Hello Canadensis…

What’s the best part of winter?  Well, it means we are halfway closer to next summer!  Ha Ha!  Yes, my friends, that time is upon us.  If you have seen the upcoming weather forecasts for the next week, you will see that winter is indeed here.  Need some warm thoughts?  Well, here are a few:  (1) The Camp Reunion on Sunday, January 10 is soon here!  (2) The 2009 Camp Video Yearbook has arrived so that can keep you entertained for at least the next few months!  (3) Your best friends from camp are only a phone call, e-mail, text message, IM away!

I didn’t get a chance to blog yesterday as I was in the Plymouth Meeting office with Terri, Eric, Pam and Cara.  Matt was up at camp.  But, then again, if you are a follower of Camp Canadensis on Twitter, then you already knew that.  For those that would like to catch up with us on Twitter, visit www.twitter.com/canadensis .

Find Canadensis on Twitter at www.twitter.com/canadensis

While in PA, Eric and I got to discuss our upcoming Leadership Meeting which has always been held the day before our Reunion.  The meeting is a great opportunity for our head staff to discuss the upcoming summer, covering a wide range of topics, big and small and including, of course, such things as Color War.  Please keep in mind that the room we meet in is Top Secret and heavily guarded by top security and surveillance as well as some very nasty guard dogs.  Ha Ha!

Also, our Assistant Director Pam also sat down with Cara and me to show us a new system to create graphic-enhanced e-mails.  It’s really cool.  From this point on, many of our e-mails to campers, parents and staff will be in this format.  Please let us know how you like it.

I left the office around 3:30 pm to make my way to Holland, PA to meet some more of our camp families.

First, I got a chance to see 2010 Lower Senior Austin Pollack, who will be joined this year at camp by brother Jonathan Pollack.  Jonathan is currently in the 4th grade and will be a Lower Inter this year.  Jonathan is into a little of everything these days.  In a few weeks, he will start double tip / freestyle skiing, which for those that don’t know are all the tricks skiers do.  He is also an avid BMX biker.  In the spring, Jonathan is busy with baseball season.  Recently, he just got into the 39 Clues books, which I had never even heard of.  It’s a great series of books that also has it’s readers interacting online.  For more, go to www.the39clues.com .  Jonathan is really looking forward to a number of different activities this summer from Waterskiing to Hondas to Soccer to Photography.  Big brother Austin, who is returning for his 4th summer at camp, is ready for the upcoming competitive ski season.  In fact, he just got back on Monday from a ski trip to Alta, UT.  In October, Austin celebrated his Bar Mitzvah.  He was happy to let me know that so many of camp friends were there to party on down with him on his big day.  Austin and Jonathan also introduced me to their new dog Mogul.  Here is a pic…

Me with the Pollack Boys!

Then, I made my way a few minutes away to the Schultz Family where I got to see Josh, Heather and Melissa.  First off, Heather once again let me know that she reads our blogs all the time which I thought was so awesome!  Heather will be back at camp for her 4th summer in 2010 when she will be in the Freshman Girls division.  These days, she is very busy with Hip Hop and Jazz Dance Classes and Basketball games and practices.  She also just recently saw all of her camp friends a few weeks ago where they had a big sleepover.  This summer, she can’t wait to try Hondas and is really excited about her trip to Hershey Park.  Heather is excited that her sister Melissa will be coming to camp for her first summer.  Melissa is in the 2nd grade and will be in the Junior Division next summer in Girls Bunk 2.  In the winter, she is involved with Hip Hop Dance, Basketball, Kickboxing and watching shows on the Food Network (I can’t blame you, Melissa.  Those shows are awesome).  This summer, Melissa is excited to do all the activities on the lake, cooking, swimming, GaGa and making new friends.  Finally, oldest brother Josh and I were excited to talk about him being a Junior Counselor in Summer 2010.  He told me how much he enjoyed being a CIT for the boys of Bunk 2 last summer and now wants to return to camp as part of our staff.  He also wanted me to give a shout out to the Boys of Bunk 2!  These days, Josh is busy with school but plans on hanging out with his camp friends in the next few weeks.  Here is me with Josh, Heather and Melissa…

Hanging with Heather, Melissa and Josh Schultz.

