WOOOOOO… WHATS GOING ON CANADENSIS!?!?!?!?  This is Pete Tarnoff, guest blogging while Forti is on vacation, and I’m so excited to be able to be a guest blogger.  Thanks to Forti and J-Cal for letting me do this.  I love the blogs, and I read them almost daily so this is pretty cool.

So… you want to know what all us guest bloggers have in common?  We are all OBSESSED with Camp.  Yes that’s right… obsessed.  Seriously though, 90 percent of my shirts that I wear are Canadensis shirts, I never take off my Color War Wristbands (Tropical Gold 08 BABY!!!), and I think I’ve  annoyed my roommates a whole lot by how much I talk about my time in 18325.

Unfortunately though, I’m not at Camp (insert sad face here).  Right now I’m at the University of Kutztown studying Elementary Education.  Yes that’s right, Pete Tarnoff is going to be a teacher.  Weird, right?  Can you imagine how crazy my classroom would be? Can you imagine anyone calling me “Mr. Tarnoff,” or even “Mr. T?” (I PITY THE FOOL), HAHAHA.  I’m not going to lie though, school is starting to drain me.  I transferred from Ithaca College in New York, where I was studying Television and Radio, to Kutztown last year.  Considering that TV/Radio has almost nothing in common with Elementary Ed, I practically had to start my college career over again, so I’ll be in school for a little while longer.

However, not all is doom and gloom.  During the month of October, I have several chances to see a ton of Camp people when I attend the bar mitzvahs of some of my former campers.  Austin Pollack’s bar mitzvah was yesterday (I’m writing this post on the 4^th of October).  Austin was fantastic and his party was sick… especially after we got the DJ to play the crazy frog song.  Canadensis Freshman 2009 took over the dance floor at that point.  By the time this blog is posted the Weiss boys, James, Eric, and Eddie will have had their bar mitzvah as well, and I’m sure they’re going to do just great.  Congrats to all of them, and to everyone who has a bar or bat mitzvah this year.

Of course there is the reunion in January as well, and I’m even more excited for this year’s reunion because it takes place on January 10^th… MY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!   Best birthday present ever: CAMP REUNION!!!  HAHAHA, that news made my day when I saw it.

A couple of shout outs before I stop writing (I could go on forever).   First and foremost, to the Freshman Boys Division of 2009, Campers and Counselors.  Thank you for one of, if not the best, summers of my life.  I thought it was going to be impossible to beat the summer of 2008, but because I lived with you all for 7 weeks, Summer 2009 may have done that.  Special props to Jay Trumbower (spelling is definitely incorrect) for creating an awesome sign for Freshman Hill.

Thanks again to Forti and J-Cal for allowing me to be a guest blogger

Lastly, a shout out to a young man who I know reads these blogs: Noah Rubin.  Noah attends the same middle school that my mother works at as a social worker, so I wanted to say “hi” to Noah, and thank him for stopping by my mother’s office to say “hi” to her.  It makes her day.

Be safe and have fun Canadensis family.  We’ll be home sooner then we think… Is it June yet???

Hello Canadensis!
Its Mike Lindquist from the Great Pacific Northwest.  I am up at school at the University of Oregon finishing my last few classes before I graduate and have to find a real job.  I spend most of my time up here working on school work, hangin’ with the fiancé, or going to Duck sporting events. Speaking of Duck sports, they are the most underrated football team in the nation… that is just a side note.

Since the end of camp, I went home for about a month.  Home for me is 15 minutes north of San Francisco in a city called San Rafael.  It literally takes me 10 minutes to drive to the Golden Gate Bridge when going into the city.   At home I spent some quality time with my parents, helping my mom with house stuff and playing golf with my dad.  Then Alyssa came out in mid-September, in which we had an engagement BBQ in honor of our engagement.  It was great to see my family and friends, and helped the healing process of not being at camp.

Its funny that being 3000 miles away from camp, I’m still connected to camp almost every day.  Seeing Alyssa doesn’t count because I see her every day!  But for example, FRESHMAN GROUP LEADER KENZIE GAUTHIER lives in a house across the street from me!  It is easy for us to hang out when it takes 15 seconds to walk to each other’s homes.  Yesterday we took our monthly TCBY Canadensis run.  Alyssa, Kenzie, and I go to TCBY, having yummy treats, and talk about life… which normally means camp.  We would be talking and almost always, an old couple will look at us like we are crazy, which we are of course.

