Long long time ago...

I started this blog, then took a big ol' break. After a long overdue visit with some old friends (much younger than me, but longtime friends, from the old N. Cambridge hood), I have been convinced to give it a go once again.

Date: Tuesday November 18, 2008
Location: My dining/living room
Homebase: Madison WI, that's new!!

Picture: A complementary nightcap from the Carolina Hotel in Pinehurst from a few weeks back. Not really relavent to my post, but there's a loose congac connection...I guess.

The good and the not-so-good for today:

Fo-Shizzle:
1. Working from home has made me a TV-addict of sorts. This would be an overall bad thing, except that I've gotten a huge kick out of watching Martha Stewart's recent array of special guests to cook and craft with. Today was Snoop Dogg, making mashed potatoes with Martha. Highlights in addition to the general weirdness of it all: Snoop being in charge of removing the SKIZZIN from the cooking potatoes, and then finally, adding a dram of cognac to the finished product. WTF. The other day she had Seal on and before that, crafting with Steve Harvey (who basically was mumbling "what grown black man in his right mind would DO this??" while he made a yarn-turkey place setting).

2. Getting in touch with my long lost high school friend. I finally realized (after me being here like 2 months)that we now live in the same city. We talked on the phone today at length and to some degree it was like nothing ever changed...except that we're both old and she has 1.5 kiddos now. Also WTF. Hopefully we'll actually see each other in the flesh soon and maybe I'll play Led Zeppelin for her, just like when we'd drive around at lunchtime every day...

3. Hopefully I'll also get to see another friend - the great milliner who lives in the UK now...she's in Racine for the week, and I hope our paths can cross as long as we're in the same STATE, nevermind continent this week!!

Oh Snap:
1. Um, working at home in a new city sucks butt. It's impossible to meet new people, particularly when you're a little bit shy. Crap.

2. See TV-addict reference above -- the idiot box has become my most interesting co-worker, and well, that's just pathetic.

3. See numbers 1 and 2 above. This has made me a very sorry excuse for a girlfriend, and I'm very sorry about that. :(

What the heck am I doing in my office???

Pic: Toes in Southern Pines, NC
Date: 7/8/08, my 2nd day off only so far this summer
Location: Pinehurst and S. Pines, NC
Homebase: El Manor

I've blown off some steam today and managed to find myself back in my office again. That is just stupid. Mostly it's b/c I wandered around the town of Southern Pines and found a ton of places that I would love to hang out to grab a bite or a drink, and for the first time in my 1.3 summers with Wellspring camps, I actually felt a bit lonely on my day off. Usually days off (few and far between as they are) are times when I get to run away from folks and am more than happy to be all alone to re-collect my thoughts and re-energize myself by being away from others. Today was not as much the case, which was a little weird.

Spent a little bit of time catching up w/ people via phone. This, I've determined is no great shakes either. The significant arm cramps, sweaty phone ear and hoarse voice are just salt in the wounds of not being able to see people I like and miss in person and catch up with them. Maybe I have to break down and be one of those obnoxious bluetooth goofballs. Oh lord.

A case of the Mondays...

Pic: Wellspring "Mingle" #1: Family Camp Senior Staff plus a few Pinehurst folks:
Missy (my #1), Chef Adam, Moi, Shannon (our clinical director), and Capitan Nick.
Location: Pinehurst, NC
Homebase: My room at THE MANOR INN

So, Robert, the bell captain on duty today, told me in passing "Martha, looks like you've got a case of the Monday's", pouty face and all right out of "Office Space". It made me laugh, and well, he was right.

So, first off, for embarssing footage of me speaking about Wellspring Family Camp (yes, I rolled my eyes b/c people kept walking into the room and flustering me!) please go to http://news14.com/content/local_news/597082/families-get-in-shape-while-having-fun/Default.aspx and click on the PLAY VIDEO part 1/2-way down the page. GO ME!

