Summer is boring. It's hot, there's nothing to do, but at least there's no school...right? All your friends left for the break, some going to their grandparents or to camp or on vacation, besides where they went, you were all alone.

Going outside was boring, reading was boring, watching the same cable channel over and over again was boring, just existing was boring. The worst thing was, you couldn't even call your friends since they were all at places without a landline or access to a phone.

So, because you're all alone, you lay on the middle of the carpet in the living room, staring up at the ceiling, while Mike, your dad, watches TV and drinks from a bottle of beer. After many heavy sighs, groans of boredom and whines, you finally sit up, ready to tell Mike your problem.