said the girl behind me. At this point I'd lost count of the times she had repeated the phrase. The fireworks had been going on for a good ten minutes when we had noticed the repetitiveness in her speech.
"Haaapppyyyy 4th offff Juuuuulllllyyyyyyyyyy!!!!!!!!"
At this point, I contemplated the possibility of hurling the large stone at my feet at her screeching throat and getting away into the darkness before anyone could arrest me.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sounds like some serial killer suspense novel told in the first person, only it's true. But let's back up a few hours.
After oversleeping once again, I headed down to Will's apartment complex, where it was decided that the guys would get together for a day of swimming, food, and fireworks. Haven't seen the fireworks in 2 years, so I thought, why not? Of course, I am a very bad swimmer, having nearly drowned some years back. And so, I spent much of my time poolside, opting instead to be the self-elected DJ.
After some fun in the sun, we headed back to Will's apartment, for some Pizza Hut pizza and lasagna. Not too bad, actually.The guys had decided to spent the next couple hours playing Brawl. No surprise there. I spent more time playing Flash Flash Revolution and playing with the airsoft guns lying around the house.
As evening approached, the time had come to go watch fireworks. With the fireworks in Pinole cancelled, we decided to head to Hercules, in my old neighborhood in Victoria By The Bay. Entering through the gates of "Narnia", we were treated to an excellent view of the Bay. We then headed down to the park, taking up the entire patch of grass to play various games of Frisbee. One of the frisbees was so deadly, it could cut a person in half if it had blades on it rather than being made of plastic.
It was then I saw "The Mystery Girl", for lack of a better term. It happened suddenly. As the frisbees were being tossed around and everyone was scrambling to catch them, I saw her. A girl that made me stop in my tracks and halted my world. She wasn't hot, scrawny, skanky, pudgy, or ugly (although by personal opinion, I don't believe looks matter as much as personality), but she was undeniably cute, and seemed like a good natured girl. She was an Asian girl, with wavy haur down just past her shoulders. She had a calm look in her eyes, and she dressed nicely, in a jacket over her t-shirt, and wearing a skirt with black leggings that stopped at her ankles. For some reason I can't explain, I believed her to be the girl of my dreams.
The fireworks started, and people huddled together, to keep warm and enjoy the spectacle in the sky. Most of our group broke off to get a better view up at the stairs, while Schwanka and Bryan stayed with me. While we were generally interested to see the fireworks, I desperately tried to search for "The Mystery Girl." It had grown dark incredibly fast, and it would difficult to find just about anyone in this darkness, let alone someone I had just seen for several moments. As the fireworks raged, I continued my doomed search, hoping for a miracle. Finally, I admitted defeat to darkness and rejoined my friends to watch the rest of the fireworks.
And that takes us back to the beginning of this story.
A girl behind us spent the entire time screaming "Happy 4th Of July!" each time a firework went off. Naturally, we got annoyed very fast. Honestly, it was like listening to a broken record, and the volume knob was stuck in its loudest position. Never before had I so strongly wanted to throw something large at someone's face. I even attempted to make a recording of her talking, only to get blasted in the ear by her blowhorn in the midst of the commotion. Was the recording of this annoying girl really worth having my ears blasted and ringing for hours to come? Some things, no matter how trivial, may come in handy someday.
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Sleepless Summer
Yep, that pretty much sums up my days. It sounds a bit like a movie title... (note to self: possible title to future short film). But in all, I find it difficult to sleep. I think I'm getting restless. I'm cooped up at home most of the time. Either there's nothing to do, or everyone's too far from me. Man, I need to get my permit.
Lately, I've been sleeping extremely late. I've been going to bed at 5 a.m. lately. Crazy, yes? I keep tossing and turning. Take last night for example. I laid in my bed, shut my eyes, and tried to fall asleep. But, like a blind man with enhanced hearing, I felt like I could hear the world. The creaking of the futon. The sound of a car. The whooshing noise of the wind passing through the freeway in my backyard.
Then, I started feeling uncomfortable. No position felt comfortable, whether I was laying on my back or face down in the pillow. Then, I kept messing with my blankets. One minute, my feet are hot, so I take my blanket off. Next thing I know, my feet are cold, so I put the blanket back. And the process continues until I'm wide awake again.
I ended up listening to my iPod until nearly 5:30 a.m. The one good thing that came out of it was that I came up with a great idea for a music video. I'm getting giddy just thinking about it.
