Sr-6S

So I went to the Sr-6s conclave down in LaGrange, GA. I was able to hang out with James Tarbox, Kenney Barton, Mason Thomas, and a few others. All in all it was a good time. They had me teach a training session in the morning and a forum style training session later, where they ask any questions that they want. In the afternoon we went around and watched a bunch of cool things before the evening show. It was really warm for a kid coming from Indiana. On sunday I probably got to witness the funniest thing of my life. For those of you who know Kenney Barton, I’m proud to say I met his parents.

 Kenney’s parents are very supportive, and his dad is very involved with scouting as well. I never thought I would see Kenney embarassed, but o my goodness. The clincher for the experience was when Kenney hugged his mom and everything goodbye and we started to go through security when his mom and dad came and stood with us in line, to say bye to Kenney. Kenney would not even speak to them while I was laughing my head off. Probably my favorite thing ever.

Hawai’i, are you kidding me?

Well it has been a little while since I got back from Honolulu, but I figured I’d try and catch up…

Hawaii was really amazing. After getting there Thursday afternoon, I met up with Mark Hendricks, Sam Fife, John Kondziolka, Case Barden, and Mike Bliss. We went straight to the airport to check out the USS Missouri, a decommissioned submarine that is in Pearl Harbor. It was crazy to see how close everything was, I would hate to live months at a time in such small quarters.

Left:Sleeping Quarters for 12/Torpedo room, Center: USS Bowfin, Right: Really short shorts

Anyways, we went and picked up Ted Dodson, our local Hawai’in and section chief up from the airport and headed down to Waikiki. We had dinner on the beach which was really cool because you could see the entire touristy part of the island.

Friday we went up and down the North Shore, checking out a lot of the beaches and even swimming some. It was ridiculously hot and I felt the bad effects of barefeet on lava rock. We got this stuff that Ted calls “Shave Ice” which I think is just a snowcone with better flavors, but maybe that’s just me. We also went to the Dole pineapple plantation, which was pretty sweet. I never even knew that there was more than one type of pineapple, let alone the umpteen different kinds they had. Ted and I managed to get kicked out of the maze, which claims to be the largest crop maze in the world… We finished the trip all off with some pineapple ice cream.

Left: Case Barden on the North Shore, Center: Myself, John, Mark, Ted, Same, and Case at the Dole Plantation, Right: Matsumoto’s shave ice store

After sightseeing for the day we had to start doing stuff for the real reason we were there: NLS. We went back to the base we were staying at and set up everything to get ready for the participants. All in all we had almost 40 participants from Oahu, Maui, and we even had two people fly all the way from Guam!

Ted, “Stevie Sashman” and John, “Paul Patchhappy”

The NLS was a lot of fun, the kids were amazing. They were definitely a lot more laid back than people from the mainland, but they were really enthusiastic. It was really interesting to hear the different problems they have dealing with trying to run an interisland organization with flights being so expensive.

After the NLS, Ted, John, Mark, Case, Mike, and I went off and did a little bit more island living before we had to leave. We went over to this bay and rented some kayaks for the afternoon and kayaked out to this island/bird sanctuary. It was a lot of fun to be able to get out on the water and be in the sun and everything. We learned once again why lava rock sucks for being barefoot as we made the mistake again of trying to walk for a ways on it. On the way back we all flipped our kayaks, on purpose of course except for Mark and Mike who just straight up tipped the canoe getting into shore. Rookies. The two Philmont foremen managed to capsize the most probably, because they were trying to hike on top of their kayaks, John and I kind of felt left out so we tried surfing on the kayaks, also a failed attempt.

Ted and I spent the night at one of Ted’s buddies that goes to University of Hawai’I and had some good times. The next day Mike picked us up and we met Sam. Sam Fife, the mormon out of Idaho somehow found a Mormon professor who let him stay at his house, and get us free tickets into the Epcot of the Pacific islands. It was sweet. They had different exhibits to all of the island cultures, Fiji, Hawai’I, Samoa, etc.  It was sweeeet.

Left: USS Arizona Memorial, Center: Waterfalls at the Polynesian Culture Center, Right: My bedroom

That night we parted ways, and Mike and I hung out in the airport for a while before my 12 hour red-eye trip back to Indianapolis.

