I suppose it’s over now, but it doesn’t feel like it. At the moment - the last few days of August - it’s long past sunset, it’s hot, it’s humid, the crickets are in full song, and it feels more like summer than any other day I’ve known this year. This is my fault; I just didn’t get into the usual summer spirit, for reasons that are as mysterious as they are irrelevant. There were three months. I enjoyed them. It’ll be green for another month. All is well.

The Fair helps; it’s the great transition, and today was one of those days where it’s almost hot enough to be uncomfortable, but wasn’t. Perfect. Went to shoot the video, of course, because that’s my job. Had no idea what I’d shoot. Sat in the Food Building eating a coney, listening to karaoke that varied in quality from very good to “makes puppies cry,” but it takes courage to get up there and show the world you actually think you can sing. Then I went to the Ice Skating Demonstration and shot some stuff, most of which I knew would be unusable. So what to do? Well, hadn’t shot the cow and pig barns yet, so I did that - and then stumbled across something I knew would make for a great piece. Finally did one I really like. Took two hours to edit and narrate, which is long. I never have a script - I just cut the video, then talk over it. I was wondering how to introduce a segment of a skater performing to “If I Only Had a Brain,” when it hit me:

If I go to the Fair again / I might see some Nancy Kerrigan

So now it’s the end of the day, which began at 7:45 after six count them six hours of sleep, and began with video work, then finishing and sending a column, then heading off again with tripod and name tag on a lanyard. It’s just my work ID, but if you have a piece of laminated plastic around your neck when you’re shooting things you’re not creepy or odd, but Working.

I was looking through some pictures to get some shots of the way things used to be at the Fair, and was struck by how long things have looked just as they do today. I think you have to take it in 25-year-gulps to see real change. A quarter century ago there wasn't the Cafe Caribe, a place that annoys me because it pumps out live Peruvian pan-pipe music from sunup to sundown, and I really don’t associate pan-pipes with the Caribbean. Incessant sibilant steel-drum music, yes. A quarter century ago there wasn’t backlit slickly printed signage, but it’s been around longer than I thought. I had some fun with an app that spoofs VHS footage:

In the video I never said it was original 1995 footage. Just laid that there at the end for people to say HEY WAIT WHAT.

Well, I’ve done everything I can do in the main grounds. All that’s left is the north side and the Midway at Twilight. Got a calendar alert tonight that said EDIT COWS, so that’s tomorrow’s job; that’ll be six videos. Three more to go. Labor Day. The Burial Mission the day after - and no, I won’t explain that until afterwards, and then three days vacation, probably doing novel revision prior to the mid-Oct release. (I hope.) Then it’s the next novel, then it’s revising lileks.com to get it ready for 2016 . . .

Oh for heaven’s sake, summer isn’t even over yet. No need to worry about 2016.

Especially since I already redid the Bleat for 2016 last month.

Gotta shill:

Star of "It's Always Fair Weather," which doesn't seem to be one of his better-known pics. Same director as "Singin' in the Rain," Stanley Donen. Synopsis in imdb: "Three soldiers meet 10 years after their last meeting in New York again, and find out that they have little in common now."

So, how are things with you?

Okay I guess. Howzabout you.

The same. You know.

Annnnd DANCING!

Let's take a look at some of these delightful Durkee products, all of which Gene is using in his grilling.

Durkee's got it covered, is what they're telling you.

"I'm dyin' inside! But I gotta do it. GOTTA . . . SHILL!"

Believe or not, but science has made this happen. CRYSTALS made from ORANGES. Real oranges.

Never possible before by any method.

We continue with our regrettable spaghettis, all of which have been brought to you by Franco-American.

I don't know how it could possibly be new. Unless they're suggesting that all the other stuff was literally old. Pre-war meat.

As school begins anew, it's time to revisit the world of World Book. This was the style we had at home in Fargo. I can still remember how the paper felt and smelled, and how you could really lose yourself in the parade of information, until you ended up bored because it was going on and on about Chad.

Dad's got the expresion of someone who knows he's going to be paying this off for a couple of years.

The rise of the SUPER ROBOT for the willingly auto-blinded:

It had a crest:

It was an Italian company, as you might expect.

It has its own Yahoo group, as you might expect.

That'll do; just two Frank Reades today. It's time to slow the pace of release, so that Frank may carry us through 2015. See you around.