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Feeling Nostalgic? The archives
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How Does Your Life Change When Summer Arrives?
As soon as the weather gets warmer, the motorcyclists begin using the on-ramp for I-480 bridge over the Missouri River, which is right near my place, as a raceway. I can't believe how loud they are. We first tried to report it to police, but soon discovered that the police weren't the least bit interested. I hate complaining -- so I just gave up and accepted that there is a lot of noise in the city.
i am riding my motorcycle to work everyday now (not on the I-480 ramp), sitting somewhere at a park during lunch eating and reading when i can, staying outside til after 9 and playing lots of softball
I looooove summertime! I'm happiest at this time of year, in spite of the ridiculous crowding of mosquitoes and chiggers and the humidity/heat that creeps up around mid-June. I'm considerably more sociable around this time of year, especially spending as much time outdoors as possible - canoeing, hiking, finding outdoor projects, hanging out at the pool... It starts in late spring and continues through early October. Otherwise, my dog and I typically keep to ourselves.
My friend told me yesterday that she "scandalously rode her bike through Williamsburg wearing a sundress and no wig." I've been giggling over this every since she mentioned it.
Mod
OH!!! Have you gals seen
A Walk on the Moon
with Diane Lane, Liev Schrieber, Anna Paquin, and Viggo Mortensen? If you want another glimpse into what Bunny's talking about, Sally... check this movie out! I really enjoyed it. Plus, it also features Janis Joplin's Summertime prominently. Bonus! :)
Just a note - when I was growing up (in the 60s) every summer we'd go to the Borscht Belt for a week. And I'm from Brooklyn too! It was NOT orthodox at all, but still very Jewish - Jews like us who would eat spare ribs and shrimp and lobster sauce at the Chinese restaurant every Sunday but kept it all a secret from Grandma, ha! Bun - I remember where we'd go, the Fallsview.
Stressfully "free." Always a struggle to find something relevant and excellent to do because vacation is actually another test for college admin folk (and now grad schools) to see what you'll do when you think you're free to play. They apparently like it best when you work even harder than you did in the school year. When summer arrives, there is a brief spell of nothing to do, between finals and work/summer school/internship/whatever it is you find to do. During these glory days, I sleep as often/infrequently/irregularly as I like, eat delicious summer-weather foods (bingsoo is SO GOOD, or in the event there're no Korean shops around, there's always froyo), play with friends, catch up on films I had to forfeit in favor of midterms, and READ BOOKS FOR FUN.
There used to be playing outside before I came to college -- for hours and hours, until after the streetlamps turned on. I haven't done that in ages. Oh, I kind of want to, now....
BY THE WAY: What are Chiggers...?
Nools, I love when I'm completely schedule free and not a slave to time at all. When I can do whatever I want, whenever I want, sleep when I so desire. I just love that.What will you be doing as work this summer?
Chiggers, which I've never seen, seem to be these dreadful biting insects.
Nools, chiggers are the worst part about summer in the Southern states... They infest the grass and sometimes even the concrete near the grass. My dog won't even step off the sidewalk when it's warm outside - that's NOT an exaggeration. A bit of advice - don't EVER sit in the grass if you're in the South while wearing shorts or a skirt (or bathing suit) during the summer months. I'll leave that thought to your imagination. Chiggers are the devil.
Bun- yep. I googled it after our last discussion of the Catskills, and see it's now some fancy shmancy place.Heidi - that image of a chigger really does look like some horrific sci fi alien, ugh!
Heidi - A Walk on the Moon is now on my weekend 'To Watch' list... along with the first 4 episodes of TrueBlood, also starring Anna Panquin. I adore her.Summer for me means life! I wake up, I sleep better & for shorter periods of time (in winter I avg 12 hrs), my joints & muscles ache far les, I have more energy, my real self comes back to the forefront and I'm actually really fun to be with (Ms. Winter-Hyde goes back into the cellar). I start eating things that are lighter & better for me, I get creative, I play more with my kid & hubby. I just soak up the sunshine and am determined that it will never become winter again. My inner Lioness comes out roaring! :D
Oh yes, and I dance to Abba in my living room.
My summer life is a lot like Sher's only I dance to the Recipe. Summer makes my world swirl happy.
