Pleasures And Benefits Of Soaking In The Rain

by Ally Hirschlag BBC    It was the sixth straight day of the heat index topping 100F (38C) in New Milford, Connecticut, when the sky turned a sickening shade of puce.    I was leading an outdoor theatre workshop, and noticed campers gawking at an ominous, miles-long shelf cloud advancing overhead. Then a thunderclap shook …

Our Brains Demand Certain Word Orders

by Kevin Burton    If you start talking about the fauna and flora of a certain environment, people are going to be weirded out. Why?    Well, we usually say flora and fauna, not the other way around. Is there a good reason for this? Maybe not, but don’t buck the trend, unless weirdness is …

Thunderous Facts About Weather Patterns

by Dictionary Scoop    While talking about the weather might have bad press, no one can resist the awe-inspiring allure of a powerful storm or a display of lightning against a pitch-black sky.    And even if this raw demonstration of the power of nature frightens you – or you just find it boring, the …

I Love A Rainy Night And I Like Eddie Rabbitt

by Kevin Burton    If you’re like most people, when you think of a nice day, you’re thinking about picnic weather, right?     Well I’m not like most people.    My nice days have a soundtrack to them. I am a son of the Midwest. What you call spring and summer, I call tornado season.  …

The Sights, Sounds And Smells Of Storms

by Kevin Burton    In the three plus years I lived in the Pacific Northwest I can only recall one honest-to-God thunderstorm.    Some co-workers were talking about it in my carpool going to work.  I said “Yeah that was excellent!”    They thought that was quaint I guess because they retold the story a …