Cheap Shades and a Tattoo and a Yoo-Hoo

If you ask people what their favorite season is, you’ll probably get answers like “I like the Spring because that’s when everything comes into bloom and it’s like a new beginning” or “I like Fall because I like when the leaves change color and the temperature drops to sweater weather.” For me, seeing the leaves turn color in the Fall is just a constant visual reminder that another summer has died. I love the summer; I would say that it’s my favorite season. I’m noticeably happier in the summertime. Ok, yeah, it gets hot. But most public places, modern vehicles, homes, etc. have air conditioning so quit whining.

For me, summertime has always represented a season of freedom of sorts. When you’re a kid it meant 3 months away from school. The days are longer and the nights are more fun. It’s like a 3 month party. Here are a few more reasons why summer is the best season:

Memorial Day Weekend – The official start to summer. This might be my favorite holiday. Depending on what date in May the holiday falls on, all of the following could possibly take place during this extended weekend: Women’s College Softball Super Regionals or World Series (Laugh all you want, but it’s entertaining. I realize it’s not as visually stimulating as women’s beach volleyball, but a few of the girls are “softball pretty.”), the NBA playoffs, the early rounds of the French Open, and possibly a UFC event. Combine all of those with good friends and family, barbecues, and that’s a recipe for a good time. I’ve been known to take the Friday before off of work to extend this party to 4 days. I invite anyone and everyone that’s looking for a good time to come hang out with me the next Memorial Day weekend. If you do plan to hang out with me and my entourage, please be prepared; you’ll need to stay rested, hydrated and have plenty of sunscreen. I’m a compassionate person, but you’re on your own if you do something ignorant such as forgetting to apply sunscreen on Friday afternoon and can’t participate in the rest of the weekend.

Summertime Fashion – People aren’t walking around wearing 3-5 layers, looking all puffy in the summertime like they do in the winter. Granted, it takes some planning in the spring to get summer ready and shed the winter weight. But a little bit of consistent work started in March goes a long way by June, and is definitely appreciated. It’s also an opportunity to get some color on my skin so I can temporarily get rid of the trademark “IT Paleness” that almost everyone in my career field has. Between Memorial Day & Labor Day it’s acceptable to wear linen and also white pants. The linen thing is my own personal rule. It’s a lightweight, breathable fabric – it just looks out of place in the middle of winter, at least here in the Midwest. I understand the “white in summertime” rule is outdated and has been refuted, but I’m a traditionalist and think it still applies. It may be ok if you live in a warmer climate or on the coasts, but it just looks silly to be rockin’ white pants in January in Missouri. This mostly applies to ladies because white pants on men just doesn’t look quite right ever, no matter the season. I’ve seen white shorts for men that work, but they’ve got to be longer or of the cargo variety, not the pleated, polyester white shorts that old men wear that have the crease down the front (I think these are sold and Sears and JCPenney). One final personal pet peeve I’d like to mention (call it my Public Service Announcement or my own “The More You Know” commercial that they play on NBC) and this is targeted at the ladies: if you wear white pants in the summer, please be aware of your undergarment situation. Nothing kills a great pair of crisp white pants like blatant VPL (visible panty line) or a black thong that can be seen either through the pants or hanging out above the waistline. Many men may not agree with me about the black thong thing and say that it’s hot, and it might be if you’re at a NASCAR event, a monster truck rally, or in Independence, MO., but it’s just not for me. There are many alternatives available these days to resolve the white pants/underwear issue – I’m just asking that you consider them all and choose the one that you’re comfortable with.

Music – It's always fun to see (and guess) what the "song of the summer" will be each year. This year it looks to be "Boom Boom Pow." Anyway, the music that comes out in the summer seems to be catchy, fun party songs. It’s also acceptable to have some reggae in your playlist during the summer and people won’t assume you’re a stoner, slacker or a Rastafarian. Summertime is also the only season I catch myself listening to a little country music.

Food – Barbecues, watermelon, and lemonade. I don’t even need to elaborate.

4th of July – Our nation’s birthday. Fireworks and more barbecues. How can you not like this holiday . . . unless you’re Al Qaeda or Taliban. Are you?

Pool/Waterparks – When I was a kid, the pool was our summertime babysitter and I didn’t mind this at all. This started the summer after my 5th grade year and continued until 8th grade. Mom would take my brother & me to the pool during her lunch hour if we did our morning chores, which were usually really simple chores like fold the towels or clean our rooms. There were 2 public pools in Warrensburg: the nice one at the golf course (Pertle Springs) that was ran by the college, and then there was the other one that wasn’t so nice (Nassif Pool) that was ran by the city. The pool at the golf course was the “it” pool to be seen at; there were high school and college girls there (both as lifeguards and as patrons), and that’s where the upper middle class kids went to swim. Anybody who was anybody went to Pertle to swim. Unfortunately for me and my brother, my mother’s work was only a block away from the other pool so we were chauffeured to Nassif. At first I was a little upset about this, but I got over it quickly because it was still a pool with a diving board and girls (who weren’t as uptight as the girls at Nassif and more “friendly” – that’s a nice way to put it). Looking back, I’m glad I went to Nassif because I got much more of a “worldly” education there than I would have at Pertle. The clientele at Nassif was different than at Pertle; it was more “urban.” I didn’t mind this at all; I’m a friend to all and fit right in and hung out with everyone there. I remember on Fridays the older Talbert brothers would come into town from KC and hang out at the pool – that always kicked the excitement up a notch at Nassif. I was hanging out with the youngest of the Talbert brothers at the pool so I got to tag along. It was on a Friday at the pool that I witnessed my first real fight. Not the weak, juvenile fights that happened in the hallways or after school in middle school; I’m talking about 2 big guys going toe-to-toe. It was also on a Friday at the pool where I saw someone pull a gun on someone else (actually it was at the basketball courts next to the pool where you’d go during the hourly 10 minute break/adult swim at the pool). That was a little scary. After that incident I decided to stay in the pool area and just lay on my towel during adult swim. I was there when Jermaine had fireworks go off in the back pocket of his pants and had to go to the hospital for a skin graft. I could continue to regale you with more Nassif pool stories, but I’m not sure if the statute of limitations has expired on some of the things I witnessed, so I’ll stop here. Every time I go to an outdoor pool I think of those summers fondly. Warrensburg has since closed the pool at the golf course, leaving Nassif as the only outdoor public pool. The city has renovated the pool, adding a lazy river and some other cool stuff. It looks to be a reputable place now.

I could go on-and-on about my love for the summer, but this post is long enough as is. I’m going to try and enjoy this summer as much as I can, before the dreaded holiday of Labor Day arrives and singlehandedly kills my joy.


Song of the day: “P control” by Prince (off The Gold Experience album). A song about female empowerment; it could possibly be the “I Will Survive” for our generation. Ok, maybe not, but still a classic Prince beat that makes me laugh every time I hear it. Skip the 30 second intro though, it’s a little boring. Be warned, this is an adult song so be aware of your surroundings when singing it aloud.