if you’re looking for a two week long recap – i’m sorry to disappoint.  i’m just completely – spent.  i think its been a good two weeks.  i look around and the campers, rather – chanichim, are safe and having fun.  i realize i don’t have control over everything – there isn’t enough time to get half the things done that i need to get done in a day – and that next summer will be better.  but for now, i think we’re off to a good start.

in order to satisfy a bit of curiosity, i’ll hit you up with the greatest challenge – and the greatest success.  the greatest challenge – hands down, has been that my staff has been hit by illness.  sure, i probably infected all of them during staff week (oops), but as i took no time off, i sorta have the same (unreasonable) expectation of them – power through it.  at the end of the day, i really don’t want them working sick and infecting all the kids but unless you have a fever i expect you to be at work.  my assistant director was genuinely sick and out for three days and because he was gone i got nothing done.  he generally does a lot of the moment to moment problem solving (unhappy campers, unhappy counselors etc)… but because he was gone i did get to go on the field trip on wednesday which was super fun – but also completely unproductive.  my closing message for shabbat, yesterday afternoon, was for my staff to please get sleep and wash their hands!  i’m hoping for a healthier next week.

my greatest success has been – wait for it – successfully transitioning the camp community from referring to our groups as shemesh A, shemesh B and shemesh C to shemesh aleph, shemesh bet and shemesh gimel. small change – i know.  but i think consistency is really important and i’m trying to integrate the jewish into everything we do – it can’t just be here and there – its gotta be everywhere.  sometimes in really small, but genuine, ways.  i guess this success extends beyond the names of the groups – shabbat on week one was awesome.  almost 300 kids israeli dancing and singing.  sure, its not as great as i know it can be – but we’re moving in the right direction.  of course yesterday, shabbat was “cut short” due to a rock ‘n’ roll performance that was about 45 minutes longer then it needed to be (the truth is – the rockers are really good).  but you live and learn – and next year it will be different.

stay tuned next week for what camp looks like without a song leader – SHIT.

ABN and i are off to the farmer’s market and then to a pub crawl/going away/birthday party for BEX (i don’t want to talk about the middle part).  at some point in between we’re stopping by MAKE-OUT ROOM because rock camp is doing a show for the public and because the work of a camp director never ends.