Have you noticed how often we talk about the weather?

If you actually think about how often we mention the weather, it’s kinda weird. Obsessive, some might even say. This obsession is so extensive that even our NZ music legends have expressed it through their songs over the ages. Here are some great examples:

“Weather with you”, by Crowded House.

“Listening for the weather”, by Bic Runga.

This week, Auckland has welcomed a chilly south-easterly which has left the student population looking like a sea of black puffer-jackets and umbrellas. Sexy. I personally have a love/hate relationship with my puffer-jacket, as it keeps me very toasty, but unfortunately has that marshmallow-with-legs effect that is not so desirable. On cooler rainy days I prefer my $2 rainjacket that I bought at a school fair a few years ago. Here’s a shameless selfie of me post walk in the rain this week:

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Another love/hate relationship I have is with the rain.

At times I do like the rain, particularly when I am snuggled up in my bed with my cat Mabel. As I sit here typing she is loyally by my side, though that’s probably just because my room is warm and comfy- and let’s be honest, cats are selfish <3. My cat is particularly savvy with skype (see pic below), where she has mastered the art of blocking the camera completely and standing on my keyboard. She’s too cute to move though! #catpeopleproblems

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Other times, I’m not a huge fan of the rain. I am a cross country runner and so I am well aware of the power of rain. Never underestimate the power of rain! Rain can turn a grassy course into a giant mud slide- and you’ll be lucky to come out with both shoes on. Rain makes any race so much more of a challenge, especially when you’re sliding all over the track. Here’s a pic of the muddy conditions at nationals last weekend at the Auckland Domain.

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Although I have no scientific evidence to back up this claim, I do often feel that the weather influences my mood. I like sunny mornings, and light rain, but storms make me grumpy and rain on the walk home from the bus is just plain annoying. I do sometimes feel like the weather follows me around. Yes, Crowded House, I do feel like I take the weather with me.

But it’s a beautiful day today and I’m going out for a walk in the park with a friend, so I can’t always say that the weather effect is a bad thing. After all, there are lots of ups and downs in life and we can’t really control them- just like the weather.

-Grace 🙂