a forward, but hauntingly close to home

TO ALL THE TRUE CAMP PEOPLE OUT THERE: YOU KNOW YOU'RE A CAMP "LIFER" IF.

Abnormality is a compliment.

ACA standards are met religiously.

All your coworkers could be clinically classified as either pyromaniacs,
multiple personalities, or obsessive compulsive.

Being at home makes you homesick.

Dressing up only involves slightly cleaner clothes.

Everything you have has your initials on it.

It's socially acceptable to cry in front of your boss.

Most of your stories start with "and then there was this one time, at
camp..."

On the job training includes "the Cup Game."

Peanut butter is its own food group.

Sandal/watch tan lines are a competition.

Screaming and running at the same time is a coveted skill.

Sharpies and duct tape are worth more than gold.

The following letters make sense: JC, CIT, ACA, AED, CPR, and WSI.

Using logic could get you in trouble.

Water cures all ills.

Camp has been over for 22 minutes, and you're already thinking about next
summer.

You are convinced that there is no way you can date someone who is not a
camp guy/girl, because no one else really understands.

You can burst into song about anything.

You can make anything out of duct tape, including band-aids.

You can make up a song about anything.

You can shampoo, wash, and shave your legs, etc in less than 5 minutes.

You can think of 50 ways to use a bandanna off the top of your head.

You can walk the woodsy paths at night without a flashlight.

You feel naked without a Walkie-Talkie strapped to your body.

You cell phone bill in the summer is very small because of reception issues.

You don't think non-camp people can understand your summer job.

You've made friends with the "office people" or the camp nurse just so you
have a place to hang out.

You eat ketchup with everything.

You ever wonder why camp people give the best hugs.

You go to college just to fill time between summers.

You have a camp set of clothes.

You have a collection of outfits for theme weeks.

You have about 20 mosquito bites in 1 square inch of skin.

You have an entire volume of camp-friendly mixed CDs.

You have ever tried to dance inside a moving vehicle.

You don't do this for the money - and you mean it.

You have no clue what's on TV until mid-September, cause you never watch it
at camp.

You have to routinely prevent yourself from shouting, "walk, please!" or
"where's your buddy?" at random kids at the mall/at the grocery store/etc.

You know all 753 1/2 verses of "Boom-Chica Boom."

You know exactly how to get to camp from home by car, boat, plane or any
other means of transportation.

You know that laughter, hiccups, sneezes, itching, and yawns are contagious.

You can be blindfolded and lost in a remote location - and you'll still know
exactly how to get to camp.

You were disappointed to find that you cant major in "camp."

You never refuse free food.

You refer to your campers as YOUR kids.

You relate better to people 10 years younger or 10 years older than you than
to your actual age group.

You save anything and everything campers have ever made for you.

You still enjoy the same songs you did at 5 years old.

You value the friendship bracelet you got at carnival last summer more than
any other piece of jewelry.

You write song parodies for fun.

Your "real-world" friends have ever limited you to only 5 camp stories a
day.

Your barter system relies on hugs, backrubs, and chocolate exchanges.

Your car won't start until all seatbelts are buckled.

Your closer with your coworkers than with your own family.

You long for bug juice in winter.

Your friends know you're never home from June till September.

Your idea of a good song starts with the words "This is a repeat after me
song."

Your primary method of diplomatic resolution is rock, paper, and scissors.

Your tan lines are also your dirt lines.

Your teachers know you as a camp person.

Your voice quality at the end of the week is inversely proportionate to how
good it was.

Your water bottle and windbreaker are as essential as your underwear.

Your year only has two seasons. (Summer and Non-summer)

You've ever given up time off to comfort a crying camper.

You've ever had to read a policy on bathroom usage.

You've ever written a paper about camp for a class.

You refer to all your friends as "dude" even though you live no where near
the west coast.

You've used your frozen Nalgene as an icepack.

You've written down the camp address instead of your own.

You know exactly who you're going to pass this email onto...