I spent a few hours social networking on the telephone.
Still nursing the cold I picked up at camp almost two weeks ago. It had been getting better but seems to have gotten worse again – some coughing and relentless runny nose. No fever however.
During the evening, I weed whacked the yard.
Watched an hour of news.
Weather today: Mostly sunny and dry. High temps in the low 80s. Goodness, where’s summer?
Tom Hesley
Several hours social networking on the phone.
Talked with [Emmy], and sent messages back and fourth with [Blinding Beauty].
The cold is much better today, although I did nap for a few hours. The cough is gone although there’s still some stuffiness in my nose. I’m trying to avoid getting chilled, as well as to get lots of rest and eat lots of beef to energize my immune system against this viral beast.
Watched an hour or two or news.
Added a couple entries to the Tom’s Diary blog, pertaining to the recently completed camp session at Beacon Lodge.
The weather today was dreary and damp with lots of fog and rain, although in the evening, the sun did come out to provide a nice-looking sunset. Temperatures got to the mid 70s, and virtually no wind all day.
Tom Hesley
Spent a couple hours telephone social networking today. Posted one message, arguing that experiential knowledge is usually a more complete knowledge than book smarts. It’s best to experience things firsthand in my opinion, if you wish to understand them fully. Merely reading about them relegates you to the relatively passive role of a spectator whereas actually living them makes you an active participant.
It’s sure good to be back home from camp and sleeping in my own bed. However, I acquired a cold (the second one this year) this past Sunday. The lack of unbroken sleep at camp over the eleven days I was there, combined with the damp and rainy weather, along with the abundance of refined carbs in the food, and the living in close quarters with others who already had colds, combined to virtually assure that I’d get a cold. However, this one seems less severe than the one I had this past March. So hopefully, I’ll get over it more quickly.
Talked with [Emmy], and sent messages back and fourth with [Blinding Beauty].
Got caught up with all NBC Nightly News episodes that accumulated on the DVR while at camp. There are still nearly two weeks of Y&R episodes to watch, which I’ll hopefully get to over the weekend.
Posted three responses to comments received from [Terra] and [Linda] at the Tom’s Love Quest blog. Click here, here, and here to see those posts.
Tom Hesley
Finished packing at camp in preps for the return trip home. My ride arrived at around 10:00 AM. I wasn’t expecting them until noon. So I rushed around to say goodbye to my friends, and then we went up to the H2 cabin and carted all my things down to their van. I arrived here at home just after 11:00 AM.
Brought all DJ stuff into the house here rather than taking it back to storage. Why? I’m doing a 50th anniversary gig for Mom’s class reunion in August, and I want to test everything here before taking it there, just to make sure I didn’t lose any cables while at camp. The stuff is now sitting in the front room on the first floor.
Spent an hour or so social networking on the phone.
Talked with [Emmy] on the phone throughout the day as she made her way back to Pittsburgh from Lewistown on the train, and then we talked more once she got home. We both have colds.
Got caught up with all Dr. Phil episodes that accumulated on the DVR while I was at camp.
This cold had me sleeping quite a bit today.
Tom Hesley
Posted several camp update reports to my currently-favorite social networking site.
In preps for DJing the dinner dance tonight, I spent much of today napping and hauling my equipment down to the K pavilion at camp.
[Emmy] was my dinner date for the evening.
We had cheese-stuffed shells at the dinner.
I began playing music after dinner at 6:30, and we went until 11:00 PM. Approximately 50 songs were played.
I danced several times with [Emmy] and [Krista]. I like how [Emmy]‘s always there to support me on these gigs. She’s my best cheer leader.
