Maxing it Out -- after Peaking by Orly Genger
for Jim Feast

I start every day with at least two goals: 1) make and keep up a positive attitude; 2) live here, now, do not stray into wondering, what if.

My sister, from a very young age, wanted her own village, but did not plan for it to be insulated and indoors until our outdoor climate became unbearable. Scorching heat; bitter cold; drought; torrential downpour; snow towers; ice blocks; punishing winds; dead air. In response, my sister constructs an insulated environment, names it, VILLAGE, names herself, VILLAGE Mayor. Acceptance requires an extensive application process, and far-reaching financial resources. A select, skilled, set of others (athletic, culinary, philosophic, scientific) and family members like me can, on occasion, also be received residents. Scientists leave VILLAGE more than any other residents. Part of their job is to inspect what is left of outside grounds, and to make sure the proper energy is generated to keep VILLAGE climate controlled. They also assist cooks cultivate foodstuff. My personal inclusion depends on careful documentation and archiving of activities and temperatures within VILLAGE. I also must note energy expenditures. VILLAGE expends immense amounts of energy, particularly for social and recreational occasions. For example, today we have a climbing session for senior residents. The group, seventeen climbers, late middle aged (dry wombed, my sister calls the women), semi experienced, of uneven height, request chilly conditions and harsh winds. I video the temporary comrades, bent over, cheeks red, relying on the brisk pace set by their athletic guide. After a brief time spent at the peak (use the toilet, get a drink), they return to ground level. Once the descent is complete, some take a blasting hot yoga class, others a sauna and swim in Ocean Room, everyone eventually meets up to sip something in the café, whose walls contain reproduced 20^th century masterpieces. I must record all movements precisely or else I risk VILLAGE expulsion. When this older group is finished, a crew alters the slope and climate in preparation for the next climbers. They are young, uninterested in physical challenge, extremely interested in drugs, sex and alcohol so request milder conditions (not so steep, not so cold, less wind). At the top of their peak is a tiki bar, wading pool, and a closet filled with low cut swim wear. This Youth, born here, are the next VILLAGE generation. A long time ago, someone suggested field trips, especially for Youth, just so they, and we, know how things out there stand. Our scientists do report existing pockets of people and wildlife managing somehow. But my sister argues that VILLAGE must remain competitive with the various other insulated units. VILLAGE does not want to upset Youth, or Youth parents, especially when their parents pay such steep prices to reside here. Other instated structures, we hear, require less resources from residents, and ask, or demand, that they, to varying degrees, familiarize themselves, and try to help, the life that remains left outside. Not VILLAGE. Our Mayor does not say this policy is fair or permanent, but she is convinced it is the way, now, to most effectively cultivate quality and unification.

Sometimes I want to run away and see what things are like outside VILLAGE, but I am scared of environmental extremes and cannot count on my sister admitting me back.

Maxing it Out
after Peaking
by Orly Genger

 
more columns by Lynn Crawford and Ted Pearson