Look, an Eagle Scout. It must be time to buy cookies again

So we received a flyer at our door asking for school supply donations for an Eagle Scout project. The project is to collect, pack, and hand out backpacks with school supplies to kids of deployed solders. While this is a nice idea, I am struggling with how this is worthy of an Eagle Scout project. At the beginning of every school year, there are collections and supply drives for students in need at almost every store. I am sure that some families of solders are struggling financially, but I am sure their emotional struggle is much harder. Why not organize an after school project for these kids where they can make something nice to send to their parent? Teach them some of the skills that you have learned as a scout.

When I was in scouting, had I presented this idea (which I would not have) to the troop committee, I most likely would have been told, "Thank you, try again". An Eagle Scout project should be an exercise in planning, leadership, and execution. However, it should also be a showcase for what you have learned and paying it forward. I am not saying that this is not a good cause. However, what does this show the community that scouting has taught you. If you ask a room full of random people to do something "nice", I would bet one would say collect supplies for kids. This does not make them an Eagle Scout.

I greatly enjoyed my time in scouting. We had a good group. Within the group, there was a core group of guys and then there were the other guys. The core group were fun, interested in learning and committed to the scouting fundamentals. We would joke that John, one of the core guys, could build a shopping mall with a toothpick and a piece of rope. The other guys were there either because their parents wanted them involved, they had friends in the troop or needed to make friends, or simply needed something to do. These guys did not take scouting seriously and would be the first ones to complain if they were being pushed too hard. Within the core group, a few of us went all the way to Eagle Scout. We are all very proud of this. I take pride in the journey, the hard work that went into it, and the accomplishment.

To me, this project screams, "I want to do something easy so that I can hurry up and finish". A disservice is being done to these boys as they will someday learn the reward is in the journey not a bullet point on your resume.

Can I return this coffee? It did not wake me up.

WOW! Recently, I feel that I am always tired and I think it is starting to effect my mood. Coffee, a full night sleep, and R singing her list of dance party songs are not helping. Now granted, R singing "party rocking in the house tonight" or "I'm sexy 'when' I know it" is both very funny and a bit concerning, however it is not helping my feeling of being tired. I am not quite sure what is going on. I do not feel sick, I am not exercising any more than normal, and my to-do list is not getting to-done. My thought is that maybe I am not eating enough.


I have never had big food cravings. For the longest time my breakfast would consist of just coffee. If I ate lunch, I would eat a cold cut sandwich from home with maybe a side of something in the fridge. I would be starving by dinner and over eat with a few beers. This would leave me feeling bloated and still tired.

I have been eating lunch and breakfast consistently over the last few months, however I know that I am not eating enough of the right foods. I found a few calculators that estimated I should be eating between 2,400 and 2,700 calories per day. By my rough estimate, I have been in the 1,700 range during the week, with 50% of that at dinner. Looking at the numbers, it is no wonder why I feel tired and run down. So starting tomorrow morning, the plan is to eat 2,400 "good" calories spread throughout the day. We will see how that goes.

As for R, I think she may be on to something. I mean, when was the last time you heard "I throw my hands up in the air sometimes, singing aaaa-oooo" followed immediately by jingle bells? It takes a pro to mix those songs!