A pale girl's welcome

to the rain

> A preemptive end-of-summer celebration

Jillian McMullen
Staff Writer

 

Sumer is often seen as a wondrous
time. There’s something about the
longer days that invites a little bit of
magic into the season. The extra hours
of sunlight can be spent with friends
and family on patios over refreshing
drinks, at beaches relaxing to the sound
of crashing waves, or at music festivals
dancing and singing. To top it all off,
everyone has become beautifully bronzed
doing these very summery activities.

Well, everyone but myself.

A relaxing day at the beach? I tried
one of those, making sure to take all
the precautions my pale skin demands.
I wore the widest brimmed hat I could
find and bathed in SPF 95 half an hour
prior to allow for adequate absorption.
However, within ten minutes of arriving,
I was already beginning to cook. My
shoulders were reddening by the second.
My face completely flushed. Defeated,

I resolved to spend my entire “relaxing
beach day” hidden under an umbrella
while constantly checking to be sure
that no part of my person was exposed
to the wrath of the beating sun and
begrudgingly watching my friends
enjoy the water I could not wade into
for fear of washed-away sunscreen.

Summer had beaten me, as
it does every year. For those of us

not blessed with adequately self-
protecting skin, there is no “tan.”
We go from white to glowing red to
white again with zero hint there may
possibly be an in-between. Summer
is a cycle of fresh, healing, and
healed sunburns, and these burns
act as reminders of that previously-
mentioned magic we attempt to bea
part of, but can never really touch.
We are the White Walkers. And
just like the show I’ve stolen that term
from, this season is over and fall is
coming. We are those who welcome
the incoming eight months of darkness
and rain that Vancouver promises. It
is the time during which we exit our
shady refuges and actually participate
in social events. At these events, we
can wear our monochromatically
dark hued wardrobes without
being asked if we were “really hot
wearing that.” On the other hand,
we no longer feel societal guilt for
days spent at home as supposedly
“wasting a beautiful day inside” as it
now endearingly called “nesting.”
So, instead of mourning the
loss of long days and warm nights as
summer comes to an end, remember
the simple pleasures of fall—because
although they are not “magical,”
they are something that summer
can never be: Comfortable.

BACK 2 SHOOL

 

 

“An yes, | can really
see where all my fees
are going. Excellent!”

The wonderful sound
of your alarm

Experiencing the
beauty of traffic

The totally-not-pre-
emptive wearing of
scarves

Looking forward to
taking vitamin D in pill
form in the coming
months

 

Realizing you forgot

about the lovely hill

you have to climb to
get to school

Textbooks you will
read every page of

The relief of knowing
you didn’t waste any
part of summer in
front of a screen

“It’s the first day can
we just start the ma-
terial already?”

Signing up for clubs
you will for sure
attend

 

“8:30 a.m. classes
are the best | am so
glad | have them!”

“A party? No thanks,
I'm getting a head
start on my studies.”

Free

(Pancake Breakfast)

Space

It’s the first day why
are they giving us so
much work so soon?

“Free pizza? Oh, no
thank you!”

 

The joy of realizing
it'll be rainy season
soon

A deep appreciation
for bureaucracy and
lines

lronic statement
about Pumpkin Spice
Lattes

“No no, I’ve only
been waiting in line
for three hours.
Please, sneak in front

Contemplating selling
your blood on the
black market for text-
book money

 

That free planner you
will use every day
and not lose

 

Adelicious cafeteria
meal worthy of the
price you are paying

 

Genuine statement about
Pumpkin Spice Lattes be-
cause they're delicious |
mean come on you guys

 

Feeling the joy of in-
vited human contact
on transit

 

Contemplating selling
someone else’s blood
on the black market
for textbook money