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Category Archives: Review Board

That was the Year 2018

The annual meme is back so as 2018 draws to close it is time to review the year as it is, as it was. Reflecting on life that has been led by me in my Pete-centric universe.

1. What did you do in 2018 that you’d never done before?

A bit lame, but I have never been SD in the Craft or JW in the Mark.  I now have those Job in each order.

I have also never done a family history search before and I have investigated the Masonic legacy of the my Great Grandfather.

2. Did you keep your new years’ resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

No as I planned to read 12 books in the year and only did

  1. Origins
  2. Darkness Visible: The Secret of the Vaults: Volume 1
  3. Royal Arch Journey
  4. Tracing Boards of the Three Degrees in Craft Freemasonry Explained
  5. The Transformation of Freemasonry

I am partway through 3 books but am unlikely to reach 12 this year so will added it to the list for next year.

2019 – Plans

  1. Read 12 books
  2. Sort our St Edmund’s  Website
  3. Draft version of the book by December 2019

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

Sister in law – had another child – Emily so I think I am an uncle in law again or is that still!!

4. Did anyone close to you die?

The sad passing or W.Bro Reg Holbrook-  a friend, confidant and Random bloke with a white Labrador when I was young  Paper Boy.

5. What countries did you visit?

Well it was certainly the year of the Caravan.

  1. Capesthorne Hall (Cheshire)
  2. Ynys Mon (Wales)
  3. Flamborough (North Yorkshire
  4. Llangollen (Wales)

Then in November  & December we went to North Lakes.

6. What would you like to have in 2019 that you lacked in 2018?

  1. Still, more sleep but to be fair to Callum is getting better, but next year he loses the ball and chains. This may increase his need to arrive in our bed at 4am.
  2. Structure and Plan for Masonic Learning
  3. More confidence in myself.

7. What dates from 2018 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

To be fair, it has been an eventful year in public and private life. But no dates truly spring to mind.

It was great to get a visitation from the Gord and Prof and look at St Edmund’s.  But on the whole a fun packed year.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

  1. Giving another lecture in the lodge as I was unsure if me and the lodge are compatible but to be fair  they are a good bunch of people.
  2. Staying at the job whilst is got boring and dull and quiet and dealing with some horrible and distasteful parts.

9. What was your biggest failure?

Not being as patient with  Henry and Callum as I should be…

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

Nothing springs to mind.

11. What was the best thing you bought?

  1. Laptop
  2. New Caravan
  3. Smart watch
  4. PS4  – although this may have been a bad idea

12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?

Henry:

  •  he is almost at the correct level at school ability, despite being investigated for ADHD and Autism
  • Can Walk 7 miles and not complain
  • Loves riding his mountain bike –  16 miles  (Hebden Bridge to Home)

13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?

Depressed  – Public Sector companies

Appalled – The Pollical landscape of the country

14. Where did most of your money go?

Household stuff – a New Caravan

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?

  1. Meeting Gord again, catching up with the Myletts in Anglesey

16. What song will always remind you of 2018?

The Vine  by  Tristram

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:

a) happier or sadder? Happier

b) thinner or fatter? Thinner  – well I eat 5 pieces of fruit and Veg a day and now as the wife cooks we are on Phat Klub  rations

c) richer or poorer? About the same – but a pay rise would go a miss.

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?

More fun time with the kids

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?

More  Patience with the Kids and less shouty

20. How will you be spending Christmas?

Christmas this year was at home with family and My parents and then the in-laws on Boxing day. In a bid to control Henry’s excitement

21. What was your favourite month of 2018?

December – Adventures in the Lakes, then new things in Craft, Mark and Chapter.

22. Did you fall in love in 2017?

With the one that calls me Husband

23. How many one-night stands?

Zilch

24. What was your favourite TV programme?

I have enjoyed:

  • Forged in Fire
  • Curse of Oak Island
  • Condor

25. Do you hate or dislike anyone now that you didn’t hate or dislike this time last year?

I have come to dislike MPs

26. What was the best book you read?

Royal Arch Journey – Rev. Neville Barker Cryer

27. What was your greatest musical discovery?

Grabbitz

Tristram

Mr Fijiwiji

28. What did you want and get?

A Laptop and a SmartWatch

29. What did you want and not get?

Sleep, but I seem to be doing ok

30. What was your favourite film of this year?

  1. Avengers – Infinity Wars
  2. Tomb Raider

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

Nothing, 41

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more

More patience with the kids

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2018?

