1. When and where were the best fireworks you’ve ever seen? Speaking of fireworks…do you know your hot buttons? The things people can say and do to set you off? When was the last time someone pushed one of your hot buttons?

I’m pretty sure the ones at Disney are the best but I also recall seeing some amazing ones at a baseball game when I was a kid. I seem to remember thinking how close they felt.

One of my hot buttons is when people complain about how much they have i.e. when they seem unaware of what a privileged (whatever it) is. I was met with this yesterday as I saw a whole lot of very negative posts about celebrating the 4th. Yes, our country has issues. But it’s still the best place to live if you want to get down to brass tacks and I feel like we ought to at least take time to think about that on that holiday. I posted as much on facebook and was met with adversity. I’m sickened by those people.

2. Have you hosted any outdoor summer parties this year? Attended any? What makes for a great outdoor party?

I haven’t hosted this year but we went to a couple at a friend’s place. I think what makes for a good party is a good seating arrangement (if you’re going to have chairs), easily accessible food and drinks, and plenty to do for the kids, if it is a kid-friendly affair.

3. What does freedom mean to you?

It’s a tricky thing because freedom to do what you want – get a job, open a shop, wear whatever the hell you want – is also opposed by the freedom to act like an idiot and complain about your freedom. So to me, it just means I can be who I am and get left alone. It also means people can make comments about that. Live and let live, basically.

4. July is National Cell Phone Courtesy month…what annoys you most about people’s cell phone habits?

Obviously when I see people driving like crap when they’re on their phones. That and randomly parking somewhere. Yes, that is safer but do it away from through traffic; I see this all the time. I also hate when people talk on their phones in public bathrooms. Ugh!

5. What’s your current summer anthem?

This is going to sound negative but it’s Don’t Stop, by Fleetwood Mac. Mostly because I have been sad this summer and I need to look to tomorrow, forget yesterday.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

I’m in the office and a little unnerved by it; I have been off since about noon on Friday. They let us go early so I ran errands: got a couple shirts for myself at the mall, mailed a package, and went to Costco. Then I went home and mowed my lawn. Man it is hot here. On Saturday, we had breakfast then got on the road to my parents’. I think everyone enjoyed our time there. We ate in a lot, went to the breweries, the beach, the mall, and had a nice time hanging out.

Sadly, through some miscommunication, we missed our friends’ fourth celebration. They always do it ON the 4th but this year they had it on Saturday. Ash missed that portion of the info so we were already out of town. Oh well! 

We got back in town Monday afternoon because Isaac had to make up his final swim lesson. But that meant we had all yesterday to ourselves. Ash got all his beer brewing stuff in order so he can begin another batch while I cleaned out our garage, which had totally become a storage area. He used to park in there but for maybe 8 months now, we’d been using it as a place to get junk out of the way. Well, I got it totally cleaned and he can once again park.

We didn’t do any 4th stuff really; think we were burned out. It felt like a loooong time off and hey, I ain’t complaining! We did get some ice cream and made hot dogs and burgers. I figure that’s American enough.

I have an actual break from other work now. My next online class begins Monday and I’m not teaching at my normal location. So my regular 40/week job is all I’m thinking about. It’s kind of weird when I’m so used to multi-tasking to the point of being overwhelmed. Also, today is my husband’s birthday. Nothing special today but I am making his favorite meal – basically, Thanksgiving – on Sunday. So much going on lately;time to take a step back and reevaluate what’s important and how I can stay organized. Happy Wednesday!