No Umbrellas?!

          So there is one thing that I have been dying to write about since I moved to the 'beautiful' Pacific Northwest and that they have a huge problem with umbrellas! I just don't understand why you would actually put on a sad little skimpy raincoat and trudge through the freezing (and oh yes I mean freezing like 32.5 degrees, almost ice) rain. So I walk to school and it's a good walk like over 1.5 miles or something and when I first started walking it was great, a good solid 40-50 degrees and some clouds in the expanse of blue sky. Though, there is one thing I was quite unaware of: that during the months of September and October rain is not expected abundantly.

          Don't get me wrong I knew that Washington was known for it's rain and gloom, and trust me it's for good reason, but I thought it was always like that I wasn't aware that it progressively got more and more rainy and then in the winter poured down in buckets. But back to my umbrellas, so I began to take my umbrella when it came to these rainy morning, and I don't complain about it either, I like to walk to and from school, but one thing that really irked me is all the comments and looks I get for my umbrella! One time I had a man, a full grown man, drive by in his pickup and yell out his window (cue backwoods, man in camo accent) "We don't use umbrellas here, put it away" and cackle. At first I was confused like is the guy IN THE TRUCK telling me to put away my only protection from the frozen hell-drops attacking me from every angle? I pondered the thought for a bit and then continued my walk where of course I ended up at school where my friends(my Washingtonian  sources) and I consulted. They told me that people here don't use umbrellas, that they are "used to the rain" and "prefer to use a raincoat" because it "doesn't bother them". This is probably the most absurd thing I've heard! Then it hit me, because you know how you buy that watch, hat, car or whatever that you wanted and realize that everyone already has it well that's what happened, I noticed all these kids walking in the torrential downpour with only a jacket.

          This entire situation ahs caused me to actually sit there and just think, because with these Washingtonians sometimes you just need to take a minute and contemplate, and after that minute I took another and then another and yet another and gave up because I would love a factual reason for a person to choose a raincoat over an umbrella. That's not even the entirety of the problem. The fact that you are shamed and that it is frowned upon actually makes me stroke my chin because I am bewildered. I could go on and on FOR-EVER but I know that my mom will probably be the only one to read this ever, so why bother? I guess I will just agree to disagree with the entire state of Washington. For now I'm Carson and it's raining.