My Solution For Disappearing Pens

A few weeks ago I got a package left on my desk at the office. Just like every other item that I have delivered to me at work, someone inevitably asked what I had ordered. This is especially true when the items arrive from overseas and most of the writing on the envelope, with the exception of the address, is in another language. However, this time, when I responded to the query I received a somewhat blank stare followed by another question of “what is that?”

For much of my working life, I would do to the supply area and pull out a pen or two to keep at my desk… not everything is done on the computer contrary to what some people may say or the younger generation thinks. This has pretty much been a weekly routine as I would either run out of ink or, what was more common, I would leave it in the conference room where someone would inevitably pick it up and bring it back to their own office. These are just disposable pens so it was no big deal to just go get another one from the supply drawer.

However, I have always been one that enjoyed a good pen while at the same time, I don’t want to spend a lot of money on something that I could easily lose. Those aforementioned packages contained something to solve a large part of my problem of going through so many writing instruments (while also saving my hand). What I found out in those simple questions from a younger colleague was that many people are unfamiliar with fountain pens.

I have always been a proponent of fountain pens as I can write almost all day without my hand getting tired and it is easy to replace the ink cartridge in something that I have become used to. What I am finding now is that if I do leave it somewhere, it is brought right back to me. Some of those returns are because people are unfamiliar or uncomfortable using them. It is actually quite amusing when you see someone use a fountain pen for the first time… it is almost like they are learning to write for the first time.

It is a unique pen to carry these days but, for me, it is completely functional as my hands are no longer sore after a long day of taking notes or writing and I know that it will always come back to me should I leave it on the conference room table. And, frankly, I am rather surprised with the quality that I received in these shipments from China given that I spent about two or three dollars (including shipping) on each pen (under a dollar for the disposable ones)… especially when you consider that the prices for the ballpoint and rollerball pens of similar quality are about five times higher. It is nice to enjoy the practicality of the fountain pen even though many may wrongly believe that it is an absurdly outdated writing instrument.

That Plan Didn’t Work

It is pretty obvious to my coworkers, neighbors, and anyone who reads this blog that I do a lot of ordering from Amazon. The selection is good, prices are reasonable, the shipping is usually fast, and I have never had an issue regarding the occasional return. I have had a solid overall experience with Amazon over the years which is why I was interested in the Subscribe & Save program. Pretty straight forward… select a few items that you would like to receive on a regular basis (i.e. coffee, paper towels, dish soap, baby formula, etc.), set the delivery date, and have them automatically show up at the door on the date you specified. At least that is how it is supposed to work.

A couple of weeks before we left on our Virginia vacation, my wife and I put a list together of the items that we would been upon our return. We could just as easily pick them up from the grocery store the following day but this offered a convenient and cost effective alternative… it is also nice to have all the bulky items on the doorstep rather than my wife having to pick them up while shopping with our son. So I logged into my Amazon account, selected the items, and adjusted the delivery date for the Monday after we got back.

When we pulled into the parking lot and approached the front door, we could see that there was a note left for us. Before we had a chance to open it, our neighbors stopped us and let us know that they moved our packages inside their house so they wouldn’t get wet. I wasn’t sure what packages could have arrived as the deliveries were scheduled for tomorrow, nothing else had been ordered from any other website, and our mail was on hold until the following day. When they emerged with a rather large box in hand I knew that Amazon screwed up at least some part of the order (I double checked later to ensure that it was their mistake and not mine).

When I went to the post office before work the following morning I found the rest of the items that we put on order. Not one thing was delivered on the day specified so now I am wondering if it is worth the aggravation to keep the subscriptions active. While normally it wouldn’t be an issue we almost had a serious problem… imagine if the baby formula were sitting out the in 90+ degree sun for nearly a week? Thankfully, this time, there were no sun baked boxes. I really have to think about this for a while but it just goes to show that sometimes you can be too fast with your shipping. After all, no one likes premature packages.

Note: Amazon customer service is of little help with this issue offering not explanation or honest apology (of course I could only understand about half of what they were saying).  

From One To Many

There is always a time each year when a variety of events seem to converge during a single month at the lodge. Sometimes it can even come down to a single day. It is hard enough when there are a variety of Masonic commitments converging, having family projects that need to be addressed at the same time just adds to the difficulty.

While it would be nice to be able to go to everything and not lose out on the time at home, it isn’t a realistic scenario. Anyone who is or has been an officer knows this routine all too well. And while I have recently significantly cut back on the time I have been spending at the lodge, I am uncertain as to whether I can avoid the pull of my office much longer.

Things have to get done this month and there are certain commitments that I have to make. This is nothing new but the number of things that have to get done before the next meeting, an official visitation, has become overwhelming at times. I can’t even find the time to coordinate the transitioning of tasks to my assistant.

However, when I step back and take a look at the problem it really doesn’t seem that bad. There have been times in life when I had to look for something to do and now I am looking at a variety of options. While it would be nice to be able to pick just one, I still have the options and people who want me to be present at each. It is a really good feeling and on that is too often overlooked.

This is a message that I do my best to relay to the new brothers that come into the lodge… we want you to be here. We are all integral to the success of the lodge and the fraternity as a whole. You never have to look for a place to be or somewhere that you can go… there is always a place for you, sometimes a chair for you, at the lodge. It is a powerful thing to think about especially during this time when the digital barriers as so ever-present. We want you here, as an equal, as our brother.

Even though Michael Keaton warned us of the pitfalls, it looks like I may have no other option than to be present at two or more events… I am pretty sure that the simple one will be showing up to one of them calling everyone Steve. The trick is trying to figure out how to accomplish this seemingly impossible task. It is just nice to know that wherever I find myself I am going to be welcomed and I will be among family.

Put Them Away!

