1981, summer camp, long island, ny, 11 years old

met JL, a nice boy from the next town over.

we would play at camp together (because really at 11, what the hell did dating really mean?).

on rainy camp days, we’d sit and watch the movies with the other kids and maybe hold hands. the counselors sang “they called it puppy love”.

we had one date before the summer ended. 2 of my sisters took us to the ice cream shop down the hill.

they sat at another table.

next summer, the camp had closed down, and so, that was that.

This session we cozied into Drew, Dani and Ashley’s lovely abode to learn the nitty-gritty of summer camps and new-fangled Google Wave, and to craft postcards to send to those near and far.  Caitlin, outdoor educator extraordinaire, imparted tales and traditions of various YMCA camps.  We hashed over the implications of paying counselors so little and the problems with incorporating Native American “traditions.”  Caitlin confessed that she still possessed $60 of “emergency money” from a camp she worked at years ago.  Also, she shared results of a study done where people were asked (regardless of whether they’ve been to summer camp or not) to share their memories (real or fabricated) of camp — the stories of people who went to camp and those who did not were indistinguishable.  Following that, Drew set up the projector and rounded up a few laptops where we did a real-time illustration of Google’s new pet project, Google Wave.  Conclusions drawn were “Wow, this is really cool and scary” and “what in the hell good is this?”  The most shocking discovery was finding the playback feature, which shows you all the changes that were made to the text, including deletions and edits.  Lizzie aptly commented, “It’s a 4D document.”  After experiencing the future of communication we decided to head back to the correspondence stone-age and craft up postcards using old magazines, rubber cement, and a whole lot of creativity and love.  Sadly, there was a dearth of glitter.  A wonderful session, indeed.

-Courtney-

Hey There,

I was pretty young when I decided that religion wasn’t for me (sometime between the ages of six and eight).  It was while I was at vacation bible school, which was a summer day camp run by the church we went to.  It lasted for one or two weeks; I don’t even think that it was a full day- it may have been just the morning or just the afternoon.  I don’t remember too much in the way of religious instruction.  They mainly just left everyone in a school gym to run around.

One day, the counselors decided to round up all the younger kids to watch a movie.  They wouldn’t tell me which movie, so I didn’t want to go.  They said it was a “surprise” and that we’d love it.  I was very resistant to this for some reason.  In fact, I was the only one who really protested.  One of the counselors then pulled me aside and told me that we were going to watch a sneak preview of the upcoming Superman movie.  I didn’t know they had even made a new Superman movie (Superman IV), but since I liked Superman III a lot, I was excited about it.  So, I followed the other kids.

Well, the Superman IV preview was a total lie.  We did watch a movie, but it was about Jesus.  The movie was crushingly boring.  Not a superhero around anywhere.  Not even Aquaman who, while the dumbest of the superheroes, still would have been more enjoyable to a 6-8 year old.

Even though ultimately Superman IV was a horrible movie, it was still a real dirty trick to play on a kid.

And that’s why I’m not religious.

Escuelita de Nosara is a local non-profit association, providing varied and creative educational opportunities to the children of Nosara. Their mission is to provide the children of Nosara a quality education, based on creativity, respect for themselves and others, and ecological consciousness.

They provide an equal opportunity educational program encouraging hands-on experience, allowing the children to express their own ideas and feelings and to discover their inner strengths. Their vision is that the children of Nosara have a broader educational foundation that shows them the opportunities available to them in their future, whether in higher education, career or personal enrichment.

Therefore, every January, during summer break, the Association “Escuelita de Nosara” holds a summer camp for local children in Nosara.  This is an opportunity for local kids to experience and participate in a wide variety of arts, sports, theatre, crafts, yoga, and such.  These kinds of classes are not part of the local school curriculum.

Summer Day Camp

Dates: January 4th to February 1st, 2010

Location: Santa Marta Public School

Schedule: Monday to Friday (it is a half day program)

There are several ways you can contribute or participate in Summer Day Camp, and know that you do not have to be an artist or teacher to help!

• Volunteer your time! Help out during the summer camp, supervising the children, preparing healthy snacks, organizing supplies, etc…There is a lot to do!

• Donate arts & crafts and sports materials!

• Share your passion! Share a project, activity or idea with the children of escuelita. If you would like to come and talk about your career to the older children, contact us! This is an opportunity to inspire kids to think beyond junior high school and an incredible way for you to give back to the community.

• Save Your Junk! We are collecting recyclable materials for use in art projects. You can help us by saving now items such as the pop-tops on soda and beer cans, scraps of material or old clothes, bottle caps, large and small plastic bottles, large dog food bags (i.e., Ascan), big woven rice bags, toilet paper rings, etc.