All in all, amazing. I have no idea when I will be back in Hawai’i but definitely till I’m much older. It really made me appreciate the different opportunities that they Scouts have offered me, while making me realize the Scout’s influence all across the United States; including Hawai’i.

**Photos from my camera, more can be seen on Facebook. Most of the picture was taken from the before and after, I didn’t have my camera while we were on base, so I don’t have many pictures from the actual training event, although that was the main part of the trip.

NorthEast, NorthEast, NorthEast

This weekend I had the chance to go out to the Northeast for a National Leadership Seminar, just outside of New York to hang out with some really cool guys. Altogether we had a lot of fun. The participants were really enthusiastic and I think that they were able to learn a lot from the experience. There were kids from NYC, from all the way down in Washington D.C., out to Pennsylvania, and even from Puerto Rico.

The staff was particularly experienced, most of them had either taught at these seminars before, or they had a lot of knowledge about the program. Their commitment to the program was evident throughout the weekend as we talked about the different experiences.

Patrick Rooney is the Northeast Region Chief, the man running the whole show. He did a very good job of keeping the whole weekend together and making sure that the participants were having fun and the staff was prepared. It went flawlessly because of his prior preparation.

Greg Burke from Boston is 17 and a section chief. It seems weird to think of someone so young taking on the position, but you could tell that the people from his section really admired him, despite all of the jokes that they may have. He had a smile on his face the entire time, granted everyone made fun of him for that as well, but it really is a great thing to have. Always able to cheer people up is a power that is envied by most. A lot of potential in him for his age and his experience.

Mark Hendricks, the Western Region Chief flew out from California and had similar problems to me in his travels. He was able to adjust to the rough time schedule and did one of the best jobs that I have seen in a training session. He also was able to keep his table going and took a lot of humor whenever we made fun of him for being the only person to know about the Cowboys and not knowing anything about the Northeast.

K-sly was a section chief the first year that I went to the National Meeting. I hadn’t seen him since then, but he was able to take a training session (The Game of Life) and treat it in a way that was very unique to my past experiences. Evidently it is how the game was originally intended, and I thought that his explanation was amazing. I have to apologize to him, however, because on Friday night I jokingly

 said that I used to be Reef sandal model and that my dad was a VP for the company. Neither true. Saturday night K-sly tried to give me his resume, saying that he really needed a job. Sorry k-sly!

Dan Higham, who I quoted a few weeks ago as coining the non-sensical term “She’ll be ticklin my elbows”, was back. I got to see his car for real this time, and I have to tell you that his Chevy Ion is just as I pictured it. The paint job is identical and the sound system is pretty weak, but I can see how he gets the ladies.

Ken Hager, the past Northeast Region Chief was also there, he lectured us on how much he loves venturing, and how the Venturing Presidents of past years have been amazing to him. He also told us all about his great experiences in Dallas. He also took the reins of NLATS and taught every session.

I don’t mean to just group the rest of the guys together, because each of them is different in many aspects. I hope to get to know them better over the next year and I hope that they reach out for advice and that I can trust them for advice as well. For instance, I am going down to J. Ryan Zamboni’s conclave in Puerto Rico in August, Jeff St. Cyr works a lot with the national bulletin and gave me a call the other day, Jeff Morrow is heavily involved in ArrowCorp5, Jon Fagan and I have been working a lot for the Manti-La Sal project this summer in Utah, so I know there will be much more to come Joe Marguiri and Scott Dunlap were two guys that I didn’t get to know too well but they are so young and have such potential that I look forward to future events with them. Altogether I just want to say this about the Northeast guys: In past years the guys seemed distant to myself and some of the other chiefs that I always hung out with. Why that is, I do not know. But, I do know that these guys are a very dedicated group of individuals, a group that is so willing to                    
accept the OA and its responsibilities that I know that the Northeast is in a great place.
Congrats guys!                                                                                                                              Ben

Nowhere man

Nowhere man

by Pico Iyer

 ”It was only recently, in fact, that I realized that I am an example, perhaps, of an entirely new breed of people, a transcontinental tribe of wanderers that is multiplying as fast as international telephone lines and frequent flier programs. We are the transit loungers, forever heading to the departure gate. We buy our interests duty-free, we eat our food on plastic plates, we watch the world through borrowed headphones. We pass through [airports] as through revolving doors, resident aliens of the world, impermanent residents of nowhere. Nothing is strange to us, and nowhere is foreign. We are visitors even in our own homes.”

