This is the third installment in a five-part series about our troop’s trip to Yellowstone in 2019. Here are the first two posts: Part One and Part Two.

Day Three was THE DAY OF GEYSERS and more! Since our trip was cut short a day due to a bird accident, we had to cram in as much as possible which meant getting up at 6am to get moving. This made for some long days, but how many times do you get to go to Yellowstone in your life? And there’s so much to see! Another benefit of getting up so early is that you’ll beat the crowds, especially the ones who are staying outside of the park. It takes a while to drive in to the sights, and you risk getting caught in buffalo traffic. And it’s not like there’s an OPEN sign that you have to wait on, so we got going as soon as we could.

So up we got, ate breakfast in the rooms, and headed first to Biscuit Basin and quickly caught a few geysers and hot springs, including the famous Sapphire Pool, which had a lot of steam coming off of it due to how crisp it was.

Presenting… a GSWAC (Not a Council) Webinar!

National Governance, Opinions No Comments 2020 NCS, governance, national board, national convention, national council

So everything has been canceled this summer. Everything. We were supposed to be in the midst of our service unit’s summer camp right now, but obviously that didn’t happen due to what’s going on. So, what to do? Why, make a webinar of course! Isn’t that what everybody does when they’re bored?

I heard that GSUSA recorded webinars for the 2020 National Council Session proposals, so I figured, well heck, I’ll make one too! So I asked (pleaded) my friend Amy to join me.

So I present to you… The 2020 NCS: Proposals 2 through 4 – I Can’t Go For That (No Can Do) Webinar! Here’s the original blog post that it’s based on which features a more in-depth rationale. This may or may not be one of the dorkiest Girl Scout related things I’ve ever done. I hope you enjoy it because it was a lot of fun to make even though we had two.. three… four takes. Maybe five. I owe Amy a dinner. With dessert. Continue reading

July 14 2020

Alexa?

Random Things That Don't Fit Anywhere Else Kinda Like Me 4 Comments blue book, strongly worded letter

I could have sworn we had some sort of deal with Amazon for Alexa to give a good pitch about Girl Scouts when you asked her about it. Did I imagine this? If we paid for something, we need our money back. Take a listen (and sorry about the dirty bookshelf): Continue reading

July 6 2020

The Signpost Up Ahead

National Governance 3 Comments 2020 NCS, national delegate

“There is a fifth dimension beyond that which is known to man. It is a dimension as vast as space and as timeless as infinity. It is the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition, and it lies between the pit of man’s fears and the summit of his knowledge. This is the dimension of imagination. There’s the signpost up ahead. It is an area which we call…” Continue reading

July 2 2020

The NCS Workbook and Pies

National Governance 6 Comments 2020 NCS, dead horses, girl scout universe, national convention, national council, national delegate, roberts rules

The 2020 National Council Session Workbook has been released! You can download it here: 55th NCS Delegate Workbook

I started to write about its release earlier and tried to make it humorous, but I didn’t get very far. At first I wasn’t sure why, but I think it’s because I felt like this browsing through it:

June 16 2020

GSUSA Launches CircleMeow™ – Powered By Girl Scouts!

National Operations, Random Things That Don't Fit Anywhere Else Kinda Like Me 12 Comments cats, circlearound, gsusa, memes

On the heels of its latest endeavor CircleAround™, Girl Scouts of the USA announced today the launch of CircleMeow™, a media brand and online destination targeted to meet the needs of today’s cat owners. CircleMeow™ is a operated by GS Mew-dia, a wholly owned subsidiary spun off by GSUSA just the other day. Continue reading

June 13 2020

Nerd Alert! A Virtual Parliamentary Procedure Reality?

National Governance, Opinions 12 Comments 2017 NCS, 2020 NCS, democratic process, governance, gsusa, national board, national convention, national council, national delegate, roberts rules, samona

It’s the summer, and I get bored. Idle hands are the devil’s workshop and all that. So I thought, what’s something I’ve been wanting to do for a while now? I’ve been considering becoming a certified parliamentarian for the past few years. Samona says I’d be good at it. At least I think she said that. But who knows – it could lead to some sort of side job! Last year, I did look into how to become certified and even took a practice test, but maybe this is a good time to revisit it.

Yeah, I know it wouldn’t look this way, but that’d be kinda cool.

So while I was gathering up study materials, I thought back to the reasoning given by the National Board denying two potential proposals allowing for electronic NCS meetings submitted by councils for the 2020 NCS. The rationale was based on the opinions of two parliamentarians that GSUSA hired and can be found in a National Board memo released at the same time as the Early Alert back in February. You can read the board’s response in this previous blog post where I thought the NCS would be postponed.

I’m not sure what made the National Board do a 180 and decide it’s now possible to have the NCS virtually, but the questions it raised in its denial still have to be answered. I still wonder about the legality of the decision, but that’s another discussion entirely. Regardless, I would really like to know how parliamentary procedure will be pulled off in a fair and correct manner. Continue reading

June 3 2020

NEW! Adult Achievement Patches

Random Things That Don't Fit Anywhere Else Kinda Like Me 11 Comments gsusa, patches, strongly worded letter, volunteers

So about this time last year, GSUSA debuted…

THE OFFICIAL ADULT VEST!

There was much rejoicing! And much grousing about the fit and the collar, but I digress. Continue reading

May 29 2020

A Rabbit Hole, a NCS Workbook, and a Membership Dues Timeline Rebuttal

National Governance, Opinions No Comments 2017 NCS, 2020 NCS, democratic process, farthest north council, governance, gsusa, membership dues, national board, national council, national delegate

This blog post is an accompaniment to The 2020 NCS: Proposals 2 through 4 – I Can’t Go For That (No Can Do) and covers the timeline about membership dues that is presented in the 2020 National Council Session Early Alert and the 55th NCS Delegate Workbook. It doesn’t matter what order you read them in, but I do suggest you read both at some point.

Also, I would like to state for the record that I DO NOT represent my council’s views or delegation. I am not a National Delegate. I am speaking only for myself and expressing my own personal views.

“Curiouser and curiouser!” cried Alice.

May 29 2020

The 2020 NCS: Proposals 2 through 4 – I Can’t Go For That (No Can Do)

National Governance, Opinions 6 Comments 2017 NCS, 2020 NCS, councils, democratic process, farthest north council, governance, gsusa, membership dues, national board, national council, national delegate, volunteers

Before I begin, I would like to state for the record that I DO NOT represent my council’s views or delegation. I am not a National Delegate. I am speaking only for myself and expressing my own personal views. And even if you’re not a National Delegate, you might find this blog post informative as this membership dues issue hits everybody in the wallet!

Also, this debate is NOT about the current amount of membership dues. I, too, believe $25 is a great deal. But this is about WHO has authority over membership dues in the future.

Addendum 7/24/20: Want to see this blog post in webinar format?

The 2020 National Council Session (NCS) is coming up later this year, and as expected, authority over membership dues is at the forefront with a total of not one, not two, but THREE proposals about it! And there’s a fourth proposal about lifetime dues as the cherry on top. This drama has been playing out since 2008, and finally (hopefully!) – it’s being settled where it should have been heard in the first place – and that’s the National Council Session. When it comes to all of this, I believe it’s especially important to know the background to what’s gone on the past 12 years because there’s more than meets the eye at first glance. There’s another blog post that goes hand in hand with this one called A Rabbit Hole, a NCS Workbook, and a Membership Dues Timeline Rebuttal, and it’s a response to the timeline GSUSA and the National Board present in the NCS Early Alert (EA) and the NCS Delegate Workbook (WB). I don’t think it matters which one you read first as long as you read both of them at some point. Continue reading