The annual visit to the Minnesota State Fair occurred on Thursday. Lizzie and I had a great time, as always. I enjoyed Pork Chop on a stick, Giant turkey leg, cheese curds, and of course a nice tall cup of Leinenkugels. It was all very delicious.

If you’re not familiar with Minnesota’s state fair, it’s where you go to eat salty, greasy stuff on a stick, then wander to the barns to look into the eyes of the animals from which the food comes. It’s also where the rural people and the city people combine into one great big “get together” as they call it. Actually, it’s more like one big staring match where the city people wonder how the farm people live without a Target within 2 miles, and the farm people wonder how the city people put up with the traffic and the noise. Sounds like a recipe for disaster, right? Nah, ultimately everyone is friendly and glad to meet each other.

I think I may have went to North Dakota’s fair once when I was little, I may be remembering something else though. I may have never gone. I don’t really remember it that well. I guess it’s not a very big attraction up there for most people. For one thing, North Dakota’s state fair is up in the middle of nowhere: Minot. I’m sure the farmers enjoy it, but unless there are big concerts and lots of food & beer, it’s not for anyone else. I guess that’s why Minnesota’s state fair works so well.

The fair was great, but my weekend has been very uneventful. I’ve done a pitiful amount of nothing, and I’m bored out of my mind today. The NASCAR race was on Saturday night, which takes away one of the only usual entertaining parts of my Sunday afternoons. I had a pretty rough week, same old crap as usual. This coming week will probably be more of the same.

At least the weather has been great, lower 70s, lots of sun. It’s already going to be September in a few days, though, and that means we’re getting pretty close to that time of year again: allergy season! Oh let me tell you how I hate allergy season. I hate it with a fierce burning fiery hatred. It’s the super-hatred, the hatred to consume all hatreds in a giant freakin’ cosmic bonfire. I – Hate – Allergy – Season.

Actually it’s already started, and there’s already nothing I can do about it. The worst part about it is that it’s my own body that’s doing this. There’s no real environmental changes I can effect. The stuff I react to gets in everywhere, sweeping under doors, blowing around corners, and of course on and in me. And then I react, oh yes I do. It starts in the eyes. Then the throat gets it, from the post-nasal drip. Then the dripping stops, and the sinuses get clogged. Then the headaches come, and the slowness, and the feeling like my brain is suffused in phlegm. It’s a really pleasant feeling, I know. And all of this is accompanied with constant sneezing and coughing, and wishing to God I would just have no allergies.

I’ll live. See you next time.