a fabulous fourth

i went to a party today in the hills in echo park, like way up in the hills, with one of the coolest views anywhere in town. i had a few drinks, entirely too much food, spent half the night with half the party on the roof, and the other half engaged in a social experiment.

kind of.

there was a ladder leaning against the side of the house, the ladder we would later use to climb up to and down from the roof (from where we could see fireworks going off all over the basin). to get from the front courtyard into the house, each person had to decide between going under the ladder, which was remarkably easier, or going around the ladder.

it was interesting to watch the followers, those who wouldn't dare take the first step under the ladder, but wouldn't hesitate to follow someone else under it. or around it. there were those who would have climbed up and back down the ladder to avoid going underneath it, those who waited for someone else to make the decision for them, and others who never even would've stopped to think twice about some silly superstition.

i honestly don't know which of this holiday was more fascinating. the fireworks, the frightening number of people atop the roof, or watching the way people respond to a ladder in the way...

~k