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*Where* and back again?
Posted By: LaZorra, on host 209.135.4.172
Date: Monday, July 15, 2002, at 12:14:52

After being MIA for two months, I am happy to say that I am BACK. (Yes, I'm sure you're all thrilled.) So much has been going on that I just haven't had time for anything, really. I'd gotten very behind in my schoolwork (the downside to being homeschooled and in charge of one's own schedule), so I had to cram nine weeks of classes into two. Excellent planning on my part. Other than that, though, here's what's been going on.

First, my father is completely cured of cancer! That's the good part. The bad part is he seems depressed. But at least he's acting pretty normal now.

Second, I got a job with the largest doll collecting magazine in the world. That probably sounds ridiculous to most of you, but *I* am totally excited. Two other people and I are going to take turns writing articles for a column called Small Talk, which is about creating displays for dolls. We're going through sort of an elimination process to see who is most reliable, I think. Mine is going to be the first, for which they have already sent me a check for $400. Not bad for a 17-year-old.

That's another thing. We went to Colorado Springs and Estes Park for my 17th birthday, which was loads of fun. Well, most of it was. The car we rented from Budget had some weird theft device that wouldn't let you turn the car on unless you waited 15 seconds after puttting the key in, sang "I'm a Little Teapot," and I don't know what else. We subsequently spent an hour of our first day of vacation sitting in various parking lots waiting for the thing to turn off. Then, on one of Dad's many calls to Budget, one of the reps told us the stupid car was borken. Gah. He told us to turn the car into them and they'd issue us a different one. Double gah. By this time, we were 100+ miles from the nearest Budget and it was 8:00 at night. So Dad, against everyone's wishes, took the dumb thing down there instantly. I went with him to make sure he didn't fall asleep at the wheel.

The drive to Denver from Estes Park was fairly uneventful, but the drive back was something else. By this time, it was 10:00 and I hadn't eaten since breakfast. So we kept our eyes peeled for a fast food restaurant. Let me tell you something. McDonald's is an endangered species in Colorado, at least to the untrained eye. We didn't find one until an hour later, at which point we went in, had the cashier belch at us (twice, no less), and walked out with food. Eating in the dark is something I've never tried before, but it worked OK. Except for salting the French fries. 15 minutes after we got in the car, Dad made a coughing noise and said, "I found the salt."

Then somehow we got into a discussion about how people who think they can get away with being ugly should be shot at with BB guns.

Anyway...

For most of the rest of the trip, we just drove around from Estes Park back to Colorado Springs, went to a Barbie museum exhibit, and had dinner at the Flying W. They serve dinner on tin plates and after dinner, the Flying W Wranglers sing. They are great, in my own humble opinion. One of their guitarists picks at about 120 miles per hour, and they have a yodeler (yodeling is a vocal contortion that never ceases to amaze me). They play old cowboy stuff like "Cool Clear Water" and newer stuff that you've probably never heard of, like "Uncle Willie's Duck Hunt". We got the best seats in the house and got to meet them afterwards. OK, I am sounding WAY too much like a groupie now.

I saw about fifty University of Phoenix buildings, which is weird because I thought they were only online? Also saw a place where candy coated chocolates can get house loans and such (M&M Mortgage). Apparently, Tolkien's tree-like creatures are alive and well in Colorado, for I also saw the Ent Federal Credit Loan building multiple times.

The flight home was good, but going from cool Colorado Springs to home sweet inferno Fresno was quite a shock.

Let's see, what else has been going on? I've joined an all-girl Venturing crew (Venturing is an offshoot of the Boy Scouts). I've recently won four out of seven categories and $100 in a doll contest. I have somehow gotten myself roped into playing hymns for my church this Sunday, for which I am woefully unprepared. And I also must polish up my driving skills, because my permit expires at the end of August and I need to take my driving test. I need 60 hours and I think I have half that. It's not that I hate driving, just that out here in the country there's not much reason to. Plus, I spend all my time driving in the country, so the city driving teachers think I haven't driven at all when I get out on the freeway! Sigh.

I suppose I've rambled on, and on, down from the point where I began. Now far ahead my thoughts have gone, and I must follow if I can...

La"it's good to be back again"Zorra

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