The previously mentioned mosquitos and chiggers along with the bleepin' humidity tend to make me cranky. I'm more of a Fall guy.Does anyone who has the Summers off find yourselves getting bored and depressed with all of the free time? My wife is a teacher and this often happens to her. I have a hard time understanding that because between reading, GR, and the rest of the Internet I think that I could easily make "doing nothing" into a full time career if given the opportunity. Not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing...
i would love to be the sort of guy that i see in other parts of the world who is totally content just hanging out. not doing anything except breathing. the kind of guy who can sit on a stairway on a nice day by himself and just exist with no form of entertainment. i have seen this in just about every country i have been to EXCEPT the USA. we do not know leisure in a true sense
You know, I don't like really hot days. I'd rather it be forty below than 100. I get bitchy when 100 hits. Plus, I can always put on more clothes when the cold weather arrives, but I can only get so naked. No one wants to see that.You know, Tad, I'm the same way with my thoughts on retirement. These people who say "I don't know how I'll stay busy" confuse me. But when I get a short period of time off (and I know your wife has arguably a long period of time) there's this weird mix of guilt and the nagging thought that I should be doing something useful for at least the first couple of days. Then I adjust.
Just put her to work, Tad. I'm sure there's some paintin' and cleanin' and cookin' to be done.
:)
Summer is wonderful here in western Washington. It rarely gets up to 90, and the blue skies and green everywhere make you forget how gloomy and gray it is here during the winter. Everyone goes outside on any excuse.I love not having to wear layers of clothes, and making the bed is much easier too. I make potato salads, eat popsicles, and go for bike rides as often as possible.
I'm with Lylly and Bunny. Summer makes my world swirl happy!
"NEKKID TIME!!!" (that's all I have to say about that)
Yeah, 90 here in Wisconsin is a big deal...doesn't happen often. But when it does...stay away!Leaving near Lake Michigan helps keep cooler in the summer, but makes the spring cooler, too. I love you and hate you, Lake Michigan!
Kevin: That's very interesting. I wonder if those guys are thinking the entire time or if they achieve an empty head meditation type deal? I can do this very occasionally, usually at a place like a coffee shop outdoor patio, but my mind tends to race even more than usual. RA: She is actually way more motivated than I am and i'm the one always telling her that she should enjoy her days off more. Thanks for the advice, but it's all fun and games until someone (i.e. me) gets kicked.
I love being able to wear sandals in the summer. Just a tad to cold to wear them here in the winter.
I like walking barefoot in the snow. I'm not kidding. But just for a couple minutes.
Oh, I love barefoot too but in the summer not the winter.
not sure tadpole. i have thought that too. but i am sure i have seen the same guy sitting by himself or with a group of dudes for hours and hours and not say a word or do anything but stare blankly out. some of them do it day after day. maybe they are thinking "dang, wish i had an ipod". i have often wondered what people thought about as they crossed westward in wagons. there was not enough cool stuff to occupy their minds too much like news, TV, internet, music ect. i sometimes get into a zen like thinking groove when i am wade fishing or still hunting by myself.
"NEKKID TIME!!!" (that's all I have to say about that)
Heidi, I'm all in wichya!
I walk around barefoot every chance I get. I can't stand wearing shoes. The next best thing... flip flops (I own alot). Another thing I like to do during the summer - cold shower before bed and/or work. It's super-refreshing during the hot days.
(I'm trying desperately to remember which comedian did the comedy act about the kids getting excited about Nekkid Time - was it Tim Allen?!)
I don't understand people who wear socks/shoes in their residences. I don't think I could do that. And during the summer I go barefoot every chance at get, even at work, when no one's working.I think that was Dana Carvey, Heidi, although I'm ashamed to possibly know that fact.
That's right! Dana Carvey!!! I laugh every time I see that skit (and then think to myself, "What a great idea!").I scoot around barefoot at work when I can, too. It's kinda hard to get away with it, though, when working in medical research around biohazardous material. When I'm in the lab, I always have the shoes on my feet. When I'm sitting at my desk, I'm running my toes back and forth across the carpet. I also prefer to drive barefoot on long roadtrips.
I keep a pair of flip flops near my door so I always have some ready to put on at a moment's notice to take Robby out for a walk (too many dogs in the area - and owners who don't clean up after them).
