December 9 2017

VTK and You: The Final Countdown (not really)

National Operations    2 Comments    , , , ,

Fooled ya.

I originally called this episode VTK and You:  The Final Countdown fully intending for it to be the last one in the series.  But more things came up for me to test while recording this one, plus a few volunteers from my council asked me to test out issues they are having as well.  So one more!  Right?  Just one!  And because I’m apparently a masochist, I’m going to go back to my previous posts and summarize what I cover during the videos just to be more specific and possibly help out some poor soul who randomly stumbles across these VTK blog posts.  Once again, I start poking around a topic thinking it’ll be something I can knock out pretty quickly only for it to turn into a long, drawn-out ordeal.  But I must push forward! Continue reading

December 6 2017

VTK and You: Here I Go Again

National Operations    No Comments    , , , , , ,

This is the third installment of the VTK and You video series with this one called VTK and You:  Here I Go Again.  The Whitesnake version.  But I can’t get my hair to look like those guys.  I bet hairspray companies made a fortune in the 80s!  Well, I’m not going to write a lot before posting the video because I’ve pretty much covered all the prefaces and what-nots in the last two.  But here they are again in case you’re reading this out of order:

  1. These are not “how to” videos at all.  If they help, great!  But that’s not the purpose of them.
  2. I do NOT represent my council’s viewpoints so please do not take it as such.  I’m just a regular ole Brownie & Cadette leader trying to navigate her way through the VTK jungle.
  3. It is NOT my intent to bash VTK.  I actually think it has potential, but there’s a lot of work that needs to be done.
  4. I have a background in IT and have worked with developers to roll out applications, so I will be looking at it from that standpoint as well.
  5. I’m just trying to help. 😉

Continue reading

December 5 2017

VTK and You: We’ve Only Just Begun

National Operations    3 Comments    , , , , , , ,

This is the second in a series of videos about Volunteer Tool Kit (VTK) and my attempt at using it and offering suggestions on how to fix and improve it.  It’s not necessary to watch the first video, but here it is if you’re interested.  I’m not sure how many of them there will be in total.  Probably until I feel like I’ve covered enough of what I think should be fixed, modified, or improved.  Or I get bored.  Or YouTube cries, “Uncle!”

I’ll let the videos speak for themselves, but here’s the rundown that you should know before watching:

  1. These are not “how to” videos at all.  If they help, great!  But that’s not the purpose of them.
  2. I do NOT represent my council’s viewpoints so please do not take it as such.  I’m just a regular ole Brownie & Cadette leader trying to navigate her way through the VTK jungle.
  3. It is NOT my intent to bash VTK.  I actually think it has potential, but there’s a lot of work that needs to be done.
  4. I have a background in IT and have worked with developers to roll out applications, so I will be looking at it from that standpoint as well.
  5. I’m just trying to help. 😉

Continue reading

December 4 2017

VTK and You: The Saga Begins (A Video Series)

National Operations    6 Comments    , , , , , , ,

I knew that at some point I wanted to do a series about Volunteer Toolkit (aka VTK) when our council finally got it.  I realize it’s been three years since it launched so I’m way behind the curve, but I couldn’t do anything about it since our council was one of the last ones to come onboard.  Originally I was going to put together a list of what doesn’t work and how it could be improved.  But after thinking through this approach, I realized it would be more effective if I just recorded me attempting to use VTK than to try to document every little quirk and bug.  Continue reading

November 26 2017

R.I.P. Daisy Brown

Random Things That Don't Fit Anywhere Else Kinda Like Me    8 Comments    ,

I am utterly devastated.  If you’ve followed this blog for a period of time, you’ll know that last year we added three kittens named Penny, Scout, and Daisy to our family after our longtime family members Athena and Orion passed away.  Unfortunately, Daisy passed away suddenly this morning due to what was probably a heart defect.  She was much smaller than Scout and Penny but more than made up for it in spunk.  Her purr was twice as loud as Penny and Scout’s.  She was the first out of the carrier when we originally brought them home – and she didn’t just slowly ease out – she burst onto the scene!  Continue reading

November 19 2017

Oct 2016 – Sept 2017 Hours Tally

Experiences as a Leader    No Comments    , , , , , , ,

Salvador Dalí sums things up pretty well.

In a continuance from my earlier October to May 2017 Hours Tally post from earlier this year, here’s the FINAL numbers for the 2016-2017 year (Oct 1, 2016 – Sept 30, 2017).   As I’ve done in past posts, I calculated time based on these categories, which was the same as last year, except I included a late arriving National Delegate category:

  • Troop
    • Trips, Events, Cookie Booths
    • Paperwork and Planning
    • Meetings
  • Service Unit
  • Delegate (SU)
  • National Delegate
  • City Slickers (our service unit’s summer camp)
  • Other (Scout Sunday related and random meetings)

Continue reading

October 31 2017

Proof of J-Low and a Letter from Rudyard Kipling

Random Things That Don't Fit Anywhere Else Kinda Like Me    3 Comments    ,

Happy Halloween and Happy Birthday to Juliette Gordon Low, or as I affectionately call her, The Original J-Low.  I was once admonished in a comment about how disrespectful I was to refer to her as J-Low instead of Daisy.  Well, I have proof that she even referred to herself as J-Low!  I once highlighted the The Juliette Gordon Low Papers Collection from the Digital Library of Georgia in a previous post, so I’d like to refer back to it for a glimpse at how she signed some of her letters:  Continue reading

October 28 2017

Rename the Savannah Bridge!

Random Things That Don't Fit Anywhere Else Kinda Like Me    No Comments    , ,

There was a display in the Hall of Experiences at the G.I.R.L. 2017 Convention about renaming the Savannah River bridge in Savannah, GA to the Juliette Gordon Low bridge.  They had an enormous banner that everybody could sign, plus they had laptop stations set up if you wanted to electronically (and OFFICIALLY) sign the online petition.  And then you got a G.I.R.L. Agenda pin!

Here’s the link to the petition:

https://www.girlscouts.org/en/about-girl-scouts/advocacy/the-girl-scout-advocacy-network/sign-a-petition-to-name-the-savannah-bridge.html

Update 3/6/18:  It looks like Georgia lawmakers are backing away from the “Low” Bridge due to the name “low.”

October 26 2017

2017 National Convention: What a Long Strange Trip It’s Been

National Governance    2 Comments    , , , , ,

The OFFICIAL G.I.R.L. Convention patch!

Whew.  I’ve already covered what happened during the 2017 National Council Session, so here’s my experience with the rest of it!  This was my first convention, so going into it, I had no idea what to expect.  It was definitely sensory overload, but a good kind.  Like going into Willy Wonka’s factory but it was all Girl Scout related.  But there were no oompa loompas.  Or Everlasting Gobstoppers.  OK, maybe it was nothing like Willy Wonka’s factory.  Nevermind.  I’m really not sure what to equate it to.  But can I just say OFFICIAL Scarfapalooza??  I’ve never seen so many in one place!  Anyway, here’s a few highlights!  Continue reading

October 11 2017

2017 National Council Session Wrap Up: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

National Governance    8 Comments    , , , , , , , , , ,

I walked in the door from the 2017 National Council Session and Convention a little after midnight Sunday night, and it will probably take me a number of days to recover.  Things are still a blur.  Plus I’m old.  😉

At first, I had planned on combining both my convention and session experience in one post, but I realized they each need to stand alone.  I was also going to let a week or so pass in order to let things settle in my mind.  However, I believe I need to at the very least get the business out the way first so that my recollections are as fresh as possible.  Feel free in the comment section to add to this commentary or correct any mistakes you come across.  Continue reading