The TCBY runs aren’t the only camp connection in Eugene.  I text MARSHALL WIENSTIEN every other day, just to talk camp, text my old roommate Handsome Rob, ROB McRAE, and I’ll see KELLY PRICE or NORA DRUTZ around campus.  I even saw Nora at a Duck home football game.  It instantly reminds me of all those camp memories.  Also in late September, Oregon was blessed with a visit from LEVI SMATHERS, LUKE HOLTEN, and SAM LITTLE.  They were on a cross country road trip.  It was nice to see them and I enjoyed sharing those great memories.

Alyssa and I are doing great and I would like to announce that we have set a date!  October 15, 2011.  It is a long ways away, but we want to get settled, find “real” jobs before we get tie the knot.  We both say hi to everyone in Canadensis blogging land.  This site is definitely my favorite Homework distracter by far.  Thanks Forti and J-Cal for letting me say hi.  What up CIT’s 09 and future CIT’s 2010!  And too all the 5 years in 2010!!! I don’t know how, but the summer of 2010 will be even greater than 2009!

Hey everyone! If you don’t already know me, my name is Alex Ehrenthal . Last summer  was my 4^th summer at Canadensis and I was a Super Senior in girls bunk 20! FIRST OFF, I miss camp SO much! It’s sad looking back on the summer, and seeing how each and every day flew by! Summer 2009 left me with more than enough memories to get through the year! It was definitely the best summer yet and I’ve already started counting down the days until Summer 2010 (Shout out to all my CITS 2010!)

I’ve been in school for about a month now, and not one day passes by where I don’t miss being at camp! Sophomore year is a challenge and has hit me with lots of work L ! I’m playing tennis for my high school team and I love it! This past weekend, the girls from my bunk (G20) slept over! It was great catching up with my best friends in the entire world, and reminiscing on summer 2009. I think it’s safe to say, we all had an incredible summer!

In summer 2010, I am looking forward to all the great evening activities, special events like carnival, the amazing race, and especially COLOR WAR!

I’m looking forward to seeing everyone at the reunion in January and next summer! Feel free to email me anytime at Alexx6124@aim.com.

As you can probably assume from the title, I am headed to the Caribbean! On Sunday I will be boarding the Carnival Valor for 7 days of fun in the sun. In what has become an annual tradition with some of my friends, I will be enjoying a week of R&R and a lot of good food!

So this week was a busy one. At the beginning of the week, I was busy getting caught up from being away the week before.  Lots of mail to go through, bills to pay, messages to return! I spoke to alot of camp families and staff members, including none other than Will and Sam, my buddies. It was great to catch up with them and hopefully I will get to see Sam soon and Will at the winter reunion!

Wednesday I went to camp and it was a great trip. It started out as a rainy day, but on our drive up Route 33 it started clearing up and by the time we got to camp, it was blue skies. However, the winds were howling. As you can see from the pictures in my last post (scroll down), the lake looked like white water rapids! Terri, Brian, Neil, and I met with our paving company and we gave them the green light to continue repaving many of the roads throughout camp.

Last year we repaved the entrance and lower boys. This year we will be repaving around the main office/grove area, most of girls camp, and a section of Senior Boys camp. The paver will also be filling a few potholes that we developed from all the rain last summer! While it may not be as interesting as the new canteen was, trust me, girls camp, you will notice it walking to the dining hall and all around camp!

The main office renovations are coming along nicely and the top soil/dirt for the grove and office landscaping should be dropped off on Monday. Did I mention that on Monday I will be on a cruise? haha! I guess I have the vacation fever and that’s what’s on my mind- nothing wrong with that, or so I am told.

Back in the office on Thursday and Friday, I hashed out my travel plans for recruiting this winter. While I can’t tell you specifics, I will be taking 3 recruiting trips overseas this year and on one of them I will be bringing along a special guest, who you all know:) The reason I can’t give you specifics is because Jaycal and I talked last night about the contests we will be featuring on the blog this year during my trips. We came up with some great ideas and some even better prizes so stay tuned to the blog so you can have your chance to win!

