I was just doomscrolling on my phone, waiting for my cohort, Camp, who was unusually late. I was lost in the depressing narrative of the day, coupled with a haze from the fires in the interior. Drives one to drink. 

On the bigger stage it’s just hard to believe that a naïve and vainglorious president, surrounded by an incompetent and ignorant staff and cabinet starts a stupid, expensive and unnecessary war halfway across the world with no plan and no end in sight. 

It is evident that the current administration was neither prepared nor informed about their war of hubris. While the world suffers, the radicals on both sides of this conflict want Armageddon and will go to extreme lengths to win an unwinnable conflict with racial overtones and religious undercurrents, while everybody caught in the deadly exchanges of missiles, drone attacks and mines loses homes, limbs and lives. 

It is a sad reality when day after day we get to watch all that misery on our screens in the comfort of our homes. Nothing we can do about it but lament and shake our heads. We all know who the guilty parties are and we all know that nobody wins these wars of attrition and hubris. Oh, I forgot about the merchants of death, the arms industry, the oil companies and the mercenaries on all sides. They all make out like bandits.

“Looks like you’re having a migraine,” Camp said when he sat down. “I had to go to bank who short changed me on my credit card agreement. Something we talked about a couple of weeks ago.”

“Oh, I was just regurgitating the usual stew of bad news. Nothing like a fresh beer to wash it all down with before it drives me crazy.”

“Close to home are the fires around Lake Okanagan. A total disaster. Thousands of people evacuated and displaced and many square kilometers burned including homes and structures. Also, let’s not forget the tragic impact these infernos have on the livestock and wild animals.” 

‘Yes, it’s been a record hot and dry summer for most of the western world, including Europe. Only here it’s been almost perfect.”

“Yeah, my Swiss relatives were quite happy with the weather here. They even bought sweaters at Mark’s. Two for one. Also, thanks to the lousy Canadian dollar exchange rate they thought we were a bargain on all fronts.”

“Are they as pissed off at the Americans as we are?” Camp asked.

“Not quite, but they never considered themselves friends and neighbours like we did. They never much liked the Americans since many of them are belligerent, loud tourists.” 

“I remember, back in my roaming days, many American travellers stuck Maple Leafs on their back packs or jackets. Everybody liked the Canadians.” 

“My relatives were quite surprised how I scrutinized the groceries and produce at the store for country of origin, trying to avoid anything made in the USA.”

“Which is not easy. We’re so integrated with their economy that it’s almost impossible to separate. Like unravelling a sweater woven of two different colours.”

“There is always escapism. While the world is on fire and climate anxiety is real and rampant; when people only shout at each other on social media, when artificial intelligence endangers jobs and confusion reigns – should we be allowed to escape to a place of fantasy like reading novels and watching movies?”

“You’re asking me? The bookstore owner? Fantasy is the safest place to be; anything is possible, anything goes. Everybody wins.”

“I’ll drink to that.”