Not sure if I’ve mentioned this before, but I hate the 4th
of July holiday. Not what it represents or what we are supposed to be
celebrating, but the way we celebrate it. With explosions.
I’ve never been into fireworks. Not even as a kid. I recall
the initial reaction each year when I was told it was that time again. I would
be excited because I was supposed to be, right? And then they would start and I
would see the first one and give an ‘ooooh’ and then I would get bored. Sitting
there staring at the same explosion design over and over again just got so
dull. Year after year the same display. Blah.
And the noise…I never liked that.
As I got older and teen-aged and friends who supply their
own displays, I would play along and say it was “cool”, but deep down I hated
it. It made me nervous. I’ve always been a worrier and I could just see fires
happening or limbs being lost in all of this “fun”.
Now as an adult living in a neighborhood rapidly filling
with teenagers - and the usual asshole neighbor or two – it still haunts me
because now I have to deal with all of them. It just makes me ever more eager
to get out of this house and this little family neighborhood and back to the
city in an apartment with no yards for annoying teenagers to shoot homemade
fireworks displays off in.
As this was happening last night at midnight, I said to
myself “where are their parents??? who is letting them do this???” And then I
felt old. But then I didn’t care. Because 1) I’ve got a cold and I’ve
discovered the 4th of July is the worst time to have one because it’s
summer and you want to be outside but also because sleep is impossible because people
feel it necessary to explode things in normally quiet neighborhoods all night
long and 2) Just because I did stupid shit as a kid doesn’t make it right. I
wish I had more discipline as a child and genuinely feel awful about the noise
and disturbances I gave my neighbors while I was growing up. I suppose I’m
paying for it now.
I’ve also never understood why we get the day of July 4th
off when the whole event is based around lighting loud things off at night when
it’s dark. Why don’t we get July 5th off instead? It’s like if New
Year’s Eve was the day everyone got off of work and we were all expected to
come in on the 1st.
Grumble Grumble Grumble….I know. I sound like a crazy old
man complaining about the world from my park bench. Truly, that is basically my
personality in a nutshell. Especially when I’m sick. I hate being sick.
But, here I am at work just trying to get through it with a
sinus headache, achy body, and 5 hours sleep. It’s been a while since I’ve felt
this way – so I guess that’s a good thing – and it’s happening now and not a
month from now when I need to be healthy and in good voice for the CD release
show. So, there’s that, as well.
And since I am at work, sick, I get to do a 25 Songs Set of
what’s playing on my iPod and helping me get through the day. Hooray.
1. "How Come You Never Go There" - Feist
2. "Disco Ball" - Flatbear
3. "No Provenance" - Joanna Newsom
4. "Clam, Crab, Cockle, Cowrie" - Joanna Newsom
5. "The Absence of God" - Rilo Kiley
6. "Jailbird" - The Elected
7. "Minnows" - David Karsten Daniels
8. "Shuger Crash!" - Gramma's Boyfriend
9. "Comfort Me" - Feist
10. "36th" - Lucy Michelle and the Velvet Lapelles
11. "Puget Sound" - Lucy Michelle and the Velvet Lapelles
12. "The Locust Years of Chelsea" - Rank Strangers
13. "Gonna Get Along Without You Now" - She & Him
14. "The Party" - Regina Spektor
15. "Done Wrong" - Ani Difranco
16. "Left Alone" - Fiona Apple
17. "Calliope" - Caroline Smith and the Good Night Sleeps
18. "One Line" - PJ Harvey
19. "My Wife, Lost in the Wild" - Beirut
20. "Living for the City" - Stevie Wonder
21. "The Colour of the Earth" - PJ Harvey
22. "Why Don't You Come Over" - Bethany Larson and the Bee's Knees
23. "Doubt" - Wye Oak
24. "Box of Letters" - The Ericksons
25. "Monica" - Dan Bern
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