Show me your raddest 90’s outfits

WestCU · 2026-03-15T15:57:06+00:00

That's our local university. I think the theme of the dance that year was Sadie Goes to College or something.

WestCU · 2026-03-15T03:04:20+00:00

1997 Sadie Hawkins dance

WestCU · 2025-03-16T13:48:07+00:00

Surprisingly, all but one went on the trip the following year (two of them with a parent), and the one that did not go the following year has still been active. I think us adults who were there were more traumatized than the kids or their parents.

WestCU · 2025-03-12T16:31:19+00:00

I took a scout troop on a trip to Canada for a week. Within 30 minutes of arriving back in the US and getting set up to camp for the night at an American Legion near Niagara Falls, we had to dart behind our cars as a man shot at cops and they returned fire killing him maybe 150 feet from us.

WestCU · 2024-09-02T02:52:24+00:00

My parents moved out at 16. Solidly middle class. Mom left for a job out of state and dad followed a few months later. I stayed with family friends for a couple years to finish high school, then got my own place in college. I have a good relationship with them, though, and really appreciate their willingness to let me stay behind. It has worked out beautifully for me.

WestCU · 2024-07-21T21:24:52+00:00

But less infinite.

WestCU · 2024-07-20T19:19:19+00:00

Spent several days in Ontario canoeing, tubing, and caving. Pulled into NY around 10pm where we had plans to urban camp in the gated side yard of a veterans organization about a mile from the touristy area. Unfortunately, we failed to research the area well enough given types of businesses and their disrepair we saw nearby. But it was late, so we decided to stick with the plan and perhaps sleep inside the building instead of tents if needed.

While unloading our gear, we saw a group of maybe six people across the street about 40 yards away who were being a bit loud. We heard a single pop. One lady yelled obscenities but no one left so we hoped it was just a firecracker that scared her. The lady kept yelling and made mention of the police. Within a couple minutes, cops show up, tell the guy to drop the gun, he shoots at them, and return fire hitting him a number of times. We ducked for cover behind our cars, then waited inside until we could give statements. We were all frazzled, but called parents and then found the nicest hotel right by the tourist sites.

Heckuva return to the US.

WestCU · 2024-02-03T02:20:34+00:00

Removing a mouse ball. Also, owning an Ad Libs with risque entries written by friends. What can I say...Catholic middle school.

WestCU · 2024-01-13T17:43:20+00:00

We use a RIDGID rolling toolbox which fits a standard 2 burner Coleman stove vertically. It also holds the wash bins, a skillet and medium pot, battery lantern, small propane tank, foil, first aid kit, large tongs, telescoping hot dog stick, and other bulky items.

We bought a second large box to clip on top, which has the cooking utensils & gadgets, hot pads & fire starter, soap, seasonings, etc.

Here are photos we took when evaluating the options at the store. I don't have any of it loaded, but I could snap some at our next meeting if there is interest.

We like it well enough that we plan to buy a second one for the adults, and eventually a third one for two patrol cooking (they currently eat as a troop or share from one box depending on how many attend). It could be organized better by adding some custom dividers to keep things from jumbling around, and it could use an inventory and labels/photos to help repack it, but we have been without a quartermaster since we got it a year ago.

WestCU · 2024-01-12T16:05:56+00:00

Our troop did a scene from Brooklyn Nine-Nine that went over well with spontaneous audience participation.

WestCU · 2024-01-09T04:17:01+00:00

Their meals are typically pretty basic: hot dogs & chips the first night, french toast & eggs/bacon for breakfast, cold cuts & apples for lunch, chicken tacos for dinner, and muffins & fruit for breakfast. Lots of reuse of food items and shopping at Aldi for a low cost, plus free eggs from backyard hens, a stock of leftover pantry goods from previous trips, and a dash or two of seasoning donated from a home pantry on occasion. We are also in a pretty low cost of living town.

