Family, not Coworkers

With a great job, comes great friends inside of that job. For example, I've known my boss since I was a camper at Camp Beech Cliff, Her name is Sylvie and she's the most laid back person on this earth. But she isn't the only cool person in my place of business. In fact, I love everybody that I work with. Since there is minimal stress that comes to each other, we act more like friends than we do coworkers. Each day all of our staff comes in an hour before camp starts, so we all get to talk and chill out for a little while. During the day, our groups sometimes interact together as well, so we get to hang out with our campers as well as our staff members. Being able to chat with fellow counselors throughout the day is really helpful, because you get to talk to someone about things that aren't in a child mindset. It's a relief. After work, we normally chill for a little while as we all progressively leave the camp until the next morning.

A couple of times during the week we have staff meetings, which aren't even close to actual meetings at all. We talk about our days/weeks, and say what awesome things happened, or what camper did some kind favor to another camper. It's pretty up building to hear how well our friends in the staff are doing and how well our campers are doing as well. Every experience is a good experience.


Throughout the summer, our staff becomes a lot closer knit. We all hang out after work in town, or go out for a staff dinner. Nobody ever gets left out, we're a family. One of my best friends works with me here too, we've been tight ever since we were both campers here. His Name is Zach, and he's so chill. We have grown up together every summer since we were six years. We both connect when it comes to music. We have grown up listening to the same bands, and we introduce new styles and genres to each other. He's also very easy to talk to when it comes to important matters, and has an extremely philosophical brain. Both of his parents are professors at Washington University, and have both worked formerly at Harvard and Princeton. You would think, coming from a background like that, that Zach would be a totally stuck up prick. But I've never met somebody so easy going and open minded. He's my brother, and I respect him a ton for never judging my opinions or ideas. He's always got my back, and I his. I'm glad that I can say that I work with him all summer, along with the rest of our amazing and vibrant staff. Like I said earlier, we are a family.


Zach is all the way to the left standing in between the short older lady and the girl with her tongue stuck out. He's got crazy hair...

Down on their Level

In my last blog I mentioned that I work at a kid's summer camp. The kids that go there range from ages 5/6 to 14/15. Of course, I don't work with ones that could possibly be in my health class. I work with kids around 7-10 years old. Right in my wheelhouse. But before I lose myself and stat rambling, I'll give you a little background on this camp.

Camp Beech Cliff is the name. It's on MDI. When I was younger, I went to this camp and fell in love. Every counselor is so chill and fun. There is never a bad vibe in the place. The campus is incredible too. On top of a cliff is a massive field, adjacent to the football-sized field is an outdoor basketball court. Surrounding this center field, there are numerous cabins and buildings. One of them is a big gymnasium with a regulation sized basketball court, and an insane rock wall, one of the biggest attractions at our camp. Aside from this gym, there is an archery range, performing arts center, an amphitheater, and an  arts and crafts building. This is just the top side, however. Below the hilltop, there resides multiple water programs on the side of Echo Lake. There's swimming, outdoor skills, like fire and shelter building, and a fantastic boating program. Ranging from kayaking to sailing, boating is a camp favorite among the kids. That's enough about the camp itself though, I'm here to talk about the main attraction: My Amazing Campers.

I probably don't strike everyone as a camp counselor. But I have to tell you that ever since I was a camper here, it was truly my dream to become a counselor here, I thought it would be so much fun, and boy was I right. Most everybody doesn't recognize me as responsible, especially when it comes to other human beings. But I'm POSITIVE that a lot of you think of me as functioning like a child, and that's what helps me in my job. I get right down on their level, and interact with my kids just like normal people. They love it, I love it, everybody loves it. It's weird to think what I do is called a "job", because it's really not. I can't explain to you how much fun it is to be able to play and take care of a bunch kids all day. To say that I get paid for it is just the cherry on top of my sundae of a job.

It's an actual privilege to be able to inspire little people and hasve them inspire me just as much. I get to see their intricate minds at work. There is never a day that I wake up and feel remorse about having to get up early and drive an hour to work, work for 8-9 hours for five days a week, and have to tend to a child's every need. No, because it's so much more than that. I am honored to say that I get to spend my summer with kids, teaching them and helping them to live life. These kids are MY life and I wouldn't spend my summer any other way. I hope to be doing this for a long, long time.


Yes, this is me playing tug of war, and yes I am dressed up as Aladdin. It was a themed day, just trust me.

