My Weekly Rant !!

July 16th '00

Well how surprising is this, a new Rant almost a week after a previous Rant, but don't get used to it as I doubt it will continue to happen. But this week I am going to talk about my experiences as a Boy Scout "escort".
So first things first, my job, should I choose to accept it (I have accepted it, I was 'volunteered') is to be a person helping to look after 12 boy scouts, aged between 9 and 10 years old on an overnight camp from Sunday until Thursday. And the name 'escort' was given to us, as I guess we are only supposed to 'escort' them around camp as they have councellors to deal with everything else, so at least now you know I was not prostituting out the kids.
So we arrived and the first thing I saw was Bridgette who worked at the camp last year when I helped with day camp. So off to a good start. The tents, well they were tents, I am sure everyone has seen one, we had 'cots', which resemble nothing like what a baby sleeps in but looks more like a prison bed and a tiny mattress, but fortunately we had air mattresses. I know not exactly in the spirit of 'slumming' it in the great out doors but nice and comfortable.
Then comes setting up the bug nets so as to prevent being eaten alive whilst sleeping. These bug nets are so flimsy, if anyone ever invents a steel mesh one I will be first in line. My bug net came out with a few minor holes, cunningly repaired with mass amounts of duck tape. Brendan's bug net, due to his ability to thrash around at night and fall out of bed, managed about 2 hours before we were forced to reconsider it and alter its appearence (ie I did the best I could and covered his head with it).
But this isn't all, as with all the great out doors, the toilets are wooden little shacks with holes in the floor and the showers, well the showers are not that bad. They were nice and warm, and it was fun being able to shower and see the sky, so no complaints there.
And the kids. We had 12 kids in our troop, and I think we had fun, we got to shoot BB guns, swim in the lake, fire arrows in archery and one night we even got to sleep out in the wooden fort which was fun, even though the kids sleeping upstairs were extremely noisy !! But hey thats what kids do right ?? We got up early, heck Monday morning we had a game of dodgeball at 7am, where else can you claim to have done such a thing. We also stayed up late and had little camp fires, the final one turning into quite a party with marshmellows and pretzels on the menu.
And we ladsted the 5 days. A few bug bites, blisters a plenty (no one wanted to wear socks after swimming and a few minor cuts and bruises, but we lasted. And it was fun. OK so the kids were dirty when we handed them back over to their parents (I don't know how, we made them shower, even Brian who refused to use the showers so I had to give hima cold hose pipe shower) and the amount of bug spray used could have probably protected a small continent, but we lasted and it was fun doing it.
And now, well now I am going to do it all again. Well almost, Brendan has day camp, so similar to overnight camp, but without the overnight aspect. But I get to hang out with all the camp councellors again, listen to the kids wonderful songs (including Father Abraham and his 7 kids, The Pizza Hut Song, The Crazy Crocodile song and who can forget the song that was sung throughout the entire week, the Darren and Bridgette song (kids huh ??)) but it will be fun as always and hey, might even invoke another Rant !!

Darren