“Airports are among the only sites in pulbic life where emotions are hugely sanctioned. We see people weep, shout, kiss in airports; we see them at the furthest edges of excitement and exhaustion. Airports are priveleged spaces where we can see the primal states writ large - fear, recognition, hope. But there are some of us, perhaps, sitting at the departure gate, boarding passes in hand, who feel neither the pain of seperation nor the exultation of wonder; who alight with the same emotions with which we embarked; who go down to the baggage carousel and watch our lives circling, circling, circling, waiting to be claimed.”

“For us in the transit louge, disorientation is as alien as affiliation.”

I thought that this was a really good essay. The essay goes on to have political connotations, but I didn’t feel that that part was needed. The essay deals with a traveler who does not have a home. Another gate, another plane, another state, another this, another that. Traveling the country devoted to a single cause can seem repetitive at times, which I believes Pico depicts very well. However, I take this as a challenge. It is a challenge to all who have a similar experience, not to let monotony take hold of their lives. Make the most of each and every city you visit, each and every event you attend, and each and every life you touch. I consider it a goal in my own life never to let things run together. Although I am principally doing the same thing in New York as I am in Honolulu, I will make sure that the differences to the participants are far greater. “Watch our lives circling, circling, circling, waiting to be claimed.” Don’t circle. Go.

-Ben

The Crash

Don’t worry, while this one is more serious this will not be the only post regarding this weekend in Alpine, NJ

My car is on the right, the upside down emblem on the left reads “Michigan State Police”

Now that things have started to settle down for a little while, I figured I’d post an update on my past weekend. I was staying at my girlfriend’s place in Grand Rapids and I had a flight out of Indianapolis at 11 a.m. on Friday. I got up really early so that I would have enough time to make the 4 hour drive and still have leeway with the weather.  Once out on the road I realized that the previous nights’ weather really hadn’t affected the road conditions. Boy was I wrong.

6:15 a.m. I hit a patch of black ice, spun my car around twice before slamming into the guard rail. After the guard rail I spun another half time before coming to rest on the side of the hill off the freeway.

6:20 a.m. After realizing that I had a flat tire and wouldn’t be able to drive until all was fixed, I got out of my car into the 20 degree weather and called my dad. Shortly thereafter a couple who had a similar accident 200 feet down walk to me and have me talk to the 9-1-1 operator in English..
After standing by my car for a few moments, I see more and more cars hitting the patch and squealing their tires, each time seeming like they could fly off the road. I stand off to the side, but still a little scared that a car could fly all the way off the embankment.

6: 40 a.m. A third car hits the patch, spins and hits the guard rail, coming to rest on the other side of the freeway. I went over to make sure that they were O.K., and shortly thereafter a state trooper squad car came.

6:42 a.m. after making sure that I was O.K., and while checking to see if the people across the freeway are O.K., the State Trooper turns around just at the right moment to see a white Honda civic hit the patch at 85MPH, hitting the left guard rail, then the right guard rail. The car then proceeded to smash into the back of the squad car, flipping it upside down, onto the hood of my car.

Left: Another picture of the State Trooper car upside down Right: The Squad car after back over

6:43 a.m. A car that didn’t spin out hits the Honda Civic, smashing the back up while ruining itself. Immediately after, two more cars spin out trying to stop and hit the guard rails.

6:50 a.m. The highway is shut down by a team of state troopers. 2 Ambulance busses come to find that no-one is seriously injured. The driver of the Honda civic has puncture wounds, a concussion and possible leg injury.

7:00 a.m. Decide to give Lauren a call, I had already let her know that I was in an accident, but now I told her I probably needed a ride. She is a hero.

7:30 a.m. The tow trucks start to come, and the police start conducting the investigations. Myself, the two passengers of the Honda civic, and another lady from a different car huddle in the ambulance truck for warmth. God it was cold.

8:00 a.m. The driver of the Honda civic’s wife gets through to the crash site and picks him and the passenger up.

