Recently my friend Beth told me that this summer felt bizarrely similar to the Summer of Sam. Twenty-five years after that ill-fated summer we are experiencing a stifling heat wave in New York City, power outages are rampant, public transportation is in shambles, and with September 11th around the corner, some people are already on edge in August. All summer long we've been hearing of kidnappings and missing children, primarily in California, but locally as well. It's as if the whole city, and possibly the country, is falling apart this summer. Last Friday it finally rained, and two people in the New York area, a 25 year old in Little Italy and a 16 year old in New Jersey, were struck and killed by lightning. What the?! The whole reason city folk like me look forward to the summer is so we can frolic around outside with sun-kissed skin, enjoying free concerts in the park and taking day trips to the beach. This morning it had to have been at least 110 degrees in the subway. There is no pleasure in being outside on days like that. Four months ago I didn't think I would say this, but I wish it were fall already. Let's put this miserable mess of a summer behind us (or at least petition Mother Nature for a cold front)!