I hear it’s a great state fair
If I had a dollar for every time someone in this great state of Minnesota said, “You goin’ to the fair this year?” or “You makin’ it out to the fair this year?” between August 15th and August 30th I’d have a lot of money on August 31st.
7:40 this morning – –
Guy: “You makin’ it out to the fair this year?”
Me: “No. (don’t say it.) How about you?” (mistake.)
Guy: “I go to the fair once every 10 years and that visit reminds me why I only go once every 10 years!”
Me: <courtesy chuckle> (mistake, I told ‘ya; when can I walk away without looking like a jerk?)
Guy: “Yeah, the fair is blah, blah, blah, blah…
Me: “Hmm.” (I don’t care about any of this.)
Guy: The last time I was at the fair blah, blah, blah, blah…”
Me: (don’t smile and nod; do not smile and nod; don’t encourage him to keep talking) <smile and nod> (damn!) “Yeah.” (i’m stuck here; maybe my phone will ring; please let my phone ring; let someone else walk by; someone test the fire alarm system.)
Guy: “This one time at the fair blah, blah, blah, blah…”
Me: (help)
Michael B. Fishman
Michaelsfishbowl 
Oy. I share your obsession with the obsession. Ick. Here in Vermont, County Fairs are common, and the biggest (ie “State” Fair) over near Burlington advertises itself as “The Best Ten Days of Summer,” which–every time I hear it–forces me to say (out loud, so everyone can hear me clearly) “They should say ‘The Ten Best Days of Summer!'”, which, as you can imagine, triggers the same sort of reaction you write about here. I’ve noticed that, since advertising for “The Fair” is fairly ubiquitous (no pun intended) people tend to avoid me while the show goes on. Given my generally hermitic nature, I guess they really ARE the ten best days of summer…
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“hermitic nature” I like that. I think I should change my name to that!
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