I love flip-flops. I hate socks... but in winter they are a necessity to ward against freezing toes.My favs are walking in soft, slightly-overgrown grass and the beach when it's not to hot to blister.
Tad, I always thought I was envious of people like your wife. Surely, having a summer free of work and schedules would be fantastic? Now I'm learning otherwise. My hub and I arranged it so I would have only responsibility this summer--to write my dissertation. I've already started looking for a part-time job because I can't handle the freedom of my own schedule. I don't know how freelance writers, teachers and homemakers do it!
Flip-flops rock! And so does going barefoot, especially right after vacuuming. :D
We have to set most of our own schedules because, outside of a teaching perhaps fifteen hours a week, and meetings here and there, you're largely on your own.Some people can't handle the freedom and fail. Most of rest of us drive ourselves probably harder than necessary.
As I think I've said in other threads, I'm convinced that the concepts of "hours" is going to change for many jobs. In other words, many of us who work set hours probably finish our jobs before those hours are done and sit around waiting for the hours to end (yay goodreads!). I'm also convinced that for many jobs "place" is going to be less of a concern, too...who cares where you do the job as long as the job gets done? Of course, this won't be the case for every job...if you're working the register at McDonalds you're going to still be stuck to time and place.
I love going down to State Street in Madison like I did last night. Street musicians and lots of characters come out. I can people watch for hours.
For me, life changes because I stay inside much more, avoid being outside in the heat as much as possible and have to get my grass cut more frequently. That's what I don't like about Florida summer. My favorite part is the sky at night, just before it gets dark, with all the colors and the heat finally receding and feeling a breeze or two. The beach or the park on the bay are gorgeous, and relaxing in a cafe or bookstore. Summer here isn't my favorite time of year, but it does have its pleasures.
Baltimore's city pastime of 'stooping' is big in our house, though we have a porch with a swing and chairs...we sit and share beer or margarita and snacks over the fence with our neighbors, while the dogs negotiate a delicate truce.
Zu built us a pergola (I had to look it up) this week. From scratch. I have to take pictures to show how cool our backyard looks. Now we just have to get used to sitting in the back as well as the front.
We're really lucky to get along with most of them very well. Only tolerably with the Harley family, but everyone else is cool. Now we have to decide whether to trellis the pergola (can trellis be a verb?), or to cover it with mosquito netting and fairy lights.
Fairy lights! Yea!We planted our very first patio garden tonight, with my Dad's help and daughter Jessi giving all the plants love... it was so cool. And sitting there afterward it just felt more homey & cool.
Previously I've always killed anything I've tried to raise (well, anything that can't whine for food & exercise *snort*), so this year I am determined to turn my black thumb GREEN. :D
That sounds awesome! I need to do something like that.
Feeeeeeaaaar the chiggers. Had to deal with them when I was a camp counselor. Lots of powder around my ankles to prevent those lil bug-dastards from sinking into my skin! Ahahahaha.My patterns don't change too much. Usually I don't go on a summer vacation as solo mio vacay sounds depressing.
I do however, sometimes, take the laptop out back to enjoy the soft afternoon breezes on the deck.
Otherwise, it's mayhem listening to people complain about the weather. Oh and I get to enjoy that LOVELY fragrance of summer - o de sweat - while rammed up against those soaking in said perfume on the city's transit system. Oh yay. FUN!
Hate chiggers and also shoes. My summer means I get to sleep later, spend more time with my daughter, and work shorter hours. What is bad about that is that I also make less money, but it's too hot to eat, so it works out. I also remember how much I hate being hot when summer gets here. The other night, the heat index was 108 at 8 PM. And there's none of that 'dry heat' crap here. I like that time seems to slow down in the summer 'round here, but the temperature makes me want to punch someone. Or it would if it weren't so damn hot.
I am starting on Vacation #1.My mom and aunt are coming up today, and will be visiting for four days.
I took time off, so it feels vacation-y.
And my mom and her boyfriend love it here because the weather is so different from Texas.
Also, no chiggers!
I was just thinking about that the other day.
However, on Vacation #2 I will be heading to Texas, to visit the rest of my family and the chiggers.
Chiggers sound horrible--are they like bed bugs that don't confine themselves to biting you in bed?
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I love the summer mornings, and my workout schedule changes a bit with some additional running outside.
How does your life change once summer arrives?