best indep day ever, kwik e mart, paprika

i can tell you in two words what made this fourth particularly enjoyable: cool temperatures. well, cool for summer temps. when it's only in the lower 80's (20's in c) with blue, blue skies, it's hard NOT to get outside and enjoy it.

leff and i thought that wed would be as good a time as any to drop by the seattle qwik e mart on denny. on the way there, we caught a glimpse of the naturalization ceremony at the center.



i'll risk sounding corny, but this was actually a stirring sight. particularly with so many people being quietly respectful.

it was, therefore, quite a contrasting scene at the qwik e mart. it is, after all, hard to keep your cool when you're walking into a freakin' store that didn't exist in rl until now! can you smell the awesomeness? it smells like my cat's breath. i.e. like cat food.







leff and i each got squishees and we took a six pack of buzz cola home. (it tastes kinda' like over syruped rc cola.) we both have more photos, if you're interested.

i asked the guy at the counter how busy it had been since the movie tie-in started. he said that things hadn't slowed down since the store had been converted. he's also, understandably, really sick of the whole thing. poor guy.

back at home, leff and i devoured some chili dogs.



i don't think that i've had hot dogs on the 4th since i was, oooh, 13? that would've be the 4th when my brother got hit in the face with a baseball at a picnic and had to go to the hospital. (accidents happen when my family tries to do anything remotely by the book on holidays.)

i got to see the fireworks from the er/ae entrance but he wasn't so lucky what with the stitches and all.

but back to 2007. this year, i watched the fireworks on my own terms. and by that i mean with all the other childless people. i cannot stress how wonderful it is to watch 'splosions over buildings with no tiny people screaming, crying and my not having to worry about whether or not i say the word "fuck". bliss.





last night, n and m dropped by. we had dinner at mecca and then caught "paprika".



i'm not really going to be able to explain this movie very well to you. it's drop dead gorgeous and i WILL own it when it comes out on dvd. but, um, yes...the plot...uh, it has a lot to do with dreaming and shared consciousness. to tell you more would ruin the experience. so i'll say this: if you like animation, SEE PAPRIKA.

if you don't, uhm, you know, don't...

right. i have a diorama that's not going to make itself so i'll see you on monday!