what got fritz and mutti to leave the house at 5am?

today was the democratic candidates' debate in des moines and so we went down to rally for obama at drake university. it was another sultry iowa morning in august, so we were pretty sweaty when it was all over. screaming and yelling for over an hour felt like a workout. all in all, it was an energizing experience.

see, i wasn't making this up

here i am in the corn eating contest...
and this is what walking tacos look like!

august in iowa

i have never lived anywhere so rigidly defined by seasons and customs as iowa. growing up in oregon, one's wardrobe changed daily depending on the weather. living in other mild climates in germany and south africa was similar. namibia produced a monotonous routine of wearing light, loose-fitting clothing. but in iowa, i have a distinct winter, spring, summer, and fall wardrobe. i have actually packed things away, knowing that there is basically no chance i will need shorts in january (unless i go on a cruise) or a full-length tweed coat in july (unless i go on one of those cruises to antarctica).

the iowans have produced distinct customs for each season. right now, in the entire dsm metro area, perhaps the entire state, the first question after "how are ya?" in a conversation is "have you been to the fair?" the iowa state fair is supposed to be the best in the entire country. since i have never really encountered anything very much like a fair anywhere else in the world, i guess that means it must be the best fair in the world. while there are carnivals, livestock shows, food bazaars, concerts, and races almost everywhere, the american fair combines all of these. in the case of iowa, it takes the form of a 10-day bonanza.

this year, my answer to the fair question is "no." as i explained to my barista this morning, "why would i pay ten dollars to be hot and get fat?" besides, i was not impressed with the fair last year, save for the james taylor concert. i used to love going to the fair when i was younger. of course, this had a lot to do with the fact that i was in 4-h and dreamed of having my own farm someday. it all seemed pretty exciting there--there was a lot to dream about. now, i find myself irritated with the excess and the crowds. even the 4-h stalls are not artfully decorated like they used to be. as for the food, there are some things i believe should just not be "on-a-stick."

yesterday we had "state fair food day" at the prison, er, office. i discovered another iowa or at least midwest "food", namely, a walking taco. WHAT? i experienced another one of those moments here where everyone turned and looked at me as if i were naked. apparently, iowa natives enjoy walking tacos everywhere from the school lunchroom to the high school footbal stadium to the state fair.

okay, what is it? you take a small bag of doritos and before opening it, crunch up the chips inside before opening it on the long end with scissors, not by tearing it. then you scoop ground beef, cheese, sour cream, lettuce, tomatos, and salsa directly into the bag. you them mix up all the ingredients and c'est voila: you have a walking taco that you can eat with a spoon, fork, sfork, whatever. i guess it is called a walking taco because you don't have to tip you head to take a bite, eliminating the need to stop.

i swear i am not making this up.

we also had a corn eating contest. i made it to the semifinals. just because i grew up in oregon doesn't mean i don't have skills in this area.

august not only brings the fair and all its wonders, but also oppressive heat. driving in ol' blue this afternoon on a country road, i was momentarily transported to the b-2 in the way to swakopmund in namibia. it had nothing to do with the scenery--corn does not thrive in the desert i guess. and the road was not so bumpy as to ruin the suspension of the vehicle. no, it was the weight of the heat in the pickup. the drive from windhoek takes four hours and feels like a race, because you simply cannot wait to arrive at the coast and enjoy temperatures that can be 25 degrees cooler than inland.

this summer has felt like a race for me--i have raced to lose a lot of weight i was carrying. in the process, i found more weight that i needed to dispose of. the bed of the pickup is free of unneccessary weight that was slowing it down. soon, i will step out of the steamy pickup onto the cool sand and the fresh sea air, if only in my head.

fever breaking

in iowa, nighttime feels like a fever breaking. after enduring 18 hours of steamy, sticky heat, being in the outdoors at around midnight feels like waking up from a feverish sleep to find that the fever is gone. it is one of the few gifts we insomniacs get to enjoy.
it is a shame that we believe so little happens in the dark. it is after the sun goes down that the the racoon that sneaks up to the back deck to eat the remenants of seed the birds have left behind. he crouches beneath the feeder and picks through the grass. he is not picky or wasteful. while they flutter away during the summer to feast on corn and other fresh kernels of grain, the racoon is faithful in his nightly visits during the summer and winter.
we insomniacs also get to experience what it feels like when the dew is formed. we feel it on our skin and see it shimmer on the grass under the glowing moon. we know what it is like the breathe fresh air and not pant or have our sinuses dried out by the airconditioner.
so being an insomniac is not all about infomercials. there is magic involved, too.

i am in transition right now. things are in the pipeline. other things are not. i am not sure what will materialize. but at least i am finally at the point at which i can imagine what it will feel like when the fever breaks.