At first I had every intention of putting in a full day’s work on the holiday. Then I promised Tammy last night that even though I wouldn’t be going to her block party festival gala tonight, I wouldn’t spend today working. Then I decided that I could keep my promise by working half a day, because that wouldn’t be spending the whole day at it.

Then the Boss faxed me a note requesting that I create a new form for Tim so he can conduct safety meetings with his crew. This is something we were supposed to be doing all along, of course. It’s a government requirement, and I think we’ve checked the box on forms saying that we do it, even though we don’t. So I’m all for it, except that I sort of resented the request coming on the Fourth of Freaking July.

So I did the form, which was pretty simple, actually. But I won’t fax it back to him until tomorrow, and I won’t fax him any of the other things I want him to have today, and I decided then and there not to do anything else today. Instead I celebrated my country’s independence from England by watching a rebroadcast of the game between Manchester United and Chelsea from last November. And a little baseball, although that’s a painful subject these days, with the Giants in last place and all.

This is the way to spend the holiday, staying in and protecting the home front. Fireworks are illegal in the unincorporated part of the county where I live, but in past years that hasn’t made any difference to some of the people who live on my road. I heard a few pops and whistles before the sun went down, but it was eerily quiet after dark. Too quiet. I wonder what those dang kids are up to, if they’re not blowing things up in the dry fields behind their houses.