You Know You’re From The North West If…
March 28th, 2008 . by ErinAs I look out at the window at work, all I can see is the dismal, grey, and generally crappy weather we’ve been having… That and the back of Red Lobster, isn’t my view envious.
I’m from Oregon so you’d think I’d be used to never seeing the sun. Well thanks to the wonderful invention of the anti-depressant, I can mildly endure the wrath of our crappy weather. The only bad part about this is when my medication stops working and my SAD takes over, and the weather is still less than desirable… This is usually not good but at least I have Dr. Pepper calming my nerves.
Since it looks like the Willamette Valley of Oregon outside I thought I‘d put in some North West Humor in for all to enjoy. It’s ok if you don’t get the jokes, just leave a comment and I’d love to explain… being a native and all.
You might be from the North West if…
1. You know the state flower is mildew.
2. You have a T-shirt that says, “200 Billion Slugs Can’t Be Wrong!”
3. You use the term “sun break” and know what it means.
4. You feel guilty throwing out paper or aluminum cans.
5. You know more people who own a boat than own an air conditioner.
6. You will stand on a deserted corner in the rain and wait for the “Walk” signal.
7. You feel overdressed if you wear a suit to a fancy restaurant.
8. You can order coffee 10 different ways.
9. You can taste the difference between Seattle’s Best, Tully’s and Starbucks.
10. To you, swimming is an indoor sport.
11. You never go camping without a poncho and waterproof matches.
12. You know the difference between Coho, Chinook, and Sockeye salmon.
13. You know how to pronounce Puyallup, Sequim, Issaquah, Mukilteo, Yakima, Oregon, and Willamette.
14. You know that Boring is not a state of mind, but a town in Oregon.
15. You have no concept of humidity without precipitation.
16. You know the difference between mist, drizzle, rain, and showers.
17. You are not fazed by the weather forecast, “Today: Showers followed by rain. Tomorrow: Rain followed by showers.”
18. You rejoice at a forecast of “rain with sun breaks.”
19. You know what “The Mountain is out” means.
20. You can point out at least two volcanoes, even if you can’t see through the cloud cover.
21. You think people who use umbrellas are either tourists or wimps (or both).
22. You have actually used your mountain bike on a mountain.
23. You knew immediately that the view out of Frazier’s window was fake.
24. You use a down comforter and wear flannel pajamas in the summer.
25. Your kid’s Halloween costumes fit under a raincoat.
26. You know all the seasons: Almost Winter, Winter, Still Raining (Spring), Road Construction (Summer), Deer and Elk season (Fall).
27. Every year you have to buy new sunglasses because you can’t find the old ones after such a long time.
28. You’re only about 10 minute from any given river or lake.
29. You can drive through several inches of standing water on the road, surrounded by fog, going anywhere from 45-65 miles an hour without flinching!
Enjoy! I know I just did! I miss Oregon’s beauty, but I don’t miss not seeing the sun for 9 months out of the year.
As a north westener, this list is so true! One day it was raining and Bram asked me if I was going to take an umbrella on my errands. I told him that umbrellas were for wimps. All I need is a ponytail, jeans, sneakers, and a hoodie.
If you need some sun, go pay for some skin cancer and go tanning! It always perked me up during those long Utah winters!
Side note- I lived in Oregon for 8 years and never had allergies. I move to the East coast and BAM…allergies! My nose is running, my throat is sore, and I have a continual headache. I hope this Claritin stuff starts working.
Haha. Although only a visitor, I definitely got a chuckle out of this list. Hmmm…maybe I should make one on my blog. I think you should also add that you know you’re from Oregon if you don’t drive over 35mph on any street and 50mph on any freeway. Haha. My sister lived in Portland and we used to joke about the REALLY low speed limits.
There is at least one item missing from the list: You know you’re from the Northwest when: you talk about how far away something is in hours and minutes rather than miles.
Seriously though… the sun may be out for just six months out of the year (not just three) in the Willamette Valley - but look at the payoff. So many shades of green; the incredible rivers and lakes (especially the Little North Fork and Detroit Lake) in which to swim, boat, fish and play; the lush, dense forests for hiking and camping; and so on. Plus, the coast is only an hour away, and it only takes an hour-and-a-half to get to the Cascades.
And - by the way - the sun shines 300 days a year here in Bend, and we’re only two hours away from the valley! Can you say PARADISE???
Being a native, I would not give up my lucious green enviornment for all the baking sun in the world. I’ve lived in Utah, Nebraska,Washington, Texas, and Tenn-NOTHING beats Oregon!
We can go canoeing and fishing 10 minutes from our house, the ocean is 1 hr away, camping in the mountains 1 hr in the other direction, and playing in the snow 1 1/2 hrs away.
We can start planting our garden in March, have yummy greens and peas to eat by May, and graze from our bounty until early November.
Fog is in my blood, spring green moss is my favortie color, and I do everything in the rain-even dog sledding.
Love you, Aunt Lynnie
The ’slugs’ one hit home today for me. I was unplugging a toilet at work and Lo and Behold…what was clogging up the darn thing? That’s right, a giant slug.
Hurrah for Oregon! And hurrah for Slugs, our State Animal.