Dawn:  Okay, I’m not too sure of Sally’s decision about the next exercise. She has decided that since, at some time in their career, they will probably have to do nude scenes that they should practice now.  So, everyone will be in bed naked today.  I will be in my cabin, and the boys will stay in school most of the day.  I hope some of these kids realize they have the option to say “no” if they are not comfortable.  

Well, I am proud of my counselors today!  They all told Sally they would not participate in a nude scene. I know we definitely don’t pay them enough for that. I’m actually surprised she asked them, but I think Sally just wants to see Hunter’s tush.

Well, it’s been decided that tomorrow’s graduation will be the counselors and campers performing a dramatic piece, King Richard or something like that.  I think it might be a bit lofty for some of them, but we’ll go and watch and enjoy.  

Okay, what I’ve seen is not King Richard.  I guess Nicole and Paris wrote their own story and decided that is the dramatic show they’ll be performing. I can only imagine what the highlights will be. They’ve asked Ed and the boys and I to come in for the finale, so it will be fun to be involved. I can hardly wait.

Dawn:  Well, I must say that Sally has some interesting exercises to get the creative juices flowing. I’m not sure what Nicole’s duty was, but she didn’t do it to Sally’s specifications, so Sally turned it into an acting lesson. Sally yelled at Nicole, and told her she was angry with her, that she didn’t appreciate the disrespect and a ton of other things that, I personally, would have found hurtful and painful to hear.  Nicole understood the exercise as a way to achieve catharsis and proceeded to unload on Matthew, and that of course was very entertaining, because she just made up a bunch of stuff so that she could yell at him.  My favorite was that she was mad at him because he wears the same clothes everyday.  And here I was appreciating that he was actually following the camp staff dress code.  

Sally is taking the counselors and campers out for a drama field trip tonight.  Everyone has to dress in a costume and then be that character the whole night.  This wouldn’t seem like such a bad deal, except they are all going out to a bar, and some of the costumes are a little out-there.  Paris and Nicole are going as African-American women.  Since that is Nicole’s heritage, she only had to put on an afro wig.  Paris, on the other hand, decided if she was going to play the part, she wanted to look the part and had herself spray-tanned to a nice dark brown and added a beautiful brown wig. 

Ed:  This is the fifth and final week for this season. The campers have arrived, and none of them appear to older than mid-twenties. That should work in our favor.

Dawn:  Our Theater Camp is set to begin, and we’ve just met our specialist, Sally Kirkland.  I must say that I have heard of her, but cannot recall anything I’ve seen her in recently.  She seems to be a bit of an odd bird to me.  When we were first introduced, she sat down with Ed, her assistant, and sheand I started to go over what she was expecting to achieve with the campers this week, but then she seemed to have a difficult time staying focused and kept going off on different tangents. She sang a song she had written, recited some of her Native American poetry that some long-dead Native had channeled to her, she went through all of her clothing and costumes to show us what she had brought with her, and then she wanted Ed and/or I to perform for her.  The best I could come up with on the spot was the Camp Shawnee song.  Lovely. 

I also found it very amusing, when we were greeting the campers at the bus, that she was worried about where her mark was, as if this were a theatrical production. Nurse Jamie and I had a nice giggle over that. This week may prove to be even more interesting the last four.

Ed:  I woke up this morning to find the Loser Brothers were at it again last night.  They decided to break into my locked kitchen and make themselves a meal in the middle of the night.  You don’t EVER break into any locked place in my camp. 

So, it’s another week of camp in the bag. The campers have all departed, and the counselors are getting camp ready for our final week. Paris was kind enough to stop by our cabin tonight, before lights out, with a thoughtful gift for us. It looked like she had baked us a cake, but when I lifted off the top of the cake dish we were greeted by a plate full of crickets and worms. Those crickets were everywhere within 30 seconds. We cleaned them up, but I still felt them crawling all over me during the night.  Thanks, Paris!

Ed:  The campers are getting on okay, but have I mentioned the two brothers yet?  Well, I really don’t think that those boys have a whole brain between them. The younger one, Mike, says he is a commercial realtor, but I just don’t believe it. He's is a little boy who still thinks it’s cool to sag his pants down below his butt and that every word that comes out of his mouth is funny.  His older brother is not much better and follows his younger brother down the path of stupidity.  I can only say that I hope today is their last day, because if I was running this program I would have thrown them out yesterday.

Dawn:  There have been helicopters flying around the area of camp for the last half hour or so. They're looking for Nicole, Paris and one of the male counselors. Seems as though they went off together looking for something, got lost and never made it back. I hope they’ll be alright.  It’s going to be pretty cold tonight, down into the mid-40s.  I can only imagine how the male camper that is with the girls is handling their probable hysteria. I don’t envy him.  I am hoping to get an update soon.

