Kosher dutch oven Shepherd’s Pie for Troop 234’s adult leaders (basically, me and Dan E.)
Morro Bay State Park. Six years ago today.
Achievement unlocked: Lose 130 lbs.
July 2016 starting weight: 355 lbs (161.4kg)
Goal weight: 220 lbs (100kg)
July 2019 weight: 219 lbs (99.6 kg)
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Total weight lost: 136 lbs (61.8 kg)
Thank G-d for small miracles and for helping me keep all of that extra poundage off for the past 3.5 years. For the record, appetite control and physical activity are a lot easier on the system than a banded stomach or a foreshortened intestine.
Mugology: Leading Scouts
Earned it six years ago today.
Patchology: Procrastinating Goldfish Patrol
My Life Scout son Aaron was elected as leader of his patrol in the contingent that our Council assembled to represent Ventura County at the 2017 National Scout Jamboree.
Soon after, the patrol named themselves “the Procrastinating Goldfish Patrol.”
Against all odds, I managed to find them appropriate BSA-regulation patrol patches. As you can see, the patch above shows a goldfish clearly in the act of procrastinating. At the Jamboree, the patrol wore this and all of their other insignia and regalia with slightly snarky pride.
Hoping the BSA can get back into the post-COVID game with a Jamboree in 2023. I won’t be there, and Aaron won’t, either, but at least that gives us a shot at going to one together in 2027.
This is how I dress before pledging into a fraternal organization. (I wore shoes, of course.) Just glad I can fit into these. Yes, that is an edgy look. I was beginning to remember why I didn’t go greek in college.
A Sweet Day
Phase V does not officially begin until midnight on the 31st, but today marks the start of my terminal PTO, so yesterday was the last day in the office in my career. Slammed right up to the last minute, I hadn’t had much of a chance to reflect on or savor the moment.
Then my son came home after a day at Universal Studios with a box full of pure Portland goodness: a half dozen of Voodoo Doughnuts’ most over-the-top creations.
Pacing myself through a vegan apple fritter, I thought quietly about an amazing if somewhat unconventional career. It was a road sparsely traveled, and that did make the difference. As I stepped off that path and onto another, I paused to pray that this new road would be just as scenic.
B”H
Fighting Senioritis
Coming down to the wire, my discipline wants to head out on vacation. I put this stop my computer monitor to help keep me focused.
Not exactly cake, is it?
Long-life noodles (yi mian).
Fifty-seven times around Sol.
Twenty thousand eight hundred nineteen twists around the Earth’s core.
B”H.
Bucket List: An Arrowman at Last
Ever since I was a Scout in the 1970s I have wanted to be a member of the Order of the Arrow (OA). The national honor society for the BSA is selective: candidates are elected by their troops from among Scouts who have reached the First Class rank, and once selected are then tested in a weekend-long process called an Ordeal.
I never made it into the OA as a Scout, and I never expected to make it as an adult leader. Adult leaders are elected as well, but their candidacy is not automatic: adult candidates are then reviewed at the Council level for suitability and for demonstrated commitment to Scouting ideals.
Quite unexpectedly in 2018 my name was submitted by my troop, and I was called out at a special ceremony at the April Camporee. I couldn’t even be there – I was in China on business. But I accepted (naturally) and presented myself on a Friday night five weeks later for Ordeal high in the Southern California mountains.
The specifics of Ordeal are a closely-held secret, known only to members of the Order. Suffice to say that while it was one of the hardest things I have ever done in four years as a Scout and nine years as an adult leader, it was also transformative in obvious and subtle ways that continue to manifest themselves years later. The introspection, the commitment, and the profound dedication to all that is good about Scouting all combine to work a special magic that leaves one profoundly renewed and without the need for mind-altering substances.
I would not be an Arrowman without the patience and help of others, especially my mentor Dan Estabrook, my wife Sunny, and my son Aaron. Becoming a part of the OA was one of my life’s great experiences, and I am grateful to have had the opportunity to be a part of it.
Bye, Baby
After five delightful years, we decided to sell our Itasca Navion motor home. We loved our house-on-wheels, but the painful truth that we discovered was that between my business travel, my son’s school, the demands that scouting placed on our weekends, and my wife’s growing preference for hotel rooms, we just weren’t using it as much as we should.
So we did the best thing for her and for us, and we took her back to the wonderful folks at Conejo RV, who had originally sold her to us, and they gave us a very fair price to pass her on to another (hopefully less busy) family.
I cannot say enough great things about either Itasca (which is to Winnebago what Lexus is to Toyota) or the Navion, or the dealer. We had an unforgettable experience all around, and (don’t tell my wife) I will be purchasing an RV again when 60-70-hour work weeks are no longer a regular occurrence in my life, and when the open road and solo camping are at least a weekend a month.
For now, though, my SUV and my pup-tent are my second home, as is appropriate for a scout leader with a day job.
Bye, baby. And thank you.
A Bucket and a Pen 