05 July 2006

christmas in july

I kind of hate the fourth of July.

Don't get me wrong, I love the vacation time. And since, my place of employment is so generous, I also got Monday off. So, that was a nice four day weekend. But, the part that really annoys me about the holiday is the fireworks.

I've never really enjoyed fireworks. My mom loves to tell stories about how my younger sister (almost exactly one year younger) used to LOVE to watch the fireworks and hear the loud pops and whistles, while I would hide my head in my mom or dad's shoulder and scream and cry until we could go home. They were scary.

Every year the whole family would travel to grandma's house in Grand Haven, MI, walk downtown, and watch the fireworks with extended family. Except me. I would stay home with grandma and watch the fireworks on TV. I could hear them coming from downtown, while comfortably inside the house, and see them on TV. They didn't seem that special to me. I would rather stay home and help my grandma do dishes than trek a mile or whatever to sit on damp grass, get bitten by bugs, and blow my ears out, just to watch some trash blow up in the sky.

I'm no longer scared of fireworks. But I do kind of consider myself the Scrooge of the fourth of July. Fireworks? Bah. Humbug! Every year stupid kids let off fireworks a few days before, and a few days after the holiday. They obviously wait until midnight, when I am sleeping, and they let off the skyward ones. (Illegally.) Stupid kids.

Last night, on the fourth, we sat in my house in Eastown and listened to the fireworks from Downtown and Cascade compete with each other. Trouble was a little shook up when they started, looking to us, pleading with us, to make it stop. But when the bottle rockets went off next door he had had enough. Trouble jumped off the cabinet and made a beeline to the stairs, skidding on the second step as he ran to safety (we guessed he ran to hide under our bed). It was funny and sad at the same time. Stupid fireworks. Scaring my cat. Just one mroe reason I hate them.

So anyway, round about the last week of June or the first week of July, don't ask about my plans. Don't ask me if I'm going to the fireworks. Because I won't be. Not because I'm scared, not because a traumatic fireworks experience has scarred me for life physically or emotionally, but just because I think they are kind of stupid. And I think they're a waste of time. And they're really loud. Stupid fireworks.

Bah. Humbug.

3 comments:

kkoois said...

i'm some what with you on the fireworks thing. i was never scared of them or anything, but my feeling is, "seen one fireworks show, seen 'em all."

Jen said...

I like to see real fireworks~unless it's buggy. I hate bugs. But the do-it-yourself varitey drives me crazy too! Tim actually went out a yelled at the neighbors who were blowing things up at 11:30. They cussed him out. Good thing we're moving!

Anonymous said...

when did i become the cranky old man. I love fireworks i love lighting them off. it hurt to have a black cat go off in your hand. I stink when you get cought by the police in a state where they are illegal what happen to me i need to light some now!!!!!!!!