The Beginning of the End

The middle of June is fast approaching and with that means the start of the death season, or as you may know it, Summer. I hate the Summer, loathe it to it's very core, and all because of the heat. Sure you may thank the sun for giving us such little things like the ability to continue living, but me I shake my fist at it for making me a walking version of Niagara Falls for three months. Don't get me wrong Summer can be one of the more fun seasons because there are lots of good things that come with Summer like the beach, BBQ's, and a bevy of outdoor activities (I got a SIX on the Sun-Stare!) With that I figure I would try and come up with some good ideas for the upcoming Summer season, like actual things to do or try, maybe tips for how to do something better or correct, stuff like that, and maybe it's something you do regularly and maybe it's something you've never tried before but I hope for it to be somewhat useful either way.

• Lots of people do it, few do it right. Sure that can be said about a lot of things, pervert, but it's been my experience it's true more often then not when it comes to Grilling a Steak, so here are some easy step by step instructions.
• Go to the Beach! There is nothing like hanging out with a bunch of friends at the beach tossing a football around and then going for a nice swim in the ocean to cool off. And whats better is its free! End the day with your new skills in grilling a steak and you're set!
• Whats the best part of a water park? That's right, the Lazy River! Something me and a few friends tried a couple years ago but something I won't soon forget. A real lazy river! Basically get a ride a few miles up, handed a tube, and told to have fun while you float back down river to where you parked your car!
• Something I haven't done besides in the comfort of my own back yard but am looking forward to trying this summer is Camping. Real deal camping out under the stars. Camp site, tents, sleeping bag, cooking food over an open fire, the whole nine yards! Seems to me like it would be very relaxing and peaceful, add some alcohol and you've really got yourself a party.
• Pick up a new sport. If not for exercise then why not for fun? The beautiful weather gives you plenty of outdoor time to try out a new sport, get some practice in, find something you that fits you and that you can really enjoy. I find Golf to be relaxing at times, but frankly quite boring. Tennis on the other hand I love and is a great summer time sport for both fitness and fun!
• With the nicer weather here there will be plenty of Carnivals and Fairs that you can find in your area to go and spend a day out of the house at. There is always a wide variety of fairs during the day, usually on weekends, ranging from arts and crafts to food. If day fairs aren't your thing there are always plenty of night fairs and carnivals full of funnel cake and rides!
• Take a hike! Seriously there are plenty of places you can go for a nice hike out in the woods or on a trail in a park. Pack yourself a snack and a bottle of water and go enjoy nature for a few hours.
• One of my favorite things to do during the summer when the sun starts to go down and it starts to cool off was to start up the grill (on the rare occasion it wasn't already going,) and make some Smores! Whats not to enjoy?! Chocolate, graham crackers, and marshmallow, and it's always a good laugh trying to put them together around a grill with a bunch of friends.

Albeit not everything possible to do to enjoy the summer and get out of the house it is at least a start! If this list does anything I hope it gets you out of the house and doing something. Stay cool! ∞

Spring is nature's way of saying, "Let's party!"

The snow is all gone and the warmer weather is finally making its way here and though I can't say that I am a fan of 90 degree weather in April (damn you global warming eliminating Spring and making New York go from Winter to Summer, I bite my thumb at you) that means it's time to get the hell out of the house.

Fall happens to be my favorite season, football AND my birthday need I say more, but Spring is a very close second. Lots of things come to mind when I think about Spring but really only a handful stand out that are worth talking about.

• BBQ's
• Easter
• Sunshine and Happiness
• and Weddings
  

As soon as the weather starts to get nicer I start getting antsy and the first thing I think about is the grill and when can I start eating BBQ again. Now I know what you're thinking "Dave, real men don't stop BBQing," and while you are 100% correct when you use a charcoal grill like my roommate Tom and I it turns into "Real men don't stop BBQing; until they run out of charcoal and have to wait for the evil stores to carry it again in mid-April." I have a theory that during the Fall season they take all the unused summer charcoal, cut off the char- and repackage it as just coal for use for bad children across the world for Christmas, because between Tom and I we must have went to about 3 supermarkets, 2 specialty supermarkets, and 2 Home Depots and couldn't find a bag of charcoal anywhere. While I know that a propane grill would solve my dilemma of being able to BBQ year round, to me that's not BBQ. Food just tastes better cooked over mesquite hardwood charcoal, if I wanted to cook over a gas flame I would just stick a hot dog on a skewer and cook over my stove. There are few things more relaxing and fun then sitting around a table and chairs outside with some friends laughing and having a good time over a few drinks with the smell of a seasoned bacon cheeseburger in the air. This is where I smack your ass and tell you to get out there and start BBQing, you know in a non-homosexual way.

