Summer of Surprises

It's getting hot in LA. We still have our breathable days, but the other day I opened my car door and thought perhaps I'd entered into some giant oven in the sky and I was a live, squirming piece of meat shoved into it. Summer seems to be coming early, because it usually doesn't get really bejesusly hot until July and August, and then unless you permanently take up residence on the sand or become a merperson, you begin to think you wish you lived in a place with seasons so we didn't get so punished for five to six weeks for not having to suffer through winter. But then September comes and you laugh at people buying winter clothes and you forget all about that time you wanted to die a month earlier.

But it does remind me of what I love about summer. Themes! Okay, themes run rampant everywhere in my life, including daily wardrobe choices, but summer brings out the grand themer in me. Each summer I get unnecessarily enthusiastic about one particular thing and proclaim that I'm going to make it the common thread that I sew through every day of summer. It somehow makes summer feel more festive now that I'm an adult and don't have actual summer vacations.

Here's a look back at some of the highlights:

Summer of White 2003

This is not actually from the Summer of White. But I am wearing white. In a white room. Looking especially white.

Ah, Summer of White. The inaugural summer. The year the first Paradise Hotel ruled my television set, and the summer I lived with my best friend Melissa in a cool loft building with a pool. We'd come home from our boring jobs and make blended alcoholic drinks and talk about Paradise Hotel in our pool. It was a glorious summer. And I made the conscious decision to wear white practically every day. It was a good look. I felt bright and clean and fresh and it had a nice effect on my psyche. The boring job I held that summer was managing a small Pilates studio and one time the massage therapist complained someone used the washing machine for their own laundry and she'd known it wasn't me because nothing in there was white. That's when I knew Summer of White had made it's mark. A tradition had begun.

This summer was subtitled Summer of Shout, because I'm a mad spiller, and white is probably not the best thing to wear everyday when you are me.

Summer of Mint 2005

More theory than praxis.

This was a particularly strong theme in my opinion, but unfortunately it never took off. Mint is so refreshing, so cooling, it's a perfect summer theme. At the beginning of summer I had high ambitions that I was always going to have a pitcher of chilled mint water at all times in my refrigerator, as well as find exotic recipes that included mint, if only as a garnish. But it never gained momentum. I am still a huge huge fan of all things minty, so this will be revisited at a later date.

Summer of Avocado 2006

No. You are.

Summer of Avocado could also be called Summer of Guacamole, because I consumed probably a gallon a week of that Mexican delicacy. I was supremely dedicated to this theme and have actually never abandoned it. I still consume about a gallon of guacamole a week. But this was the summer that really put it on the map. It's the time when I wasn't afraid to stand up and say, "Hey. Avocado. I love you. Let's make this last."

I have also long held the belief that if I were a fruit, I would be an avocado.

So sweating and choking on smog, this week I began thinking about this summer's theme and realized it could very well be this:

Contender for Summer of 2008 Theme

My subzero on a happy day.

My diet has become 80% delicious, exciting drinks from Whole Foods. I used to be a water drinker. I felt that was all I needed and didn't understand the fuss of sodas, iced teas, et al. But now, NOW! I live to have my top shelf filled to the brim with new and novel beverages from high-end organic retailers. Notice there are no Sprites, no Snapples. This is an urbane, evolved exploration of the daytime drink. I love opening the door and seeing a rainbow of elixirs. Some healthy, some sugary, some calming, some caffeinated. I might just be willing to embrace this as my summer love, but it's still too early to call it. Especially when there are massive changes afoot.

Because on a bittersweet note, this is officially the last month with the subzero, truly the Cadillac of refrigeration devices. I'll be moving on at the end of May and taking my cornucopia of beverages with me. I'll miss the Silver Lake hipster shed, but I have high hopes that something marvelous is around the corner. The spring changes are giving birth to a summer of new and the theme is yet to come.