30th on the 4th

Happy Independence Day, Stroock's Books reader(s), and God Save the King. Actually, screw you, Britain. Also, screw Canada, the bastard child of the UK and USA. 

A most un-summer like morning, here in northern New Jersey with temps in the mid-60s. Don't worry. They'll climb....they'll climb. 

So the House passed Trump's Big Beautiful Bill. We followed some of the legislative rigmarole for kicks but never really worried. Trump's having a good few weeks, that's for sure. The Democrats reacted predictably, with filibusters and crying and screaming at pressers. These people have to show their psycho base that they're 'fighting'. It's all performative. These are the theatre kids (we say that as a former theatre kid). They're retarded. 

According to our senate ID (see previous post) our internship ended on August 11th. We don't remember much about the summer of 1995 after that. There was a family vacation to Cape May, a new location for the Stroocks. We didn't like it that much and left a few days early. 

Other than that, we prepared for the school year at a non-Jesuit University in Washington DC.  We purchased some items from the stores that had been familiar to us throughout our life. The NY Giants trunk we bought at Caldor is in our basement right now, with the price sticker. 

Being 22 years old now, we had no interest in dorm life and rented a nice two-bedroom apartment in Arlington, VA. We had a new roommate, a friend we made through a mutual friend and College Republican activities.* When we packed up at left our parent's house, we had the sense we were leaving home. And so we were. It was time. 

For some reason we remember that afternoon drive well. The Tappen Zee Bridge, to the Garden State Parkway to the New Jersey Turnpike, across the Delaware Memorial Bridge to Maryland 301. This was the route we took home from Wesley College the previous May. From there we hit Maryland 50, the 495 Washington DC Beltway, across the Woodrow Wilson Bridge to Virginia Route-1. Our apartment was in Crystal City (Arlington) just a short drive over the Potomac to the district. 

1995 was the last summer we spent 'at home'. The next year we'd taking classes and the summer after that we'd be lifeguarding. 

By the way, we spent 4th of July, 1995 on the Washington Mall getting absolutely blasted. 

*Maybe we'll tell that story next, heh. Yes, yes we think we will.