Monday, 06 September 2010
Instead of talking about something I DID do today, I’m gonna first talk about something I DIDN’T do: I didn’t go to the State Fair today. In fact, I didn’t go to the Great Minnesota Get Together at any point during the last ten days when it’s been open.
And that’s just fine with me. When I was a teenager, there was a certain fun to going to the Fair, as I went with groups of friends and we all just sort of hung out there together. But, as an adult, I’ve found it half boring, half annoying.
I’ve often said to my wife that the State Fair is just like going to a mall, only worse. For one thing, admission to a mall is free. Parking at most malls is, sometimes frustrating, but again, free and within the realm of possibility. With the Fair, the logistics of simply arriving are an (unwelcome) adventure in themselves. It seems every year Jennifer and I try to find some better way to arrive at the fair: park far and walk, take a bus, go with our friends who work nearby and can park at their job…
Another thing: if you show even the slightest interest in any booth, or even if you just walk by, the fair hucksters harass you. This happens a lot less frequently at malls, and even then, you can usually just avoid the stores with the most annoying employees (aka: Jewelry stores). If you are genuinely interested in something, the booth is just a stripped down version of a superior store that exists at your local (free) mall. And if no such store exists, your better off waiting until a specialized fair comes to town. For example, if you like all the cars on display at the fair, just wait until March, and go to the auto show that will be arriving on the same grounds. If you like the environmental stuff at the fair, just go to the Living Green Expo, which comes around every May to the same spot, but with no admission fee and free parking!
Worst, though, is the food. If you like a variety of food at reasonable costs, I suggest the Mall of America. If you like less options for ridiculous prices, then go to the Fair.
Also today, I put gas in Cavalier for the first time since July 26th. That’s 43 days! And back on the 26th of July, I only put in half a tank. During my time off of work to be with my new baby, there have only been six days that I’ve turned on the car and driven somewhere. Back on August 9th, I took Owen to his Little Engineers class, and another day I took him to a doctor’s appointment. Sometimes, the trek has been quite short: A couple of weeks ago, I took the car to Mississippi Market and back (total distance: 1 mile); and yesterday, I drove to Papa John’s and back (total distance: 2 miles).
Jennifer and I purchased the Cavalier in August of 2000. It was the newest, nicest car we’d ever bought and, even to this day, it’s the most expensive car we ever bought. Jennifer said: this car better last us ten years if we’re gonna get our money’s worth.
It has.