The Real World: Summer

Remember those days when you'd count down till the end of school, anticipating the awesomeness that was summer vacation? Eventually, of course, you'd start counting down the days until school recommenced, but between those two countdowns was the most blissful time of year. Maybe you had a summer job, maybe you went to camp, maybe you were at the pool every day...whatever it was, it was summer break. Summer meant no homework (summer reading lists not included), no tests, no papers and no waking up at the crack of dawn to get ready and catch the bus. Ah, perfection.

For some reason I really dreaded falling into the "real world" because I knew that my summers of greatness would be over. In fact, every summer in college I would have the "summer countdown" - not the days till school started but rather the number of summers I would have left before I lost my freedom to a cubicle. Well, I lucked out and went to grad school...more summers! Well, only one more summer, but I made it a good one knowing full well that it was really and truly the last free summer of my life. At that time I anticipated the decline of any summer-anticipation as I progressed through adulthood. I thought I would cease to be excited by the prospect because I'd know I still had to go to work every day. Surely summers won't be the same, I reasoned, because I'll still have the same obligations I did during the rest of the year.

WRONG! I still love summer! Straight up love it. Sure, I have to go to work everyday. That doesn't change. But the season still gives me a sense of excitement. Pools open, summer concert series happen, vacations (sometimes) happen, outdoor movies are playing everywhere. Of course, now that I'm pushing my late 20s, I'm invited to more and more weddings every summer. And even now I'm feeling a bit of nostalgia for the summer that's not yet over. I mean, since my schedule doesn't change much for the season, I can make summer last as long as it technically does, till late September. But I don't. Because now kids are back in school and all the summer series are wrapping up and Barron left town and Labor Day is fast approaching. FAST approaching.

So who knew? Not I. I'm pleasantly surprised that I have yet to lose my childlike anticipation of summer and my childlike sadness when it ends. We'll see how long that lasts.

Update Portion:

So here's how I wrapped up my summer. I've enjoyed some roommate bonding by going to a Dave Matthews Band concert. Though "mainstream," as one blogger described it, attending a DMB concert has been on my list of things to do since college. It seems to be a concert-going right of passage, at least in my opinion. Dave did not disappoint. The band played "Crash" and that's all I needed to hear to have a good time. Last week I went to sunny San Francisco with two of my roomies. That was my first time on the West coast and boy did I love it! The weather was perfect: sunny, breezy, just chilly enough that sometime I needed a light jacket, with temps ranging from the 70s to 80s during the day. Ahhhhhh. I saw Golden Gate Park, Pier 39, Queen Wilhelmina Garden, the Palace of Fine Arts, the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption, Chinatown, Alcatraz (from a distance), and I walked across the Golden Gate Bridge twice. I have yet to mention all the famous streets I saw, bookstores I patronized, coffee shops in which I reclined, and restaurants at which I overate. 'Twas a delight.

~below is the Conservatory of Flowers
~below is a view of the roof of St. Mary's Cathedral

So now that I'm back I really feel like summer's over. I plan to go camping over Labor Day Weekend. (I know, soooo not my style.) Then that's it. It's done, finished, fini. Then work will really start to pick up and I'll be planning my fall agenda. Wow. Time flies when you're...getting old.