Not long ago, I posted a link to this article on my Facebook and announced that I was adopting it as my manifesto for the summer. For those of you who are too lazy to click the link and read it, here’s a selection of choice quotes:
“Here’s what’s up: this summer, I’m waging a Pleasure War. It’s on. Look the fuck out.”
“All of this excitement/retardation started when I misread the phrase “pleasure wear” on the internet and knew, instantly, what summer 2009 was all about. An example of how it works:
You: “So, what did you do last night?”
Your friend: “Oh, you know, had a few beers on a patio and played guitar for a while.”
You: “Sounds good. I, however, drank pink champagne in a tub full of ice cubes, then skateboarded to the bookstore for comics, and then fucked your sister on her roof.”
You win.”
“Wear whatever ridiculous shit you want, and half of what’s appropriate. Bike to five different ice-cream parlours in an afternoon. Do it on the kitchen floor and toss a jug of water on you and your sex-bud when it starts to get sweaty and after, make with the popsicles (also good for bruises). Invite your office buddies to your house, BBQ something weird, and project movies onto your garage. Have a sleepover on your porch with your roommates. Mostly, death-grip anything that seems potentially rewarding, and fun the shit out of it.”
“Determining winners and losers in Pleasure War is a little more abstract than in war-war. I suggest awarding oneself one point when you feel you’ve earned it, when the quality of fun in your day has trumped that of your friends’ (who are now to be considered both your comrades in fun, and mortal enemies in Pleasure War).”
So basically the idea is to have as much absurd fun as possible, all summer long. It’s a good goal. I tend to hibernate in winter, doing only those things that are necessary. House->streetcar->work->house. Fuck doing anything extra-curricular when it’s -20 outside.
Summer should be the opposite, doing as much as you can that’s awesome all the time.
So that is what I am going to do. I’ve awarded myself a few points already, but have not been good at keeping track. Finished an album and then celebrated for 5 days? 5 points! Got high and listened to Live Through This twice at 2am, while discussing its epic genius? 1 point! Got drunk on a Sunday night on a whim with a stranger who became a new friend? 1 point! Walked into a hardcore show in some warehouse the exact second the band I wanted to see was going on? 1 point! Decided to “set my shit up on both sides of the fence,” finally? 10 points!
All that is well and good, but I still feel like the fun is waiting to be upped. So if you want to get into ridiculous adventures, kindly let me know. Next up: sleepover on the balcony. After that: who knows?