The Life of an Unemployed Highschool Musician

All of my teachers complain about my absences from class. Yes, I skip some classes to go and drum. But that's because I can't afford a drum set yet. My aspirations for a drumming career grew bigger after I had already spent most of my summer money on a car, and fixing said car. Little did I know then how much I'd regret the decision to buy a vehicle instead of a kit containing infinite happiness.

Well, needless to say, I don't have a set yet. I can't have a job during this school year, but I've made a deal with my parents that if I keep my grades up next year I'll be able to work as well. It's kind of ironic that the reason why my grades are so bad is because I skip and drum too much, but I can't drum on my own set because my grades are too poor to buy a drum set for myself... Funny how things work, huh?

I've come to realize in the recent past that my grades are still important no matter what my passion is, which is why I've started working extremely hard over the last couple of weeks. I don't think there is anybody in my life that loves drumming quite as much as I do, but there is a time and place for it. Noticing my quick ascent in my school work ethic, my parents made another offer to me: If I keep playing catch-up, and get my grades up to par (and keep them there the rest of the year), then they will generously help me to afford a set. Once summer rolls around again I'll go back to my summer job at a children's summer camp. By my first paycheck I should be able to get my dream set with their help.

My parents have offered me some fantastic deals in this school year, some of which I think are borderline irrational, but I'm extremely thankful for those deals. They notice my incredible passion for music itself, let alone drumming. Every time they walk into my room they see me working on another song. Every chance I get, I ask them if they know this song, or how far I'm getting in another one. Whether it's authentic or not, they at least act like they care, and they help me so much in furthering my puny drumming career. I couldn't be more grateful for that.


This is the Crush Acrylic Set that I've been appraising for a while now. I plan to put sweet LED's in mine. How sick would that be? Like I'd be drowning in women, lesbihonest here.

Dreams of Snares and Screams

Since there's a break in the action of basketball for the time being, I'll turn my entries over to my one true love: Drumming. Many know me as a drummer. You'll see me walking through the halls with a pair of sticks in my hands or my bag, or notice me finding any excuse to skip class and go to the band room and get on the drum set. Being a high schooler in a town like Bucksport, it's hard to make a legitimate career in music. Still, I won't let stereotypes or major society bring my dreams down. I find peace in drumming. Whether it be for a mere 10 minutes, or 2 hours of gut-busting soloing, that old red drum set has become my therapist. Every Thursday during lunch, I have a special class with Mr. Nes for the musically gifted and talented. It sounds more prestigious than it really is, but I love it. Twenty minutes of listening the world's best drummers and trying to follow in their footsteps on the set. Gifted and Talented has been a short journey so far, being only my fourth week, but it has set a bar for me and my amateur career. If I want to be the best, I have to already think I am the best.

My drumming has grown to incredible heights this past year. All summer I drummed on a tiny practice pad in my room, and when school started, I couldn't wait to be reignited with that worn out set. When football season started, I connected with two particular people in the band: Brandon Kelly (amazing guitarist), and Jada Veazie (fantastic bassist). Since football, we've practiced after school, during study halls, and sometimes during classes I'm supposed to be doing work for. Oh well. Jada and Brandon have become some of my closest friends in this school thanks to our similar interest and passion for music. Since we got our "band" together, it has majorly pushed the limits of my drumming, and I couldn't be more proud of that. We all love the Red Hot Chili Peppers, so we practice a lot of their music. Because of that overdose in RHCP, I've had to duplicate many of Chad Smith's masterpieces on the drum set. He's a funk/punk drummer, which makes for insanely weird and spastic drumming. Thanks to the inspiration behind his drumming and other vaious bands, these two schoolmates, and my sessions with Nes , my drumming is getting to a point where I really feel confident and comfortable. With confidence, comes greatness. With greatness, comes opportunities.

I can honestly say that I have an incredibly legitimate hope for drumming in front of thousands someday. Everyone says it's a long shot, some even say it's impossible. But with the right attitude, anything can be attained. Brandon, Jada and I certainly want to make music for life. It's hard, since we all have lives and have schedules that we need to abide to. Still, I'm firm on my dreams and hopefully they are too. We certainly have the potential to be great, and that's what I love. None of us play for the recognition. I mean for God's sakes I don't play songs at halftime of a basketball game so the crowd can give me a standing ovation. Rather, we play for the music. I play for the love of it. 