8:05 a.m. The head policeman realizes the driver left without his enormous ticket including: Speeding, Reckless Driving, and Failure to yield to an emergency vehicle.

8:45 a.m. They finally pull the cop car off of my car; I look at the damage and really just want to go home.

9:00 a.m. My car gets towed to a tire place, where the tires can be replaced so I can drive it back to Okemos to have the body work done.

9:30 a.m. At the tire place, Lauren arrives. The most amazing hug of my life.

9:45 a.m. I start to call the Boy Scout national office, telling them that I will miss the flight, etc.

9:50 a.m. Judy (the secretary at the national office) calls me and tells me that the tickets are too expensive, and to “have a nice weekend.”

9:55 a.m. Interview with Grand Rapids channel 3 news. Woo!

10:00 a.m. Able to drive my car. I drive over to McDonalds with Lauren to just settle down for awhile.

10:05 a.m. Judy calls me back. “Don’t get too comfortable! Apparently someone really wants you to go to New York!” I now have another flight.

10:10 a.m. Lauren and I leave McDonalds to find another tire of mine. Flat.

10:30 a.m. After returning to the tire place, Lauren and I drive back to Grand Valley (where she goes to school) and then drive back to my hometown, very very slow.

1:00 p.m. I get to my house in Okemos, deciding that I can’t mentally drive to the Detroit Airport. Lauren once again comes through in the clutch and offers to drive me to the airport. Pretty amazing, eh?

2:00 p.m. Leave for Detroit Airport, upon arrival find out that my plane is an hour delayed.

7:00 p.m. Arrive in Newark, NJ. Meet with my ride and then get to camp Alpine in NJ.

8:00 p.m. Give my training session on leadership.

All and all it was one of the hardest days I’ve ever had. The car accident alone was the scariest thing that I have ever experienced. When I had to come back to Michigan to drive back to school in Indiana I kept having the eerie feeling that I was going slide off of each and every single curve, prompting me to go obnoxiously slow for the entire 6 hour drive.

On Sunday I gave a speech at the closing banquet that was probably the most from the heart of any of the speeches that I have given this year. I quoted the poem by Robert Herrick, “To Virgins, to Make Much of Time.”

The Glorious lamp of heaven, the sun,
The higher he’s a-getting,
The sooner will his race be run,
And nearer he’s to setting.

The speech was very dear to me because of the recent events; it made me realized that if something extremely horrible had happened, would I be OK with what had been done? Would I be satisfied with my relationships to my friends, to the girl that I love, to my family? I realized that most people would say that I was. I was very contempt with what I had going for in my life. However, then I started to ask myself, who is to judge? The answer rolled off my tongue as quickly as I asked the question. Myself.

No matter what happens in our lives, our accomplishments and, even more so, our failures. The events that occur throughout our lives can only be judged on our own. Just like titles, certificates, badges, and uniforms do not make someone an accomplished leader and individual, our actions and our own judgments are what define us as a person.

It begs the question, that if you were to leave today; to leave this earth, to leave your commitments, to leave your position in society,

To quote from Whitman, “O me! O life!… of the questions of these recurring; of the endless trains of the faithless–of cities filled with the foolish; what good amid these, O me, O life? Answer. That you are here - that life exists, and identity; that the powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse.” That the powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse. What will your verse be?

                        -The Dead Poet Society

-Ben

*Pictures from Windows Moblie Pocket PC

Easter

Well my spring break is coming to a close, so I figured I’d give a recap of all that happened (it was pretty intense).

I started off spring break busting out of class like kids normally do right before break. I was done and gone from class for a whole week, free to roam the beaches, surf the waves, and drive through the snow. As it winds down to a close I found much more of the last one than the other two. After an afternoon of playing bags in front of our fraternity house, Alec Synnestvedt and I packed all our stuff in the car and headed the opposite direction as the rest of the campus.

As we started to drive northward, the thought ran through my head that flip flops were a bad idea. They were. Anyways, a few hours later we found ourselves back home in Michigan, my feet freezing and soaking from stopping to get gas in a foot of snow, and happy to see our families again. My mom gave me the normal squeeze-the-life-out-of-my-organs hug and we had dinner as a pretty complete family for the first time since Christmas. My dad and brother, Chris, were there as well as Chris’ fiancée Megan. It was pretty late so I went over and saw Lauren (my girlfriend) for a while and then came home.

