CSI: Ockanickon.
I don’t know how it will work, or what it will include, or even what it means, but I want to do it.
Tag: camp
Animoto Kirby Video
I test drove Animoto and threw together a video about the Kirby project. Thoughts?
Email Censoring
I sent a missive to Tom Leitz, Nick Grammiccioni and Joe Naylor yesterday regarding using PDFs on the OSR site. I hate the utter and total flatness of PDFs and how annoying it is to make them every time a minute change is made but no matter. The email was bounced back from Tom who uses a bsamail.org account and the reply said that the message contained “potentially offensive language”. I checked through the message and realized I’d used the word “bitch”. As a test, I sent Tom another message consisting simply of “Carol Moyer is a bitch”, which he got. So either bitch isn’t offensive or the mail system knows Carol Moyer.
Email Censoring
I sent a missive to Tom Leitz, Nick Grammiccioni and Joe Naylor yesterday regarding using PDFs on the OSR site. I hate the utter and total flatness of PDFs and how annoying it is to make them every time a minute change is made but no matter. The email was bounced back from Tom who uses a bsamail.org account and the reply said that the message contained “potentially offensive language”. I checked through the message and realized I’d used the word “bitch”. As a test, I sent Tom another message consisting simply of “Carol Moyer is a bitch”, which he got. So either bitch isn’t offensive or the mail system knows Carol Moyer.
It's Done
I began the day auspiciously with a splinter the size of a fat toothpick puncturing my foot as I stood up emerging from the womb of sleep. The sliver jammed itself between fissures in my skin so despite the pain of each foot fall I knew its excision would be great and satisfying. A scalpel and pair of pliers were the instruments of my relief although I failed to properly plan for the torrent of blood that quickly crossed my office carpet. I was fast enough with the baking soda to stop most of the staining and seeing everything in its place I’ve taped the rebellious cellulose spear to my monitor as a reminder of my indefatigable quest to finish this damned semester.
After 11 more hours of feverish work I clicked “Yes to All” and F5 to refresh the Ockanickon server now repleat with the 2008 Leader Guide. I checked every link. Literally, everyone, even all the one’s on the Guide Index that links back to every other section as well as the 60 links on the departments page that lists the badge requirements offsite. I can now name not only the full path for every section of the leader guide but also the internal anchors and bookmarks. Where once was #cope is now #spokenrope which had to be changed in 7 places. I can name those 11 places as well but will spare you.
If my successor so much as edits the guide next year on a computer where a Microsoft Word window is open I will find them and break their thumbs. I was thinking of being more extreme, but decided that they’d still have to finish the guide.
Scouting vs. Judging
Today I judged at a GP. I hate GPs, they’re as close to working in a Pennsylvania Coal Mine in the 1870s as I get with 18 hour days on my feet, repeating the same series of actions over and over again. I missed the new staff member tryout for it so I wanted to compare judging to being a staff member at Ockanickon and found some amazing similarities.
| Factor | Judging | Scout Camp | Winner |
| Dumb Uniform | X-Zebra Stripes | X-Khaki Class A | Tie |
| Knowing Byzantine Rules | X-Comprehensive Rules | X-Guide to Safe Scouting | Tie |
| Dealing with dumb kids with dumb parents | X-JSS Judging | X-Every shit 12-year old going for Eagle | Tie |
| Horrible Work Hours | X-16hr Grand Prix | X-36 hour days due to norovirus | Tie |
| Contact with Women | X-Ugly players or mothers | X-Ugly Venturers or mothers | Tie |
| Dick Leadership | X-Scott Larabee | X-Dave Hasel | Tie |
| Sense of achievement at improving America’s moral fiber | X | Scouting | |
| Ability to curse and tell dirty jokes | X | Judging |
Hm… Ability to curse versus sense of achievement at helping America’s youth, that’s a close one.
Skit Notes 2
“Due to global warming all pictures of the sun in requirements for Soil and Water Conservation must be drawn with an angry face rather than a happy face”
“Stabbing yourself in woodcarving will no longer be accepted for the wound dressing requirement of First Aid merit badge”
I still want to do the byproduct of combined merit badges. Public Speaking + Rock Climbing with a podium scaling a wall is still my favorite. Archery + Fishing or Shotgun Shooting with Fishing with a cod or herring in the trap thrower is probably #2.
Skit Notes 1
I’d really like to run a Headline News segment to open camp in some way incorporated each week’s troops into consideration.
Idea: Due to the demands of Troop (largest troop of the week), the airband competition now has a Air Marching Band award.
I don’t know if it’s too narrow, but hey at least I’m not making fun of the smallest troop.
The Leader Guide, my Albatross
The Ockanickon Leader Guide is easily the best publication I’ve ever seen come out of any camp. Which is quite saddening considering how much it absolutely blows compared to what it could be. There aren’t many links, nothing is where it should be and the HTML is like looking at a schizophrenics attempt at Row Row Row Your BoatContinue reading
Speed Scrabble
Scrabble is a game I’ve always enjoyed and camp has been the most common place for play. Being an arrogant sum-bitch my goal is always to either use obscure words in an attempt to get someone to challenge me or use just plain bigger words than other people.
The floor has leveled somewhat by people bringing Scrabble Dictionaries and other game aides but vastly lengthened the time required to complete a game. I’ve fought back with speed Scrabble. Each player has two minutes to make a move and once time is up you have five seconds to start moving tiles, skip your turn or refresh your rack. The greatest change upon implementing these rules was that Anthony Celona’s score skyrocketed.
We tried more versions where we eventually got move times down to a little under a minute and each reduction in time gave Anthony another leap in points until he became devastating close to victory at 50 seconds a move. Once again, the less thought involved, the more probably Anthony’s victory. At 15 seconds a move he’d be a world champion.