Health Care

Here is a good article from the New York Times about the cost of health care.

Money or your health?

Being a consumer of health care and well-acquainted with my insurance and my health care provider this is an issue that I deal with as I pay my portion of the bill which grows each year. While I could save over $2500 if I didn't pay for my health care (Crohn's isn't that cheap...), the quality of life is worth more to me than that money.

Getting the point

One of my favorite parts of working with Scouts as an adult is seeing promise in a Scout and helping them to see it and achieve it. In my job it's not something I can do often short of working with my Order of the Arrow chapter members. This weekend I was able to work with some of the chapter members and members of some of the troops. For a couple of the guys it seemed like it was the first time any leader had taken the time to ask them what they thought and treated them like an adult in considering their point of view and they responds by being very helpful and doing what I asked them to do. To some extent it was gratifying to have a posse following me around wanting to help out and just chat although a couple of them got a little trying at times.

Tonight I tried a new tack in tackling our challenge in recruiting Boy Scouts by visiting a troop and using the same technique to get their Scouts' input. Some of them seemed confused by being asked at all, others weren't particularly forthcoming, but several weren't shy about their opinion. Mostly they expressed that Boy Scouts was considered "dorky" by other guys at school, that the uniforms sucked, that advancement was tough, and on through the litany of complaints that I recall from being a Scout.

The question that struck me the most was "Why does it matter to business and community leaders that someone was an Eagle Scout?...What does knot tying and first aid have to do with being a good banker or businessman?" I was a little disappointed that we didn't have the time to discuss this more, but it certainly is a very good question from a middle school kid and strikes right to the core of Scouting. How do you explain that it isn't the skills that you learn that count, but what you learn in that process that makes the difference without diminishing that process? In answering the question I wonder if it would be like quantum physics where the act of observation changes the properties of what is being observed defeating the whole purpose. The scouts that asked are three brothers who happen to be nephews of seven Eagle Scout brothers that include our State Senator and a bank president that I know. I sent that question on to them as it seemed like they really wanted to know. I got the impression from the leaders in the unit, youth and adult, that these guys tried their patience, which I could see, but I hope they stay in because they have a lot to gain from the program.

Anyways, I am rambling, but I thought it worth mentioning one of the reasons I like my job. I'll probably add a couple of troop visits to my schedule in October to ask the same question about recruiting and see what I hear.

Busy September

This September is on course to be the busiest since I started working for the BSA. We're into the third week of round-ups and I will be at 3 this week which wraps up round 1 for my area. Next will be re-dos for units that did not do as well as they are able to do. I've felt a little bad that I have been so busy in my area that I have not been able to provide Brian with as much support as I would have liked to. For the most part other folks have been able to step up, but that's a lot more difficult to do when trying to coordinate it over phone and e-mail.

Last weekend our Lodge hosted the Section C-1B Conclave at Camp Rokilio, just down the road from me. I chose to attend for the weekend and had a good time. The highlight of the weekend was the Wako Chapter Pedalboat Challenge. After having two pedalboats break during relay races in the afternoon we needed to move them up a large hill from the waterfront to the maintenance building so I collected a posse of arrowmen from my chapter and went to it. With four guys on my boat and six on the other it was decided by the other team to make a race when we were about halfway up the hill. Suprisingly we only lost by a few feet after sending people in our path scattering for safety. Otherwise it was a lot of fun but I did not get nearly enough sleep and they need to learn to be more spirited. This lodge here doesn't even have a good songbook.

This weekend was our fall camporee. Go figure, it rained. I actually only slept out on Saturday after having Brian take Friday night. He actually managed to have no rain all the way through his shift. It started raining about 3 hours after I arrived back in camp on Saturday and lasted well into the evening. I relented in my "deal with it, it's rain" theory and we retreated into the dining hall for dinner, Scout's Own and the campfire. The decision received good reviews. The other different part for the weekend was that I played Pastor Jake and led the Scout's Own service with a simple non-denominational script and entirely off the cuff sermon on taking time to see God's handiwork in the out of doors. I followed this up with a Scoutmaster's Minute for the campfire based around my favorite Teddy Roosevelt quote;

• It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by the dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions and spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who, at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly; so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory or defeat.
  • Citizenship in a Republic - a speech at the Sorbonne, Paris, France (23 April 1910)

Right now I am watching the battle of the weak with Green Bay leading the Lions by 10 in the 4th. My picks this week are going to bomb. Oh well, at least I won last week. Hopefully my fantasy team will do better.

