Whatever: I wasn't hibernating...

Okay, I realize that I was gone for... 16 days. I apologize. Sorta.

So it wasn't too bad being at Scout camp in 100+ degrees for 3 days then 80 degrees for 7 more. Not as bad as I thought It would be.

First, I went on a 12 hour bus ride overnight that I got exactly 0 sleep on. Bad. (FYI my parents, sister and I made the SAME trip back in about 9 hrs. hhmmmmm.) At least I could read, Right? Nope. The lights on our side were shorted until 15 min before we left the bus. Then they worked just fine.

So I arrive in Washington DC with no sleep. OK. Then I have to tell my troop a bunch of crap about the monuments. The first one we went to was the Capitol. Unfortunately, to get into the post-9/11 capitol, you have to wait in line at 8:30 am for half an hour. OK. the we saw some others and came back about noon for a lame tour that All the info was on Wikipedia. Probably pics of it all too. We did some more stuff that day, which was fne and went to our hotel. Day finished after I searched on CNN for half an hour for the biggest sports story of July (Which was NOT on ESPN. Confusing.) ( In case you live in a cave, no offense, I'm talking about Lance wining 7 straight Tour de Frances)

Next day. Same type of thing except I got sleep and we waited for the Washington Monument this time. Then towards the end of the day, we went to the National Cathedral. It got interesting. We searched for the Darth Vader gargoyle on the National Cathedral (Yes, It's there!) for half an hour. OK, we found it and were happy. We went to a Chipotle-style restaurant for dinner. OK. Then we had the problem of 10 guys needing to use the restroom at the same time. a one person restroom. So we shoved some guys into the women's restroom (One at a time, Stupid)(Yes, I have their names.). Anyway, we decide to wait for our bus in a nearby park. OK. Unfortunately, these guys are Homophobes. And seriously. We discover that this isn’t the straightest part of town. Mostly after laughing at some hobo, they discovered the G.L.L.U. Guess what it stands for. Gay & Lesbian Liaison Unit. It is sad how 30 boy scouts can't deal with the fact that Gay people exist. They are either cracking up, or terrified.*

Anyway, after a crack comment involving Butt plugs from our Assistant Scoutmaster, we went on a night tour. OK. We first went to the FDR memorial, which is really cool. Besides the fact that FDR was awesome, the memorial is really well laid out. There are 5 outdoor "rooms" 4 for each term, and then just a fifth one to kinda finish. There is a cool theme of waterfalls. Fortunately, This appeared to be a popular hangout for 16 year old girls. Ok, maybe the occasional boy friend. Most of our troop is 15-17. A large (6-7?) group of girls approached us, and wanted a picture with us. Guys are freaking out. Not literally, but they are happy. We aren't going to see any females for the next week at least, so they start chatting it up. Pretty soon, there were two groups of girls following us. Hhmmmm.

I actually forgot that the tour started with the White House. FUN. Well, as Scott, Eric, Cory, and Asif know(and hopefully the rest of you), There are snipers and other Secret service men on the roof of the White House. We are kinda hanging out near the fence by Pennsylvania Avenue, when I decide to wave. There was a guy standing on top of the freaking building! He looked like he was NOT going to wave back, but anyway I had about 6 other people waving. I swear, I was in somebody’s crosshairs, because as soon as other people start waving. The guy walks into this little room. More silhouettes appear in the room (besides him and the guy in there already). I think waving at the White House is some kind of Federal offense, or a possible threat to National security. Something was wrong with waving. Protestors are OK, but not waving.

Anyway, the next day we actually left to the Jamboree. I was in a half-sleep, half-stupor on the way to Jamboree. We had waken up at 4:30! After one of the worst experiences I have ever had setting up a camp, we were done. Think 103 heat index, humid, and a bright sun plus actually working pretty hard. Not to mention going into a sweltering tent put up five minutes before to find, loosen and slide this stupid ring. At least I can tie a taut-line. Maybe.

The next week was a party. Besides the heat. I hung out with this one guy from Sycamore, and we just talked about Music non-stop while giving MPs, Scoutmasters and various people high fives. It was sweet.

As you may know, Bush came to the Jamboree. I was respectful, when I could see him. I swear to god, from 20 feet through bulletproof glass, he looks just like caricatures describe him. Not the smartest looking guy. He didn't really say anything except really lame jokes. I mean BAD. My dad’s are better. Those are groaners. If it wasn’t the president, it would have been silent. No one in our troop laughed. Except maybe the Cowens. They don’t count.

Not surprisingly, our scoutmaster is a die-hard creationist. We had a survey in our Troop for sect of Christianity/Religion. One guy claimed he wasn’t atheist, but didn’t hold a specific belief, kinda everything at once. When told this, Gary replies, “He can’t believe in evolution can he?” I was a little stunned. the Creationist view didn’t stun me, after all, he is a Kentucky Baptist priest. The my-way-or-the-highway view stunned me. A Scoutmaster really should be accepting. Even if he holds a completely different view. I may disagree, but I can understand you holding a view. Even if I think it wrong. I am NOT going to bring up Darwin near Gary. I enjoy life as I know it.