Here is my favorite Fourth of July article so far. After only 18 months in Europe, I found American cereal aisles just as overwhelming.

I'm getting out of the city today, heading to a coastal town about an hour north. It's as close I can manage to actual travel right now, and it'll be good to get away from the psychological rigors of urban life. I don't feel personally unsafe in my neighborhood, but it's a bit of a drain to keep hearing about stuff like the girl killed by a stray bullet in the park and our own personal Andrea Yates.