Dear Clockwork Jackal:
This just in - http://www.komonews.com/weather/blogs/scott/129474148.html
Be advised that if you relocate to the Seattle area, this fall/winter is predicted to be cool, wet and snowy (moreso than usual), thanks to La Nina, which is baaaaaacccckkkk!
Meh, I’ll believe it when I see it. They can’t and rarely predict what’s going to happen with our winters around here. Ooooh it’s gonna snow, it’s Snowmageddon on the way! Then we get six snowflakes. On the other hand, there are the times we’re just slammed with, what for us, is tons of snow just out of the blue. The entails hours long commutes, abandoned cars, and general stupidity.
The canoeing from the WAC area was nice, and parking is free on Sundays. I don’t imagine they’ll be open much longer with it getting darker earlier and all. Still and all, it’s a good deal for a couple of hours of sunshine and fun.
Six snowflakes is no problem. It’s that seventh one that brings the area to a standstill.
LOL! So very true!
Have you ever noticed that the same people who claim to fear for their safety driving in the snow to work, are the same people who will pack up their snowboards and skis and head for the mountains instead? 
A forewarning…Seattle area posters are regular participants in the “OMG huge hairy house spider!” threads that regularly pop up. There’s a reason why Qwest still distributes the yellow pages to area households.
Tegenaria duellica aka the Giant House Spider.
It’s all a matter of context. They have no doubts about their l33t driving skillz; what concerns them is that dog-faced flatlander coming at them sideways down Queen Anne Hill. :rolleyes:
We’re moving.
We decided today.
I’m still concerned about the overcast weather and driving. Will I get really depressed over the weather? Will it be too much for me to handle? And I’m also not sure about learning to drive. I was in a bad accident when I was 17. I have an anxiety disorder and I’m absolutely terrified to drive. I’m actually considering going on an antidepressant for my anxiety disorder. I guess I won’t know if I can beat either of these things unless I move and find out.
Wish us luck!
Sending you the very best good luck wishes,** CJ.** Are you still considering living on Bainbridge Island?
Really, the best way to treat the winter grays around here is to just go out and *do *something. It’s what works for me, anyway. I’ve lived here long enough that I really don’t give the weather too much thought most of the time. Can what seems like weeks on end of rain be a downer? Yes, but that’s when I get up and do something. Most of the time, our rain is that light, misty, just enough to make your turn your wipers on intermittent kind of rain. We don’t have consistent, torrential downpours for days on end.
Take a walk; visit a park (there are tons around here), go to a movie, hell, exercise.
I can’t speak to your anxiety about driving. That’s something for you, your healthcare provider and husband to work out. I was in accident when I was 17 too. Fortunately, I wasn’t really injured, but my car was totaled. I was rear-ended…hard. It was hard to get behind the wheel again, but I had work and school and the only way to get over it was to get behind the wheel. I am not saying this is what you should do. I obviously don’t know the extent of your injuries, it’s just what worked for me.
Yep, we saw a house on Bainbridge Island that we just love. It’s close to the ferry, so Mr Jackal won’t have to bike far. Then when he’s on the ferry, he can do email, and on the other side, there’s a shuttle that will take him to his new office in 7 minutes.
There are parks there that are just beautiful. And not far away. I love the woods. I kinda hate the city, but at least I can get around without needing to drive here.
My car, (ok, my parents POS Impala) was totaled too. As in, the work required to fix it was more than the car was worth. I wasn’t injured, but I was totally freaked out. It got so bad that when Mr Jackal got his car stuck in a snow bank a couple years ago, I couldn’t even sit in the driver’s seat and steer. I’m working with a therapist now, and I can now drive in quiet neighborhoods that don’t have a lot of traffic. So yeah, it’s quite a severe anxiety.
If you’re that close to the ferry on both ends you’ve got an almost ideal situation. I don’t know what the foot passenger fare is, but it shouldn’t be too much.
Don’t let them scare you about the gray days in winter. There can be a lot of them (like 30 per month), but occasionally, as in 2009, we’ve had many days in January and February that were almost summerlike, with lots of sunshine and temperatures in the 50’s. I’ve always held that our Februarys are usually better than our Junes. And you rarely freeze your ass off. And from what I’ve experienced, the really good summer days can go from early July to well into November. My predicition is that you’ll love it!
I wasn’t trying to scare** CJ** with the gray skies of winter. We do have some beautiful winter days. I have noticed that non-natives to this area have a real hard time with it. I think that most of us who have lived here all or most of our lives just get used to it and get on with our lives. Rain? Meh, we’ll BBQ anyway. Still need to shop, still have errands to run, it just is.
Besides, look at what that rain gives us. Tons of green and trees.
And, when the sun comes out, what a glorious site! It actually comes out quite a lot here. Our summer was late this year, but it wasn’t completely awful.
I moved here the summer before I started first grade clear back in 1970. I really don’t want to live anywhere else. I love it here. I’ve been all over the country and even lived in Germany, but this is my favorite place.
Take vitamin D. Every doctor, when they find out we are new to the area, immediate ask if we’re taking vitamin D (to make up for the vitamin D you naturally produce with enough sunlight).
Yet another welcome, this time from a native (and I have the webbed feet to prove it).
You’ve been given some excellent advice, and I have only two additional suggestions. First, if the you really find the greys giving you the blues, discuss light therapy with your provider — I know a couple of people who have tried it, and both said it made a real difference. And second, don’t stand too long in one spot — you’ll start to grow moss on your north side.
I know a lot of people are this way, but a lot aren’t, and frankly I find this attitude a little bit annoying. I wouldn’t have replied, because Clockwork Jackal has made up her mind, and I’m certainly not one to try to rain on someone’s parade once they’ve made a decision (no pun intended). In all likelihood, she and her husband will love it, and I truly hope that’s what happens.
But I feel compelled to respond, because I hear this “we get used to it” thing too much, and it feels like a more minor version of telling someone who is clinically depressed to “just cheer up.” Some of us are seriously depressed by the weather, and it isn’t a matter of “getting on with our lives.” I wish it were that simple. I didn’t get used to it. It got worse for me every single year until I couldn’t take it at all anymore. I was born in the northwest (though not Seattle), so I’m not a non-native. I just have a type of personality that can’t get used to it.
Oh my. I certainly did not mean to imply those with SAD or depression should just get used to it. I apologize because that was not my intent at all.
What meant to say was that rain didn’t stop me, along with the great majority of people I know around here, from just doing whatever our plans for being outside called for. I’m not saying I like going out in a downpour when it’s 38 degrees outside, but it doesn’t stop me from taking care of daily life. That is all I meant and I’m sorry if it offended you, **FoundWaldo. **
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Almost forgot to mention. Do you like professional sports? Be advised that the two major sports teams here (the football Seahawks and the baseball Mariners) can most charitably be described as “mediocore to awful”. The Mariners are considered to have had a successful season of they lose less than a hundred games. The Seahawks are a little better, but still struggle to play 500 ball. As a matter of fact, last year they set an NFL record by being the first team to make the playoffs with a loosing record (won 7, lost 9).
Several years ago some sports organization (don’t remember which one) labeled Seattle as the worst professional sports city in the country.
I know, I know, they both have had some good years. But not recently.
Um…not really.
So I’m totally I’m fine with all the sports sucking in that area. Suck away I say! 
What about the reigning US champion pro women’s team the Seattle Storm, who are now in the playoffs again, and have the top US woman player on the team?
Seattle Storm? Who are they?
[SIZE=“1”]Hunkers down waiting for the flaming to start.[/SIZE]