by ·0 Comments

45 kids participated in this evening’s Magic Tournaments at Ockanickon which is 15 more than I can comfortably manage by myself. I enjoy short spurts where I am running close to capacity and tonight that happened until at 7:45 PM when a Naylor Ex Machina occurred and Joe arrived. He smiled, did the the 30 things I asked of him and allowed the next two hours to pass as a kinetic blur.

The evening was satisfying. An unusual number of people said “thank you” or that they enjoyed themselves, possibly because they could tell we were understaffed. I had brought food to thank you staff and I derive a simple satisfaction from covering someone’s basic needs. I ejected two people from the event and neither person argued with me. One of my auras appears to be one that radiates a sense of “you’re not special” and I’m glad that a certain part of my imposing presence has not been lost as I shrink. A final note was funny:

Staff Member: Terry?
Me: Yes.
Staff Member: Can we be friends?
Me: Why couldn’t we?
Staff Member: Because you’re like 30 and I’m 17.
Me: Well, don’t expect me to invite you out for cocktails and I doubt we’ll see each other outside of summer camp, but I think we meet the friend definition of “being on good terms”.
Staff Member: So, if I need advice or something, I can contact you?
Me: Yes. Yes you can. Here’s my card.
Staff Member: *receives card* Wow.

Be mistaken for an adult. Achievement Unlocked.

by ·0 Comments

During the staff volleyball bananza I was panned for not exerting enough effort to return the ball.  I wasn’t being lazy, simply efficient.  Getting me, to a point 3 feet in front of me in a period under 1/10 of a second would induce an impulse equivalent to a V-2 rocket so flailing wildly is by far more effective.

After one jibe I decided to show my team-mates the error of their ways.  I went after every ball.  No matter the direction, number of people in the way, chances of return or risk to person or equipment I went after it.  A few minutes of near decapitations, skylight-bound shots, fistballs, and some Braveheart-like cries of fear Nick Gramiccioni pulled me aside saying, “Terry, I’m sorry.  I never thought I’d say this to someone but, please stop going after the ball and just stay still.”

Victory!

by ·0 Comments

I finally received a night out Friday, and by night I mean a 90 minute window between 11:00 PM and 12:30 AM.  After changing into civies (which for camp staff is nearly identical to the staff uniform except for the Hawaiian shirt) and dashing to Applebees for discount appetizers I see a pile of disaffected teenagers fulfilling several stereotypes involving impressive women with cars.  I decide to fulfill a dream:

I go to the top of the parking lot, roll down the windows crank out Pachabel’s Canon and zoom past with my head the window yelling “wuz up, ladiez!!!”

by ·0 Comments

Leader: There’s a problem in the adult male shower house
Me: Oh… What’s that?
Leader: One of the toilets is clogged.
Me: Isn’t there a plunger, sit?
Leader: Well, I tried plunging, but stopped when the water started over flowing.  Someone had a very loose stool and some of it got onto the…
Me: Thank you, sir.  I’ll take care of it. *Wait*  (over radio) Pat Toye.
Pat (over radio): Go for Pat
Me (over radio):  There’s a bit of a mess in the shower house. Do you have medical gauntlets?
Pat (over radio): Nope.
Me (over radio):  Well, assemble the war gear, I’m going to lead a sortie into enemy territory.

So, four of us arrive at the shower house and I was skirmisher in the first wave.  It looked like someone had a forceful bowel movement that clogged the john that he tried to de-clog with a hand grenade.  Without years of training, I would have been knocked back, but I know my enemy.  I’ve never become physically exhausted plunging a toilet.  Matt Grob and I went back and forth until finally I think we pressed so hard we cracked the cesspool.  I’ve never had to clean up after something like that such that I had to mop the walls and the bottom rim of the tank.  Never say never, I suppose.  I’ve never had to teambuild a toilet before.

When we were finished it was unclogged, restocked, bleached,disinfected (2nd agent), swept and mopped proving an iron law of dealing with these things.  The dirtier it was before the deed, the cleaner it is afterwards.

by ·0 Comments

Our camp has been hit by a rash of vandalism and today my sleeping quarters were struck, by possibly the dumbest vandal ever.

So, they broke in to our room, took my room mate’s digital camera, tinkled in another’s iced tea (and he found that out… orally) but completely missed the pile of money on my night stand.  It was literally $200 in a styrofoam bowl filled with quarters.  They also missed several thousands of dollars in Magic cards.  A coworker is convinced that my reputation preceded me and the robber thinks my stuff is booby trapped or covered in UV-sensitive permanent ink.  I hope that’s the case.

by ·0 Comments

Our camp has been hit by a rash of vandalism and today my sleeping quarters were struck, by possibly the dumbest vandal ever.

So, they broke in to our room, took my room mate’s digital camera, tinkled in another’s iced tea (and he found that out… orally) but completely missed the pile of money on my night stand.  It was literally $200 in a styrofoam bowl filled with quarters.  They also missed several thousands of dollars in Magic cards.  A coworker is convinced that my reputation preceded me and the robber thinks my stuff is booby trapped or covered in UV-sensitive permanent ink.  I hope that’s the case.

by ·0 Comments

Me:  So why are you carrying around a [electrical plug-in] fan?
Staffer: It’s hot out here.
Me: Where do you plug it in?Staffer: I’m working on that.

This staffer works in a program area about a 1/2 mile from the nearest power outlet.