• Make a Financial Contribution! Financial donations are greatly appreciated and needed to pay for transportation of kids during the summer camp, for the purchase of art supplies and sports equipment and for the theatrical production.

In Costa Rica:
Direct cash or personal cheque payment to members of the board of Escuelita de Nosara

In the US:
Tax deductible donations can be made through “Friends of Nosara” This non-profit corporation is recognized as a public charity under Section 501 (c) (3) of the US Internal Revenue Code. Its purpose is to support charitable educational, cultural, civic and social activities in Nosara. Include a notation in the memo section of the check that the money is to be directed to “Escuelita de Nosara”. Official receipts will be issued for your tax return. Send checks to:
Friends of Nosara
c/o Michael V. Olson
2 Louisiana Ave #1 G
Bronxville, NY 10708
e-mail: mikeandaliceolson@gmail.com

• Sponsor A Child! Buy a passport—or 20—and offer summer camp to local children. Starting in early December individuals and businesses are invited to purchase “passports” at US$ 10 each to help underwrite the expenses of producing escuelita, which is run by volunteers and made possible by generous individuals and businesses. Those who purchase passports can either donate them to escuelita to give as scholarships, or give them to their employees and friends who have children. They make great Christmas presents!

For more detailed information or if you have any suggestions and/or donations of materials, please contact one of the following people:

Saskia Ellemeet, (506) 2682-0585 or saskiaellemeet@hotmail.com
Carrie Anderson, (506) 8873 9523 or carewinst@yahoo.com
Jeannette Vargas Ramírez at 8840-8392 or jeannette@nosarayoga.com

For even more information:
http://escuelitadenosara.org/en/association.html

When I taught summer camp in with a program in the Washington D.C. area. One of my students, in the 7^th grade at the time, was explaining to me that she felt ugly. This student wears hijab, but otherwise dresses much like any other middle school teen. With all the effort she puts into assimilating you would think she should have gotten more bang for her buck.  She told me that there were prettier, more popular girls in her class and that she felt ugly.

In order to understand her concept of “pretty” I asked her to describe them to me.  She said they wore stylish clothes, were cool, friends with all the talented people, and got attention from boys. Candid response, I’ll give her that, but it was becoming clearer and clearer to me that being, or should I say appearing, as a Muslim was a burden to her.

Another student in the 9^th grade decided to chime in, and told me that she felt the same way. She explained that she was a loner. She had no friends, and no one really liked her. This came as a surprise to me, because both students had awesome personalities (in my opinion at least), talented, and were decently good looking from what I could see. In addition to their distorted self-images, D.C. and Virginia have sizable Muslim communities.  Could it be possible that she was a loner because there was no other Muslim student s in her school? When I asked her, she begrudgingly mumbled, “There are, I just don’t like them. They’re boring. They’re losers.”

This struck a chord with me, because interestingly enough, when I was about their age, I had made a similar divide in my judgment when it came to choosing friends. In that stage of my life, I thought I was too good to hang out with the simply religious crowd. Although I can now admit that they were mature for their age (in some aspects at least), I can also admit that they were far from adventurous.

Everything they had to say was corny. They did nothing daring, nor did they have anything interesting to say. They were simple, avoided risks, and they always wanted to do “religious” stuff. Despite all of these points of criticism they had one vice that took the cake hands down: They told their parents everything.

So I had to resort to making a new clique that represented my concept of superhero-rock star-best-buds-forever. Eventually, I made a habit out of this. As a teen that moved a lot I had many opportunities to start over and test the integrity of my clique formation processes. I ended up going a year or at least a couple of quarters without friends, dedicating my time to casing everyone out. It definitely had its hard-knocks but once we found each other, it all paid off.

Back to the point, the core issue here is that the Student’s foundation is totally off. Her understanding of being a Muslim is one that translates to negative points of difference. It’s imperative that our youth internalize the idea that being Muslim is a privilege. She should feel sorry for the popular girls, who by the way suffer from more insecurities and social illnesses then they can even begin to imagine.

Being Muslim shelters you from so much, it protects you from all the crazy things out there. Would she have been an alcoholic by her mid 20’s? How many regrets would she have accumulated during her debut in the dating scene? Visits to the abortion clinic? Would she be lucky enough to make it to rehab? Does she care to imagine the extent of how distorted her image of self could get? How much emotional, mental and physical damage could she handle?

Allah SWT chose you to be a Muslim, how are you being grateful in return?

