My Independece Day/Nick story


A recollection of me and my old friend Nick on the 4th

I have recently been reunited with an old friend via the blogosphere - Nick (blogging at Odelay!). He and I went to high school together and hung out a bunch in early college, but somehow lost track along the way and hadn't talked for quite a while. When Nathaniel (Anesthetic Smoke) found Nick's blog, I sent him an email and we caught back up - only to find that we still shared a ton of interests (poker, Disneyland, both of us are married w/ kids, etc.) He posted a few stories and memories from the old days. Here's his recap of how we met in HS - which, btw, Nick, calling Malicide a "glam/metal band"??? No way man, we were strictly metal! - and here's another funny story of the permanent scar tissue caused by hanging with me.

It being the 4th of July made me think of fireworks, naturally, and how mad it makes me that several cities have outlawed fireworks (see quote below). That in turn got me thinking about 4th of July back in the day, and I thought I would tell a Nick and Brant story of my own.

We both lived in Irvine, where fireworks are completely outlawed. Nick and I, being about 16 and 18 respectively, naturally had to venture out into any neighboring cities that did allow fireworks to procure and ignite our patriotic displays of independence. At the time the only such city in Orange County was Santa Ana, which also happened to be where I worked at the time - with a nice parking lot right in front. A slightly ironic thing, to buy your patriotic wares from a man recently immigrated from Mexico who can hardly speak Spanish, but it worked for us. We drove from one makeshift stand to another, carefully choosing our flowers, snakes, piccolo Pete's, roman candles, sparklers and other sundry ways of packaging fire for consumption by teenagers.

After we had pretty much covered Santa Ana by day, we rounded up our group of friends at night in front of the office and proceeded to set off our stash. My brother Brad - being older, fearless, and the biggest pyro of which I am aware - was our designated lighter. I personally love watching fireworks, but the hypochondriac in me can't stop thinking of what my bloody stump will look like after I've removed my hand via explosion. I'll still do the lighting if need be, mind you, but its always amid a constant debate with myself. Brad on the other hand - well, its amazing he still has 10 fingers.

I can remember playing soccer with lit smoke bombs and taking bets on who would win the tank war. Tank wars are constructed by placing these cool tank fireworks (a cardboard shell that looks like a tank, enclosing a powerful little flamethrower firework which shot the flames out of the turret) facing each other. The idea, similar to the great Peeps wars, was to see who's tank was more destroyed afterwards. Ah, the simple pleasures of life.

I hope you all have a wonderful (and safe) Independence Day. I'll leave you with the words of John Adams (the 2nd of July was when Independence was voted on, the 4th is celebrated because thats when the Declaration was finished and signed):

"The second day of July, 1776, will be the most memorable epoch in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary Festival. It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires and illuminations, from one end ofthis continent to the other, from this time forward forever.
"You will think me transported with enthusiasm, but I am not. I am well aware of the toil and blood and treasure that it will cost to maintain this Declaration, and support and defend these States. Yet through all the gloom I can see the rays of ravishing light and glory I can see that the end is worth more than all the means; that posterity will triumph in that day's transaction, even though we [may regret] it, which I trust in God we shall not."

Posted: Tue - July 4, 2006 at 05:05 PM | | | | | | |

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