OJE - on job experience

Having only 3 hours to sleep due to camp sleep over, which went not without accidents (one kid got burned with blazing piece of marsh mellow, another got hit with a ball during mat ball) the camp was crazy today: I was on my feet, constantly doing something. I started by helping one of specialists (Kim) with mixing paint for tie-dying, then finished a "recyclable" boat for Regatta in the afternoon. We won "Best to look like a boat".

Next week i am doing OJE for one of the activities (Quest). This should be interesting, as i have a book and various materials to make an activity fun. In my mind i have catapult building or egg drop crate building. Then again, I will talk to my director and specialist for ideas and suggestions. My week of running sports activity was a success, not only campers but counselors enjoyed the games. I can only hope that people will enjoy whatever the activity i can come up with for Quest :)
It is fun to have something different to do every day. I am not just a counselor, but a floater, going from place to place, fulfilling niches that benefit my presence. I grow from all experiences and am glad.

Evening:
Several people gathered at Art's house and we hung out until 3am. I didn't expect to see people or stay that long but it was a fun company.

I drink a lot of tea

At least once in the morning, and usually 1 more time either in mid day or evening. I usually put honey and lemon in tea, but will settle with just sugar. I do not like the taste of coffee, but very much enjoy it's aroma. For me to drink coffee, it has to have lots of milk and sugar to kill the taste of coffee itself.
I enjoy green tea, berry/fruit teas, chamomile (ромашка): rosehips (шиповник),
hibiscus, and any other yummy herbs and flowers.

"USE PAINT"
I will do my best not to be afraid to use paint. I know it for a fact that I sometimes hesitate to use more, thicker, bolder moves while creating. I also know that when i do take these "leaps" to scoop paint onto canvas, it brings creates this raw reality. Why am i afraid to paint bolder? Economic reasons, supposedly, because paint is expensive and it's just a hobby...
I must move away from that kind of thinking and take action. Spending $10 on another tube of paint (that will last me several months at least) is NOT as cost intensive as i imagine it to be.

Let's see how well this sticks when my next painting will start to emerge.

Breaks from things are good.

Slept Friday evening and didn't go out on Saturday, but watched Harry Potter III and Hancock.
Finished painting my "11 skulls" painting. Upload pictures when it's not 1.32am and i have to wake up in less than 6 hours. .

Haiku i wrote driving on my way home from friends house. I stopped the car to text to myself the idea and solid last line. With 15min of editing comes this:

Why I love you so?
Blossom I around your glow,
But not without it.

I really like it. How both line 1&2 have "I" as a second word, and there is "you/your" in each line.
And none of it in the last line.

Beauty and the Beast

NYC trip was fun. We saw the Balto Statue in Central park. Wondered into depths of it and barely made it back. Adventure, excitement. Took subway down to Bleeker st. and had some great pizza at Artichoke Pizza. Never had artichoke pizza before. It was good, and the slices were huge. Not everyone finished their double orders :)

I haven't ran in a week+. The reality is that i get quite tired during my work this week because i was a Sports Specialist - O.J.E. - on job experience. Typically i am a counselor and have a group for the day, but i got a chance at running sports. Every day (except one - soccer) i tried to think of a game that was somewhat original, something kids haven't played, or add more rules to existing games. Capture the Flag - Double capture the flag with safe zones. Kickball - crazy kickball, where you can kick backwards. Coneball with minigame of frisbee toss. I was a bit nervous about choosing games but everyone totally loved the games i ran.
On top of that, I was able to hang out with directors and other specialists closer, talk to them about running, hobbies, bbq's and all that. I didn't think much about having lunch "at the grown up's table". It's refreshing to hang out with people older your age by 5 or 25 years. People are people :)


The title is the play that campers are putting up tomorrow. They rehearsed for 2 weeks. Today i was painting backdrops and other decorations. Because it was quite hot outside (95 and humidity) i lucked out to stay inside.
15minutes outside and i was done. Uncomfortable. I'm sweaty but if I accept it as reality, knowing that others are also uncomfortable (i saw people sweat running down faces)

Google+ will bloom

Soon. I don't have the account (yet) though i got an invitation. I really enjoy Google as a company and think their products are good. So eventually (when most people leave facebook, which may never happen) i might get it. Right now, in the beta version there is just really no reason for me to have it. Why would i need to have several other social networks. Yes, i use a couple of Russian social networks, but that's because not all of people over there uses facebook.


