It’s already a third of the way through the second month of summer, which means next week is roughly the midway point of the meteorological (as opposed to astronomical) season. I might not be failing at summer, but I’m definitely flailing a bit, which is probably indicative of where my head is these days.

Rudi and I fixed our air conditioner, which is great, because comfortable sleeping. But pleasant daytime temperatures in the apartment during our recent heat wave have made me a little loathe to leave it, sometimes even on the nicer days, and that’s not good for me. So I thought I’d brainstorm a little about things that I haven’t done this summer yet that I’d like to.

Here are then things that still seem totally reasonable to do this summer:

1. Go to the beach. I miss the ocean desperately.
2. Go home. I have spent the least amount of time ever in my life with my family and friends back home this year. Not being here in the event of a job interview has stressed me out tremendously, but it’s not like I couldn’t just come back early, right?
3. Watch an outdoor movie.
4. Attend an outdoor concert. We were going to go to Fort Reno last night, but the four inches of water D.C. received yesterday morning made the prospect very muddy.
5. Check out the suffrage exhibitions around town. The National Archives, the Library of Congress, and the National Portrait Gallery all have have shows on right now about the centennial anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment.
6. Picnic. I mean, how hard is it to pack a supper to eat outside?
7. Attend a Tour de France watching party. The danger of going to parties in Rudi’s social circle is that Rudi knows everyone and it’s impossible to extricate him without him having conversations with every bloody person in the room. If I just for a little while and plan to leave without him, I’m hoping I’ll find that less frustrating.
8. Claim my first summer reading prizes. Reading is the only thing I’m reasonably successful at right now, so I have prizes waiting for me in Virginia and at my local D.C. branch.
9. Try Jamaican and Filipino flavors of ice cream at regional shops.
10. Attend the National Book Festival, which is on the final day of August.

Stretch goal: Adopt a new member of the family. Since Jeremiah died, we’ve been a one-cat family. Corey has a lot of personality and we aren’t fully sure about how adding a new cat to the mix will go, but he has lived with up to three other cats in our apartment without too much fur flying, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed. We’d like to have a second cat again, so we’re hoping when the Humane Rescue Alliance has their next clear-the-shelter event (or, you know, we attend our next wedding), we’ll be able to take advantage of it.

What do you hope the rest of your summer includes?