Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Independent Thought

Heading into this 4th of July weekend my mind drifts back to last year. I spent half the day in Urgent Care after an unfortunate meeting between a brick and my little toe…the brick won. My wife and I had just enjoyed the Scripps Ranch parade, always a hoot, catching up with old friends and viewing the creative floats. As we walked down to Hoyt Park to mingle with our fellow ranchers, I caught my toe on the aforementioned brick which leaned onto the sidewalk from someone’s yard. I announced that I believed I had broken my toe. My wife wasn’t buying it because of my quiet demeanor. Apparently she was looking for more of a rhythmically-challenged spastic contestant from “So You Think You Can Dance.” I was able to convince her once she saw my toe sticking out at a forty-five degree angle to my foot! Now, this year with all my toes pointing in the right direction, I wonder how to celebrate the independence of this great country. Perhaps a display of fireworks? Oh, that’s right, they’re being cancelled due to their hazardous environmental impact. Ok, I’ll just run down to the bay and take part in “Floatopia.” Of course, because of new city ordinance, I’ll have to paddle my inner-tube three miles out to sea to partake in an adult beverage. I could shuttle over to the San Diego County Fair at Del Mar. The only problem with that, besides the name being way too long, is I’ll need to first stop by the bank for a small loan to afford my deep-fried Snickers bar and slushy ice-puppy. On second thought, with my recent history of masonry/digit confrontation, the price of gasoline on the rise, both the Chargers and Padres heading into a dark storm of DEA investigations, and Larry King hanging up his suspenders, maybe it’s wiser this year to just stay home and work on the release of my second chakra.

                                            Daniel J McAuliffe
                                            Scripps Ranch
                                            6-30-10
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all

Previous article

San Diego Reader 2024 Music & Arts Issue

Favorite fakers: Baby Bushka, Fleetwood Max, Electric Waste Band, Oceans, Geezer – plus upcoming tribute schedule

Heading into this 4th of July weekend my mind drifts back to last year. I spent half the day in Urgent Care after an unfortunate meeting between a brick and my little toe…the brick won. My wife and I had just enjoyed the Scripps Ranch parade, always a hoot, catching up with old friends and viewing the creative floats. As we walked down to Hoyt Park to mingle with our fellow ranchers, I caught my toe on the aforementioned brick which leaned onto the sidewalk from someone’s yard. I announced that I believed I had broken my toe. My wife wasn’t buying it because of my quiet demeanor. Apparently she was looking for more of a rhythmically-challenged spastic contestant from “So You Think You Can Dance.” I was able to convince her once she saw my toe sticking out at a forty-five degree angle to my foot! Now, this year with all my toes pointing in the right direction, I wonder how to celebrate the independence of this great country. Perhaps a display of fireworks? Oh, that’s right, they’re being cancelled due to their hazardous environmental impact. Ok, I’ll just run down to the bay and take part in “Floatopia.” Of course, because of new city ordinance, I’ll have to paddle my inner-tube three miles out to sea to partake in an adult beverage. I could shuttle over to the San Diego County Fair at Del Mar. The only problem with that, besides the name being way too long, is I’ll need to first stop by the bank for a small loan to afford my deep-fried Snickers bar and slushy ice-puppy. On second thought, with my recent history of masonry/digit confrontation, the price of gasoline on the rise, both the Chargers and Padres heading into a dark storm of DEA investigations, and Larry King hanging up his suspenders, maybe it’s wiser this year to just stay home and work on the release of my second chakra.

                                            Daniel J McAuliffe
                                            Scripps Ranch
                                            6-30-10
Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.