Oh hai.

I can barely see you through all these cobwebs we’ve got around here.  Hold on a sec…

Ahh, much better.

So, there’s been lots going on and not a whole lot of it being discussed here at good old OC Metblogs. 

I don’t know if it’s because of all the “OMG we’re about to die” talk of the past few months that has gotten everyone a little spooked or what, but hey, I’m willing to go down with the ship, as it were.

And what better way to kick off the first post in a long time than to talk about that old classic, the weather?

It’s been so unseasonably cool lately that I’m kind of scared.

[poll=40]

Oh hai.

It’s been a bit quiet here on the old OC Metblogs hasn’t it?  And wouldn’t you know, it would literally take an earthquake to get me to post.

We were in Huntington Beach, in the middle of an egg hunt in my sister’s back yard.  I was sitting with my five-month old on a bench when I felt sort of dizzy.  I thought for sure I was about to faint for some unknown reason, and was searching for the nearest adult to hand her off to before I hit the pavement.

Then the rolling sensation got a little more pronounced, and I swear I could see the earth moving, watching as I went lower than the house, and then back again.  It was pretty freaky, actually, and this is coming from a So Cal native with dozens and dozens of earthquakes under her belt.  I screeched calmly stated that there was an earthquake, as no one else had seemed to notice. Then all the adults froze in place, while the oblivious kids kept running around trying to find their eggs. Which was a good thing, actually.

It took quite a long time for the rolling sensation to stop, at least a minute, if not more.  We could hear the neighbor’s pool sloshing and overflowing.

I’m not sure if we felt it a little bit more in HB because the water table is so high there, or what. 

How about you? Did you feel it?

In honor of the Vernal Equinox “springing” tomorrow at 10:32 a.m. PDT and the predicted gorgeous SoCal weather go outside and enjoy it. I know you may be temped to stay inside and watch college basketball, but let’s be honest many of you probably already had a bracket buster yesterday … thanks for nothing Notre Dame and Georgetown. Although I’ll give you a pass if your team is playing ;).

In case you need some ideas … follow me after the jump

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… well, at least here in SoCal. As you know, I’m from Pittsburgh and let me just say it rains there. A lot. The sky is also gray quite often. Living in Orange County for the past five years made me appreciate rain and – gasp – even miss it.

I know we’re all spoiled by the warm sunny weather here and get annoyed when it’s cool and rainy. So, I just wanted to take the time to show my appreciation for the rain and to say I enjoy the change of pace. It’s funny though, all of my East Coast friends and family think we live in the tropics, even after half a decade. I’m constantly reminding people that while it’s warmer here than Pittsburgh or Philadelphia or Washington, D.C., etc. 65° is NOT beach/pool weather.

As I’ve been driving around South County the past few days I’ve been noticing flowers and other plant life in bloom, thanks to the aforementioned rain. The onramp to the 5 North at Stonehill has some really pretty wildflowers. Seeing everything in bloom inspired me to take a closer look at my own yard. The people who lived here before us (remember, we just moved in December) really had a green thumb and things are sprouting and blooming all over the place. Of course, being the Dr. Kavorkian of all things green I figured I better document this while I can.

So follow me after the jump to take the time to “smell” the flowers.

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I see Dave and I had a similar idea for a post although his post is more serious. I think my before and after photos only stress the importance of how quickly things can change.

During my daily – OK, almost daily – walk along the San Creek Juan Trail, last Tuesday the 12th, I took this photo of the flood control channel in anticipation of the rain that all of the local meteorologist were predicting.

The following is a photo I took yesterday afternoon, January 21, from roughly the same location. As you can see it’s quite a dramatic change.

More after the jump.

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Other than the rain, of course. Everyone kept saying how epic these storms were going to be, and perhaps they are indeed epic somewhere else, but not where I am. We had some very cool lightning and thunder, but other than that, meh.

So, in the last four months I’ve given birth to a daughter, sold my home, went through Christmas, and packed and moved to a new home. Yes, I am certifiably crazy.

But, I’m back. You can’t get rid of me that easily, Orange County.

The National Weather Service has issued a Tornado Warning for parts of Orange County until 2:00 p.m. The areas included are: Anaheim, Costa Mesa, Westminster, Tustin Foothills, Tustin, Stanton, Seal Beach, Santa Ana, Irvine, Huntington Beach and Fullerton. Stay safe!

Update: 2:00 p.m.

The NWS has issued a new Tornado Warning that now includes San Clemente and parts of  Northern San Diego County until 2:30 p.m.

Aaand…

Insert any other rainy weather cliche you can think of, and that is Orange County right now.

If you’ve gotta be out, be safe!

I resent the type of weather on Thanksgiving in which it is possible for me to wear shorts if I wanted to.

Something about Thanksgiving screams turtlenecks and sweaters, not tees and flip flops.

It will work for my dad, who is the official Turkey BBQ’er (yes, we put our turkey in the barbeque, and man, it is delicious!) for he will not be shivering in the cold. 

But for everyone else? Bah humbug!

Have you come back to stay?