After the dance, [Ron] and I were packing up the equipment for transport back up the hill to H2, when we heard a loud and doleful shouting, coming from the children’s village. We thought nothing of it, dismissing it as some animal or bird or something. Plus, we weren’t keen on going down there to investigate the noise, as it was quite dark. It went, “Aaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhh,” starting off high and loud, and then dying off in a lowering of its pitch as well as its volume. Since nobody was currently staying in the village at the time, we never considered that it might be someone requiring help. So we finished packing over the next half-hour, and heard the noise several more times. It didn’t seem to be getting any closer. So we kept working, ignoring it.
However, once we finished moving everything, [Ron] went back down to K to see if we’d left anything behind, when he discovered rather startingly, what that noise was. One of the new and totally blind campers that had come to the dance got confused about which way to go to get back up the hill to his cabin, and instead went down into the children’s village. He quickly became lost, as he had never visited the village before, and so began screaming to get attention. If only he had yelled the word HELP instead of screaming, we’d have gotten to him sooner. So the moral here is: When you need help, yell the word HELP if you’re able, and don’t just scream. Otherwise people might confuse you with a monster and avoid coming to your aid. 
We finished the equipment move back up the hill at around midnight, and then it was time for bed.
Tom Hesley
I’m here at camp Beacon Lodge still. Going home the day after tomorrow.
Posted several camp update reports to my social networking buddies.
I DJed one last gig on the hill at my cabin for this year. The show ran from 1:15 PM until 5:00 PM. [Jack] and [Emmy] along with around ten others made musical requests and listened while I played them. They’re looking forward to the dinner dance tomorrow night, which I’ll also be providing the music for. Everyone thanked me for the music and one lady said that a big reason that she comes to camp at this time, is because she knows that I’ll be here with most of the music she likes hearing. That was nice. Thanks Betty!
The sky darkened a few times today but no threatening weather came around. It was rather warm and humid however, with temperatures in the low to mid 80s.
For the rest of the day, I either napped, hung out in the sun porch talking with friends, talked with [Jack] et al at the cabin, or enjoyed massages from [Emmy]. She’s really quite good.
Tom Hesley
Posted several camp update reports to my friends at the social networking site.
Finished DJing Bill’s hill party at 5:00 AM and we had the audio equipment and everything else put away by around 6:00 AM. I went to bed then and got up briefly for breakfast at 8:30 AM. Then went back to sleep until around 1:30 PM.
Everyone liked the LED Christmas lights I decorated the rails with in front of the equipment. Next year, instead of three strings, I’ll take about 30, so we can decorate around the entire party area. They also have some lights in the camp’s central storage building that we can use next year. Yep, the show gets better and better each time we do it.
I feel a cold coming on however. I suppose it was bound to happen; with the lack of unbroken sleep since camp began, the excessive sugar and refined carbs in the food here, the rainy and damp weather over the past few days, and the fact that others at the camp had colds as well. It’s currently just a scratching in my throat. But I know that tell-tale sign of sickness all too well. [Emmy] has it as well. It appears that she and I got it at around the same time.
Once I got awake, I spent some time at the outdoor swings, and in the evening, took a walk with [Joel] up to the overnight A-frames, where we filled each other in on our lives. I told him of my blogs, and he says that he’ll check them out when he gets back to California.
Tom Hesley
Spent much of today napping and checking over the DJ equipment.
Mostly sunny today with highs in the low 80s.
DJed Bill’s party tonight from 8:30 PM until 5:00 AM. This was the latest this party has ever run, and Bill has been hosting these for 25 years. We played 120 songs as well as comedy skits. However, the weather only partially cooperated. At around 10:15 PM, a violent thunderstorm came up, out of the blue. The first flash of lightning that anyone saw happened just across the river, some 500 feet away, and the resulting thunder drowned out my music momentarily. We then executed an emergency shut down of everything and removed power, and just barely had time to cover up the equipment before the relentlessly pelting rains came. Fortunately these lasted but a few minutes and within ten minutes, we dried off the tables and benches and resumed the show. It rained on and off throughout the night, and several more times we had to cover things up. [Emmy] and I both got colds at around this time. But all in all, it was a great party. The counselors enjoyed themselves, and the campers loved hearing the old tunes.
