Friday, 23 July 2010 - Complaining is the great North American pass time. If we don't have what the neighbours have, we complain that we don't have enough. If we have a small inconvenience, we complain we are going to be late and it was someone else's fault. When it gets dark at 1700 hrs we complain that we go to work in the dark, and come home in the dark. When it gets dark at 2230hrs, we complain that we can't get to bed early cause it's too bright and the kids out the back alley are still out playing and laughing and having fun. When we are young, we complain about the old people. When we are old, we complain about the young. When we are young we complain about how LOOOOOONG a year is. When we get old, we complain about how time goes by too fast. We have dogs, but we complain that they shed too much. We get a non-shedding dog and complain about the cost of hair cuts and grooming supplies. We buy a couch in to which you can sink, then complain that it is too soft. We get a practical car that has good mileage, and then complain that there isn't room for the ski equipment, the Bernese mountain dog, and plywood. We get a truck, and complain about the cost of fuel. Hell, we buy gas guzzlers and then complain about the raping of oil from the Gulf and how greedy the oil companies are. I could go on and on and on, but we would no doubt complain about that as well.
Then there is the weather... Canadians have a particularly annoying habit (or so my American sister tells me), of avoiding any real conversations with meaningless chats about the weather. Don't worry, we can complain about that too. It seems that whenever there is an elevator to ride, and you are not alone, you can count on a Canadian starting up a bit of mindless word exchange with "Nice weather we're having eh?" or "How about all that rain?" It is quite remarkable. As I have begun to pay attention to this phenomena, I have come to see how true that is. Get in to an elevator in the States, and you will get "How about that game last night?" or "How about that Obamacare?" I don't believe Americans only talk sports and politics, but it seems slightly more interesting than the number of days of rain we've had, or how, after complaining non-stop about the cold and wet spring and early summer, we can then turn around and complain about the arrival of summer.
This year in the Pacific Northwest, the summer weather was a long time coming, and very overdue. It is now summer. The sun is gracing us with her rays of vitamin D and melanin enhancing properties. The fourth sweater can now be left off, and the heavy socks are a thing of the past... and future. It will be fall soon enough and we will be back to the cooler temperatures and increase in rainy days. It astounds me when we complained about the cold for so long, that three days in to a veritable 'heat wave' (yes, the temperatures almost hit 90 degrees), we started complaining all over again. I got in to an elevator yesterday and had someone say to me "So... is it hot enough for you?" No. No it is not hot enough for me... it's summer. It isn't even hot enough for summer. It's summer. That's why summer clothes are small. That is why pools are busy. That is why patios sell Sangria. If it isn't hot in summer, than it is merely spring.. or fall... or winter.
I'm sorry I didn't get asked that question today instead of yesterday. I won't complain about it, and it is very early in the day. Someone will ask it again today and it will be fitting. It is Hot Enough For Ya Day. If I were throwing the annual Jamaican Me Crazy Party, we could be talking about my Jerk Chicken. If it was hot tub day, we could be talking about the water. . If you were in New York or Paris and viewing the latest winter collection from Paris Hilton, it could be about the clothes ("That's Hot"). It IS National Hot Dog Day, but I don't think they are talking about the tube steak. If we were having a hot beverage and you had just burned your lip on the molten hot black sex in a cup, it could be about the coffee. But, alas, it is about the weather after all. Caution: The summer season you are about to enjoy is extremely hot.
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