Hello Canadensis…

Last week, we made the announcement that our new Boys Head Counselors for Summer 2010 will Brian Stern for Senior Boys and Will Armon for Lower Boys.  And whereas we are excited for Brian and Will in these new roles and welcome them, it also means that some staff will not be back for Summer 2010.  After eight summers at camp, Ken Ricken will not be returning to camp.  Ken e-mailed me a few weeks ago and asked if he could guest blog so that he could say goodbye to everyone.  I thought this was a terrific idea.  So, here is Ken:

Ken with Audrey, Dan and Greg. All four received their 8-year jackets in Summer '09. Thanks for everything Ken!

Hello all. Sorry I didn’t post yesterday, but I along with Aunt Terri left the office in the afternoon to drive up to north Jersey and have dinner with an alumnus and her son. Heidi Skolnick and her son Bradley are good friends of Canadensis. The past 2 summers they have come to visit and hopefully Bradley will be a camper real soon! We went to a great Italian restaurant in Englewood and enjoyed great conversation. Heidi is a Today Show Guest from time to time on her topic of expertise- nutrition. She is also in the process of writing a book, so she is quite busy. As many of you know, I have an affinity for the Today Show and so we talked about some of the ins and outs of the show, which of course I absolutely love to hear.

When we got back last night to the Plymouth Meeting Office around 8:45PM, I had to run in to use the bathroom. We have an alarm system and since I never open in the morning (our office opens at 8AM, and I start at 9AM!), I have never had to turn off the alarm. Well, what a disaster that was and after 5 minutes of trying to push random buttons (yes I knew the correct code), I sort of set off the alarm, or tripped it, and felt horrible. I waited a little while and the police didn’t show up, so I went to Shoprite to do some food shopping and I guess when I got back, I missed the police. Oh well…it got some laughs and chuckles this morning from the others in our office!

Today was a great day! Matt and Cara sent out postcards to some of our prospective families and we had some great laughs throughout the process. Then Aunt Terri came with an afternoon snack for each of us- McDonald’s diet coke floats. She invented it after finding out from Robin that the ice cream is “supposedly” only 3 weight watcher points, including the cone. So, if we put it in diet coke, maybe it’s only 2? I have to admit, it was great tasting, except for the ice they stuck in there! So, go to McDonalds, order a coke float, but make sure you specify no ice. They may look at you like you have 10 heads, but tell them to fill the cup halfway with soda and then put ice cream on top. It’s good, I promise.

Terri also replaced the “stolen/missing” peanut butter filled candy cane today, since Matt went to camp yesterday and picked up more. Except, I opened my mouth and told Robin about the candy cane and once again, there goes mine. Robin now wants it and there is me without my PB filled candy cane…poor ME, haha.

Tonight, I went to see the Burstein Family (Lindsey and Michael) and their dad Billy. Some of you may recall Dr. Burstein who was the camp doctor the week after visiting day. Billy is also an alumni of Canadensis and it was great to catch up with them. The kids are doing great and when asked are you returning to camp, the answer was YES! They loved the wristbands I dropped off and will hopefully be at the reunion.

Next, I went to see the Steinman Family. Jack and Max are both doing great. Max will be coming to camp for the first time (lower inter boy) and is into sports, arts and crafts a little, some water activities, you get the point! He is definitely an all-around kind of boy, but very into soccer. He currently plays on a travel Philly Soccer team and is looking forward to playing on the soccer intercamp team representing Canadensis! I had a great time seeing both of them and talking “camp.”

Tomorrow is actually a quiet day (as of now) and I will be hopefully be coming home and cooking dinner, after being on the road the last 2 nights! Thursday, I am headed out to L.I. again to see a few families. If you want me to stop by Thursday, or anytime, email me- eric@canadensis.com and I will try my best. I would love to drop in and say hello!!

