Maxed Out

Maybe it was a reaction to Whistler’s late-onset summer.

Oh to be sustainable now that summer has arrived. As much as I enjoyed school when I was a child… adolescent… adult, there was an indescribable feeling of luxury when summertime finally rolled around.

Sometime between now and the next time Pique comes out, it will be Canada Day. One of the uncomfortable things about writing for a weekly publication is you have to think… ahead.

As spring makes its astronomical transition to summer, two things weigh heavily on my mind. The first is the hope that summer arrives more than symbolically.

There’s a popular bumper sticker, or perhaps it used to be a popular bumper sticker, that says, “If you’re not outraged, you’re not paying attention.” I’m not really paying much attention any more.

I don’t generally consider myself a particularly superstitious person. I don’t believe rituals, talismanic objects, charms or prayers will keep misfortune at bay.

On the cusp of both a full moon and the calendar end of ski season, Whistler has doffed its guise as ski resort and enthusiastically embraced its alter ego as Mountain Resort.

A number of years ago, there was a popular cartoon theme. It always involved two characters: a pilgrim on a quest to discover the meaning of life and a wise guru.

“Be careful what you wish for.” That’s either an old Chinese proverb — aren’t they all — or something Shakespeare or Mark Twain wrote. Or maybe someone else; it’s not really important.

Yikes! Those are some ugly signs.