Sunday, Matt Unger and I, traveled up to camp to check up on things. Here are some pictures of how camp looks and some of the projects!

The brains (or lack thereof) behind every single Today Show…the man who works INCREDIBLY hard to bring you the Canadensis courier newsletters, all of the videos, and many of the photos is a very special person. He is also one of my best friends- Jason Calabretta (Jaycal). When news broke about my proposal to Robin, Jason went in front of the Today Show cameras to bring to you this very SPECIAL EDITION OF CANADENSIS TODAY!

You can see it by logging into the media room or by clicking on the video below. Thanks Jason for all you do.

And finally something you all have been waiting to see for the past  few weeks, my proposal to Robin!

First off, I cannot believe it’s almost Thanksgiving and it’s so warm and lovely outside! Did somebody find a way to make camp arrive early this year?

This past weekend was FULL of friends and fun!  Thursday was opening night for my sister, bunk 11 counselor, Dani Corradetti, as her High School performed “Once Upon a Time”, a play made up of tales and fables from around the world. Dani was one of the narrators and dancers, and the entire cast did a spectacular job. I went to see the show again Friday, and then took Dani over the next morning for TWO Saturday performances.  The entire cast worked so hard, and it was great to see it all pay off with a great run!

On Saturday afternoon Max Blum and Karen Sharir arrived at my house and we went on a roadtrip for the 25th Birthday Extravaganza of Miss Rachel Bachman! We arrived just in time to meet Rachel’s friends and have some snacks, and then tied on our roller skates and headed out to the rink! I hadn’t been skating in a while but, just like riding a bicycle, it all came back to me as soon as I hit the floor. Although we were great skaters, there were a few moments where we all almost fell over from laughing too hard, as Max performed some of his most unique skate tricks, from spins to full on belly flops. When the end of the night rolled around we didn’t want to leave the rink! Finally we turned in our skates and followed Rachel back to her house so she could open birthday gifts and we could spend more time together… any idea what we talked about most? If you guessed “CAMP”, you’re right!

I took so many great pictures, and some VERY funny skating videos, and I’ll be posting them here soon, so check back later this week for more!

Today it’s just Pam and I in the office, and I’m crazy busy trying to schedule interviews with staff, and planning our college recruiting road trip! When I get home from work, the crazy doesn’t stop; It’s officially 10 days until Dani and I host the annual North Penn Concert Choir Thanksgiving Eve Party. We hosted the party last year, and this year we are at it again. This means careful planning of a delicious menu, themed decor, and most importantly, a well tuned piano! Last year my favorite treat was the carrot cake we served, because instead of an orange carrot on top, I hand drew music notes on each piece of cake! This party is also the time for all Choir alumni to return and see each other, so I’m also very excited to see some of my friends who will be back in town for the holiday! I will definitely post some pictures after the party!

Well, that’s all for now! Be sure to check back for those roller skating pictures, and if you have any pictures or stories from recent camp get-togethers, send them my way, cara@canadensis.com, and they may just end up on the blog!

This past weekend was the ultimate weekend and is ending in an even better way…

Friday night Aunt Terri and I were invited to surprise camper Rachel Green at her birthday party with school friends. Terri and I showed up to California Pizza Kitchen at 6PM and it was a perfect set up. Rachel’s back was to the front door at the head of the table with 12 girls from her school. Terri and I each went on one side of her, tapped her on the shoulders simultaneously, and she looked at me, dropped her jaw then I pointed to Terri and she was in absolute shock! It was “priceless” and so exciting to be a surprise at her party. I also spent a little bit of time with Rachel’s brother as well as her dad, Stu. Stu is a LOYAL Today Show fan, blog groupie, and an all around Canadensis Fan! He told me some stories reliving his camp experiences (which were only 10 years ago, right Stu???!!!). Anyway, it was a blast and I was honored to drop in. If anyone else is having a birthday party, let me know and I’ll see if I can drop on by.

Here is a picture with Stu, Rachel, and me!

Later that night, Robin flew in to Philadelphia during the winds and rain. Her flight was delayed until after midnight, but of course as a good fiance would, I was there waiting for her! My friend Andrew was with me and when we returned to my condo in Philly, we watched the engagement proposal on DVD. Robin’s principal was recording the whole thing and made a copy for me. I will be getting it to Jaycal ASAP for him to post here on my blog.