Finally, I made it over to the Daniel house to see another threesome that will all be at camp in 2010.  That’s right!  2010 Lower Senior Shayna and Freshman Carly Daniel will now be joined by younger brother and Junior Boy Ben Daniel.  Currently in the 3rd grade, Ben just got finished with his first season playing tackle football where he played middle linebacker for his Indians team.  Now, he is involved with Wrestling, Tennis, riding his Honda and his bike and Skateboarding.  In the spring, he will be busy with Baseball.  This summer, Ben can’t wait to be on Lake Lenape, trying all of the different water sport activities like Water Skiing.  Older sisters Shayna, who is in 7th grade, has been busy seeing camp friends, who she met up with a week ago at a Bat Mitzvah.  She has also been playing tennis and studying hard.  I was so proud to hear that she made the honor roll last semester.  Way to go, Shayna!  Finally, Carly, who is in 6th grade, told me about the Acro classes that have been keeping her busy these days.  A lesson to me, Acro are the classes that involve tumbling and flipping and movements such as cartwheels and walkovers.  She is working towards a recital which will be in May.  It was so great to see what all the Daniel kids were doing these days.  Here is a shot of us…

Me with Ben, Carly and Shayna Daniel.

Finally, I wanted to give a shout out to 2010 CIT  Ethan Dayno, who apparently was a bit taken aback that I didn’t mention him on the big announcement video with Brian Stern.  Ethan thought it was because he was an Eagles fan, to which I replied was the correct reason.  Ha Ha!  So, here is a shout out to Ethan Dayno!  And, for that matter, in the spirit of remaining fair, here is a shout out to all of our 2010 CIT Boys!  Matt Feigin!  Bryan Pantofel!  Jake Bernstein!  Jake Cohan!  Jesse Kohler!  Adam Rosenthal!  Harrison Shapiro!  Jeremy Tarica!  Michael Levien!  Jake Yedid!  Andrew Kramer!

Finally, I cannot fail to mention as I will own up to all of those Eagles fans out there that my Giants failed to win our second match-up of the season, giving you Philly Cheese Steak Heads the right to brag about sweeping the season series.  A much more competitive and high scoring game this time, but as much as I hate to say it, you guys were the better team on Sunday night.  Maybe we’ll still see you in the playoffs?  What do they say?  The third time is the charm?

Well, that’s all for today.  More blogging later in the week.

Until then…Have a great day…Brian

Hello Canadensis…

First off, a very Happy Hannukah to all that celebrate the Festival of Lights! I hope the holidays are filled with fun and family. By the way, how many ways are there to spell Hannukah? As you can see, I choose the “H” to begin, not the “Ch” and use one “N” in the middle. I also put an “H” at the end. However, it seems like there are so many different versions of the spelling. I have seen everything from Chanukah to Hanuka to Channukah. Is there one proper way to spell it? Whatever it is, I hope you are all having fun celebrating and getting some good gifts!

I hope all of you checked out our big announcement the other day. We are so happy that Will Armon and Brian Stern will be our Head Counselors for Summer 2010. Both bring so much experience in these roles and we know that each will bring a lot of spirit, dedication, creativity and fun to camp this year. I know for a fact that both of them have been looking forward to one day attaining theses top positions at camp and we are confident that they will deliver time and time again to the campers, parents and staff.

On Friday morning, I hit the road early because I had scheduled a day to visit some of our campers in Maryland. It’s a little bit of a ways away, but I had a number of calls to make on the way down which passed the time. First, I stopped to see new campers Haley and Marshall Greenspan, who live in North Bethesda, MD. We actually first met at a great pizza place called Mamma Lucia’s for some pizza. After a few slices, we went back to their home to talk a bit more about camp. Haley is in 2nd grade and will be in Girls Bunk 2 in Summer 2010. At home, she is busy with Horseback Riding lessons, an Art Program she is involved with on Saturday mornings and Swimming classes. This summer, she can’t wait to try out all of the different rooms at the Art Center, including Ceramics, Glass Fusion, Woodworking and the Art Shack. She is also looking forward to Cooking, GaGa, Swimming and Gymnastics. Brother Marshall, who is in 1st grade, will be in Boys Bunk 2 next year. He also takes Horseback Riding and Swimming lessons, but is soon to start up with an Ice Hockey program in the upcoming weeks. At camp, Marshall is eager to try Waterskiing, the Foam Pit, GaGa and Hockey. Here is a picture of us…

Me with Haley and Marshall Greenspan. Both will be Juniors in Summer 2010.

Next, I made my way over to see Jackie Vinokur, another second grader, who will be in Girls Bunk 2 next summer.  Jackie is very busy with a number of different activities in the winter from Art and Chess classes to Tennis lessons to playing the Piano.  She is looking forward to a lot of the activities that Canadensis has in store and is ready to meet a whole bunch of new friends at camp!

