A Mid-Summer's Night Malaise.

To paraphrase, "[n]ow is the summer of my discontent." In part, I blame summer itself. Mostly for not showing up. July 2009 was the coldest on record in 119 years or something similiarly crazy. The average temperature was 69.4. This statistic is depressing in a couple ways: (1) that's not warm; and, (2) it implies that even a month has a better love life than me.

Anyway, the real problem this summer is that I'm suffering from a serious bout of malaise. Every day is the same. I work essentially everyday for at least some portion of the day, doing essentially the same thing. Add to that, my body is being so rheud lately. (Something is not right when the knees pop every time you fully bend or straighten them. The names I call my knees lately . . . you'd think I was a sailor.)

The problem with admitting to some amount of discontent is that it immediately triggers a corresponding amount of yuppie guilt. With the exception of some misbehaving joints and work boredom, my life, to understate it, does not suck. I am lucky to have a job that pays me well -- despite my complaints, its not like I'm a volunteer, they do pay me. I have a great group of friends who are always suggesting fun things to do, and more importantly, doing them.

Related tangent: This summer, a few of us had a great plan of not letting work force us to miss summer yet again. No, this time, we were going to take advantage of the one nice season in Chicago and do all sorts of fun things. Kayaking on the Chicago river was the first suggestion. I guess I should have seen it as an omen when kayaking initially got cancelled due to chilly and rainy weather and took three weeks to re-schedule that our great plan was not going to work according to plan. We talked about taking water taxis to Chinatown for dim sum, going to SushiSamba's $12/2 mimosa brunch and going to play miniature golf in Millenium Park, going on a Segway tour, etc etc. So far, all we've got on the calendar is the Segway tour and everyone was too busy to actually schedule until late September, when it will officially be fall.

Nonetheless, I'm hopeful that the malaise will break. Maybe if summer decides to make an appearance, it will bring with it a break from the montony. I'm hopeful -- the high this weekend is going to be the warmest in six weeks and definitely summery. And, there is at least one great summer-in-the-Chi events coming up with the Air and Water show scheduled for next weekend.