The best thing about this year so far...

Is not the weather. It...is...freezing. Literally. Where am I?? The freakin arctic?? Since last Thursday, I have woken up to single-digit temperatures. Today, nearly a week later, the temperature got above freezing for the first time. The roads are icy, water mains are bursting, and there are far too many people in this town that can't shower. My body was not made for this. It is frigid. The kind of cold that makes your face numb and your bones hurt. I hate winter anyway, but this is ridiculous. I love how the news talks about the "Arctic Blast" every single day. Ha. Where is the Mississippi version of "winter" that involves 50 degree weather? Anyway, enough of that. (Don't worry... I have water, and I have showered [almost] everyday.)

So I was putting my pictures into albums on my computer, and I decided that the best night of this year so far was our outing to the YAZOO COUNTY FAIR. I didn't have a blog at the time, or I surely would've blogged about it. I think it more than deserves an entry. Folks, if you haven't been to a small-town fair in Mississippi and risked your life on rides put together inside of 2 hours by, well, you know who puts them together, you just haven't lived. See, my dear friend Morgan is from the metropolis of Yazoo City. Don't let the word "city" fool you. Her wonderful parents cooked a huge meal for a bunch of us poor, pitiful med students who live off of anything microwavable. Salad, chicken spaghetti, garlic bread, red velvet cake, and sweet tea. YUM. Then we were off.

Now, I've been to some fairs (most notably the Washington County Fair) that have been held in locations such as mall parking lots. Not in Yazoo. I don't know where we were, but it was around October, and it had been raining for days. It was in a field. A very muddy field. I came prepared in my Wallabees.

Meagan did not.

Check out this mud:

First up: the super shot.

Meagan and Matt: "Thanks, but I'm not into vomiting tonight. Go ahead."

I like this motion shot of the boys. Tilt-A-Whirl. CLASSIC.

I know these pictures aren't the best, but can you see the look of TERROR on my face? John Roberts peer pressured me into getting on this ride. It creaked a little too much for my comfort. It's not the going upside down. I love rides. I love the spinning, upside down, loopy, put-your-heart-in-your-throat kinda rides. However, let's be honest. The rides at the Yazoo County Fair were put together by 2 guys with some wrenches and screwdrivers within about 45 minutes. And this one CREAKED. Loudly. THAT is scary, my friends.

There we go... Too bad there's no audio. At this point, I am screaming, "I hate you, John Roberts!" Luckily, I survived. So did our friendship.

Then the best part of the night: Matt decides he's going to win me a fish. (And they say chivalry is dead...) So to assure that his beloved (me) goes home with a fish, he paid five whole dollars for unlimited attempts. He sucked. Eventually, several of us just start picking up the ping pong balls and throwing them. Surprisingly, the carny just let us do it. So I ended up winning myself a fish. Not only that, but I made the ball in the "impossible" center bowl, so I won myself THREE fish. I named one Ethel, Sam named one Biscuit, and John named one Langerhans. (islets of Langerhans are cells in the pancreas. Just wanted to make sure you could embrace the full funniness of the lame med school joke. We really should get out more.) Here we are, Matt, me, and our new pets:

Despite my best efforts, all three fish were dead within 9 days. RIP, Ethel, Biscuit, and Langerhans.

We rode the rides for hours until we all almost threw up. (Maybe you shouldn't eat 2 helpings of chicken spaghetti before going to the fair. Just a suggestion.) Another suggestion, I really recommend going to a county fair and acting like a 12 year old for a night. It was the best night EVER. Thanks for the memories, Yazoo City!