Days/Daze of Summer

School measures most of the days in my life. I am either the student attending class or the teacher teaching it, and there hasn’t been a year in my life without school configuring the pattern of my days since I was six years old. So, with school largely designing the scope and sequence of my life, I have become quite experienced over the years with the concept and experience of “summer vacation.” As this summer vacation has dwindled to mere days, I’m looking back—reviewing, remembering, recording my summer days/daze.

Three weeks in Peru launched my summer—and I haven’t yet completed my record of that experience. Then I returned to the USA, basing the rest of my stateside summertime from my father’s abode in Stansbury Park. Summers in the states include my yearly check-in for check-ups with the medical establishment, but aside from those rounds, I lapsed into a true summering mode:

(1) I perused the movie scene. Granted, this summer’s selection was pretty weak, in my view, as far as good movies were concerned. I did manage to find four that I paid money to see—and only at matinee prices: The Proposal, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Julie and Julia, and (500) Days of Summer. (500) Days of Summer tops my rankings, probably because quirkiness engages me and the protagonist is that kid (now all grown up, of course) I always rather liked from the TV show Third Rock from the Sun.

(2) I conducted a few mall crawls. These last few years, though, I’ve noticed that the extensive collections of merchandise and the overwhelming range of choices in the various retail establishments weary me. Once I found shoes, my primary shopping objective this summer, only one mall continued to lure me inside, for within its confines resided a Mrs. Field’s Cookies! Usually I also managed a walk through the Gap—because how does one justify a trip to the mall for a cookie—before arriving at my true destination to order ONE semi-sweet chocolate chip cookie with walnuts and a Diet Coke with lots of ice. Ahhh, such gastronomical pleasure afforded by such a simple purchase!

(3) I read books. Finally, after all the media hype and the impassioned recommendations of legions of female students—and, might I add, adult friends and family members—I succumbed and commenced reading the Twilight series. Vampires and werewolves, as subject matter, generally remain below my interest radar, and I couldn’t convince myself that I wanted to devote my prized reading time to those big fat books of this series. (I was too aware of their bulk since these last two years I have witnessed them constantly in the feverish clutches of multitudes of female students…and occasionally even some male ones!) Book one, Twilight, I actually finished just as school was ending in June. It was okay, very romantic, actually. After my return from Peru, I read New Moon and then Eclipse. Now I’m reading the last one, Breaking Dawn. Although I often find Bella to be frustratingly neurotic and I have a preference for Jacob, the werewolf, rather than Edward, Bella’s vampire true love, the books have provided me a lot of summer reading enjoyment. I think one of the reasons the series appeals to so many girls is that it portrays a version of a love story many girls dream about, one full of passion, drama, and an idealized love/lover. However, please know that I did not limit myself to passionate love stories between humans and werewolves or humans and vampires. In between stints with the Twilight books, I read a goodly chunk of a travel book on Peru, Little Bee, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, The Graveyard Book, and Emma.

(4) I engaged in computer time—as documented below—playing with photos and blogging a bit. Having annexed a corner of my dad’s kitchen table for my laptop station, I quickly became cognizant that my stature-challenged body would require some additional chair height to forestall a quick onset of carpal tunnel syndrome. My dad’s oversized book of crossword puzzles provided the necessary additional inches.