From Boy To Man To Mason

June meetings are always interesting as you never know what the turnout will be like and what motions will be made before the summer break. It is also a time when I have to make sure that everything is up to date so that nothing gets delayed until September. However, the last meeting before the summer break this year was a little bit different and a welcomed change from the previous years. Attendance was average, motions were minimal, and I was able to get everything off of my desk. But that wasn’t the best part of the night.

While we previously held this large gathering a bit earlier in the year, this time around the last meeting before the summer vacation was Scout Night. Not only is it a great opportunity to see the lodge room filled with so many people (masons, parents, and scouts of all ages) but the engagement between many of the people in attendance is great to see. Contract to what many people think, there is a tremendous masonic influence on the foundation of scouting in the United States and bringing all of us together is a tremendous opportunity to share a little bit about each of our respective organizations.

Further, there are a lot of masons (many of which are serving as officers) who were members of the scouts when growing up. Correction, there are many masons who are scouts as it is something that never leaves them. Of those brothers, quite a few have continued their involvement with scouting while adults whether through guiding their own sons or serving as a mentor for a pack or troop. It was particularly interesting to hear a few of those brothers explain what scouting meant to them growing up and how freemasonry has served to continue those principles and comradery that shaped their lives early on.

By the time the evening came to an end, there was a great atmosphere that was magnified by the evening and the conversations which stemmed from the presentations were fascinating to hear. And with a clean slate for the summer, I was eager to join those remaining in the lodge and enjoy the tremendous success that we have all experienced thus far in the first half of the year. While by no means perfect, I hope that the many achievements that we have fostered over the last several months continue to be a part of our new routine rather than simply a small fortunate period of success.

The program served as a great way to enter into the sweltering months and it should carry over into the fall as we look to complete another fantastically smooth year. And with all of the required tasks completed before the weather turns, we are in a great position to initiate some other projects that have been lagging behind for some time now. The lodge may be dark for two months but the light within remains bright and continues to grow brighter with every passing week.

Pulling Papers Together

 

When my wife and I decided to resume our house hunt this summer I knew that, at some point, I was going to have to spend a fairly significant amount of time in my office pulling all the documents together needed to apply for a mortgage. While the prequalification process was relatively painless and pretty straightforward the subsequent list of items needed seemed a little daunting when I first read through them in my email. There was nothing out of the ordinary and it could have been really quick had I been up to date with all my filing and organization but that certainly was not the case.

Following my conversation with the bank to get prequalified, I received the following list of items needed for underwriting:

1.)    Copies of drivers licenses and copy of a credit card (for ID purposes)

2.)    Copies of W2s from 2013 and 2014

3.)    Copies of full federal tax returns (form 1040) from 2013 and 2014

4.)    Copies of pay stubs from the most recent 30 days – (last 2 pay stubs if you are paid bi-weekly)

5.)    Copies of bank/investment account statement covering the most recent 2 months (most recent quarter for quarterly statement) – please include every page of the statement even if it is blank

6.)    Copy of fully executed agreement of sale (when available)

7.)    Copy of will and death decree to document inheritance

Again, not a problem if everything were neatly filed away and labeled. It took some time and a lot of patience but I was finally able to get everything ready to go. It was a time consuming process and one that could have probably been put off for a while but I wanted to be able to get things moving rather quickly as soon as we found our home.  

Of course, while pulling all of these items together I could help but think to myself that I should probably just put aside all the items I need to finally file our taxes this fall. There is a heck of a lot of overlap in the two lists and this mortgage process would be the perfect impetus for starting that tax file. And I do mean start as our taxes are an annual pain in the rear consisting of hundreds of pages of supporting documentation for the purpose of itemizing all our deductions. The mortgage underwriting documents are done but the tax documents still have a long way to go. Thankfully, I have a really comfortable office chair and my files are now in better change then they have been in months. I just hope I don’t have to break out the check book again!

