Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with summer

What should I do this summer?

Paulefinch — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 00:31:16 -0800

What are some life-changing things I, as an art student, can spend my summer doing? Here's a little background before I get to my real question.

I'm a 19 year old, gay male student double majoring in Art Education and Studio Art at the University of Central Florida. I'm finishing my sophomore year this semester. After growing increasingly frustrated with the college grind, I want to make some changes! I don't like the fact that I have to have a degree to do what I want to do. What do I want to do? I want to design avant-garde clothing and performances. (e.g. Lady Gaga, Of Montreal, and the Cremaster Cycle by Matthew Barney) Instead of dropping out of school, which I know isn't a very good idea, I just want to develop the parts of my life not directly related to school. I'm considering dropping the Art Education major, because while I want love to teach, I don't think my school's College of Education is right for me. Next semester I'm taking a minimum number of classes (12 credit hours) instead of my typical 15-17, so I'll have more time to create work that my current schedule doesn't allow.

What should I do this summer? I really want to do something that will provide me with amazing experience. I would love to live abroad, study abroad (I have languages bases in French and German.), get an internship, visit museums, or get an apprenticeship. Basically I want to do something with my summer that will change the direction of my life for the better.

Is there something I haven't even thought of? I'm supremely interested in everything related to design, art, and culture, so I'm open to almost anything!

Maldives on a budget?

abdulf — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 18:46:00 -0800

Maldives on a budget? Say, late June or July 2010? Assuming the starting point is Chennai or Bangalore, India. Airfare doesn't seem too bad. It's a trip for 2.

Any personal experience with these islands? Budget means like having $2000 to get to the Maldives from India.

The internet seems to suggest that spending any less than $1000/day means living in a slum. That doesn't sound right, there has to be a mid-range option right?

Again, personal experience would be great.

Creative people - teach me how to make my wedding magical.

semacd — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 18:48:42 -0800

Design our "First Summer's Night Eve" wedding, creative people! Ok, so I think we figured out where to hold our wedding (on a lawn in MA, by a lake). And when to hold it: Memorial Day weekend.

So now we're looking for some inspiration to make the night feel magical, special, romantic in a breezy flowing fabrics and candles and flowers sort of way. We're thinking we'd like to loosely use "Midsummer Night's Eve" (or in this case, "First Summer's Night Eve") as our theme (not the play, the ancient celebration). We're thinking this would involve lots of flickering candles, maybe something woodsy, mossy. Possibly lanterns. Possibly things our guests could float off into the lake bearing wishes (and candles) [I've done this as a grade schooler on Midsummer Night's Eve using handmade little boats and candles, and in India using flowers on the Ganges]. We're trying to evoke the headiness, magic of the first summer's night. I'm thinking maybe Art Nouveau style maybe could be integrated, or a Where the Wild Things Are sentiment for a bit of playfulness.

Can you think of anything we can do that could subtly suggest that theme: the magic of the first summer's night? What would our centerpieces look like (in a rather austere series of function-rooms, unfortunately, but adjoining the lake with huge glass windows everywhere)? How can we incorporate the lake and the lawn? There's a beautiful teensy stone bridge just around the corner too. What cool things can we do with candles? Would our save the dates and/or invitations have this element included? Would our wedding website? If so, how? Anything else we should be thinking of? (Band? Transportation? Attire? After party? Other events? Beverages? Appetizers? Food? Cake? Late night snack? Table names? Place cards?) What would our flowers look like, and would we use them in any unique ways? Gifts to bridal party?) Anything else?

I'm not very creative but I can take a spark of an idea and run with it, and I can execute directions. Help me out! We don't have unlimited funds, but we have a decent budget to work with.

The location is fairly fancy. There will be a band, open bar, decent food, etc.

Bonus points for links for where we can buy design elements/create our own design elements/examples of pictures for inspiration?

Bonus points for ideas that would surive a cold, rainy Boston Memorial Day evening.

Also, oh crap - is Memorial Day weekend in the Boston area too early for this fantasy?

Making dinner for a girlfriend and I need your help!

OuttaHere — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 11:28:44 -0800

Making dinner tonight for a lady friend - Need suggestions! We'll be drinking lots of wine and I was thinking maybe something we could both do together.

She doesn't eat red meat, it's pretty hot outside and we may be grilling although it's not necessary.

I was thinking of something along the lines of chicken kabobs w/ veggies and a good summer salad. I'm pretty decent in the kitchen but don't want something I can screw up.

