When the inmates run the institution

We are Lunacy.  It is all lunacy today. 

Today is the Sea Olympics, another of our diversions to make us forget that we are going 13 days out of 14 at sea between India and South Africa.  The students, whose residence halls are named after the seas, compete with each other in feats of strength, agility, speed, intellect, and most of all silliness.  The faculty, staff, life long learners, family members, and Unreasonable at Sea folks make up a giant team of over 100 people.

Having spent my school years figuring out ways to avoid all team sports, field events, and mob action, I was not terribly disappointed that I was not assigned a role in any of the competitions. The “competitions” include Sudoku puzzles, Jeopardy, and a shipboard version of rock, paper, scissors (Captain, ship, wave).  I signed up for several, but was not selected.  It’s not easy to figure out how to include everyone on a team that includes ages 2 to 80.  Or to explain to our eager elementary school students that the college students they have been adopted by are not to be trusted in dodge ball.

I’ve done my little bit for the team.  I was tapped to be the costumer, turning 10 yards of fabric into headbands, kerchiefs, armbands, and florets, and then decorating them with moons, stars, and our sea name.  I had to sacrifice for my art, too; that fabric was ugly, cheap, and icky to touch.  (Yes, I am a complete fabric snob.)  And don’t get me started on our “color,” which is grey.  Fortunately, I have a grey t-shirt and pants, but they are far below my standards.  

No one takes the faculty/staff team seriously.  We are playing for laughs and surprise.  Our entry in the cheering competition was a bunch of lunatics stumbling around in the dark chanting, “We will haunt you, we will taunt you, we will win the day,” followed by insane howling.  You know, the werewolf, lunatic, full on full moon insanity.  I gather that our karaoke number involves spit takes. 

I was hoping we could persuade Arch to be part of our team.  I’m pretty sure he could win musical chairs, since it’s quite likely a crew member would rush up to bring him a chair if one of our students were so bold as to not defer to him.  (Or maybe we would all wind up sitting on the floor together, singing hymns.  He likes to shake things up a bit.)  He would definitely take the stand up comedy competition. 

Instead, we have the advantage of the judges, all of which are on our team.  Not sure how that is supposed to work. 

As part of the opening ceremonies, we had the flag and cheer competitions. Our flag, designed by Charlottesville artist Kaki Dimock (who is also director of the Haven), has moons made by members of our sea, incorporated into one big moon shining over the sea.  That’s Kaki on the left. 

My little moon is on the right, over the red square.  It’s a silver crescent moon (cut from a Burmese candy wrapper) sewn with Indian thread onto a disk of turquoise cardstock.  (As usual, overkill.)

Nothing else even came close in design or technique.  The Persian Gulf had a drawing of a fluffy cat playing golf.  The Adriatic Sea banner had us all stumped until the Resident Director held it up. 

The cheers were harder to judge.  Some were unintelligible.  Others were too complicated for the teams to remember, or they dissolved into giggles when they messed up.  But some were well choreographed and executed.  Ours was so different it’s hard to compare.

The faculty/staff team has never placed above third in anyone’s memory.  I’ll keep you posted.