July 11th

UPDATE: Go get your free slurpee!

Happy July 11th to all you who need wished a happy July 11th. Steeped in tradition and dating back to some time in high school, my Denver friends have always celebrated with a giant party on July 11th. It's like a real holiday, one that doesn't get shoved to a weekend if it happens to fall on a Tuesday, one that could easily be dropped, but that is carried on by someone every year. The date was chosen at random for the first party, but it ended up corresponding with several big events in people's lives, so apocryphal tales grew about the "meaning" of the day and its origins, which serve to heighten its importance in everyone's minds. The first couple years we threw the party, 7-11 decided to do a promotion, selling small $.07 and $.11 Slurpees, so the parties were littered with sunken Slurpees and pink straws. Once my friend's car broke at the 7-11, and we had to call his dad to come rescue us and--more importantly--the 50 or so Slurpees we had in the trunk of the car. This year, festivities are happening as usual, though I won't be there for them. In fact, I can't really remember the last July 11th party I attended, which is kind of sad. Anyone want to have a July 11th happy hour? Ah, I'm old.

My alarm didn't go off this morning, which makes it twice in two weeks that it's failed to do so. The first time, I thought maybe I just slept through it or turned it off without fully waking up, but that's very unlike me. I have a more persistent notion that the planned obsolescence on the cheap clock radio kicked in and it's just sliding into it's small, mechanical grave. I would like to replace it with some sort of fancy alarm clock that makes bird sounds or gradually lightens the room or something, but I imagine my $5 will end up on another Duane Reade contraption. Hmm, I just got my $5 Rewards from Duane Reade; perhaps this is part of a bigger conspiracy.

I would really like to go on a trip. Summer is settling in around me and I think if I don't make it to a swimming pool this year, something might die inside me. Krista would like to rent a hotel room for a night just to use the pool during the day. The idea is really tempting. I would like someone to tell me they are taking me on a surprise vacation (not in a kidnapping kind of way) or pay me to go cover an eating competition in California or something. I want to stay in a hotel with clean sheets and drive a rental car and eat at some restaurant the locals love. I need a little shakeup.