By wishing you were something else.

You aren’t limited to wearing clothes that cover everything but your hands and face. You are honored, and secretly envied for doing so.

Envied by every young lady that wears a short skirt to work and spends 25% of the time trying to pull it down, who is limited? By the one who runs 5 miles a day to get better “gams”, who is limited? By the one who soaks her feet when she gets home because the heels kill her, who is limited? By the one who is starving herself to be a size 2, who is limited? Girls and ladies alike, go to extreme heights to be considered attractive, desirable, sexy, wanted and loved. They are also repeatedly let down by the far from satisfactory results they get. They are suffering on a daily basis. You are not limited. You are free.

Adults aren’t excluded from having these feelings. They need to have confidence in their identity outside the mosque and religious gatherings. How “Muslim” are you at work? Do your co-workers know something positive about Islam because of you? Do you tell people, “Well…in my religion I’m not allowed to drink alcohol” or do you say, “ I am Muslim, I don’t drink alcohol” ?  How strong are you when it comes to your beliefs and practices as a Muslim?

Are you proud?



My first real experience “camping” came in Colorado.  My church was taking some high school kids on a trip, and somehow I ended up tagging along.  I’d been totally dumbfounded when I read the packing list.  This was true backpacking, roughing it with only what you could carry on your back to sustain you during two weeks in the Collegiate Peaks wilderness.  I didn’t know where to begin, and had no idea what lay ahead of me.

I’d fall asleep at night dreaming about what my trip would be like.  Awe-inspiring vistas atop scenic mountain meadows, small trout dancing in bubbling streams, and mighty glaciers poised atop rocks touching the sky.  

Needless to say, I was slightly taken aback by reality.  Reality was hot, sweaty walking with nearly 60 pounds of what I now know to be mostly useless gear on my back.  Black flies thick as locust during a Biblical plague followed my steps as I labored to our first campsites.  Nearly the entire first week was spend hefting my pack, bandaging blisters, and sleeping on roots I didn’t know how to avoid.  I hated the trip, the idea of the trip, and Dan, our leader.

Dan’s life story was long and unique, yet centered on his past as an Army Green Beret.  A time, nearly 20 years past, when he’d been tougher and faster and smarter than anyone alive.  While 17 high school teens were hating their lives, Dan was enjoying every moment.  He regaled us at night with stories of missions gone bad, buddies carried out of hot zones, and satellite communication uplinks incorporating cow pasture fencing.

I mention all of this because of a passage I recently read in a book:

When Cracker Jack made its debut, customers were truly surprised.  But much has changed in a hundred years, and today’s consumers are far more discerning and far harder to please.  To complicate matters further, customers have developed a seemingly insatiable desire for the unique and amazing.  Thanks to technologies and innovations that seemed impossible only a few short years ago, we have come to live in an age of “I gotta have it now, and it better be great.”

Today, most of us expect a Cracker Jack-like prize in just about everything we buy, from televisions (high definition), to tiny phones that double as cameras, to talking cars that tell us when to make the next right turn.  Most consumers have such a high threshold for what constitutes a cutting-edge product that they thumb their noses at almost anything that doesn’t “blow them away.”  We all seem to be waiting for the new wrinkle, the twist, the unexpected magical prize at the bottom of some sticky box.

By the end of my two weeks in the Colorado back country, I knew how to set up a tent, cook my own food, follow trail blazes, and yes, bandage blisters.  However, I’d also seen hidden mountain peaks, jumping trout, and dazzling glacial lakes.

It took me weeks to get to the bottom of the Cracker Jack box.  It was worth the wait.

Holly Miranda’s “Forest Green Oh Forest Green,” from Forest Green Oh Forest Green single.

Golden Panda’s “Quitter’s Raga,” unreleased.

Cedarwell’s “Black Lung,” from Fall ‘08 Tour EP.

That Ghost’s “Shouldn’t Leave The Estate,” from Get It And Get Out EP.

Summer Camp’s “I Only Have Eyes For You,” unreleased. (Flamingos cover)

A california girl is facing the arrival of her new stepmother onto her own turf. Her father deals with her immature behaviour by sending her to an all girls private boarding school in the English countryside. Her response to this punishment is figure out a ways to get herself expelled from the school. About the time she has succeeded she realizes that the school is more  home to her than her home in California and that she has made better friends at the school than she had left back in the United States. Her friends at the school include the principal and her son who has the position of the only boy living at the school part-time. For older movies about people going to schools where they do not fit right away are Legally Blonde as an obvious choice with Reese Witherspoon as a young, beautiful blonde California girl turned Harvard Law student. Footloose with Kevin Spacey as the young man who brings dance back to a conservative community that has been hurt by tragedy.

