FREAKSHOW!

Every now and again, I arrange to have one of my Saturday nights off so I can hang out with Ralph and the kids. Only after I've had some sort of GUILT ATTACK, though...don't think I am WANTING to be with those people more than I have to! (LOL--JK!)

We all went out to the Yavapai County Fair last night. Oh. My. Gawd.

OK, first of all, the YAVAPAI County Fair is NOTHING like the YUMA County Fair. I grew up in Yuma, Az, the county seat. Most county fairs ARE held in the county seat here in AZ. The Yuma CF RAWKED. It started on Tuesday and ran through Sunday. There were concerts, car races, demolition derbies, Native American exhibits (and seemingly thousands of OTHER exhibits!), FFA & 4H animals, more selections of food than you could EVER want, the Miss Yuma County Pageant, about 50 rides in the midway,etc., etc.. Oh it was DA BOMB of my childhood!!!

THIS fair only runs 4 days, there's some animals, but half of the huge barn they have is empty. There's some food. Some exhibits. A couple of shows like the hypnotist, and last night there was car races and a boxing match. As far as rides, there were about 20 and they had TWO of the same mirror houses and TWO different fun houses. We had to stand in lines for rides from 15-30 minutes (Come on people, this ain't DISNEYLAND!!) and it is just way too crowded and confined. Everything is so close together. I really wish there were more WOMEN on the fair board. I can guarantee you a WOMAN would not let these little annoying things happen and the entertainment would be better!

I mean we had a blast. We spent way too much money. We ate way too much CRAP. But it was worth it. To hear Kaylin giggle like she's got a feather up her butt and to see the sparkle in Bayleigh's eyes when she figured out last night that she was FINALLY big enough for the "grown up" rides was worth every last cent! I wish I could give them things like that more often, but I do want them to realize that they can have a perfectly good time without spending a dime. That's one of the parenting things I want to instill in them is being THRIFTY.

But I digress. I think the coolest thing about last night was that I got to "People Watch". A few of you who read my blog know that I love to do this and that YOU do it too. And I came to realize a few things last night:

1. There are a LOT of RUDE people in this county. They would just walk right into you as if it was YOUR responsibility to make sure that you didn't get bumped into. Sheesh--THE NERVE of SOME people's children!

2. There are some really nice and giving people in this county. (3 different people came up to us and gave us their extra ride tickets because they were leaving.)

3. There are a LOT of FREAKS in this county and GOD I PRAY my children do not grow up to look and/or act like that!

Yes, I am mainly talking about the "younger generation", but there were a few ADULT freaks in the bunch too. People with more holes in their face than should legally be allowed. More ink on their bodies than a sailor. And, dressed like they raided a costume shop. *Jodi shakes head*. I am sure that when I was a teen, people thought the same things about US--with our BIG STIFF HAIR, ACID WASHED JEANS and (GASP!) HEAVY METAL MUSIC, but hey--WE WERE COOL! Some of the people I saw last night had their faces painted up like members of the "Insane Clown Posse"--and they were NOT members of the ICP!! They had black & white gothic make up on so thick that I really had to look twice to tell who was a man and who was a woman. I saw KIDS holding hands that looked like they should have been holding stuffed animals! God they looked SO young. (:-O

It all frightens me...because I am going to be the parent that has a kid like that. I mean there's nothing wrong with self-expression. I know it's all part of growing up and I plan on being very lenient with my children when they reach that stage of socialization. My theory is going to be: "It's hair-- it will grow back!" OR "It's dye--it will wash out!" As long as they are not letting their boobs or their asses hang out and not offending any minorities with what's written on their T-shirts, I don't really care. I found that my parents being semi-slackey with me was a good thing. I didn't rebel against them TOO hard, but then again, if your Dad was a cop and your Mom a DOC officer, you PROBABLY wouldn't either!

But getting back to the freaks..I mean the thought that crosses my mind first and foremost is, "What kind of JOB are you going to get looking like THAT?" I mean there's 2 choices: Carnie or clerk @ Hot Topic. The kids I am not so tough on because with them it's more then likely a phase and they will have MUCH regret when they have to put out the cashola to get all those "SKATE OR DIE!!" tattoos removed from their forearms and, in the cases of most of the girls, from the small of their backs so that they look acceptable in their shirt and tie when they go to work at some big firm or company. But when I see people as old or older than ME, I just want to walk up to them and tell them to knock it off. It wasn't becoming of them 20 years ago and it sure as hell don't look good now! But, I keep it to myself. To each his own I guess. They gotta live with it, not me. And who am *I* to judge anyhow? I'm a fat person and we all know how society IN GENERAL feels about fat people!!! But that's another blog for another time.

Besides, ugly is permanent. I can always lose weight :)

Maybe.