Sorry no pictures today, but hopefully I will remember that my cell phone which does everything under the sun, also has a camera on it and I should USE it to take pics! On a final note, Sam Ginsburg is back in town for a month, so I am excited and looking forward to seeing him soon. While I am doing shout-outs, Will Armon (Lower boys HC and YES HE IS STILL MY CO-ANCHOR ON TODAY!!!) will be here in less than a month for our winter leadership meeting/reunion weekend! I can’t wait to see him and all of you!!!!

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

What a long week it’s been! Monday and Tuesday I was up at camp and had a great time seeing all of the wonderful improvements we are working on up there. It’s definitely turning cold and it snowed on Sunday and then again on Wednesday. Back in the winter office, we had a big meeting to discuss plans for the winter. I can’t quite divulge all of the secrets to you campers just yet, but we may be coming to your town, so stay tuned for more details on that. (Staff out in Washington state, we may not make it out there though!)

Our office on Wednesday had our winter holiday party, which was a lunch at Redstone Grill. Aunt Terri bought the females a small little gift and the men got pretzels from Callie’s Pretzel Factory/Candy Kitchen. We all also got specialty homemade candy canes, including the one I got temporarily, a peanut butter filled candy cane. I was so excited to try this candy cane, but was so full from lunch, so I left it on my desk overnight. When I arrived the next morning, the candy cane was gone! So, I began an investigation and after wrongly accusing Pam of stealing it (and then apologizing), the truth came out that Aunt Terri regifted my special candy cane to Neil so that his daughters, Mel and CJ Sukonik  could enjoy it. Oh well, I didn’t need it anyway. The word on the street is that Matt is going to camp Monday for the sole purpose of bringing home a stash of Peanut Butter filled candy canes. While in the area, he may drop in at camp. Just kidding, he is going to camp to work on a special secret project that we will fill you in on real soon.

Thursday brought Jaycal to our winter office, which was alot of fun. He came with his camera and laptop and filmed/edited a few special editions of Canadensis Today, which will be posted over the coming weeks. He is so excited to be coming back to camp and we had a long meeting over lunch to discuss plans for the new “Canadensis Today Elective” that we will be offering this summer.  We have already purchased 4 new video cameras for you all to use during this elective and we have such terrific ideas to bring new segments and increased camper involvement to the extremely popular Canadensis Today Show!

After dropping Jaycal off at the Amtrak station for his train back to NY, Matt and I met Bobby Clearfield, who is a Canadensis alumni and the uncle of former camper Alex Clearfield, for dinner. We went to Chinatown, my first time there in the 6 years I have lived in Philly. We had dinner at the local Indian restaurant, just kidding!! We went to the Imperial Inn, a good chinese restaurant and enjoyed catching up on Canadensis news and updates. He promised to be at the Canadensis Turns 70! Reunion that we will be having in honor of our 70th anniversary for all of our alumni up at camp on June 19th.

In the mail this week, I got a thank-you note from new camper David Brucker. I am the one who opens all the mail here at camp and it’s extremely rare that I ever get a “fun” piece of mail, as it’s usually bills, etc.  So when I opened this great thank you note it really brought a smile to my face and as corny as it sounds, it reminds me how much I love my job!

And finally, the Ambos family sent me a really nice email along with pictures of them in Disney! Apparently, based on 2009 CIT Mara Bernstein’s recommendation, they ate at the Chef Mickey’s breakfast and absolutely loved it! Thanks for sending in the pics.

Lauren and her dad Jon sporting their Canadensis gear!

Lauren, her sister Jamie (a future Canadensis camper!), and their dad!

Just in case you didn’t see the BIG ANNOUNCEMENT, make sure you watch the Today Show below!!!!!!! See you all at the reunion in LESS THAN ONE MONTH.

And finally, HAPPY HANUKKAH!

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

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Quick post with more to follow…

Matt Unger and I were up at camp last night and today and it was freezing! There is a few inches of snow on the ground and the lake is in the beginning stages of freezing over. You know what that means- sledding down the amphitheatre and snowmobiling on the lake will hopefully happen soon! I will post pictures of our time at camp and more info soon, so stay tuned.

A final thing- Happy Birthday to my Mom! Of course I won’t divulge her age here on the blog, but a very happy birthday to her!