Saturday morning brought me to Temple Beth David in Gladwyne to celebrate Mel Sukonik’s Bat Mitzvah! She did a terrific job at services and I had a chance to see tons of her girlfriends from camp as well as Billy Koutcher and Alex Distefano. Saturday night was her party and it was one to remember. The theme of the night was M el (taking after the BIG M in MTV and then the characters el instead of TV). The room was setup beautifully and again we spent some time with some of the campers. Of course my dancing I am sure embarrassed them, so I had to hide in the corner of the dance floor so they wouldn’t be too humiliated! Here are some pictures from the night:

And….the end the great camp weekend- I AM UP AT CAMP!!!! Matt Unger are here sitting in my house on freshman hill after taking a drive through camp. Since there is literally nobody in camp (Tom our caretaker lives at the entrance, but before the “gate”) we can drive through camp and take a look at things. The paving looks AWESOME, but you will have to wait for pictures and videos since it’s pitch black out there tonight. During the winter, we turn out most of the area outdoor lights and just leave on a few, so it’s dark and very lonely without all of you.

So, exciting camp weekend even during the winter season! Stay tuned for pics, videos, blog postings, and if you read this far I will hint a surprise to all of you- TWITTER is coming to Canadensis….MORE TO COME SOON!

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!   

Hey Will, I bet you never thought you would get your very own post with our name in the subject!

Congratulations to Will! Last night, we finally caught up after a busy week for both of us and he shared the exciting news that he was awarded the “Most promising basketball official in St. Louis”. As many of you already know, Will is a basketball ref during the winter season at high schools throughout the St. Louis area. From what I observe at camp, Will takes refereeing very seriously and he truly enjoys doing this. So, congrats to Will and we are honored to say that the most promising basketball official in the entire city of St. Louis, at the age of 28, will be refereeing the showcase color war basketball games at Canadensis! Perhaps we should use THAT in our marketing materials. In all seriousness, congratulations brother.

I also am excited to announce that we will be having a Canadensis Today Show camper segment called Canadensis Today IReporter. We will be arming campers with brand-new “flip” style video cameras to use around camp. The campers will be at all the activities, evening activities, special events, etc. We will also be offering opportunities for campers to get involved in producing the Today Show, from setting up segments, designing the set, working with Jaycal on audio, and creating innovative new segments, we are going to be involving campers in all aspects of Today.

As you all know, the Today Show was a brand-new concept last year, and while we met our goal of producing at least one show every day, it’s time to raise the bar. We are working on new graphics and other improvements, but our primary goal this summer will be to involve campers in every aspect of the show. So, campers get ready for a brand-new Today and to be involved in whatever ways you want to be!

Matt and I are headed up to camp Sunday night and staying through Monday, so be ready for pictures, video, and news updates throughout next week right here on this blog. Robin will be coming in this weekend for Melanie Sukonik’s Bat Mitzvah- Mazel Tov and I look forward to seeing some of the camp girls tomorrow! Have a great weekend everybody.

Camper Josh Brownstein is featured in this DORITOS commercial which could be shown during the Superbowl. Click below to watch!

Josh is the kid in the beginning jumping on the bed, and at the end looking into the bag. If his video is selected it could be shown on the Superbowl!

**Click Skip intro in the bottom right corner to get right to the video**

I clearly love transportation and as a matter of fact as a kid I was always in awe of the industry! I have great childhood memories of going to a local municipal airport with my dad and having breakfast while watching small planes take off! I remember riding the NJ transit bus and train into New York City and enjoying the ride. Many of you know I love boats and ships, and my dream came true on semester at sea during college when I sailed around the world on an old cruise ship for an entire semester. So yes, I love all modes of transportation.

Well today, for the first time, I am riding on an Amtrak train. I am sure most of you are laughing saying what is the big deal, its a train! But to me, its another mode of travel and I have always wanted to experience it. The real reason for me riding the rails today was to attend a conference in nyc organize by the American Camping Association (ACA). Brian and I both attended this conference which featured 3 speakers. The one that I found most pertinent and interesting spoke about social media, ie Facebook, twitter, and blogs.

He mentioned a few ideas which perhaps we will setup and use in the coming months, but most of what he talked about we already do through our own website and these blogs! As I have said before, its refreshing to hear that we are keeping up with the times and in many cases are ahead of the game and our competition. Of course we all know they don’t have a chance up against canadensis!

