Ch-ch-ch-changes...

As promised, here is Part II of my rant about the life altering changes that happened for me this year. If you grew up in Dallas (or any of its suburbs), then every year while in school you received a Fair Day and free ticket. This is because the State Fair of Texas kicks ass! Anyone who "doesn't get it" or "can't justify spending all that money in one day" isn't doing it right. The only money my family ever spends is on food, and that is MORE than worth it.

The fair is packed with free shows and entertainment. The Embarcadero building is a real life infomercial connected to all the prize winning creative arts and foods. Before they remodeled it, it was this sort of crazy maze of kiosks that I loved to get lost in. Really, my family never really spent any time in the Midway because we took the entire day just looking at exhibits and experiencing the fine cuisine of the food court.

The State Fair is so routine that I internalized the time schedule for the "permanent" shows, and two of those staples were the Birds of the World (@2:30 P.M.) and the Marine Drum and Bugle Corp (@4 P.M.). We saw these two things at these times every year without fail. Regardless of the order of everything else: eating a corn dog, seeing the creative arts winners, eating pizza, going through the butterfly house, eating a turkey leg, finding the queen bee, eating a cinnamon roll, sitting behind the wheel of all the cool cars, eating a funnel cake...Well, this year funding didn't come through for the Marine Drum and Bugle Corp so they didn't preform! As if me MISSING one of my tentpole shows wasn't enough, IT WAS THE LAST YEAR OF THE BIRDS OF THE WORLD SHOW! What?! So after 25 years someone can just decide to retire! That's TWO shows I will no longer have if funding for the Corp doesn't return next year. What will I do?! I see me sitting at the bandshell and just staring at the empty stage for half an hour lamenting the loss of the birds, and then walking over to Marine Corp Square and doing the same.

This is too much. I don't like it and have been in a right proper funk over it. I can't even discuss it anymore. So here's some pictures of our experience this year: