The big summer holiday around these parts is July 4th, or as us Amuricans call it, “Independence Day”. It’s based around a war between US (or us) and some other country and it was all about who could have the biggest fireworks displays. Whoever won got to keep ownership over the Boston Starbucks Harbor and Times Square. Then they sat down for a Turkey Dinner and made peace and included in the feast was Santa Clause, the Easter Bunny and Mother Time. Ben Franklin was out flying a kite and discovered electricity because someone needed power for the the TV so they could watch the parade with Spongebob and Garfield balloons. After that, they all went shopping at Amazon.com for Green Friday sales, and sat down for a long summer’s nap. When they woke up, Leprechauns delivered gold to each table using bald eagles, and Paul Reverie and his marry men rode in the Kentucky Derby. It was such a huge day, that Congress named it Independence Day after the original Independence Day movie where aliens blew up the White House and Napa Valley. Because of the explosions, we always get hot weather for the 4th, except in Seattle, because the aliens couldn’t find any tall buildings interesting enough to blow up.
In celebration of our mid summer night’s holiday, I want to talk about the main thrust of the holiday: Independence. Let’s talk about some things that I need independence from.
Work – It is about time I stopped being so dependent on my jobs. The only thing it provides is money, and insurance, and maybe keeping me from being bored from playing video games all the time. All in exchange for shortening my life, keeping me away from vacations and holiday, and forcing me to use my brain, and interact with people.
Shoes and socks – My feet are pretty important. Kind of VIF’s. They are always transporting me to places that my car is too lazy to go, and even pushes pedals on my car, that my hands are too lazy to operate. The hands are always getting the props, but the feet are always doing all the work. The feet are stuck in the prisons called shoes and socks, while the hands get to roam free. And they only time they get washed is in the shower once a week, while the hands get washed every time I go to the bathroom. I think it’s time to feet more than 2 week of vacation every year.
Hikes – You know what else can take a hike this Independence Day? Hikes can take a hike. Clearly they are so bad that whenever you want to banish someone, you tell them to take one. They are hard work, you get all sweaty, and usually every step you take, every move you make, someone is watching you. Creepy right? But mostly, every step is higher than the last. And there is rarely a good payoff at the end. One time I went and all there was at the top was like a view of things. Like far away. And on the way down, all I get was to carry my son on my shoulders and I got to hear my daughter asking, “How much farther?” That sounds like fun time.
Hot Cross Buns – 34 years ago, I was introduced to the brain worm of a song and it hasn’t left my brain since. I’ve tried catchier songs, but nothing can seem to override it. And the recorder. Whoever invented this thing should be tied up in the town square and made to listen to someone play that song on a recorder for all eternity. The only thing about the song that makes sense is that it makes me very cross. sl
Knowledge – So overrated, this knowledge thing. So you can spell a few words correctly. Who determined the right way to spell stuff, some Latin professor named Webster that couldn’t come up with a thesis for his master’s so he came up with the right way to spell stuff? What what he thinking with exercise and rhythm anyways? I can think of a few examples, but now all his hard work has gone the way of Blockbuster because of spellcheck and Google. You might as well get work at Burger King or Wendy’s with all the usefulness your spelling. Your life’s work is all for nothing.
Speaking of life’s work being for naught. How about Lord Fireworkington who invented fireworks? All that work and the only thing that has come from his work is a few days a year, people are allowed to set things on fire, spend their life savings, and being compared to a kids self esteem on a Katy Perry song. Big success he turned out to be.
Have a Bitter Four of July. Try not start a forest fire.
ARRRRRRGGGHHHHHHHH
Bitter Fourth of Independence Ben
Great. I had forgotten all about the Hot Cross Buns nursery rhyme. That was bad enough, but it reminded me how disappointed I was the first time I tasted a real hot cross bun. Like fruit cake with only one kind of candied fruit.
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Hot Cross Buns are pretty terrible. No wonder they only charge a penny for them.
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Your assessment of the historical origin of this holiday is probably the best thing I’ve ever read and henceforth what I will tell anyone who asks what the 4th of July is about. Thank you, Sensei.
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Anyone who thought the original day was a somber occasion clearly didn’t know how Amurica likes to party. You and I know the real truth. You’re welcome, Kohi.
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I always enjoy my Close Encounter of the Bitter Kind – Good stuff Ben. Thanks!
