Snap, Crackle & Boom

We're getting a rare treat for the Bay Area: booming thunderstorms are rolling overhead today.

The brief flash of lightning preceding the subsequent crackly thunder soon after is a glorious thing.
I think i like them so much because of growing up in Michigan and experiencing plenty of booming thunderstorms, something i always found impressive from a weather point of view.

Here, thunderstorms seriously happen maybe once a year.
And honestly, i can't recall the last time we had thunderstorms that were intense as they have been today.
Not to say these were intense by Midwestern standards -- not even close.

But people that are from California tend to be more frightened of them than Midwestern transplants like myself.
I'm not sure why, though i'm sure it has to do with the lack of experience.

I recall visiting San Francisco in 1999 and the night we left to fly back to Michigan, there were huge lightning strikes illuminating the sky and we were nervous about flying. The airline employees were all talking about how rare these thunderstorms were and i remember thinking "big deal, we have these all the time during the summer in Michigan."

So i always can dig on the smattering of raindrops hitting the skylights in my place, a soothing sound i've always liked.
Hell, there was even a bit of hail falling earlier, which is pretty rare even in Michigan.
Of course, it didn't last. I remember being in a hailstorm once in which they were like little white pellets on the ground, like snowflakes that had fused together to make tiny ice-covered snowballs. But super-rare.

Yay for thunder, yay for lightning (though it can play havoc with your satellite TV, as i've been finding out today on my DAY OFF!)

One love for Presidents Day.
I'm glad i'm not outside.

Addendum (10:57 pm, 2.21.05):
Apparently, Paris Hilton's SideKick was hacked over the weekend.
And all of her private phone #'s, photos, emails and notes are available for us to read.
Go ahead, you know you're a bit curious.
Paris Hacked
Paris Pics
The Intracacies of Hilton's Hacked Address Book
Defamer: Hilton Hacked