The summer that ends

In my days on this Earth, I have heard of a fabled thing, one that while I have never experienced, I would love to find. It is the thing that is called the "endless summer." Who came up with it, and where does one find it? For, sure as the sun will rise and set, this summer is coming to an end. If you listen closely, you can already hear the rumble of the cars coming down Rt. 37 to move all the new freshmen in. Nothing makes this more apparent than this being my final summer issue as opinion editor here at the IDS.\nI know that the number of you out and about on this fine campus during the summer is quite fewer in number than usual, and when you figure out the smaller number from there that read the paper, and even fewer that read this specific section, I am writing to a small group of people. So, to you five people out there, I know that my mug shot has not been a frequent visitor to this section; instead I have been honing my wares in other sections, specifically the sports and weekend sections. But I've done my bit, helping shape this page a little here and there, but mostly letting my writers do their thing every week, hopefully providing you with some enjoyment. Yet, with this the final summer issue, I think I have the right to give you kids my opinions one last time, whatever they might be. So sit down and read my little witty banter, because you have to.\nThis summer is the be all end all of my summers that will ever exist. Being about to embark on my senior year of college, I know that a summer from now I hopefully will have gainful employment somewhere in Chicago or some other city, living the good life that one can only find in the big city, where a simple beer is $5 and your rent for your apartment is slightly lower than tuition here at IU. And once you get out there in the "real world", as it is, a nice three month summer vacation is a thing of the past. So, what did I decide to do of my last summer of fun? I stayed down here in Bloomington! Woo!\nOriginally, I wanted to venture off to a big city internship where I knew no one, to see how I would handle it. Given that my parents weren't keen on my idea, the choices were back home again or here, so I tried here, something different. I expected a summer of previously unknown fun and excitement. So, now that it is coming to an end, what have I lived for three months? Nothing more than I typically experience any other month of my life. I got to drive long distances to places to see people for some weekends, but spent most of my time here in Bloomington, with my usual cast of characters around me, empty bottles of MGD lying on the floor and some nameless movie playing in the background for the umpteenth time. Pretty wild and crazy, eh?\nSure, going into this summer, I had delusions of grandeur. Living in New York City, living the good life in some internship, a complete stranger knowing no one and no place to go, but getting out there and living life. I'm sure it would have been great to do that, an experience I would never forget. Yet what did I end up with? The same thing that had been a staple of my previous three years of college, spending time with friends, doing things that at the time seem to be a great idea, but looking back one can't help but wonder why it was done (see: bleaching, hair). Want to know the funniest part of it all, the part that I will keep with me for years to come until I become a 70-year-old vegetable that wears a diaper? I wouldn't have had it any other way. The experiences and people that have dotted my summer are great and helped make this summer what it was. My final summer definitely went out with a bang.