Sam's L33t Journal

Sandy Island Camp was great. Spent time with my family, got in a bit of boating, hiked up Mt. Major, watched ducks raise the latest batches of ducklings, was surprised by daddy longlegs who mistook me for part of the terrain. No photos this time, since I didn't bring my phone. (Considered pulling my digital camera out of storage and bringing that, but decided not to bother.) Got a bunch of reading done:
Earth by David Brin (which I'd read a bit of before camp)
The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and Other Clinical Tales by Oliver Sacks
The Holocaust Industry by Norman Finkelstein
Quicksilver by Neal Stephenson (most of it, anyways, still have about 80 pages to finish)

Spent yesterday with Uncle Max and Aunt Anita Uncle Fred and Aunt Shirley in their lakeside home. Was a mostly uneventful birthday. Except for the torrential downpour that hit as we were leaving camp, which left our suitcases soaked (fortunately my books weren't too badly damaged, just a little damp around the edges). Evidently, the same storm left large parts of Cambridge underwater.

Today, went to game afternoon at Eddie's. Was fun. Nearly nine hours went by like lightning, almost won a game of Power Grid my first time playing it and played a game of Innovation (like Fluxx meets Civilization, awesome though confusing).

Camp was extraordinarily relaxing. Spent most of the time reading, did a bit of yoga, walked around the island, and had long conversations with my family. After camp, we had lunch in Concord, NH, and I took the bus home to Boston in time for karaoke (and a jaunt to the Sunset afterwards). The weather continued to be poor: All the nights were cold, and half the days were rainy (Saturday was rainy, rain let up on Saturday in time for fireworks, but returned Monday night and didn't stop until Thursday). It was cold enough that I didn't do any swimming or boating all week, which hasn't happened before. Only one person commented on my improved fitness, but basically everyone mistook me for my younger brother (which, given that the guy is much thinner than me, is good enough, I suppose).

Reading list wasn't nearly as long as last time because my second selection was a really long book:
Reinventing Collapse by Dimitri Orlov
Anathem by Neal Stephenson
The Sexual Politics of Meat by Carol Adams
2012: The Return of Quetzalcoatl by Daniel Pinchbeck

I am now mostly resynched with real life except for a ton of podcasts that I have yet to catch up on.

I'm back from camp, and back online. Camp was much as I remembered it, with the exception of the food, which wasn't as good (trying to cut expenses, I guess). There was more rain than usual, but when it wasn't raining, the weather was amazing. I got in some kayaking, a bit of swimming, some quality time with my family (including some exciting chess games with Solomon), and a lot of reading. Took quite a few photos, too, which I'll post later. Not extremely eventful, but very relaxing.

( Reading List )

Saturday evening I spent with friends in town: DJ, Ginneh (back from California), and Aasted. We went to see Hancock (better than expected, with parts of the plot genuinely surprising, a sort of meta-surprise), then to the Sunset Grill and Tap. I was hungry enough to look at the food menu this time, and the selection there is as impressive as their selection of drinks. At Aasted's suggestion, I tried their peanut butter and jelly sandwich (billed as the peanut butter and jelly "experience", on Texas toast with honeyed fresh-ground peanut butter and strawberry preserves). It is indeed quite something, taste-wise, although I would have preferred the toast crisper; the sandwich seems ideally calibrated for those who like their peanut butter sandwiches soft and messy. I also had a "flight" of beer, four different choices from their interesting selection in five-ounce tasting glasses. Was a wonderful evening.

So, Sandy Island Camp was great, and it was really good to see my family again. I also had plenty of time to read and relax, and the food was good, too. It wasn't the best weather for swimming, although the weather was fairly nice, but I did get a bit of swimming and boating in.

At any rate, I have some pictures to share (the indoor ones didn't come out so well, so I'll show you some of the scenery):
( Pictures )

Also, since I read a lot of books, I might as well mention which ones I read:
( Gratuitous List )