Today is Halloween, which traditionally marks the start of the Great Sucky Season in Bend. Say goodbye to those nice, sunny Indian summer days we've had once in a while for the past month and say hello to seven and a half months of relentless suckiness. As I'm writing this (10 a.m.) it's still bright and sunny, but clouds are rolling in from the south, southwest and west, and we'll be deep in the suck by the time the trick-or-treaters start making the rounds.
My colleague in bloggery, Jack Elliott, who pretends to actually enjoy Bend's sucky climate, has made a bet that I won't be able to keep doing the Daily Suck Index for a year and already is trying to wriggle out of it on a technicality, so I'd better catch up on the past week.
Tuesday was mostly cloudy with some drizzle in the morning and occasional "sunbreaks" in the afternoon, temperatures reaching the low 50s.
Daily Suck Index for Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2009: 5
Wednesday was pretty much the same as Tuesday.
Daily Suck Index for Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2009: 5
Things got considerably better on Thursday -- a lot more sun, high in the low 60s.
Daily Suck Index for Thursday, Oct. 29, 2009: 3
Friday was almost completely clear with a high in the low 60s. Unfortunately a blustery wind spoiled what would otherwise have been a 2 or even a 1 day. (Blackdog does not like wind.)
Daily Suck Index for Friday, Oct. 30, 2009: 3
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
The Wind Suck Factor
Bend has an amazing variety of weather. Unfortunately, almost all of it is bad.
Take the wind, for example. It blows a lot -- not like in Kansas or Wyoming, but a lot. And it has the unique ability (at least Blackdog has never encountered it anywhere else) to blow from all directions at once, so that in whatever direction you're walking, running or biking, it's blowing in your face. Blackdog knows this must be scientifically impossible ... but ... somehow it does.
Monday was a genuinely sucky day, with gloomy gray clouds, highs only in the low 50s and some pretty heavy rain off and on all day.
Daily Suck Index for Monday, Oct. 26, 2009: 6
After a little freezing rain overnight and in the early morning, Tuesday turned out to be a pretty nice day -- pretty nice for observing from inside a warm house, that is. There were occasional "sunbreaks," but the temperatures barely made it into the 40s and a biting wind (blowing from all directions at once) made it feel colder than the proverbial witch's tit.
Daily Suck Index for Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2009: 6
Take the wind, for example. It blows a lot -- not like in Kansas or Wyoming, but a lot. And it has the unique ability (at least Blackdog has never encountered it anywhere else) to blow from all directions at once, so that in whatever direction you're walking, running or biking, it's blowing in your face. Blackdog knows this must be scientifically impossible ... but ... somehow it does.
Monday was a genuinely sucky day, with gloomy gray clouds, highs only in the low 50s and some pretty heavy rain off and on all day.
Daily Suck Index for Monday, Oct. 26, 2009: 6
After a little freezing rain overnight and in the early morning, Tuesday turned out to be a pretty nice day -- pretty nice for observing from inside a warm house, that is. There were occasional "sunbreaks," but the temperatures barely made it into the 40s and a biting wind (blowing from all directions at once) made it feel colder than the proverbial witch's tit.
Daily Suck Index for Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2009: 6
Monday, October 26, 2009
The Suckiness of Fake 'Friendliness'
A lot of newcomers to Bend comment on how "friendly" the people here are. It's true, in a way. Restaurant servers are never (well, hardly ever) surly. People will chat you up in the Costco checkout line, in the line at the bank, in the movie ticket line -- almost anywhere.
People in the checkout lines at the supermarket, the coffee shop or wherever also will strike up long conversations with the clerk or barista about their children, their grandchildren, their latest vacation, their planned vacation, etc., etc. -- which Blackdog thinks is pretty damn rude to the people waiting behind them in line, but again, this is what passes for "friendliness."
But is making small talk with strangers really "friendliness"? How deep does such "friendliness" go? How sincere is it?
In Blackdog's experience, the "friendly" folks of Bend will stab you in the back just as quickly as people on the East Coast, or anywhere else. And I've never lived in a place where vicious rumors were spread so quickly and eagerly.
Blackdog would rather have a few real friends who I can trust and rely on than any number of smiles from waitresses or cheerful chats with strangers in front of the ATM. Fake friendliness sucks.
About yesterday's weather: It started out nice but turned overcast, windy and kinda chilly (low 50s) as the next sucky weather front started to move in.
