Yesterday’s drive to work was an interesting one. Three minutes from the office, it looked like I might be whisked away to Oz.
I’d been watching the horizon closely; the nearer I drew to CheeseGov, the more ominous-looking the sky appeared. As I merged onto the Beltline, an impressive shelf cloud was bearing down from the west. If you’re unfamiliar with this weather phenomenon, a shelf cloud is not a cloud designed to hold books, framed photos, candles, and knickknacks from your Florida vacation. It’s a low, horizontal cloud formation at the leading edge of a line of strong thunderstorms. When you see a shelf cloud approaching, you know shit’s about to get real.
I was just exiting the freeway when the shelf cloud passed overhead, and suddenly, we were plunged into a darkness so impenetrable, it felt like the middle of the night. Streetlights flickered on, the wind began gusting, fat drops of rain hurled themselves kamikaze-like onto the pavement, and in the distance, I heard the low, plaintive howl of a solitary wolf serenading the moon.
Just kidding about the wolf (though how cool would that be?!).
As if working on the top floor of a mid-rise building wasn’t cool enough, here’s another bonus: you get a birds-eye view of lightning flashing. For a weather geek like me, that’s nirvana.
I haven’t figured out a way to the rooftop yet, but that’s next on my list!
The wild weather didn’t end with those morning thunderstorms. We had two more rounds of storms move through, the last one accompanied by a Tornado Warning issued at 8 p.m. Third one since February! Geez Louise, this is starting to feel like old hat. I must be getting blasé over the whole thing, because when the sirens sounded and Tara suggested putting our shoes on, gathering the cats, and heading to the basement bathroom, I instead flung open the screen door, pointed my phone at the sky, and shot a video of the raging storm. This was apparently an invitation for mosquitoes to swarm my lower extremities, and I was rewarded for my efforts with half a dozen bites on my feet and ankles. Serves me right, I suppose. Tara was serious about taking shelter, because she put her bra on and everything.
One of us is going to outlive the other, and I’m pretty sure you can figure out who the last one standing is going to be. Age has nothing to do with it; either lightning or malaria will do me in, mark my words.
I drove to Capital Square this afternoon, parked the car, and walked down State Street. Yes, I was there to grab lunch, but the real point of my field trip was to see the flamingos.
I’ve mentioned before that Madison’s official bird is the plastic pink flamingo. This began, as the best ideas do, with a college prank. Back in 1979, University of Wisconsin students decorated Bascom Hill with over 1,000 pink flamingos before the sun rose one morning. Instead of history becoming legend, legend becoming myth, and the college prank passing out of all knowledge – shout out to my LOTR peeps! – this devotion to plastic birds only blossomed over the ensuing decades. It’s actually quite preciousss, if you ask me.
Now, the city is experimenting with turning a portion of State Street, a major downtown thoroughfare connecting the capitol to the university, into a pedestrian mall. In preparation for this, hundreds of volunteers helped local artists decorate the pavement with polka dots, paintings, and (naturally) flamingo statues. Their “Flock to State” campaign encourages people to visit State Street and enjoy the pedestrian mall. It’s temporary for now, but with a little luck, will turn into a permanent fixture much like Pearl Street Mall in Boulder. I am all for this, by the way. Walking downtown is much less stressful when you don’t have to worry about getting run over by a car.
The flamingos were cool, and I enjoyed a pabellon arepas, a cornmeal cake stuffed with shredded beef, sweet plantains, and black beans, from the Caracas Arepas food cart on the UW campus. Never had an arepas before, but it’s a step up from Jersey Mike’s or Chipotle, I can tell you that.
Bonus: eating it at Memorial Union Terrace, overlooking the pristine blue waters of Lake Mendota on a perfectly delightful spring afternoon.
Have I mentioned I really like working in Madison?
Mark My Words 
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