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here fishy fishy
Jul. 5th, 2004 12:03 pmHappy fifth of July! Independence Day was one thing... but here is a gratuitious business holiday in which we all get to sleep in and enjoy the fruits of summer. I am listening to Wait Wait--Don't Tell Me ( http://www.npr.org/programs/waitwait/ ) since I was working hard volunteering during the original broadcast. I plan to enjoy my third day of weekend by catching up on all the chores I planned for the first two days of break, but couldn't get to because of all the fireworks, food tasting, sleeping in, and outdoor concerts.
The "official" fireworks were on the Third of July, which has almost become a holiday in its own right since almost no one works on the Fourth and the combination of lighter fluid and beer is too tempting to resist. It poured down rain all afternoon, but the skies parted for about three hours to allow the well-choreographed fireworks to proceed. The Loop had a disaster-movie feel to it since the streets were all closed to traffic and there were cops and pedestrians milling around. We were each offered a green cupcake from an Eastern European woman who told us that her restaurant was celebrating its anniversary, and I ate it bravely, although it was tough to ignore all my conditioning about not taking candy from strangers. On the way back, the streets were covered in people and I had the irrational urge to shout "fire" and cause them all to stampede. We unwisely attempted to take the el north to the John Hancock, where we met friends for green martinis and lounged around in shockingly casual dress for a restaurant on the 96th floor. For all my whinging about crowds, it really was a lovely night.
Last night's fireworks were all unofficial, shot off from parking lots and driveways in the neighborhood. We saw them springing up over the treeline in all directions, making it a strange cross between watching sparklers and searching for meteors--you had to be lucky and quick to spot the good ones. From inside, however, it sounded like a battle zone. I know that my uncle, who still has some PTSD from Vietnam, would have had to leave the city for the weekend. So I'm not sure how I feel about the celebration.
I attempted to take a swim this morning, but got all embarrassed at my lack of skill and fuzzy-eyed from my lack of goggles. So I'm back inside, hiding at my desk. I think perhaps indoor sports are a much better way to go today.
The "official" fireworks were on the Third of July, which has almost become a holiday in its own right since almost no one works on the Fourth and the combination of lighter fluid and beer is too tempting to resist. It poured down rain all afternoon, but the skies parted for about three hours to allow the well-choreographed fireworks to proceed. The Loop had a disaster-movie feel to it since the streets were all closed to traffic and there were cops and pedestrians milling around. We were each offered a green cupcake from an Eastern European woman who told us that her restaurant was celebrating its anniversary, and I ate it bravely, although it was tough to ignore all my conditioning about not taking candy from strangers. On the way back, the streets were covered in people and I had the irrational urge to shout "fire" and cause them all to stampede. We unwisely attempted to take the el north to the John Hancock, where we met friends for green martinis and lounged around in shockingly casual dress for a restaurant on the 96th floor. For all my whinging about crowds, it really was a lovely night.
Last night's fireworks were all unofficial, shot off from parking lots and driveways in the neighborhood. We saw them springing up over the treeline in all directions, making it a strange cross between watching sparklers and searching for meteors--you had to be lucky and quick to spot the good ones. From inside, however, it sounded like a battle zone. I know that my uncle, who still has some PTSD from Vietnam, would have had to leave the city for the weekend. So I'm not sure how I feel about the celebration.
I attempted to take a swim this morning, but got all embarrassed at my lack of skill and fuzzy-eyed from my lack of goggles. So I'm back inside, hiding at my desk. I think perhaps indoor sports are a much better way to go today.
