Summer Lovin', had me a blast

Well, the time has come; the end of summer. Or at least the end of August, which is pretty much the same thing. School supplies are in the stores (and parents and kids are out in droves buying them), tweeds and sweaters are filling the clothing stores along with thick coats that make one cold just to look at them. Even the weather seems to have turned Fall-ish in the past week or two with rain, cloud and chilly mornings becoming the daily norm (though today it was a lovely and unexpected 22 degrees and sunny!). It's all rather depressing. Even though I don't have to go back to school (thank god), I do have to start saying byebye to shorts, sandals, bare legs, beach trips, patios, and watch as the days get darker earlier and earlier.

*SIGH*

Oh well, it had to end sometime. And I can take solace in the fact that, despite a few personal hiccups near the beginning, this summer has been very enjoyable and full of some fun experiences. Herewith, my list of my 10 favourite experiences of this, the Summer of 2009 (not necessarily in any particular order):

1. NS International Tattoo - I wasn't sure if I was going to enjoy being part of the adult choir again after a 2 year hiatus, but I was SO glad I went back in the end. I made some new friends, caught up with existing ones, sang some beautiful music, attended a pumping piper party with impromptu performances from many talented musicians, including a fife and drum band from Massachussetts, drank copious amounts of tea, and laughed til my cheeks hurt. Despite a slight swine flu spread towards the end (which, luckily, I managed to side-step), it was a wonderful experience and I can't wait until next year. (This experience gets special props for keeping me busy enough to ignore personal problems going on back at home and putting them out of my mind.)

2. I finally got to Taboo nightclub, which I had been wanting to get to since it opened. Verdict: Not as nice as I had hyped it in my head, but still fun. Plans to go back in future and this time under the guise of the "Sex and the City" party package, or something similar.

3. Joyce - This person gets her own category, simply because she was so lovely, and because we had various experiences with her. This 27 year old TESL student from Taiwan lived with my mom for 4 months until July - we introduced her to lobster and scallops, the Valley and pet cats and she introduced us to the wonderful industriousness, thoughtfulness and graciousness of her Asian culture. A package containing Taiwanese noodles, crackers, spices and cute chopsticks in their own little woven, multicoloured sleeves that arrived recently served to further cement the admiration.

4. Even though I didn't have tickets to the Paul McCartney concert (F*#K ME!!), I still managed to see him perform....well, sort of. I got to hear him anyway - there wasn't so much "seeing" considering we were standing clandestinely on the outside of the fence with all of the other stupid morons that didn't think far enough ahead to get themselves INSIDE said fence. I didn't mind - I got to hear him perform all of my favourite hits, including a rousing, power-pyro version of Live and Let Die (one of the best!) and got to absorb a little bit of the wonderful feeling of harmony and happiness that seemed to surround the concert site that night. Sir Paul, indeed.

5. I'm probably a huge dork for citing a friend's rather informal house-warming party as one of the highlights of my summer, but alas. Not only did I meet some fun, friendly new people, drink many Coronas (bliss!) and catch up with the lovely hostess, but I got to explore the most eccentric, charming house ever (opium den! magic trick room! cat doors to the basement! leopard print bathroom!) and had my first ride on a Vespa. As a result, I've developed a love for scooters that I can't afford to mollify. However, it's an idea that's in the back of my mind for next year....and besides, if I ever feel the need for a ride, I can give Justin a call!

6. We vacation in PEI every year, but this year was especially enjoyable, particularly because it was sunny and hot EVERY DAY the week we were there. Considering it was rainy and cloudy every day last year, this was a great blessing. What's better than sitting on the beach, sand on one's feet, flipping through an engrossing book and/or thick, summer issue of the latest fashion magazine, baking one's skin and occasionally taking a stroll down to the water for a refreshing, cooling swim in the Northumberland Strait? Not much, I say...

7. I'd be lying if I said I'd like to take up pole dancing tomorrow (as a career OR pasttime...for one, it would be rather hard to do this anyway as long as your body resembles that of a round pear with stubby sausages sticking out of it) but I still had fun trying it out for a friend's bachelorette party. Say what you will about it, but my arms were sore the next day, and ya know, it kinda made me feel a little bit sexy (in an awkward, uncoordinated sort of way).

8. The Breakfast Club al fresco - two good friends, free popcorn and pop, Freak Lunchbox candy, 80's cult movie goodness...that's all I have to say about that.

9. It was rather irritating to have an entire weekend's plans (Upper Clements Park, Whale Watching, road trip) ruined by Hurricane Bill (or what turned out to be Way Over-Hyped Bill), but the weekend still turned out fun with a trip to a friend's cottage. We had a lovely Fri evening/Saturday morning and afternoon on or in the water and came away with rather harsh sunburns (which, let's be honest, are always the hallmark of a good cottage trip, wouldn't you agree?). Again, more catching up with friends I hadn't seen in a while, pigging out on chips and candy, and general enjoyment.

10. The aforementioned cottage trip was followed by an impromptu jaunt to the Halifax waterfront to see Sons of Maxwell perform (Don is the boyfriend of a friend of mine so we were playing Groupie) a fun, energetic set at Nuts4Ribs (a fundraiser to raise awareness for testicular cancer), including the United Guitar Song that has pretty much made Dave Carroll a household name. I was filled with pride for the MSVU PR program (my alma mater) after listening to a funny one-minute rap by one student about the fundraiser and it's goals ("nuts, balls, testicles, if you don't check em you could lose em, so give your doctor a call!"), and reading the various promotional signs that they designed (my personal favourite, "Grab Your Meat"). I was glad to see that the profs are still pushing envelopes and opening students' minds over at the Mount.

Of course, I had many more experiences this summer, big and small, but these are some of the most memorable. More than anything, this summer was an awakening of sorts for me - mentally and emotionally, and in positive AND negative ways. I intend on carrying this attitude on into the Fall - some plans include fitness classes at the Dartmouth Sportsplex, returning to Dartmouth Choral Society, attending various Fall events (including the launch of a new local fashion magazine I had the privilege of writing an article for, Atlantic Film Fest, Word on the Street, NS Food & Wine Fest, Valley Pumpkin Fest, etc etc...so many events, so little time and money!!), and continuing to get back in touch with myself and what feeds my soul.

Summer isn't quite over yet though, so perhaps I'll have more things to add to this list in the coming weeks. Summer days driftin' away...but I take solace in the fact that they will become Fall days and ah-oh those Fa-a-all nights.