Camp Life
During the morning meeting one of the directors mentioned a kid who said, that I was his favorite counselor. That felt good, I've been thinking about it throughout the day. This is the reason I'm a counselor - so that children can have fun at camp and, hopefully, come back next year. Most kids do 3-5-8 years of the camp, depending on their age.

Friday: was a Counselor Pageant. I was "Serious Rabbit" (but you can just call me serious rabbit) and was a crazy painter. I dressed up in painting gear, and made a portret. It was funny-looking, which is what was important. Another counselor won; he dressed up as an old man and continuously kept falling down or asleep. Good stuff.


Michelle is here, so is Andrew. Tomorrow is trip to NY. should be fun. Hopefully there will be pictures.

Andrew is in town

My cousin came from Colorado for ten days. He's being deployed to Afghanistan (for the second time) at the end of the Month, so we won't see him for a year. Hopefully, he'll be done with all the army stuff after that. Army is a very specific selected group of people (much like, college kids, i guess), and i just want him to experience more of different layers of people.
We went to friend's house and reminisce about old times, about high school and Belarus. He certainly remembers some stories differently from how i remember them, but I'm okay with that, i give myself the benefit of the doubt that i just skewed my perception of memory toward sounding more pleasing to my ears.
Planning on going to movies, going to NY. Waterpark? I'll have to think about more stuff to do.

Joy is the people around you, not the place of landing.

Complicated?

I am not really interested in Google+ at this point ( and who knows, in a month i'd be glad to have it). There is no special need for me to provide even more info through more virtual channels. I understand, circles, cool stuff, but it's just more time online, unless people will leave facebook, and that would take some effort.

So things are changing and constantly moving as usual. I am forever grateful that I can't predict future because no matter what i conjure in my mind, it will always surprise me and gives me something interesting, either to think about, or to experience.

Is it becoming complicated? Well, technologically comlicated, I guess. I appreciate the ability to listen to bird chirps and fire via internet and computers, but i feel there are just way too many spheres of our present days that technology is involved in.

Going to sleep when your body and mind are tired is satisfying, and comforting.

Write things down

One of the reasons I originally started to blog, was to remember things during my hectic senior year at Boston College. It didn't fly as other seniors mentioned, because i have had enough memories "on paper" to see what was i doing a month ago or five.
I think writing a blog keeps me engaged with my present, thinking about what is happening to me currently, and how i am reacting to those present events. Many times i wrote something like "can't wait to go to movies on Sunday" when, in reality, i ended up not going to movies on Sunday, or the plans somehow worked out differently. (this may have something to do with over-planning, and not realizing how much time we have in a day) Those reminders are weaved in my current life. Not matter how much i am to plan things, i have to expect a decent-sized chance that it won't happen that way. A decent-sized chance. (Varies with each person's perception).

A suite-mate-friend Eric just called. He's starting his job in Manhattan in two days. Things have shaken up for him several months into real life. I can't wait for a little reunion. It was really nice to hear his voice and chit-chat about how we miss college :) It was an unexpected call.

So write things down, expect the unexpected, never stop learning.

It's been almost a week

I haven't written stuff in a while simply because i was visiting a girlfriend of choice in Boston for 4th of July weekend and her birthday. No personal time for myself. No facebook, no email. Barely used my cell. Great great break. We went skydiving for the first time through Sky Dive New England located at Lebanon, Maine. I keep thinking about the name Lebanon, how it's a city and not a... nevermind. My instructor was really cool and easy going, and so was Michelle's. We bought videos, each was $110. Well worth it. The pics came with it. Got there around 7.40am (drove 2hours) and were done by 10.30am. I expected it to take longer, but it wasn't bad. Early bird gets the worm, which is a metaphor for a plane. I guess...
14000ft in the air.
1 min free fall
5 min parachute. with some turns!






We watched fireworks sets of fireworks from the Quarries; about ten. The finale was pretty good and way bigger than all others, but even the little ones were consistent.
Michelle made delish chicken cordon bleu and i made a fig cake, with walnuts. I didn't have much faith in it, sorta estimated ingredients, i don't bake much. It also came out fantastic, however. I was surprised.


Life is great. I am enjoying my days at work, and nights with friends. I am excited for future and it's unpredictability.

People to look forward to:
Andrew is coming on 11th for ten days.
Michelle is coming on 15th for the weekend.

Friday = paycheck

Woop-woop. First paycheck after graduation. Feels good.
I need to get ready for Boston, leaving tomorrow at 3pm and staying there until Wednesday. As i mentioned in post below, both Michelle & I reserved spots for Skydiving, and hopefully Joey comes too.

Fire + rain video = awesome