An English teacher with a past in dance meets a deaf swing dancer when he comes to her school to speak on people with disabilities. She has forgotten how to live thanks to burnout in the classroom and a mediocre relationship with a workalcoholic financee addicted to his cell phone. He has given up dance because he has defined himself by his disability and disconnected from people and life by working in his safe little world of the school of dance. Their lives are revived with a spark the minute they meet and get to know each other a little bit by dancing together. For older dance movies Dirty Dancing with the late Patrick Swayze as the hunky dance instructor at a family summer camp and a misfit younger daughter, Baby, played by Jennifer Grey. Strictly Ballroom is a less conventional Australian choice about group of people coming back to life through ballroom dancing particularly Scott who chooses a new partner to teach and take to the championship. It is compared to My Fair Lady.

It’s 11:30 at night. I’m tired. I have a bajillion things to do tomorrow. And I have nothing to write about.

But never fear, gentle readers. Having nothing to talk about has never before prevented me from going on and on, and you can rest assured that I shall live up to my reputation tonight.

See, it’s November 24. Day 24 of blogging every single day. In less than a week, if I keep it up, I will have met one of my goals– which was to blog every day in a month.

So lack of content is certainly not going to stop me now.

Therefore, having nothing of importance to tell you, I shall tell you a story from my childhood.

Once upon a time, I was a ten-year-old brat with a big mouth and a penchant for sticking my even bigger feet into it. I hadn’t quite learned the lesson that you can’t just fire off your mouth at anyone who walks by. My parents were very patient with me in this regard. In fact, joking around and being sarcastic was a part of my family’s daily conversation. Sometimes it’s hard for a kid to remember that just because you can say something to your mom or dad, who love you and know that you’re really not just a snotfaced kid asking for trouble, doesn’t mean that you can say that same thing to every adult.

I was at church camp for the week.

(Ah, the happy memories of church camp. A whole week without showering. Yum.)

(Don’t tell my mom I once went a whole week at church camp without showering.)

(Oh, Hi Mom!)

(While I’m confessing, I also lived off fried cheese balls and Three Musketeers bars, because camp food was gross.)

We were lined up outside the dining hall, waiting for the camp director to stop lecturing us about something so that we could go in for dinner. And I was hungry. And also a snotfaced kid.

So I said, under my breath, except not very under it, “Okay, we get it, hurry up.”

I know. I was such a brat. And of course he called me on it.

Except he didn’t exactly call me on it. What he did was pull me up in front of the entire group, tell them that I couldn’t keep my mouth under control, and inform them that for the rest of the week they were to call me Motormouth.

I know, right? That kind of thing could get me fired from my job.

(He didn’t work at the camp much longer, but I don’t think it had anything to do with the motormouth thing.)

(Although my dad was pretty mad.)

I know a lot of kids that would be absolutely devastated if someone said something like that to them. Kids who would feel the sting of mockery– finish out the week brokenhearted and never wanting to return to camp.

Ha.

See, what Mr. Mean Director Man didn’t know is that I have a sense of humor. (Which clearly he was lacking, I’m just saying).  Some things never change, you know? And twenty-odd years ago, when Mr. Mean Director Man told everyone to call me Motormouth, I thought it was funny. I didn’t care if they called me that. I kind of liked the attention. And I loved all the people telling me they thought he was mean and refusing to call me that.

I still love attention. And validation. I’m needy like that.

(Just ask my poor husband.)

So for a few days at camp, I was Motormouth.

And then I went home and took a shower (finally), and shook all the sand out of my suitcase onto the basement floor, and showed off my awesome soap carving of an unidentifiable object.

And then I was just Erin again.

Except I was Erin with a random summer camp story to share in the middle of the night twenty years later when I really needed something to write.

So now you know the truth.

Even as a kid, I had issues shutting up.

(What’s the blog equivalent of Motormouth? Motorfingers?)

In the spirit of being thankful, I wanted to post a recent article that Miriam Bodin wrote in preparation for our 30th celebration. Read and enjoy.  We at Bodin wish everyone a happy Thanksgiving!

When I decided to open a practice in educational consulting back in 1979, there were very few people doing this work.  In fact “the work” back then consisted of helping families and students to find the “right fit” for prep school, day school, or college.  I was such a consultant until I began to visit and learn about the emerging world of “special needs” schools and programs.   I learned how limiting it was to just provide names of schools and programs to families and the reassurance that someone had investigated those schools and programs.