Thanks mefi!

That's not a mojito, it's a pesky mosquito!

Funmonkey1 — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 04:48:05 -0800

[End of Summer Drinks Filter]: Scandinavian summer is quickly coming to a close, and I need some great ideas for end of summer cocktails! Looking for new and exciting instead of the usual spirit and mixer stuff. Thanks follow mefite imbibers for your advice! Having a big party next week to celebrate the close of summer, as everyone is back to work after July off.

What kind of cocktails would be best suited to an outdoor fest where the weather will be on the warmer sides of the 70s (22-27C). We have a full bar and juices etc. can be sourced.

Important to note that speed plays a role. What we don't want is a punchbowl, just some great drinks. Think along the lines of a fully stocked bar with blenders etc.

please give me your summer squash recipes

mustcatchmooseandsquirrel — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 17:57:54 -0800

I have 20 pounds (or more) of summer squash. What do I do with it? My CSA had extra summer squash (both crookneck and pattypan) that nobody else wanted, so I gave it a good home. Concurrently, my boyfriend acquired three giant zucchinis. Our refrigerator is about to burst. I need to cook something.

I read the askme thread on pickling it, which I'm not really into (kitchen has little enough room as it is), I made a squashy pasta sauce two nights ago, I made scrambled eggs and squash last night, am making zucchini bread tonight, making crookneck squash gratin tomorrow night, and after that I just don't know.

I have cast iron pans, a gas range and oven, and very little refrigerator space. Also, I am hosting an international potluck Saturday, so exotic globe-trotting recipes that would go over well at a potluck would be very useful.

What can I make with all of this squash?

PS: Anyone in the Syracuse area? I have some squash for you.

Summer in the Terminal City

philip-random — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 12:53:28 -0800

Help resolve a dispute among co-workers. Vancouver is a wonderful city, everybody says so. It just doesn't happen to have been built for serious summer heat. Yet now it is hot (and getting hotter) and here we are in a "home office" that will start to absolutely bake in roughly one hour (when the afternoon sun hits the windows). Given that we have no air conditioning and that we are on a deadline this week and so must stay "on the job", how best to keep this place as cool as possible ...? My strategy (based on something I remember my grandma doing way back when in sweaty pre-airconditioned suburban Montreal): shut all windows sun-facing windows now, pull the white reflective blinds and essentially keep the coolish air we have now for as long as possible. We do have a fan by the way.

The counter strategy (based on hystrioncally presented "common sense"): don't do anything until the sun starts to hit, then pull the blinds, but leave the windows open which, to my mind, would just let the hot air in far more quickly, wouldn't it?

Please help us. We know all about dealing with rain but this summer heat stuff just makes our brains melt.

What to wear for a reception?

rus — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 05:51:55 -0800

What is "summer glamour" for men at a wedding reception? Me + Mrs Rus have been invited to the reception/evening disco of a friends wedding. The theme is summer glamour. Can anyone thing of something funky that I could wear beyond a suit+shirt+tie combo or is that perhaps the best thing to wear? UK based if it has any bearing

It's like drinking your salad!

dancinglamb — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 12:43:20 -0800

I need your best gazpacho recipes! I've been jonesing for gazpacho for days. We went to this restaurant for dinner a couple weeks ago and I had an amazing gazpacho as a first course. I can't stop thinking about it. I've perused my standard go-to, epicurious.com, but I'm not sure which concoction to go with. When in doubt, I figure the Hivemind would know best.

Mefites, hit me with your best gazpacho recipes.

Thanks!

Help me serve a great lunch, quickly.

availablelight — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 19:38:55 -0800

Great (summer-friendly) lunch menus. Difficulty: can be mostly or wholly made beforehand. I know how to cook to impress for dinner or brunch guests, but what are some good recipes--that require minimal to no prep at the time of serving--for lunch?

--I can spend as much time as necessary prepping the day before, or the morning of.

--I'll be serving out of a kitchen, so food safety is not a concern and I'll have the ability to reheat, sautee quickly, etc. if need be. I'd like to not spend more than 15 minutes total preparing the meal right before serving it.

--I've got some cooking skills and an interest in doing something a bit more impressive/tasty than just sandwiches or basic pasta salad.

Looking for a hotel in Washington, D.C.

mwark — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 20:46:16 -0800

Looking for a reasonably priced hotel in Washington, D.C. for a trip we are planning to take this August. Any thoughts on the possibility of commuting downtown from the burbs each day to visit the sites?

