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F.O.P (Fresh Off da Plane)
POSTED:Sat, July 5, 2008 @ 6:54PM
Slept much better this yearOn the mainland, or more specifically in my hometown on Lake Superior, nobody needs a calendar to know when the Fourth of July is coming.I spent two-thirds of my life in the blue-collar, tough-nosed town of Duluth. In Minneapolis, where I went to college -- but not the 'burbs where I attended high school -- I don't think I ever slept all the way through the night for the week leading up to and then the week after the Fourth. Firecrackers. Cherry bombs. Bottle rockets. And, especially, ear-drum shattering mortars. The big bright stuff. Yeah, I also pointed my share of beer bottles at cousins and then lit the fuse with a cigarette borrowed from an aunt or uncle. I fondly remember buying M80s with my dad out of some guy's trunk in the Goodwill parking lot. That's how you did it, you'd go up to one of the myriad Black Cat tents set up the week before the holiday, ignore the sparklers and snakes and ask "for the good stuff." Thus, the drive to some vacant parking lot (Unfortunately, I bet that sort of scenario to buy or sell something illegal inspired a lot of my childhood friends who are now doing time.). All night and day for two weeks up and down the city's hillside avenues. Boys and girls. Men and women. Friends and strangers light 'em up. I think the cops only came if someone losses a finger. Some neighbors complain, but most, like me, accept it as a personal celebration of explosives that comes along with being Red, White and Blue Americans, baby. It is different here, but not because Hawaii residents don't like explosives or being American. They just get their fill at New Year's. My friends and colleagues said it's a reflection of the Asian culture here that reserves its fountains and Roman candles for New Year's. I missed the big party this year 'cause I was home for a winter visit. But I hear that the island is covered in its own cloud of sulfur. But I seriously can't wait to not to be able to see my hand in front of my face on Dec. 31.
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Chris Hamilton Reporter Chris Hamilton is a University of Minnesota-Twin Cities School of Journalism graduate. In his 12-year career, he wrote and edited for his college paper, The Minnesota Daily, and researched for the Minneapolis Star Tribune full time, at times. His beats included cops, courts, politics and City Hall as well as plenty of feature writing for the Duluth News Tribune. Ham's hometown paper. During that time, he also wrote for the DNT's former parent company, Knight Ridder Newspapers as well as the St. Paul Pioneer Press. He is still officially a stringer for The New York Times, but they haven't called in a while. Hamilton also covered the Red Lake School Shootings and Hurricane Katrina and embedded with the U.S. military in Iraq. He currently is a government reporter for The Maui News. He is also learning to surf. Badly. And play inline hockey. Even worse. He really wants to figure out a way to cross the West Maui Mountains on foot, but only after he naps. A lot.
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