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Published: March 24th 2010
Upsidedown Land
I took this hanging upside down across the poolside. That's why it's upsidedown.Hello all! It's been a while... again. I'm a bit miserable at keeping this blog up, aren't I?
Just so everyone knows, if you send a message through the travel blog, I won't be able to reply to it. Email is better if you actually want an answer.
So, let's see. I got back from Orlando on Monday night, arriving in Cork around 7:30pm. This was after a loooooong layover in Heathrow. It was quite a chunk of traveling. I spent a large portion of my layover asleep on a bench, then read Fudoki, by Kij Johnson (a signed copy I picked up at the conference for $5) and finished it, and also played a lot of ukulele.
UKULELE! I got a cherry red sparkly ukulele for my birthday, and got it signed by Charles Vess while at ICFA. I still have to get some lacquer to put over the signature so it doesn't rub off. I am slowly sort of beginning to maybe be able to play the uke. Ish. I really wish I had the gift of picking up an instrument and learning it by feel and sound, instead of by sheet music. I'm trying to
Huck Finn and Ukulele Princess
Some cute people I saw sitting by the pool... teach myself to do it, but it's an iffy process at best. I have a couple chords down, and I can play "In The Jungle," the guitar solo from Ziggy Stardust's "Starman," and "Happy Birthday." It's a start.
But the conference! That is the point of this entry, and yes there will be pictures. It was sunny and gorgeous, and there were so many people there! There were academics and writers and my fellow Dell finalists and also my dad. I had no idea who to hang out with first. Mostly, I ended up hanging out with Tony and trying not to let him steal my ukulele too much (because I knew he would sham me by instantly understanding how to play it. Which he did).
We all got certificates, basked in the beautiful sunshine, and met famous writery people. And then I returned to Ireland to miss everyone (and the nice weather) that much more. BUT! I am taking my first round of finals this week, and then NO SCHOOL! FOR A MONTH! And Italy, and London, and all sorts of adventures.
When it's all over, I'm sure I will wonder where the time went. But
Maturity
All the Dell finalists are obviously super mature and well-rounded individuals. We wouldn't ever make stupid faces in photos... I'm still SO excited to come home and give out lots and lots and lots of hugs, and wander around town, and see the sunshine almost every day.
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