the awkward elevator weather talk

05Jul09

As I write this at almost 11pm, the temps here in the suburbs of Vancouver are hovering around 19c(66f). In hindsight, it’s not that warm, but it’s the damn humidity of it all that’s getting me right now. I’m not comfortable, nor have I been all day long – it’s just too much. There have been moments today that I stood at the sink chugging bottle after (relax, stainless) bottle of water, hoping for some kind of relief from this stinking hotness to no avail.

Every summer when it gets like this I can’t wait for leaf kicking, air so crisp you choke, first snow on the local mountains, hoodies, snuggling under a blanket, hot baths, casseroles, robust red wines and crouching in front of the fireplace to warm my hands.

But then it rains for twenty-five weeks, dumps snow once or twice which, within hours, turns our city into something resembling a 7-UP Slurpee with a dash of Coke. I step into it ankle deep while Christmas shopping, public transit is finicky at best, my pale white skin cries for the kiss of sunshine…

…and I fantasize about summertime – evenings spent on the patio listening to music and sipping crisp whites, BBQ’ing every night, picnics at the beach, excitement over how much more tanned I am than you are, birds chirping outside of our window at 4am, sleeping splayed out in next to nothing with a fan blowing cool air and refreshing showers, sometimes twice.

You see, it’s a cycle.

So as I sat at the stove tonight whipping up some ravioliette, I thought about where might be the perfect place for me to live. Like Goldilocks, I wondered where would be, “just right”? What city would do it for me?

I often wish to live in Whistler, but in reality, if we weren’t millionaires, the isolation of being tucked into a mountainside of a world class ski and snowboard resort might get to me after awhile. Sure, I’ve never experienced such a wickedly laid back summer chill spot, but winters there are a gong show of massive proportions. I adore freshies (powder snow), but do I like it that much?? Plus, I can imagine Whistler also gets a bit soggy October-December/March-May and I’m trying to avoid soggy in my dreams here.

I’ve also thought a lot about relocating into the interior of British Columbia – Kelowna, Penticton, Summerland – but for all it’s worth, I’ve had some pretty shitty experiences up there over the years. In fact, I’ve never had an all around good experience in those places. So perhaps it’s not in the cards to live permanently – besides, I need a big city nearby to roam on a regular basis.

By far the most beautiful place I’ve ever been in my life was Napa Valley in California – it was my heaven on Earth and not just because it is a land of wine. Ahhh, the fresh air, gentle rolling hills of grapes, the old stone wineries. The weather was plain perfection in late July. Same with Lake Tahoe – I think I’d be down with the whole summers by lake and winters up in the mountains thing.

Hawaii. Okay, so I’ve been there, done that, and have been hypnotized by it’s gorgeousity on a few occasions. For a couple of months I considered shadowing my aunt’s footsteps by going to college there and marrying a Hawaiian whose official job title was ‘professional surfer’ – in front of the Four Seasons or something. Yep…the sweet smell of plumeria in the air, the laid back Hawaiians, aloha and mahalo, the soft sway of hips, pineapple, leis, trade winds, the warmth of the rain and sleeping with the windows wide open at night to the sound of the crashing ocean? Umm, yeah…I could live there for sure. If I could afford that, which I can’t.

Oh, there’s also Stars Hollow (from Gilmore Girls). If it weren’t a fictional US town, I’d be living there right now. Why? I don’t know.

Is anyone 100% happy and content in their regional location? Or does everyone wish for just a bit more this or bit less that? If you live in the most perfect place in the world, where is that?

And can I come over?

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