gt Stark Raving Sane: On Summertime Summertime, and the livin' is easy. Ah, Gershwin, you said it. The last couple of days have been balmy and warm. They have that smell of mud and old leaves and clean air. I've been getting my hopes up- thinking forward to the full- blown summer. See, I only recognize two sea- sons: summer and winter. It's like’yin and yang- there can only be two sides of a coin. There's winter and the rest are just varying degrees of summer. Some choose to refer to them as spring, summer and autumn. That's silly. For me, there is winter; the yin, evil, dark, uncomfortable, wet. It wears at my will to live. It makes me weep in the dry, biting wind. The Library might as well be in Tibet, the way the Nordic air whips over our grassy knoll of a school. Prince Edward Island becomes a miser- able, grey vacuum. We are now heading into what I call Early Summer. It shares many charac- teristics with what is commonly called "Spring," but it is not spring. It is a mild summer, like a training bra for summer proper. You can shed those wool coats. You can leave scarves, mitts, and hats at home. The Library only seems to be two hundred paces away, not in the Himalayas. For me, Early Summer's fog is not like winter's constant overcast. It's a cleansing, temperate steam. The rain washes away the filthy heaps of snow. The pure water that pours down University Avenue will not freeze again for seven months. Early Summer is the appetizer. It's the hors d'oeuvre that whets your hunger for sandals and tank tops and skirts. Soon, my perfume of choice will be Coppertone. My scarf will be a beach towel. I'll be able to watch hares nibble grass at the PEI National Park. A beer on the patio will not involve losing a bet. Ok, there you can see how my mind works. Forgive the phrase, but it snowballs out of control. An Early Summer thaw instantly transports me to happier times; walking on a beach, deep sea fishing, camping and meteor showers. I can smell the rich soil of my mother scraping in the flowerbeds. The yearning to have the fragrance of the lilac blossoms outside my bedroom window at night is dizzying. Can you smell the ozone during a lightning storm? You can see why I say that sum- mer in the yang. It's hot and passionate and strong. It's sexy. It's bright. It over- loads our senses as opposed to depriving ~ them. Everything is bigger. Food is fresh- er, smells are sweeter, thunderclaps shake walls. It's been said that Prince Edward Islanders suffer though PEI winter's purga- tory to have the paradise of summer for only four months. It's so worth it. NSO 2002 Information Meeting Thursday March 27* Student Centre Drop By 11lam-—Tpm -page [61,Mazch 26,2003 ns, M. A. and Ph. D. Unique Programmes Muitiple Career Options Study the literatures and cultures of Canada and Québec in comparative, international, or interdiscipli- nary contexts. Develop your own interests. with thesis projects (in English or French) that relate literary texts or other cultural expression in Canada and Québec to other literatures, cultures, languages, or disciplines. Discover graduate studies together with life in the Eastern Townships. This region, about an hour south- east of Montreal, is renowned for its rich literary tra- dition and bicuituralism, as well as for its natural www.USherbrooke.ca/Iicc INSTITUTE North America's Leading School in Complementary Health Science Are you passionate about health and helping others? Are you looking for a rewarding and stimulating career? Do you think you might have the "TOUCH"? Places still available for SEPTEMBER ! Transfer students welcome! Pre Requisite Weekend Workshops April 12-13 May 17-18 June 7-8 CALL NOW! omparative Canadian Literature FRENCH & Build an academic career. Work in universities or CEGEPs, for government, national and international cultural organizations, as translator or professional writer, in publishing and other fields. Check us out! 1 800 267-UdeS etudes.superieures @ usherbrooke.ca UNIVERSITE DE SHERBROOKE eRe) cla (ete based curriculum ENGLISH programs - modern and spacious classrooms Se & experienced facut 495-C, Prospect St, Fredericton a COM WWW.KINECONCEPT.COM F eins ehh 1-877-454-KINE (5463)