What's a 14 Year Old Boy to Do In NYC???

musofire — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 07:38:11 -0800

My 14 year old stepson is bored in New York. What should he do? How about Montreal? My 14 year old stepson can't think of anything fun to do in New York. I know, I know. Me, I would go to the Natural History Museum. The Museum of Television and Radio. Ellis Island. The Cloisters. I would walk around. I might go swimming at the Y. I might even sign up for a language course.

He has rejected all of these. What other things are there to send a 14-year-old boy off to do by himself? He has no friends in New York, and I'm in Canada.

Also, he'd like to come back and spend some of the summer with us, in Montreal. Aside from the Just For Laughs Festival and La Ronde, what other fun things am I missing for him to do?

Long Weekend Road Trip Leaving from Central NJ

booksherpa — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 18:14:06 -0800

Help us narrow down our choices for an extended weekend road trip leaving from central NJ. My husband and I are debating where to go away for a long weekend later this month. We'll be driving, and plan to be away Friday to Monday. We can leave on Thursday night if the first night's destination is close enough.

Things we like:
- good food, could be gourmet or brewpub or bakery or farmers market or diner, as long as it's interesting
- used bookstores, the bigger the better (we've done Book Barn in Niantic)
- funky, artsy towns with interesting shopping (if there's lots of cool handcrafted jewelry, even better!)
- minor league baseball
- scenic drives
- state fairs and other quirky local events
- craft fairs
- random wish: I'd like to find a wine store that could sell me a case of Putney Mountain Winery's Maple Apple Wine. Mmmmm, tasty!

Things we don't want for this trip:
- nightlife/nightclubs
- camping/hiking
- bed and breakfasts (we're on the heftier side, and have points to use up as well)
- the beach (both grew up at the Jersey Shore, like water views, not so much with the tourists)
- amusement parks

We adore Vermont, and had considered a Saratoga Springs, NY/Middlebury, VT trip as both are places we've only seen a little of and had earmarked to explore further. We're trying to branch out and explore new places. We'd like to keep each day's driving portion to less than 3 hours total. Monday's drive can be longer.

We've already been extensively to: Bennington, Brattleboro, Manchester, Burlington, Woodstock VT; Northampton MA; Mystic CT. He spent 4 years at college in Boston, and a large city isn't our first choice. On the list of possible destinations, besides Saratoga Springs and Middlebury are Rhinebeck NY, non-Northampton bits of central MA, Providence RI and parts of Southern Vermont. I'll happily listen to discussion of other parts of New England, as well as points south of us - we just tend to have a New England orientation for road trips.

Should I just send away for 6 phone books and sit down with some post-its?

Phire — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 12:06:11 -0800

I would like to find an internship for next summer at an ad agency in eastern Ontario or somewhere reasonably close by in the US (think NYC, Chicago, etc). Unfortunately, my school doesn't engage in a lot of recruiting partnerships with ad agencies. Is there some type of industry insider directory I could consult for a list of potential ad agencies to call up about information interviews and such? A lot of big name consulting and accounting companies come to my University to recruit. Practically no advertising agencies do the same. The one interview I had a few months ago with an ad agency was a result of meeting someone who worked there by chance and getting his card.

I want to get more proactive next year about researching and contacting companies I'd like to work for, and maybe conducting informational interviews with them. Should I find an online phone book for the cities I'm interested in and just look up "advertising", or is there some sort of directory / networking service that I'm not aware of that would give an overview of ad agencies within a particular geographic constraint and what type of work they do? Or is this one of those things where industry insiders all know each other but it's next to impossible to research from the outside?

Bonus points: Do similar directories exist for other creative industries, e.g. publishing?

Thanks in advance! I'm looking for jobs in the Ottawa, Toronto, Montreal area specifically, but may eventually want to move down into the States (hence NYC, Chicago). Oh, and I'm studying business, FWIW.

Vodka + Watermelon = Crazy Delicious

SNWidget — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 14:04:51 -0800

SummerSnackFilter: In an attempt to relive certain college days, I purchased a watermelon and a handle of cheap vodka. Cut hole, insert bottle, and in 24 hours, deliciousness, right? Wrong. Can the tipsy hive mind tell me where I went wrong? And other things that I can make along these lines? I love vodka melons. Love them. Perfect summer snack, especially for the 4th of July. Unfortunately, I borked the one I had sitting around. See if you can't help me see where I went wrong?

