04 July 2007

Merry Independence Day













The Pakistani scheduling engineer who sits next to me wished me a happy 4th of July on his way out the door, which absolutely made my day. It meant a lot that someone who wasn't from the US was willing to give me an emotional high-five after a long day at work, while all my friends back home sleep in...

Things I (Brandon) miss most about the 4th of July:

1. Sleeping in / Day off from work in the middle of the week
2. Going to the pool or park
3. BBQ with family and friends (with PORK sausage and TX beef patties)
4. Fireworks
5. The Televised PBS Special "A Capitol Fourth" - look for it tonight if you've never experienced it... usually televised before the fireworks start in TX and AZ.

What are some of your favorite Fourth Festivities?

Sheri and some other expat wives (ironically a Brit and Aussie) have organized a Fifth of July party tomorrow night to help us cope with the loss of America's birthday here in Qatar. My American Flag shirt is already ironed... now if I can just find the fireworks souq.

PS - I've added a list on the sidebar to track the best "natural" 5 song shuffle that my iPod produces on its own... quite a challenge. See if you can create a better "natural" 5 song shuffle.

4 comments:

Brent said...

Mr. Double Seven and Mr. Double Seven.

Happy 4th a day late. It is so good to be first again.

Cameron Lawrence said...

I've never been one to step down from a natural-shuffle challenge.. En garde:

"Niagra Falls Final" - Sufjan Stevens
"Surfing on a Rocket" - Air
"California" - Copeland
"Breaking My Heart Again" - Aqualung
"Superconnected" - Broken Social Scene

Okay, all together an enjoyable mix. Not ideal, but hey, we're going natural here. Right?

BTW, Broken Social Scene. Man, I forgot how great they are.

Happy 5th of July, my friend.

Bullwinkel said...

You forgot one of the most enjoyed pastimes of the 4th - Beer. I'm so disappointed.

Tim Gwynn said...

Must be odd celebrating the 4th in Doha. Actually it can be pretty odd celebrating the 4th in the US (especially in the South). Anyways, up for the challenge as well, my natural shuffle is...

Damn - Matchbox Twenty
Yeah! - Usher
Love You Madly - Cake
This Is Your Life - Switchfoot
This is How We Do It - Montell Jordan

Yeah, it's straight up random, with 90s well represented. Not sure if it's the best mix, but it's the first 5 songs that graced my run today!