Nothing else profound comes to mind at the moment. Until next time.

Fast Forward Fall and Football

Holy Midwest, Batman. It was 86 at 2pm on Friday and 68 by 5pm down to 50-something that night and only 60 and windy the next day. So what do I have now? The first cold of the season. Not cool. I feel a little silly wearing a jacket and mock turtleneck today as it's raining and 56 when I will be in shorts in the same weather come March. It's supposed to warm back up to normal this weekend when I am going to be at camp again.

It was also football kick-off weekend and I jumped in feet-first. Last Tuesday we drafted our fantasy football team in the staff league. Saturday I watched the Iowa-Syracuse game (MSU was not broadcast here...) and then went to Brian's game in West Bend which they lost after a hard fought game. Sunday was the most football that I have ever watched in one day. First, Lions vs. Seahawks. Second, Packers vs. Bears. Finally, "Manning Bowl". Tonight is Washington vs. Vikings as I won't stay up to see the late game. I actually won my fantasy game this week and will potentially have the highest scoring team this week. Surprise.

As for the games I watched, the Lions game first. It was actually a good game to watch, despite the loss. The defense was very good keeping one of the best teams in the league from scoring a touchdown. The offense was not very good, but they still looked better than previous years with a greater variety of plays, good use of a variety of players and its the first game with almost a completely new offense (coach, QB, scheme, new WR's). The Green Bay game. All I can say is Brett Farve's first shutout and it was done by Chicago. The faithful are silent this week. Manning Bowl was a good game and a lot closer than I would have expected. I think the Giants could have won except for a few bad calls (offensive pass interference call was really bad). It's got to be tough as a family to have the media hype it up so much. Obviously they will survive.

Now I have a lot of work to do to keep ahead this week.

Sittin' Watchin' the Traffic Go 'Round

Who likes traffic roundabouts? Civil and highway engineers and the two old guys I saw Saturday. As I was driving through the newest roundabout in Sheboygan county on Saturday (stupid 15mph roundabout on a 55mph highway) I saw two old guys sitting in lawn chairs drinking beer on a hill watching the traffic in the roundabout and waving as people passed. It probably was amusing for them since no one here knows how they work. The traffic circle in Sheboygan is equally good entertainment.

Surf Sheboygan? The Dairyland Surf Classic was here in Sheboygan this weekend. I forgot it was going on until I drove down to the lakefront and saw a bunch of cars with surfboards on the roof parked at the beach. Sadly, the weather did not cooperate and there was no surfing here in the "Malibu of the Midwest". Who knew?

That's about the extent of the excitement here for the weekend. I took the opportunity to veg and not go anywhere far. I did some hiking, spent some time at the beach where I got a nice sunglasses burn line and read two and half novels and got more of my CD's backed up to my hard drive. I started the weekend going with Brian to see the movie "Invincible" (about Vince Papoli from the Eagles). It was really good and has a great classic rock soundtrack that I downloaded yesterday. If you like football movies, this is one to see. (Yes, I do like them oddly enough.)

I also realized that my four year anniversary of working for the BSA passed two weeks ago and I really don't have much to say about it that's worth writing. The complaints are the same and what I enjoy hasn't changed so things go on. I did send in the paperwork for the "Darth Vader" knot that is the only recognition that only a professional can earn; it annoys those volunteers who are only in it now for recognition...

Tomorrow starts the longest month of the Scouting year: Cub Scout Round-up with helpings of OA events, a camporee and the popcorn sale. Basically it means I have boy talks almost every weekday at lunch and a meeting every Monday through Thursday until the last week of September when I relocate to the tech college for a few days to work the popcorn order. I can't wait for all the fun.

If you're bored, go watch traffic...