Oh You Sweet Temptress, Santa Ana

It's March. Okay, so it's the last day in March but still... Usually it's cold and yucky. Don't be fooled by visions of palm trees and clear blue skies that Hollywood portrays. We still have our "cold" days with gloom and rain and other non-perfect things. Who would have thought that weather needed to be airbrushed? As I started to open the blinds around the house I noticed that it was super windy outside. This could mean one of two things: cold storm off the ocean if it was blowing from the west or Santa Ana's if it was blowing from the east. The trees are waving emphatically toward the west so Santa Ana it is! Oh how I love thee. You bring me nice, warm, sunny days. Promises of fresh air and messy hair. Yet you disappoint me by leaving me and I'm subject to normal weather patterns once again. Drat! This will happen periodically throughout the year. My mom and I have referred to Sept/Oct as Shake & Bake season since we tend to get the Santa Ana weather patterns and earthquakes simultaneously during this time. Yes, it's great being so close to the beach. However, that really means lots of grey days. It really doesn't start to become 'Jen' weather until July. I went to college in Orange County, now known as "the OC" (whatever) and the city I was in was just south of the infamous Huntington Beach. One of the girls I attended with started to pack away her winter clothes one February day when we were experiencing our first Santa Ana of the year. Winter clothes? You mean people actually have seasonal clothes? Oh come on! It's going to be cold again in a week! Wait a few more weeks and it will be 80 degrees again! But only for a few days. You can't pack away anything except maybe your heaviest jacket and the gloves you bring out when you decide you want to drive up to Big Bear to play in the snow after your morning of surfing. Yes, the rumors are true, you can do both in one day. You'll be really tired and really broke since gas is $2.35 a gallon, but gosh darn it! Think of how impressed your friends will be!