Here’s the list of songs we played:
Caitlin & Will – Address In The Stars
David Archuleta – A Little Too Not Over You [Radio Mix]
Beyonce’ – At Last
Akon – Be With You
Kellie Pickler – Best Days Of Your Life
Matthew Wilder – Break My Stride
Steppenwolf – Born To Be Wild
Billy Ray Cyrus – Back To Tennessee
Miley Cyrus – The Climb
Akon (Feat. Colby O’Donis & Kardinal Offishall) – Beautiful [CW]
Gnarls Barkley – Crazy (LP)
D12 – My Band [CW]
Lady Gaga – Poker Face
Don’t Trust Me [Promo Only Clean Edit] [CW]
ZZ Top – Gimme All Your Lovin’
Taylor Swift – You Belong With Me [Pop Mix]
Boney M – Ma Baker
Sean Paul – Temperature [LP]
Crazy Frog – Axel F
Boney M – The Rivers Of Babylon
Boney M – Mary’s Boy Child, Oh My Lord
Kool Moe Dee – How Ya Like Me Now
Three Dog Night – An Old Fashioned Love Song [Hit Version]
The Buggles – Video Killed The Radio Star
Kool & The Gang – Cherish
Flo Rida – Right Round [Clean] [Promo Only Clean Edit] [CW]
Bill Withers – Lean On Me
Lady Gaga – Lovegame [Promo Only Clean Edit] [CW]
James Brown – It’s A Man Man’s World
The Commodores – Brick House [12'' Version]
Archie Bell & The Drells – Tighten Up
Seatrain – 13 Questions
Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes – If You Don’t Know Me By Now
Black Box – Everybody, Everybody [Single]
Swing Out Sister – Breakout
Garth Brooks – Two Piña Coladas
Big & Rich – Save A Horse (Ride A Cowboy)
Toby Keith – I Love This Bar
Dolly Parton – My Tennessee Mountain Home
The Cars – My Best Friend’s Girl
The Cars – Since You’re Gone
Rick Springfield – Jessie’s Girl
Ne-Yo – Miss Independent [Main]
Sir Mix-A-Lot – Baby Got Back [LP]
Will.I.Am – I Got It From My Mama
Black Eyed Peas – Boom Boom Pow
Dan Fogelberg – Leader Of The Band
Electric Light Orchestra – Rock And Roll Is King
Bob Seger – Old Time Rock & Roll
House Of The Rising Sun
The Doors – Riders On The Storm
Nirvana – All Apologies (Short)
Guns N’ Roses – Sweet Child O’ Mine
Rosie & The Originals – Angel Baby
Ying Yang Twins (Feat. Wyclef) – Dangerous [CW]
Midnight Star – The Midas Touch
Elvis Presley – Love Me Tender
Janet Jackson – Alright
De La Soul – Me, Myself, & I
Gretchen Wilson – Here For The Party
The Eagles – Take It Easy
The David Rose Orchestra – The Stripper
Kelis – Milk Shake
Charlie Daniels Band – Devil Went Down To Georgia
The B-52′S – Love Shack
LL Cool J – Big Ole Butt
Jackson Browne – Somebody’s Baby
Juvenile – Rodeo [Promo Only Clean Edit] [CW]
Chuck Berry – My Ding-A-Ling [LP] [Live]
Jewel Akens – Birds And The Bees
The Eagles – Peaceful, Easy Feeling
Ray Caharles – I Can´t Stop Loving You
Anne Murray – You Needed Me
Aaron Neville – Tell It Like It Is
Lionel Richie – Truly
Peabo Bryson With Roberta Flack – Tonight, I Celebrate My Love
Lionel Richie – Say You, Say Me
Larry Graham – One In A Million You
Air Supply – Every Woman In The World [LP]
The Who – Who Are You [LP]
Neil Young – Harvest Moon
Freddie Jackson – Rock Me Tonight (For Old Times Sake)
Crosby, Stills, & Nash – Wooden Ships
Sheila E – A Love Bizarre
Flo Rida (Feat. T-Pain) – Low [CW]
Nelly Furtado – Maneater
Salt-N-Pepa – Push It
Dire Straits – Sultans Of Swing
The Gap Band – Outstanding
Neil Young – Down By The River
Ray Charles – Mess Around
SNAP! – The Power