So yeah - we're just starting into Week 3 of Family Camp here in Pinehurst NC. For those worried that I've relocated here recently - never fear. It's just the summer part of my job - to run this camp at a swanky resort. Once August is midway over, I'll be outta here...back to the Twin Cities or maybe....well, I have no idea really.

Ups and downs for this moment:
1. The awesome 8 and 13 year old boys we had last week who did THE BEST impression of Nacho Libre that I have EVER heard. I was crying I laughed so hard at them!! (Chandra, if you saw it, you'd probably pee your pants)
2. I MIGHT actually get a day off tomorrow. This would be the first time since June 25. I think I'm due...
3. My portrait -- a camper made a drawing of me today on his "Days Inn" notepad. It features my flip flops, piggy tales, and hoop earrings...when I look at it, I think maybe life in these shoes ain't too shabby!

Downs:
Well, suffice it to say that families are tricky beasts. We bicker w/ the ones we love, we defend those we know are guilty and we are inhumane to the humans closest to our hearts. Tricky stuff to try to handle from a leadership standpoint. If I got too much into the detes, I'd have to go self-medicate...so instead it's off to bed for me.

Week 2 yo!

Pic: The Guard Kitty at the Pinecrest Inn - which sits between our Camp hotel and my own digs. This cat is my bud fo sho!
Date: Sunday 6/29/08
Location: Pinehurst Resort - Wellspring Family Camp
Homebase: My room at The Manor

It's sunday and I'm just barely feeling like I have a grip on all the things I need to be, well, gripping. I'm really exhausted today - I think mostly b/c I was waiting and worrying about our new incoming families, missing our families who left yesterday and doing a lot of "hurry up and wait" today.

I'm hoping that tomorrow, things will begin to fall into a rhythm as we start into week 2...

I'm so thankful for the "3 bodies, one brain" vibe that I have w/ my other two sr. staff members, but I still found myself being micro-managey and worried in the uncertainty of the day. I was grateful for a brief moment w/ the kitty kat to catch my breath a little bit, and I'm looking forward to heading to bed very soon!

Missing people who aren't here -- come visit me and play some golf!!

A day off? Holy canoli!

Pic: Toes by the pool...ahhh
Date: June 25, 2008
Homebase: The Manor Inn, Pinehurst Resort, NC

Greetings from Family Camp! I'm here at the Pinehurst resort in DAY 3 of our first session of Wellspring Family Camp. For those who got my stories last summer from Wellspring New York (the infamous phantom pooper, the runaway campers, the late night marshmallow baseball practice), well, this summer is going to be very, very different. We're at a fancy 5-star resort rather than a forestry school in the mountains, we have families here together rather than girls camping away from Mom and Dad, and we have three restaurants just steps away from our program's dining hall YIKES.

Yet, for better or for worse, Family Camp at Pinehurst is so much the same story as Wellspring new York, just in a different setting. Much like Day 3 of last summer, thoughts are racing through my head like Why are those parents sitting around a plate of buffalo wings 20 minutes before our camp dinner??? Why did these folks come here if they're not even going to give the program a chance??? or "WOULD YOU JUST SHUSH UP AND LISTEN TO ME????" (and yes, that ones for the Parents, not the kiddos... oy.)

With much arm twisting from my fellow Senior Staffers, I reluctantly took today off as my one per week, and well, so far, as of 6pm, nothing's burned down or blown up or gone to pieces...whew. I'm going to get back to my precious time off, but stay tuned for more updates, and cross your fingers that '08 finds NO PHANTOM POOPERS at Martha's summer camp!!!

Food and Keys...

