Weathering the Winter

It's a good 'Couve, if you don't weaken

By James Walling

Winter came on like a freight train this last month. One minute it was falling leaves and cool breezes and the next it was slate grey skies and frigidity.

The Great Flood of ’08 struck last week—laying waste to I-5 and dumping enough H2O to soak us right down to the core. Even more than usual, you might say the forces that be have been conspiring to dampen our spirits.

And it’s not just the weather.

Everyone I know seems to be riding a wave of hopelessness lately. For some it’s health related. All around me I see sick strangers, ailing acquaintances, and elderly relatives clinging desperately to wakefulness.

Just the other day I popped into 1220 Main for a bracer and was heart stricken to learn that George Wong—The World’s Greatest Bartender—was laid up in the hospital awaiting major surgery (see below for details). Afterward, I rang our resident curmudgeon Jack Booch in search of commiseration. Alas, Booch was otherwise occupied playing phone tag with an attendant nurse on one line and his endocrinologist on the other, debating the upshot of a visit to the emergency room.

And what about those of us who are ostensibly healthy? Well, there’s always the boredom of the soul—ennui—Vancouver’s #1 export and claim to fame. Considering the blackness of my disposition, I decided it best to make a list of physical and psychic symptoms that might point to the cause of my general dissatisfaction.

Let’s see… Tired? Check. Bored? Check. Moody? Check. Broke? Check. Irritable? Check. Cold and wet? Check. Ad infinitum.

I know, I know, negativity is unattractive, but can you blame me? Probably you can. Just add it to the list of complaints.

The obvious thing to do, I figured, was to try and find the silver lining, to look on the bright side, to hoist the cup half full. But let me tell ya, it’s easier said than done.

I dialed the most resourceful of my friends and plied them for signs of positivity, for something to look forward to, to be grateful for, even. The best that any of them could come up with off the cuff was to point out that we’re now allowed to drive both ways on Broadway. Oh, boy! I feel better already!

Another dependable source commented leadenly, “I don’t know man,” then an uncomfortable pause. “I guess snowboarding is fun. Yeah,” he added, brightening a little. “It’s ski season, isn’t it?”

I don’t know about the rest of you, but the idea of raiding the couch cushions in search of the price of a lift ticket at Meadows in the face of mounting personal debt, a looming recession, and a weakening currency did nothing for my overall sense of well being.

“I exist, that is all,” as Jean Paul Sartre put it, “and I find it nauseating.” That’s right, winter in the Northwest is an existentialist dilemma. The idea is to live through it. To hunker down and pass the eggnog while it lasts.

Taking this into consideration, I began to feel steadily more cheerful. “Hey,” I reminded myself, “you’ll be dead soon. Enjoy the drizzle while you have the chance.”

So there you have it—it’s a good ‘Couve, if you don’t weaken. Check with me again in the spring, and don’t miss next month’s column: Cave, Sweet Cave—The Case for Hibernation.


All kidding aside, George Wong could do with a little consideration. As of this writing, he appears to be recovering smoothly, but as you all know, we haven’t got universal national health care yet and the poor chap is going to be out of work for some time. Donations can be made in his name at The Bank of Clark County by contacting management at 1220 Main Restaurant & Bar. Merry Christmas, everyone!