1. Canada Day: As July 1 dawns every year, I get to experience overzealous and extremely patriotic Canadians, fun parades in Canmore and Banff, fireworks and having insults aimed at me by those who have found a little too much comfort at the bottom of the bottle on this annual holiday.
2. The Heat: So I realize we are Canadians and meant to embrace the cold and icy season that we must endure most of the year. However, summer warmth, or if we are really lucky, summer heat, makes me want to put summer at the top of my list of favourite seasons.
3. No School = No Obligations: Summer seems to be free of school, thus any real obligations. Except if you’re an I.B. kid – then we won’t talk about you. On second thought, if you have a job, this also doesn’t count. Scratch this thought entirely – seems like I’m the only one without any obligations.
4. Ice Cream, Freezies and Slurpies, Oh My!: The hot July and August months seem to be the perfect time to enjoy these cool treats and an abundance of others. Wait until the pounds start to pile up, then it’s a different story.
5. Harry Potter Marathons: As you MIGHT have noticed, the era has come to an end. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II has been released and watched by countless fans around the world. Tears have been shed, the plotline has been discussed extensively and Harry Potter marathons spanning more than 14 hours have been held globally. A great closure if I do say so myself.
6. Swimming: You would have to be crazy to swim in any of Canada’s perpetually cold lakes and here in Alberta, there are no beaches either. So unfortunately in Calgary, swimming in summer resembles swimming in any other season – time to head to the community indoor pool!
7. Mosquitoes: These little buggers love to give free kisses – after all, share the love. Well I think we could all do without these creatures and their generous personalities.
8. Weeds: Summer is time to enjoy the beautiful flowers blooming outside. Unless you are an avid gardener – trust me, it takes one to grow a garden in Canada – you’ll have to stick with the dandelions. Don’t get too excited if you see buttercups in your garden; bet you didn’t know that they were weeds too.
9. Go Shopping… Get Broke: Summer season means summer sales right? In other words, a fast way to empty your wallet. New clothing never seemed more tantalizing and a possibility of holding a job never seemed further from your mind.
10. Tomorrow Never Comes: Remember that list of things to do you put off for the summer? Books you were supposed to read, your messy room that you were supposed to clean out (life can’t be like those Coke commercials), and adventures you were supposed to embark on. Summer is coming to an end and I can bet you my bottom dollar that list is no closer to being completed then it was at the start of July. Oh well, time to throw it out the window along with last year’s New Year’s resolutions.