Oh how I wish that it would rain

Looks like Northern California is heading for a drought season. This is very unpleasant to contemplate. I'm going to focus on all things rainy and hope we can collectively conjure up a more beneficial weather pattern in the weeks ahead.

British Pathé's VintageFashions channel is a go-to place for retro-fashion madness. Check out the incredible Umbrella Styles from the 1950s--every one of them--a must have!

The Temptations - I Wish It Would Rain. The perfect distillation of weather as mood.

Jimi Hendrix - Rainy Day, Dream Away/Still Raining, Still Dreaming, with UV meters for extra nostalgia. Rain as a metaphor for gettin' high and lettin' the world pass byyyyyy.

Why not watch "Singin' in the Rain"--one of the greatest musicals ever produced? Forget the nonexistent snow conditions in the Sierras for a couple of hours while you relive the dawn of the sound-movie era.

Beta Band - Dry The Rain. Dag gum it, Beta Band--we need the rain. But California's gone through this before. I once belonged to a pick-up baseball league and we played throughout five winters of continuous drought conditions before it finally rained for a month straight (like it's supposed to, around here). Thereafter, baseball became a spring sport once more. Eventually it will rain again and we will be all right. (As featured in "High Fidelity.")

Update, Feb. 7, 2012: It worked! It poured all night and into the morning. Thanks, Internet dreams and wishes! Now I can get to work on that book deal, "You Can Achieve Anything You Want If You Just Post About It Enough."