Pic: From the vault...Monkey, Sarah, Barry, Brian and Me a few St. Patty's Days ago when we decided to forgo green beer for another green drink: Margaritas. Many, many, many margaritas. Being together w/ some of these folks tonight reminded me of this good time, among others.
Date: Wed. 11/14/07
Location: Cambridge, MA
Homebase: Marc and Jennie's Guestroom

I'm about T-minus 36 hrs. from leaving Boston for quite a while, and well overdue for an entry (is anyone reading this anymore anyway since I'm not in exotic places like St. Jeannet and/or OSLO? Heh.) If I did an Up/Down for the day, well the DOWN would be populated by all the major pain in the ass rigamaroll (how do you spell that anyway?) of moving halfway across the contry...and to something that I'm not even positive about just yet. Yup...major downer.

The ups on the other hand, are actually more resonant in my mind right now, and have to do mainly with food and keys... Namely,
1. The keys I have on my ring right now.
I am totally homeless, but am carrying a key ring right now that would gain me entry into approximately 6 homes and 2 cars between here and the midwest. How completely does this speak to the goodness of people who are important to me...whether from trust, pity, hospitality, selflessness or a combination of all of these, I am welcome in their homes, even if they're not there, for however long I need to be. When I think about all the things I DON'T have in life right now (job, home, car, etc.), they all pale incomparison to the incredible gifts I'm privileged to count on my key ring and in my heart right now.

2. My Boston Mother
Leigh's mom, Susan. Has been my Boston mother, my Jewish Mother and my adopted mother for 10 years or so now. I paid a visit to her today to drop off a dresser for Leigh and visit before leaving town. The moment I walked into the door, I was greated with "HI! What do you want to eat?? We've got deli leftovers from yesterday. Have some pastrami on rye, finish the potato salad, let me get you something to drink..." It was awesome and after a day of moving so much crap, it hit the spot. Susan and Marty merit much more than a brief mention as my Boston Parents, but today it just meant so much to be fed once more by their kind hospitality before leaving town for a while.

3. The Grand Prix Lady
So, I'm a big fan of this coffee place by my old house, The Grand Prix. They people there are awesome and all into sports cars and they show racing and soccer on their flatscreen TV and have great coffee drinks and free wireless. All that aside, I went in there yesterday to grab some lunch. This was after I finally could leave the house after suffering the closest thing I've ever had to a full-blown panic attack about moving and my future. It was truly a wonder that I could get out of the house. Anyway, I go there and order a salad and a latte... the lady makes my salad and brings it out to me w/ a big bowl of soup and some bread. "I made you some soup, it's good for you, you look like you need it." What the? How did she know? Then she gave me a cookie afterward and told me to enjoy my day. I told her how much that soup hit the spot...I mean honestly, what coffee retailers just GIVE you soup on a day when your world appears to be falling apart? In my wave of panic, it made me feel like the world will take care of me, even if I can't take care of myself from time to time.

4. The Tavern
I asked people to meet me out for a few beers at the Tavern in Central Square this evening, and had a great time seeing the usual crowd for probably the last time in a while. I'm really trying not to get overwhelmed in missing everyone already. Thankfully, true to our rower and colleague form, despite whatever sentiment surrounded the gathering, we DUG IN to some serious grub. I forget how much at home I feel amongst my people when they sit down to order just a buttload of food and not worry about fats, calories or health b/c (in theory anyway) they're all burning calories like machines anyways. The only worry is that we order enough food. It was just a homey feeling...to sit w/ rowers and keep the waitstaff on their toes w/ a running tab of grub requests. Good times.

Playoff Central??

Pic: The highlight of my day...sunny leafy (hence slick) trail run at Middlesex Fells

Date: 11.4.07
Location: Cambridge, MA
Homebase: Jennie and Marc Rule My World

I'm sleepily wiling away the time til I go to pick up Jennie and Marc from the Airport. ZZZZZ.

Highlights of the day were trail-running (ok, trail hobbling is more accurate), walking in the beautiful morning and a pre-Playoff Central at Natasha and Gigg's (mmm, pizza and M&Ms and Miller Lite!)

Lowlights, well, I can't be eloquent about them just now.