Entries this day: swuusi_1998_hydrator swuusi_1998_jessica swuusi_1998_travel

swuusi 1998 hydrator

6:45pm Sunday 26 July 1998

I am the Head Hydrator. I got the job after taking it upon myself to hand people glasses of water with a simple smile and, "drink this." I like the job because the youth really appreciate it when I give them water even before they realize how much they want it. Or before they can work up the energy to get up in this heat and get it for themselves.

We have two big 5 gallon water cooler things, and they get refilled about once per hour.

Before most people came, I walked around the camp to get a sense of the layout and to greet the youth on SWUUSI staff. I rode around in the back of Adam's truck on top of a pile of matresses as Adam and Kris did a bed shuffle to get correct number of beds into the correct cabins.

The youth and other advisors arrived amidst flurries of happy hugs for old friends and welcoming greetings to our new youth. I am (as usual) working carefully to remember or learn all the first and last names of the youth.

The community is delightful and about to eat dinner. I've been wearing my soaking wet PakTowel around and over my head. Despite the heat, the general mood is happy and excited about the upcoming week.

swuusi 1998 jessica

11pm Sunday 26 July 1998

After dinner I watched youth swim, but I didn't swim at first since I hadn't brought my swim trunks to the lake. (it was a 7 minute walk each direction from the camp to the lake)

I went and got my trunks and Jason Fricke and I had fun wrestling and goofing around in the water. At one point we were standing back to back with our arms interlocked and trying to essentially do flips while staying in this position. We were able to do it a few times, and that was cool.
Then the funniest thing (funny to me; Jason thought it was funny, but thought my reaction was funnier) was when we were doing a flip and our backs squirted air from between them in a perfect farting sound and I collapsed with laughter into the water.
Jason was all poking fun at me and I couldn't stop laughing.

That was so hilarious. We laffed and laffed and had a great time. He jumped off my shoulders a couple of times.

then Jessica got on my shoulders and jumped where it was too shallow and I cringed and then she came up out of the water holding her head. "Ow," she plaintively, and my brain fell apart. She had landed basically straight exactly head first and crunched her neck. I helped her to shallower water and held her, soothed her, carefully keeping appropriate advisor boundaries. I didn't think to have Wende or someone zip back up to the main camp to get help. Jason made jokes to help cope but had to stop because Jessica couldn't laugh because it hurt her neck.

Finally she was able to stand and get out of the water and she sat with Wende and I zipped back to the main camp and got Arlene (acting as nurse) who drove her car to get Jessica. Because Jessica could walk, and could move her neck, we simply put ice on it and sent her to bed.

(She was all better by morning.)

swuusi 1998 travel

am Sunday 26 July 1998

After saying HI and bye to Amanda, and being up on my computer I went to bed at 4am and slept 30 minutes until Wende called. During that sleep I experienced my soul perfectly existing in this continuous moment. Beautiful.

Wende said she was coming right over and she finally came over so very much later than I wanted and she wanted me to take some boxes to my back porch to be recycled and I ran to do it so as to not be late and holy shit I lost my toe ring.
Sadness sadness anger sadness why my toe ring that I've had for such a short time?? Fuck!

Andger at Wende for being late subsided by the time we got to pick up Bix and Cathy from Spring High School at 6:10am. I slept uncomfortably in the front seat at first on the way up, and then drove from just past Centerville the rest of the way... 29 miles into Oklahoma.

We were not particularly super talkative on the way up, which was surprising to me, but I think it's because it was so durn early. Wende's truck thermometer showed 107 degrees F.

We stopped at Braum's along the way and I got a glass of water, a glass of orange juice, and a vanilla shake.

So here we are and the camp is quiet as only a few people have arrived. And it's hot.