My parents kindly invited me to go with them on a trip to Winter Park, Colorado. They have a time-share and their time-share had two extra bedrooms. So my sister and I played barnacle and fastened ourselves to their ship for the ride. Some of you may recall that last year I went with them to Gatlinburg.
Why, America, do I keep going on vacations to the mountains when I am afraid of heights?
I did okay once we arrived, but the trip was bookended by travelling over steep mountain passes, during which I mostly dissociated. And whimpered.
They wanted to go to the rodeo, but I put my foot down. Heights AND Clowns?!? No thank you.
I have learned some things about myself, though:
* I am a homebody.
* I am unhealthily fixated on dogs. Every time we saw or heard a dog on vacation I went a little nuts. I was like a two year old screaming “Doggie!!!”
* The food in Winter Park, Colorado was awesomely wonderful. Dungeness Crab enchiladas? Two thumbs up!
* The NBC channel in Denver is hopelessly left-leaning to an absurd extent. I watched a news story about business disruption in Downtown Denver which went on for several minutes. I heard about how the Secret Service and Fox News were shutting down whole sections of town. People were derisive and angry about how the conservatives were messing up their lives. Since I came in on the story part way through I was assuming they were talking about a visit from President Bush. Turns out they were griping about the Democratic National Convention. And bending over backwards to blame the inconvenience of that event on conservatives. Weird.
*After waiting more than a year for a local TV news station to do a story on my biggest blog confrontation, it has finally happened. When I was out of town. My opportunity to give input passed quietly. Probably for the best.
*Plants I planted have died and plants I didn’t plant have grown almost a foot high. I guess I didn’t successfully de-plant all of my Four-o’clocks from last year.
Every time we saw or heard a dog on vacation I went a little nuts. I was like a two year old screaming “Doggie!!!”
At least you limit yourself to one species. I do that with most animals: “Doggie!” “Kitty!” “Groundhog!” “Deer!” (I usually skip cows, but horses are a 50/50 chance).
Groundhogs? You have to be kidding. Do you at least say “oooh, rat that lives underground!” or something?
Otherwise, I do the same thing. I never used to, but in recent years have done it more and more. It’s mostly because it amuses the heck out of my husband. Come to think of it, it replaces “look, the Chrysler Building! It’s the most beautiful building in the city!” which I would point out to him several times a week back when we lived in NYC.
Oh, and welcome back, Kat.
There’s an old B. Kliban cartoon showing what dogs think. It has two dogs standing nose to nose and the thought balloons over their heads both say the same thing: “DOG!!!” That’s how I feel when I see one.
Worse yet, there’s a family of rabbits living in the wooded area at the edge of my back yard. When I (a 44-year-old man) see one of them, I shout aloud, “BUNNY WABBIT!!!” God, I’m retarded.
Realize that you just yelled “SQUIRREL! HEY, SQUIRREL! HOWYADOON?!?” at a passing squirrel while mowing your yard, and you too will realize that you have never outgrown your 3-year-old obsession with animals.
Glad you’re back and enjoyed your downtime. Except for the altitudinous parts.
P.S. — My mom saw that story on Channel 5 and said, “Hey, is that the company that was so ridiculous to the woman in (your town)? I hope they hang them.”
nm,
You see, they don’t have groundhogs where I’m from so when I moved out here (where there are 1000s in the summer months), and saw one in person for the first time, I felt compelled to point out that there was in fact a groundhog in front of me. It kind of stuck. The humorous part of it: I rubbed off on TheBoyfriend™ who now also announces “Groundhog” every time we drive by one, if I don’t see it first.
I’m that way with turtles. But I say it slow. “Tur… tle….” Because turtles are slow, of course, and I’m a dork.
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