It's summer. Freedom and lots of time stretched out before you. Lots of time. Lots. Enough for it to be a problem.
Good thing people like me make lists. Keep an open mind for some of these ideas. They're not exactly the image of summer you may have in your mind, but they're great ways to spend your time.
1. Hiking.
Try going solo and being alone with your thoughts. This is a good option, as you don't have to have friends.
2. Chuck E. Cheese.
And after spending about $20 bucks you'll probably win enough tickets to buy a plastic wristband. Capitalism sure is amazing.
3. Hand-made bracelets.
This is an inexpensive, cute way to have fun. However, this will require finely developed motor skills.
4. Bake something.
Make batter and use a waffle maker. Deliver the bad results to other friends and watch them squirm as they pretend to like what you've made.
5. Karaoke.
Go to a real, Asian-style karaoke place. This should be as loud and as embarrassing as possible.
6. Apply for scholarships!
Who doesn't love money? Who doesn't have college debt?
7. Play sardines or fugitives.
Do not play these if you have a weak heart.
8. Learn how to knit or play the guitar.
The Internet can teach you anything. The Internet is amazing.
9. Drunk Mario Party.
If you're underage then substitute shots for something like giant heads of broccoli. You can go ahead and think of a better substitution, I really don't care.
10. Take an online class.
Coursera and edX are great resources. Nobody is too cool for school.
11. Sign up for a bunch of free trials.
Do not forget to cancel these subscriptions.
12. Play a whole bunch of those 1-hour trial games.
My favorite are Feeding Frenzy, Wedding Dash and Fairy Godmother Tycoon.
13. Laser tag.
Expensive but fun. Enjoy losing to a bunch of kids who are a lot better at aiming than you.
14. Arcade gaming.
Quarters add up really quickly, so you're probably going to have to:
15. Create a resume.
Here are some tips.
16. Try to solve one of the world's unsolved math problems. Who can resist a good math problem?
17. Board games!
The recent surge in popularity has been good for the board game industry. You'll need friends for this activity (which you probably won't have without a recent surge in popularity).
18. Make a short film.
Put it on YouTube. The worse it is, the better — email it to me so I can make fun of you.
19. Make a Tinder.
I'm serious. It sucks up an impressive amount of time if you find that kind of thing fun.
20. Nerf gun war.
If Nerf guns are too expensive, use balled up socks instead. They don't have to be clean.
21. Work at a homeless shelter.
Because the world isn't all about you.
22. Find a nearby club.
Not the dancing kind, but the unique interests kind. I recommend spoken word or tabletop games.
23. Watch a documentary.
Find out about the most famous sushi chef in the world or enjoy this look at the life of Malala Yousafzai.
24. Go draw at the park with chalk.
This is a great way to let your creative side out. Also, kids will gravitate towards you and start hanging out with you.
25. Camping.
It's a lot of work to make happen, but something about camping just leads to a lot of unforgettable, weird stories. What happens in the forest, stays in the forest.
26. Do something for your community.
Offer to clean neighbor's gutters. Or rake their yard. You make money and contribute to society, everything a mother would want.
27. Pick random directions and just drive
Stop whenever you feel like you should. Go ahead and make a spinner for the occasion to have really random directions.
28. Pillow/blanket fort.
Or go get a job.
29. Build a potato gun.
You must be really bored.
30. Dungeons and Dragons. Or Settlers of Catan. Yes, these are nerd activities. You're reading a list on summer activities, so you're probably not that cool in the first place.
31. Photo shoot.
Stop being a slob for once and get a profile picture out of it. Or take ironic stock photo pictures.
32. Geocaching.
Why wander around aimlessly when you can wander around with an obscure goal?
33. Running Man.
Feel free to try any of these missions from the internationally popular Korean TV show. Yeah, they're pretty weird.
34. Five-Dollar Battle.
I mean, if this guy on the internet did it, then it must be okay.
35. Find a yard sale.
Then buy the yard.
36. Have a picnic.
Talk about politics and laugh at the state of Wall Street.
37.1,000 Blank White Cards.
Who comes up with this stuff?
38. Cheese and wine.
Laugh at all the little people, with your pearls in one hand and your silk dress draped across your lounge chair.
39. Improvise songs.
Find someone who can play the guitar and make them repeat random chords while you sing along.
40. Water balloon fight.
Invite people you only sort of like so you can hurt them while pretending to enjoy their company.
Or you know, you can keep Googling things to do instead of actually doing anything. Yup, just keep refreshing your social media of choice. I'll probably be doing the same.
