Smacks of summer...

Well, I guess summer is here.

The temperature is high, the sun is out, the grass is green... all the telltale signs that indeed summer is upon us are here.

Seems that I'm at the stage in my life that I'm re-evaluating practically everything. This weekend I did many summerish things, including BBQ-ing, a trip to the beach, an afternoon at a friend's pool, and a disappointingly sugary bottle of California Zinfindel. But after it's all over, I'm looking back and realizing I don't have that tingle of "It's summer!" like I used to.

Not that I mind being off school, or a change of scenery from the city, or the great weather. All of those things are amazingly excellent. For instance, tonight I just sat on the deck with a great cup of tea and enjoyed the sounds and smells of the season. I would by no means be able to do that after mid-October, so I'm taking it while I can get it.

But there's the part of me, perhaps the dying flashes of childhood, that makes me wonder if I'm using my summer as best I can. Granted, there are many moons of it to go, but nothing I've done so far has stirred the summer spirit I used to have in my young years. Then, when I think back, it wasn't very exciting then. I guess the real fun was being out of school, home with your parents, helping garden and getting to stay up late and not go to the bus stop the next morning. But there it was, the blissful innocence of summers long past that still make me smile.

Of course, when I ask my friends about what they're doing this summer, I get very similar responses to my own. Hell, half the time I'm out with them anyway, so what I'm doing, they're doing too. So is this it? Once you get to that age, summer is just a happy season because you get more daylight hours, warm temperatures, and the chance to BBQ your dinner instead of baking it?

Not that I don't see the joys of all of those things! But when I think about the 'stereotypical' Hollywood teen summer, I guess I wonder how many people are actually surf instructors who also play in bar bands and drive convertables. Or the one where the young protagonist moves to a resort community for the summer, forming close and life-changing friendships with their fellow employees, all the while making deep discoveries about themselves and living life to it's fullest potential.

I don't know. Maybe I'll just throw a dinner party and we'll all get really pissed.