Wonderland Burlesque's In The Good Old Summertime Quiz

Wonderland Burlesque's 

In The Good Old Summertime Quiz

Ah, summertime... so fleeting, here, in the midwest. It's like The Carol Burnett Show; "seems we just get started and before you know it..."

I, for one, am not ready to let it go. And don't worry. There's still plenty of time to enjoy all your favorite summertime activities - which just so happens to be the subject of today's quiz.

Today, we'll take a look at a dozen summertime activities. Do you participate? Have you ever? Do you enjoy them? Where do you do them?

Think of it as taking a cool dip on a hot day... and let's dive in!

1/ Golfing

Nope. Never. That said, I love finding golf balls.

There's a three-hole golf course that abuts the prairie. I walk along the dividing fence on my walk in. I hunt for golf balls. Because I'm a magical thinker, I erroneously believe that for every golf ball I find, a fella will find me. 

One year? I found over 125 balls!

Needless to say... I'm owed one hell of a lot of fellas. 

2/ Biking/Mountain Biking/Motorcycle Riding

I do love to bike. And I was really into mountain biking for a bit. They have fun trails that encircle the prairie. 

But I had a horrible bike accident: broke my neck in three places, terrible concussion, etc. I'm lucky to be alive. My bike? Not so lucky. 

Miss that bike.

But I love the one I currently have. And I used to ride it a lot. This year? Not so much, yet. But I never ride without a helmet, now. I have a feeling I will be riding more come late summer and through the fall.

Honestly? The Boyfriend rode it for a bit and now my feelings toward it have changed. It's lost its magic. Or something. 

Maybe it just needs a wash.

3/ Swimming

Again... used to love to do this. Never in an ordinary lake, though. I'm terrified of amoebas and strange critters getting into my circulatory system. 

There was a lovely oxygen fed manmade lake that The Boyfriend and I used to go to. It was lovely. Cold, though. And we went to the YWCA for year, too. 

But now? Nothing. 

I miss the water. And the exercise. 

4/ Boating/Canoeing/Kayaking

I used to canoe a lot as a child. As a Boy Scout? It was just something you did and my family actually owned this really long ass canoe. 

And I've been boating. Sailing. I've even water skied (and turns out I was pretty good at it.) 

I kayaked once. It felt odd. Silly.

And The Boyfriend and I tried canoeing around Lake of the Isles and that whole chain. What a disaster. We didn't speak to one another for a whole half hour afterwards. 

I'd give it another go. 

But I get to steer.

5/ Sunbathing/Going To The Beach

I love sunbathing at the prairie. Not good for me, of course, but I do love it. I'm very careful early on, but, once I have my base tan, I'm a bit more fearless. I'll probably end up looking like an old, used leather purse one day.

Are you ready? Not a beach goer. Don't like it. The ones in L.A.? Filthy. Garbage everywhere. The ones in Hawaii? Better. 

But it's the other people. Don't like 'em. Don't want to sit near 'em. Don't want to put up with their noise, music, food smells, potty mouths, or their *gasp* children. 

No. Not for me.

 
6/ Hiking

I consider all the walking around I do when at the prairie as a sort of hiking. When I was with the artist? That is what we did. We hiked all sorts of trails all over the Southwest and Hawaii. I enjoyed the hiking. The artist? Not so much.

I do challenge myself to go up and down hills and work uneven paths. 

It is great exercise. A great way to test your balance. And totally fun.

7/ Camping

In a tent. With a campfire. Near some working toilets and a shower. Yes. 

Don't like cabins. They make me think of slasher flicks and other people have been there before you and... ick. 

It's been ages since I stayed in a trailer. I might be okay with it. I do like the idea of living in one of those tiny houses. But it might also feel a bit claustrophobic. And they always smell weird.

So... a tent and a campfire? Yes. Air mattresses have made such camping fairly worry free and comfortable. 

8/ BBQ/Picnics

I love the smell of BBQ, but no longer eat meat, so... meh. I do like veggies roasted on a grill though. Big pieces of peppers and onion and carrot... yum. 

Picnics always seem like they would be fun, but I never bother. Keeping things cool. Keeping things clean. Not spilling. No. Maybe a sack lunch? Sitting on a blanket. 

That's what I do at the prairie. I bring little snacks and beverages. But I'm by myself. So it works well.

Family picnics? No. I no longer eat food prepared in other people's homes and brought to an event to share. No potlucks for me. I used to think they were fun, but now they strike me the same way buffets in restaurants strike me... as suspect. Potentially harmful. 

