The day is dark and the weather threatening. Rain, predicted for today and tonight, is already palpable in the dampness of the air. Earlier I heard the first rumblings of thunder way off in the distance. The latest rumblings are much closer, nearer to the house. The storm is not so far away.

A rainstorm on a Saturday was never welcome when I was a kid. It meant staying home on the best day of the week. It meant whining about fate and my lot in life. Why me? Why Saturday? The house was small, and on a rainy weekend day we, the six of us, were crammed together. TV was the best diversion when we could agree on a program. Most times it was the morning cartoons and serials then movies in the afternoon. If we were lucky, it was an old horror film from the 30’s, a 50’s black and white B movie or a Japanese creature movie, where none of the characters’ mouths matched their dialogue. The atomic bomb was prominent and gave birth to some of my favorite B movie creatures. (Side note: the rain has started, and it’s tremendous. Thunder is overheard and rumbling constantly. I saw lightning in the front yard. All of the outside lights on timers are lit from the darkness brought by the rain. The windows in this room are open so I can hear the storm.) Now, back to the main feature. One of my favorite creatures created by a bomb blast is The Amazing Colossal Man, who became a nasty sort after the plutonium got him and the cure didn’t work. I totally understand his madness. Wearing a giant diaper is cause enough. I have often mentioned Them, the giant ants, as being my favorite of all, but Godzilla, with Raymond Burr added, is also a huge favorite though it does make me laugh now. I still have a special fondness for several of the creatures who came from beneath the sea.

It seems I have planned my rainy day. I’ll pull out my SciFi Classic 50 Movie Collection, pop some corn and get cozy. I think I’ll start with The Atomic Brain.