Back To The Office (Eventually)

While the worst part about traveling for business is being away from my family, running in a close second is the pile of work that needs to be done once I get back to the office. It really doesn’t matter if it is a day or a week, there is going to be a mountain of things that need to be taken care of once you walk into work. This is also true when taking time off (see the posts from last month about the birth of my son) but to a much lesser extent… I have been working all week but there are still things that I have yet to get done.

Of course, it didn’t help this morning that was working from home. We had rescheduled our son’s doctor appointment for later in the morning and I wanted to make sure that I was present for the checkup. We had originally scheduled the visit for 10:50. A few days ago it was bumped up to 10:40 which I wasn’t complaining about. So we arrived right on time (it helps that the office is only a couple blocks away) and we waited. This was followed by more waiting. And additional wait ensued after that until we were finally brought back to the examining room about 45 or 50 minutes after our scheduled appointment time.

Everything went well and our baby boy is growing as health but not happy after another shot and being stuck at the doctor’s office for over an hour. I should mention that throughout this whole morning, including the time in the waiting room, I was fielding calls from work and lodge trying to keep everyone calm and projects moving along as scheduled. As soon as we got home I had to immediately grab my work bag, turn around, and head to the office.

It was nice getting back on the road and at my desk for the rest of the day. That feeling lasted about as long as it took to get my computer back up and running and seeing all the emails updating to my account. I had seen the number of correspondences from my phone but now I took a closer look and saw that they all required my attention and were not just CC’s or updates that I can put off for a little while. A long afternoon followed a long morning but, thankfully, many of the things that I had been dreading seeing on my desk never showed up. I am still trying to catch up and probably will throughout the weekend but there was good progress made despite the chaos and delays of the day.  

A Little Lodge Surprise

 Having received the email earlier in the morning, I was sitting at the kitchen table yesterday continuing to work on a variety of pressing projects while rummaging through the overflow of papers that had taken over my work bag. In the middle of all this I was going back and forth on my lode email trying to determine whether or not we would still be having fellowship during this cold and windy night. As the afternoon continued, it seemed less and less likely that I would be joined by my fellow brothers… it looked as though it was going to be a quick evening.

With no real anticipation of being joined in Ardmore that night, I took my time finishing up a few things, packing my bag, and heading out the door. While I would normally arrive after work around 7, last night I turned the corner about thirty minutes later than usual and noticed something surprising… all the lights were on. After checking the mailbox across the street I walked through the main doors only to find a first floor void of any activity. Without a second thought I made my way up the stairs and found the lodge room door wide open and a few muffled instructions coming from within.

I entered the room only to find that I had become the longest standing member of the lodge in this small but dedicated group of 6 brothers. I think that might have been the first time that I had experienced that and it was a bit of an odd feeling. They were all there to learn some of the roles during the degree work going step by step lead by a brother raised only 5 months prior. Impressive leadership to say the least.

With things well under control I walked to the front of the room, pulled out the mail and the ledger, and took care of a few of the items that I had just retrieved from the post office. Once those few items were taken care of, it was time to pull out the computer (another odd feeling for me sitting at desk in the lodge room) and get some other work done that I had been putting off all day. Basically all the items that are without deadlines but should be taken care of as soon as I have a free moment or two.

Even while working I was still able to look out over the screen and check on the progress of our new brothers. Occasionally a question would be cast in my direction and, to my surprise, I was able to respond rather quickly. I guess I have absorbed more than I realized over the past couple of years.

The night came to an end around the usual time and we all made our way back out into the frigid weather. Some of us heading home to family while others taking the time to grab some dinner before getting on the road. However, we all left knowing that we would see each other again the following week which is a welcomed change from just a year ago.

Firearms Friday: We All Need A Good Work Bench

For the last few years, while my wife were living in an apartment packed from end to end, top to bottom, I had to have my desk serve double duty as my work bench as well. It was always a process and a project just to get things started as everything needed to be cleaned off from the usual work day so that I could pull out the work mat and attach the vice to the side. Once that was all done, it didn’t really leave much time to get things done. Of course, having the office next to the bedroom didn’t allow for any work getting done beyond cleaning at night either.

