It’s happening. Things are getting damp and dark here in Seattle. Every single year, we all know it’s coming. But that first couple of months where the sun disappears can be pretty unpleasant. This year in particular, where Summer felt short (although, don’t all Summer’s feel short?), it seems exceptionally cruel. I work the type of job that involves lots of late nights and correspondingly late mornings.
Now, being a stoner in the winter isn’t all bad. Of course, there’s something that’s really wonderful about getting high and going for a hike, camping or fishing trip, or just going for a nice long walk to one of the million green spaces that this area has to offer. But let’s be real, being lazy and stoned is also a pretty good time.
So here’s a list of some cannabis-related activities that will keep you entertained during the long cold dark months of the Pacific Northwest.
GET SOME EXERCISE!
Working out when you’re high can be a lot of fun! What exercise means to you is, of course, variable. A friend’s dad once told me that there’s no bad weather, just bad clothing (which might be the most ‘Dad’ thing I’ve ever heard). And although it is undoubtedly rainy in the city, a good weatherproof outfit opens up lots of avenues of activity during the winter months.
So whether exercising means smoking a joint and doing some lifting, or putting on a poncho and going for a long walk, staying active during the winter months will do a lot to stave off that seasonal depression. I’m a big fan of the combination of the Bee Gees, my dog, and the UW Botanical gardens up in Madrona.
Some of the rainy months are also prime foraging season in Washington State, so if wandering around in the woods and looking for chanterelles is your thing, now’s the prime time for searching for the little fellas.
RENT SOME DVDS!
Ok, so it’s probably unnecessary to tell people to watch TV during the winter. Perhaps that’s the thing that we’re trying to avoid. But let’s be real, it’s cold and wet out. So what to watch? There is such an incredible array of things to watch streaming online that it’s effortless not to leave the house.
But what if you want to?
One of my personal favorites involves Scarecrow Video in the U-District, which is truly a wonderful place and a business that we should all try and support here in this city. I won’t make recommendations because the staff over there do a much better job than I would with their personalized staff picks sections. But what’s really cool about Scarecrow (beyond their insane collection of hard to find stuff) is that they have things organized in every which way your little overwhelmed heart could desire.
Want to find Post-Apocalyptic Australian movies? There’s probably a section in the Sci-Fi room (yes, there’s a Sci-Fi room) of that or something pretty similar to it. They have old obscure movies of every sort, and honestly, wandering around Scarecrow and looking at movies is just as fun as taking them home and watching them.
CRAFTS
Ok, I’m not really a super crafty guy. I won’t lie about that. I’m for sure not about to start crocheting any time soon. That being said, everyone can find something that they like to do that’s both economical and time-filling that leads to that small sense of accomplishment you get from making a thing.
I have tons of friends who are artists and creators, and that’s great for them. I try and draw a picture, and it generally resembles the work of a small child. One day I went to the store to buy some candles. For the first time, it annoyed me that candles cost so much. So I did a little research and bought ten pounds of wax, some essential oils, and a package of a hundred wicks for probably a combined thirty dollars.
And what do I make the candles out of? Weed jars. I’m a bit of a snob, and I generally don’t like buying weed that doesn’t come in glass. So I was constantly accumulating little jars that once held weed. Some of them look really cool, and truthfully I think we all need to do a little more to account for waste.
So what did I do?
Made an awful lot of weed jar candles. They look nice, burn easily, and are a sustainable and cost effective way to make your space smell real nice. All good things given that you’re likely to be spending a bit more time at home these days.
MEDITATE!
On this blog you’ll find a post by Kat Legan about meditating while high. My personal meditation practice is perhaps a bit weirder than some (hint: it involves getting in ice baths) but regardless of how you attempt to keep yourself centered, I think winter is a great time to explore that.
Most meditation practices can be done from home, or at least indoors. Personally, I’m a big fan of 50/50 hybrids while meditating, or sometimes I’m likely to opt for a CBD/Sativa strain. I find that cannabis gets me a bit of a kick start on the relaxation part of the meditation ritual, which given that mine involves plunging myself into a bathtub full of twenty pounds of ice is a nice boost.
SIFF!
Not every major city is blessed with a local independent movie theatre chain like we are. With three theatres continuously offering a hugely diverse and often weird series of listings, mixed in with numerous festivals on a variety of subjects, there’s pretty much always something cool to see at SIFF. They show a lot of weird transcendental arthouse movies, mixed in with international offerings, and kitschy goofy movies. SIFF is a great organization to support, with both their cinemas and festivals consistently providing attendees with content that they’d otherwise have no access to.
This is, of course, a cursory list. There is so much to do. We’re blessed here with museums, dim sum spots, live shows, and festivals of all sorts. Get some friends together and go to a pumpkin patch for god’s sake. There are so many things to do here in the winter while you’re getting baked that list could go on forever. So get out of those PJs because it’ll be a lonnnnnng sad winter if you don’t figure out some stuff to do! Luckily, here, the weather stays pretty mild, so it isn’t that hard to get out of the house! So go get high, and do some stuff!