I'm very upset with the passing of so many people in the pass week. Last week, TV personality Ed McMahon, 1970s idol Farrah Fawcett, renowned sales pitchman Billy Mays, and the King of Pop himself Michael Jackson, all passed away. To see so many celebrities pass in one week is tragic. The two that really hit home however, were the deaths of MJ and Billy.
Growing up as a child, I remember listening to my dad's Michael Jackson cassettes. Everytime we were in the car, I would hear Billie Jean or Don't Stop Till You Get Enough, and it really stuck on me. I remember the first time seeing Michael perform, and see him do the moonwalk. It was such a mezmerizing thing to watch. I spent the next 10 years trying to imitate the moonwalk. Even when the accusations of child molestation were placed on him, I couldn't believe it. And I still don't. Michael had his eccentricities, yes, but I think he genuinely cared for children, sort of like a big brother. I just hate the media for twisting him around. His death was tragic, but I will greatly miss him. Not since Elvis or Princess Diana has the world been so deeply affected by a celebrity's death. A big part of our culture, and the music, passed on with him. But his memory will never pass on in our hearts. May he forever rest in peace.
Just last Saturday, I was further shocked to hear the Billy Mays had died in his home of a heart problem. Another childhood figure, I used to think he was a more aggressive version of Richard Karn's character of Al Borland, on Home Improvement. From Oxiclean to Orange Glo, from tv commercials to the series Pitchmen, he quickly became a household name. I was always entertained by the way he would use a loud voice and big hand gestures to try and sell me a product that I had absolutely no use for. And, to tell you the truth, 6 out of 10 times, it worked. We lost one of the greatest salesmen in the world. No one, especially not Vince Offer, can replace him. I will surely miss him a lot.
To those who have passed on, may you finally be at peace.
Ed McMahon: 1923-2009
Farrah Fawcett: 1947-2009
Michael Jackson: 1958-2009
Billy Mays: 1958-2009
Lately, I've been sleeping extremely late. I've been going to bed at 5 a.m. lately. Crazy, yes? I keep tossing and turning. Take last night for example. I laid in my bed, shut my eyes, and tried to fall asleep. But, like a blind man with enhanced hearing, I felt like I could hear the world. The creaking of the futon. The sound of a car. The whooshing noise of the wind passing through the freeway in my backyard.
Then, I started feeling uncomfortable. No position felt comfortable, whether I was laying on my back or face down in the pillow. Then, I kept messing with my blankets. One minute, my feet are hot, so I take my blanket off. Next thing I know, my feet are cold, so I put the blanket back. And the process continues until I'm wide awake again.
I ended up listening to my iPod until nearly 5:30 a.m. The one good thing that came out of it was that I came up with a great idea for a music video. I'm getting giddy just thinking about it.
I'm very upset with the passing of so many people in the pass week. Last week, TV personality Ed McMahon, 1970s idol Farrah Fawcett, renowned sales pitchman Billy Mays, and the King of Pop himself Michael Jackson, all passed away. To see so many celebrities pass in one week is tragic. The two that really hit home however, were the deaths of MJ and Billy.
Growing up as a child, I remember listening to my dad's Michael Jackson cassettes. Everytime we were in the car, I would hear Billie Jean or Don't Stop Till You Get Enough, and it really stuck on me. I remember the first time seeing Michael perform, and see him do the moonwalk. It was such a mezmerizing thing to watch. I spent the next 10 years trying to imitate the moonwalk. Even when the accusations of child molestation were placed on him, I couldn't believe it. And I still don't. Michael had his eccentricities, yes, but I think he genuinely cared for children, sort of like a big brother. I just hate the media for twisting him around. His death was tragic, but I will greatly miss him. Not since Elvis or Princess Diana has the world been so deeply affected by a celebrity's death. A big part of our culture, and the music, passed on with him. But his memory will never pass on in our hearts. May he forever rest in peace.
Just last Saturday, I was further shocked to hear the Billy Mays had died in his home of a heart problem. Another childhood figure, I used to think he was a more aggressive version of Richard Karn's character of Al Borland, on Home Improvement. From Oxiclean to Orange Glo, from tv commercials to the series Pitchmen, he quickly became a household name. I was always entertained by the way he would use a loud voice and big hand gestures to try and sell me a product that I had absolutely no use for. And, to tell you the truth, 6 out of 10 times, it worked. We lost one of the greatest salesmen in the world. No one, especially not Vince Offer, can replace him. I will surely miss him a lot.
To those who have passed on, may you finally be at peace.
Ed McMahon: 1923-2009
Farrah Fawcett: 1947-2009
Michael Jackson: 1958-2009
Billy Mays: 1958-2009
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)