I just talked to a woman who said that in the past few months she had lost her boyfriend, her job and her baby. And she’d had a flat tire. She wondered if her problems might be “magnetic” and if she should talk to me or to a priest.
I told her I was very sorry for her troubles and that the priest might be a pretty good bet.
You know, a lot of times people ask me if I make up these questions. Trust me, folks. Ask anybody who knows me and they’ll tell you I’m not smart enough to make up stuff like this.
As it is, I think I’m ready for some time off, most of which I think I’ll spend in a dark room with a cool towel over my forehead. Or maybe just sitting with my arms around my knees rocking and humming. Perhaps gurgling.
So what shall we talk about today?
I’ve got a note here from a woman who thinks it might be fun if I helped her come up with a name for a body scrub she has developed based on Arizona sand.
Pass.
And I’ve got one here from some guy who thinks the way the runways are numbered at Sky Harbor International Airport has something to do with Phoenix politics.
Pass.
You people are often a great mystery to me. That’s why I like you so much.
Let us ponder this matter.
Since the official rain gauge for the Valley is at Sky Harbor Airport and since storms, like the one the other night, always seem to miss the airport, why don’t they move the official gauge somewhere else?
Why would they do that? It’s not like we’re in some sort of competition with other desert cities to see who gets the most rain.
And where would you have them relocate the official gauge?
Dysart and Bell roads? During the storm last Thursday, the gauge there showed 0.83 inch of rain. The one at Thomas Road and 16th Street showed 0.04 inch.
Which was more representative of the Valley’s rainfall that night?
The storms of the monsoon season aren’t like our winter rains that come in, if they come in at all, on broad fronts and soak the whole region.
The storms of the monsoon are spotty things that pop up here and there depending on an unstable brew of cool air and hot air and varying moisture levels. So over the long run, moving the gauge wouldn’t matter much.
Try not to worry about stuff like this, OK?
Reach Thompson at clay.thompson@arizonarepublic.com or (602) 444-8612.
*Clay Thompson writes for The Arizona Republic. You can read his column by going to www.azcentral.com
Clay Thompson 