Sally 4th!

Oh boy! It's "a bunch of dumbshits set off flammable bombs in the alley and possibly light the yard on fire again" weekend! Happy patriotism day/time for several catnaps a day weekend!

The festivities apparently began last night, when fireworks (which felt like they were in the room with us) went until about 3 a.m. Tonight, I am expecting them to keep going until about 6 a.m. based on previous experience. I might just go ahead and water the lawn before bed. Just in case... 

We had grand plans to go see a drone show this evening. Had.

Drones! I hate fireworks for a variety of reasons. They are awful for the air quality, awful for native wildlife, awful for pets, awful for people with sensory sensitivities and PTSD, and they run off nasty chemicals into the water (yes, it's been tested). I know I know, be more "fun" and traumatize some birds and blow off a finger or two! Bite me. I didn't get any sleep last night and I'm not in a mood to be pleasant. 

I'm not against the artful use of pyrotechnics - I just prefer it on a more personal professional level

 But drones are cool. And somehow just not nearly as popular. Case in point: the drone show was cancelled. Ah well. 

We're now debating whether it's worth trying to see some of the accursed fireworks or just hide in a room with blackout curtains and several layers of ear protection. Debates are ongoing. 

Not on fire... yet?

Definitely we'll watch some World Cup games though. 

 My July has so far been dominated by The World Cup and I'd like to keep this going. It's fun, because it's usually the only time I can get anyone else interested in watching soccer with me. I used to follow the European Leagues. Went through a phase with the British Leagues. Watched some MLS. But it's always kind of lonely and usually requires an extra streaming subscription. So, yay, shared fandom experience!

 Fun fact about "soccer"/Football. Actually, the British coined the term soccer, not us yanks after all. 

 "Football" - in some form or other - had been around for quite some time, but there wasn't a lot of consistency around what exactly it was other than some key ingredients: a ball of some sort, kicking shit, and attacking each other in some way or other. 

Around the 1860's, two major camps developed: the rugby style that allowed players to carry the ball, and a form closer to what we recognize now as soccer/football. Two associations formed around that time to set official association rules for rugby and association soccer.

 Oxford college students in the 1880s differentiated between the two by calling them rugger and asoccer (which was apparently short for association and don't ask me how that scans - I'm not British enough to follow). Over time, it was shortened to soccer and became a nickname for what's more solidly known as football most places. Rugger eventually became rugby and soccer was still football.

 Meanwhile, while soccer and rugby were developing in England, Americans developed a variation on rugby and soccer that developed into gridiron football. (AKA NFL type football). Over time, this was shortened to just football and so association football distinguished itself as soccer when it made its way to the United States. 

Other countries also have their own regional versions of football, and soccer is more commonly the term in these locations for the international football version. Canada has its own gridiron football. Ireland has gaelic football. Australia has Australian rules football. 

Japan refers to the game as both sakkā_ (サッカー) and futtobōru (フットボール). 

In Italy, the game is called Calcio (derived from the word for "kick"). In Samoa, it's called soka. 

And so on. 

Anyways, what I mean to say is that - as is often the case when a British person wonders why American accents or vocabulary does something different than modern British - it's because the British used to and then they decided to stop but nobody sent us the memo. We are so retro!

You're welcome. Also, it's been a really good Cup. Seattle has hosted admirably without a ton of local impact or bad traffic (knock on wood). And there's some just bonkers upsets or valiant battles. I'm thoroughly hooked at this point. Croatia's loss broke me, and Cabo Verde's stand against Argentina made my whole again! Damn, it's a good year. 

Anyways, other than soccerballerrugfoot, Allan and I celebrated another girl's (long) weekend with a variety of outings, including a multi-hour playdate that culminated in Allan's first ever visit to an ice cream truck, well, van I guess.

 I didn't have cash, so another parent spotted her. Apparently, I should carry cash again? I haven't done this in years. I have a twenty dollar bill on the fridge that somebody gave me to pay me back for somethingorother maybe 4 years ago. I am keeping it like a card to rememebr them by far more than actual legal tinder. 

Oh, Andrew eventually came back on "staycation" so I could actually go to an appointment in person. So I went in for what I would like to nominate as a contender most pointless appointment to have in person. This is an accomplishment, since I've been to many pointless in person visits that involve shaking hands, the doctor saying "everything good?" and then us shaking hands again.

 Every time I do telehealth, I wonder if I'm cheating myself of care, but every time I go ahead and drive down into Seattle and find parking etc., I can honestly say... no. Obvious exceptions include things that are urgent or require "swabs". But otherwise... well.. I went in for an issue I'm already seeing a PT for since I'm apparently supposed to do this. She basically said "ok, keep seeing the PT". Which is fine, but since it had been suggested this should be an in-person visit by the staff, I'm a little miffed about the whole thing.

I also have a rash on my hip. This is very in the realm of normal shit that happens to me, but it felt timely that it would happen just before I could actually go in and have somebody look at it instead of my usual strategy of self-treating and waiting to see if it goes away. The doctor literally shrugged and said if it's still there in two weeks, we can consult a dermatologist online. So I just made a dermatologist appointment for two weeks. Not my dermatologist  - the one with whom I had previously scheduled an annual appointment next week which was then subsequently cancelled because the doctor had to be somewhere and I can't reschedule because they have no online portal and nobody answers the phones ever - but somebody in Burien who wasn't booked out until September. 

So I guess if the rash clears up I can just get my regular appointment with some rando. I swear every year, it's a new dermatologist and other cast of specialists!

Aaaaaaanyways...

Because June blessedly complied with our Juneuary expectations, everything is still fecund and verdant out and about. The yard is lovely, the walkways in our neighborhood are heaving with life and bird song and butterflies. As much as I hate summer, it's pretty sweet. 

I know, I know, our time will come. It's already heating back up again. But it's been a nice respite from an abnormally warm year so far in Washington weather. 

Wishing everyone a happy 4th for all who enjoy exploding shit in the sky. And for those who like to sleep at night, solidarity. I hope your earplugs are strong!