Photo from the dedication of the Brad Fox Memorial. 

As many of you have read on this blog in the past, I am not a proponent of gun laws that don’t make any sense. Specifically, laws that go after those who LEGALLY purchase and own firearms. The people that we need to go after are those who hold the law in complete disregard. This is why I was thrilled to read the news this week that a woman was sentenced under the Brad Fox Law. We don’t need ‘gun laws’ we need criminal laws like this one.

Just over two years ago, in September 2012, Plymouth Township Police Officer and Marine Corps veteran, who served two tours in Iraq, Bradley Fox was shot and killed in the line of duty. The criminal behind the heinous act illegally bought the murder weapon in a straw purchase. The law, signed by Governor Corbett in January 2013, establishes a minimum five-year prison sentence for anyone convicted of multiple straw purchases.

This law is a step in the right direction and is already having a positive impact on the judicial system. However, this law, while well intentioned, is tremendously flawed. If we are to honor Officer Fox and all those who fall victim to criminals, we must change this law and truly make the penalties a deterrent.

The first issue that I have with this piece of legislation is that it applies to ‘multiple’ straw purchases. The penalties should be applied to every straw purchase. If you buy a single firearm for someone who is not allowed to legally own a firearm, you should be put away for a long time.

This brings me to the second issue that I have with the law… the sentencing guidelines are too lenient. Five years is not enough. If someone violates federal gun laws (specifically referring to the ATF) there is a minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison and up to a $10,000 fine. While much of the ATF regulations and NFA laws are outdated and complete crap, the penalties are in line with what should be handed down to someone who knowingly violates laws involving firearms.

In the end, the problem does not lie in the inanimate objects or the law abiding citizen, it is in the black hearts and twisted minds of individuals. These people, those who commit the crimes and, as in this instance, those who help to facilitate these crimes, need to be deal with and done so harshly. After all, we don’t have a ‘gun problem’ in this country we have a people problem and a public that is too willing to blame anything and anyone else rather than looking the problem right in the face and sending them to prison for a very long time.

Not A Good Sound To Hear At Lodge

I arrived at the lodge last night a little earlier than usual as there were a number of things that needed to be done and everyone has places that they needed to go later in the evening. It was a relatively quick meeting with everything taken care of, or so we thought, and we soon found ourselves discussing some of the event that we have going on over the next few months and those that we need to work on for next year. In the end, there was more progress made with regard to scheduling than any of us had anticipated. Great, fewer details that we have to take care of later.

With other brothers arriving the conversations quickly became varied and we found ourselves jumping from topic to topic just enjoying the fellowship of the night. With only a couple minor tasks that still had to be addressed I adjourned to my office in the basement, pulled out the books, and finished up my weekly tasks. That is when I heard the sound that I have become all too familiar with over the last couple of years.

The dripping was constant and could be heard prominently in the small space once the rustle of papers calmed. I first looked at the ceiling to see if I could see any stains but didn’t find any discoloration. My attention then shifted to the windows where I again found nothing. But, out of the corner of my eye I caught a glimpse of the buckling wainscoting right next to the window. It didn’t take much more than a gentle breath to cause the particleboard to fail and crumble onto my desk. And right above it was the steady drip that was echoing throughout the small basement space.

As I have said before, there are some things that I am able to fix, either temporarily or permanently, but plumbing is not one of them. Thankfully I could hear a couple of the brothers talking in the entryway who have professional experience with such issues and so I ran across the basement and up the stairs before they could walk out the door. After an extensive minor investigation, we couldn’t find much let alone the primary cause of the slow flow but we managed to move everything out of the way, unplug the electronics immediately in front of the water feature, and made the calls to get it taken care of in the morning.

While I could have been out the door moments after those few tasks were finished in the office, the leak took up a little more time than I was expecting and I found myself shutting off the lights and locking the door with enough time to get home by 10:15pm. While usually not for situations like the one last night, this is why my wife and I don’t expect me home early on Tuesday evenings. So far, that is the only plan that seems to be working on lodge nights as everything else remains fluid.

A Night Filled With Fog

It never fails, there is always something that I am overlooking at any given moment when it comes to all the projects that are up in the air. There are two things that make this situation worse…. neglecting the same project over and over again and having my schedule thrown off by the weather or some other weekly interruption. Unfortunately, I find myself in a situation when both of these factors have converged on a single project and now my rear end is getting particularly toasty as it sizzles in the fire.

I don’t know what it is about this project. While it involved writing, which is usually not a problem, it is something that I have never written before and for a client that can be very particular in the content that we create for them. There have been little pieces completed here and there but I can seem to get any momentum going to see it through to the end. It’s almost like instant writers block as soon as I open the document and poise my fingers above the keyboard.

Even now, as I write this blog with a certain amount of fluidity, whenever the thought of that project comes to mind my fingers slow and hesitate before striking the letters. I don’t know if I have ever experienced this sensation to this extent in the past but I hope that it is a onetime deal. However, I have a feeling that this is probably not going to be the case as similar projects are will be materializing on the calendar shortly and the vicious cycle will most likely repeat itself.

If this was a matter segregated from the rest of my work I would be annoyed but not really concerned. I guess you could say that is an unrealistically optimistic statement. This problem does impact the rest of my work both for this client and for the other accounts that I work on. Heck, it even impacts this blog and brings a certain amount of fogginess to the creative process in all aspects of my writing.

In my work process, I need to be able to see the end point, I need to know where the writing needs to go. When visibility is limited, it is incredibly difficult to reach the finish line in an efficient manner. Personally, especially when writing these posts, I need to be able to see each step. Even those short distances are obscured by the haze. Overall, it makes writing a slow and sometimes tedious process. Even now, I am incredibly tired and so I am going to bring this post to a quick and abrupt end.