Friday, July 12, 2013

THIS


Wednesday, July 3, 2013

Winter vs Summer dating



When I go on dates in the summer, I can't believe that I ever went on dates in the Winter. The thought feels incomprehensible to me now. I'm currently living in Toronto, Canada (and I am from Australia) so the winter days are short, it gets freezing cold very quickly and there is snow - snow!  Sure its all cute and romantic for about 5 minutes, before what was once a 10 minute walk from work to your main squeezes house, becomes a trudging hike in the sinking snow and your layers of warmth become a sweat box of death, and you find yourself asking is this even worth it? Do I even really like this guy? If they are so great why aren't they walking over to my house right now?  Theres also more unsexy layers between you and a good time. Puffy layers of down, long underwear and the endless lacing and unlacing of snow boats. Then theres the invisible layer of SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) that envelops everyone, even the most cheery (and I'm far from the most cheery) during the long winter months - January and February in Toronto are #dark. Its like when you've been sick for a long time and you start to forget what being healthy even felt like, its like this is your life now, being miserable and cold is just how things are, get used to it. People become more selfish in the winter as well, leaving your house becomes such an ordeal, the snow boots and various layers, the inevitable street car/bus/subway delay, and then getting home again - ugh worst! Why would you leave your warm cozy house, with the heat on so high you're walking around in t-shirts and your underwear? Why wont' they just come over, but when two people are wishing for that, nobody gets laid.

Meanwhile in Summer everything is easy. With the sun setting at about 9pm, on perfect t-shirt weather, sitting in the park till close to midnight or grabbing late night take out on the steps of some church seems like a non-issue. Theres endless adventures to run into when wandering around the city, festivals, markets, parades, art openings, parties or just an open patio and a cheap drink, Theres the promise of rooftops and pool break ins and there is nothing better than a rooftop or a night swim in the summer. Popsicle missions become a daily ritual, and going out means walking out the door, and waiting around for someone whose inevitably late, is no longer a deal breaker, when you want nothing more than an excuse to be outdoors anyway, staying in is admitting defeat.. Things that may make you want to commit murder in the Winter now in the warmth of the sun seem like a non-issue.Everyone's drunk on sunshine, flowers, the outdoors, it feels transient, like a hallucination. Hold it too tight and it will just evaporate, just enjoy it for what it is, OK?

In fact Summer dating may be too easy, I'll date people in the Summer I would never date in the Winter, Summer is the dreamy, a happy pretend place, where you brush aside foibles. Winter is the real talk.