Giving it a Try

A few weeks ago I got inspired and decided to submit an article to the local newspaper, just for kicks. I didn't tell anyone except Connor because I wanted to surprise the rest of my family. I was so giddy I could hardly contain myself. It's funny, the things that turn a person on. Road trips and freshly sharpened pencils. Sending an article to the newspaper.

I had figured newspaper editors were like publishing people on a smaller scale, and I expected a sort of disinterested, condescending aloofness. But when I talked to Ms. Ana Walker, who is over the Voices column of the Longview News Journal, I was surprised to find her kind, positive, enthusiastic, and very accessible. The whole experience was very encouraging to me.

Here is the article for those of you who don't get the paper. Or read the paper. I'm just now looking through it a few times a week. Ours was sopping wet from rain that morning, and I had to hint pretty strongly to get Dad to pry it open and check the insides. Of all mornings for the paper to be so drenched no one wanted to open it!

http://www.news-journal.com/search/content/news/opinion/stories/2009/10/09/10092009_voices_walters.html

I just had a little scuffle with Starbucks internet. Starbucks isn't my first choice of coffee shops, but here I am and I bought a gift card so that I could access the internet. Too bad I couldn't buy a side of brains with that.

I tried typing my card number in several times without any luck. Every time, ugly red words came up telling me my card wasn't activated. I went to the barista up front, who was really busy with other things and couldn't help me much. I went back and retyped the numbers. Twice. It was then I realized I'd been typing in the card number of the sample card on the screen-- not my card!

So now I am reveling in the light of my own shocking brilliance of mind, drinking an especially delicious hot chocolate.