Ed:  A good, chilly, morning to you. It’s a cold and windy day.  It’s only 48 degrees. Some of the campers are a little agitated. They got to sleep in a bunk, in a cabin, and they had a hot meal in the dining hall this morning. They should not be complaining at all. I’ve told Matthew, Nicole, Hunter and Paris to remind their campers of their good fortune, because it’s only going to get worse. They’re at Survival Camp.

Dawn:  It doesn’t seem as if the campers were too smart last night. They didn’t really take advantage of the fact that they had nice warm beds to sleep in, because they stayed up most of the night goofing around, and now they all seem pretty tired this morning. Yoi is being picky again with the food, and I think Hawk has just about had it with her. She really is being a prima donna.  I say, “Suck it up!”  You made a choice, and now you follow it through to the best of your ability. Even Nicole and Paris are getting tired of her whining, although I think they are feeling a little trepidation as they are not exactly sure what the week will hold, either.

Okay, Patrick and Joey quite proudly just announced to me that they have eaten worms and crickets. I guess I know what else is considered survival food now. Joey had the distinct honor of offering to eat the first worm. I guess that must be a proud moment for a boy.  For a mom, it’s just icky!  But from what I understand, everyone ate this great form of wilderness protein, even Nicole and Paris. Good for them. Yoi, however, refused and has decided the whole idea of Survival Camp is too overwhelming for her. Her idea of survival must be making it home safely on the 405 freeway during rush hour. She is giving up after only one day and going home.  It’s too bad for her. She is definitely the one missing out. 

Ed:  A new week, a new set of problems. Myke Hawk is this week’s specialist for Survivor Week.  He is a military man and a good person.  The campers who have chosen to be here this week are really going to need to examine why they came.

Hawk is firm, but fair. If these campers have come to learn, then he will teach them. If they have come to be disrespectful, which we are already seeing on the first day, then he will break you. 

Dawn:  Well, it’s already started. The campers were barely off the bus, and couple of them said the wrong thing, and Hawk had them down in the dirt doing push-ups. The guy didn’t mind so much, but the girl, Yoi, is a girlie-girl. You know, the kind that has her hair and makeup just perfect and wears her Jimmy Choos and carries her Prada bag into camp.  Oh, well…I guess that pretty much describes Nicole and Paris, but this was a camper.  Anyway, she not only put up a hissy fit about doing those push-ups, she couldn’t really do them, because Hawk made her do regular boy push-ups instead of modified. She was pissed when it was done. I don’t know what type of survival camp she thought she signed up for, but I think she’s getting more than she bargained for. I wonder if she’ll make it through the week.

Dawn:  Well, the week is almost over. Dr. Diana has decided that the couples should all go through a recommitment ceremony. The little field Nicole and Paris chose for the ceremony is beautiful, and they've made it even better with their decorations. Matthew and Hunter are not necessarily thrilled with their roll in the festivities today. Paris and Nicole have painted all over them and the paint is baking in the sun. Granted, they look like giant cupids, but they can't be comfortable. Matthew has a giant heart on his chest with the word love on his tummy and then wings on his back. Hunter also has a heart in his chest, as well as his back, and the word love across the front of his shoulders. Nicole and Paris certainly do pick bizarre ways to assert themselves. It's a good thing the guys have a good sense of humor.  They are going to get a sunburn around the area with paint, and the words and hearts are going to be more permanent than they think.

Well, just as the ceremony was about to start, Nicole said she needed Patrick to help her with a project, so they took off and I haven't seen them since. I hope that's not a bad sign.  

Each of the recommitments was great. The couples all wrote their own words, so they were all unique. It was really beautiful, and so ends another week of camp. I hope Patrick is not in any trouble, because I haven't seen him since before the ceremonies started.

Dawn:  Paris couldn't find her purse this morning, until she and Hunter raised the Camp Shawnee flag up the flagpole. As she untied the rope, her purse came down. I can't imagine who is pulling these tricks on the girls, but in the end, someone is going to be sorry.

Nicole and Paris assumed that Ed was behind everything and decided to show him by cutting his desk in half with a chainsaw. We were more than a little shocked when we walked in the office this morning. What are we going to do with these girls? The worst of it is that Ed wasn't the culprit. We haven't figured out who it is yet, but when we do, they are going to get an earful.

Ed:  Dr. Diana is very disappointed in Paris and Nicole. She told me that the girls had given a wax job to a couple of the male campers last night before they left for the winery. Dr. Diana found that very inappropriate.