Finally, I made my way over to see 2010 Upper Senior Danielle Schapiro, who will be returning to camp for her seventh summer!  Dani is currently in the 8th grade and is very involved with Hip Hop, Jazz and Ballet classes.  A lot of her practicing is for the spring, in which she will be trying out for prominent class called Poms.  Over Thanksgiving, Dani and her family went to colonial Williamsburg / Jamestown in Virginia for a very traditional way to celebrate the holiday.  For the new year, the family is planning a trip to Cancun.  Dani is continually keeping in touch with camp friends and will soon be visiting with bunk mate Rikki Pilavin in a few weeks.  Exciting!  Here is a pic of me and Dani…

Me and 2010 Upper Senior Girl Dani Schapiro.

I was supposed to hit Reistertown, MD for my final stop but the traffic outside of Baltimore was absolutely killer!  I was going to see Cameron and Kelsie Ahern, but unfortunately it didn’t work out.  I’m sorry guys, but I will hopefully see you at the reunion.  We need someone to invent a flying car to eliminate any traffic!

Today was filled with a lot of holiday shopping.  I hit Toys R Us, which is always fun!  Every time I go there, I think how much cooler toys are today then when I was a kid!  Then, it was off to the grocery store to stock up on tomorrow’s tailgate.  Big game vs. these Philadelphia Eagles!  Tomorrow on the menu is roasted corn chowder, chili, pigs in a blanket, pulled pork and of course, Philly Cheese Steaks in our Eat’em and Beat’em style!  It is supposed to be super cold out tomorrow with a chance of rain or snow.  Fun!

I hope everyone has a great weekend!

…Brian

Hello Canadensis…

After all the clues and teasers, here is the big announcement with a very special Canadensis Today show. Enjoy!

Have a great day…Brian

Hello Canadensis…

Didn’t get a chance to hit the blog yesterday, but I couldn’t go another day without connecting to everyone in the world wide web of Camp Canadensis!

Did everyone enjoy the snow on Saturday?  I guess that is the first sign the winter is upon us.  I actually gave myself a self-proclaimed snow day in the afternoon, meaning I didn’t do anything except for light a fire, get into some comfy clothes and watch TV all day, flipping between movies like Reality Bites, Liar Liar and Legally Blonde and all of the college football games.  Did anyone see the end to that Cincinnati-Pittsburgh game?  Wow!  The final score was 45-44.

Of course, I also watched the 2009 Canadensis Video Yearbook.  I hope it has made its way to everyone by now and that you have begun to enjoy reliving all of the wonderful memories we shared together last year.  For all new Canadensis campers, the video will give you a good idea of all the fun you can expect next summer!

I got to meet some new Canadensis campers from the Cherry Hill, NJ area last night.  First, I went to see Amanda Seligman, who is in the fourth grade and will be a Lower Inter Girl next summer.  Amanda is currently very involved with Dance (Jazz and Ballet), Soccer and Basketball.  She is really looking forward to getting her new dog Chloe in a few days, too.  This summer, she can’t wait to try Waterskiing and the Ropes Course / Climbing Wall as well as making a whole bunch of new friends!  She is so excited for camp!  In fact, she told me that she checks the Canadensis website almost everyday and reads our blogs all of the time!  Here is a a picture of me and Amanda…

Me and 2010 Lower Inter Girl Amanda Seligman.

Right around the corner, I then went to see Maddie Phillips, who will be an Upper Inter Girl next summer.  Currently in the fifth grade, Maddie is involved with a number of activities, including Jazz dance and Swim team (her events are the backstroke and freestyle).  She is also a member of her school’s Student Council and they just recently completed their Red Ribbon Week, which makes students aware of making positive choices.  She also just got a new puppy Chase.  This summer, she can’t wait to get involved in the activities at the Art Center as well as making new friends.  Here is a photo of me, Maddie and her sister and future Canadensis camper Molly, who is in the 2nd grade and enjoys dance, swimming, soccer and basketball.

Me with Maddie Phillips (left) and sister Molly. Maddie will be an Upper Inter next summer.

Finally, I cruised a few blocks over to the Herskowitz Family.  For starters, father Jeff is a second generation alumni of Camp Canadensis.  Everytime I see him, he always recollects his wonderful memories of camp.  He hopes to make our 70th Anniversary Alumni Reunion on June 19 and says that he has been able to keep in touch with so many camp friends through Facebook.  His daughter Alexa, who will be returning to camp for her fourth summer as a Freshman Girl, is so happy that her brother Jake will be at camp this summer.  Jake, who is in the 2nd grade and will be a Junior Boy in 2010 is very active, playing football, soccer, basketball and hockey.  He is really looking forward to playing all of those sports at camp and says he will be playing in the CHL.  He is also excited to try the Climbing Wall and Zipline.

Alexa, who always has camp on her mind, has been keeping in touch with all of her camp friends online and sees other Cherry Hill Canadensis campers all of the time.  She has been involved with soccer, field hockey and tennis as well.  As a Freshman next summer, she is so psyched for her trip to Hershey Park, partly because many of her friends call her Hershy!  Ha Ha!  Alexa also has the honor of being my second guest blogger.  Blog away, Alexa!