Saturday Lauren and I got to meet up with all of my friends from back home, which was really cool because I felt like I hadn’t seen them in forever. Lauren and I finally convinced our good friends Adam and Chelsey to come down to DePauw soon, so we’re pretty pumped. It was a pretty classic night in Okemos.

Lauren and I

On Sunday we did the standard church scene before I went to the Lauren’s house and got an Easter basket! Long time since I hadn’t gotten one of those. After having a huge Easter lunch with my Parents, Grandparents (my dad’s parents who live in East Lansing, MI), Lauren, both brothers and their significant others, we opened up presents and even had cake and candles for my brother’s birthday, my birthday, and my other brother’s fiancée. As usual, my brothers and I had just ordered the presents the day before or forgotten them at home so it was more of a sentimental gift exchange on our part. Haha.

Birthday Candle in Pumpkin pie

Altogether it was a good time. We don’t normally get to be together as a family except for the major holidays. It has become even harder for me to see my brothers since I am so far away and they both live in Detroit. As I become older and older I find myself wanting to hang out with them more. When I was younger the age gap was always too big for me to hang out with them outside of family vacations, and now that I am in college the gap isn’t quite as big, and Chris and I have hung out with our significant others a lot. Even though Blake is more and more of an old person every day it is still a lot of fun to hang out with him and his wife.

Isn’t it weird how College can mature you?

From Left: Megan, Chris, Me, Lauren

After hangin out with the family for a couple days after Easter, I went to Grand Valley State University, to be with my girlfriend for a few days before going to another scout function. We had a lot of fun. We were able to have a lot of alone time to just hang out. We watched a few movies, went to the mall, took her to a real fancy place called “Chili’s.” Well, fancy for a kid who lives off of Greencastle restaurants and Camp food most of the year ;). Some of my favorite quotes for the time there were
Ben: Well, don’t you spend most of your time on the Atlantic ocean anyways?

Lauren: Well…kinda… wait which one is South Carolina, er wait California?
Ben: Lauren…
Lauren: Stop! No, California is pacific, but what is the Yucatan on?
Ben: O my…

Lauren: I wish I wasn’t getting a B.S. (Bachelor of Science), I’ve always really wanted a B.A. (Bachelor of Arts) so I could have an art degree.
Ben: You know that a B.A. doesn’t mean painting degree, it’s just a liberal art degree
Lauren: I know but I just feel like..
Chris: You don’t go to pottersville because you like pottery!

Megan: Ben will you play the processional at our wedding?
Ben: Haha funny, but no!
Megan: I was being serious this time
Ben: Oh. Really? My bad. Sure.
Lauren: Clutch babe.

My Life..

Hey All,

I realized that I really hadn’t commented on my own recently. I have become more and more active with my fraternity as a pledge. We have been doing a lot to learn about our history and about our brothers. I have been becoming closer and closer to all the guys not only in my class but in the house in general.

The Union Building

I am taking a full course load this semester, surprisingly to some based on how much time I spend on the road. I am taking a 7:50 am calculus class, which is very rough on some days but since I already tested out of it in High School, its not that hard. My Financial accounting class can be pretty rough at times, and Alec, Manny, Colby and I find ourselves pretty lost a lot. After that I go to intermediate Macroeconomics, which is a lot harder than I had thought at first but I am getting by.

Lastly I have College Writing, Art-based. Since Art and Writing are my 2 least favorite subjects, I am pretty ready to be done with classes at 12:20 every Monday Wednesday and Friday. I so far am able to maintain a good enough GPA for my scholarships and honors program.

When we aren’t doing homework, my friends and I all are at the house hanging out. The house is really nice, it has a full kitchen staff for meals and it has really nice study rooms as well as a basement with a big screen for games. The rooms are all done up based on how the people that live there want it. They can do absolutely anything to the room except knock out the foundation. Then all the guys sleep in two “Cold Dorms” upstairs. It sounds rough at first but I am not really that worried about it.

The Beta House

Next week Spring Break!

