we took the following pics on our annual pilgrimage to the California State Fair last weekend. Anna and I have been going almost every year since we've been together. this year was a blast cuz Nicholas is here and had so much gusto, such a great time, especially on the Monorail (which is so old that allegedly spare parts are hard to come by) that we were swooning with delight. and the Fair? it has improved this year. if we didn't live in sac we probably wouldn't care about it, but we do, and the Fair is only minutes from our home. we plan on going one more time. for further hilarious info on State Fairs (in this case the Illinois State Fair, but it could be the one in my own town) might I direct yr attention to the essay "getting away from already pretty much being away from it all" by David Foster Wallace from the collection A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again.

and I'm sorry to miss Jean Vengua's reading here tonight in sac. I'm so out of it I should have known about it earlier. I know she knocked them dead. and broke a leg.