I know I promised a music blog. I know. But this has to come first.
I normally hate the 4th of July. Not because I'm anti-freedom or anti-U.S. or something ... I mean, I've never been brought before a committee to defend my right as an American to hate America. I've never named names. Damn that Elia Kazan. I will NOT applause when he gets his Lifetime Achievement Oscar. ... Wait ... What? ... He already did? Why didn't Ed Harris call me?
Anyway, the 4th of July is not a favorite mostly because it is always 217 degrees outside by 8 a.m. and I usually spend most of the day trying to be traditional and have fun and do things just because the calendar says I should. Eventually someone gets drunk at the family BBQ and makes a fool of themselves in front of the guests, the home fireworks display kills a family pet or lights something expensive on fire and kids run amuck unsupervised (all 63 of them). When it's all over there is only the splatter of ketchup stains on clothes and concrete to tell historians that a skirmish happened and there were no survivors. Okay, so the drunk guy is usually me. Leave it alone.
And then there is Stadium of Fire which deserves its own blog entry to do my hatred of it justice.
This year many locales celebrated the holiday on Saturday, a full two days before July 4th. It was easy for me to avoid the festivites because they happend under the radar and mixed in seamlessly with my normal routine. My nephew Holden was the only one in the family that carried the torch of Independence Day by insisting that he light fireworks off constantly from Friday to Monday.
So Saturday I was out with three friends of mine and never once did we feel like we were missing out on the 4th. Because it wasn't the 4th even though Utah wanted it to be. We ate dinner, saw a movie, played cards, went home. Nice. Then Sunday came and I attended a BBQ at my mom's house and no one caused any problems, no one felt the pressure of making the holiday sparkle. We ate, chatted, played some football, went home. Then came Monday. I had to work for a few hours so right off the bat I forgot it was July 4th. At about 1 p.m. I went with my brother and his two kids to the West Desert to ride motorcylces. We put on our helmets, rode the trails, got some sun and ... then I totally wiped out on a solo run and trashed the whole right side of my body.
I'm a beginner at riding motorcylces and I've never been a hot shot but this crash was the result of me being overly confident in my ability. I was darting up a trail when I came to the crest of the hill. Very quickly I realized that a) I was going too fast and b) that I didn't really know what was beyond my line of sight. So, I attempted to slow down while at the same time trying to navigate the maze of 8-10 inch high rocks that now dotted the path in front of me. Their jutting icebergian peaks waiting to make me the next Titanic. I manuvered around a few but, as my speed hadn't dropped enough, my luck ran out and I hit a big one. The mini-boulder stopped the motorcycle and sent me airborne for a second. Then I hit the dirt and gravel and desert plants with a mighty "fughgewahhaaknnng." My first thought was, "I wonder what' limb is broken." Then, "Owwwww. Ohhhh. Shit. Ahhhhhh. Damnit." Then I rolled over into a sticker bush. Then, "Awwwwahhhh!" And finally, "It'd be hilarious of a rattlesnake bit me right now."
I eventually got up and inspected my wounded frame. The victim (me) sustained lacerations on the palm of his hand, forearm, knee and shoulder as well as inbedded dirt and gravel in said wounds and major bruising on upper arm, shoulder, knee and thigh (which showed up later). I was wearing a helmet but I think I was concussed. At least slightly. When I stood up to dust myself off and inspect the cycle, I nearly fainted. I had that feeling where you might throw up and your vision seems to be closing in on you. You know that one? So I took some deep breaths. I never did faint but the journey back to the truck/trailer was filled with at least 4 more of those near-passing-out episodes. One while I was coasting on the bike with the motor off because it wouldn't start. Why was my body trying to faint? It wasn't like I had lost a liter of blood or anything. Maybe it was the heat. I eventually made it back and drank a crapload of water. When we got home, I dressed my wounds the best I could, took some Aleve and slept for 3 hours. When I woke up I ate something and watched some TV that "Ted" the DVR had saved for me.
And you know what, people? It was the best 4th of July I'd had in a looooong time.
