Hello Muddah ( A Letter From Camp)

Well, I'm about to retire for the night because I agreed to work a football camp for the next two weeks. I'm totally mad at myself. When I took the new job in November, I said "No camps. This year I'm gonna have a relax and REAL summer vacation.". I could eek by, so I didn't HAVE to do them and I really was feeling jealous of all the people I knew who were taking wonderful trips to fabulous places. So, what happened?

These things, in order:

• My friend Jeff, a former football coach at Lenape called. He was the Director of a camp. It was his first year. He wanted someone he could trust to work with him. 9-3, no contact middle school kids. $500/week. Please. As a favor.
• Panic about whether or not I was really as together financially as I thought
• My computer died. I wanted a new couch. Need to get the upstairs bedroom re-done.
• It's only 2 weeks.

So far, the camp has been a nightmare and it hasn't even started yet. 5 forms to be filled out, a 30 min conference call that turned into 1 hour and 15 minutes and made me want to bag my head on a wall, and an additional 1 hour of work added to each day EXCEPT Mondays when we add an additional 2 hours! If I hadn't felt bad about potentially screwing over Jeff AND it being 2 weeks before the camp started, I woulda been sitting pretty vacating these next two weeks. Instead, for my paltry $15/hour (what it breaks down to with the added time. A far cry from the going ATC rate of $25-$50 per hour) , I will be slaving and miserable. I know, I know, I need a better attitude, but so far the dealings with this pro company who are using our local pro sports team's name (they do a number of NFL camps) have left nothing but stress in my stomach and a rotten taste in my mouth. I am counting down the days.

It doesn't help that I am working mushroom sales for Trish at the Farmers Market in the middle (which I usually love, but is an early morning sandwiched in the h*ll that is this football camp), so I know it's gonna be a busy two week stretch. I am also a little upset that my summer is almost over and I have no new couch, no upstairs guest room (although I painted the ceiling today, so I'm getting closer) and no one to go on a real vacation with (oh, my sister? She's going to Scotland with our "cousin" Timmy for her vacation after complaining to me she didn't have money or time for vacations.). Looks like I'll be starting my pre-season the same way I started the LAST one, which is not contributing greatly to my mental health.

I need a change. I need an escape. My girlfriends are going to a Lake House owned by parents of one of them after the FB camp ends for good. I'm planning on going, but the 4 hour drive each way for 1 1/2 days makes me "eh" too. I know the saying is "life's a journey, not a destination" but I totally disagree where vacations are concerned. The only thing that MAKES the ride worthy is the destination! When I started the Spring I had grand plans of visiting 1) my college friend (Hi Aim) in Annapolis 2) a plethora of friends in North Carolina and 3) my old roommate and his wife in Maine. Not to mention the great "new" destination place I was going to - Ireland or Scotland, an island somewhere or maybe just somewhere kinda local for an overnight. After these jam-packed two weeks I am down to ONLY two weeks left of my summer. Where did the time go?!?!? I want to go the shore (even for a day!). I need to finish the upstairs room. I have to stop in work at least 2 more times and get paperwork in order for the first day (not to mention my inventory, but that's not TERRIBLY crucial I guess). And I am down to TWO WEEKS. TWO WEEKS! Can you feel the stress? The agitation? The annoyance? The Ugh?!?!?!?

I keep telling myself I really should use the 5 comp days I am given this year. I really need to use at least a personal day, but I know the sad reality of being a lone Athletic Trainer is once the season starts I become a 6 day a week employee for a full 10-months. No vacations, no days off, no breaks, no free Saturdays (although I'm trying to finagle one to get to a party in Annapolis) until next summer. When I SWEAR I'm gonna vacate. I'm gonna visit friends, go somewhere new, maybe an island....

-Song by Allan Sherman