Jeans and T-shirts – Although having had a beard for most of the year, but now I am beardless. Ok as I type this I have stubble but that’s cos I am on a break!!

34. What kept you sane?

The wife and Masonry

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?

Alicia Vikander  – the new Lara Croft

36. What political issue stirred you the most?

The WTF Brexit situation, still no deal agreed by Parliament and we leave in March!!

37. Who did you miss?

Hunni – She has passed from this place to another place, God rest your canine soul.

38. Who was the best new person you met?

I have met a lot a great people too numerous to name.

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2018.

With great friends comes interesting challenges and fun times.

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.  

Better with Time by Grabbiz – “Yeah, I hope it gets better with time”

Day 31 – Submitted for review

So finally part 2 of my Open lodge work has been submitted.

https://www.openlodge.com/impact/masonic-musings/generations-in-freemasonry-part2

Day 37 + 24hrs

1 he lost the match 

2 he won by getting up be for his opponent

3 he lost the first match but won in the end

4 the evil Russians created super human man and he lost then won agin

5 street brawl 

6 lost on points 

The next  level same as 6 but again the last round . I think he should have picked a better trainer

Artisan 2016

After the productive 2015 and a successful challenge,  GreatGothNinja and I had a “Challenge Committee” meeting in November.  The outcome was :

  1. Quarterly Non LOLS Papers
  2. Art Project
  3. 100Days starting April 1st 2016 to July 9th 2016

 

Quarterly Non LOLS Papers:

The write and esoteric paper challenge was a very successful event from last year. I completed 4 paper in that year. All the subject came from Dr Lomas  and his brethren of the Lodge of Living Stones  This has had a side effect that we can now come up with our on topics for Papers to  research and write. Therefore we have decided that we should produce 4 papers over the course of the 12 months that are independent of the ones set by LOLS.

 

Art Project :

This is similar to the shared story idea of 2015, yet this time the work is not shared  and not a story. In fact you could say the two events are not even similar!  The Art Project is a piece of art that can be done over the course of the year, that is not a poem, story or script.  But an Art thing , painting, drawing, graphic image, collage, sculpture etc. or &c.

As it is art and rules cannot be applied to it, then only a base framework it can be done  on anything  and there must be some post throughout the year on its progress.   Perhaps 1 a quarter or  once a month.

This is the challenge I am not looking forward to as I am no good at the art things  I was banned from picking colours at Net-Work Internet limited for my Purple, Orange and Neon Green website  I built.

 

100 Days:

Back once again for the creative behaviour, the annual challenge has returning.  Last year I managed was able to be creative for the full 100days this is a fantastic achievement . But there were 19 late posts, this year we will have less than 11.

Review – The Challenge 2015

2015 is almost complete, it is time for a “Lessons Learnt” approach to this year’s challenge.  The imaginatively entitled “The Challenge 2015”.

The events that make up this challenge are :

  1. Experimental Story.
  2. 100 Days.
  3. An esoteric paper.

 

Experimental story:

This is writing a story with GreatGothNinja. We will take it in turns to write a section of the story over the next 52 weeks starting on the 29th December 2014.  Each Monday in 2015 will have a section of story posted to the official website.  Therefore part 1 will be appearing on the 5th December and will be written by me.

A little pressure but then this is the whole point of challenges to be well challenging !!!

So that was the plan,  in the words of Captain Sheridan for Babylon 5,” it failed”.  There is 13 weeks’ worth of a story, but  the pressures of doing the other challenges on top of this  one  was too much for me to bear, and my good friend GreatGothNinja presented a good case and concurred the issue was with me.  Awaiting the arrival and the preparing for it took up my time.

The unfinished story can be seen here: talexp.three-ninjas.co.uk it  may get resurrected next year it may not. Parts of my own work there may get recycled into other plans. Only  time will tell.

Event Success : FAIL

Percentage of task complete : 25{aa1fa390bbc9d269570451bc587ff4575656a4de8aa16bce1026e126cd0a00ba}

 

100 Days:

This annual challenge is returns by unpopular demand. Last year I managed to be creative for 70days over the allotted period. Which is to date my personal best, therefore the plan is to complete the 100days challenge.

