Boom City!

Every year the husband and I end up at Boom City. I'm not sure how the tradition started, it's just been one of those things that we always end up doing. We always walk away feeling more alive than ever, and since we have never lived in a city together that allowed large fireworks, this is a great way to get the urge to blow sh*t up out of our system.

Boom City is on the Tulalip Indian Reservation. It is an expo for pyros- stall after stall full of fantastically colored fireworks at relatively inexpensive prices (bartering encouraged!). And if you're looking for some not so legal things (*cough* bombs and drugs *cough*) those can also be found. Although they're cracking down hard, for a good reason. Drugs in a place where you can light off explosives...? Yeah, not a great idea. This little slice of heaven is right along a monstrous field that is open to light off your newly purchased wares... it can become a bit of a war zone - children firing roman candles at each other, mortars (sometimes falling on their sides and shooting into the crowds- we see it at least twice whenever we go), and wind-blown fireworks that blow up too low to the ground, often next to someone's head (the first year it was me who this happened to... my ears rang for a week after).
This year they had a great staff of people who were wandering the area making sure nobody was getting too rowdy... and since we visited on the 2nd of July, less people were running around firing off stuff simultaneously... it felt like a much safer experience.

Can't picture it? Here's a video that nearly sums it up:

Need a bit of an adrenaline rush? Head out to Boom City just before sundown today, bring a lawn chair, dress warmly, and watch people blow up their money in celebration of our fine country. :) Hope you have a happy (and safe!) Fourth of July weekend!

A Car Named Jinx

Jinx. My little Jinx... There has never been a better name for a car.

So as you remember, our little brand new Mazda 2 was rear-ended a couple of weeks back at a stop light. Thankfully, the person who hit us was very kind and responsible, and has been nothing but amicable during the repair process.

I dropped off my car at the best auto shop we could find, and the car was scheduled for a two day repair. It was due to be finished on Tuesday. At around 4pm, I received a call from someone at the shop:

"Hello, Julie? You know how your car was slated to be finished today? Well... it was ready, but someone hit it in the parking lot."

Seriously? Seriously.

Apparently, the receptionist noticed an SUV pulling in next to my car, then backing out and driving off. Finding that odd, she went out, and noticed a brand new scrape along the whole back panel on the driver's side.

Thankfully, they're fixing it for free. But I can't help but wonder if buying a brand new car is simply asking for trouble. I'm not sure what it is about my Mazda2- it's so small, I figured it was a smaller target for people to hit, and that the odds would be in my favor.

We brought the car home on February 1st. This is what has happened thus far:

• Two cars involved in a serious collision in front of us (thankfully, proper following distance saved us from being a participant)
• Rear-ended at a stop light.
• Someone parked too close to us and knocked off about 2 inches of paint from the driver's side door. SUV height- go figure.
• Hit and run, with the back panel scraped up and dented in.
  

It. Hasn't. Even. Been. Two. Months.

What breaks my heart is that I love this car. This has been, by far, the most enjoyable car I've ever driven. It's the perfect fit for us. But I don't think I can take getting hit on a regular basis.

Drumroll, Please

Just returned from the auto body shop. The grand total is.... $694.83.

Good news? It's really not that much. And the guy who hit us has been a consummate gentleman. He admitted fault, has been extremely apologetic, nobody was hurt. And thankfully he was insured. Score.

The best news? We now have a name for the car.... Jinx.

According to the Wikipedia article: A jinx, in popular superstition and folklore, is:

• A type of curse placed on a person that makes them prey to many minor misfortunes and other forms of bad luck;
• A person afflicted with a similar curse, who, while not directly subject to a series of misfortunes, seems to attract them to anyone in his vicinity.
• An object/ person that brings bad luck.
• A common slang term used when two people say the same thing at the same time, said as a game among children.

Perfect.