Fourth of July

Growing up I enjoyed the Fourth of July. It was a time for some family fun. I have fond memories of boat outings and sightseeing trips. As a teenager my brothers and I made it a tradition to go watch an action movie in theaters.

Unfortunately, a lot of that magic has been lost since I became an adult. I still appreciate the purpose of the holiday, of course. You gotta be a Michelle Obama-esque America-hater not to enjoy the celebration of our nation's very existence. But while I maintain my love for the reason for the season, I don't appreciate the way a lot of people choose to celebrate it.

I simply do not understand why lighting things on fire, making tiny, unimpressive explosions, and littering your neighbors' yards with the resulting trash is a great way of celebrating the nation's independence. Uggh.

A few years back - this was 2003 I think - I had a run-in with a neighbor that pretty much solidified my position on this topic. This was back when Cara and I lived in Monroe, WA. Our house was in a cul-du-sac and apparently it was a tradition amongst our neighbors to light off fireworks in the street until the wee hours of the morning. At about 1am I finally got fed up with it and went outside to ask the group to shut it down and go to bed. City ordinances said that fireworks had to be wrapped up by 11pm, so I felt I was making a legitimate request.

Long story short, one hot-headed neighbor didn't appreciate my request and came bolting over to my driveway to explain his position. Mind you, this guy was about 6'2" 245lbs to my 6'0" 170lbs so I wasn't exactly looking to exchange blows with him. But he felt the need to explain his pyromania to me from about 2 inches away. I hope I never have that much of another man's saliva spattered on my face ever again. Blech.

Anyway, if your weekend plans involve some form of firemaking, have fun and be safe. Just know that I'll be somewhere else, doing something else, with someone else. So enjoy. And God Bless America.