Things are boring at home….. school, school, and more school. Thankfully I have seen a few camp friends, which is always good! We are all so excited for this summer! We can’t wait to be back at home!  Jake (my brother) is going to be in Bunk 2 which is really exciting! At home, things are going well.  I go to school with Amanda Soll and Danielle Rosenthal.  Scott Brown goes to the other school in my town so we see each other a lot! Camp seems so far away but I am sure time will go by quick.  Cant wait till sumer 2010!  -Alexa Herskowitz

Here is a picture with me, Alexa, Jake and younger brother Justin.

Me with Jake (second from left), Alexa and Justin. Jake will be in Boys Bunk 2 in 2010 while Alexa is back for a fourth summer as a Freshman Girl. Both are third generation Canadensis campers!

So, you can see it was a busy Monday for me.  It was also a very happy Monday, considering my Giants beat those hated Cowboys (at least one thing Giants and Eagles fans can both agree on).  Next week, it will be those Eagles who I can’t stand either.  I have already begun to receive those e-mails from all you Eagles fans out there so keep’em coming.  However, I am not going to talk any trash this time after last year’s Comcast incident.  Ha Ha!  A very funny story for those that remember.

More blogging in the next few days.  I am off to meet with a Canadensis Staff member to tape a very special Canadensis Today Show segment.  Has anyone figured out yet what the special announcment is?  I thought my last clue was pretty good.

Until then…Have a great day…Brian

Hello Canadensis!

You know, sometimes in life it is all about the little things that make us happy.  As a self-proclaimed foodie (a term that has become popular over the past few years), today was one of those days when it was the little thing that made me happy when I had a delicious falafel for lunch.  For those that don’t know what a falafel is, it’s a fried ball or patty made from chick peas.  You eat it in a pita with tomatoes, lettuce, pickles and tahini dressing.  About a mile from me in Montclair, NJ is the Falafel Hut, which makes the best falafels!  If you haven’t tried one before, definitely do so.  You might be pleasantly surprised how good they are.  Here is a picture of what a falafel looks like…

My falafel lunch today hit the spot! Although, mine looked a lot better than this one.

So, has anyone seen the teaser Canadensis Today trailer?  Does anyone know what the announcement is about?  Any guesses?  If you are still in the dark, but here is a sentence that might help you figure it all out:  “I don’t mean to sound so stern, but this will be great.”

What a great week it was in the camp office.  Earlier in the week, I got a chance to catch up with Group Leader Marshall Weinstein, who is all set to return to camp in Summer 2010 for his 5-Year jacket!  Marshall is just finishing up his student teaching in Washington near where he attends college in Bellingham at Western Washington University.  Marshall said his student teaching experience was a most amazing opportunity and he can’t wait to attain a full time teaching gig once he gets his degree in less than a week!  Marshall is looking to work in the elementary school system, so if anyone knows of  any leads, let him know.  His schedule has been quite busy, but that doesn’t keep Marshall from keeping in touch with so many campers and staff throughout the year.  Marshall wanted to give a big shout out to everyone that reads the blogs.

On Tuesday, I got the chance to meet up with some of our campers in the Bala Cynwyd, PA area.  First, I stopped by to see Noah and Ben Rubin.  Noah will be a Freshman in 2010 while Ben is a Lower Inter.  Both are back at camp next summer for their 3rd year.  The family had just returned from their annual Thanksgiving trip to Scottsdale, AZ as they have family out that way.  Both Noah and Ben said the trip was awesome.  It was great catching up with the boys, who have been keeping in touch with their bunk mates.  Turns out that Noah Zaslow paid a visit to Noah Rubin a few weeks ago and Ben will be getting together with Max Rapoport very soon.  Great stuff!  Both are enjoying the school semester so far, but can’t wait to get back to camp in June.  Of course, they plan on attending the reunion in a few weeks.  Here is a pic from my visit…

Me with Ben (left) and Noah Rubin and their dog, Daisy.

After that, I made my way over to see Julia Rosenau and her sister Emma, who will be at camp for the first time in Summer ’10.  Emma is in the 3rd Grade and will be in the Junior Girls division next summer.  She enjoys playing soccer, softball, basketball and gymnastics.  She also plays the piano.  This summer, she is looking forward to activities like waterskiing, the art center and gymnastics.  As for big sister Julia, who will be back for her 4th summer at camp, she has been busy with gymnastics and soccer as well and will be playing basketball and softball in the upcoming seasons.  She has been in touch with so many camp friends and is really looking forward to the Hershey Park trip that the Freshman Girls go on.  Here is a picture…

Me with Emma (left) and Julia. When she got home, Julia tie-dyed her last day of camp T-shirt blue and gold. Nice job, Julia!

