07/06/2003 Entry: "Sparks Flew Off My Barley Sandwich."

Ah, relaxing on a Sunday with a nice cold summer beer. Granted, it's not exactly the weather here for cold beer (or ice cream,) but my neck is feeling a little warm from sitting in the dustbowl of Dolores Park watching this year's San Francisco Mime Troup show, Veronique of the Mounties. It's pretty good, and you certainly can't beat the price of admission. But you have to be prepared for whatever weather you get, and while I remembered to bring the sunscreen, I forgot to apply it.

The biggest disadvantage of not going to see the Mime Troupe on the Fourth of July is missing their just-ever-so-slightly reworked one-octave Star Spangled Banner. Instead we got a nice version of it performed by Lyle Lovett and Francine Reed at a Saratoga winery. So I guess it all evens out.

We didn't see fireworks in the tinder-dry hills of San Jose, but then I'd gotten my share of fireworks close-up on the Third of July, when some impatient young men who live across the alley from us set off all of theirs underneath our living room window. I guess they didn't want to make a mess in front of their house. Regrettably None of them managed to set themselves ablaze as they jumped Jackass-style with their cans of Miller through the fountains and spinners. Ah, the power of beer.

Admittedly, the fireworks were pretty cool to look at from that perspective. If the boys had caught fire, we would have helped to put them out.

Eventually.

Replies: 2 comments

OK . . . this continues to border on the (pleasantly) creepy. Every time we leave town, we seem to go at roughly the same time, and to approximately the same place. While you were in Saratoga on the 4th, I was just slightly south of you in Boulder Creek.

Confess . . . I'm really on an episode of The Twilight Zone, and you're Rod Serling. Right?

Posted by William Ted @ 07/07/2003 05:23 PM PST

It is really sad that I used to be one of the stupid and sober fireworks idiots. Almost lost a nipple to a roman candle. I miss those young and dumb days.

Posted by Glenn @ 07/11/2003 05:51 AM PST