camp tomorrow

 should be really really fun

wednesday rotations for the ages

 since 2019 I have run a game in the Wednesday rotations at camp. Where all the campers are split into teams of various ages and go from station to station, counselor to counselor, competing in 10 to 15 minute games. But today, after talking a lot of smack, I was placed on a team and allowed to compete instead. 

I won. And not because I was older than everyone else. But because I knew how to get the most out of my team. And taught them how to fight for every point and push for every advantage. 

But actually it was very fun. I did really win though. 

There's something quasi-spiritual almost going on. If you really stretch it. But there's this thing that happens where the oldest campers don't want to participate in the games anymore because they feel like it's not fun and they want to do what the counselors are doing and run the games. They think that's the fun thing to do. Or that's like the next step or whatever. So then today I swapped places with them and they ran the games and I participated. But it's like, the reason I have fun running a game is the same reason I had fun playing the games. And the reason they don't enjoy being on a team is the same reason they didn't like running the game. You think you've gone somewhere different and you're doing a new thing but really you're doing the same thing as before.

Or it's like how interesting people are people who are interested in others and the world. The game is 'be engaged and engage with others.' But what a lot of people think the game is is 'have authority and use authority.' That game is trash. It's not even a game.

I'm aware that it's ridiculous to be saying all this about games played in a field with children but I do think on an abstract level it matters if you're ever part of anyone sort of team or existing in a group. 

kids are funny

 We were eating breakfast at camp and I was sitting at this table with two sisters and one of the sisters says to her sister, "Do you eat everything one by one or do you move around from thing to thing?" And the older sister answers, "I eat everything one by one." And the little sister says, "I move around."

And I said, "One of your parents probably does one and one of your parents probably does the other. That's where you got it from. I'm sure of it. Everything you do is determined by your parents. Everything."

I was making it out to be some huge girl and the older sister says in a bone dry voice, "Oh yeah, Andy? Everything? Even your eye color?"

That's funny. The timing. The tone. I know it doesn't carry over to text but it was surgical execution.

there's this brother and sister who are new to camp this year

 older brother and younger sister and they're just the two best kids you've ever seen. they're positive and they love playing games and they get along with just about anyone.

today the boy told me, "I really like when you play games because you try when you have to and you're funny but you also let everyone else on the team do things." And it was a very sweet and genuine compliment. 

whoever raised those kids is really doing something right.

happy father's day

 there are a couple key concepts my dad explained to me from a very young age that I'd like to share.

"let's go like we're trying to get somewhere"

    this means let's make our actions align with our intentions. if we want to be at a specific place at a specific time, let's stop standing around and actually take the steps to do it.

"don't get in front of me and slow down."

    this was said to me when we used to walk around the mall growing up. I would get in front of him and then slow down which was annoying. but also like, don't take the lead on something and then make things worse for the people you're leading. if we really want to abstractify it.

"no style style"

    We would go to the dollar tree and my dad would pick out cheap sunglasses and he would explain that these glasses exhibited "no style style" which was the kind of style that let everyone know that you didn't have any style. pretty forward thinking in a lot of ways. Although a few weeks ago my dad told me this was actually a really bad idea because cheap sunglasses don't have UV protection so your eye opens to let in more light but then it's not protected from the UV light so it's worse than not wearing sunglasses at all. 

 "cookie physics"

    One time my dad pushed a whole sleeve of knock-off oreos into a single small cup by combining them with milk and then stirring so that it removed all the air and it created a denser and denser concoction of cookie-milk that he kept referring to as "cookie physics"

"sweater jackets/ sweater coats"

    If a jacket or a coat has a zipper but is made of a soft sweater like material then that is a sweater-coat and that is the main garment for going outside if the temperature is anywhere between about 60 and 40 degrees.

there are many other concepts but those are the big ones I could think of and I love my dad

adequate lifeguard award

only one can truly be deemed 'adequate lifeguard'

 

life's so good sometimes

it really is.

you go paddle and have fun on the river with great people. and get paid to do it?!

that's good. you can't say it's not. 

you can't say a whole bunch of things but you gotta admit it's pretty good