Anyway, time for me to hit the gym (something that I can’t believe is in my vocabulary). Make sure you keep reading my blog as Jaycal has a lineup of special guest bloggers all week long for you to enjoy. Be sure to check Brian and Cara’s blogs as well as they will both be in the office all next week providing camp updates.

Have a great week and I will see you right back here tomorrow on today (oops, I mean see you right back here next week on the blog!)

GUEST BLOGGING RETURNS MONDAY!

Everyone loves a Friday!

Even with the rain, today has already been a fun, campy, day! I woke up a little late this morning and rushed out of my house to make it to the office on time! While I was on my way here I got a call from Liz Tarnoff and we talked until I arrived at the office. Liz and I have a way of making each other laugh, either with our crazy stories or inside jokes, that never fails to make my day.  I can’t wait for her to come home for Winter Break!

I also got to talk to Rebecca “Becky J” Jacobson last night. My blog entry is a stolen line from her facebook status today! I agree Becky J, Friday is the best day!

Hey Guys,

Yesterday I had to chance to go up to camp and check up on things. Here are some pictures of what camps look like! I promise a new blog post soon! Also be on the look out for more guest bloggers next week.

Hello Blogland! I’m BACKKKK, but not for long. I am back at my home in Philadelphia (or more aptly called my temporary dwelling!) this week and in the winter office today, Thursday, and Friday. Where will I be on Wednesday might you ask? CAMP! I will be heading up to camp tomorrow for the day to have a look around at some winter projects.

As I have been reporting the past few months, we are renovating the main office exterior as well as the grove and landscaping. From what I understand, it is coming along nicely. While up at camp, we are meeting with our paver to discuss which roads we will be paving throughout camp. As many of you noticed, last year we repaved the entrance road (the entire length) up to the parking lot area and then all of lower boys as well as near the health center. So we will be continuing this year with additional paving. I can’t quite tell you what else we will be doing this winter just yet, but between the 3 blogs, Canadensis Today shows, and the Canadensis Courier, we will let you in on the “secrets!”

Flashback to last week- Thanks to Jaycal for the wonderful virtual birthday cake. I appreciate the virtual one posted on my blog as it’s calorie free:) Down in Florida, I spent time with Robin (girls head counselor), Julie (office manager), Eric R. (pool director), and Harold (baker) and his lovely wife Phyllis. To be honest, I didn’t do all that much. I sat at the pool enjoying the sun, went to the gym (shocker), and just relaxed a bit. Oh, I can’t forget Chuck E Cheese. I took Shane (Robin’s friend’s son) there and it was awesome. I haven’t been to one in probably 20 years and it was so much fun to run around, play some video games, and watch him having a blast. Work wise I went to visit an alumnus who lives in FL and has 3 kids. They were a great family and will hopefully be sending the next generation to camp this coming summer! I also met with a referral service representative. Referral services are important to us as they send us prospective families to follow-up with. She repeated numerous times how much she loves Canadensis as she came to visit us in 2007. I told her she has to come back and see the new amphitheatre, canteen, The Summit, Canadensis Today, and much more! Hopefully, she will be coming back again this coming summer for a visit.

I hope you enjoyed all of the guest bloggers. Special thanks to all of them as they helped keep the blog going while I was away. If you missed out on the blog last week- shame on you (just kidding!). Please make sure you scroll back to the archives and see each of our guest blogger entries.

Speaking of going away, this is the month for camp directors to hibernate and catch up a little on some R&R, and I plan to take full advantage of that! After working 6 months, 7-days a week, I can use some breathing time. So, next week I will be heading to the Caribbean with Carnival Cruise Lines and relaxing for a full 7 days! Rough life, right?? The truth is while I am away I miss camp and on each of my cruises so far I have found a few kids out at the pool area who challenge me to go down the slide, etc. So, camp is close to me (especially with all of my camp t-shirts I wear every day!) and perhaps the Carnival Kids Camp Program will need some help planning activities!