W-4A Conclave

W-4A Conclave*

Like I said earlier, I was at the W-4A Conclave last weekend. I talked about the weather mostly, but I just wanted to follow up with how the actual weekend went. Alex Braden was the section chief and he did his best given the weather conditions to make it a great conclave. I was able to see a lot of friends throughout the weekend that I hadn’t seen in awhile. While everyone was registering, a familiar face came out of one of the vans. National Committeeman Del Loder came out of the van. Del is an older man, and he has a lot of wisdom. It was great to hear his stories about the very beginning of the OA.

The past W-4A Chiefs were there, including Josh Bryan, Darin, and David Carson. Good times good times. The participants had a great time, lots of good training sessions from what I saw and they had some good activities in the afternoon. It was too bad that the weekend got cut short because there were a lot of fun activities that had to be cancelled. Oh well! They still managed to have the Root Beer kegs (yes I did a kegstand) and Rock Climbing.

Me Rock Climbing and Playing Dodgeball*

People Better than Me Rock Climbing and Playing Dodgeball
(Rock Climber?, Dan Higham in the hat, Manuel Sibrian in the Uniform)*

Of course, at all conclaves there was a changing of the hats. I was able to meet all three of next years officers and talk to them for a little while. They seem really excited about this next year and I expect a lot out of them. I was able to talk to the new chief for a while at Denny’s too. I know that Alex was very happy to be relieved of his duties after a tough year, and I know that Jack, Manuel, and Jordan are ambitious in their aspirations for W-4A.

New Officers: Jack Chinn (Center), Section Chief, Manuel Sibrian (Right), Section Vice Chief, Jordan Orlick (Left), Section Secretary.*

By far my favorite moment of the weekend involved Mr. Dan Higham, the Northeast Section chief who flew over with Bob Black to check out Hollywood and see the conclave. Dan, Alex Braden, and I drove to the nearby hamburger joint on Friday night “Cedar Glen Malt Shop,” way up in the mountains.

Cedar Glen Malt Shop

(not me in the pic)

We were talking about how the people out in “SoCal” like to pimp their rides, and Dan said that it was the same out east. He told us about his chevy ion and how he had put neon lights all over the inside. I asked him

“oh yah? Does that really get the girls?” to which he replied

”Oh yah. When they see it, they’re tickling my elbows.”

Anyone who has any remote idea what that means, let me know. Thanks Dan. Haha.

What I Imagine Dan’s Car to Look Like

After driving out of the “blizzard” I went and stayed at Alex’s house before meeting up with THE Evan P. Chaffee in Anaheim. We caught up for awhile and started talking about a lot of things including the Persian New Year.

Next week I have spring break in Okemos, MI Grand Rapids, MI and then out to Alpine NJ. Keep it here.

Yours,

Ben

”She’ll be ticklin’ my elbows.”

–Dan Higham NE-3B Chief

*Photos courtesy of Bob Black via Facebook.

Snow? What Snow?

Well, I got back from “Sunny” Los Angeles, California early Monday Morning. It was a fun and interesting weekend at the W-4A Conclave. Now, keep in mind, I go to school in central Indiana, often making pilgrimages back home to central Michigan. During the winter we have some warm spells where it gets up to 60 or 70 degrees, but for the most part it is a cold, cold place with winds making it even chillier. The snow is constantly returning even when you think it has gone for the season (Not that I am complaining, I love everything about the snow, especially skiing). But when I am invited to a section conclave “just east” of L.A., my flip-flops, sun tan lotion, and shorts are packed.

My Thought of So Cal

What Dan Higham and Bob Black saw in So Cal*

On Friday I left at about 5 a.m. to make my flight through Las Vegas (oooh how I wish I could gamble) on to Ontario, California. As soon as I step off the jet bridge I take my jacket off and switch my shoes for flip flops. Alex Braden, the section chief picks me up in his pimped out SUV and we’re on the highway. The highways in Indiana are generally two-laned, with the occasional three or four when you get into Indianapolis, while the highways in southern California are always at least 8 lanes with cars flying everywhere. Talk about a nightmare! We finally got off onto the road that would lead us up into the mountains; away from the sun that I had so longed for. Even once I got to camp, I was still pretty warm, but the wind was picking up, and the clouds were moving in. O.K. so the temperature dropped down to like 40 even sometimes 30 throughout the weekend. I can deal with that, I threw on my sweater and was ready to rock. Then I find out on Saturday that “Due to inclement weather, we will be ending conclave on Saturday night.” Inclement weather in southern California?! You have to be kidding me! After I inquire to Alex and Howard (the new Section Adviser) when the sun blaze will be coming, they inform me that a blizzard is approaching, possibly accumulating an inch of snow! I look at them dumbfounded. Really? Really?