These families needed more education about the world of residential schools, in-depth guidance, strategic planning and collaboration on an ongoing basis if their child was to be sent from home to residential treatment.   Put another way, the families with the most complicated, troubling, at-risk children really needed sophisticated help, not just “a list.”

Thus, when Douglas Bodin joined me in 1991, a veritable sea change took place and we began our journey of growing our team of professionals who already had education, training and experience in the fields in which we were increasingly immersed.

We grew our company with the primary focus of serving families who needed our help to develop a plan to assist their youngsters.   We stopped being placement consultants and shifted to being members of a professional team that often consisted of the parents, the child and the professionals already working with the family.  If the child was then “placed,” professionals serving the child (and parents) in the special school or treatment program were added to the team.   Our mission statement says it all:
To provide the most valuable and comprehensive assessment and planning services for the educational and therapeutic needs of children, young adults and their families.

What has this journey meant to me?   I am grateful for whatever passion and spirit of adventure prompted me to embark on this career path.   It has provided me with:  1) opportunities to interact with parents (often heroic in their efforts to help their kids); 2) connection and interaction with fantastically humane, intelligent, and creative professionals both in the local community and in treatment centers and schools all over the country; 3) the establishment of a team here at Bodin of wonderful hard working and committed professionals who genuinely care about their work and their families; and 4) a chance to observe my own son devote himself to helping others.

At the risk of sounding sappy, but within the 30 seconds:   No one could be luckier than I. I come to work every day knowing that I have the chance to help someone or someone’s kid have a better chance.   Is there anything sweeter than this to say about one’s life?

i have a friend called Roy (or Conrad Roy)

he is one of the new students who was in our church enGAGE this year and is now part of our leadership team for next year

i really like Roy, for a number of reasons:

he says ‘awesome’ a lot. now i don’t like it when people say ‘awesome’ a lot because i personally have reserved the word ‘awesome’ for God cos it seems a travesty when you say ‘God is awesome’ and then ‘that ice-cream is aswesome’ or ‘that hockey goal you scored last night, brett, was awesome’- it’s like you’re comparing God with an ice-cream – so for me i reserve the word ‘awesome’ for God. Roy uses it ALL the time and so it should really annoy me, but it doesn’t. because he is generally just so excited about life and everything in life that i think ‘awesome’ is his way of getting it out. and so his using the word ‘awesome’ is an expression of his zest for life and i LOVE his zest for life.

not only does Roy operate on a ‘glass half full’ way of thinking about his own life, but he will see his glass as full and overflowing and will look across and see your glass (which is smashed and lying on the floor) as half full and then offer you his. Roy has come and helped out my VOB hockey team a few times and is an amazing athlete (possible pole vault contender for next Olympicals) and i am not as good although have probly been playing the hockey of my life this last year and Roy has just been such a huge encouragement on and off the field and really helped me with my self-belief which in turn has helped me play better. in fact he set up my first of two goals i scored this season and was super stoked for me when i samessed him last nite about my second goal.

he is super animated when telling stories, especially bible stories which he starts acting out even without realising i think and is really fun to watch – again just his passion for the moment.

and he is super deep – still young and still a bit loud and can be distractive at times, BUT when he goes into the zone and starts speaking about deep stuff he has been thinking about in terms of life or God or church or sports for summer camp (which he is running – so amped to hang with him!) then he really is a deep thinker and you can see the quality of his realness.

so that’s why i like Roy (or rooi) – red spirited and highly contagious – and a definite leader in the future. And very privileged right now to get to call him my friend…

This month’s Virtual Campfire features two of Camp Kern’s finest singing their rendition of a camp classic.  You may know the Moose song, and you may notice that this song is certainly not about a moose.  It’s about a mouse and his house and his eating habits.

From time to time, I am interviewing Camp Directors to get their opinions on how to plan your summer so that your child has a good experience, and to learn about what makes their camp special.

This week I spoke with Lisa Gregory who runs the summer camps at Planet Granite, a rock-climbing gym in Sunnyvale.  The gym is huge and inviting, and has both indoor and outdoor climbing space. Once I arrived, I wished I had brought a change of clothes and could test out the walls.  Here’s what Lisa had to share.

Is there anything special you need to do to prepare your child for a rock climbing camp?

You shouldn’t need to specially prepare your child for a climbing camp.  Most children like to climb. Usually when arrive, they’re excited to see the gym. Our staff are trained to work with children, and can handle issues that might arise. We can work with first time climbers, kids afraid of heights and separation anxiety. But in regards to climbing – most children are natural climbers. They gravitate towards using correct technique (climbing with their legs, not holding themselves away from the wall). You do not need to prep them for climbing camp.

