Thursday, July 06, 2006

I spent most of last year's 4th of July walking around the streets alone. Not like "28 Days Later" alone; just mentally detached from the people around me. I could hear parties on rooftops and had a sunken feeling as I realized I wasn't a part of any of them. At the same time, I didn't belong at any of them.

Long holiday weekends offer people a chance to celebrate in a way most befitting of their character: gay moshing, ritualistic animal sacrifice, drunken lumberjacking. Drug pushers make out like bandits, to the point where supply dwindles and they resort to haggling not so illegitimate things. I was offered meat. I've been offered drugs, sex, babies, and kidneys, whatever. Never meat: "Man check out this rib-eye I got here. You'll pay five dollars a pound for this anywhere else. I know you cook. Man, we got the 4th coming up man, BBQs!"

So this year I went to the park and played softball with a bunch of people I don't know, I schooled some know-it-all on the market price of an Independence Day fireworks show, and I drove drunk people home. Nothing special, but my thing. I also ate some hamburgers I made with bargain ground beef that I purchased completely within lawful means.

This has been the status quo lately. Nothing really amazing happening, but staying interesting enough that I'm active and don't implode from boredom. So last year's epiphany was to engage in social activity. I've done that... I think. This year, I want to have more stories to tell. Go.