The visits were great.  In the next few weeks, I have a lot of visits scheduled with camp families.  It is going to be a really exciting month of December.  Even in the cold winter, thoughts of summer keep me warm!

On Thursday, Eric and Pam came up to New Jersey as we had a meeting with the company that does all the camper prescriptions.  It was the first time that anyone from camp had seen the New Jersey Satellite Office (aka my house).  Ha Ha!  The three of us also had time to sit down and talk about staffing items.  The three of us are so excited that we have so many returning staff so far, but we have already begun hiring some new talented and amazing staff!  Eric and Pam then went on to see some of our campers in Port Washington, NY.

This week, I also got to see one of my favorite bands Phish play at Madison Square Garden.  Actually, I got to see them play a few times (three to be specific).  The third show is tonight.  I know what you are saying.  Three times?  Well, the nice thing about Phish is they never repeat a set list…ever!  In fact, for all three shows, not a single song will be repeated.  Pretty cool stuff.  Anyway, I will be in really good shape from dancing all three nights.  Last night, I even broke out a few of the Rak Dan moves we learned this summer.  Ha Ha!  I also ran into Adam “Baby Shark” Scharfberg before the show, who ended up being in the front row!  Good to see you, Adam.  I also attended the show with some of my camp friends that I grew up with which was just awesome.  See, your camp friends are truly your best friends forever!

So, anyone have any good weekend plans?  I will be taking it easy tomorrow and catching up on some house cleaning.  Really exciting, right?  On Sunday, we will once again be at Giants Stadium as the Giants face their divisional rivals the Cowboys!  As the open invitation always stands, if you are there, be sure to stop by our tailgate in Lot 5F.  On the menu this week is steak tips, chicken, corn chowder, grilled pineapple, hot apple cider and much, much more!

That’s all for now.  Again, if you would like to Guest Blog, let me know.  Everyone have a great weekend!

Until then…Brian

Hello Canadensis…

I hope everyone had a super Thanksgiving holiday last week.  Is anyone sick of turkey leftovers just yet?  For me, Thanksgiving is by far the best of all the holidays!  What is better than stuffing your face all day and watching football?!  Actually, after eating so much food all afternoon, it was difficult to watch the Giants game at night, considering they played so poorly, that my stomach was churning!  Ha Ha!

Actually, Thanksgiving is the one holiday that my mother makes for our family.  I look forward to this meal every year.  From appetizers to dessert, everything is homemade and absolutely delicious.  I have made the bold statement before that I would put my mother’s Thanksgiving meal up against anyone else’s in the state of New Jersey and I think my mother’s dinner would win.  Very bold, I know.  But, I have to give my mom the kudos for the amazing cook she is.  In fact, every year after the appetizers, the consensus is the same from everyone.  We all say, “Do we still have an entire dinner to eat?”  Ha Ha!  It’s a great tradition at the Krug household.

Speaking of great traditions, a few nights before, I had dinner with Jared “Groundhog” Katzman at a restaurant callled Kirsten’s in Lebanon, NJ.  This is the third year in a row that Groundhog and I have met at this place that we discovered a few years ago.  Basically, it is halfway between where I live and where Groundhog’s parents live in Allentown, PA.  In addition to great food, G-Hog and I talked about camp for several hours.  Of course, he is slated to return for his 21st summer at Canadensis and is excited to be at the reunion in a few weeks.  He has also put together the ’09 Photo poster that we will be the give-away at the reunion.  Let me tell you…it came out great and looks even better than the last two year’s posters.   Here is a picture of me and Groundhog at Kirsten’s…

Me and Groundhog after a meal at Kirsten's in Lebanon, NJ. If you are ever there, the calamari is great!

Apparently, the Thanksgiving break is a great time for camp friends to see one another and have some sleep overs.  I got some great pictures sent to me this weekend.  Some of the girls from last summer’s Bunk 4 got together in Long Island.  Here are some pictures…

Some of the Girls from Last Summer's Bunk 4...Danielle, Julia, Paige, Sydney and Sami.

The same girls, but in 3-D!

Also, some of the guys in last summer’s Boys Bunk 11 got together in Wayne, NJ over the Thanksgiving break.  Here’s a shot of them…

Some of the guys from last summer's Boys Bunk 11: Marshall, Ross, Will, Max, Sam, Jared, Zach and Garrett.

