Staying sane in a summer sizzle!

By: Cara Selick

Posted: 5/1/08

If this past Saturday was any indication, the upcoming months should be sunny and warm. While some people may find such weather to be pleasant, others, such as myself, are more prone to finding it uncomfortable and overwhelming. While it may be tempting to hide in your air conditioned room throughout the summery season, there are several ways to keep cool while keeping social, or at least within the company of one special someone.

The easiest way to cool down is to take off your clothing. I personally am more a fan of winter because you can always layer on more sweaters, but there is only so much you can take off before you're ripping off layers of skin. While you cannot necessarily walk around naked on a daily basis, you can wear as little as possible. Call me a skank when I venture out scantily clad in the summer, but it's self preservation. The heat can melt you, especially if you're in a city mid-July. Cute sundresses that seem fashionable are actually just being health conscious!

Now, while you're naked or wearing next to nothing, there is always the very distinct possibility that you will run into somebody else wearing next to nothing, find his or her next-to-nothingness attractive, and end up wearing absolutely nothing together.

While sex and summer flings can both be highly enjoyable activities, they also involve intense physical activity, if done correctly. Even if naked as the day you were born, scintillating encounters can still leave you in an uncomfortable sweat.

There are several ways to try and remedy this. The first would be to take advantage of the summer and have your tryst in a pool. I'd suggest a beach, but not only is it cliché, it also very impractical - sand, enough said. However, if you're lucky enough to own a private pool in your home, take advantage of it at night when you don't have friends over for a pool party, please. Unless you're into that kind of thing, in which case, I'm not one to judge. Or, you could use some cheesy wipe-off-the-grime-of-a-hard-day's-work line and get it on in the shower. Either way, water is always an easy remedy to heat. Basic physics, or is it chemistry?

The solid form of water is just as effective as the liquid, if not more so. Ice, in any form, can cool you down almost immediately. Whether dragging cubes sensually along someone's back during a massage, or more innocently sucking on a flavored popsicle, some frozen H2O can make life in the summer much more manageable. And of course, while stuck in this water track, I feel it almost unnecessary to mention that it's always a good idea to drink tons of water and keep hydrated.

Of course, too much time in the sun and anybody will start to feel the effects of the heat. But that doesn't mean you have to sacrifice your life and go hide next to your vents at home! There are certain places that offer the same cool comfort that allow you to spend time with your friends.

For instance, malls are often well air conditioned starting in June. Even if you don't particularly want to spend money on a shopping spree, malls can be great places to just walk around with your friends, people watch, gossip, grab an ice cream cone and just relax.

Restaurants often are cooled down as well. It seems the more expensive the cuisine, the colder the climate. In fact, as you tiptoe into gourmet, it sometimes even becomes unbearable and a sweater is a must!

Movie theaters are another great place to steal cool air. Summer always boasts some pretty big blockbusters worth seeing, and as long as you don't mind dishing out 10 bucks for two hours, it can be a pretty entertaining way to spend an evening.

Pool halls often can be air conditioned, believe it or not. Not bars, but establishments devoted solely to pool and billiards tables, are often more fancy than you may be led to believe and possess the luxury of cold air and the chance to knock around some balls with sticks with some of your closest pals.

Whether you decide to spend your summer naked under a tree or fully clothed in an over-air-conditioned office building, it is important not to stay out in the sun for too long. We wouldn't want all your naked cool bodies getting cancer or heat exhaustion!