The sun is high, the air hot, and the energy has only just begun. The work day is over, and I am laying in the back of  a stationwagon because there are not enough seats. But no matter, for this is summer. Ah, summer, the time of adventures with friends, stupid stories and good music as we drive down to Philly to see mewithoutYou, one of our favorite bands, play yet another time.

We’ve barely arrived in the city when the first of many cigarettes are lit, and it feels good to stretch my legs even if I was able to turn the back of that wagon into a comfortable couch. The bad street direction, the rough subway ride: this is us. These are my friends, and this is our summer. My throat stings of dehydration, but that doesn’t stop any of us from going crazy during the show. When the guitar plays and Aaron Weiss’ beautifully flawed voice sings over the microphone, our bodies cannot help flying about as we scream into each other’s faces the lyrics we’ve memorized from playing these CDs so many many times.

After the show we pour onto the cool streets, say goodbye to others we bumped into in the venue, and walk the blocks to a nearby house to make new friends and to fill our stomachs. We’re all hungry as hell, and we are partially satisfied by someone generous enough to share leftover Chinese food.

Of course it would not truly be summer without what happens next. We walk back to the apartment that will be our bed this night around 4:30am, and upon arrival realize we are again hungry. There is little food available, and we make due. For me, that means using my fingers to eat a bowl of ramen noodles with a fried hotdog on top. It is perhaps the worst thing I’ve eaten in months, but nothing else could taste so good in this moment. A friend’s willingness to cook and experiment so late at night, combined with my hunger and willingness to eat anything late at night, are all it takes to make this shit taste like a meal of the gods. As we finish eating, two of us run back outside to lay in the grass and smoke. We reminisce over the incredible dance party we had back at the house, and we hope to get at least a little bit of sleep tonight.

This is summer. Waking up on the floor, I notice I am the second one up, and I start making plans for food, food that I would not get for another four hours.

I am again in the back of the stationwagon, riding home and thinking about summer. It’s a time for nights like these, when nothing matters and it seems like we’re just moving for the sake of motion.  Summer is the time of cook-outs and bon-fires, and I’m planning to have as many of these as possible this year. We are going to work all day so we can afford to hang out all night, and this is just the beginning.

This is summer, and it’s all we’ve got.