I also of course enjoy sitting in a room with others that share my passion and job and got to see a lot of familiar faces and friends who work at other camps. We compared notes a bit from the past summer and discussed a few ideas, etc. All in all, a very nice, informative day.

Rewind to last night. Pam, our new assistant director, has been putting together, camp get togethers for new young professionals in the local Philadelphia area. A few weeks ago, we held our first meeting with 6 camp directors in attendance and last night doubled it to 12! Way to go Pam and I look forward to this new organization really taking off. Pam planned a game of quizzo/trivia which we ended up not playing last night but will use in a few weeks at our 3rd meeting.

Speaking of Pam, she and I will be visiting camp families in the coming weeks, so if you would like to meet her, or you want my autograph or the today show logo (just kidding), let me know and we will plan a night to come visit! Email me at eric@canadensis.com! Of course Brian continues to do home visits as well, and hopefully we can cover even more terrain by all of us visiting homes. Plus who wants to sit in an office, when you have an excuse to visit camp families and have fun talking camp!

I am on my way home to Philly on the train and then will be catching up tonight on work. Tomorrow and Friday I will be in the office all day and look forward to the weekend when my girlfriend, oops fiancé, Robin, will be flying up for a bat mitzvah this coming weekend!

Hope everyone is doing well and keep checking back as Matt and I will be headed to camp overnight sun into Mon and we will post pics and video of camp!

Here’s a picture from Rachel’s Bat Mitzvah which took place on Saturday Night! Mazel Tov Rachel!!

"We had a Canadensis table of 12! You can see their centerpiece in the picture...It was a big Canadensis bunk, tennis racquets, camp fire...real letters included which she had sent to us this summer...etc. SO GREAT"

Hello Canadensis! 

AHHHH!  Apparently, I have a computer virus!  It really stinks.  So, my regular computer is down for the time being, but that won’t stop me from blogging to Canadensis Cyberspace!  I am using my handy dandy trusty laptop for this blog.  First, what is it about the world that we have people who enjoy creating these computer viruses.  I mean, do they have anything better to do?!?!  Maybe I can get Groundhog to get them back.  Only kidding!  It is frustrating, though.

Speaking of Groundhog, I spoke to him last night and you will all be happy to hear that he is putting the final touches on this year’s Video Yearbook.  The DVD will feature the Video Yearbook and Slideshow as always along with some extra very special features such as the entire Color War sing, two CIT Videos, a Canadensis Today Show Look Back at Summer ’09 and Picture Day.  The DVD, when put into your computer, will also reveal a 100-page Yearbook.  Pretty cool stuff! 

Speaking of CITs, I got greeted at my seats at Sunday’s Giants games by two of them from Summer ’09.  Amidst all of the action, I hear two people scream, “Krug!”  I turn around and see Josh Schultz and Ethan Wolfe.  During a stoppage in the game, we talked for a few minutes.  When the game came back on, we were met with a bunch of “sit down” cheers from the fans, so our gathering was broken up a little too quickly.  Anyway, it was great to see both of them and they are doing really well.  Thanks Josh and Ethan for stopping by!  As for the game, itself, not good once again for my Giants, losing in the game’s final seconds 21-20.  That is four losses in a row.  Not good. 

As for more CIT stuff, 2010 CIT Morgan Hirschorn e-mailed me some great pictures from Sydney Gocials Sweet 16 in which many of next summer’s CITs were in attendance.  Morgan said it was a great time seeing everyone and catching up on everything since the summer ended.  Here are the pics…

2010 CITS at Sydney's Sweet 16!

Jamie, Ally, Birthday Girl Sydney, Emma and Morgan.

Tomorrow, Eric and I will be venturing into New York City for an EPIC Conference.  EPIC stands for Emerging Professionals in Camping.  These events are always good to meet other camps and hear how other camps are doing certain things.  At tomorrow’s conference, there are also a few good guest speakers, including the CEO of Six Flags.  It should be interesting. 

Now, onto some more of my favorite pics from last summer…

Girls Bunk 20 in 2009 Sweatshirts!

E-Beth Caught in the Ladder!

Ashley's Got a Blue Tongue!

Counselor Pete with Brett, Jake and Mosk.

I see Mike. And why so serious Tyler?

Well, that is all for today.  No blog tomorrow as I will be out of the office all day, but I will be back on Thursday.  Hopefully, I will have my computer back to me, too. 

Until then…Have a great day…Brian