All's fair

I was completely exhausted when my head hit the pillow last night. Yesterday was the kind of useless day at work that makes me wonder why so many people go into teaching. I spent the morning reading instructions aloud and carefully monitoring students as they completed the PSAT. Ugh. That came after a department meeting and before an afternoon of classes full of students who were mentally wiped out from the morning of testing.

In case that sounded fun, you should know that I was thwarted by traffic both to and from work. My commute took over twenty minutes each way, which isn't much for most Dallasites, but when you factor in the distance of 3.2 miles, it's a little stupid. I'll spare the details, but know that it was aggravating. 

When I got home, I really wanted a nap. Instead, I had to clean myself up and get ready for the state fair. Cas and I decided a week ago that yesterday was our day. 

I am so happy that I fought the urge to reschedule. I had thought of telling Cas that our fair trip could wait for the weekend or at least Thursday night, but by the time we got to the gate and started the beeline toward a Fletcher's Corny Dog vendor, I knew we had made the right choice. I was very hungry, and that corn dog went quickly. We walked a bit and found a band called The Killdares, who I had seen before, and who Cas used to go out and watch with his brother Chad many years ago. We sat and listened to a few songs before making our way to. Big Tex. We needed the standard Fair photo before sundown. Here you go: 

After Tex, we went to the food building for two things- a bathroom and some less expensive beer. On the way out, I saw the Shiatsu massage chairs I'd enjoyed a few years back on a fair trip with Danny. I know it must have seemed strange, but I insisted that we sit in them. Totally excellent call. I don't have the $6,000 handy to get my own, but they're worth a try if you see one. 

Following that, we took the Texas Skyway, a gondola-type ride over the midway- for a pair of reasons: we wanted to get to the Ferris wheel, and we wanted to skip a walk through the Midway. Great idea. We managed to get into our very own compartment and we enjoyed this view:

Then, of course, the Texas Star: 

After that, I was pretty satisfied that we had accomplished the important things at this year's fair. We wandered around and found a few more food items, and on the way out the door (and since we still had a handful of tickets), I grabbed Cas by the hand and led him into a short line for one of the midway rides that churns your stomach and flips you upside down. Such a smart move. We could have left the fair without becoming inverted and churned about, but why would we? 

On the way home, we appeared to be having a yawning contest. I may have won. 

It was a really long day, but a very happy one. Now, I have to get ready and go to my last day of work for the week. Tomorrow is a day off so students can go to the fair. I'm so ahead of the curve...