Yesterday was “Veteran’s Day” at the NYS Fair, which meant that all vets got in for free. They just had to show an ID card or discharge papers. Today is “Native American Day,” and all Native Americans get in for free. They haven’t said what kind of ID is required. Maybe they just do some racial profiling? Or do they just take your word for it? Perhaps they have a “code word” or something (if so, let’s hope it’s not ‘Geronimo’). At any rate, this is the beginning of the last weekend of summer, which of course is pretty goddamn depressing. Not as depressing as it would be if I was working today – and not nearly as depressing as next Wednesday will be when I have to go back.

Today also marks the start of ‘Friday Night Lights.’ Not, sadly, the teevee show with the cute 25-yr old girls (yes, sadly, they are all boys and girls to me at that age; talk about depressing) pretending to be high school girls – that was cancelled by the brain trust at NBC Universal (who are not content with ruining the Sci-Fi – oh, ‘scuse me, the SyFy – Channel, but also have to f*ck up everything good on NBC, too).

No, tonight is the start of HS Football season out here in Real America. Granted, it’s not as big here as it is in, say, Texas. But the upside is that I don’t have to live in Texas (no offense – too damn hot for me, plus the Governor is a dick, and, judging by the droughts and flooding that He constantly assaults it with, God hates Texas).

Back in my day, there were only a couple of high schools that had lights (certainly not mine; as I’ve probably mentioned before – all part of that whole getting old thing – we didn’t even have one of those fancy-schmancy electronic scoreboards. Somebody had to actually hang up the numbers), but apparently lights are now mandated (teachers? Optional).

In my little town, it’s a home opener tonight, so, Go Mustangs! I’d go, but I think they actually have t audacity to charge admission, and having just had a look at my school tax bill, they can goddamn well suck my…. Um, that is to say, I shall not be attending tonight’s game.

In the next town over, there’s a bit of a controversy, as the coach is being investigated for recruiting players. He’s a contemporary of mine (OK, well, he’s about 3 years younger. Everybody’s younger than I am these days), and I never did f*cking like him. First off, his high school was pretty much filled with scumbags. And – although he played for SU, and therefore gets a bit of a pass for that – he crossed the picket line during the NFL Players strike back in 1987 (I think it was).

One thing I cannot abide is a scab.

So hopefully they’ll throw him in prison. OK, that’s probably not a criminal offense. But they can ban him from coaching forever. That’d be OK.

Oh well, I have a lot of money to spend today, so I better get busy.

God, I can’t believe summer’s over.