Michigan Snow (Near my Cottage)

I suppose you could say that the point I am making is that Southern Californians are wussies, and that their Hollywood lifestyles can’t handle what the rest of the country goes through, but I don’t think that is a politically correct point I am making. Heaven forbid I go during the summer and get sun poisoning and dehydration in my shorts and a t-shirt. As they will contest, if they come up to my cottage during the winter months their fears of frostbite and being snowed in are equivalent. We take these things granted however, knowing how to drive in the snow and knowing how to deal with my climate is something that I assume is universal, not that I have adapted to it throughout my entire life. Tyler Elliot, I now understand why you are cold all the time…

Yours,

Ben

”The woods are lovely dark and deep
and I have promises to keep
and miles to go before I sleep,
and miles to go before I sleep.”

-Robert Frost, “Stopping by woods on a snowy Evening”

*Photo Courtesy of Bob Black via Facebook

Ar-Kansas

I can’t say that I’ve ever been to the deep south. In fact, most would argue that I still have not been to the deep south. Nonetheless this past weekend was a weekend outside of my comfortable bubble. Only in Arkansas could I be completely criticized for the “War of Northern Aggression” and when I made a reference to selling your soul to the devil to learn how to play guitar, every person in the room not only understood the reference to “The Devil Went Down To Georgia,” but they criticized me because the song actually talks about a fiddle.

I started the weekend off by showing up to my 7:50AM class purely so that I would be awake enough by the time I got back from class to drive myself to the airport. Once I sat on the plane I sat next to a guy named Kevin. After exchanging a conversation about where I was going he found out I was with the Boy Scouts. He had been an Eagle Scout and he had been very active in the Order of the Arrow. We started talking about fraternities when I found out that he was a ΤΚΕ. But he wasn’t just any TKE, he was the CEO of the entire fraternity. We talked for the duration of the trip about Scouting and about the professional side of Fraternities. When we got off the plane he had to catch a short connection, and when he found out that I had a layover he let me use his WorldClub Membership. I was able to sit in the lounge chairs with free food and drinks for the entire time J

Once in Damascus, the differences between Suburban Michigan and slightly rural Arkansas became very evident. The buildings, the people, and the lifestyle in general was something that I had never seen in person before. Before you get the impression that I had a horrible time in Arkansas, let me say that I had a great time in Arkansas. Once I was at the camp, I was able to hang out with the guys that were on staff, and shortly after that the participants. It made it very clear to me that regardless of where you are in the US, Arrowmen share a common bond. We were immediately able to strike up conversation about the OA and scouting. It was amazing to see the barriers of different regions break down.For those of you who don’t know, It was Mason Thomas’ birthday the Thursday before NLS. We sang him happy birthday a couple of times and I think he started to have enough of it by the end. All together it was a fun weekend. Mason put on a great show and I think everyone had a great time. Robert Mason was able to put on a great “Riddle of Man” session as well as be a good table guide. Ryan Braddy put the Hoosier’s session in a way that I had never seen before and really helped them get something out of it. James Tarbox, sometimes known as Star Fox, also played a huge role as table guide and trainer, I think that his participants got a lot out of it. Pat Rooney came down from Virginia, and thankfully took some of the slack for being from the “North.” We heard a lot of jokes about the North, and I had a few jokes directly on Michigan, but to be honest it didn’t really offend me too much since I could only understand 50% of what they said. I got to meet a couple of new people too, Bob Sullivan and Scott Robin, who were really good guys and experienced trainers. Dustin Counts was my foreman up in Minnesota, so it was good to see him again. Supposedly I have been ignoring his Facebook messages and Phone Calls, but that is debatable. All in all it was a lot of fun to get some of that “Southern Hospitality.”