Hi Readers of Hillary!
I’m OT from The Art of Over-Thinking. I consider Hillary to be one of my best blogging buddies so I’m thrilled to do a guest post for her while she’s out getting nuptialized and such.
I think I’m sort of the American version of Hillary. We have way too much in common, boarding on Twilight Zone-ish eeriness. One day we will meet in person (but we won’t “SQUEE!” because we’d have to mock ourselves if we did that). We’ll share our sarcastic personalities and become a force to be reckoned with at BlogHer ’09. I’ve given her strict orders to start looking frumpy so I don’t have to be the short, less-attractive one the entire time. And I’m bring my maple leaf hat (courtesy of Hills) because, duh.
Now for a bit of a rant. Because it’s what I do.
“And then I decided that summer is a bunch of crap…”
The Over-Thinker is pretty much over summer. And Fidgit is in the window.Since leaving school a gajillion years ago, joining the year-round workforce, I've discovered that the idea of summer is no longer:
"Vacation-Relaxation-Time to Read & Write-Time to do some hardcore sleeping-in"
.....but moreover,
"June-August means nothing except for a rabidly crazy time period in the fiscal year known as some "quarter" so shoot me, shoot me, Ooo look! Sun!!, shoot me."
Each year, as June approaches, I start chasing the perfect summer---do any of you also do this? When May rolls around, I start to make my usual summer goals. These lofty goals usually involve leaving work-stuff at work, spending the weekend visiting with friends and family, going to baseball games, swimming, throwing cocktail parties and cooking buttloads (MMmm) of really good summery food. What ends up happening is usually some polar-opposite version of my goals and I end up all pissed and disgruntled, drinking rotten cooking wine while listening to the double-decibel roar of our air conditioner. AHHHhhhh summer....mine pretty much mimics one of those Country-Time Lemonade commercials. Except without all the happiness, outdoor activities and sunshine and with a higher intake of boxed-wine.
This "chasing-summer" thing is nothing new to me. Each June, I can remember my teenage self plotting a triumphant return to school in the fall because I'd envisioned a summer of working on a dark tan, losing ten pounds, going on an envious vacation and spending my baby-sitting moolah on totally necessary cosmetic purchases recommend by Seventeen magazine. Ya know, I was such a deep teenager. Nothing superficial at all. *gag*
I hate that it's August 2nd and I've sort of blown this summer, too. I suppose I could get a jump-start on plotting the disappointment that will be Summer '09. Have you all had a good summer? Any summeriness to share? Maybe I can just live vicariously through your days of sunshine and Country-Time lemonade :)
Summers the way they used to be: eating lots, getting hammered always, clubbing.
ReplyDeleteSummers now: coming home from the office to paint my GD house and trying to keep my puppy of shitting in it.
NOT COOL.
Every summer, I make lofty goals to take vacations, get myself organized, go to movies in the park, etc, etc. As a kid, I had no money and no car and months of unscheduled free time. As an adult, I have two jobs and no time, yet still feel deep down like summer is my time to catch up. Life is cruel...
ReplyDeleteSadly, I think this is a very normal thing for us adults*.
ReplyDeleteThat little grill I bought back in June with every intention of grilling all sorts of seasonal veggies and fresh fish bought at some fancy Farmer's Market??? HA! It's sitting under my moldy-smelling kitchen, safely in it's box.
I'm just happy that I've worn my new bikini twice, which is two more times than I wore one last summer.
*ha! adult???
I'm not a big fan of summer...I tend to get sick from the sun and heat, so I spend a lot of time hiding out in air-conditioning, avoiding outside...And this is my second year in a row doing summer semester (4th summer in total thus far in my uni career), so I'm really just counting down til it's over! What a waste of time, eh?
ReplyDeleteI love that hat--
ReplyDeleteand I totally feel ya about summer just being a big taunting season once you don't get a break. Now it's just another time of the year for me to be jealous of my friends who are on break.
I've actually done better this summer than usual. Most summers I would totally agree with you, but this summer the heat hasn't gotten to me as much because my boyfriend is not an a/c nazi like my old roommate was, so we can keep it as cool as we want in our apt.
ReplyDeleteI've also done loads of hiking and biking, a couple visits to the farmer's market, and we've grilled up a few of the best dinners of my life this summer. All in all not too shabby. It does take a lot of initiative, though.
No Country Time lemonade here. Just boxed wine. It's the new lemonade.
ReplyDeleteDude, my summer was like yours. I don't know where the months have gone...cliche, I know. We have only been to the beach once and we just booked a totally smacked together last minute family trip to LA/Disneyland. Lame. I anticipate summer more than a kid waits for Christmas. It was a bust this year. Come have a cocktail with me to commiserate on Friday.
ReplyDeleteHeck yes. Summer means a lot of me sitting at my desk in my way to cold office watching people walk by my window in their swimsuits as they make their way to the community pool. Meanwhile all I'm doing is making copies.
ReplyDeleteI haven't even looked at my swimsuit yet this summer.
"I'd envisioned a summer of working on a dark tan, losing ten pounds, going on an envious vacation and spending my baby-sitting moolah on totally necessary cosmetic purchases recommend by Seventeen magazine"
ReplyDeleteUm, I'm 36 and STILL doing that.
That is JUST HOW MUCH I SUCK.
Next year I'll resolve to grow the hell up.
Until then... I'm not doing all the fan-frickin-tastic things I plan to do every summer and never do. My motto: next year is going to be so much better!
Feel free to enjoy my summer because I had a blast! I guess I've had the summer you would dream about. I started it off by sleeping in for 2 weeks, followed by putting together a website for my photography, and then packing for that Envious trip everyone talks about. My envious trip was the kind that everyone hates to hear about unless they too have done it. I went to Berlin for 10 days and didn't spend a DIME!!! My college actually paid the whole way. The only thing I bought was food here and there. I was actually in Berlin while Obama was there and you can see my hotel from where he was talking...yes the Marriott...he was across the platz a mere 100 feet away in front of his hotel. In addition I also went to Buchenwald, Dora, and Goslar Germany.
ReplyDeleteIt was a blast.