Texas, O Texas

That's right, friends, in Texas we double-fry our bacon. This is me, chomping down on a piece of chicken-fried bacon dipped in ranch. Mmm.

October is always my favorite month, because in addition to Halloween and the annual chihuahua rescue festival in nearby Keller, the state fair opens its gates. There's Big Tex, the giant talking cowboy overlooking the Midway; there are acrobats and other performers and concerts; cooking demonstrations and booths full of essential junk; and, of course, the smorgasboard of fried food. Today I also consumed deep-fried jelly beans, a corndog, tornado taters, gallons of Dr Pepper, fried s'mores, and fried banana pudding. And THEN I rode some rides, and now I'm home and exhausted but blissful.

(There are also things there that manage to both amuse and embarrass me--like the "Dancing with the Dogs" show, showcasing the art of canine freestyle. Would you like to watch a dog and its owner jiving to "Nine to Five"? Well, the fair is where you can achieve that dream.)

But before I took this much-needed day off, a girl I sit by in class told me she had only ever missed one day of school, and that was because she had a flat tire. And that made me sad for her, because while work ethic is important, some of the best times I've had are when I slept in instead of getting up, spent instead of saved, or did something I wanted to do rather than something I needed to do.

And the world didn't end, and I've turned out alright so far. (I'm currently trying to justify missing a class on Friday to head to Nordstrom Rack for the designer shoe shipment....)

That being said, back to class tomorrow. And please don't judge me for my Dr. Seuss t-shirt. At the fair, you must wear things you don't mind being coated in powdered sugar and mustard and dust.