Are there questions you should ask before selecting a climbing camp?

Yes! Climbing camp can be just the opportunity to climb, or it can be more that. Campers can learn technique, climbing commands, bouldering and more. Some key questions to ask include:

-Does your camp have a curriculum? What do campers learn by the end of the week?

-What is your ratio of kids to instructors? This is especially important in climbing. When kids are on belay, a high ratio of kids to instructors means that your child will spend a lot of time waiting, as opposed to climbing. (Planet Granite offers a  ratio of 5:1 kids to instructors)

-What training do you provide staff? Are all staff belay certified? What training do you provide for working with kids? You may want to ask specific questions, such is how do you help kids afraid to climb or that is stuck on a wall? You want the camp to have a response that indicates that the camp is prepared to address the issue.

What’s special about Planet Granite?

Obviously, our most unique offering is rock climbing, both on belay and bouldering. We’ve made some big changes for 2010. Our camp is moving from 2 hours/day to 4 hours/day. In addition, we’ve revamped our climbing curriculum for 2010. They’ll end the camp knowing all their climbing commands, how to assess whether a climb is appropriate for them, climbing technique and more. We have strengthened our instructor training, and our kids’ programs, with team building games and confidence building games.

Now available, 24 inch, all natural Northern Wisconsin Aspen, French Trader, clear lacquer finish, canoe paddle. Comes equipped with wall mounts.

All profits are sent to The Dorcas Fund — a ministry to orphans and widows in Zambia Africa.

Click picture below to enlarge.

For close ups of the blade and handle pictures, click here.

For more paddles view our samples page.

For questions or to order, please contact us.

We visited East Carolina University during their open house to investigate the music program.

This is the first school we’ve investigated and its where guitar teacher Rob Little’s son is a freshman studying in music.

We toured the campus. It was a bit cool, so we took advantage of a bus tour. The main campus is compact where classroom and administration buildings are located. Dorms are located off of this central core of the campus.

The music department is located in Fletcher Hall. It is a three story building that  features two large rehearsal halls and a 260-seat recital hall. Within the center are electronic piano labs, five organs, more than fifty practice rooms, faculty studios, the Music Library, and the Center for Music Technology. The Music Library’s collection contains more than 80,000 books, scores, periodicals, and media materials representative of all types and periods of music. The Music MIDI Lab, the Center for Composition with Electronic Media, and the KORG Learning Center comprise the state-of-the-art Center for Music Technology. We took part in a tour, though most of the spaces that would be of interest were in use and off limits.

When we asked, we were taken into a digital studio with six work stations. Each had a keyboard connected to a Mac and a patchboard. One of the keyboards was actually a working Moog synthesizer.

The music department offers a number of degrees. In our discussion with a representative from the music department, it looked like a BM in performance with a jazz certificate may be the closest fit. To meet state teaching certification requirements would be a fifth year of study, or the degree may be structured around the teaching license with some jazz guitar.

Taking AP music theory in high school allows you to seek placement in music theory courses, but doesn’t allow you to receive credit for music theory instruction.

The jazz faculty page lists Jeffrey Bair in saxophone, Carroll Dashiell in bass, George Broussard in trombone and brass, Jon Wacker in drums and Ernest Turner in piano.

Elliott Frank teaches classical guitar.

We talked with music admissions staff about steps that can be taken to prepare for the program ECU offers. He indicated there would likely be some classical guitar study. He noted that ECU offers a summer classical guitar workshop and suggested checking further to see if this would benefit a student who did not have a classical guitar background. We talked about the possibility of Berklee and Eastman summer camps, too.

We talked only briefly about the auditions for admission.

We know students have opportunities to perform. There is a touring jazz ensemble and one that plays locally. We hope to check out performances and are interested in the school’s jazz festival.

Poco so – sappiamo? – dei Summer Camp se non che suonano pop che piace a me: rotondo e leggero come orsetti di gomma. Anche questa band si rifà – anche visivamente e da quanto si vede sul myspace – all’immaginario vintage delle foto sbiadite, le polaroid, gli occhiali grossi e le magliette strette: tutta roba che – francamente – adesso ha un po’ stufato. Tuttavia la loro nuova canzone Ghost Train è bella e merita il passaggio che ha avuto su NME e nei miei ascolti (che spocchia, eh). Scaricatela da qui.

A proposito di pop che piace a me, qui giù trovate il nuovo video dei Little Big Adventure, Happiest Times.

