Medora, etc.

Wow.  Turns out I write a blog...  I never would have guessed based on my activity over the past almost four months.  I have a lot of good excuses for not writing, just so you know.  Here are a few:

•  I went home to North Dakota (sound like a familiar song to anyone else?) for the summer.  This blog is called coloradosoprano.  Writing from ND would just be hypocritical.
• Working in Medora, ND involves working 50-55 hours a week.  My hours were very strange.  I sometimes worked a split shift, and when I didn't, I would be working 4-11.  Generally that meant drinking excessively the night before and then sleeping in too late to make time to write a blog.
• Working in Medora, ND involves living in a campground.  In a really classy trailer house.  The campground does not have internet.  In order to get on the internet to perform the basic functions of my life, I had to drive into town.  Just to check my email!  Unbelievable.
• Medora is impossible to explain to anyone who hasn't ever worked there.  Ask my sister.  She'll tell you.

There may be another reason or two.  They mostly involve me being too lazy to write a blog.  Either way, I didn't do it.  I just didn't feel like writing.  I'm still not sure that I do, but here is something anyway.

This summer was my fourth summer in a row working for the Theodore Roosevelt Medora Foundation.  My first summer was amazing.  I had the most amazing job in the world.  I drove the beer cart at Bully Pulpit Golf Course and worked evenings at the Medora Musical (The Greatest Show in the West, in case you wanted to know). It was great for me to go out there because I didn't know anyone out there, I had never been there, and it was all new and exciting.  I loved it.  Adored it.  It was my favorite.  In fact, I agreed to go back for a second summer.  I did the same job and loved it a lot again.  I met more people, drank even more, and had an amazing summer (in part thanks to Guillaume, Matt, and Curtis, who helped me to keep my sanity).  So great, in fact, that I ended up staying all the way into October, since I was already done with school at that point.  I thought I wouldn't go back for summer number three, but lo and behold, I was convinced to go back.  Again.

My third summer I switched jobs and became the assistant manager of the Medora Musical Welcome Center, where we sell Medora Musical memorabilia and deal with ticketing issues.  Lots of ticketing issues.  New job, new hours, new friends.  Again, I liked it, but I remember saying several times over the course of the year that if I was to go back for summer number four, there would be no way that I would do the same job.  Overall, it was a really great summer.  Lots of crazy antics and crazy people.  I loved it.  After all, I DO love being crazy.

I was unsure about summer number four because of many, many variables, and really made the decision to go there at the very last minute.  Like, the last possible minute that I could make the decision.  My boss even had to email me and tell me that I had to tell him or he would find a replacement for me. (Ha!  Like that's possible!)  My little sister, Stacey, had made the commitment to go there for the summer, so I agreed to go, too.  I somehow forgot, though, over the course of the winter, about my decision never to work in the Welcome Center ever again.  Very unfortunately, so I was there again, and I hated it from pretty much the first day.

I was literally SO sick of people (tourists especially) that it took me tons of fortitude not to yell at them when they did stupid crap.  Literally.  One time, as soon as a customer turned the corner, I spoke (to myself), saying, "I hate you.  I seriously hate you.  You're dumb."  Now, I didn't say it really loudly, but loud enough that I couldn't believe that I had actually said it.  I had explosions of anger quite often, and my unfortunate co-workers were the ones who had to put up with me.  That job was just not good for me anymore.  I felt really bad because it was hard for me to do a good job of helping people when all I could think about was how much I didn't want them to be around and how much I disliked them simply for being tourists.  A bad deal.

I won't say that it was a horrible summer, but it was different.  When I first went to Medora I was struck by the so-called "Medora magic."  I've been around for so long, though, that there is no more magic.  I know all of the secrets to the magic and nothing is new anymore.  I'm sick of the drama and the politics.  I think I just need a change in my life.

As evidence that the entire summer wasn't awful, here are a few of the high points:

• I got to golf this summer a lot.  In past summers, my schedule didn't really allow for it, but I made time this summer.  My mom bought me a brand-new set of clubs, and I put them to good use.  Best trip was me, Shauna, Jettie, and Stacey, when the sayings, "You can putt from there," and "You can find that!" came into being.
• I got a really good tan!  I loved working day crew.  No people around, I got to work outside, work hard, get sweaty, get to know my coworkers better.  It's pretty fantastic.
• Margarita night.  On a random Thursday night, Jettie and I were going to have one margarita.  One quickly turned to two, and two to three, and before we knew it, we were running around the campground and harassing our friends, who only laughed at us.  It was awesome.
• Jettie's going-away party.  After being up until 5:00 am, I went home and decided to make a pizza.  Before the pizza was cooked and out of the oven, I passed out, and our whole house would have burned down if Heidi wouldn't have come home and saved my life.  The pizza was black all the way through (after cooking for 3 hours), and our house reeked of smoke all day.
• Once again, we had jungle juice for Shauna's birthday party.  She turned old.  Really old.  The party wasn't quite as epic as last year's, but still great fun.
• Volleyball in the living room.  With my crazy roommates.  And Drew.  Nuff said. 
• I learned a few swing dancing moves from the ever-great Tyrel Brown.  I'm not saying I'm a master, but I'm a few steps better than I was last year at this time.
• A visit from my Watson girls that included a rainy night at the Medora Musical, a few trips to Boots, horseback riding, and shopping in the metropolis that IS Medora.  
• Cupid shuffling.  Every time I was wasted.
• Cowboys.  
• Girls are dumb.  Really, really dumb.  Yes, that includes myself.

This is not, of course, an inclusive list, and if you feel like something needs to be added, you should probably tell me.  If I agree, I'll consider adding it to the list.  Unless I'm too lazy, of course. 

And I guess that's my summer in a nutshell.  I'll hopefully catch up with what has happened in CO soon.  Until then...