Monday, September 01, 2008

Let's change the subject.

Thanks to Miss Cellania for this apt list of semi-facts:

YOU MAY BE A PACIFIC NORTHWESTERNER IF:

1. You know the state flower (Mildew)

2. You feel guilty throwing aluminum cans or paper in the trash.

3. Use the statement “sun break” and know what it means.

4. You know more than 10 ways to order coffee.

5. You know more people who own boats than air conditioners.

6. You feel overdressed wearing a suit to a nice restaurant.

7. You stand on a deserted corner in the rain waiting for the “Walk” Signal.

8. You consider that if it has no snow or has not recently erupted, it is not a real mountain.

9. You can taste the difference between Starbucks, Seattle’s Best, and Veneto’s.

10. You know the difference between Chinook, Coho, and Sockeye salmon.

11. You know how to pronounce Sequim, Puyallup, Issaquah, Oregon, and Willamette.

12. You consider swimming an indoor sport.

13. You can tell the difference between Japanese, Chinese and Thai food.

14. In winter, you go to work in the dark and come home in the dark-while only working eight-hour days.

15. You never go camping without waterproof matches and a poncho.

16. You are not fazed by “Today’s forecast: showers followed by rain,” and “Tomorrow’s forecast: rain followed by showers.”

17. You cannot wait for a day with “showers and sun breaks.”

18. You have no concept of humidity without precipitation.

19. You know that Boring is a town in Oregon and not just a state of mind.

20. You can point to at least two volcanoes, even if you cannot see through the cloud cover.

21. You notice “the mountain is out” when it is a pretty day and you can actually see it.

22. You put on your shorts when the temperature gets above 50, but still wear your hiking boots and parka.

23. You switch to your sandals when it gets about 60, but keep the socks on.

24. You have actually used your mountain bike on a mountain.

25. You think people who use umbrellas are either wimps or tourists (unless they are golfers, and then it’s OK if it’s really raining hard).

26. You knew immediately that the view out of Frasier’s window was fake.

27. You buy new sunglasses every year, because you can’t find the old ones after such a long time.

28. You measure distance in hours.

29. You often switch from “heat” to “a/c” in the same day.

30. You use a down comforter in the summer.

31. You carry jumper cables in your car and your girlfriend/wife/significant other knows how to use them.

32. You design your kid’s Halloween costume to fit under a raincoat.

33. You know all the important seasons: Almost Winter, Winter, Still Raining (Spring), Road Construction (Summer), Deer & Elk season (Fall).

34. You actually understand these jokes. No one else does.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

That great! I am from Oregon and living in Wisconsin now. My friends make fun of me because I am an incessant NW braggart - but I'm glad to me reminded that I am not the only one.

Thank you! Great Blog!

Lilylou said...

I lived in Colorado for 34 years before coming home again to Washington and Oregon, always wishing I could be back in the PNW, where they know how to pronounce things like Puyallup and Sequim.

Masasa said...

When I was a kid and we moved from Oregon (to Colorado), after a six year stint there, my younger brother and I (our older siblings were old enough to prefer New Mexico) made a formal petition to our parents asking that they promptly move us back!

I haven't outgrown it. I came back to live in Washington for another six years not long ago, and it is becoming apparent leaving (one year ago this month) was one of the most difficult things I've done. I'm adjusting to the Northeast, which is entirely new to me, and it is slow, slow, slow, slow. I feel like I am from another planet.

Thanks for posting this. It reminded me how "home"sick I am, but also made me chuckle. Amusing.

Oh, by the way, I didn't get number 31, so I guess I've gotta work harder to become a part of the northwest next time I am there ;-). Also, on number 33, I still think of the pacific northwest as having two seasons only: rainy and dry.

The Eclectic Cleric said...

Omigosh you are making me Soooo homesick -- and no alder cooked salmon to look forward to after church next Sunday either! Still, loving it here in Portland Maine even as I'm missing my friends in the PNWD. Hope you enjoy a fantastic start to a new year in your new building this fall. I'm really looking forward to seeing it with my own eyes someday soon.

Tim

Lilylou said...

Hey, I don't know how to use jumper cables either and don't have an SO at this time, so what the hey.

Tim, you come on back here any time!

Joel Monka said...

I think the one I laughed loudest about was #28- You measure distance in hours. Where my sister in law lives in Colorado, a trip to K Mart means that if you get an early start, you can be home in time for dinner.