What I Did On My Summer Vacation - An Essay...

Well technically, I didn’t take a summer vacation, but I thought it would be fun to take a look back at the Summer of 2009 and reflect for a moment.

• The weather was the worst possible in memory. Although I do have a selective memory and could be embellishing the facts because I’m slightly jaded that Labor Day signals the “end of summer” for me, I stand by the statement that this summer’s weather was crappy. June and July were the rainiest on record (at least it was where I live near the North Pole) and August was colder than usual. I don’t know what I’ve done to piss off Mother Nature, but I’ve certainly been punished – perhaps it’s my lack of enthusiasm for the winter season.

• After 3 years, J and I completed the last phase of our deck and landscaping in the backyard. It looks fantastic and perhaps next summer, I will actually be able to enjoy it. I’d post a picture if J wasn’t paranoid that some internet stalker will be able to identify where we live by the photo and show up unannounced in our backyard. He can’t seem to understand that we live in Canada and we aren't that interesting, so no one is actually that desperate to stalk us.

• My son took a trip to Alaska. It was his first big adventure away from home and as it turns out, he managed just fine without his parents. Although disappointing to admit that he is growing up, it brings me great satisfaction to know, he can get from point A to point B without loosing himself or his personal belongings along the way.

• I managed to obtain 3 flat tires this summer - all thanks to the summer roadwork that has littered my commute route.

• I have read 18 e-books throughout the course of the summer and not one of them were read on evenings or weekends. Work may have been slow, but I certainly managed to be productive.

• In mid July, J insisted on buying a 90 gallon fish tank, so since then my life has been consumed with visits to various aquarium and pet stores throughout Southwestern Ontario – all in search of aquarium crap. As with all relationships, they require give and take and I’m taking this one and placing it somewhere special until I’m ready to play the “remember when” card. What has my life come to that I consider “fish shopping” entertainment? Seriously, I need help.

• In a last minute attempt at some summer excitement, J and I threw caution to the wind and took a random trip to the zoo on Sunday. As entertaining as the zoo animals were, parents with strollers and over-stimulated screaming children were not. On the upside, the sun was shining, so a lot was forgiven. I personally think the zoo was J’s attempt at locating some new aquarium stores along the way, but since I was driving I wasn’t having any of it and pretended not to understand his subtle hints. After all, there is only so much excitement one person can possibly handle and the zoo did it for me.

I’m sure there were other things done and accomplished, but I can’t for the life of me think of what they were, so I suspect they weren’t all that riveting to begin with. I’m blaming the lack of stimulation, sunshine and warmth for the stunt in my personal growth in the Summer of 2009. C'est la vie - there’s always next year…