How Camp Changed My Life

Camp has changed my life, I can guarantee that if it were not for Camp Cherith I would not be where I am today. When I was 14 my parents decided to send me and my brother to camp, I was terrified. At 14 I was crying and telling them not to make me go. I went for that first week and had a lot of fun, I enjoyed being able to talk to my counselors about the bible and not be waved off as too young to understand it. At the end of the week my leader suggested that I do the CILT program, which stands for Campers In Leadership Training. I decided to do it, coming into CILT I was a very shy, cautious teenager, after the first couple days once I got to know everyone I really came out of my shell. CILT let me learn skills I needed to be a great counselor but it also taught me important life skills such as being independent and different ways to study the bible. I went into CILT a shy guy teen and came out a confident young man. I would consider CILT as being a huge shaping point in my life. I met great friends who I still keep in touch with quite a bit, I learned great leadership techniques which have not only helped me at camp but in other parts of my life. I think CILT was the place where I began learning about balance, about balancing work and play, realizing both are important. I graduated CILT four years ago and I still consider it to have been one of the biggest shapers of my character. This year I was asked to be the CILT director and teach the new batch of CILT's an opportunity that both thrills and terrifies me. I hope that I can help these teenagers become new, productive members at Cherith and help guide them in their faith.

Cheers!

Andrew

My Favorite Tools Round 2

Hello all, thanks for checking me out, here are a couple more of my favorite tools. These are some tools that are often forgotten about that make all the difference.

• My Tool Belt: I have a run of the mill Mastercraft tool belt, now before you start scoffing and telling me that Mastercraft is junk let me just tell you that this tool belt has come in handy so many times, it can handle being bumped around and doesn't fall apart. At 40$ it is a bit pricey but it is on sale quite a bit. 

• My Knife: I actually picked up my knife at Walmart because I needed one quick, it turned out to be a winner, it holds extra blades inside so if you need one they're right there. It is very sharp and will last you a long time

• My Drywall Saw: I was surprised how often I needed this tool and I still need it quite a bit, it isn't expensive but if you are not planning on becoming a professional drywaller anytime soon it is all you need.

• My Pen Voltage Tester: This little device is amazing, I can't count how many times it has stopped me from getting buzzed. I wouldn't trust it too too much but for household wiring it is really handy, it also turns itself off after a while which is really helpful.  

Hope you enjoyed this,

Cheers!

My Favorite Tools

The right tool makes all the difference, I cannot count the times that I have tried using a bad tool and ended up with a bad or mediocre result because of it. I, having worked in electrical have some favorite tools that I like to stick by.

• I have a set of Klein side cutters and let me tell you these things are tough, I spent 60$ on them and they were worth every cent, they have gone through a lot and they keep on kicking. 

• My linesman pliers are also incredible, they are made by Channellock and are a great bargain for 30$. They are great for twisting wires together, holding things and anything in between, I have cut nails with them on numerous occasions and they have proved to be a great purchase.

• My wire strippers, having been in the electrical field were always a priority, I have tried many different types and am quite indecisive on the matter, I have a pair of Kleins (30$) and a pair of GBs (13$) and I think they both do their jobs quite well.

• Screwdrivers are probably the most used tools in the world, even in school I probably use a screwdriver at least once a day. Now even though they get used all the time they don't have to be a pricey tool, I was given a set of Husky screwdrivers and they are still my go too's 3 years and hundreds of tasks later, I bought another set as spares and was amazed at the value (20$). I would definitely recommend them.

My tools (links)

Sidecutters

Linesman

Klein Wire Strippers

GB Wire Strippers

Husky Screwdrivers

Working With My Hands

I have grown up in a very hands on, hard working family. I grew up using a variety of different tools and learning about different trades from different family members. I really enjoy doing carpentry, drywall, electrical and just about anything else around the house. I was lucky enough to work for an electrical company for a year before starting college and will be working at my grandparents heating and cooling company this summer. I have always loved making things run, stand or light up. I remember being about 8 years old and me and my two younger brothers decided to build a plane out of wood, about an hour later my mom came out to see three little boys yelling and fighting among ourselves. We had been hard at work when my brother Paul had said he was going to be the first to fly the plane, now Joseph and I felt that we had worked just as hard and that we should be the first ones to fly it. It was a very big problem, anyways, I love working with my hands and plan on one day fixing up a home for me and my family.
All the Best,
Andrew    

New Topics on my Blog

All through school I was always told, write about what you know, good advice as it turns out. This blog has always been a light hearted blog, the posts have been mostly nonsensicle, I will continue to do my crazy posts but I am also looking forward to talking about other things that I enjoy including camp, working and hockey. I hope you enjoy my posts as much as I like writing them.

Cheers,

Andrew 

Battle of the Blogs: Round 1 The Light Fixture Conundrum

Residential light fixtures are a staple of modern society, we would be lost without these cheap, efficient sources of light in our daily lives, no doubt it revolutionized work, being able to do it any time, day or night, but what you don't know about light fixtures could be hurting you, did you know that the electromagnetic frequencies emitted from light fixtures are known to cause brain damage and elevated stress levels to teenage boys such as http://lifeofanotsoaveragejoe.blogspot.ca/. His posts prove that something is definitely wrong with him. The frequency of the light changing 60 times per second may not be noticeable by our eyes but our brain is trying to block out the changes thus putting it under extreme stress. We must ask ourselves is it worth it to use light fixtures when our youth are having these problems? Is it fair? Pregnant teenage males are know to have problems with the light fixtures among other things. Light fixtures are very common, in a 1958 study by Harvard University, 47% of homes had light fixtures in them . In another study Princeton discovered that 1 in 23 people  had mental illnesses or 4.57%. There are now light fixtures in 99.892% of homes and 1 in 3 people have a mental illness of some sort according to Stats Canada. The stats don't lie, light fixtures are causing mental illness and brain damage to NotSoAverageJoe.
Be sure to vote for me at Camp Girl's blog.

Blog Wars

To all my dedicated viewers, I am sorry for not posting in so long, my brother Joseph who writes life of a not average Joe and I will be having a contest, we will both be writing blog posts on a certain topic and people will be voting for their favorite on Sarahs blog. Please read vote and help propel me to the victorious standing I deserve. Thanks, Andrew.