Now, in our spacious new place, for the first time I am able to set up a dedicated work bench (from Home Depot) in the basement, two floors away from the bedrooms. In a different part of the space I have my desk set up solely dedicated to writing, filing, emailing, and other work on the computer. Finally, each of my passions have areas designated for each. While I will maintain an organized space, there is no more clearing off and hiding away electronics, papers, tools, parts, and cleaning supplies. Everything can be left out, set in their designated spaces.

Just having each of these areas divided in the basement, I feel as though I have more time to do what I enjoy and the small projects that I want to get done are accomplished much faster leaving me with more time to spend with my wife. Everything is easily accessible. Still locked away but a simple matter of security that is still much faster than the previously lengthy process of shifting purposes for a single work space.

This new workbench will also impact my work as it will allow me to bring new content to this blog. Reviews of firearms, equipment, and parts can now be achieved now that I have a work area dedicated to those projects. I can also now take on minor cleaning, repairing, and upgrading projects that will not only provide additional content but will allow me to better educate myself on different processes and systems. So look for some different content every Firearms Friday as I continue to organize and get my work bench outfitted to fit my needs. It should be fun and provide a much needed respite both now and in the future!

Some Assembly Required

It really is that simple!

These days, unless you are buying high end furniture, there is going to be some assembly required whenever you purchase larger items for your home. Over the past week, I have been putting together all kinds of items for the new place and while time consuming, it might be the most relaxing part of the move. There is something that seems to be lost on some people when it comes to using your hands and building something.

I have always been this way even though my career doesn’t require physical labor I still enjoy the actual act of creating and watching something take shape. This is part of what drives the writing process for me because whether I am typing of actually writing, it is still using my hands to shape my creation. And although I do so without an instruction manual, the results have been decent thus far.

But that doesn’t satiate that urge completely. There are times when I look forward to really working with my hands and building something or putting something together. I can, most of the time, turn my brain off for just a little while, follow the instructions, and watch the desk, couch, table, chairs, bookcases, etc. take shape. It is the simple process that relaxes me while also rewarding me with something useful in the end.

These are the moments when I can take my time and make sure things are done right. There really is no debate on how something so simple is put together. The odd thing is that whenever I say something like this I usually get weird looks from people especially the ones that firmly believe that anything that you have to put together your self will fall apart before you get any good use out of it. This is definitely untrue.

Like many projects, if you take the time to put things together correctly, tightening every screw and fastening all the joints, these pieces of furniture will last for years. While I cannot dispute the superiority of solid wood furniture over particle board, the basic fact of the matter is that if you ensure that the structure is solid, they will last. I have seen many instances where things fall apart regardless of material because of shortcomings of the constructor not the structure.

Some boxes remain in our home waiting for me to set aside the time to put them together. Others have already been emptied and the items built. So there has been some assembly required over the past week but nothing that I haven’t done before as many of the pieces that we had moved I put together years ago and they are still just as sturdy as when I first constructed them. That might be the most satisfying aspect of the whole thing.

Party Fallout And Leftovers

Friday morning we all got to the office a little later than usual. At least most of us as there were a couple that never made it in the door. It was a great party the night before but we were all a little tired (to say the least) from the long day out. It seemed to be a day when tasks took a little longer to complete and time just seemed to move a little slower than the previous day.

It didn’t take long before we all started looking at the clock trying to figure out when we would be able to pack up our things and head out the door for the much needed weekend. At the same time, many of us didn’t want to begin the trek home too soon as the rush hour traffic was a little off due to the deluge of children itching to take to the neighborhoods. Needless to say, I decided to stay a little longer than usual to make sure that I would be able to relax over the weekend without a mountain of projects hanging over me.

While the mountain still had a fairly substantial summit by the time I left, I was able to take care of all the things that were pushed back from the previous day due to the party prep and commute. With all the extra things swirling around us on Thursday, we all stumbled into the office in the morning with a growing list of things that we needed to accomplish right away or else our entire week would have been derailed. We all put our heads down and took care of what needed to be done but the list inevitably flowed right past the end of the day and into the weekend.

