Summertime hints to keep things interesting!

By: Rachel Love

Posted: 5/23/08

What could be better than a Slip-n-Slide in the middle of the night along a busy street? Not much! But when temperature rises and you're stuck sweating your brains out in your $200 attic room half an hour from campus, it's hard to think of awesome things to do. Let me give you a hint: Everything you did as a child is much more fun now, because you're an unsupervised pseudo-adult. Here are some ideas!

Bike to Avery Park. The stream is muddy and hard to get to, the trails aren't well-marked, the "rose garden" makes me a little sad, but it has fields of grass galore! While it may not be the best place to lounge by a crystal clear stream (mainly because the stream looks like a pit of mud), it is a great place to have a picnic, play Frisbee, go for a walk... and dare I suggest mud wrestling?

Have a water fight. Do you remember those? When I was little I was lucky enough (that's sarcasm) to live across the street from three. Boisterous. Young men. I will omit their names. Because I had three older sisters, I was completely unaware of the full-out warfare that could grow from an innocent water fight. I'm talking frozen water balloons, water cannons filled with gritty mud (and probably something else, judging by the smell), total disregard for the safety of home base and broken windows.

But this is Water Fight, Version 2.0: College. Omit the mud and keep the ice for your margarita on the rocks. Grab your old water guns, and with some duct tape and plenty of stolen water from your neighbor's hose (water is spendy, OK?) you should be ready to go. This version is better because it will probably devolve into nudity, debauchery, and… well… probably more broken windows. Just leave cat poo out of it! (Thanks, Thomas!)

Make a hammock. Make a what? A hammock. Why? Because buying one costs money that can be used to buy alcohol. How? Grab a sheet and some rope. Tie it to a tree. Hope it works. If it doesn't, build a fort!

Go to Platinum. Now, this isn't something I would typically recommend - the last time I went there, I got in a fight with a flight of stairs, and - well, let's just say I won't be wearing skirts again for a while. So why is it a great hot weather activity? First off, Platinum is in a basement. Remember how much fun basements used to be? It's guaranteed to be cooler than the heat wave sweeping everything at street level, and the $1 drinks don't hurt. But the main reason I recommend Platinum is for the exercise. It's a horrible chore having to work out in 90-degree heat, but it's awesome when the workout is a dance party and the heat is coming from two hot drunk guys you just met. Just make sure you leave with the same people you came with; you don't want to tell your future children that you met daddy at a sweaty dance party in the basement of a college bar.

Have a front yard barbecue. Why? Backyard barbecues are sooo last year. You want to rub the fun you're having with all your friends in the face of every passerby, right? This one is easy. Just move the grill to the front yard, pull out a beer pong table, and maybe stick some lawn chairs on the roof for good measure. Then act like it's still really early when it gets dark outside, even though we're all well aware of the fact that dusk is getting closer and closer to 10 p.m. This will ensure that everyone knows you're having way too much fun to go to bed at a reasonable hour despite the fact that it's Monday and we all have finals coming up. While you're at it, you should throw in some rooftop karaoke.

Backyard campout. Need I say more? Yes, I do. Actual camping requires driving, which is getting to be so expensive that it's barely worth it, especially after you throw in the campground rental fee (if you're that classy) and the food and drinks. So instead, pitch a tent or two in the back yard, pile the friends in, build a (well-enclosed) bonfire, tell scary stories that will most likely dissolve into drunk giggles and rounds of "10 fingers," and then pass out covered in sticky s'mores residue.

Bonus?! You'll be able to walk into the house to use the toilet and shower instead of going in the bushes. Unless you really want to.

I hope that helps! Just remember that any childhood activity is 10 times better now that you're allowed to incorporate all the naughty things adults can do - like crossing the street unsupervised!

Rachel Love

diversions@dailybarometer.com