Germs and bacteria? No, thanks.

And yet? I'd go to a bathhouse in a hot second. 

Well... priorities. Right?

9/ Farmers Markets/Fruit Picking

The Ex sells at farmer's markets every summer. He used to do too many of them. Now that he has a store at his studio? He only does one. 

I used to go. I'd walk around. I'd buy produce. But nothing else. No jewelry. No arts or crafts. I get why people do that... it's their passion. But I don't want a potholder. Or a macramé plant hanger. And I don't want to feign interest or converse with the artists. I just feel guilty as I walk by knowing that I'm not the only one who feels the way I do. I feel bad. If I had a ton of money to waste, I'd give it to them in a heartbeat. They spent hours embroidering that towel with the phrase 'Keep On Truckin'.' It takes a lot of skill to cut out and paint that Dutch Boy and Girl and then stick a metal spike in them so they can decorate someone's lawn.

But that someone? It's not me, hon. 

I wish them great luck. 

Eventually, the guilt got so bad that I began dread going and before I knew it? 

I simply stopped going. 

Fruit picking. Have never done berries or strawberries. It's more a fall thing for me. Picking apples. Choosing a pumpkin. 

I've organized such events for my place of work. For one, I knew nobody wanted to go, but I really wanted everyone to like my boss (whose idea it was to go,) so I worked the event like a cheerleader. We're all in this big wagon being dragged around by a tractor. I talked to/at everyone. Kept them involved. All big eyes and frozen smiles. Some of my co-workers got the message and immediately started doing the same. It was like we were all in a hotel room doing a mountain of cocaine. 

I do that with all my work events - when I feel responsible. When I don't? 

I just look for drink tickets nobody's using, keep a low profile and remain my sullen self until my uber arrives to take me home.

10/ Road Trip

These seem like a great idea. 

When was the last time you actually went on one?

The idea of getting in a car and going somewhere you've never been with no plans and no agenda? 

A little terrifying. 

Now, if I know the place... that's different. 

I think my time living in Iowa Falls has left me permanently scarred and scared of small towns. They look cute. Quaint. But I know homophobia and hatred of anything different lies just beneath the surface. And sometimes? More on the surface than under. 

So, I'm overly cautious. I have enough bad experiences to last me the rest of this lifetime.

11/ Amusement Parks

Not anymore. Not my thing.

Something has happened to the balance center in my head (since the bike accident) and I can't go on rides anymore,  unless they only go forward. No sideways. No upside down. Being nauseated is not my cup of tea. 

I don't trust the food - which is all bad.

There are children there... so, forget it, my dear. 

Just not my thing any more.

I remember one summer, I went to Valley Fair with a couple of actor friends of mine. We were all doing shows and I was playing Marcellus Washburn in a summerstock production of The Music Man. This man recognized me and began sort of shadowing us as we moved through the park. Every time I caught his eye he'd start singing, "Shipoopi, shipoopi, that girl is hard to get." His eyes were huge and glassy and had this big mouth of teeth.

I felt like I was in some psychological thriller where they eventually find my dead body going 'round and 'round on the merry-go-round.

12/ Outdoor Concerts/Theatre In The Park

I have done so many shows in parks. And you know what? I always had the best time. I loved being outdoors. I loved the simplicity of the shows. I mean, yes, we were doing Shakespeare and Moliere, but it was so refreshing and freeing. Oh, we'd all bitch up a storm, but it was so much fun. It always felt like an adventure and audiences were both generous and forgiving. 

And a couple of the shows were so sexy. We'd be wearing next to nothing. Sweating and frolicking. 

I even liked attending theatre in the outdoors. There were no distractions... the set was provided by nature, for the most part. No lighting. Just actors and noise and movement. 

Concerts are fun, too. Though the people around you can be annoying as fuck. In a crowd like that, I'm always on the defensive. Don't get too close. Don't block my view. Don't slosh your beer in  my direction. I become very territorial. 

Not that way at all when I watch theatre in the park. I think it's the nature of the audience. Theatre goers tend to be better behaved and respectful. 

Concert goers tend to get drunk and think they are more entertaining than those on stage. 

But I do appreciate being outdoors, no matter what.

--- ---

And that's enough of me. 

Okay, your turn! Leave your answers in the comments section or share them on your blog and leave a link here.

That's all for now. Until next time...

Thanks for reading... and participating!

Summer - Calvin Harris

Cruel Summer - Taylor Swift