Daily Suck Index for Sunday, Oct. 25: 5
People in the checkout lines at the supermarket, the coffee shop or wherever also will strike up long conversations with the clerk or barista about their children, their grandchildren, their latest vacation, their planned vacation, etc., etc. -- which Blackdog thinks is pretty damn rude to the people waiting behind them in line, but again, this is what passes for "friendliness."
But is making small talk with strangers really "friendliness"? How deep does such "friendliness" go? How sincere is it?
In Blackdog's experience, the "friendly" folks of Bend will stab you in the back just as quickly as people on the East Coast, or anywhere else. And I've never lived in a place where vicious rumors were spread so quickly and eagerly.
Blackdog would rather have a few real friends who I can trust and rely on than any number of smiles from waitresses or cheerful chats with strangers in front of the ATM. Fake friendliness sucks.
About yesterday's weather: It started out nice but turned overcast, windy and kinda chilly (low 50s) as the next sucky weather front started to move in.
Daily Suck Index for Sunday, Oct. 25: 5
Sunday, October 25, 2009
A Little Morsel of Unsuckiness
Saturday was -- painful as it is to admit it -- a surprisingly pleasant day. It appears the weather gods are doling out tiny little tidbits of Indian summer this year -- a day here, a day there. Saturday was almost cloudless with very little wind and temperatures in the mid- to upper 50s. If it had been 10 degrees warmer I'd have been tempted to give it a 0. As it was ...
Daily Suck Index for Saturday, Oct. 24: 1
But fear not: On Halloween, six days from now, winter REALLY slams down.
Daily Suck Index for Saturday, Oct. 24: 1
But fear not: On Halloween, six days from now, winter REALLY slams down.
Friday, October 23, 2009
Catchin' Up With the Suck
Blackdog has been goofing off for a couple of days, so we have to play a little catch-up.
Wednesday was a somewhat sucky day: temps in the low 60s (although the wind made it seem colder) and mostly cloudy skies, with occasional "sunbreaks."
Daily Suck Index for Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2009: 3
Thursday was an almost perfect fall day -- temps in the low 60s, not much wind, almost cloudless. If it had been a little warmer Blackdog would have given it the coveted (and rare) 0 rating. As it was ...
Daily Suck Index for Thursday, Oct. 22, 2009: 1
Suck-free and almost suck-free weather doesn't last long in Bend, and sure enough, suckiness returned today. Heavy clouds, no sun, occasional drizzle, temps in the mid-50s.
Daily Suck Index for Friday, Oct. 23, 2009: 4
Wednesday was a somewhat sucky day: temps in the low 60s (although the wind made it seem colder) and mostly cloudy skies, with occasional "sunbreaks."
Daily Suck Index for Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2009: 3
Thursday was an almost perfect fall day -- temps in the low 60s, not much wind, almost cloudless. If it had been a little warmer Blackdog would have given it the coveted (and rare) 0 rating. As it was ...
Daily Suck Index for Thursday, Oct. 22, 2009: 1
Suck-free and almost suck-free weather doesn't last long in Bend, and sure enough, suckiness returned today. Heavy clouds, no sun, occasional drizzle, temps in the mid-50s.
Daily Suck Index for Friday, Oct. 23, 2009: 4
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Moderately Sucky, With Increasing Suckiness
Well, it wasn't TOO sucky in Bend today -- a fair amount of sunshine, temperatures in the upper 50s to lower 60s (although the wind made it feel a lot colder). But that wind means more suckiness on the way, and sure enough the forecast calls for rain and a high in the 50s tomorrow.
Blackdog rates a day for suckiness on how pleasant (or unpleasant) it is to be outdoors without a coat or sweater and/or rain gear. On that basis, today was a little below the midpoint on the sucky scale. Therefore ...
Daily Suck Index for Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2009: 3
Blackdog rates a day for suckiness on how pleasant (or unpleasant) it is to be outdoors without a coat or sweater and/or rain gear. On that basis, today was a little below the midpoint on the sucky scale. Therefore ...
Daily Suck Index for Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2009: 3
Just Another Sucky Monday
Today was more like a typical Bend mid-October day -- gray and dreary, with heavy clouds and temperatures in the mid-50s. There was no rain, snow or sleet, fortunately, but all in all it wasn't the kind of day for a picnic in the park.
Daily Suck Index for Monday, Oct. 19, 2009: 4
Daily Suck Index for Monday, Oct. 19, 2009: 4
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