Holiday Highlights: Attended small town USA 4th of July parade yesterday, wasn't as small and short as I thought it would be. Rows and rows of various lawn seatery line the street sides, red white and blue balloons all over, this was a bigger thing for the locals than I thought it was going to be, I'm not a local so what do I know? Duck into a parade route bar for a cold one with my compadre, place is completely packed, "Mars Attacks" is on the super station, ha, they disintegrated Congress! Back into the hotness, I have no hat, no sunscreen, I'm really going to burn. Parade starts, VFW vets, fire trucks, boy scouts, christian group, most beautiful baby, Queen of the parade, 1st runner-up, 2nd runner-up, 3rd runner-up etcetc, fire trucks, girl scouts, clowns, classic cars, politicians,
local pizza chain car, local hospital singers, Boss Hogg motorcycle club, christian group, very happy tailwaggin fire station dogs, high school marching band, Uncle Sam, polka band pulled by truck, Civil War reinactors w/cannon, firetruck, firemens' band, drill teams, majorettes, cheerleaders, highschool marching band, christian group w/rock band pulled by truck, clowns on stilts, everybody throwing candy, and a llama, thats right a llama. Nice weather for a parade, not a bad thing to take in this July 4th, 2002. oh, later watched the Boston Pops perform the 1812 Overture through the miracle of television.

HotHotHot...perfect day to work some, buy new shoes and do laundry at the laundromat. Needed new foot coverings badly, bought new white basic NB crosstrainers and a nice pair of NB black walking shoes, eyed up sexy green Diesel (tm) tennis shoes, I think I'll go back and get them soon. Spent some time at Castle Caladan with House Atreides and then with the Baron of House Harkonnen while watching my sock collection roll again and again drying. I think those Harkonnens are up to no good...more later. Late dinner at Super China Buffet, run gauntlet of heat mutants on the walk back...sweat.

Thank heaven for 7-11...To hot to stay inside, decide to take a late night walk toward the campus/business place. Usual bands of bus waiters, street people rocking back and forth and wearing mexican hats, shady agents, etcetc. I pass the Authentic and think about getting a hot dog but the crowd looks too rough and I don't feel like fighting, besides their dogs aren't all that, the fries however are a different story. I decide to stop at the less active 7-11 to scout out some bad food, I decide on two wrapped chicken rolls that have been on the griller for probably too long, a evil looking pastry from the Atlanta Breads display and some Welch's grape juice. I watch the woman in front of me spend $33 on six premade saranwrapped hoagies, a gallon of fruit drink and a large bag of Lays potato chips..wow..I don't feel as bad now. Walking back I pass an abandoned shopping cart that a few hours earlier was the place where Bible thumpers were passing out tracks to salvation, I try to make a connection between them but I can't. Past the action, I decide to plop down and devour my convenience store repast, across from me Galileo and Michelangelo from the museum seem relatively uninterested. Gather mess, march back home, still hot.