Posted by Matches on July 02, 2001 at 16:53:43:
Sitting right in the middle of this week is the American holiday known to Yanks and Rebs alike as the Fourth of July. Yes sir, this Wednesday is Independence Day.
In my world, Independence Day is a grand day. My experience of most of my twenty-one 4th of Julys has led me to really view the Day as a microcosm of the Whole of Summer Itself. It starts out slow, and you're not really sure what to do or how things go. But as the time passes you begin to pick up speed, you see more and more people whose company enjoy, and soon you're leaping up and down on a trampoline of constant fun and exhiliration.
I never wanted it to end. Of all the days of the year, the one I never want to end the most is the Fourth of July. To the question "How long can you sit at stare at a fire while other people are engaged in conversation that occassionally includes you?" I answer with an emphatic "Forever."
But no, it doesn't last Forever. Which is at times upsetting but it certainly has to be tolerable because that's the nature of things.
I may or may not be going to a batting practice tonight, with some of my co-workers. We have entered a competition in which there are several events that companies in the area compete in. I can reliably strike a baseball with reasonable significance, and let there never be any doubt that I enjoy displaying the skills that I do possess to other people. Standing in a batting cage and having a machine Lob baseballs toward you at the relaxing speed of 54 miles an hour is an incredibly enjoyable experience for me. To the question "How long could you stand in a batting cage and wallop baseballs Lobbed at a speed of 54 miles and hour?" I answer with a true smile "Forever."
But the coin you put in the machine only buys you 18 pitches. 18 is not enough.
Which is partly the reason I am excited that my roommate, who owns the house I know live in, has made the bold claim that he will build a batting cage right in our Back Yard. He bought long pieces of wood and they lay resting in our back yard. There's no nails in them yet, and though I can't see a batting cage ever coming to be without nails, it will take more than a few nails. I am not what you would call a very Handy person. No, I do not construct things with my bare hands, and saws intimidate me. My performance yesterday in trying to put a desk together had my grandfather rolling over in his grave, and though it's sad to have performed in such a way that had my grandfather roll over in his grave, I must admit that it is nice to have that sort of connection. I didn't know my grandfather very well, mostly because he spoke little English, but I know that he was an old guy and he did carpentry. How different or similar the two of us are, is one thing that I will never know, but I do know this: He did carpentry, and I do not.