MOOP!

So Pinewoods.

First things first, I successfully managed to have no down time in which to send postcards. Seriously, every time I wandered down to the camphouse porch, there would be people there having interesting conversations or playing board games or willing to teach me juggling tricks. It was absurd. I read exactly two pages of my book, and those were in the five minutes between being fully packed and having my luggage outside before camp, and my ride arriving.

Camp was really good. I don't think I'll be able to get across all the good. I used my gazette to take notes, but I don't think it'll necessarily help.

It was also extra busy this year. Last year, I was the jobs coordinator, which is actually a pretty easy job at camp, as long as everyone else is on top of things (which, they're collectively like eighty-five or ninety percent.) Most of the work is done before camp, in sorting out who's gonna do what.

This year, I was the dining hall manager for session one (and just had normal jobs session two). This means I officially had to be at the dining hall 35 minutes before every meal, and a reasonable length of time after. Because I was raised on a steady diet of fantasy novels, all my ideals about leadership are stolen pretty much entirely from knights and mercenary companies and sailing ships and all the leaders are good and noble and pure. Or in other words, I won't let my troops do anything I wouldn't, and I won't leave to have fun until every one of the rest of them can do so as well.

I don't know if anyone especially noticed or appreciated that part, but I had a goodly number of people coming up to compliment me, even into session two, when I was no longer in charge of anything. Apparently I am clear and concise and enthusiastic and the only person at Pinewoods Camp capable of speaking into a microphone¹. I pretty much think I'm just really bossy and fascinated by people and process. Figuring out the optimal ways to get plates out, coffee made, dishes served, everything washed, etc is a lot of fun.

But that still made for a lot of busy, not to mention actually having to wake up and be conscious enough to be in the dining hall by 7:15 to make sure my coffeemakers were there. It took me only one breakfast to start bribing myself with sugary iced coffee drinks from the camp store in order to get up in the morning. Tuesday morning breakfast² was the happiest I've ever been to sleep through gingerbread pancakes.

In the second session, I actually had a really convenient job schedule: Greet people as the came in on Monday. Clean up after the Pinecones party on Friday. There we go! The rest of the week I had off, to recover and rest and be less busy.

So I took almost all the Highland classes, one Technique and Critique class, several pond classes³ and several more Hanabi⁴ classes. Being as that wasn't enough, I also organized a ceilidh act (that involved like, actual talent and practice since we were performing one of our demo team pieces), donated, and then had to deliver, a leg massage to the auction, and ran a beginner's waltz lesson.

I only had one sobbing breakdown once this year, and it may well have been because I was _way_ too busy to have any more. Also may well have been because I am ever so gradually getting better at the precarious balancing act that comes my romantic and platonic lives.

I have run pretty solid into the wall of "oh yeah, I only got three hours sleep last night because Pinecones party", so I'm gonna maybe give a more detailed report later. I had a _really_ good time this year --easily my best Pinewoods yet. Gonna try and do some unpacking while I still have _any_ motivation left. Ta!

~Sor
MOOP!

1: Decidedly not true, but some of the praise ran effusive. It's also worth noting that no one else had completely shot their voice after only four days of camp.

2: The second meal I was officially off duty --session 2 started between changeover lunch (me) and Monday night dinner (Dan).

3: Pond class is, as you may guess from the name, the class you spend in the pond. It often comes directly after another class, especially Highland.

4: YO BOSTON GAMERS! We have apparently been pronouncing this wrong, at least if we are going with the assumption that the Japanese fireworks themed game has a title that is the Japanese word for fireworks. It is more of a "hanna-bee" instead of the "hah-nah-bee" we've been saying. The more you know!

PostScript: I did pick up a bunch of postcards from the camp store, so, you know. Maybe you'll get one sometime soon anyways.