Knowing the day and the week that had just come to a prolonged end, it was not a surprise that I was the last one to get up from my desk, start the dishwasher, and make my way out to the barren parking lot. Now, with the weekend concluding, I am nearly up to date with everything that has to be done. I will still have to put things in overdrive in the morning to get caught up but I should be able to get back to even by the middle of the week… well, I hope that is the case. I guess we will have to wait and see and hope that all the other events this coming week done impede me as much as last week did. Anyway, back to the beginning of the week and another growing mount of projects.

However, there was leftover jars of cake which made my wife happy (at least for a minute or two)!

Coming Out Of The Dark Months

While I have been going to the lodge every Tuesday evening throughout the summer, tonight was the official back to work night as training resumed and other projects began pouring in. Maybe it is because of my schedule, but it really doesn’t seem like I have had any time away from the business of the lodge. Of course, that might be because of the ongoing meetings, appointments, and other events that were spread throughout the dark months.

While I enjoyed the slower pace for a time, I have also gotten behind on a few things with forms that still need to be submitted, orders placed, and coordination in dire need of being figured out. These are the things that lead to my ever so slight ‘oh crap’ moment when the long list of things that needed to be handled was still hanging above my desk without any check marks having been placed beside the items. What can I say, slow months just don’t work for me as they inevitably lead to a bit of procrastination and disorganization.

Thankfully, the brothers will soon be filling in the rooms of the lodge and the additional push I needed has already begun. Schedules are beginning to fill up and meeting are already being planned. Things should return to some semblance of normalcy just in time for Grand Lodge to change the entire online system that we have all been struggling with as of late. While I am not looking forward to the long training sessions and change over, I am hopeful that the end result will be a much better system that will save a lot of time and effort.

All of those things will be taken care of in time… very soon as a matter of fact… but, right now, it was great seeing our new brothers once again walk through the door undeterred by the long summer respite and ready to take the next step. It makes me think of last summer when shortly after being made a mason the dark months descended upon us. I eagerly anticipated the fall when the meetings resumed. It is a moment of returning from a long vacation similar to when you come back to the comforts of home after a business trip.

Now, my business is at the lodge but I still look forward to that September meeting in the same way and I am excited to reconnect with all the brothers that have stepped away from the lodge for the summer. Yes, it is time to get back to work but it is the work that I enjoy. Maybe more importantly, it is time to continue the traditions and further the fellowship among brothers especially those who are new to our fraternity.

Time Flies When I’m Thinking

Last night I had planned on going to bed early. Around ten, I sat at my desk to clean out some receipts from my wallet and throw them in the shred box. This is a simple task that should have taken no more than ten minutes. However, I found myself sitting there, staring at the wall, and thinking. A very dangerous habit but one that I can’t seem to break. Before I knew it, midnight had come and gone and I was just getting ready for bed.

Since the moment we found out that we are having a baby there have been moments here and there when I would catch a glimpse of how drastically our life would change. Last night was the first time when I really sat and thought about all that needs to be done and everything that we will have to shift around in our life. While time is one consideration, space is another and as I looked around our office, there are a lot of things that need to be changed by the end of the year.

It is nothing that we can’t handle but it is going to take some thought to plan out the moves necessary to maximize the limited square footage of our apartment. What can I say, we have a lot of stuff. But that is part of the process; that is part of the change that occurs during this stage in life; out with our stuff, in with the baby stuff. It makes me wonder what George Carlin would have to say about this change in stuff status.

Contrary to what you might originally think, it is kind of a relief. While there are a lot of things that we will be holding on to, it brings to my attention all the things that we never should have held on to in the first place. We’re not hoarders but we are not living a minimalistic life either. It reminds me of when we decided to move to Israel; we had to look around and figure out what we really wanted to keep and what we could get rid of. While this is not as extreme, we now need to focus on what things we want to take with us on this new adventure.

