Less Than Ideal

We're about down to the end of the wire for this year's State Fair.  Just a couple more days left - it's gone by so fast, I feel like I haven't had time to do everything I want to!  Then again, I feel that way every year!

I had hoped I would be able to update throughout the Fair, but baking every day + driving out to the Fair + coming down with a nasty cold = mucho exhaustion.  I got sick at what is possibly the most innopportune moment of the year, literally one day before my biggest entry day on the second day of the Fair.  I was able to get through everything pretty well and I didn't feel like it affected my ability/coherency to bake all my items, but it was once I got out to the Fair and was ready to leave that the exhaustion hit me like a brick wall.  Driving back home seemed like an eternity, and as soon as I was through the door I was passed out on the couch.  Which, of course, led to starting my next batch of baking later and staying up later, which isn't exactly ideal either.  But if I didn't sleep, I'm positive I would've passed on the stove, which is, ya know, probably a little worse.

This year has been pretty rough in terms of placing.  I've placed in three out 25 classes.  Of course everyone tells me congratulations on placing in the ones I did, which is great and of course I'm glad I placed in those, but with more strike-outs than home-runs it gets pretty depressing.  Mainly because of all the money that has been spent on making/entering all of these items.  Also bear in mind that there were three or four dishes I made that didn't make it to the Fair.  Now, it's also important to know that it is IMPOSSIBLE to make back what you've spent (unless you win Tone's Cinnamon Rolls, which has a hefty grand prize of $3,000 - good luck getting it when there's over 100 entries though!).  It just would've been at least a little more gratifying to place in something with a prize, whether it was monetary or not.  To sort of clear things up on how my particular wins didn't get prizes, the ones I did place in were individual classes, and the prizes went for the overall winners, which I didn't place high enough to be considered for.

I don't want this to come across as me being a "sore loser."  It just gets a little frustrating, is all.  This has definitely been my worst year in terms of placing, though.  There were a couple of items I made - my Double Berry Entremet and Butterbeer Cupcakes, both of which I've documented in past blogs - that took quite a bit of work and I had hoped that work would pay off.  The Entremet was in the top 5 for one of the classes I entered it in, but it didn't place, and that was the closest I got to a ribbon with those.  Is it disappointing?  Yes.  Is it the end of the world?  No.  I decided to eat my feelings by eating one of my cupcakes though :P

I have at least one, maybe two more entries I'll be taking in tomorrow.  I don't necessarily have high hopes, but a couple more shots at a ribbon is hopefully worth it!  I'm feeling MUCH better now, which will help.  I did the yodeling contest yesterday, which I've done for the past three years, and the fact that I could phonate clearly and perform was a huge sign that I'm definitely on the up and up!  I got second place, btw, and you can see a little bit of video of it here.

Who knows?  Maybe tomorrow will bring better things!  At the very least I'll get to spend a day at the Fair, which is never anything less than awesome :)