Summer Time and the Living Is NOT SO Easy

Can it be that this is my first blog post of the summer? That's hard to believe... especially because I've been off school now for exactly 19 full days. (Wow.) To say I have a lot to talk about would be a bit of an understatement. I'm a bit afraid of talking about anything that will feel like "old news" - but perhaps I'll get over that, write the entries that have been floating around in my head for weeks, and then move on to blogging more regularly. That is, after all, one of my goals this summer.

First, though, let me take a step back and do a little bit of maintenance here. This summer, I do not have a job or very many fixed plans. I have a few little things littering my time here and there (CU Orientation in July, Marie's wedding in August, etc)... but overall, I am FREE. My overall goal this summer is to rest, relax, recharge, to do the things I want to do, and beyond that, to be creative. Let me take that a bit at a time...

When I picture an ideal summer day, it involves sitting at our neighborhood pool with a cool drink and a good book. Classic, right? It involves me, a person who sleeps in until a reasonable hour, reads a lot, sees a great number of movies (in and out of theaters), exercises regularly, and floats through days - being productive where I need to be, and someone who is, overall, very happy.

This plan has hit a few snags. SNAG #1: The weather. It hasn't reached above 70 in the past few weeks here. The last two days, we have had INSANE torrential rain storms in the afternoons, with clouds the rest of the time. In short, sitting at the pool sounds a long way away. I know that as soon as hot weather hits, I'll be lusting after this cool weather once again, but right now it feels rather depressing. SNAG #2: [I need to preface this by saying that I am not complaining, merely stating the factual evidence of events.] My mother had a hip replacement surgery two days after I returned from LeakyCon. The recovery has been harder than expected and, most recently, I have been doing enough work for several people in this house... Myself (live my life), what my mom usually does around the house (namely clean), what my mom usually does for herself (like get dressed, shower), and what my dad should be contributing to helping with my mom (he's out of town). Needless to say, I'm a bit burned out. I do not want to complain - my mom needs help and I see no reason why I should not have to give it to her - but this is A LOT right now.

And so I find myself stuck in an odd limbo... What I'm waiting for, I don't quite know, but I feel like my summer has yet to begin. Maybe when my mom gets better, maybe when the weather improves, maybe when I get the first round of "tasks" done to begin the summer... Maybe then I'll settle in. But for now, honestly, life seems kind of blah.

I mean, I'm reading and watching movies - certainly. I'm enjoying my new camera, my photos and memories of LeakyCon, my graduation gifts, THE IPHONE I JUST FRIKKIN ORDERED. Life is by no means BAD... it just hasn't hit the high note I was expecting as soon as the chains of high school were lifted.

So, now that I've talked myself into this dark hole of what very nearly sounds like a bit of depression, let me back up and flip on the optimism switch. More importantly, let me do what I do well: make some goals, plan some ideas... And maybe, just maybe, I can still turn my blah summer into a fabulous one.

BOOKS: I'd love to read 52 books in 2009. A book a week sounds pretty darn impressive and with all this time this summer to skew the average, I bet I could do it. Going into the summer, I had read 14 books. Since getting back from Boston, I have turned that into 18. (For comparison, there have been 23 weeks so far, I think). Not too bad for little over two weeks. I'm currently making my way through all of Maureen Johnson's books - Right now I'm reading 13 Little Blue Envelopes, and then all I have left is Devilish. But, I have so much more I want to read, including (but not limited to):

- Seer, Wizard, and Hunt Quest by Lisa DeGroodt

- Sense and Sensibility and Persuasion by Jane Austen

- The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

- The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak

- Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

- Dracula by Bram Stoker

- 1001 Arabian Nights

- The Illiad

- Bloodhound by Tamora Pierce;

And that's just what is literally sitting on my shelf right now.

MOVIES (and TV on DVD): I have a rather succinct and current list on my wall right now, and I'd like to make my way through it. Recently, I have crossed off four films from it: Happy-Go-Lucky (cute), Flashbacks of a Fool (very good and interesting - I highly recommend it), When Did You Last See Your Father? (sweet, well acted), and Elegy (sexy and thoughtful). Next up on the radar is the HBO Mini-Series John Adams. I've heard great things about it and my mom and I are really looking forward to it. I haven't had a chance to hit the theaters recently - I still want to see UP... but the next big film I'm counting down until is Johnny Depp's Public Enemies (July 1). I've already made my mom promise to be ready to see this one with me. :)

BLOG: I want to keep talking on here frequently. There are a lot of topics that I've been meaning to write about... Season Finales of some of my favorite TV shows and LeakyCon are at the forefront of this list. I'm having a bit of a hard time feeling like it's "too late" to write about these things, but I think I just need to get them down on *ahem* paper. Other than that, I'd like to keep talking about my life, quite simply, what I'm up to and what I'm thinking about. I'll probably keep reviewing movies, books, and even music. On top of this, if you don't already know, I'm writing a blog about the experience of starting college, a project which is sponsored by the CU Book Store. I'd love for you to follow along with this blog - you can find it here.

CREATIVE: Originally, I had several main ideas for how I would stay creatively busy this summer. The first was writing - aka blogging - as I just mentioned. I also would like to learn a bit about photography, especially now that I have a nice new camera which has an optional manual mode. I'd like to re-learn a bit of piano and maybe learn how to play basic guitar. On top of all this, I'd LOVE to finish a painting of Jack Sparrow that I started in freshman year. But that sounds like a lot... I'll have to see what I can actually accomplish.

OTHER: And on top of all that, I'll have some activities like Leaky - we start our reading of Order of the Phoenix on June 20 and I'm working with my friend Daniel to bring some new technological uses to the Lily and Stag Inn. I'll still be doing my Jane Austen book group - we're finishing Northanger Abbey this weekend by watching the BBC film. I'm going to try to be a bit more active socially in preparation for the fall... I hope to meet with some people who are going to CU next year (mainly people I've already "met" on Facebook) if they come to Boulder. I did mention exercise earlier - and I hope to get back into a routine. Right now, though, I can't quite get my self to just GO TO THE GYM. Again, maybe when it's sunny(?)

But right in front of my feet are a couple of exciting things... I'm going to see RENT in Denver this week with a friend from Leaky who happens to be in town. (OMG!! SQUEE!) I'm getting a brand new set of RAM and a new HD installed in my computer to boost up its speed and size. I'm getting my hair cut and straightened (EEK!) And that's all just this week.

... Well, I actually do feel in a better mood. I have a lot of time ahead of me, but I have even more activities to occupy that time. So, perhaps, if I stay the course, get a bit more focused, and let the sun shine in (even when it's cloudy), this summer will turn out just as fantastic as I imagined it would be.

So, I'll see you very soon, hopefully.

Cheers, <3