–noun

1.the act of precipitating; state of being precipitated.

2.a casting down or falling headlong.

3. a hastening or hurrying in movement, procedure, or action.

4. sudden haste.

5. unwise or rash rapidity.

6.Meteorology .

a.falling products of condensation in the atmosphere, as rain, snow, or hail. b.the amount of rain, snow, hail, etc., that has fallen at a given place within a given period, usually expressed in inches or centimeters of water.

The most obvious reason…we’ve seen far too much precipitation in the past few weeks ( months really) to last us a lifetime. Snow banks, puddles, and floods, I think we’re all getting pretty good at dodging them. Our collective agility is impressive. That’s a plus I guess? Who knew you could do a triple axel to avoid Lake Michigan on Battell beach- in rain boots even? Yes it’s bringing out the best in our athleticism. But in our moods? Quite the opposite. The permanent raincloud over the northeast, with its constant release of precipitation allows the same thing to happen with our tempers. Perhaps it’s just the gloom that we always associate with the idea of rain. Or the necessity of a raincoat at all times. In a sense, we’re always prepared for the worst lately. Anxiety runs high. It is kind of hard to imagine the onset of spring without sunlight after all. We’re always hurrying from one place to the next, with a sudden haste, and it seems as we enter the midst of midterms ( the big raincloud) we all fear falling headlong. That’s right, midterms. The time when you feel like everything from the first couple weeks of the semester precipitates from the syllabus into your already busy schedule. Some people fight through the storm, and some may lose themselves in a bout of procrastination. So the question is, do you grab a raincoat, or a pencil?