Wednesday, September 17, 2008

What do you do when lightning strikes? Invoke Bob-A-Louie?

Rain is rare enough in Vegas, but when it does rain, it's usually a fairly violent affair.   Fortunately, it doesn't last long - 15 minutes or so - but Mother Nature's special effects in the desert are - well - Vegas-style over the top.

Last evening we had a quickie storm with some vicious lightning.  A neighbor was visiting me at the time and she murmured a few words every time a bright flash of light hit.  Turns out she's afraid of lightning since a bad childhood experience, and she's in her 60's.  What she says is a Korean phrase that she tells me simply doesn't translate into English because it's pretty much nonsense.

Oh, I can relate.  My sister and I shared an attic-level bedroom of a two-story house growing up in Virginia.  We were always afraid of the lightning outside our window as it seemed we were so much closer to it.  For the life of me I can't tell you how the ritual started, but I distinctly remember we would say "Bob-A-Louie" three times - had to be three times - when we saw lightning.   

How's that for nonsense?  


3 comments:

Unknown said...

Time to renew an old family ritual on the TailChaser when we see lightening offshore.....

June said...

Hmmm.....and that would be?

June said...

Never mind - duh - I get it now. Let me be clear - I'll be saying a whole lot more than Bob-A-Louie if I see lightning offshore from the Tail Chaser. I'll say something like - "Can we get the F outta here?" LOL