great day!