Bob Seger – Old Time Rock & Roll
Blondie Vs. The Doors – Rapture Riders (Full Version)
The Sugarhill Gang – Rapper’s Delight [Short]
Roy D. Mercer – Bad Gas [LP]
Live Crew – Me So Horny
Roy D. Mercer – Bad Popcorn [LP]
Frankie Smith – The Double Dutch Bus [Original 12'' Mix]
Roy D. Mercer – Roy Vs. Goldberg [LP]
The Chakachas – Jungle Fever [LP]
The Jimmy Castor Bunch – Troglodyte (Cave Man)
The Jimmy Castor Bunch – The Bertha Butt Boogie
Bill Cosby – Chicken Heart [Live]
Malibu Sneakers – Get Down Again [Radio Edit] [CW]
Cheech & Chong – Evelyn Woodhead Speed Reading Course [LP]
Rodney Dangerfield – No Respect [Live] [Explicit]
Flo Rida (Feat. Wynter) – Sugar [Promo Only Clean Edit]
Rich Little – President Rap’s [Long]
Hampton The Hampster – The Hampsterdance Song
Ivor Biggun & The D. Kups – Bras On 45 [Family Version]
Julie Brown – ‘Cause I’m A Blonde
Alan Jackson – Sissy’s Song
Ray Stevens – Camping Trip
Alan Jackson – Midnight In Montgomery
Ray Stevens – The Streak
Josh Turner – Long Black Train
Ray Stevens – It’s Me Again Margaret
Beyonce’ – Diva
Ray Stevens – Bridget The Midget (The Queen Of The Blues)
Tom Hesley
Today was gray and dreary. Lots of rain and at least one thunderstorm came through.
Left a few camp update posts to my friends on the public telephone forum I’m participating in currently.
At around 3:00 PM, one bolt of lightning struck very close by. [Emmy] and I were dosing in my cabin when we heard a loud snap inside the cabin, followed a half second later by a deafening crash of thunder outside. The snap we heard came from a telephone junction box located on the opposite wall to my bed — at least it was pretty far from us. It sounded like static electricity. Fortunately, none of my DJ equipment was plugged in at that point.
An hour or so later, [Jack] and [Ron] returned from the bowling alley with stories about the same bolt and how they’d actually seen where it hit — up on the “snake trail.” No one was hurt, but they did have to wait for a time to leave the alley until the electrical danger passed.
Other than this storm, today was pretty ho-hum. I just milled about the grounds and chatted with friends.
Tom Hesley
A little time on the telephone social networking site. Said goodbye to [Blinding Beauty] just prior to leaving for camp at 10:15 AM.
Arrived at camp at 11:10 AM to await the opening of the registration table in the car port at 12:00 PM.
[Emmy] arrived at 11:30 AM or so. She and I did not travel together this year. I napped during the afternoon, as I got little sleep last night due to all that had to be done to get ready for this vacation, as well as the anticipation of it.
Once we got checked in, we just strolled about the grounds, milling with the other campers until supper.
[Emmy] and I chose to sit together this year at the meals.
During the evening, we mingled in the sun porch. We like the wooden rockers although the two-seater rocker was gone. Rumor has it that it broke and could not be repaired. It will not be replaced apparently.
Before bed, I got on to the public voice mail system with my cell phone and issued my first report from camp. The listeners generally liked it, requesting more information about how many and who is at camp.
Tom Hesley