If you are like me, the thought of multiple rainy days in a row leaves you feeling blah…not to mention those allergies that, instead of going away after a storm, only get worse.  If you are like my friend Melissa, however, you rejoice in them.  She loves rainy days and, although I’ve asked her, I don’t think that I’ve ever gotten an answer that would satisfy my question (the downfall of being such a good question asker).  To me, a rainy day equals a day to stay at home and be lazy, to venture out only when and if you want to (possibly without an umbrella to feel the rain on your face), and to be in the company of either a significant other or a close friend.  I find that during the work week, rainy days make me very unproductive (kind of like Mondays or coming back from a three-day weekend).

Normally May is the month where the flowers bloom, the bugs get more prevalent and, more importantly, the spring showers cease.  This year that is simply not the case: we had a very dry April, and March.  In fact, we hadn’t had much precipitation in a long time.  Of course, seeing as how my birthday falls in April and I’ve had many rainy ones (and one snow day), and the fact that we barely had any snow all winter, or a real winter for that matter, I do not mind as much as I used to.  One of the reasons for this is that I’ve developed a rainy day outfit.

The number one thing (besides hair, which also can be fixed) that I hate about the rain, particularly heavy rain, is my feet getting wet and staying wet throughout the day.  There is nothing worse than going about your day with soggy shoes that you cannot take off; it is bound to make anyone miserable.  Clothes will dry (eventually), but shoes tend to stay wet.  This is where rain-boots come in.  For years I was against rain-boots mainly because I thought that they looked ugly; I felt the same way about Uggs too, but once I realized how cozy they were I got over it (I just don’t wear them when I know I’m seeing my uncle).  On a whim, I was looking for shoes about a year and a half ago, and I came across a cute, cheap pair of rain-boots.  I decided to buy them and see what all the fuss was about.  The very next time it rained I wore them and was ecstatic; I could walk right through big puddles and my feet stayed perfectly dry.  I have loved them ever since.  There is only one problem though: rain-boots do not seem to like me.  That first pair lasted me about six months then they cracked straight down the back.  For my second pair of rain-boots, I decided to search the internet and find the one that stood out to me the most.  I ended up spending close to $100 on a brown pair from Michael Kors.  They were taller and heavier than my first pair, but I liked them just the same.  Those lasted about six months too: they cracked in the front at the toes.  For a few months I was discouraged, luckily those months were mostly lacking in the rain department.  I wasn’t sure if it was the way that I was walking in them or just rain-boots in general, although my bus friend has had the same pair for a few years and her’s have never broken on her.  As a last resort, I decided to by a pair of Hunters.  I had avoided these mainly because I’m not thrilled with how they look, but I found the “high gloss” ones a little more tolerable.  They are the most expensive rain-boots that I have bought to date and I wore them for the first time yesterday…let’s see how long these last me.  If they break in six months again I will be convinced that rain-boots hate me.

The second thing that drives me crazy about the rain is pants.  Think about it.  Depending on the material, when you get stuck outside in a shower, the pants may take a long time to dry and then they stick to your ankles.  It is almost as annoying as walking around with wet feet all day.  On rainy days, I don’t wear pants.  Either I wear a dress or a skirt, stockings or bare-legged…trust me, it makes a difference.  Sure, you feel the rain on your legs when you are outside walking around in it, but legs dry much faster than clothes and you will not be sorry. 

My last trick for rainy days is for my hair.  Last summer, which was particularly hot and humid, I found that going back to an old friend really works: a straightening iron.  I had stopped using my straightening iron for two reasons: one is that it damaged my hair (though I think the blow-dryer does more), the second is because it leaves my hair flat…but…flat versus frizzy.  I would take flat over frizzy any day.  Of course today, I did not get to use the iron before I left for work, so my hair is impossibly frizzy :(.