Skipped the fireworks shows and beaches for the long weekend this year to do the suburban homeowner stuff.  Got a little behind schedule when I lost Saturday to attend the funeral of a friend-of-the-family-in-law.  I never met the honoree, but based on the eulogies I wish I had.  Sunday was spent scraping the popcorn ceiling out of my office, then drugging up my left shoulder to the point of nirvana.  Finally, on Monday, I slapped a couple of coats of fresh paint on that same ceiling and installed a very pretty ceiling fan smack-dab in the middle of it.  Then drugged myself back to nirvana.

Someone seeing a picture of the new fan on Facebook commented they were jealous.  Not of this weekend, I assured them.  I was sore and tired and sweating like a pig (especially on Saturday when the plastic sheeting to catch the dust was blocking any chance at all on a cross breeze).  Next weekend you can all be jealous, because I will be rested and ignoring my domestic responsibilities in favor of watching Netflix stuff in my comfortable little upstairs cave.

We did wind out the weekend with some great Tri-Tip and corn off the grill cooked by Master Chef Bestest Husband Randy, and drinkees on the porch while the dog cowered in terror at the noise from distant explosions.  Despite not driving across town to watch the explosions live, we’re still free, and very happy to be here/

Off to the zoo in a few minutes, to be followed by three days of food and parties and blowing stuff up, but first wanted to give a little shoutout to the San Diego Symphony Summer Pops for a great concert last night on the Embarcadero.  The trouble with any outdoor concert is a lack of control over outside influences, and at the end of the night I was seriously wishing the fireworks would take out a certain obnoxious party boat rather than just explode harmlessly in the sky, but the concert was great.  Their Independence Day show repeats tonight and tomorrow for those locals who missed it last night.

Happy Independence Day!

[via Jockohomo]

Resting and relaxing.  Picnicking on the Fourth with the in-laws, then catching the local fireworks in the evening.  While we’re out and about, some photographic repeats of recent Independence Days past.

2008:

(more…)

I’ve been letting what should have been a wonderful long weekend get dragged down by Business of Law™ stuff.  Really shouldn’t have let it drag me down, though it is nice to actually get paid for working.  It’s been three days of good food and a couple of nice walks on the beach.  The first walk was for me and the camera on the morning of the fourth, the second was for Surfrider’s ‘day after’ beach cleanup effort, something we do every year.  Even the fireworks were mellow once I made the decision to just sit back and watch the show this year rather try to photograph them, even though Diego got a bit freaked out.  Just need to recharge the batteries a bit before the next work week gets here.  Today seems set to have nothing accomplished but some tanline maintenance and maybe, just maybe, the crossword puzzle from the Times.

I’ve been trying to write something profound or inspirational on the meaning and importance of independence to me, but the words escape me, so like 99% of my countrymen I’m waving the flag like a grinning idiot while I wait for the sun to go down so my inner pyromaniac can come to the surface.