Buon fine settimana.

A 10,600-acre site beside the New River Gorge National River will become the permanent home of the Boy Scouts of America’s National Jamboree starting in 2013.  The sight will also be home to a high-adventure base and summer camp which will open in 2014.

http://wvgazette.com/News/200911180463

How to Avoid Featured Placement on my Blog.


1. Never underestimate a Beautiful Woman, who suffers from Narcissistic Personality Disorder.
2. Never, under any circumstances, use, threaten, annoy, bother, question, or dismiss a Beautiful woman, who suffers from Narcissistic Personality Disorder.
3. Never, and I repeat never, ever underestimate, use, threaten, annoy, bother, question, or dismiss a Beautiful Woman, who suffers from Narcissistic Personality Disorder, especially, when she is a fucking genius, and when she has access to the Internet.
                

Genius. Noun (me) 
is a person, a body of work, or a singular achievement of surpassing excellence. More than just originality, creativity, or intelligence, genius is associated with achievement of insight which has transformational power. A work of genius fundamentally alters the expectations of its audience. Genius    may be generalized, or be particular to a discrete field such as sports, statesmanship, science, or art.

Although difficult to quantify, genius refers to a level of aptitude, capability or achievement which exceeds even that of most other exceptional contemporaries in the same field. The normal distribution suggests that the term might be applied to phenomena ranked in the top .1%, i.e. three standard deviations or greater, among peers.

The term may be also applied to someone who is considered gifted in many subjects or in one subject.Genius is expressed in a variety of forms, such as mathematical genius, literary genius, scientific genius and philosophical genius amongst others. Genius may show itself in early childhood as a prodigy or later in life; either way, geniuses eventually differentiate themselves from the others through great originality. Geniuses often have crisp, clear-eyed visions of given situations, in which interpretation is unnecessary, and they build or act on the basis of those facts, usually with tremendous energy. Accomplished geniuses in intellectual fields start out in many cases as child prodigies, gifted with superior memory or understanding.

Further reading, one could pick up a copy of The Bell Curve, one of my personal fav’s.
Oh don’t get me started on my personal history of being a Child Prodigy, my genius was never recognized when I was a child. My creative abilities, my artistic aspirations, my musical aptitude, my humor, my intense suffering, and extreme dislike for other children. My parents just threw me into therapy, like it was just another afternoon activity like tennis, or vollyball.

Although I lived an extremely privileged life as a child, attending Private School on Park Avenue, Private Lessons for music, Luxurious Vacations,
My childhood home was a 3,000 square foot apartment (very tastefully done), a staff including both a full time nanny, and a chauffeur.

There was still something missing, and it certainly wasn’t The Maid.


Actually, the Maid was stealing. My nanny whom I shared a wing of the apartment with for 6 years, was probably a Fugitive from the Philippines. And was violently abusive, and would lock in the closet for several hours. 
Which she was told to do, by my Mother, who was just being funny, I guess that got lost in translation. Or maybe it was the fact, the nanny didn’t speak English. 
Thank god we lived in a Prewar Apartment, those closets were spacious!
My brother, who could have a Blog of his own, actually he does have a Blog of his own, was a Monster. I’ll save that for the Book. The topic of my brother alone could be a Trilogy.
My Father was an intellectual, and read. My mother was an egomaniac, still is, and she shopped. 
The Chauffeur broke every Mercedes Benz, and had an attitude. 
And I was an Artist. 


With all of the traumatic experiences through childhood, there is one experience, that is so painful, and so chilling. 

And was so cruel, and yes, I will even say Evil, and it has forever Changed me, and is still so horrible for me even to discuss. 

                                     
The Interior.     

7:00 – Cleaning, Cleaning Toilets, Sweeping. Crying.

5:00-Sports. Sports. Sports. Sports. Sports.

What is camp all about? First and foremost it is about fun, it is about offering our kids an enriching experience where they learn new skills, make life-long friends and try new things in a safe and warm environment away from home.

Elizabeth Stahl, Director
Farwell.com

This will be my first time on the Camp Fair circuit andI am looking forward to it…because I represent the wonderful girls of Camp Farwell in Vermont. There is no question that summer camp is a very special experience for girls and at Farwell we offer a small, warm environment tucked in between the mountains and lakes of Vermont, for girls to come and experience the joy of camp life.

We are getting excited and gearing up for the Camp Fair season. Check with your daughter’s school to see if we – CAMP FARWELL – will be in your area!