Last night, I got out to Livingston, NJ to meet some of our new campers.  In this case, three campers in one household!  We are so happy to welcome the Minion Family and boys Zach, Dan and Josh to the Canadensis Family.  Zach is in the fourth grade and will be a Lower Inter in Summer 2010.  In the winter, he plays football, basketball and baseball and also enjoys biking, running and reading.  This summer, he is looking forward to Archery, Hondas, Sailing and Glass Fusion.  Dan is in the second grade, making him a Junior for 2010, and plays soccer and basketball.  He also enjoys reading, sledding when the snow falls and cartoons.  He is excited for a number of different activities this summer including tennis, fishing, radio and ceramics.  His twin brother Josh plays soccer, goes running and really enjoys Lego building.  This summer, he can’t wait for glass fusion, woodworking and photography.  Here is a picture from my visit…

Me with the Minion brothers (from left to right): Josh, Dan and Zach. Since the boys were wearing their "Kids Run on Canadensis" T-Shirts, we thought we'd pose accordingly.

I got a lot of responses from the question I posed in my last blog about when a camper can officially consider themselves in the next division.  Some campers believe you are in the next division as soon as the buses leave the summer or the very next day.  Other campers think you can consider yourself in the next division on January 1.  Finally, there are campers who think you are in the next division when the next summer begins.  So, I don’t think there really is a correct answer.

Finally, please make sure you make your way over to Eric’s blog for a special teaser of a very special Canadensis Today show which will be airing in the next week or so.  We have some very big news to announce.  From the trailer, can you guess what it is? If not, you will find out soon enough!

By the way, I am so blown away by how many of you read this blog.  It is great to hear from so many of you through e-mails and comments.  Keep staying in touch!  Of course, if you would like to guest blog, shoot me an e-mail at brian@canadensis.com .  Hope to hear from you!

Until then…Have a Great Day…Brian

Hello Canadensis…

It’s Tuesday afternoon and I needed to stop my work day because if I don’t, then I won’t find the time to blog to everyone out there in Canadensis Cyberspace.  This blog is becoming one of my favorite parts of  the week.  I am so happy to hear that so many of you out there read this.  It makes me feel good to know how important it is for our campers,  parents and staff to stay connected through these winter months.

Well, I must first say that I had an incredible weekend.  If you read my last blog, it was a big sports weekend for the fanatic in me.  First, my Syracuse Orange upet the #4 team in the country in North Carolina.  It was a really big win and one that had me and my roommate from college talking all weekend.  Next, there was the Ohio State-Michigan football game (as  I mentioned a big tradition in my family) and Ohio State won that game, too.  Finally, on Sunday, my New York Giants got off of their losing ways to win their first game in 42 days.  Of course, it took them overtime to do it.  More on that game later in the blog.

On Saturday morning, I went to Brittany Glassberg’s house.  Oh, I don’t need to tell you, here is Brittany, herself (my first guest blogger):

Me with most of the 2010 CIT Girls. I had a great time hanging out with them!

And Jeremy Flies By!

Don't worry, Paige! Alyssa has got you.

CITs stop for a group shot. Love the outfits, CIT Girls!

On a final note, I pose a question.  I have actually asked this question to several campers over the past few weeks.  Of course, all had different answers.  The question is…Does a camper automatically get promoted to the next age group when the summer is over?  In other words, if you were an Upper Inter in Summer ’09, are you a Freshman as soon as you leave camp at summer’s end?  Or, do you have to wait until the next summer begins?  Or, is it on January 1st when you are officially put into the next age group?  Any comments on this topic are appreciated.

And, now that I have officially had my first guest blogger, I want to invite anyone else who would like to contribute to e-mail me at brian@canadensis.com .  That’s all for now.

Until the next time (probably not until Thursday)…Have a great day…Brian

Hello Canadensis!

So, the clock on my computer reads 6:10 pm.  The last time I looked at my clock it was 12:15 pm.  Since then, I’ve been on the phone non-stop.  I think my eardrum is sweating!  Ha Ha!  I really didn’t even get a chance to eat lunch.  But, I wanted to make sure that I got to my blog before the day ended and wish everyone a great weekend!

On my end, I will be heading to Long Island to meet a family interested in coming to camp next summer.  After that, there is a rumor going around (actually I’ve confirmed it) that the 2010 CIT Girls will be getting together in Long Island.  So, I am going to stop by and say hello.  It will be nice to see everyone and talk about their upcoming CIT year, which is always a great summer at camp!

In the Krug Family, tomorrow is always a big, big day.  My father went to The Ohio State University and since I can remember the Ohio State-Michigan football rivalry was always a Saturday that could not be missed.  For those that don’t know, this is one of the biggest rivalries in college sports, if not the biggest.  It’s been going on for over 100 years, with the first meeting occuring in 1897.  Michigan leads the all time series, but Ohio State has won the past five years.  Because I’ll be on Long Island, I will be DVRing the game and watch it when I get home.  I can’t wait as I have never missed watching the game since I could remember.

