Lucky you.

I've been absent for longer than I intended, readers. I apologize for that...things got out of hand in real life here.

It's funny...we share with the internet all the weird, quirky things about ourselves. I write about my nights at the bar, about the freakshows I meet in airports...but when things get too real I shut it off. I type all day about boys farting but can't tell you that I broke down in a public bathroom in Ohio on the way to a funeral. So let me fill you in on the past month.

Camp was amazing. I feel like people, myself included, overuse the word 'amazing' but sometimes it's entirely appropriate. The young adults I was surrounded by are truly fantastic, capable, smart, funny people. I hope they all know that--I know I tried to impress it upon them for three weeks. 17 and 18 is a good age...it's this great dichotomy of being impressed by their world views and the advice they give each other to announcing that, "No, we are not doing the Pen 15 club right now, so stop asking!!" We had some good activities, some great conversations, one pizza night, many late nights, four boys dared to wax their legs, and too much laughter to quantify. I can't complain. We spent a day in Detroit, working with refugees at Freedom House. I cannot say enough good things about this place and all the people we met and worked with. It's a stark reminder that the world isn't always a good place. Luckily, places like FH are contradicting that idea.

Leaving camp was harder than usual. My real life was much different than how I'd left it. I lost my godmother to breast cancer, which she has been fighting for over ten years. She was wonderful, much too beautiful to be taken so early by something as ugly as cancer. I left camp abruptly. I celebrated the end with my staff, and got right into the car with my family, heading for Massachusetts. Hungover and still wearing last night's makeup, I prepared myself for a different goodbye.

I'm sorry I was gone so long...I hope you're still out there. I have a bunch of advice letters to answer, so I hope this real moment for us won't make you think I've gone soft. Because let me say...you guys have some serious (and seriously weird) problems. I can't wait to tell you about them. Let's get started, huh?