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Sometimes I see something that’s almost Rockwellian in its depiction of American life.  I wish I had a picture of this one:  I was on the train, and saw a kid with a black eye and an arm in a cast replacing the grip tape on his lacrosse stick.  Wow.

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For the last decade that I’ve spent as a denizen of the interwebs I’ve used the same name for just about everything: Arcanus.  As most dork screen names begin, this was a character from a defunct RPG campaign in a defunct RPG system and I’ve started running into a problem.  There are already other Arcanuses running around out there.  So, when I try to register for Digg, a well-known blog or something I either have to put a gaiye number after the name or use something else.  I have no something else until recently.  I’ve gone through the following names in the last two weeks and none have stuck.

factuary
interrobanger
i<3Interrobang
what!?
curiousactuary
l2actuary
manscout
ducksquonk

And none of them…. fit.  I’m looking for suggestions for somewhat unique names that I can use for the next decade.  My current winner is “actuaryoftriumph”

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While cleaning out my room I found this gem.

Dave Hasel Dunk tank hi-res

It’s Dave Hasel in the dunk tank at the 2001 Council Camporee.  I’m having a contest to see who can add the best caption to the picture.  The easiest way to do it is just to comment but if you want to go one better, Picbite allows more complicated comments at my favorite cost of free.  My PC comment is “I love Friends of Scouting thiiiiiis much”.  I also think that’s Travis Woodling off the right.

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The planned program for the Playwicki Klondike looked dreadfully dull so I volunteered to come up with a few afternoon activities.   This is my initial list, comments appreciated.

Competition ideas
I. Blind tent set-up – Scouts set up a standard Y-tent and dome tent blindfolded.
a. Blindfolds
b. Tents
c. Stop watch
d. (?) Extra pole
II. Atlatling – Competitive atlatling
III. Dirt fishing – Unit broken into two groups, one lashes a giant fishing pole where the other draws a map of an area containing the traps. Once done, the groups switch, and one group operates the crane while the other guides it.
a. Rat trap/mouse trap
b. Barrier (tarpaulin over some sort of 6’ upright
c. Staves
d. Break up traps into two types, one gets points the other loses one (size difference, color?)
IV. Slingshot Art – Groups must draw a deer using 100 paintballs (?), TAKE PICTURES, run by lodge
a. Paintballs
b. Sling shots
c. Tarp
d. Squeegee or scraper
V. Gumdrop direction set – one group of Scouts receive a hat made out of gum drops held together by tooth picks. Group must describe the toothpick structure without using charts or diagrams and gives directions to another group who must construct it. Eat the gum drops when they’re done
a. Gum drops
b. Tooth picks
c. Lined paper
d. Clock
VI. Floating fishing weight activity (is there a way to set up
a. Water tub
b. Corks
c. Fishing weights
d. Fishing hooks
VII. Garden hose splicing – unit must straight splice together two ropes made out of pool noodles or garden hoses.
a. Lots and lots of garden hose or pool noodles connected (heat bond polyethylene
b. How about plastic conduit
VIII. Dressing in layers, how many shirts you can wear at once, alternatively Simon says game with layers of clothing. End of day for SPL activity (?)
a. A lot of clothing
IX. Scout bowling
a. Balls
b. Pins
X. Balanced Scouting – Team goes successive rounds of adding square 1-5 lb stones to each side of a balance, goal is to get as many rocks on as possible without scale tipping.
a. Various weighted rocks
b. Stop watch
c. balance
XI. Magnet orienteering – I was rethinking this and thought it might be neat to do a rough orienteering course using water/needle/leaf compasses and quarter/paperclip magnets
a. Small water tubs
b.
XII. Giant clove hitch – giant clove hitch, preferably at least 20 to 30 feet around.
a. Stakes
b. 150+ feet of rope
XIII. Vertical Styrofoam shoot – I wrote this down, but can’t remember for the life of me what it means.
XIV. Spaghetti knots – some activity where participants either lash or tie knots with cold cooked spaghetti. Maybe lash a little spaghetti tepee.
XV. Keep aloft – Scouts are given a soda bottle and various materials to make a water-bottle rocket that stays aloft for the longest time.
a. Parachute materials
b. Soda bottle
c. Soda bottle launcher kit

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Yesterday on the train, the person sitting next to me was reviewing her email when I noticed the name at the top: Annie Aungst. Annie Aungst? I hope her name was Annie Angst and she changed changed it. That’s the name of a porn star, roller derby contestant or fem-punk rock frontwomen, not someone who worked for the United Way or some other non-profit. I wonder if she’s ever having problems getting money as a client said “I gave in to Aungst” or something equally ambiguous.  I hope she has a Boston or norther accent in capable of the long “aww” noise required to differentiate Aungst from Angst.  Either way, what if she had a kid?  They’d practically be the emo poster-child.