Okay, I realize the “official” start of summer happened in June.

But for me, summer doesn’t get into full swing until…

(1)    I’ve had a catastrophe with tan-in-a-bottle.

(2) My summer tv shows are back! (Well, unless a show was unceremoniously canceled during the winter…which did happen to one of my summer shows this year…sigh…)

Suffice it to say, item # 1 has been accomplished. And with the arrival of Eureka this week, it’s now officially summer in my household. My other fav summer show, Burn Notice, showed up a couple of weeks ago (and if you haven’t checked this one out—rent Season 1 on DVD. As one critic said, the show is so “freakin’ cool”).

And the poor summer show that didn’t get to come back this year? The 4400. Okay, I’ll admit, it wasn’t always the brightest crayon in the box, but that show had such an interesting premise (4400 people had disappeared through the decades, only to reappear all together—in Seattle, mind you!--without having aged a day and now possessing special abilities) and sometimes how that premise played out (the mystery of the disappearances, government reaction, political maneuverings, the mal-adjustment of those who had returned, the question of destiny) made for provocative and entertaining television.

I’m going to miss it.

There are three other shows in my summer mix: Monk and Psych (thank you, USA Network, for realizing that entertaining whodunits don’t have to have octogenarian crime solvers), and Atlantis (sci fi geek alert!). Though, technically, none of these shows are summer shows because, even though they all stop in the fall, they have another season that starts in January.

When did the tv broadcast schedule get so weird?

Anyway, welcome summer! The sun is out, the mood is light, and my VCR needs to be programmed.

All is well.