Maybe I shouldn't have started this blog now, not with everything that's been going on.

This is the six hundredth entry in this journal in roughly 26 months - not a bad accomplishment, if I do say so myself.

Yesterday was an important day, not only because it’s when I should have been able to post a record number of posts, or that it marked the start of the last major scholastic activity for the summer – right before the opening of classes for the new trimester - as well as the worldwide premiere of the conclusion of the Star Wars series of films – it was also when we celebrated the birthday of my youngest brother. He actually turned 29 the day before, but due to the nature of his computer technical support hotline job, he only got home early morning the next day, a few hours before I left for school.

Just came back from our Institutional Workshop, but before I talk about that, I would like to give some of the highlights of the also recently concluded Science and Outdoor Camp.

Only a little less than two thirds of our initial limit for the participants showed up. Since they had their freshman orientation in the morning up to 12pm, I expected them to start tricking in for the registration (scheduled from 1230pm to 130pm) 1pm onwards, after they have had their lunch. What I didn’t expect was that people would show up before they had lunch and without their bags for the overnight, and after signing up, they left to get their things. Something else to make clear for next time – assuming there is a next time.

There were also two other hitches. First was that one student showed up with a waiver form even though he did not call to confirm. Even when we asked him about it he wasn’t sure, although the fact that he had a waiver form at the very least meant that his parents knew where he was and that he most likely knew somebody who did receive the letter and the waiver form. We checked the list of invitees and his name wasn’t there, so he could not have received the second letter we sent out – the one that did not say they had to call to confirm attendance. Again, something to specify in the rules next time that confirmation by phone is required for attendance.

The second hitch was that another student showed up without a signed waiver form, even though he gave the first confirmation. He was one of the few (that thankfully only ONE instance occurred) that did not get sent the second letter. I had one of the students fax the waiver form to where his parents were, and asked them to fax it back to us signed. Good thing again that because of advanced technology beyond using just landlines, he was able to call his parents about the oversight. We were, however, not able to print a certification of completion for him, because that list was based on the parent consent forms received immediately after the registration period was over. This one isn’t something that has to be included in the procedures to be sent out, but we do have to check our (mailing) lists twice next time like a certain holiday personage.

So there were about a dozen people who confirmed the first time who did not show up. We are wondering if it meant they did not receive the second letter we sent, or they just decided from the specific activities as well as the things that needed to be brought that it wasn’t worth their time to push through with attending. We will have to ask them in succeeding camps to call once more if they are going to cancel their confirmation.

I’ll have to talk about the rest of this tomorrow. For now, class dismissed.