Rant #1,241: Happy July 4

Hey, it's summertime!

Let's all go into the water!

Let's barbecue until we are blue in the face!

Well, we will have that opportunity tomorrow, as it is July 4, Independence Day, and most of us have off from work.

One problem, at least in my neck of the woods.

Tomorrow is literally supposed to be one of the 10 worst days of the year, a very humid, rainy day where the best place for any of us will be indoors.

This is all courtesy of Tropical Storm Arthur, which is drunkenly moving up the East Coast, teetering on becoming a hurricane, and wreaking havoc in its path (get the "drunken" reference, Dudley and Liza?).

Anyway, tomorrow is supposed to be a horror of a day, so what do you do when you are stuck at home with nothing to do?

Well first, cherish the day--I mean, how many paid days off do we get?

Second, there is always the TV, the Internet, the radio ... there will be a lot of special programming tomorrow, a lot of marathons, so take your pick.

Third, cherish being with your family, even if you are doing nothing. At least you are all together, not scattered about like on a normal Friday.

And finally, because of the calendar this year, July 4 is actually the first day of a legitimate holiday three-day weekend ... so you can relax for three days straight.

I don't know about you, but it has been so busy at my work that I am looking at the three days almost like a mini-vacation from the nonsense I have put up with there.

And you can watch fireworks on TV. I have never been a real fireworks person, never really that into all the booms and bangs that these things cause--and the horror they can cause when in the wrong hands--but the safest place to watch these things is from a distance, anyway, and that is what TV is for.

So even if the day is a washout like it probably will be for many people in the northeastern part of the country, enjoy the day.

Funny, the next two days after Friday are supposed to be nice, so if I have to, I will push back the celebration of the holiday a day, and really get into the summer spirit.

So enjoy the holiday, and no, I won't be here tomorrow, either, so I will speak to you again on Monday.

Have a great holiday and a great weekend.