Summer of Love 2008

It's been one month since I last updated this blog, and I feel like that was a sufficient amount of time to completely absorb and analyze my copious post on Rocky. It's time to move on to bigger and brighter things. In the poll I posted a few weeks ago, I asked what people thought this blog could use more of. Four people responded (myself on of them). I voted for more celebrity guest appearances, but the winner, with a total of two votes, was more embarrasing personal confessions. That's why I'm here.

Let's get down to business then.

I was told, in a conversation with a female friend this evening, "Chris, you need a wife." I agreed, of course, and thought that my friend was merely stating the obvious. "That'd be nice," I replied," but that's kind of skipping a couple steps in the process." You know, dating and all that.

That's what the Summer of Love 2008 is for!

So I can't really say that this is the summer of love yet, mainly because I'm still as single as I am balding, but I hope that the next few months will be memorable and very worthwhile. Know what I'm saying?

What's so special about this summer? Well, it is the first summer since I returned from my mission in 2005 (I'm so old) that I will not be taking classes. Hallelujah! School has always provided me with a convenient excuse for not getting to know girls and dating and all that. (No seriously, I was usually pretty busy. Come on, cut a guy some slack. Get off my case!) This summer there will be no excuses for being anti-social, and that's a good thing because I don't even want to be anti-social. I never have; it's just always happened that way.

The summer months are probably the best time of the year. I love the fall with the return of college football, the return of perfect temperature, the beauty of the changing leaves, and some of the best holidays we celebrate (I'm thinking of you, Labor Day). But the summer just contains infinite possibilities. Want to road trip somewhere? Alright, let's do it. Want to go swimming? boating? hiking? camping? No problem. Hungry? Let's barbeque, or maybe enjoy some delicious fresh fruit and vegetables. The world is covered in blues and greens and everything is alive.

The possibility of anything and everything happening has taken root in me. I plan on exploring the beautiful Wasatch Mountains as much as possible, taking strange country roads and driving into the glorious unknown before me, photographing the splendor with my new camera, familiarizing myself with the many scenic drives and vistas offered in my backyard. I want to buy a season-pass to Seven Peaks, which is just a couple blocks from where I live, and spend many summer afternoons in the wave pool and lazy river. I want to go to Real Salt Lake games, play ultimate frisbee and soccer as much as possible, go on long walks as the sun sets behind the western mountains, eat out at restaurants I've never been to, and so on and so on.

Looks like I got it all figured out, right? All those activities are gonna make for a great summer. But they would make for an amazing summer if I had but one thing: a significant other.

So many things lately have been emphasizing my singleness. I can't listen to music for very long without hearing a lyric that reminds me just how painfully single I am or how much I want companionship. A few examples from songs that I discovered just this past week:

Akron Family - "I'll Be on the Water": Thinking of you, there's lightning bolts in my chest.
The Dodos - "Winter": My friends, they understand me better but don't whisper goodnight.
Black Kids- "Hurricane Jane": It's Friday night and I ain't got nobody. Oh, what's the use of making a bed?

(They work much better with music). And those are the songs that I end up listening to over and over. I am a glutton for punishment apparently.

I've been told that to get a significant other you must be interested in a girl, get to know the girl, date the girl, and then determine the relationship with that same girl. Not so complicated, right? Just a couple steps. My problem is I usually stumble when trying to climb those steps. How embarrassing is it when you trip while climbing a set of stairs?

I find myself in an interesting position. I stand at the bottom of the stairs, not really able to start working my way up, yet I feel a desire to climb each step. I don't know if I can say that I am truly interested in any specific person, but I am interested in being interested in someone. I am open to the possibilities before me.

Unfortunately, I am a suffering coward. I have to get over my timidity, my fear of rejection, my lack of confidence, etc. I have to stop being J. Alfred Prufrock. While changing my character so much might very difficult, I think it's a positive sign that I believe it can (and should) happen during the next few months, the Summer of Love 2008.