"Muldoon knew."

...this was, absurdly, the most frequently heard phrase by yours truly at a gathering this past July 4th. Visiting friends-of-a-friend were there, drinking lots of Tecate, and at some point Jurassic Park became the topic of conversation, after which there seemed to be no going back. The most contentious point became whether or not Muldoon knew how the raptors were going to behave when he hunted them.



i feel like he certainly wouldn't have willingly walked into his own death (i.e. "knew"), although on the other hand maybe he simply realized his bell was tolling and wanted to go out doing what he loved (observing the habits of large game), and had no idea what he was truly in for.

As the empty red cans multiplied on that end of the table, i wondered if the heated conversation would ever end. On a side note, i would totally wear this T-shirt:



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Other highlights from the afternoon:

~A cantaloupe was passed around with a Sharpie. We drew the continents of the world on it, rather competently, until someone passed it to a drunken P., who attempted to draw Asia with non-political lines. When he passed it back, the whole thing had suddenly become unintelligible.

~On the succulent-covered hillside a few feet away from our outdoor table, a lizard's severed tail lay covered in ants. Apparently the cat had had an interesting lunch. i heard that the tail twitched for almost ten whole minutes. It was actually pretty beautiful, covered in precise geometric scale-designs.

~Watermelon slices were marinated in a tequila bath, then sprinkled with black salt. The run-off from this strange polygamy resulted in a sublime concoction which we drank down in tiny cupfuls at the end of the evening with gusto and delighted surprise.

~Halves of navel oranges sat brightly in tree-branch crooks collecting yeast for our host's future beer-making endeavors.

(apparently the theme of the day was fruit... i even brought triple-berry yellow cupcakes.)

So, all in all, not sure if patriotism was the theme of our day but a good, strange time was certainly had by all.