I was sick on the fourth of july. Actually, I was sick on Tuesday, but I didn't realize this until after work. The office AC broke last week and the temperature has been steadily rising. Others were complaining about the heat and I felt totally fine, thanks to a low grade fever. On the holiday I felt like I had been hit by a truck, and no one was home and I had no medicine, so I spent the day in bed in what has to be the most boring 4th ever.

But how can you miss the fireworks when you're in the Nation's capital, likely the only time in my entire life?? So I dragged my diseased corpse down to the Mall at 8.45pm for the show at 9.10.

I was kind of late. The security line had swelled to huge proportions from like late comers.
So instead I sat at the back of the capitol building, a full 2 miles from the fireworks launch site, and behind the concert so I couldn't see that. But it was a decent view of the show, and it's where all the locals sat.

Afterwards I walked back. The Supreme Court was closed...officers wouldn't let people on the steps. Same for the other attractions in the area. The fourth of July is the city's emergency evacuation/deployment practice day so all 37 federal law enforcement agencies + their helicopters, bikes, dogs and segways went all out to keep us safe!