The New Routine

Summer is here and with summer comes a new routine. Oddly, for myself this "newness" I speak of is really, well, old. The saying "it's like riding a bike" has come in handy for me the past few weeks as I'm getting back into the swing of things at camp.

Camp, if you don't know, requires some much needed illusion, allusion and best of all confusion (see, it's working already). There's got to be a "new you" at camp. I'm not the same "me" that I am when I'm with my friends or family (though, I will not lie entirely and say that I change so drastically. A lot of "me" is still "me" whether its at camp or at home etc.).

You have to reinvent yourself so as to preserve sanity. I now find myself waking up and in a state of typical zombiness, readying my shiny blue uni, and selecting an article of swimwear for the day. Grab the lunch that was made (thanks mom! Ya, that's right my mom makes my lunch - sometimes - you got a fuckin' problem with that?? didn't think so!!!), or I make my lunch in somewhat of a haste, have some breaky, grab my faux-tilly (thanks Costco!) load up on the sunscreen and stroll out to the mini-bus (yep, the "special" one) and commence my co-captainness of Bus 6.

Then its a bumpy, oft sweltering lil' drive through the familiar scenery of T-hill and voila...destination reached. Unload the lil' cute tikes on their respective cabins/counsellors and its on to meet my devil children. They're not all that bad - but put together as a group of 12 and its a "Dirty Dozen" indeed.

After about 3 fantasmal 35 minute sessions of various activities (be it drum circle, rock climb, archery, golf, baseball, drama, cooking etc.) its off to outdoor instructional swim!!

As the lil' shits drown, er, learn to swim, I casually soak the feet in the pool, workin' on the tan [I don't swim b/c a) its an instructional lesson and that would mean I'd either be getting in the way, or getting an unwanted/unnecessary swimming lesson, and b) I've only dressed in bathing suit, wetting it now rather than at 230 would mean that I'd have to endure crotch rot for far too long a time and that's just not in the cards] and overall enjoying the fact that the lifeguards have to put up with my lil' buggers for 35 mins!

After the change its off to one more activity and then...LUNCH.

Now, you'd think this would be a fun relaxing time for us, huh? Nope. Gotta get 'em sitting at their table, eating their packed lunches - of course all of them want the "lunch program" that you gotta shell out extra cash for, which includes a lucrative bag 'o chips...man oh man how they bargain for a bag o' chips.

Then comes the impromptu cabin cheering/ragging contest. My kids have no spirit. None. Zero. I've encouraged their creative juices but it seems alas, that their juice has run out. So while other cabins come up with some creative and let's not forget deafening cheers, my guys just sit their pining for chips.

Clean up and then its two more activities before swim time - indoors!

Here's where I unload, cool off and get wet. Thanks to the extra towels provided by the facility, I can now afford to leave my precious cottons at home!!

Toss a few kids around the pool (they like it), get out, quickie shower to rinse off and its back to the home base (under the big tree) for some popsicles, daily trivia/skill challenges, of which the winning cabin gets a pizza party (you'll note that my kids lost out last week b/c they lacked one particular skill - SPIRIT aka CHEERING. Had they had that, we'd have been the Prized Pepperonis er, cheese err..whatever it'd have been a better lunch for sure...). Then as a bus captain its time to head up the hill, grab the attendance clipboard then do my best boxing ring-girl immitation, waiting for the little darlings to come on home.

Dropped off before 5 and voila!

Rinse, Wash, Repeat.. 6 more weeks... I'm getting too old for this shit - Cap'n Murtaugh.

Hmmm, maybe that'll be my new nicname at camp...hahaha I made myself laugh.

Done.

PEACE (except for the part where we must destroy Hizbullah/Hamas/Syria and Iran)

EM