The Suspects: One large watermelon, seedless; one handle of vodka, plastic - cheap as possible.

The Story: I cut a hole in the watermelon, and gutted a good bit of the flesh inside. I took the vodka and upended it in the hole. There were a few bubbles, and then nothing. I remember it taking a while to soak, so I let it sit for about 24 hours. I came back to it and... nothing! The bottle still contained vodka and my melon contained none!

The Accomplices: In an attempt to make this work, I cut an extra hole in the melon, near the main hole - seemingly to give it air to breathe, so that the bottle wouldn't form a vacuum. Left it for another few hours. Nothing.

The Verdict: Where did my vodka melon stray? How does the hive mind prepare their melons, and how can I make mine better next time? It's summer, and without a vodka melon, I'm simply lost.

Bail: As an extra bit - anyone know of any similar fruit + alcohol concoctions? I love the simplicity of this recipe (when it works, to seems).

Good places for picking our own fruit in southern California?

estherbester — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 18:42:40 -0800

My parents want to go to an orchard to pick fruit this holiday weekend. Where could they go that's within ~100-mile radius of LA or Orange counties? Doesn't really matter which fruit; I'd just like good recommendations. All I have to go by is this list, and if there's anything better, I'd like to know!

Where to buy unlined linen or other lightweight jacket online?

planetkyoto — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 00:53:25 -0800

Where can I buy an unlined or lightweight men's linen jacket or similar like this for very hot, humid Kyoto summer? Must be worn with white dress shirt, tie and black pants. Degree of difficulty: 46L/XL and shipping to Japan. It only has to be worn twice a week, only until I get into the building, then I can take it off. I've been wearing three light-colored sportcoats, but they are 48L and I'm tired of looking baggy, and I'm already too big for Japan without extra fabric snapping in the breeze.

I would get two of those GAP ones at that crazy price and dye one dark if they shipped to Japan, or if our GAP carried them. I don't know where to look on ebay/Amazon, everything looks fishy. Could I just wear a breezy linen vest over my white shirt? That would seem dressy enough to me, but where would I get it? Something else? Budget is up to USD$150 or 200.

Pants are always black, shirt is always white, usually red tie. Is normal linen beige color OK or do I need a dark jacket/vest? Talk down to me, because I'm fashion sense-impaired.

allergy cat

cameronfromedinburgh — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 15:36:52 -0800

Do cats get hayfever?

"Comes the familiar dust of summer, dust we eat..."

jammy — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 15:18:12 -0800

Tell me of your favorite poem to welcome the summer. This Sunday, June 21st, is the Summer Solstice. I generally like to celebrate this by watching the sunrise with my sweetie. Then we send a picture of that morning rising sun, a bit of music, and a nice poem to our friends and family.

So! Tell me your favorite poems to welcome the summer. They don't have to be about summer per se - themes of growing and growth, ripeness, warmth and light, and, indeed, the recurring proposition of all poetry which is to stop & be present right now to fullness of all things - are all possible and encouraged.

Li Young Lee's From Blossoms is a pretty damn perfect example of what I'm looking for. But then, also, William Stafford's You Reading This, Be Ready ... and also, Saint Francis and the Sow (warning: autoplay sound) by Galway Kinnell.

Making an exercise plan out of lots of possible ingredients

Jacen Solo — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 13:47:42 -0800

Help me devise an exercise/etc. plan for the summer combining at least some of the following ingredients: elliptical machine and/or DDR (i.e. cardio), weight training, one hundred pushups, core training, yoga, stretching, progressive muscle relaxation, meditation, beginner salsa dance class, martial-arts class, racquetball. Also important: how to ease into it gradually so I don't get overwhelmed and quit. So I've got ~4 months of summer during which I'm not doing too much else. I'd like to start exercising regularly, but there are lots of possibilities on how to make that happen, and I'm not sure how best to integrate them. As background, during the school year I've somewhat-irregularly done some reasonable exercise, mainly elliptical machine, weight training, and core training. At my best I'd end up doing at least one of these per day; more often I'd end up doing one of these 3 times per week; and at my worst I'd go weeks without any real exercise (which is where I am right now, using the excuse of finals/end of school crunch taking all my time). By "core training" I mean a specific 30-minute series of exercises, many of which involve one of those big inflated exercise balls, targeted at strengthening one's "core" muscles.

