Which works for
some of us, because we enjoy the summer attire on various members of
the opposite sex just fine. Do we like short-shorts, moo-moos and
halter tops? No, unless your name is Gisele, then, maybe. Can we
empathize with Jimmy Del Ponte about the shirtless joggers? Oh
definitely.

Somerville is fairly quiet in the summertime, but
its the short window between mid-August and the day before school
begins that makes the tumbleweeds roll and the crickets chirp. Where
the only people moving with any haste in the non air-conditioned
weather want to sell you rip-off/fake brand-name perfume or some form
of religion/religious experience.

If you spend a lot of time
indoors in a climate-controlled environment, especially online, you
wouldn't know that half the city is away on vacation. That's the
miracle of the internet at work – even when you are in Somerville North
or South (New Hampshire or Cape Cod), you can appear to be right here
in the thick of things by interacting with others on various blogs
around the city. Some are informative, others are annoying. They all
have their own flavors, and as they say, d'ffrent strokes for d'ffrent
folks.

Having the hot and humid weather hold off until August
was a tease this year – it seems like the whole summer has lasted 14
days and is over tomorrow. There isn't even a local primary election
this year, so the pod-people are still in hibernation – which is kind
of lousy for the rest of us "middle of the roaders," because only the
random political neophyte seems to be lurking.

In case you are
off in neverland, away from the not-so-much hustle and bustle of the
'Ville this abbreviated summer, and you have kids in the public
schools, remember that they go back to school before Labor Day – on
September 2nd – this year. Speaking of that, we have been shocked at
the anti-climactic response from the general public about an issue that
20 years ago would have had people rioting in the streets. Back then,
messing with the unspoken "no school before Labor Day" rule would have
meant serious public outcry inside the borders of Somerville, but not
today – now that's when you know things have changed around here.