Camp Kesem GW General Meeting – Wed 11/18 – 9pm – Marvin Center 404
Camp Kesem GW, a non-profit summer camp for children whose parents have (or had) cancer, is having an informational general body meeting this Wednesday at 9pm in Marvin Center room 404. CKGW is the perfect student organization to join if you would like to be a counselor at camp, plan a fun summer camp experience, work with families affected by cancer, learn about non-profit management and fundraising, or develop community and business outreach skills. For more information, come to the meeting, visit our website at www.campkesem.org/gw, or email ckgwstudentsupport@gmail.com.

More about Camp Kesem GW:
Camp Kesem GW is the Washington, D.C. branch of a national 501(c)(3) non-profit summer camp catering to families affected by cancer. We provide a free week of summer camp to children ages 6-13 from the D.C. area whose parents have (or had) cancer. Our mission is to give these children a chance to “just be kids,” to give parents time to focus on themselves, and to give GW students the opportunity to develop critical leadership skills for long-term social impact. Camp is run entirely by GW student volunteers who plan camp activities, train to be camp staff, work with eligible families, and raise funds to ensure camp is free for the families already burdened by cancer. Our third camp will be in August 2010 at YMCA Camp Letts in Edgewater, Maryland. We expect to host over 40 campers and 20 staff members.

We had a great and busy weekend at Ozone.  The sunshine and warm weather were perfect for ziplining.  We enjoyed having so many guests come out! As we anticipate another great weekend of ziplining, we would like to share that we do still have some availability for this Saturday and Sunday (November 21-22).  If you are interested, be sure to sign up quickly.  We look forward to having you out to Ozone Zipline Adventures!  See you soon!

PS- The holiday season is fast approaching, and what better gift than a zipline experience.  Gift Certificates can be purchased year-round, and will be valid for the entire 2010 season.  Call us to buy yours today!

The Holiday season is coming, and everyone is putting together their schedules for the next months.  Along with trips to see family and friends, we want to see you here at Camp Kern!

Winter Camp is a great chance to reconnect with friends, relive the great experiences of camp, and get outside during some of the coldest times of the year.  We will keep very, very busy doing all of these activities:

• Rock Climbing
• Mineshaft (and Mini Mineshaft)
• Hiking
• Campfires
• Winter Camp Big Game
• New Years Eve Eve Dance
• Archery
• Snow-man Building
• And more…

Come and join us!  We want more kids than we had last year (and we had a lot last year!), because the more the merrier.  Invite your friends, this is a great time to get to know Camp Kern if you’ve never been away from home, and if you’re thinking about joining us for the summer.

Plus, you never know when you’ll see an appearance by the Grinch… 

Call or email us if you have any questions,

513-932-3756   or   ldeters@daytonymca.org

Download the Winter Camp Registration Page Here

Study abroad programmes are well recognized programmes that help in the development of the student’s personality. Such a programme can be an exciting experience in the life time of a student. These programmes are efficient in providing the students in depth knowledge of the studies and the many things about the foreign countries.

ESL- Schools has several language study abroad programmes for people of all age groups. They offer world class facilities to the students and provide the learning opportunities in the best of the schools all over the world. You might have joined several summer camps during your summer vacations and have learned a lot things there but now with ESL‘s summer camp Europe, you get an opportunity to learn several foreign languages by actually visiting Europe. These vacations can be the most prevalent summer study programme that gives you learning opportunities while having fun. Such a programme enables the students to pursue foreign languages courses in other countries.

Summer camps Europe is an exclusively designed language study abroad programme by the ESL- schools that offer a golden opportunity for the juniors and teenagers to enjoy their vacations and learn a foreign language in beautiful destinations of Europe. It is short term study programme that extensively aims at developing the student’s personality. Such a programme is involves the children in the historic and beautiful culture of different destinations in Europe. ESL-schools have several partner language schools that are known for their best language courses. In summer camps Europe programmes, you can join the following courses:

1) French courses in Switzerland.

2) French summer courses in France.

3) German summer courses in Germany.

4) German summer courses in Switzerland.

5) English language summer courses in Switzerland.

6) Italian summer courses in Ascona, Switzerland.

ESL- Schools provide a lot more courses not only for teens or juniors but also for adults, working professionals and even for students who are of fifty plus year age group. All the programmes are well designed to suits the learning needs of the students. Fifty plus year students are at the verge of their retirement and hence can enjoy their future life in learning the foreign languages at different countries.

Programmes like summer camp Europe is well designed study language courses for teens and juniors. Such programmes are in fact a hit combo that gives relaxing holiday, language learning opportunity and experience of leisure activities in a different country. It adds a lot to the personal as well as to the professional front of a student.