Everyone puts so much stock in summer. I almost feel bad for it. Probably summer sits around on the couch all the time, dipping in to the good Ben & Jerry’s thinking, “I try so hard to not let everyone down– it has to rain sometimes or all the plants die!” and then chokes back a few tears and goes back to watching 1 Girl, 5 Gays.
Even more so in Edmonton.
Summer is the only thing that makes Edmonton habitable. No joke. And it’s quick. 3 months, technically.
I’m excited. I know we’re on the verge of a good one. Sure, it’s been a rocky start. We had a cold May. It snowed, a few times. It’s not that unusual, but it still stings.
It’s taken me awhile to get back into it– back into this city. I know all I did when I was in Vancouver was complain about missing this flat-as-a-pancake dirthole. I did, I admit it. And when I got here, I went through a bit of culture shock. It’s weird how being somewhere for two years (less than two years) can change you.
Friends would ask how it felt to be back. (Actually probably the number one question people asked me for the first six weeks after moving) and I would take a deep breath, lie and say “Good! Great.” and then sigh and say, “weird, actually.”
It was WEIRD being back here. Things seemed different. Noises were louder, neon signs were brighter, the industrial parks in the west end were uglier. And the city– gak! What had they done with the city I loved? It was brown! And desolate, and cold, and not Vancouver, my home.
Oh my god, you’re going to call me a traitor.
Andrea Steen, number one Edmonton cheerleader for life just called Vancouver her home. Okay. It was my home. My temporary home. Full of my non-temporary friends. I dreamt about Vancouver this morning. It was one of those dreams you wake up from abruptly (alarm clock) so you remember them. I won’t go into details but I ran into my dear friend Atefeh and we had a great hug and I just had the best feeling when I got up and it made me miss Vancouver even more.
Seriously, I’m a textbook example of “the grass is always greener.”
Except I’m not.
No, like I said before, Edmonton summers are the best. And I know this one is going to be great.
Kick-ass start: Garrette and I drove 15 hours (felt like 1500) to George, Washington to the Sasquatch! Music Festival and I got to see many of my bands of the moment (Temper Trap, Passion Pit, Martina Topley Bird, Mumford & Sons, Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, Vampire Weekend), and some of my all time faves (The National, BSS, LCD Soundsystem, Jets Overhead). Here’s a lame secret: as LCD Soundsystem was wrapping their set (and, okay, I was pretty drunk, so I’m blaming the alcohol here) I actually had a little tear spring from my eye, that’s how good they were. I crossed them off of my so-called “bucket list”– which I don’t really have and if I did it wouldn’t be called a bucket list, probably something like “list of things I need to do before I get hit by a bus” list. Or something.
Anyway, Sasquatch! Pretty great. We got dirty, and drank vodka from ziploc bags, met some great people– watched tents fly in the air like the house from the wizard of oz… But those are other stories.
I’m in the Fringe this year. Talked my way in. Sort of, not really. Anyway, I won’t give you too many details but it’s in a shed. It may or may not be called Shed! (and we’re still not sure about the exclamation point). But I trust these guys with my life, we had a killer summer two years ago (before I transformed myself into a Vancouverite) and I know history will, if not repeat, then manipulate itself into a good time.
People are social in the summer. It doesn’t kill your soul to go outside. We go to patios, we go hang out in parks, we play soccer, we go camping.
People get married!
Everything they say about that is true. When you turn 25, people start getting married. It’s really happening. We’re all growing up, for real this time. Not like, you can vote, growing up, because, let’s face it, 18 year olds are basically still fit for diapers.
Wow, sorry. I am obviously out of practice. This post is rambling and not very funny, and I’m not really sure if I have a point. I don’t want to make excuses but I feel like when I worked at MAC I used such little brain power that I needed something at least a bit intellectually stimulating (such as writing and stringing together thoughts and editing) to keep myself sane. Now all I do is use my brain power and at the end of my very long day (usually without any semblance of break) I kind of just want to wallow on the couch in dirty clothes with Summer, eating Ben & Jerry’s. Oh, and Rice and Beans. They can come.
What I’m trying to say here is this:
Summer is what you make of it. If you’re sick of Edmonton’s spotty weather, move to Arizona. You can get a house down there really cheaply right now.
It shouldn’t matter if it’s a bit rainy or you have to work every day (we all do) or you’re broke. Get off Summer’s back. Screw the mosquitoes– go hike around in the woods. If it’s windy, go fly a kite. If it’s snowing, go dancing inside. You’ve got 16 weddings to attend? Enjoy the celebration and be happy you’re that popular.
Go see summer blockbusters. Blast summer songs. Take road trips (but not to George, it’s really far. Although, it is SUPER pretty down there, so yeah, okay, maybe go there. But wait until next year’s Sasquatch! and we’ll go together). Go see a fringe show (mine) and support local and international amateur theatre.
Live it up! and live it hard. Because here you’ve only got a short amount of time to do it.
Go have a mattress fight in a park at 4 am (seriously one of the best times I’ve had in a while).
Live your life. Don’t make excuses. Watch the sunset and sunrise in the same day. And give Summer a break. He’s doing his best to make you happy.
Hey, he showed up again, right? That should be enough.
xoxox
