August 8, 2005

Summer is here

Posted by Arcane Gazebo at August 8, 2005 11:57 AM

Finally, typical summer weather has arrived in Berkeley: 57°F and overcast. When I was in Italy I tried to explain this to the Europeans, and they didn't believe me—I did the conversion to Celsius in my head and they assured me I must have made a mistake.

I attempted to bolster my claim by bringing out the famous Mark Twain quote, "The coldest winter I ever saw was the summer I spent in San Francisco." Later I found out that there's no source for this quote; he did write something along these lines, but about Paris:

...anywhere is better than Paris. Paris the cold, Paris the drizzly, Paris the rainy, Paris the damnable. More than a hundred years ago somebody asked Quin, "Did you ever see such a winter in all your life before?" "Yes," said he, "Last summer." I judge he spent his summer in Paris. Let us change the proverb; Let us say all bad Americans go to Paris when they die. No, let us not say it for this adds a new horror to Immortality.

I see however that it is 68°F and sunny in Paris right now. Well, the sun came out while I was writing this so maybe we'll get up to Paris levels by afternoon, and I can quit lamenting the fact that I didn't bring a jacket today.

Tags: Berkeley, Culture, Life, San Francisco
Comments

95 in Dallas today. Trade ya.

Posted by: Dad | August 8, 2005 12:39 PM

82 and and slightly hazy in Stamford but I am stuck inside working oh well...

Posted by: shellock | August 8, 2005 1:04 PM

Was 80 something and ominous looking in Norwalk- but then the office windows are tinted, so who knows what to believe?
Trade ya.

Posted by: Vanessa | August 8, 2005 8:14 PM

Right now I think the Connecticut summer would feel like Dallas to me, and the Dallas summer would feel like Death Valley. Which I have experienced firsthand thanks to Geology 1 at Tech.

I was about to make a comment about how five weeks from now it will get really hot. And it's true: the average temperature in Berkeley is highest in September: 72, up from 71 in August. Pretty brutal.

Posted by: Arcane Gazebo | August 8, 2005 9:37 PM

Despite my best efforts, I have spent weeks in July & August in or around Paris, and it was disgustingly hot and full of rude Parisians. Give me the bay area any time.

Now, for truly wonderful summer weather, there's nothing like good old swampy Washington DC.

Posted by: Wren | August 8, 2005 10:31 PM

This summer, Ithaca set a record average high with something like 71. Except for a couple weeks around now, summer is one of the good times to be in Upstate NY (in terms of weather---I'm ignoring boredome here).

Posted by: Mason | August 8, 2005 11:56 PM
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