Autumn.

At the Jersey Shore, it is as taboo to summer renters as the words "Monday", "rain" or "walk of shame."

Now that the calendar is well into August, a quiet panic has set in on the beaches and its bars. Some may categorize panic as negative. But for those who are fans of late-night drama, awkward confessions and consequence-free environments, the final month of summer can be pure entertainment.

"If you have something to say to someone you’ve been admiring all summer but haven’t had the guts to say it even after a night of drinking, the last few weekends have a way of untying your tongue," explains Alyson, 29. "It’s all a matter of (expletive) or getting off the pot."

Labor Day, falling on its earliest date in the holiday’s history, represents to some a day that should have the word "apocalypse" written in the calendar box. The end of the world it is not, but with thoughts of another harsh winter of weekend nights in surly atmospheres that don’t greet patrons with the jovial open arms only Shore saloons seem to offer, Earth might as well get hit by a runaway meteor on September 1...Bruce Willis be damned.

The proof lies in the fact that emails announcing the countdown to "The Hunt" are starting to rear their ugly fonts. Talk about pressure...It’s downright scary that summer can offer Hunt-like barbecues and Hunt-esque bar scenes every weekend, while autumn owns in its social rotation just one drunken afternoon on the set of Little House on the Prairie.

At least there’s football, right?

In August, weekends aren’t comprised of beginnings or endings. On a Wednesday night in January, Hoboken’s taverns showcase as many bartenders as patrons. Conversely, any weekday night in August is on par with any Saturday night in winter.

The outdoor restaurants have 45-minute waits for tables. The rooftop at City Bistro becomes the MTV beach house. Sinatra Park is so packed it looks as if The Chairman of the Board is actually performing there.

"It’s hard to stay in even if the weather is even remotely nice," says Mike, 31. "It rained, what, two weeks straight when the month began? There’s almost this feeling that if I don’t get out now, I’ll be stuck inside ordering pizza and pay-per-view for the next nine months after summer ends."

With this non-stop socializing going on, something has to give. If gainfully employed people are going out six nights a week and the alarm clock is still there to greet us every morning at 7:00, is fatigue becoming a factor? If so, is work nothing more than exercise of emailing friends, long lunches and fabricated dental appointments?

"The Europeans have the right idea," observes Jim, 30. "Go on holiday for a month and get all of the stress and crap out of your system. Who needs to be here in the heat during a dead month for the market and business anyway?"

True to Jim’s point, Europeans do take more extended vacations, sometimes to the point where the "See you in September" signs go up in the windows of many businesses the moment August arrives. In Germany alone, it is mandatory for union members to take 45 days of vacation.

Americans, along with corporate America, are going through a downsizing period, but theirs is in the Respite Department. In fact, a recent Harris Interactive survey indicates that 51% of all Americans are not taking a vacation at all this summer. This mindset flies in the face of evidence that a yearly retreat can reduce the risk of heart attack by 30% in men and 50% in women. Like money, you can’t take unused vacation days to the afterlife.

What are the culprits that prevent people from taking their earned vacation time? Anxiety, fear and guilt... although a little department called Human Resources states a manager or boss cannot fire an employee for taking time-off originally agreed to in a contract. Ultimately, most of us actually believe our multi-billion dollar companies will shut down if we decide to call in sick even one day.

So really, what exactly are you waiting for? When was the last time you heard of someone using up all of their vacation, personal and sick days at the end of the year? Similar to death, many businesses don’t allow employees to roll over leftover vacation days. Therefore, by not using them before New Year’s, those days are essentially worth two tickets to Gigli.

Of course, autumn can be a nice season.

Foliage.

The occasional wedding.

NFL triple headers.

Cool air that’s easy on the electric bill...

But nothing beats an August sunset at the Jersey Shore or sleeping in on a Friday with the air conditioner cranked after a warm Thursday evening on the town went a little later than expected.

For your physical and mental well being, please, take a day, a week, whatever it takes while the temperature is still above 80 degrees. Keep the bags packed for the guilt trip in the closet. Break out the golf or beach bags instead.

Life is too short to worry about things that you won’t even deem being important when you’re too old to read this screen without glasses.

Say it loud...

Carpe August!

Joe Concha resumes his NFL previews for NBCSports.com and is a feature writer for www.hobokeni.com. His favorite excuses for calling in sick to work include coming down with a nasty case of SARS, relapses of tonsillitis and liver failure.

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