Jon and I were watching a movie recently that had a scene *supposedly* set in Seattle. Everything about it was so wrong, though, that it actually got me a bit worked up. How could they portray my city–and “my people”–in such a distorted light? I’ve lived in and around Seattle  my whole life, and I’ll be the first to admit that we Seattleites are a bit quirky. Living in a rain cloud is a unique experience and it makes for some interesting people. I am proud to be from Seattle–the real Seattle, not the one from the movies. You know that you’re from Seattle when:

• You know at least 5 different ways to say”rain”.
• “Barefoot” is an acceptable footwear option, even if there’s snow on the ground.
• You own your own espresso machine and/or the baristas at your local coffee shop know you by name.
• You don’t carry (or even own) an umbrella. Umbrellas are for amateurs.
• You own 4 pairs of sunglasses yet you don’t know where a single one of them is.
• You flock outside with the masses on the first sunny day in the spring that reaches above 60 degrees. You don your shorts/t-shirt/bikini and join the throngs of people swimming in frigid lakes and sunbathing in parks.
• You sit in front of a SAD light every day in the winter.
• You have seen fish flying at the market and have taken photos with the Fremont Troll. You’ve even licked the bubblegum wall.
• You own a dog and treat him/her/them like your child/ren rather than as a pet.
• You say things like “The mountain is out today” and “Look at those bright clouds! What a beautiful day!”.
• You see nothing wrong with wearing socks under your sandals.
• You check bridge and ferry reports along with your traffic reports.
• You know that summer doesn’t begin until July 5th.
• You know what a geoduck is (bonus points if you know the geoduck song or have actually eaten the creepy things).
• You get a “snow day” off school because there’s a light dusting of snow on the grass.
• You cry if there’s a light dusting of snow on the grass and you don’t get a snow day.
• You have smoked marijuana in public. And it was legal. (Just for the record, I’ve never done this but it still weirds me out when I see other people doing it).
• You commute to work on your bike in the rain/snow/sleet/hail.
• You grow rhubarb in your back yard (or have a neighbor/friend/co-worker who brings it to you by the bagful in the summer).
• You chastise people who don’t properly recycle or compost their waste.
• You homebrew.
• You know how to properly pronounce the place names “Puyallup”, “Sequim”, and “Des Moines”.
• You think of rocks, not sand, when you think of beaches.
• You say “pop” instead of “soda”.
• You’ve cruised down Alki Beach in a convertible on a sunny day.
• You pronounce the word “flag” as “flay-g”.
• You’ve ridden on the monorail.
• You call that major interstate that runs from California to Canada “I-5” (what the heck is “The 5”?)
• You are accustomed to seeing at least 7 varieties of apples in your grocery store.
• You’ve witnessed cars bouncing down an icy hill like they’re in a pinball machine.
• You keep reusable grocery bags in your car. And you use them.

I really could keep going all day, but you get the picture. I love you, Seattle!