Jalapeno Cheeseburger with Bacon and Grilled Onions

Another thing that signals Spring is in the air and kind of lets me know what season it is in case Mother Nature is screwing with the weather to badly to tell, is Easter. Now I am one of the least religious people I know, my skin actually chars a bit when I get close to a church, and maybe it's just me but I tend to gauge time based on important dates and holidays. You know, it's X days til Summer, it's X months til Christmas, that sort of thing. So besides seeing flowers bloom I am reminded it's Spring because there is a man who likes to dress up as a 6ft rabbit in the mall. The best way to make sense of Easter is to just let Eddie Izzard explain:

So, yeah. So the Pagan religion had very big festivals, remember, on Easter and Christmas. The Christian religion came along and had very big festivals, at Easter and Christmas. Jesus died on one and was born on the other. ( doubting sounds ) ‘Cause Jesus I do think did exist, and he was, I think, a guy who had interesting ideas in the Gandhi-type area, in the Nelson Mandela-type area, you know, relaxed and groovy; and the Romans thought, "Relaxed and groovy?! No, no, no, no, no!" So they murdered him. And kids eat chocolate eggs, because of the color of the chocolate, and the color of the... wood on the cross. Well, you tell me! It's got nothing to do with it, has it? You know, people going, "Remember, kids," the kids who're eating the chocolate eggs,

"Jesus died for your sins."

"Yeah, I know, it's great!”

“No, no no, it's bad, it's bad!”

“ No, it's bad! It's very bad. It's terrible! Whatever you want, just keep giving me these eggs."

And the bunny rabbits! Where do they come into the crucifixion? There were no bunny rabbits up on the hill going, "Hey, what, are you going to put those crosses in our warrens? We live below this hill, all right?" Bunny rabbits are for shagging, eggs are for fertility. It's a festival - it's the spring festival!

Exactly, it makes no sense, but hey kids still get a kick out of it right? It may not have the same effect on me as it did as a kid since I don't wake up to hunt for hidden eggs, the downfall to moving away from home, but hey there's still 'It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown' right?

Jesus died for your sins, soooooo here have some chocolate eggs?

Probably the best part about Spring is the beautiful weather that comes along with it, and with that beautiful weather comes an overall sense of happiness. The weather is what lets you really enjoy everything else about Spring. You can sit outside and hang out and BBQ because of it, you can enjoy hunting for eggs inside and outside on Easter, and probably the biggest part you can enjoy is a ton of outdoor activities. Sure there are probably more outdoor activities to enjoy during the Summer but I loathe the Summer and so you won't see me promoting it. Probably has something to do about the fact that it's hot as hell and you melt in the sun, fuck that. I much rather the cool mid 70's temperature to go out and enjoy my day. There is something calming about a nice shady park where you can go to relax and read a book. Parks these days seem to have everything you can think of to relax and enjoy a day outdoors from driving ranges and hockey rinks to bike paths and picnic tables. Some of the most fun that I have had out at some parks are when a bunch of friends and myself get together grab a few picnic tables and a grill and cook up some lunch and throw around a football/baseball/frisbee while we wait for the food to finish. You're not limited to just going to a park though with the nice weather you can do lots of stuff outdoors like going to the farms to pick your own fruits or vegetables. With the nice weather comes a lot of music, food, and arts fairs in the NY area. Personally when I hear Spring I think change, you know all the snow melting and flowers blooming and stuff like that, and I figure why limit it to nature why not change something about myself or try something new, get out there and do something!

Two for me, one for the green basket. Two for me....

The last thing I can think of worth mentioning and the newest to my internal list of what Spring makes me think of are weddings. Actually I should probable say engagements not really weddings. I don't know if it's the happy feeling created from the nice weather and all the pretty flowers blooming and the freedom from being stuck indoors for three months, but in the span of a month there have been like 5 couples who got engaged that I know. Sure some of them are acquaintances and friends from work, but at least two of those couples are people i'm very close with. With that being said... Congratulations to Tom and Cathy who got engaged last night and to Chelsea and Terry who got engaged March 31st. As if it wasn't necessary to get in shape before, stupid tuxedos.

With all that said and done how could you not love Spring?! It's time to get the hell out of the house and enjoy the fresh New York air. With the way the weather has been you better get out and enjoy it while you can before the summer really starts and you start to melt! ∞