[sigyn: she's bitter and lazy]

I've been thinking about summer. When I was a child summer was this special time when you were almost under orders to play and goof off. Even though I was homeschooled till age 13, summer was still different because all the kids in the neighborhood were out of school. The days are longer and you got to stay out really late. Now the weather is still nicer and the days are still longer, but it's not special the way it was then. You still have to work. I'm taking summer classes. It's a pain to ride the bus to campus when it's hotter than hades and the guy next to you has decided to declare summer the official season of not bathing.

When I think about memories I think about summer memories. They seem to stick in my brain more than other seasons. I'm sure this is largely due to my birthday falling in summer (go Leos!).

I remember Star Wars dominating kid-conversation for the summers of 1977, '79, and '83 (guess how old I am... hint: I'm around the same age as tv's Wil Wheaton). I remember my princess Leia action figure with the vinyl cape thing, and my Luke and Darth Vader figures with the light sabers that extended out from their arms. I remember seeing Empire Strikes Back on opening night and being totally shocked (and convinced he was lying) when Darth Vader said he was Luke's father. I remember my friend up the street's teenage sister was named Leah and she was teased all summer with the scintillating wit of teenage boys who called her "princess Leah" pretty clever, eh?

I remember cool birthday presents (a sparkly green banana-seat three-speed) and not so cool birthday presents (any kind of clothing... the worst was a hideous rust-brown turtleneck sweater. Who gives a kid a sweater in August?!).

There's a picture of me from the summer of 1979, I'm wearing some lime green bellbottoms and a canary yellow terrycloth bikini top. I have the biggest bandage on my right elbow from where this neighbor kid (oooh, he was my nemesis!) had shoved me down during a race. I liked the bikini top because I could pretend I was a superhero.

I remember swedish fish were a penny each at the corner store (by far the best bargain). The owner had a gold crown on his front tooth with the shape of a heart cut out. I remember the clerk that every kid liked. He gave out free candy when the owner wasn't there and would sweep the stoop and talk about movies and games when the owner was there. He shot himself after his girlfriend dumped him. He was the first person I knew who died. He seemed so old to us kids but he was only 19 or 20.

[comment on this /0]

+ listening to: Fairport Convention, Liege & Lief
+ wondering: what ever happened to my Hippity Hop?

update-shmupdate / 12.27.2002: 17:46
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I'm not crazy. You're the one who's crazy. / 11.30.2002: 15:53