New Kids on the Block, had a bunch of hits...

I was driving to the gym tonight, and somewhere, out of nowhere, in my car, I smelled a barbecue (barbeque? BBQ?). Like, old-fashioned, charcoal barbecue. It was dark, raining, and a whopping 47 degrees out, but in my car, it was summertime.


Cue LFO's "Summer Girls" here...Shut up, you know you like it too. And, R.I.P. Rich Cronin.


Perhaps it's the absence of vitamin D, or the fact that whatever I do, I am ALWAYS cold, but I am longing for summer. Not just the sunny weather...just that feeling of nowhere to be and all day to get your butt there...and all night, should you choose.

Sure, this isn't actually the case for me anymore. I have somewhere to be 5 days a week, all summer long. I can't ACTUALLY stay out all night, barefoot in the grass, forgoing a jacket, a diet of anything but Dr. Pepper, Subway, and Taco Bell, and sleep. Those things had their place in my life, and it was called 2004. My metabolism and bank account can no longer sustain such a lifestyle. But still, the feeling remains, when the days stretch out, and the sun lingers enough to remind you, "Hey, we're not done yet! Stay awake, stay moving, stay laughing, stay LIVING!" There really is a certain magic, a certain freedom, that comes with summer. Real life can never quite steal it.

I like that.

And so, a parting gift for now, as the countdown begins (6 months, 10 days, and counting...)



(you're welcome)