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

This was sent in by a reader a couple of weeks ago, and I’ve been saving it for the World Cup, since this particular pudu looks like she’s in the middle of the most delightful chat about football:

I can only assume that this little one is cheering for Argentina, where many pudus live, and which has been doing very well.

Argentinian pudus particularly follow rugby, actually, since the team is called the Pumas, and pudus often mishear this and think everyone is yelling out support for the Pudus.

(Shh.  Don’t anybody tell.)

But pudus also love soccer.  And tomorrow, Argentina plays Germany in the quarter-finals.

"Vamos, vamos Argentina," sings this little pudu, hoping you’ll know the words and join in. "Vamos, vamos a ganar!"

Hope she’s still yakking away just as happily tomorrow after the game.

PS — no, pudus never really quite become soccer hooligans.  Even at their most fanatic, they’re still only about two feet tall.  So, pudooligans, maybe, tops.  But that’s still pretty cute.

The good news: Fox News Channel is going off the air.

The bad news: just in Mexico.  And only until the elections are over.

Dang.

But still.  I gotta get me to Tijuana.

Glib answer: To keep his pants up!

On second thought, ewwww.  Never mind.

In fact, please slap your computer right now, hard enough that my own will shake violently.  I need to get this image out of my head.

Ewwww.  Eeeeyeewwwww.

I’ve noticed, btw, that the wire story seems to be morphing before our eyes.  One early version

Again.