Speaking of college sports, my very own Syracuse Orangemen (or the “Orange” as they are called these days) have a big match-up tonight in the Coaches Vs. Cancer Classic at Madison Square Garden versus North Carolina.  Syracuse beat California last night in a rout to advance to the finals of the tournament.  I am so happy that college basketball season is here!  In my opinion, it is one of the more exciting sports these days with so many games coming down to the final two minutes every night.  When I was growing up, I remember even sneakily staying up late to watch the late night games on ESPN.  Hopefully, the Orange can pull another upset again tonight.

Speaking of sports, the Giants are home again this weekend.  Once again, if you are going to be at the game, be sure to stop by our tailgate lot of 5F.  The tailgate this week will include Bacon, Egg and Cheese sandwiches, hash browns, bagels, lox, cream cheese, burgers, dogs and much, much more!  Hopefully, the Giants can pull out a win!  We need to after four losses in a row.

In addition to the e-mail we sent out a few weeks ago, many of you should have received the 2009 Reunion postcard for our get-together on January 10 from 1-3 at the Brunswick Zone.  It’s going to be a great afternoon!  Today, we sent out another e-mail to our families on how to RSVP.  This year, in an effort to try to get as “green” as possible, many of our forms will be online.  They can be accessed through the “My Account” section of the website, located in the upper right hand corner.  After entering your login and password, you will see a “Forms and Documents” section.  RSVPing is quite easy from there.  We are happy that our system will now be able to take online forms, making life a bit easier for everyone.

Well, that’s all for me.  Time to close up shop for the weekend.  I’ll be back next week.

Until then…Have a great weekend…Brian

Hello Canadensis!

Yes.  Yes.  I know.  I have been neglecting my blogging duties.  That is why I am bringing you…SUPER BLOG THURSDAY!  I don’t know what that really means, but it  sounds good.  Right?

The week has flown by so quickly that there is so much to talk about!  First, I need to tell you about last Friday.  It was great!  I was “secretly” invited to 2010 Lower Inter Oliver Shaw’s Birthday Party Sleepover for his bunk.  I say “secretly” because only Oliver and his parents knew about it.  When I got there, the bunk was in the basement.  Oliver’s parents, Alexis and Jonathan, set it up that I would go downstairs to surprise the bunk with Oliver’s birthday cake.  When I made my way down the stairs, cake with lit candles in hand, I started to sing “Happy Birthday.”  Most of the boys looked for a second at who was singing.  When they saw it was me, they were shocked.  It was a great surprise!  At the party was Oliver Shaw, Oliver Harris, Adam Aronson, Jonathan Altman, Alex Frieder and Daniel Goldstein.  According to mom, the boys stayed up late to celebrate by watching movies as well as a sneak peak of the Video Yearbook (my birthday gift to Oliver and the boys).  Here is a picture…

Me at Oliver Shaw's Birthday Sleepover with several of the Boys from Bunk 4 of last summer. What is Oliver Harris doing with that doll?

On Saturday, it was more camp festivities as I made my way down to Pennsylvania to celebrate the Bat Mitzvah of 2010 Lower Senior Melanie Sukonik.  In the morning, Melanie did such an amazing job leading the service at temple and made parents Neil and Sue and sister CJ extremely proud.  In the evening, it was time to party and it was amazing to see how many Camp Canadensis campers were able to attend the service and affair.  Almost everyone from Mel’s entire bunk was there and a number of campers from other bunks, too.  Also in attendance were Aunt Terri, Uncle Don, Eric Forti, Robin Hasson and Yale Saltzman.  In fact, all of the Canadensis people were called up to light a candle on Mel’s cake.  What a surprise!  After that, we danced the night away!  Halfway through the night, Mel’s montage showed off a number of pictures from camp, all which got the biggest applause.  Even later, Mel’s camp friends made a great presentation to her.  It was certainly a night to remember!  Pictures of the event can be seen on Eric’s blog.

That night, I stayed in a hotel in the Penn Valley area.  On Sunday, I made my way down to one of my favorite areas of Philly…South Street.  It was such a nice day to do some window shopping.  Of course, I had to indulge in a Philly Cheesesteak wit (as they say in Philly) onions and whiz.  Delicious!  Some cool shops on South Street, including a great store called Beyond the Wall, which had some completely ridiculous books, posters and knick-knacks.

So many people have been in touch with us this week at work.  I feel like I have spoken to so many people, including Roy Faden, Will Armon, Brian Stern, the “one and only” Levi Smathers (I told him I would write his name that way) and Groundhog to name a few.  Everyone is doing really well and can’t wait for camp next summer.  In fact, Levi made a joke to me of how we all say that we live 10 months for the 2 that we have at camp.  Because Levi worked both pre and post camp last summer, he says that he lives 7 months for the 5 months he stays up at camp.  Don’t we all wish we could be at camp for 5 months!?!?

