It's my 32nd summer on the planet, and I know I say this every year, but it has been the best one yet.
First of all, if you've never fallen in love in July, then now is the
fucking time, you guys. I'm walking around this town in very little
clothes shooting hearts from my eyes at every turn. Everything I do
seems fun when he is around. We spend hours trying to out-music-geek
each other and eating sashimi. I spend a fair amount of time watching
him on stage as my heart beats out of my chest, and at the end of the
night we retire to my tiny basement apartment, where it's always cool.
Sometimes we stay in bed most of the day. Honestly, I don't care what
we're doing, so long as he is near.
Also, let me tell you about living downtown in the summer. The second I
leave my place, the heat hits me like a wall. I say that like it's a bad
thing, but I have a deep love for warm cement and tall buildings. The
other week, Reggie and I sat in the park across from my house and
listened as a band practiced covers of The Roots songs while mosquitoes and homeless folks buzzed past us. It was one of those moments where I thought I had died and gone to heaven. In the very same park, two nights ago, I watched a little old volunteer gardener cut a stem of roses for an ancient Asian man that didn't speak English, and it was the most beautiful wordless transaction I had ever seen. Reggie and I sat on the wall until he disappeared from sight, smiling and smelling his flowers. I've been pinching myself a lot lately, because just about everything seems too good to be real.
And the outfits? All sheer everything. Very little pants. The whole neighborhood knows I love Wu-Tang, because their concert shirts have
become my dog walking/hungover uniform. Every bar I like is within short
walking distance, so my high-heel collection has gotten out of control
in the best way possible.
Now it's the time in my annual "I fucking love summer so much" post
where I scheme on keeping the feeling for as long as I can. October
comes fast, y'all. Here's the solution: give a giant middle finger to
everything Environment Canada has been saying, and get to tearing a
giant hole in the ozone layer. If we all pitch in, I really think we can be successful! Double-barrel cans of Aqua Net deep into
the sky. Idle your cars. Forget recycling for good. Do your part. If we
all work really hard on this global warming thing, then parkas will
become a thing of the past, and you won't have to hear anyone blabbing
on annoyingly about snowboarding anymore. Sure, this plan could backfire
and throw us into a second ice age, but that is a chance I am willing
to take.
With love, love, love,
~sarah p.