#10 Summer Project
Commentary
Jeff's
Comments: Stateside Summer Projects occur when Campus
Crusade wants to evangelize beaches around the country.
Chris was staff on stateside projects at Lake Tahoe,
CA and Ocean City, NJ. I lucked out and got assigned
to a project in Wildwood, NJ.
In
reality, Wildwood is where you go when the actual project
you want to attend rejects you. Doesn't that beg the
question, ''How do they determine who gets to play on
the beach in San Diego and who gets to wash up on the
beach alongside hypodermic needles on the New Jersey
shore?'' Let's put it this way, women on our project
were not allowed to wear bikinis. I bet the staff in
San Diego didn't allow one piece suits.
It
should be noted that this episode is in no way based
on anything I experienced on a summer project in Wildwood
New Jersey in 1989. Nothing in this episode resembles
actual quotes.
This
is largely due to the fact that we had to tone down
what really took place. The talk given in the episode
by Bitterhouse
is much more tame than the real event.
However,
there is some truth in this episode. I did fall in love
with a girl named Valerie.
I
was 18 at the time, the youngest person on project.
My 26-year-old roommate knew how I felt, but swooped
in anyway. This was possible because I actually worried
Satan was distracting me. Some may think that made me
bitter about the project experience. That’s not
the case. Being trusted with only the responsibility
of being on the slide show committee created my bitterness.
(Staff: ''What can Jeff do? Do you think he can take
a picture?'' Bastards.)
This
episode is unique not only due to the fact that we voluntarily
tried to tone things down, but also because there is
no real plot or conflict development. It is 12 panels
of Jon being mean to Bobo.
Chris
and I being close to the real events love it for this
reason. We love the Bitterhouse aura of thoughtless
intensity entrapping the Doug-less Bobo. The
Door Magazine's editor conceded it was not a
classic. It is quite possible that only Chris and I
enjoy this one. (I love Bobo's fetal position and Jon's
expression of victory in snagging Val.)
That's
OK. We're used to a small audience.
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