So now, in addition to the cleaning that is already long overdue, it is time to sort and organize so that we can begin preparing for the life that we have always dreamed of which is now, slowly, becoming a reality. I am sure that there will be times when the stress will outweigh the optimism but, overall, these moments when I am just able to sit and think quietly are the ones that will continue to fuel my anticipation. In between, I am going to continue working, cleaning, organizing, and trying my best to prepare myself for the changes on the horizon.

Not looking forward to that 'stuff'!

 

In Need Of A Deep Cleaning

One of the things that always seems to be put off for another day is cleaning. It is safe to say that it is our least favorite thing to do so naturally we keep saying tomorrow or next weekend. It is that pattern that has gotten us to where we are now… living in a bit of a mess.

It really isn’t the dust or dirt that is the issue as that can be remedied with a Swiffer and a vacuum. What really gets me is when I can’t find the things that I am looking for because everything is laying in disorganized piles cluttering up my desk or crammed in the draw so tight that I am unable to flip through the files. When I can’t find things I tend to leave them in the land of lost and forgotten papers… only when something is truly important do I continue searching until I find it. However, that brings an important question to the forefront… is it worth keeping if it isn’t important enough to keep searching?

More often than not, this simple question leads to an overdue sifting when I toss those former trees into the shred box. Ah, the shred box, there is hours of work that I really don’t have the time of patience to deal with which is why, every so often, I wind up throwing everything into a trash bag and heading off to Staples with a coupon in hand. I think it might be time to look for another one of those coupons.

If you couldn’t tell, when my work space becomes disorganized my thoughts and my free writing tends to become very loose and sometimes completely disorganized in and of itself. Even now, if you couldn’t tell, my mind seems a bit jumbled and I am finding it hard to stay focused on the task at hand. With every passing word of this post I am thinking about the fifty other things that I have to get done, the things that I need to organize, and the question as to when I am going to have the time to do them.

Maybe it is a little OCD of me to be having these thoughts and these issues with my focus. I don’t know. But, needless to say, there are a lot of things that are going through my mind at this moment some of which I have already written about and others that have yet to make it into the blog. Maybe if I can get organized and put everything in an order that makes some semblance of sense, I will get everything in my mind written in posts and up on this blog. I guess time will only tell.

Celebrating My First Masonic Birthday

My Masonic birthday gift from the Worshipful Master (it is a small cooler).

To be honest, I was dreading getting up this morning as I knew that there was a stated meeting tonight and I had a lot of work that still needed to be done before the lodge opened. That seems to have been the pattern of the past month, if you couldn’t tell already. It has been one thing after another which has been a mad scramble. I woke up this morning with the minutes from the previous meeting pressing down on my neck. Somehow, in the minutes and moments between emails ad projects at the office, I was able to piece together all that I needed for the evening.

With the work day behind me, I walked through the lodge doors ready to pull a few things together (basically organizing everything I needed for the meeting) before changing and resurfacing upstairs for some dinner. That was the plan. In reality, it only took a few seconds before I had brothers following me down the stairs and into the office. More so than in previous months, it was a constant fraternal ebb and flow for about an hour and a half before I rushed up the stairs, back down (because I forgot to take care of something in the chaos), and back up to the top floor to take my seat at my desk.

Having heeded the advice of the Grand Lodge, my duties have been streamlined during the meeting. Don’t worry, there are still plenty of other things to keep me busy. In fact, the number of petitions, involvement, and initiative that have already crossed my desk this year is a great sign of things to come and I hope that things continue to progress in the months and years to come.

The meeting progressed at usual with petitions read, and excellent presentation on “The Golden Fleece”, and some encouraging words from the District Deputy Grand Master during another unofficial visit. Toward the end of the meeting, as is done every month, those celebrating their Masonic birthday this month were asked to stand in the middle of the lodge to be recognized. For the first time, I was one of those brothers standing in the middle of the lodge celebrating my first Masonic birthday.

Immediately following the recognition of Masonic birthdays one of the Past Masters of the lodge took a moment to stand and commend me for already taking on the ‘hardest job’ in the lodge and within my first year as a Mason. It was with these comments that the entire lodge gave me a round of applause. While I am fine with the casual recognition that comes with a Masonic birthday or like recognition that every brother experience there are some moments that I really don’t feel I have deserved. I appreciate the kind words and undeserved praise, there are many others who do much more for their fellow brothers who should be applauded.