Last  night, I made my way down to Voorhees, NJ.  First, I stopped by the Batt Family.  Mom Jennifer is a Canadensis Alumni who is thinking about sending her son Jacob to camp.  I showed them a video of camp and talked all about what they could expect from the “Best Summer Ever!”  Jennifer remembers how beautiful camp was and how much she enjoyed her days as a camper.

A few minutes away, I made my way to the Bresaliers to see 2010 Upper Inter Rachel who will also be joined next summer at camp by her sister Jenna, who will be in the Junior Girls Division.  Rachel told me that she has been keeping in touch with all of her camp friends and has even had several get-togethers and sleepovers.  Rachel has been busy with her dance classes (jazz and ballet) and is set to start basketball season in a few weeks.  Sister Jenna is also involved with jazz and ballet dance while also playing travel soccer.  Jenna told me that she watched all of the Canadensis Today shows last summer while at home and is now excited that she is going to be part of all the fun!  Here is a pic…

Me with Jenna (left) and Rachel Bresalier.

I’m hoping to see more and more campers as we get into the winter months.  I hope to be able to meet all of our new campers by March.  At the same time, we have gotten several questions about when our new camper get-togethers are going to be.  We will announce those dates soon, but more than likely, they will be either the weekend of April 10-11 or  17-18, so you can pencil in those dates.  We will have a better idea by next week.

I promise I will be back tomorrow for a Super Friday Blog!

Until then…Have a Great Day…Brian

Hello Canadensis! 

I hope all is well on this Fall Friday.  Definitely starting to get a bit nippy out there (as my 9th Grade Algebra Teacher Mr. Tell used to say).  As the weather starts to get colder, it’s a good thing that I’ve been able to get out and see some of our new Canadensis campers over the past few days as well as talk a lot of camp with fellow directors in the camp industry. 

On Wednesday, as I mentioned in an earlier blog, Eric and I met up in New York City to attend the Morry Stein Management Conference, an American Camping Association event, which was held at B.B. King’s of all places.  Normally, B.B. King’s is a concert venue that hosts a lot of jazz and blues acts, but on this day, it was for talking camp.  There were three speakers, two of which were really good.  The final speaker talked about digital and social media and the use of sites like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc.  I thought it was extremely interesting.  In between speakers and during lunch, Eric and I got to talk with other camp people.  I always find it great to hear how other programs operate. 

After the conference, I made my way uptown in New York City to visit new camper Andy Grossman who will be in the Lower Inters in Summer 2010.  Andy, who is currently in 4th Grade, is just finishing up his Soccer season but will soon move into Basketball season in the winter.  In the spring, Andy plays a lot of baseball and is a huge fan of the sport.  In the summer, he is excited that he will be playing in the CBL (Canadensis Baseball League).  In addition to all of the sports he likes, he is also really looking forward to Glass Fusion, the activities down at the lake and said he might even participate in one of camp’s theater productions.  While at Andy’s home, I also got a chance to meet his younger brother Jonah.  Here is a picture of the three of us…

Me with Andy and Jonah.

On Thursday night, it was off to Tenafly, NJ to meet new Junior Boy Dylan Carruba.  Currently in 3rd Grade, Dylan is weeks away from starting both his Wrestling and Basketball seasons, two activities he is excited for at camp as well.  While at his house, Dylan showed me his basketball cards collection, which totaled more than 3000 cards!  I had a lot of fun looking through the cards of the New Jersey Nets, my favorite NBA team.  Dylan is a big fan of the Lakers!  This summer, he is also looking forward to Basetball, Arts & Crafts, the Climbing Wall and Hondas!  Here is a shot of me and Dylan… 

Me and Dylan.

I got a great e-mail from Parent Debbie Weltmann earlier this week, letting me know that her daugther and 2010 Upper Senior Rachel had her Bat Mitzvah last weekend and there were many Canadensis campers in attendance.  In fact, there was an entire table of Canadensis!  In this picture, you can see the centerpiece, which was a big Canadensis bunk, tennis racquets, camp fire and real letters Rachel had sent this summer to her parents.  Awesome! 

Bat Mitzvah Girl Rachel and Hannah at the celebration last weekend! Notice the camp centerpiece!

I am really looking forward to this weekend as I will get the chance to see a number of Canadensis campers at two different events!  However, I am not going to reveal either event until next week because one is actually a real surprise that is going to take place tonight.  I will give full descriptions on Monday!  But, it’s going to be a lot of fun!