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Hello one and all, my new world of bloggies. Here is a bit about my recent observations of the 4th of July. I might get a bit political here. Sorry, but it won’t be too bad. This 4th started out with a very American trip to Ikea. The roomies and I got a few things we needed, and a lot we didn’t… that happens at Ikea, a land where everything is named to sound like the punch line to Swedish jokes. A lot of these jokes appear to be somehow related to gay porn, with names such as (and I will not put in those umlauts etc, cause I don’t know where they go, but here is a sampling): stroker, billy, gruntal, throb, you get it? Ok, so after getting back from Ikea, I needed desperately to get out of the house. I was drained, felt like the Death Valley sewer system… Time to imbibe…

So like any good citizen or illegal migrant worker would do I went to a BBQ. This was all the way in Silverlake. (I live on the Westside, so it was a trek through the city.) Drove past Echo Park, with people crowding around the glassy lake, soon to be littered with debris of mostly illegal fireworks, and drove about the threateningly steep hills in northern Alvarado in Silverlake ‘til I found the party. We sat there overlooking, but slightly obscured by post-bloom jacaranda trees, both Echo Park and Dodgers Stadium. People were shooting of fireworks all around, and it was more then a couple of times that someone made the comment that it sounded like we were under attack. Mind you, this was usually followed by a chuckle. Here we were comparing how people were celebrating a free day (which is supposed to be to reflect on our “independence”) and we are comparing it to war.

Flashback, News Year’s Eve in Nicaragua a few years ago… I remember talking with my family how it seemed odd to us that there were so many firecrackers and fire works being set off in the little seaside Sandinista strong hold of the former revolution. It seemed odd, with our outsider perspective, because there was so much gunfire and explosions etc., and yet no one seemed to be bothered by the sounds of the whizzing and popping of these fireworks. No one would even flinch. I remembered picturing bad Lifetime movies, or after school specials where a soldier comes home to their small town in rural America or whatever, and slips into a post-traumatic coma upon hearing a car backfire outside his/her window. You know what I am talking about, right? I have seen this scene, something with the same idea, in many examples of dramatic television and movies, and even in a Kids in the Hall skit. Is there truth to these traumatic moments, or is it some weird culturally-accepted condition that seems to only exist in our world of Americana bullshit? Who cares?

Anyway, meanwhile while I was on a deck overlooking the happy war zone, my roommates were attempting to find fireworks to watch in our neighborhood, after attempting to assemble our new dining room table, whose name was something similar to a Swedish skin disease. Not expecting our quiet little street to be filled with celebrating neighbors, they were taken aback as they watched the children shoot of bottle rockets etc, without blowing out their eyes or losing fingers. Neither of my roommates have been through a violent ground war, they are both pleasantly college-educated and have lived fairly decent lives. However, as one of our neighbors, a little boy, lit off a bottle rocket accidentally in the direction of my passing roomies, while his mother wearing her chador watched on, my roomies both instinctually pulled each other to the ground curled up and covered their faces and screamed in terror. I could not stop laughing when I heard this story; I devoured the comedic reaction that these two apparent thought was appropriate. Yesterday, going to Coldstone’s to get some ice cream, a car backfired while we were in the garage. They both screamed and ducked their heads. Luckily they didn’t go into a post-traumatic stress-induced coma.

Not sure what this all adds up to just thought I would give these quick observations out for the world to ponder. I haven’t really deconstructed any of this politically etc., so if anything came across as ignorant or offensive, just know that this has just been a small section of my thoughts, and lacked any real critical analysis.

Whatever, I am going on a road trip and am excited to take part in my freedom that came with my first unemployment check. Thanks government for encouraging me to take some time off. Happy 6th of July everyone.