By: Tracy Levine
I’m a true Ohioan through and through. Lebron James is the MVP of my life. I bleed scarlet and grey. I have that Midwest twang and I’m proud of the fact that the fattest President of the United States of America, William Howard Taft, was born right here in my home state.
If I were ever to leave my beloved home though, the one thing which I would perhaps miss the most would be the changing of the seasons. After all, variety is the spice of life. Autumn marks the beginning of a school year and a fresh chapter. Winter is all about hibernation and snuggling by the fire and spring is a time to be youthful and active. Summer however, is a little bit trickier. The options, the opportunities, the possibilities—if nothing else, the sheer magnitude of the number of choices alone can be daunting.
It was with this sentiment in mind that I decided I would sacrifice hours upon hours of my time for the sake of research, so that young adults, like me, who are home in Cleveland for the summer, could rest a little more easily.
“Tracy’s Top Ten Summer Musts” highlights the quintessential to-dos on those hot summer days. So kick back, relax and apply an extra coat of SPF because this list is as scorching as the summer sun.
10. Ready, Set, Wikipedia race! Grab a partner; pick a starting and ending page and race to the finish. Remember: You can only go from page-to-page by clicking on the links.
9. Play that stupid claw game in a video arcade. Sure, it’s usually a big waste of time and money, but it’s also irresistible!
8. Have a summer snowball fight. Yes, I’m aware it’s not that cold in Cleveland, but your local ice-rink should have a big pile of snow at the side of the building – just take a couple of coolers and fill them with snow!
7. Spend that hard earned cash. Set a goal. Keep your eye on the prize, and when you’ve got just enough for that one coveted item, hand over those “dolla dolla bills yo.”
6. Apply SPF 1000-- being ghost-white like Casper is hot-hot-hot!
5. Who actually wants that Heidi Klum swimsuit body anyways? It’s time to trade-up. Visit a different ice cream shop every day of the week and then invest in a new bikini cover-up.
4. Kick that internship to the curb and take one last summer to do something you really love.
3. Call in sick. Stay in bed for the entire day. Rent a whole season of Sex in the City (I recommend season four) and have leftover Chinese take-out for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Carrie Bradshaw and General Tso’s
Chicken: two of the world’s most-renowned guiltiest pleasures.
2. Star in your own You-Tube video. Harry Potter Puppet Pals are out and Clevelanders are in!
1. Start an inter-office romance. There’s nothing hotter than water-cooler rendezvous’ and secret love connections. The danger will surely get your heart racing.
My challenge to each of you is this: try to knock a couple off the list before those autumn classes commence.
~Tracy Levine