My week of call started with a bad omen. I was driving to work on Monday morning when I noticed a rhythmic rattle to the wheels turning. The sound turned out to be coming from a large metal screw embedded in my tire. With good enough sense not to pull it out, and thankful that it was my research day, I took my car to a nearby tire shop to have it fixed. Having been perpetually sleep-deprived, I napped in the waiting room for the next 2 hours, with daytime soap operas playing in the background, before I brought the car home. Fortunately, the rest of the week was relatively quiet, and I even got to do my first cataract surgery since residency. I celebrated the end of the call week with a trip to the NC State Fair. After attending a mandatory grand rounds on Saturday morning, I drove to a local park and ride for the bus to Raleigh. This turned out to be a good idea, as parking at the fair grounds was near impossible. This was my first time attending a state fair, and the agricultural theme was completely foreign to me, having grown up in HK and NYC. That day, I joined thousands of North Carolinians as they peruse antique farm equipment, inspect oversized blue-ribbon produce, and watch judges pick out the dairy cattle champion. Among the highlights were some impressive aerial BMX stunts at the King Action Sports Stunt Show and nail-biting barnyard animal races at Circle C Pig Racing. Despite the alluring giant turkey legs, donut burgers, and all things deep-fried, for which the state fair is known for, I found the turkey leg too dry and salty, and the deep-fried pecan pie tasting mostly like fried dough with a few crumbs of pecan. Nevertheless, being at the state fair and watching children and families enjoy the carnival games, the street performers, and the food – no matter how bad it turned out to be – was an experience that I’m glad to have had.