Each and every time I sit down on that velvet stool is a blessing. I put in my earbuds, play a song, and drum it with all that I have. I'm sure that nobody will notice this, but when I really get into a groove, and our band of three sounds really in sync, I can't help but get an enormous smile across my face. The look on my face must seem so stupid, like people must think "Oh it's so nice that they put a special boy on the drumset" or something like that. But it feels good to be able to play something with your best friends and sound pro. 

My dreams are without a doubt reachable, and I have every right to say that. I don't care what my situation is, or where my hometown is. Drumming is my life, and I'l be damned if I don't get a shot to play for all of my life. Music gets me. Someday, I'm sure that our small, nameless band will be on a stage with thousands of fans going nuts. Like I said earlier, I do it for the love of it. So to every real musician out there: Play on. My dreams of snares and screams will come true, and that's what I live for. That's what I drum for.

Final Four Heartbreak

As the second weekend of March Madness has now come to an end, I'll review with you some amazing nights of basketball. First things first, my beloved Tar Heels lost by seven points to Wisconsin Thursday night. We had been leading the whole game, and had shut down their best player all night long. Still, that wasn't enough. Star Junior, Sam Dekker for Wisconsin had a career high 23 points and 10 rebounds. He was playing like a freight train, unstoppable. Unfortunately, UNC just couldn't hold on to the lead. Wisconsin finished an incredible game against us, and moved on to the Elite Eight, where they beat the Arizona Wildcats. Wisconsin now resides among the Final Four, easily the place that every team wants to get to in the tourney.

Along with Wisconsin, the Duke Blue Devils, Kentucky Wildcats, and Michigan State Spartans have also made it to the Final Four. Duke had to beat Utah and Gonzaga, both relatively mediocre games for them. Kentucky had to battle West Virginia and Notre Dame. They blew away West Virginia by forty, but Notre Dame was a different story. ND played an amazing game, as well as Kentucky. There was six seconds left on the clock, Notre Dame had the ball down by two, Jerian Grant races down the court. In the midst of a double team, he throws up a hail-mary of a shot from the deep three point line in the corner. With the ball flying just over the rim, every fan in the stadium was either shattering ear drums with thunderous excitement, or completely silent realizing that their journey had ended. An incredible ball game had come to a bitter end for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, but miraculously for Kentucky. 

Michigan State has proved to be a Cinderella story for the NCAA tournament, being the only team left that is not a #1 seed. Seven Seeded Michigan State hasn't had an easy game all tourney, and it won't get easier. They have definitely peaked at the right time, winning all nail biters against Georgia, Virginia, Oklahoma, and now Louisville, this team has proved that they belong in Indiana in the Final Four. 

The Big Dance isn't over yet though. The Final Four games will start on Saturday, with Michigan State facing off against Duke, and a Kentucky vs. Wisconsin show down. The championship game will be the following Monday. Stay tuned for more college ball info and biased information on my hatred for Duke University.

March Madness

College basketball. My classmates as well as my family recognize how important the sport is to me. I wait all year every year for a new season to begin in high hopes for my beloved North Carolina Tar Heels. The season starts in the late fall, but the madness begins in March. Widely referred to as "The Big Dance", The NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament is my favorite event of the year. I study stats, prepare my brackets, and watch each and every Heels game in wait for the tourney. 

Well, the tournament finally started last Thursday. I made 10 brackets in preparation for this time, and I'm pretty confident about them. The way the tourney goes, there are basketball games throughout every weekend. First games are Thursday and Friday, and the winners play the second games Saturday and Sunday. UNC got past the first week with wins against Harvard and Arkansas, both too close for my liking. Tonight at 7:40 we play Wisconsin, arguably the second best teams in the nation. I'm confident about it, but it will be a hard fought game. But following the impressive finish against Arkansas, as UNC head coach Roy Williams tied Dean Smith four second most tournament wins of all time, and also clinching his 750th win of his career, there is no reason to believe that we can't beat a good team like Wisconsin.

My knowledge of North Carolina basketball is extensive. From Michael Jordan to Tyler Hansbrough (My favorite college player of all time, and one the greatest to live), I could go on for hours sharing my love for this team and what they stand for.

College basketball is my life, and March is easily my favorite month of the year. There is a certain intensity and passion during this tournament that just simply no other sport acquires. Every game is unpredictable, each team is equal. Forget the rankings, forget the records. March is the month of champions, and I have every hope for the Tar Heels. By the end of the month I'm hoping to see our team raising our fifth banner with the rafters above Dean Smith Center. What can I say, I don't love anything quite like I love college basketball, especially North Carolina basketball. I bleed Tar Heel blue.