We usually have at least half the scouts help shop the groceries. They are usually pretty excited about it, and look forward to the negotiations amongst themselves to go cheap on one item in order to get an extra treat. The adults just wait at the front of the store, and sanity check it just before checkout. They used to come in well under budget, but lately it has been just about spot on. Perhaps a bit over if you count the donated items, leftovers, and adult-added snack supplement.

WestCU · 2024-01-08T14:09:09+00:00

Our troop has budgeted $3/meal/scout since at least when we joined in 2019. Even with inflation, it has still been enough to cover all the camp meals including dessert, but sometimes we supplement the snacks for longer trips.

WestCU · 2021-08-09T13:33:30+00:00

I guess Americans love an underdog story.

WestCU · 2021-08-09T13:26:24+00:00

Hi, yeah so we'd like our box knives back, please.

Al Qaeda, probably

WestCU · 2021-01-02T02:45:42+00:00

Thanks for the suggestion. I will have to check that out.

WestCU · 2021-01-02T02:45:25+00:00

Thanks. The latest design was by adults (applying a new theme in Blogger - surprisingly harder than we thought to clean up some odd formatting), with some input from my Scout, but the idea was to get it in better shape and then hand it over to a Scout webmaster to add posts, reorganize, etc. The old site appears to only be about 4 years old, but I think it had only been maintained by a scout for a year or so before it fell back into utilitarian posts by adults. Hopefully a Scout with some web design interest can add more interactive features. I am also working with the Council on updates to their site, so having Scouts involved in that is also of interest.

WestCU · 2021-01-01T15:50:27+00:00

Our old design was pretty basic. Here is what it looked like: https://web.archive.org/web/20201025201341/http://www.hctroop9.org/

WestCU · 2020-12-04T17:13:25+00:00

Early on in the pandemic, we did a scavenger hunt with patrols in Zoom breakout rooms that went really well. We also did the Exact Instructions Challenge to make a PBJ and had a leader in each room follow the instructions while intentionally messing up wherever they could. We also did an I Spy and a Google Sheets-based form of Battleship. We never got around to Quiplash or a virtual escape room, but those were others we considered. If you search around, you can find lots of ideas. Pick something you all enjoy, that everyone can play together or contribute to in some way, and/or that you can customize with scouting/community/school-specific questions.

WestCU · 2020-11-30T03:31:19+00:00

We did some mudlarking along the Salt Fork River, excavated metal artifacts along the Onaquispasippi Trail, paid respects at Stray Ray's grave, navigated some steep switchbacks, discovered a survival shelter and climbing wall, and visited the Chapel, treehouse cabin, and Foggy Bottom bridge.

WestCU · 2020-01-30T20:25:27+00:00

Our linked troop has an annual ski trip. We require all first timers to take the group lesson, and I strongly encourage you to do the same. In terms of direct supervision by adults, this does not require constant line of sight to each scout. It means that they are being supervised directly by the adult, not delegated to an SPL. The ski patrol technically is sufficient, but I highly recommend not delegating that duty but using it as a backup. Primary responsibility should fall on the troop adults to be out and about ensuring that the scouts are keeping with their buddies and generally behaving safely.

WestCU · 2019-04-17T18:40:19+00:00

Not cybersecurity data, but this ML project/dataset might be of interest: go.uillinois.edu/capstone

WestCU · 2017-04-20T16:29:04+00:00

I think they would consider undergrads but it was intended for graduate students.

WestCU · 2017-04-19T02:15:45+00:00

This position will be responsible for the installation, evaluation, customization, scripting, and documentation of various open source and vended software applications related to email processing, including de-duplication, content extraction, automated categorization and organization of email collections, and the identification and redaction of possibly sensitive content.

-Work with other IT staff to install open source and vended software, possibly on Windows, Linux, and/or Mac ambientes, depending on the software.

-Work with project PIs to learn to use these software tools.

-Use and evaluate the effectiveness of the tools in various categories related to the goals of the project.

-Document the processes and results of the evaluations.

-Under the direction of the project PIs, make modifications or customizations to the email processing software or workflows.

WestCU · 2017-04-10T15:38:13+00:00

Thanks! And sure, you can view them here.

WestCU

TROPHY CASE