I'm trying to accomplish a few things, which pretty much map directly to the different categories of exercise:

I hear cardiovascular exercise has great benefits, both long-term and for mood/clarity of thought/general health/etc. So that seems worthwhile. And DDR is fun, and I can read papers while on the elliptical, so that's nice.
I'd like to "look good naked," in the words of the movie American Beauty. Which is my primary motivation for weight training/strength training. Past experience shows that I can achieve results I am quite happy with without doing anything special here, i.e. investing about 1 hour 3 days per week.
I have some pretty bad tension in my back, both lower and in one particular muscle in my upper-right back. I know general core training and weight training helps with this, but probably some concentration on yoga or stretching or progressive muscle relaxation in its own right would be helpful. And meditation has lots of benefits; it'd be neat to start that.
Finally, it'd be pretty cool to learn how to salsa dance (beginner classes start Wednesday, I'll at least go to the first one) and/or some martial art (we have free classes for two forms of karate, but they're pretty much ongoing, so I'd have to jump in and hope they'd be nice to newbies---maybe bring a friend). Somewhat similarly, racquetball seems like a fun sport, especially if I could get a friend interested.

I was thinking something like: week 1, salsa class Wednesday + 30 mins aerobic every day + 10 minutes basic stretching before going to sleep; week 2, substitute weight training for aerobic MWF; week 3, consider adding core training and/or yoga Tuesday-Thursday; week 4 onward: see how manageable things are and where to go from there. But I really don't know. And I am confused, for example, as to whether or not I should do cardio and weight training on the same day, or whether I even need dedicated cardio when there are all these other activities that presumably get my heart rate up.

OK, I guess that's it. Sorry for such a long question :-/. Pretty sure it's unique enough compared to all those other "help me exercise" questions to warrant its own, at least :). Although I might be overthinking this slightly, I figure it'd be better to get some definite feedback and set up a plan, rather than flailing wildly in various directions and never really achieving anything. It'd be nice to get myself in a place where I have a "routine" that just becomes part of my life, especially since I could probably then carry over at least some of it into the school year.

Help me help my campers have the greatest week ever!

definitely not a hipster. — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 22:00:16 -0800

Help me be the greatest camp counselor in the history of summer camps! Hello Hivemind. I'm lucky enough to be spending the summer working as a camp counselor at an outdoor activity camp for kids. I'll be working with a group of twelve 5-9 year olds every week. I need any advice that I can get, especially any ideas on games to play with the kids (any that help them learn everyone else's names would be perfect), songs to sing, etc. Their activities are pretty scheduled, so I don't have to worry about planning their week, just how to make it the greatest week ever! Any advice/suggestions/ideas are greatly appreciated!

Don't Their Heads Get Hot in the Summer?

Hanuman1960 — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 06:23:36 -0800

For the last several years I have seen an increase in young men (late teens to late twenties) wearing knit caps. Summer, Winter, the season doesn't seem to matter. My question is this. How and where did this "fashion statement" originate? And a secondary question would be, don't they get hot wearing those hats in the middle of the summer?

Strange/Interesting Places for a Summer-long Road Trip?

jkoby — Sun, 31 May 2009 06:26:47 -0800

Where can my friends and I go on a summer-long USA road trip in a similar vein to Burning Man or 24 Hours of LeMons? I'm thinking about getting a group (10 people or so) together to go on a mega-roadtrip for summer 2010 or 2011 (June-August). Burning Man and 24 Hours of LeMons are both options, but what else could we go to? Anywhere in the country is open to debate. On a related note, does anyone have any logistics ideas for how to pull this kind of thing off? We're all in college, and trying to keep this relatively low-budget.

We can't stop here - this is jellyfish country!

TheNewWazoo — Mon, 18 May 2009 16:30:10 -0800

Have you ever been to the beaches in the Charleston, SC, area in May? Is the water warm enough to swim in, and how clear is it (jellyfish? seaweed? etc)? Should we instead go further down the Atlantic coast to Tybee Island? Is our attempt to find a new beach hopeless? Should we just go back to the Redneck Riviera (read: Gulf Coast)?

Where should I take 8 summer interns on an outing in Chicagoland?

mockjovial — Mon, 18 May 2009 08:08:30 -0800

Where should I take 8 summer interns on an outing in Chicagoland? As part of our college internship program, the company I work for typically has a sponsored outing (sometime in late June-early July) for students. It is usually on a weekday evening.

In the past, we've gone to Brookfield Zoo and to Second City. I am hoping that the hive mind can help me come up with a few more interesting options for this year. Thanks in advance!