Have Fun!

Happy Fourth of July, folks (at the very least, this should be applicable to our American readers)! Get your game on, with the extended weekend being celebrated across the U.S. Or get your barbie fired up, for you fans of BBQ grilling. Or just relax and let other people do things for you!

A lot of the local news and national news outlets have been reporting that travel plans have improved for this year, not because of an improving economy, but because many people have voiced their frustrations at waiting for things to get better when they apparently are not. As a result, the sense of stir-craziness that has been brewing and intensifying seems to have hit a boiling point, and the public has decided that its time to “get out there” and do something fun.

But, Seriously… Have Fun!

But even if you haven’t left town, you should do something fun. Unwind during these heady days of summer. Have a ball. Eat some exotic foods. Go dancing at a local club. Even try some online gaming with players from around the world. Make some new friends!

N.B.

Read the other Independence Day entries.

Sure there are other countries that celebrate their independence days on other days in the year, but today is the Independence Day for the United States of America.

This year, as many of you have already experienced, the observed federal holiday began yesterday, July 3rd, due to the fact that the 4th of July occurs on a weekend.

Nevertheless, today is the formal day of observance.

Have the Times Changed?

If you recall last year’s meandering about this day, the vacation involved a lot of people managing their free time as “staycations”. The U.S. economy has not improved significantly enough for most people to “get out of Dodge”, as it were, so staycations remain high on the list of places to go… However, the food spread may be more extravagant where you are.

And for the folks who have managed to get out of town, the discounting that has been going on in the travel industry over the past few months is starting to bear fruit for those savvy entrepreneurs who have brought their lodging and entertainment charges to consumers down to reasonable, affordable levels– in stark contrast to their exorbitant rates from a mere two years ago. Likewise, while the air fare wars are not as dramatic as seen in previous years, there was some appreciable discounting between certain airline brands, while the discount airlines continue to do well in pricing and availability.

Relaxation

So, take it easy, folks! Enjoy this extended weekend.

Happy Fourth of July!

… Er, oh, yeah… so, not all of you Avid Readers are “American“, so this federal/secular holiday may be somewhat stupifying.

Go figure.

In addition to fireworks displays and parades, there’s the tradition of massive, hopefully delicious (and edible) barbecues held by families and friends across the nation. However, for some odd reason, I always feel somewhat tired by this time of year, so except for a bit of BBQ pork and chicken, I tend to head back to the lab and keep hacking.

Go figure.

This year, there’s a sort of national anxiety tied to the current financial crises, so a lot of folks have opted to stay at home, to have “staycations” rather than a bona fide vacation away from home. This means that there is a LOT more local traffic clogging the highways and byways, leading to greater distresses over the fuel prices and wasted time. Perhaps the illusion of saving time and money is more comforting than actually saving time and money… Maybe this holiday would be an excellent occasion to just take a collective deep breath and R-E-L-A-X.

Go figure.