So I decided to tell the truth. I have a pitch I'm going to write down for my dad and then discuss it with him, and hopefully get him to agree and then use him to help me work on mom. And if they don't.... I'll have to grow a set of balls and go anyway, I guess. Which I really don't relish the thought of, but I hate lying.

Anyway, here's the pitch I plan to give, anyone have any input?:

I know this is a weird way to put this, but I find it easier to commit my thoughts to paper than to try to go through this verbally. Unfortunately, I tend to forget my reasons for things and get emotional. So I thought I would give this note to you, and then have you ask me any questions you have, and be able to discuss this with my main points here on paper to look at:

In June, I would like to take a vacation to stay with a friend. The catch: my friend is Ryan, who I met on the internet about five years ago. I know you and mom are skeptical of friends I've met on the internet, but to reiterate: I have known him five years, and we talk nearly every day. I know him better than most of the friends I have in real life.

I realize that even apart from the fact we met on the internet, there is the fact that he is a strange guy you've never met, and it's a little weird for me to be like, "oh yeah, I'm going to stay with him for a week." However, he is willing to talk to you and mom on the phone if you want, or give you any other assurances you might need. I am also not ashamed to have you talk to someone who I have spent such
a large amount of time speaking to over the last five years, or to let you know that I am going to visit him. I wanted to be up front about this, in the hopes that you would respect that and not try to stop me, as I am a grown woman and will probably go anyway.


I was trying to think of a way to be like, "yeah, and we also aren't going get it on" but it didn't seem to fit in very well at any point. I'm also trying to think of a way to make "oh, I'll go anyway" seem less confrontational.


Phoemeister: crap, this thing I'm typing out is not going like I planned. I had originally this impassioned speech about living my life in my head, but then I was like, "just stick with the facts" but now it just sounds kind of whiny. Like, "geez, I'm twenty fooooooooour. I want to go to vegaaaaas"
Sui: haha
Sui: That about sums it up though
Phoemeister: yeah :/
Sui: just make it sound less whiney