I get knocked down, but I get up again...

Hey guys!

Seeing the popularity of the last post like this i did, I've decided to treat you all to a video showing the hard work it takes for me to make a sucessful video to show you guys!





After we were done filming this, we saw this sign... and I just had to skate it. (I landed that one first try, funny huh?)

I'm such a badass!



Anyways, i'm tired and i have a flight to catch soon!

Enjoy me falling down!

Keep it safe kids

Jamie
Veg
Banana

"Why do we fall, master Bruce?"

"So that we can learn to pick ourselves up again." - Batman Begins.

Wow...

This changes everything...

Professor McGonagle - A death eater?

There goes my hero...

Hey again!

Seeing as how I am more frequented that I thought one post ago, I now feel more of a duty to update, insted of sitting here playing games! I'd better feed the internet something to think about....

Which is the perfect opportunity to try and tackle a post i have had in my head for a long time. I have been trying to word it just perfectly, so that everyone can understand what I am talking about.

I am going to compare myself to Spiderman.

See, here's the thing,

A few weeks past I had had an extremely long cold day at work. It turned out that I was on water/flag raising in the morning, and was running a campfire that night. So my day started at 8:00am, and I finished at 9:15 pm. Now i know you people who have done summer camp will say that it is a full 2 hours shorter than the day we did every day of the week, but getting up on your own, as opposed to being in charge of 12 little sprogs is much harder, as you all know.

So, I had this day. By the end I'm shattered. I ALWAYS give campfire 110%, and often feel as though I'm the one that has to lead it, start the songs, fill in the gaps etc. I know my co-workers are more than capable of running campfires on their own, and yet i still make myself step up.

But i digress, the point of the story is that i was shattered. Mentally, emotionally and most importantly, physically. So i went to watch T.V. in bed. Spiderman 2 was on, so i thought "Great, some mindless action to let my brain rest.".

The film brought me to tears.

Now, those of you that know me know that I'm not particularly emotional. Some may even call me stunted, but that film really got to me. I've only ever cried at the TV once before, and that was when i was 10.

What brought me to tears was the scene where Spiderman has to fight Doc Ock on the train. The train is hurtling along at hundreds of miles per hour, and all these people are counting on spiderman to stop it. He finally does and the strain, both physical and mental, makes him faint. Somewhere along the fight he looses his mask, and all the people on the train can see spiderman for who he really is. Just a 20-something kid. They all carry him gently to the back of the train, and the kids give him back his mask, quietly saying that "They won't tell".

Now, this hit me hard, because I often feel the strain of working at camp. No matter how I'm feeling, or whats going on in my personal or professional life, I have to be this superhero to the kids. I have to be "Jamie the Great". I'm not sure where that name for me came up, but now I use it to remind myself of who I need to be while I'm working. If I'm not laughing, joking, messing around and being happy, I'm not doing what i need to. I have to be perfect. All day.

Seeing Peter Parker's lives and how he has to work to be the superhero, even though he might not want to that day, or might not feel up to it really hit home for me. I guess what made me feel so emotional was that what i was watching was an amazing representation of my life. He's a normal guy, pushed to be a hero and to be perfect every day, which is how I feel working at camp. Don't get me wrong, I love working there. It has made my life so much more than it would have been otherwise. It's just a lot of pressure and expectations. That's why we all joke so much, and some of us may seem emotionally stunted sometimes. It's because we have to be, for the kids.

When you let long days, bad weather, crappy kids, bitchy girl scout moms, awkward groups, boring classes and pointless rules get in the way, you loose the passion for the job.

You become Mike Althoff.

Don't get me wrong, I like the guy, he was my roomate for a while, but he lost the passion for the job and just stopped caring.

Thats what i'm fighting, that's why I am Jamie the Great at work, and Jamie who needs quiet and videogames when i'm not.

Keep it safe kiddies

Jamie
Veg
Banana

"You're someone's Hero." - The Hero Workshop

I am SO the favourite!

Hey y'all

I just finished a night of drinking and playing video games with the boys, AKA Daz, Stratton, Pual, Loz and Pauls girlfriend. Now, there was a lot to be said for the night, but all i can manage to type is that i owned at super smash brothers melee, (if you dont know what that is, seach google, and have fuN!) and also i found out i am the favourite kid of my family!

On the bottom floor of my house, there is no less than 16 pictures of me!

As compared to 12, 14 and 14, of my other brothers!

What can i say?!

except,

"Yeah dude, I rock!" - Me writing on a trading card a kid asked me to sign. Sometimes i write "you rock!"

Keep it safe

Jamie
Veg
Banana

Hey Everyone.

Well, I'm back in England, after spending 3 weeks back in the USA. I've had to come home for a funeral, and i'll be flying back on monday, having spent a full week back. It's nice to be home, but i'm a little bored. Which, naturally, makes me lean towards the internet! Unlimited source of entertainment that it is!

One such website is the (now fixed) link on the right over there to "The Artichoke". The Artichoke is a website for anyone who has every worked at camp copneconic, and is extremely funny... If you know the people that post. I can't help but notice that this blog is linked back from the artichoke, and there is a kind of... ranking in the order of camp peoples blogs. I've slowly been slipping down, seeing as how I dont post that often!

My problem with posting is that I don't like to just pass on information that someone else has written, Such as just posting a link and a comment. I like to type something that is either
A. About me,
Or
B. Thought provoking.

It seems like i can't always post what I would like to, because of who reads this now. It used to simply be a place for me to vent, almost like an online diary, but now it seems that family and friends, from both continants read this. So i have to find things to talk about which aren't gonna offend anyone, and which are also about me.

I dunno, all i'm trying to say is that I feel it's not worth posting unless I have something of substance to say. Or would you rather a short and sweet post, linking somewhere else? Answers in the comments please! Bonus points if you're a fellow Blogger.

In other news, Seeing as i have so much free time, i've been playing Runescape again. This is basically an online world (Very similar to World of Warcraft) where you control you're own little guy/girl who quests and does all the kind of things medievil people did. If you can bring yourself to look past the less-than-awesome graphics you'll find yourself in an extremely fun game. Matt, a quick note for you, A lot of the kids from camp play this game, and it is a kind of heros journey. You start with nothing, and work your way up. I can answer some questions on it if you wanna use it in any talks.

College kids - be warned - This game is a little addictive. Well, it was for me! Look me up if you decide to play it . Screename - Vegsk8er.

Anyhoo, thats all for now folks.

Keep it safe

Jamie
Veg
Banana

"I don't quite know, how to say, how I feel,
Those three words, are said too much, they're not enough..." - Snow patrol, chasing cars.