observations...

interesting 4th of july fact about me: i LOVE the smell of sulfur that fireworks give off... totally allergic to sulfur. how odd.

this 4th of july, i was fortunate enough to spend it with some pretty awesome people. my friend meghann was in town, and my former roomie amie was there with her bf and some friends, and of course the jefe was present as well. we decided to brave the crowds and go down to the waterfront to check things out before the big fireworks show.

once we arrived at the big fountain in the heart of the waterfront, we stood about and looked around at what was happening around us. there was a hispanic child who decided to breakdance and do a backwards somersault, and in return received $5. there were some girls who, on a particularly breezy 4th, decided to let people guess whether or not they were wearing shorts under their long-ish shirts... i dont really like that guessing game, especially if the girls look about 14. ugh.

and then i look over and i see a girl who looks to be about 4. her blond hair looks unwashed and her sweats are torn. she is looking at the fountain longingly and i can tell she wants to go in, despite the chilly breeze. she is looking at the water excitedly, then looks at her mom for approval. her mom, with a cigarette hanging from her lip, reluctantly bends down and begins to roll up the torn sweats so she can walk a little ways into the water. the mother walks away and back to where she was originally sitting, which was with a group of transients with backpacks and their own cigarettes in the mouth. they are watching the child, and she still won't go in the water, but she still has a smile on her face. suddenly, one of the transients felt she needed a little "push", takes a firecracker and sets it off literally a foot away from the child. i was about 6 feet away and i jumped because it was so loud. she looks at the firecracker, looks at her mother, and understandably bursts into tears. "don't ask me to help you again!" says the non-sober transient to the hysterical child, and walks away. the mother chuckles at the man's comment, bends down, unrolls the child's sweats since she isn't going near the water now, takes her arm and walks away with the other transients and their overpacked backpacks. it broke my heart, to see a child that won't get support from parents in school, that you can almost predict what will happen to her and she's only 4. makes me sick.

and now, in vast comparison from what i witnessed the 4th of july, as i sit in starbucks, i see a boy of about 11 who walks in with his dad and grandpa. he runs into the display because he is so focused on his nintendo DS. he does not look up when asked what he wants from the cashier. he plops down at a table, and does not say thank you when his dad brings him his plate of food and ignores him when he says "lets sit outside, it's nice out". grandpa comes by and tells him they are going outside, and the boy rolls his eyes and tries, unsuccessfully, to carry his drink, food, and DS. and then, what a novel idea, he sticks the DS in his pocket, and he is none too happy about it. now outside, the boy is not involved in any conversation with his dad or grandpa who have tried to involve him. he slurps his drink and eats his food in nintendo-induced silence. i want to smack him.