This year it started on the 1st February 2015  and the 100th day was to be the 11th May 2015.  Last year I got to the lofty heights of 70days, that was my personal best so far, and  I have the great pleasure of  informing you that this year I completed the 100days challenge.

I was surprised by this but  I did it. The 100days can be seen under this link

Event Success : Complete

Percentage of task complete : 100{aa1fa390bbc9d269570451bc587ff4575656a4de8aa16bce1026e126cd0a00ba}

 

An Esoteric Paper:

To write paper on an esoteric subject with the view to publish in the web.

This was the plan, after not being able to come up with any decent ideas,  I suggested to GreatGothNinja that we asked our twitter friends, which Doc  suggested we should join him in his writing a paper on the 2 Pillars. Which he has been assigned for his quarterly paper to the associate LOLS members. The deadline was 1st March 2015.

We both agreed so did our Canadian brother Gord, so when the 1st March came 3 pdfs were sent out to the four of us. But just as we were about to discuss them.  But the Doc had a new plan, soon we all had invites to join www.Openlodge.com. Once we had joined this site we all got promoted to  the Robert Lomas Portal for Masonic study.  Here the Doc, GreatGothNinja and I uploaded our papers. Unfortunately Gord was unable to get a paper prepared due to other commitments.  A discussion was had about what we had written, and more understanding in Masonic matters  occurred.

After the comedown of completing this extremely stressful task of writing a paper on the same  subject as the Doc. Who is a World renowned published author in masonic  writing.  Also a lecturer whose job it would have been to mark such papers.  About a week or two later a message appears on OpenLodge, a new topic had arrived, Without Scruple or Diffidence.  Without thinking too much about it the process started again:

  • Read title
  • Think about it
  • Research
  • Plan paper
  • Write paper.

 

But this was the second paper and now things became more difficult, so it was a shorter paper than the previous one.  When all four were published to the Doc’s  Portal, on reviewing  2 of the papers and think they had gone of topic, I discussed it with the Mentor of LOLS and the Doc. So that when topic 3 arrived  I decided I would not  look at the first level of the title “The Significance of the Third Degree”  I changed my research plan and read all round the subject. This was my favourite paper of the year to do,  I learnt so much and it changed my view of the Royal Arch. I had originally seen it as hurdle to allow me to get to  the Templars.  But now I realise its more than that. But the way it is sold in Craft Masonry is wrong, and the powers that be should review their approach to the Royal Arch in connection to the 3rd Degree.

This week I finished the 4th paper which was the “Using All the working tools of a Master Mason” I again learnt a lot and about how the ritual we know today has not always been as we have come to believe. Also in discussing what I have been up to this year with the Elder of Westminster Lodge, I have now been hit with a paper to write for him on Aprons.

On reflection from the writer’s block this time last year.  On the event of doing one paper, FOUR have been completed and one is due end of Jan, with the Doc saying the 8th Dec is when the next topic is due arrive.  It has become some sort of addiction.

Event Success : Complete

Percentage of task complete : 100{aa1fa390bbc9d269570451bc587ff4575656a4de8aa16bce1026e126cd0a00ba} + 100{aa1fa390bbc9d269570451bc587ff4575656a4de8aa16bce1026e126cd0a00ba} +100{aa1fa390bbc9d269570451bc587ff4575656a4de8aa16bce1026e126cd0a00ba} + 100{aa1fa390bbc9d269570451bc587ff4575656a4de8aa16bce1026e126cd0a00ba}  = 400{aa1fa390bbc9d269570451bc587ff4575656a4de8aa16bce1026e126cd0a00ba}

 

Conclusion

Those were the Challenges for 2015 and in conclusion  it was a very productive year , I believe it was the most productive year ever. Well at least since these challenges have occurred. Yes the Story event was a failure but in the words of Meatloaf,” Two out of Three, ain’t bad”.  But the paper event lasted 4 quarters.

Lessons Learnt :

  • Trying something new , you may enjoy it
  • Don’t take on to much as some aspects may fail

 

So with this in mind  and 2016 is fast approaching, the question remains what has Artisan 2016 have in store.