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And believe me, there were definitely some close encounters of the firework kind. Good thing I have old dog like reflexes and barely avoided getting firework burns.
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Have a Happy Fourth of July, Ben. 😀
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It was a Bitter Fourth, but you know, as you always expect it to be.
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Quite right, a fifth is always better. 😀
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Ha! Good one.
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😀
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I’m confused. I thought today was the day Will Smith saved us from aliens. Didn’t you watch Independence Day?
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I did watch Independence Day. And if it weren’t for Will Smith, we wouldn’t have this day, but also all those other things happened too to make it possible.
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oh(m) bitter master: I lurnd sew mutsch! from this, such as the history. hystery. axually, I do indeed bequeath ack!oh-laids yore weigh in the introductory abbreviated history. there ain’t much which gwan in this Kuhntree which you mist.
forest fires!? every year (mostly jewell-eye forth) I wish for lots of rain to diminuize the incidence of such — and, of course, the pyro-maniacs who, un-4t-U-(n)-atelee, will rule and prevail, anyway. about a week+ ago Betty and I stepped out onto the patio w/binoculars to observe the progress (?) of a wild-fire maybe 8 miles away the other sighed uv the airport (our house is on a hilltop and we do, indeed, are able to observe most the town and valley — when the schm(f)ogg ain’t too obliviating.
obliviatingly,
your apprentiss in biddernous,
Rosco
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History is always told by the victors. But the bitter truth of history is told by Mr. Bitter himself.
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Wow, thanks for the education! Who knew that was the true story of the 4th? I’ll have to let my kids know…and also their teachers! Boy, have those turkeys got it wrong!
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Yeah, it is a good thing I’m around to set people straight. History books have such a hard time keeping up with all the details. But you know, it was kind of a crazy party.
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I wish people only set off fireworks one day a year. I’ve been hearing bangs all over the neighborhood for the past week!
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Well I live near a gun range and we hear gun shots all year round. So fireworks hardly bother me. It’s the cost of them that bother me.
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I make no promise about forest fires. The woods get chilly at night.
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And those trees most certainly deserve it for littering their leaves all over for us to clean up after.
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A bitterly funny post. Have a bitter fourth and enjoy a pint of bitters!
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I did have a Bitter Fourth. It involved lots of disappointment about lack of fireworks and too much money lost on food and soda.
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Hysterical! I am a little concerned with how your brain works…
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As you should be…It tends to side on the Bitter Side quite often.
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Not start a forest fire? I thought you bittlerly despised trees.
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I do despise trees. I want them to suffer, not us who have to clean up all the fires and put our wood houses in danger.
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Isn’t it actually “In Deep End It Day”? A day where you realize you are so in deep in problems you want to end it all, so you try to blow yourself up with fireworks. That’s why fireworks are illegal in our county. When people blow themselves up they start brush fires, forcing the fire department to work overtime on a holiday. This was costing the taxpayer too much money in holiday overtime pay, so they had to ban fireworks.
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That sounds like such an uplifting holiday! I guess we will add that to the lore of the holiday.
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laughs out loud! Oh Ben, it is bitter! Especially that 5 bucks I paid for a Starbucks latte.
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And especially for that $40 of fireworks for the 2 Black Cats, a couple of Bitter Rockets and a couple of worms.
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Grrrr. so frustrating! A total rip off. 🙂
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They are pretty much the biggest waste of time.
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the fireworks went on here well after midnight…I was not participating, scared the heck out of the dog!
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I have learned to just ignore them. I live near a gun range and we hear that stuff all day long.
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Umm…I don’t know. That’s a little different than the way the history books put it. Or maybe my memory is fading.
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Yeah, your memory is fading. Good thing I’m here to help you remember how things really went down.
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Happy Bendepence day, my friend! May it be a bitter one! 😉
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You better believe it was a bitter one. I sat around all day to see some fireworks, then had to go home because it was getting late so missed all the fireworks. If they ever got smart here, they would give us the day AFTER the holiday off so we could actually stay up late to watch the fireworks. So bitter.
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I’m glad you sorted out all that history for me… Being a foreigner here in the States I didn’t know any of that. BUT I’m happy we contributed to your fireworks and barbecues.
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See how history works out? It always a lot more exciting than the history books report. And thanks for sending your leprechauns as part of our Independence Day.
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