Was traveling for a few days.  Took a long 4th of July weekend, disconnected from the grid, and spent time with loved ones.

I hope any and all here had a similar great holiday.

Returning to LAX last night, my flight came in shortly after dusk, right during the peak period for the annual national blowing-shit-up demonstration.  So as the plane passed over the Los Angeles basin, I figured that maybe seven or eight or maybe even a dozen displays would be visible in the distance.

As always, my expectations were completely wrong.  Holy crap, was I wrong.

I have no idea how many people were setting off private backyard fireworks last night, but from the air it looked like hundreds.  I couldn’t even begin to count.  Bright white and multicolored streaks of light were shooting off everywhere.  The whole city seemed to be twinkling, so much so that it didn’t look quite real, like the sort of CGI effect you’d expect in a medium-budget action flick, just after the hero has saved the day and vanquished the would-be dictator/mass murderer/cable news magnate once and for all, and then the whole capital starts celebrating in the cheesiest way possible.

[Insert Comic Book Guy voice here.]  Best.  Fireworks show.  Ever.

Dawned on me that lots of fireworks in California are perfectly legal