rain in reno

Well, the highlight of my first day in Reno was the rain. It rained hard enough to get my car dirty, and hard enough to make it really muggy by the time I got to the hospital to visit my mom. (thats not the highlight part) the highlight was actually the 2 flashes of lightening and the 3 booms of thunder I heard. This took about 10 minutes, and I felt like I was teased, yet satisfied to hear what I did. Then the wind picked up suddenly, and I thought to myself, YEAH BABY!!! a STORM!!!!!!!!!!! but, it was just the afternoon wind, and the clouds moved eastward to give way to the sun. Well, it was great while it lasted, and I did hear thunder.

Onto other more annoying excerpts from the day....why is it that when your parents get older, they become even more stubborn then you probably were at 16?
So, I dont smoke, and my parents do. have since before I was born. I am taking my dad around shopping, and he says we need to stop by the smoke shop to pick up cigarettes. I say fine, let us go. He takes me (if you know reno, you can imagine the shack this place was) to the DRIVE THROUGH smoke shop. Oh yes, its a dilapidated house, that has a woman who is toothless in the front, and has a voice 2 ocataves lower then Tom Jones, topped of with a Janice Joplin rasp. She opens this crusty window and smiles....Can I help you? We get the cigarettes, and my dad starts opening a pack. I look at him puzzled and try to give him the benifit of the doubt, that he is not going to flare up in my car. He puts the pack down after opening it up, and I am relieved. BUT, this is short lived. He picks up the pack again, and starts to extract a cigarette. I say, "Dad, you cant smoke in my car. I dont allow smoking in the car, do you want to go to the coffee shop just up on the right and you can have a cigarette?" He answers in a way that is completely igonoring my request, saying " oh dont be silly sweetheart, I wont get ashes in the car, and the window's open, the smoke will blow out" I am panicking, and I say again, I dont allow smoking in the car. This is followed by a strike of the match, and the next thing I know, he's smoking!!!! He flat out ignored me, and it wasnt because he didnt hear me. He just didnt think my request made enough sense to him and his habit. I gave up,handed him my juice, said put the butt in this when you are done, and dont throw it out the window! I couldnt believe it!