What do we do at camp this year, guys?...........The same thing we do every year, boys - try to take over the WORLD!!!!!
Honey Creek was last week, Benjamin's fifth time attending summer camp. Unlike Alison and me, Benjamin is a cradle Episcopalian, and he has been able to enjoy Honey Creek in the womb! So, technically, this is his sixth camp. as Alison and I attended Cursillo at Honey Creek while she was pregnant with Benjamin.
At Camp, the boys played a game of Risk, a game he learned under the tutelage of myself and his big brother, Doug. Those kids probably didn't know what they were in for.
A class of square dancing instructions has Benjamin being introduced to his partner, Benjamin looks like one of the taller boys matched up worth one of the taller girls. Thank you, Rollison's and Cotillion, for helping Benjamin shine in this! We asked him if he met any girls there. He said yes, but all other details were impossible to come by. Ah, they grow up so fast!
Anyhoo, Benjamin is back safe and sound. He is emotionally and physically in great shape. It definitely looks like the Honey Creek Summer Camp tradition will continue!
We did not get out to see a movie this weekend, what with picking Benjamin up Saturday, and other obligations. I really would love to see Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, and have a big fat review for you. And next weekend looks dim to see a movie too. Alison and I did watch the HBO movie A Normal Heart, a very touching and emotional movie set at the beginning of the AIDS crisis. It was really depressing watching how slow and callous the response to this was. Even today, we seem to not recognize the millions of casualties this has caused worldwide. Mark Ruffalo was outstanding as the writer who was pushing so hard to expose the crisis and get people involved, pushing harder than even the gay activist community Julie Roberts was great as a concerned, brusk doctor, suffering herself from polio. And Jim Parsons (Big Bang Theory) had a pivotal role, the same role he had in the Broadway play. If you real dramas rooted in real life events, than I highly recommend this compelling movie.
Last Wednesday, we had supper with some new friends. It was a very nice evening, and it was good to get know them in a relaxed atmosphere. I don't normally like Olive Garden, but this time the food was good and the staff friendly, with a not too long wait time.
We were not so lucky Saturday. We went to Longhorn in Brunswick, and our simple lunch turned into an almost two hour ordeal. The place was not packed, but they were severely understaffed, and the waitress that dealt with us also managed the bar and all to go orders. The food was okay, but it was not worth the interminably long waits. It confirmed my worst fears about the Darden restaurants, that they deliberately make you wait longer than you should for food that is over-priced. They need to be careful, as the business model for a successful restaurant is changing with the times. They have already lost Red Lobster. They need to a serious look at how they do business with their remaining chains.
I wrote stories for three projects this weekend, so it was a good writing weekend. Still, I feel like I am creeping along on most things, and that it will be forever before I actually complete something. I am also failing in my desire to submit more poems and stories. I try to focus on it, but my stomach just churns up with insecurities and fears of rejection. I know. you can't win if you don't play. No matter how mediocre some people are making me feel about my writing, I have to gut it out anyways. It's hard.
Speaking of insecurities, I am starting to go through another withdrawal period from organizations. I am fighting it as hard as I can, but it is becoming harder. I have missed a number of plays and events, part due to being away or the time that they were on, and part due to the sheer inertia of staying home. I will do my best, and try not to let people down, but periods where I lack social aggression - it's gonna happen.
Until next time,
T. M. Strait
Ups and downs are normal, I think. I have a lot of trouble finishing things. I've been working on what has turned out to be a long story and it zoomed along for a while, now it's a paragraph at a time. As far as social withdrawal, I back off when things become more arduous than pleasant--if it feels like work and you're not getting paid, it's probably a good idea to back off.
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