Things I'll miss (both in the figurative and literal sense) this summer in no particular order:
-4th of July bbq: The last few summers I've gone to Rebecca's for a bbq and fireworks. After the summer heat, it's kind of refreshing to have to bundle up for the cold weather where she lives and sometimes it gives me the chance to wear something I've recently knitted that I wouldn't be able to wear any time soon otherwise. I don't think any of us actually celebrate how wonderful America is; it's sort of just a good opportunity to see everyone and hang out.
-Barbecues in general: There's always a certain time of year when my family and I have our first barbecue and I remember how good our family recipe for barbecued chicken really is. The soy sauce/garlic marinade flavors the chicken just so and it's always juicy. I always sneak some wings and drumsticks for myself and Zoe from the plate while the pile of chicken cools so we're the first ones to try it.
-The Flight of the Conchords coming to San Francisco, May 27: It's a bit ironic that just when one of my favorite New Zealander comedians come to San Francisco, I'll actually be going to New Zealand. I also find it somewhat painful that I'll have missed them by just a few days, too!
-Harry and the Potters: They always come to San Francisco around July on their big summer tours and I've been to their last three San Francisco concerts. I don't know how much longer the DeGeorge brothers will keep up their Harry and the Potters band since the last installment of the series already came out, so it'll especially be a bummer if this is their last SF appearance.
-Craft binges: Night is when I'm most productive and creative, so summer is when I can stay up late at a sewing machine or just getting all my ideas out. It's those times that really make me feel grateful (and not to mention artsy) that I have a craft room chock-full of supplies. Summer is also when I can just put on a movie and crochet or knit. I want to bring a small project to work on, but it won't be the same as having an entire workspace and supplies at your beck and call.
-Living in summer wear: I love hot weather and I love wearing tank tops, shorts, skirts and shoes that let my toes see the light of day. I have drawers full of tank tops in every color I need and more tank tops in grey and black than I should have. I also have a drawer crammed with skirts and shorts that only come out in summer so I'm always excited when the weather allows me to wear them. It won't be summer in New Zealand when we're there and I'm really not sure I can wear tank tops and shorts in India, so this may be the first summer in eons that I won't get to enjoy these pieces of clothing that shout 'summer!' to me.
-Friends and family: Of course I have to put them on the list! This will be the longest time so far that I'll be without my family. As for my friends, I'll miss seeing them when we're finally all out of school and we won't be able to catch up in person. We had some awesome picnics and outings last year so I hope this year they can at least have some fun for me.
Things I won't miss this summer, in no particular order:
-People in the park: With awesome weather comes obnoxious people in the park near my house. They tag the fence, they cherry bomb the porta-potties, and I can hear them in the park at night whether or not my bedroom window is open. I can hear people cussing, yelling, arguing, or being just plain loud. Sometimes there are crazy homeless people and I can hear them yelling, arguing or sleeping near the fence. It's kind of creepy when you have to take your dog out in the yard at night or early in the morning.
-Flea bites: The combination of sitting on the upholstered BART seats while wearing sleeveless tops, sandals and skirts or shorts often results in getting flea bites which is never fun.
-Wasting away on my couch: When I'm not hanging out with friends, I spend most of my summers in front of a tv or a computer. When I'm not watching tv, I'm on the Internet. When I'm not on the Internet, I'm watching tv. Day after day, it really adds up and before I know it, half my summer's gone. Sure, I do like to unwind by doing mindless things like watching tv, but I also wish I could be more productive.
-Sleeping in: I will miss sleeping in, but for some of the same reasons I won't miss being idle, I might not miss sleeping in as much as I think. I like to sleep a lot yet at the same time, I don't like sleeping half the day away. On the days I do get up in the morning, I'm amazed at how much I've gotten done before it's even lunch time. It'll be nice to have a schedule and more reasons to get me out of bed in the morning.
-Staying up late: This kind of goes with sleeping in. Sometimes I'm just really unproductive when I'm staying up late and watching late-night tv. I just get so tired that I forget that I was just on my way to bed so I end up staying up late to watch something that wasn't worth staying up for and sleeping in the next day.
So I realize that I have more items on list of the things I'll miss than the list of things I won't miss, but if I were to make a list of things I'm looking forward too, it'd probably outnumber them all. I haven't decided whether I want to make such a list yet as I'm afraid I might just go on and on!
