Reading the Bleat these last few days, I am reminded of one of the few things I miss about Minnesota, which would be the State Fair. It was the biggest of big deals, the defining event that marked the end of summer and the beginning of the Serious Business of Fall, and a lot of planning went into it, only to be pretty much cast aside once we got there. Despite our best intentions, we always came home burdened with a ton of crap from places we weren't going to visit, ads for products we couldn't begin to afford, and a few tangible reminders that wound up being used long after the event itself. I have one of those mugs sitting on my desk at the moment, actually.

I don't know if I'll go back to the Minnesota State Fair once I get to the other side of this impoverished student existence. A lot of what goes on there isn't relevant to my interests any more, is actively bad for my diet, or both, and since most of the state's population descends on St. Paul to attend the Fair, it's pure hell trying to get a hotel room. Better just to let the memories be, I think, and not treat the place as one long obstacle course of verboten foods. It was hard enough to do that when I was on Weight Watchers, for heaven's sake. And, really, what would be the point of going to the state fair and not stopping by the Dairy Barn for some soft-serve? ;)