Raindrops keep falling on my head.

Here's the thing about the fall season in Chicago...you're going to get some rainy days. I appreciate that because I don't mind rainy. It's good for the environment, and it brings a little variety to life. My problem is with the weatherman.

It doesn't matter what channel's weather man we're talking about, because even the great Tom Skilling has been off on occassion. Ask anyone on the street and he/she will tell you that the weather men in this town don't give accurate forecasts. And because they don't, I find myself ill-prepared to face the world. Within 5 minutes of stepping outside, the pant legs are soaked. My shoes are soggy (which is just gross. And even if I manage to bring an umbrella with me, the "light shower" the weatherman has told me about in detail in the morning news is actually a raging storm, with thunder, lightning -- the works. I look like I never finished my shower.

This happened to me on a Monday about a week ago. Chicago was pelted with rain, it was coming down like buckets with evil wind blowing every which way. On that particular day, I had doctors appointments and several errands to run. I wore some tasteful but appropriate Pumas knowing that I would be walking quite a bit, and also on some level that it was going to be wet outside. I had my umbrella ready. Apparently I was not the only one who didn't get the memo that it was going to be so awful. It was that day which prompted me to buy these critter wellies from J. Crew ($48). They come in plain navy or black, Morton Salt yellow with funky laces, and a pretty partial wool upper which may only be available by catalog.

Style-wise, I'm not totally sold on the rubber boots, though the little hound dog pattern is very East Coast prep. I figured with some argyle socks I might just pull off the look they are selling in the catalog. Functionally, they keep my feet warm and dry, and that's all that really matters when it's sopping wet outside.

It was wet outside this morning, and my fiance was experiencing delays at National Airport in Washingto DC, which usually meant that there was going to be some bad weather here. Were we supposed to get more rain? The weather men told me the majority of the rain was to end by mid to late morning with possible scattered showers in the afternoon. I checked the radar before I left the house. It looked like things were clearing up, so I decided not to lug my umbrella around since I brought it everywhere yesterday though it never rained. So why was I even surprised when I walked out of class this evening that it was pouring outside? In fact, it had been pouring for over an hour. This girl ran across the street to the Walgreens and shelled out the $15 they were charging for another umbrella.

The rain stopped 5 minutes later.