After the meeting it was time for a little more work in the office and, finally, after that a few moments to breath. But, the relaxation doesn’t last long as the month starts over again and preparations are made for the next meeting. This time, I need to make sure I have everything prepped early so I don’t fall behind again. In other words, time to get back to work.  

Two Sides Of The Sign

This week I finally got around to bringing some decorative items to the office. It’s always nice to personalize your space but not something that I have done for some time as nothing seemed to be permanent over the last couple of years. Up until now I have always used my laptop to add a little touch to my space in the form of the background that I selected.

So finally I brought in a few items. Nothing much, just a few things to put on my desk and a coffee mug which is essential now that we have a coffee maker in the kitchen (plus I am certain that no one is going to take my Remington mug). However, the one thing that I brought in to the office and put on my desk is more of a means of motivation rather than decoration.

President Truman was know to have a saying prominently displayed on his desk for all visitors to see. There was a simple slogan painted across the front saying “The buck stops here!” Yes, it has become clichéd since his time in office but it is still something that we should all remember, especially at work. You can give all the excuses you want but in reality the responsibility, the production, the decisions are up to you.

Even if you are not the boss, I’m certainly not, you still have to make the decisions on many things and you have to decide what you can’t make decisions on whether it is because of position, experience, or not having the authority. There is a decision to be made and you are the one that has to make it. Everything else you have to determine what to do, how to do it, or where to delegate it (if appropriate).

The sing serves as my motivation to do the best I can and push through any obstacle or, more importantly, and times of uncertainty or indecisiveness. But it is a sign that also reminds me of family and of a happy time just a few years ago when I purchased it at the Little White House in Key West, Florida. It was the first family vacation that my wife was included in and it was a time that we all enjoyed being down in the heat together for a sweltering week during the summer.

So, in the end, one simple sign can motivate in many ways. Not just to do the best you can at work but also to motivate to succeed at that job so that you can enjoy the times away from the office with family. There are always two sides to every sign.

Office Excavation

After my shift yesterday I decided to head into the office and attempt to do some cleaning. As you may remember, we did a significant reorganization and a little bit of cleaning about a month ago but there were some things that we have kept putting off. As much as I hate doing it, it was time to get things cleaned off my desk and organized.

Much of the cleaning and organizing had to do with all the papers and files that have been slowly accumulating over the past several months. I must have had an entire tree blanketing all the surfaces in the small room. In my opinion, is the worst kind of cleaning because you have to go through every document, sort them, and shred anything with sensitive information on it.

The truly astounding part of this endeavor is just how much stuff there is strewn about. For me, paper seems to epitomize the 10 in 5 mystery in that you wonder how ten pounds of crap can fit into a space that should only be able to hold five. It was a seemingly never ending task that had me, time and again, asking why I had kept all this stuff.

At the same time, I did come across a lot of things that I had long since forgotten about. Acceptance letters, testing scores, old flyers from readings, photographs I had taken, and endorsements. However, what were of greatest value to me were the papers that I had misplaced before I could add them to my genealogy binders. Namely copies of a few obituaries, a couple of family photos, and my conversion documents.

My conversion file in particular reminded me of an important part and commonly overlooked aspect of family tree building. All too often, amateur genealogists such as myself get tunnel vision and focus solely on the past. One of the worst things we can do is fail to color the leaf which we occupy on the tree. We have to remember that we are both story tellers and part of the story.

This omission is bad enough but what is infinitely worse is the failure to simply look around. Talk to the family that you have not just for what they can provide with regard to previous generations but for their stories as well. The work that you are doing now is great for the present but infinitely more important for the future generations of the family.

Lastly, the overarching reminder that yesterday provided me with was that whether you are researching your family or some other topic be organized. You are always going to be collecting more documents, more photographs, more books, and more stories and you need to have a place to put them where they can be retrieved easily. It was hard enough to find it once, don’t make yourself have to find it again.