Here in Alaska, we’ve had a solid week of sunshine & I’m
definitely starting to feel
summertime coming on. The other day, I took a walk with a friend and she was
barefoot. This morning, I bought myself a pink lace swimsuit off of Hot Topic’s
website. On mornings that I work I’ve been riding six miles out by the water to
get to the store, & I’ve never felt so awed by the scenery. Spectacularly clear
mountains jutting against the cerulean sky form the perfect beginning to long
days. The above picture was taken during my lunch break, as I ate a sandwich & watched gulls sweep by the wispy clouds. We may have tough winters, but summers here are to die for.
Summer can be a time of great weather, great fun, great
friends, & great adventures, but only if you put the effort into making it
so. I’ve had summers that are slushy bores, full of disinterest and lacking enthusiasm,
but I’ve also had summers that are giggly delights. Guess which ones leave the better memories? Here I’ve gathered a
few ideas for you to have a mad fun time in this upcoming season. After you
read, it’d be so awesome if you added your summer plans in via the comment
option! I’d love to see what you all are up to.
Kay! Ready? Let’s go!
1.
Spend an afternoon –
or morning! – hunting thrift stores with a friend or partner. Last summer,
my diva-licious bestie and I spent several Saturday mornings at a local church’s
thrift store. They only open one day a week (!!!) and so there’s often a bit of
a maniacal rush at the beginning. We found some epic goodies, such as a pair of
pink stiletto Converse high-tops. (Why didn’t I buy those? It’s almost a year
later and I’m still berating myself
over it!) Their adult clothing sells for $1/item, so we’d come out with a
garbage bag full of tea-length skirts, floral-print dresses, and flannel
button-downs in all the colors of the rainbow.
Similarly, I remember taking a girlfriend of mine thrifting
last spring. It was such a sweet date – it started with her giving me a ring
emblazoned with Jack and Sally from the Nightmare Before Christmas movie, and
ended with us divvying up our finds into separate piles to take home. Even
though summer was fast approaching, I think I bought a couple sweaters that
day. Go figure!
If you like to defy gender norms, it can be super exciting to
go shopping with a friend who also defies those norms. This is especially
awesome with a friend of the opposite birth gender, in my opinion. I went to
the Salvation Army with a biologically male friend of mine who enjoys dressing
in drag, and we came out with a full load of fun dress-up gear – from lingerie
for him to baggy t-shirts for me.
The best part of thrift store hunting is that you can
usually find really good deals. I know that many LGBTQ people do not support
church thrift organizations because they oppose homosexuality, and while that
is a valid & legitimate moral reasoning, I personally am more drawn towards low prices than I am pushed away because of how the organizations spend
their earnings. The only secular secondhand clothing store in town has less options
& higher prices -- though they do maintain better overall quality -- and
while I shop there on occasion, I simply can’t afford to go regularly. A few
items at the Salvation Army don’t break the bank, and that’s all that I need.
2.
Learn the
choreography to one of your favorite songs. I have never done this, but a
personal goal of mine is to learn the dance Gaga does in the Born This Way
music video. This will take a lot of work, but it’s totally possible if you put
your mind to it! If you have any formal dance training, of course, it will be
easier – but it’s still doable if you don’t. Google and YouTube are excellent
resources for learning anything. Honestly, WikiHow and Ehow are as well – I search
through them whenever I’m trying to learn something new. They offer plainspoken
advice & I find them quite useful!
If you have similar music tastes to your friends, it’d be
fun to learn the choreography to a favored song as a group. I have a friend who
did this, and even performed it at a local talent show! (I was seriously bummed
that night that he lives so far away, because I’d have loved to see him perform.)
Don’t want to get too complicated? Learn something that
already has an established dance & fan base, such as Michael Jackson’s “Thriller”
or the Village People’s “YMCA.” Some songs even have the dances built into the
lyrics – think “Cha Cha Slide!” – and those are rad to be able to bust out at
school dances. (My high school can’t have been the only one that regularly did
the Cha Cha Slide at events… right?) The Macarena is another one of my
favorites, and it’s so simple. Learn
to do it well, & you’ll wow everyone who watches!
3.
Walk in a pride
parade, or with a pride group in any parade. Last summer, the GSA I lead
(which was under different leadership at the time) had a float in the local
Fourth of July parade. It was so so so awesome!
People came off of the sidelines to walk with us, carry signs, & display
support. We got thumbs up and cheers from the crowd, and the positive feedback
afterwards far outweighed the negative. When we reached the end of the walk, my
heart was pumping so hard that it felt like I had just ran a race. Woo, adrenaline!
So, a parade is coming up & you want to sport your
rainbow colors. If you’re affiliated with a gay-straight alliance group, or
with a local PFLAG chapter, you have an obvious starting place for a float. Just
bring it up at a meeting & I bet you that it can happen! If one of those
groups exist in your town, but you’re simply not a part of them, go to a
meeting or contact someone in the group to see if they’re planning on a float.
If they are, express your interest in joining! If they aren’t, suggest that
they do & get involved with planning. &
finally, if there is no such group in your local area, gather some of your
supportive friends and see what you have to do to make such a float a reality.
I’ve personally never walked in an entirely pride-themed
parade, so I can’t offer advice on getting that set up – but if anyone has
experience with that that they’d like to share, I’d love to hear from you at doodled.rainbow@gmail.com! Whether
you’d like to write a guest post on the topic or simply share some tips for me
or Angie to recap, your knowledge is invaluable.
4.
Take some quality
time for yourself. No matter how busy you are, recharging & refreshing
is of paramount importance to being a healthy person. Take it from an extrovert
– alone time can be really difficult. I sometimes hate it, simply because I get
so lonely! However, it’s pretty key to a well-balanced life, so I force myself
into it on a regular basis. & you
know what? Usually, it ends up sucking exponentially less than I expect it
to. How about that!
Some things I like to do when I’m alone are: play in my art
journal, drink mochas, fingerpaint, take long baths, make collages, redecorate
my living space, go on walks, buy myself coffee or take myself out to
breakfast, get dressed up & write whatever I feel like writing, and do my
makeup like an insane glitter-soaked jester. You might find rewarding solo time
in blasting Green Day’s old albums while you work on your tan, meditating in
garage while your parents are at work, or dancing in every rainstorm that comes
your way. Whatever works for you, embrace it.
5.
Assemble yourself a
studio & chill space to practice hobbies & meet up with friends in. I’ve
used the garage for this purpose in the past, since we don’t park the car in it
while it’s sunny out. Really, anywhere that isn’t your bedroom & isn’t
frequently by your family is a good candidate for this set-up. In mine, I put a
desk, my paints, my computer charger, big sheets of cardboard, & glitter –
amongst other artsy odds & ends. I also slid a few beanbags in for comfort
& seating space for friends.
Don’t feel obligated to buy anything new for this project…!!!
What you have around is probably what will work best. Unused step-stools are
fabulous mini-tables. Ladders become drying racks. Camping pads become couches.
Your creativity is your best friend in setting up this space, so use it! (Be
sure you have adult permission before you do anything, though, if you’re still
living with other people. Be respectful!)
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Hopefully, this gave
you some ideas for what you can do this summer to pass time & have an
exciting season of freedom! What are your summer shenanigan plans? Update
us in the comments, ok?