Well I better get back to work. I am trying to catch up from being out a week, just in time to leave for another week of vacation! From what I understand, Jaycal has a whole line up of guest bloggers (hint: Tarnoff!) to continue with our guest blogging series next week. And remember, if you want to be a guest blogger we would love to hear from you. Please email editor@canadensis.com and Jaycal will set you up!

First off, HAPPY BIRTHDAY DANIELLE FADEN!!!

It is officially my favorite part of the off season! Staff from summer 2009 are starting to call the office and say “YES! I would love to come back for another great season!!!”. These calls make my day in a big way. Once we have an idea of who is coming back, we get to begin interviewing and hiring new counselors. I love getting to interview new staff. It’s so much fun to tell them about Canadensis, and get to hear about all of their hobbies, interests, and most importantly, why they want to work at camp! Eventually I will hit the road early next year for another hiring road trip, another highlight of my off-season.

Today has been eventful, everyone is all abuzz with talk of next summer. Eric Forti is especially excited that his favorite “popchips” arrived in the mail.  It’s also been a very campy week. Over the weekend I was with my mom and sister (counselor Dani Corradetti) getting some Ice Cream, and I saw the Rapoport family!

Dani and I also enjoyed our usual lunch date with Rebecca Waxman and Jess Cook. We enjoyed a delightful cheesecake factory lunch, and spent the rest of the day shopping for anything and everything we could imagine. After we were totally exhausted from the mall, we all returned to the Waxman-Cook house, got to see Rachael Hannah Cook, and meet their new PUPPIES! We had so much fun watching them play, and trample all over each other. One day they will be big enough for Rachael to put a saddle on them and go riding. After putting on a brief fashion show for Mommy Beth Cook, Dani and I hopped back in the car and headed home.

I also met the fabulous Captain Karen Sharir for a coffee date in Plymouth Meeting! I was going through some serious Karen withdraw, especially after living together so closely during precamp, and it was so good to laugh about the summer and make plans to get together during the year.

I’m sure most of you who know me know that the only other thing I love as much as camp is my sorority, so a special congratulations to all of our counselors who made it through recruitment and are new members of their organizations, especially Miss Danielle Cook, who called me every day to tell me about recruitment and let me live vicariously through her fun. She and I also spent some time shopping together, online of course, since she is in Rhode Island. We bought matching tote bags! We’re also planning to spend Thanksgiving break making sorority crafts, watching movies, and learning to make SUSHI! More on that in a later blog, for sure!

Anways, I have big plans this weekend to do some major fall cleaning. Twice a year my mom and sister and I go through our closets and put together a few donation bags. Out with the old, in with the new, and all for a good cause. So I’ll be up to my ears in clothing all weekend, but I love that feeling on Sunday afternoon when we all feel so accomplished and ready for winter’s arrival. I might even drive up to camp for a bit to make sure my cabin is ready for winter, and bring home anything I might have left behind. If I do, pictures will definitely follow!

As much as I love the summer, I am really looking forward to the arrival of the chilly weather. I have a serious love for winter boots, especially my cushy uggs… I’m really a Vermonter at heart!

PS: To all the Gossip Girl, Greek, and Glee lovers out there, this is sure to be an awesome week of television!

In honor of Danielle Faden’s birthday (Happy Birthday!!!!) here is a recycling cheat sheet for you to use next summer at camp, which I found on cnn.com today during lunchtime.

Here, a cheat sheet for recycling.

No. 1: Polyethylene terephthalate (PET, PETE), the most widely recycled plastic, is used for soft-drink bottles and is also commonly found in textiles, which explains why a bottle can be turned into fleece.

No. 2: High-density polyethylene (HDPE) is used for detergent bottles and grocery bags.

No. 3: Polyvinyl chloride (PVC or vinyl) is what salad-bar containers are made from.

No. 4: Low-density polyethylene (LDPE) is used for dry-cleaning and fresh-produce bags.

No. 5: Polypropylene (PP) is what makes bottle caps, yogurt cups, and drinking straws.

No. 6: Polystyrene (PS) is also known as Styrofoam.

No. 7: These “other” plastics, such as polycarbonate baby bottles, are generally not recyclable at most centers.