Not just a geek, but an award-winning geek

There’s a cliché for writers that goes something like this: Never pull a gun in the first chapter without firing it by the last page.

Basically, that means not to build up a reader’s expectations without satisfying them.

So, anyway, last week I mentioned that I entered some produce in the Nevada State Fair, and it’s only fair to tell you what happened.

I was a little embarrassed about entering the danged thing, truth be told. When I was a kid in Nebraska, only farm kids, 4-H-ers, den mothers and old ladies entered the State Fair. I couldn’t believe I had stooped to this level of geekiness.

So, last Wednesday evening, I stood in line outside the fairgrounds with all the middleschoolers waiting to see how their pet pig or sheep had been rated. I creeped in, trying to look as inconspicuous as possible. There was a small section in the back where the wilted vegetables waited. It didn’t look good. The carrots were as wrinkled as an old man’s raisins, and the beets looked like prunes, but right there next to my name and my carrots was a red ribbon, and then a blue one next to my beets, and two more blue ones next to my beans and another red one next to my bell peppers. That would be two firsts, a best in division and two seconds. I can only say that my hot peppers developed spots in the last weeks before it was time to enter them. I’ll work on that for next year.

The Reno City Council will decide the bid for the re-grading of Wingfield Park on Sept. 8. If you’re interested in the fate of that 80-year-old pine tree, you may want to check out the City Council’s meeting.

Reason to vote No. 42: You want to be able tell your friends about the new electronic voting machines, rather than just talking about how drunk you got on Friday.