97: Minnesota State Fair, 2008

This year's fair highlights: the stiff feel of wool beneath my fingers, the 800-some pound pumpkin and its accompanying obese vegetables, the taste of honey-walnut frozen yogurt, the brazen feats of lumberjack olympics, realizing only Minnesota would have wild rice mixed in with hot dogs and hamburgers, watching Richard's excitement mount at the fried food on a stick fetish our State Fair seems to have, seeing Kelly (can I mention that one about eighteen times?), holding hands with Ryan in the glare of the sun. See more photographs of the day here.

Next week: Orientation with the MFA program. If I were still a teacher, or rather, a teacher of high school (as most of my orientation next week focuses on teacher training for the college level), I would be returning next week as well. This year, there isn't that room arranging anxiety or the class lists that spill out over reams of paper, the plotting of first day activities or planning a book list, rehearsing safety drills, discovering the best practices for gradebook entry. I'm not sure what to expect of next week. I did copy my schedule for the semester onto an index card for Ryan to keep with him (and one for me as well) and the hours seem dramatically briefer. It appears we may only have one feasible carpool day of four, which is disappointing, given the price of gas and given the cost of my salary, unless I want to figure out how to entertain myself for seven hours on campus. We shall see how things fall into place.

I apologize for how quiet it's been here lately, by the way. I have been feeling quiet myself. I think much of it is this facing the end of summer slash preparing for such a dramatic shift in my life. Seeking internal solace in order to externally brace myself, perhaps. Autumn is coming, and for once, for the first time in a couple years, I don't dread it. It's a feeling one needs to get used to.