End of Summer

Due to a death in the family yesterday, my last camp (overlapping with the 3-day camp I just completed) is being taken over by another instructor. The funeral is Friday, which means he would have done the overlap (Wednesday) and the final day (Friday)... so he's agreed to just do all of it.

So, it's the end of the summer for me. I just completed my last AAW for the year. Unfortunately this means I won't be getting a lot of work until afterschool programs start up in September. Hopefully my other job will keep me able to pay rent and, y'know, eat. The AAWs keep me making a lot of money. Afterschool programs don't pay nearly as well, and there are six-week lulls between sessions. Hrn.

I said goodbye to rockets and aerodynamics camp and to my last crop of kids, the scary-quiet ones. They were less scary-quiet once the 13-year-old egged them all on. He continued to touch shit on my table today, including the combustible rocket engines... sticking them between his fingers like Wolverine claws, sneaking his tennis ball back after I confiscated it, etc. I rarely have a kid that I want to punch so much as someone who just looks me in the eye with this innocent face while he breaks a rule directly after I tell him no.

Other than that, we had a successful day, a good launch, beautiful weather. I'm exhausted, though. My aunt's death and the crazy August heat kept me up until 3:30 AM, and I only BARELY made it to camp for 9 (starting time) instead of 8:30 (setup time) after a snooze-button accident and getting stuck behind a slow truck on windy boondock roads. I'm hopped up on as much caffeine as I can muster which APPARENTLY actually works, and I have to go teach at the youth theatre tonight.

In fact, that's where I'm off to now. I haven't been there in what feels like weeks due to work (this youth theatre gig is volunteer and family-run). I miss it but I feel SO out of the loop. Can't wait to come home tonight and crash.