Well, it’s almost over, folks. Summer, that is.
Though the season doesn’t officially conclude until Sept. 23, the end of August seems to always signify hibernation is fast approaching. Back to school promotions kick into high gear, the final summer festivals wrap up and temperatures inevitably begin to decrease.
I hope you had a good one — got out there and did things. Of course, some people tackle the summer months with zealous fervour — which makes sense, since summer in Airdrie is always so short. A friend of mine, Kevin, frequently proclaims his dedication to “having a summah” (a concept popularized by comedian Howard Kremer), pronounced as though he hails from New Jersey. This philosophy means Kevin makes the most of his limited summer days, accepting most proposals for adventure and opportunity. Five years ago I accompanied him to Europe, where we found ourselves in a sparsely populated nightclub in Manchester.
To this point, Kevin had not been “having a summah” and watched British kids dancing and letting loose from the side of the bar. Suddenly, Kesha’s Tik Tok kicked in (Kevin’s “jam” at that point) and he found himself overcome with the urge to dance. He proceeded to “Randy Savage” his T-shirt (rip it wide open) and hit the dance floor.
Though his decision left him with only tattered rags hanging from his neck as we made our way back through the late-night streets of England, it set in motion what you might call his summer philosophy.
I get the sentiment, even if I haven’t always fully embraced it myself. Sometimes, summers are just as busy as the rest of the year and it’s difficult to get outside and enjoy the weather.
Luckily, a summer feel-good outlook is easily transferable into your workplace. Take last Thursday at the Airdrie City View. Stories filed, our newsroom set in motion a highly-scientific taste-test of a variety of new limited-offer potato chip flavours. The offbeat choices included Montreal Smoked Meat, Cowboy BBQ Beans and Butter Chicken. The surprise runaway favourite of both writers and sales staff? With scores ranging in the high eights and nines Butter Chicken came out the preferred chip. We partook of this challenge set to the music of 90s pop classics like Savage Garden’s Truly, Madly, Deeply. (I should note we actually do a lot of work around here, too).
Summer went by like a flash this year, and before we know it we’ll be hurriedly scraping our car windows and trudging through snow. Though maybe none of us filled our summers with as much activity as we would’ve hoped, I hope you had enough little stories peppered in to reflect that “summah” mentality. Kevin, shirt draped around his neck, eating fries with mayonnaise at a Manchester hole-in-the-wall at 4 a.m., would approve.
