Cruel Summer

[jackofallgeeks]

Ah, summer. What could be said about the summer? Since our earliest days, it's been a symbol of freedom. Who here can not recall long, lazy summer days, running around in the sun, jumping through sprinklers, evening bar-b-ques, and ice cream? The glorious sunsets, the warm beach-days, trips to the pool, and (best of all) no school! Ah, yes, that was the best part - freedom from the drudgery that we all know and love.

Yes, as a kid, nothing was more liberating than summer vaction. Even now, though, summer holds similar appeals. The weather is still the same warm, breezy weather, clear blue waters and deep, red sunsets. Things happen in the summer - personally, I've been getting together with my West Coast family alot these past few months, and I must say it's grand. Even as poorly as I know my Portner cousins, they're really cool, and it's nice hanging out with them. Freddy, who's my age, and Nick and Diana, who've become two great kids (heh, I say kids, but they're each 2+ years older than me). Erin who's just turning 13, and Samantha who, while only 8, thinks she's 17. And, of course, the list of my West Coast cousins goes on and on and on - and that's not even considering the little piece of the East Coast family that lives out here.
Similarly, seeing as I'm no longer living at home, it's nice to see my family, my brothers and sisters and, yes, even Casey (that's our dog. ^^;;). It's rather good to be back and hang out with them and such.  *Joy*

Let's face it, I don't like the summer. Nothing personal, really, but - let's look at it. First off, hot temperatures are not for me. It makes for nice beach weather - I've always hated cold water, but it's common knowlege that the Fall is my favorite season, and I've always held that it's much easier (and more fun) to get warm than to get cool.

Additionally, summer isn't the paragon of freedom it once was. With the end of highschool (for some, even earlier than that) comes the on-set of Summer jobs. You pass-up one captivity for another. Depending on the job and the challenge there-in, it may be enjoyable work, but the fact remains none-the-less that your time is no longer your own. Rather than getting up in the morning to be off for classes, you get up to fight traffic. Again, on a personal level, I was more free back at college than here, working nine hours a day. I can't complain about the work - if any complaint exists, it's that they don't giove me ENOUGH to do - and of course, the money is a rather pleasent insentive. But to have time for myself....

...would only lead to my next complaint. Nothing HAPPENS over the summer. For the first month or two that I was out here, I spent most of my time bored out of my mind, and/or sleeping. My closest friend is several hundred miles north, and everyone else I know is roughly 3,000 miles east. That puts me 3 hours behind anyone I know, making even online communication awkward. Of course, even given that, the summerlife is shifted. EVERYONE has to work - Leslie, it seems, has been working insaine 10- and 12-hour shifts, and I think Rachel has two different jobs. Then there are the trips - I don't begrudge anyone going places on their vacation (I highly encourage it, we all need to get out more) but it makes coordinating anything but simple.

I like my family, alot. ^^;; I really would not be me if not for them (and what a tradgedy that would be). I like my cousins, and my siblings, and my parents. I like how things here are, more or less, the way they were before I went to college.

But that's not the way it is, anymore. I want to go back east. I want to see my friends. Summer's a nice place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there.  *Wrath*

Comments

[surichan.livejournal.com]

YES. Summer no longer holds its charm, really, does it? I've always been partial to Spring and Fall myself...

Of course, yeah, there's that thing with, because of the onset of summer, getting to rejoin our families, but we lose our school friends and our autonomy...and summer really is the most boring crap time of year. It's hot, and you'll remember from your time living here - the only thing to do is go to the effin' beach, which I hate.

But soon you'll be coming back to this side of the country, yes??