You know you live in the Pacific Northwest if you...

- use the word "ferry" and think of boats and long waits.

- You have no concept of humidity without precipitation

- You know all the important seasons: Almost Winter, Winter, Still Raining (Spring), Road Construction (Summer), Deer & Elk season (Fall)

- can tell the difference between Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese, and Thai food.

- take a half day every July 1 to find your sunglasses and sunscreen.

- remember the date, severity, time of day, where you were, and how long you were out of power and phone service for every winter-weather event in the last five years.

- feel guilty for days after throwing an aluminum can in the trash instead of recycling it.

- get very, very happy when the early morning weather forecast includes the term "sun breaks."

- know how to pronounce Sequim, Puyallup, Issaquah, Oregon, Yakima, Yaquina and Willamette.

- have ever called your insurance agent to ask if your homeowners policy covers falling trees, flooding, or mud slides or if the number of your favorite roofing company is on your phone's speed-dial list.

- never go camping without waterproof matches, ponchos, and mattress pads that double as flotation devices.
- know more people who own boats than air conditioners.

- consider that if it doesn't have snow on it or has not recently erupted, regardless of elevation, it is not a real mountain

- complain about Californians until the day you sell your house to one for twice what you paid for it.

- find a wallet with $500 in it, return it all to the owner and refuse a reward.

- know the difference between Chinook, Coho, and Sockeye salmon.

- used to live somewhere else, but won't admit it

- You are not fazed by "Today's forecast: showers followed by rain," and "Tomorrow's forecast: rain followed by showers."

- believe swimming is not a sport but a survival skill to prevent boating deaths and should be done only indoors, except in an emergency.

- You buy new sunglasses every year, because you cannot find the old ones after such a long time.

-You measure distance in hours not miles and refer to locations by their mile-post markings.

- can point in the direction of two or more volcanoes even though you can't see them through the clouds.

- go to work and return home in the dark in the winter, even though you only have an eight-hour work day.

- find that when the weather gets above 60 degrees, you replace your hiking boots with Birkenstock or Teva sandals.

- believe people who use umbrellas are wimps, Californians, or both.

-You are sad during Christmas because it never snows in the valley. AND you know where "the valley" is

- You go out of state and wait in your car for someone to pump your gas.

- You make subtle remarks about Washington drivers, but save your real road rage for California drivers.