My Crazy Upcoming Week

This is not going to be a very significant post; I just like to update my blog from time to time for my own personal needs. Since I use this blog as a substitute for a memory, allowing me to go back in time and recall 'oh yeah..that's what I did back then', if I don't make entries on a semi-regular basis the events leave my consciousness like a quickly fading fog.

Last week was fairly uneventful, it was just one of those rare occasions where I didn't have anything in particular scheduled. The weather continued to be miserable the entire week my wife was on her spring break; certainly not much of a vacation for her to be sure. Over the weekend Terry and Lauren, with a car load of other teenage girls, drove all of the way down to Joplin, Missouri to participate in an improvisational sketch competition. Even with the ten hours of driving they still all had a great time. The most exciting part was when they got a phone call on the way back home informing them that they had won first place! Now the team gets to attend a national competition later this year. On Thursday evening Lauren was again performing, this time in the school talent show where she and some friends performed a dramatic scene from the movie 'V for Vendetta'.

Meanwhile, while they were doing that I drove down to see my parents in the morning on Saturday. In the afternoon I returned to attend 'The Sword of Bunker Hill' at Troy Lodge. There were 25 candidates and a good time was had by all. Yesterday my main activity was to get all of the paperwork prepared for State Conclave. I whipped up a fresh newsletter and then met with the chapter at the lodge. Finally the weather had broken and it was sunny skies and a comfortable 60 degrees. The entire chapter went to the local park and practiced athletics for conclave. We even had a new candidate show up and he found a great opportunity to meet the rest of the members of the chapter.

Finally the weather is behaving more like spring. In March we had over a week of 80 degree weather!!!! During that week I got my boat out, my convertible out, and every flower and tree in the area bloomed in celebration of this tremendous gift, presumably, caused by global climate change. Then reality struck. For the next two weeks the temperature plummeted. We faced well below freezing temperatures for the duration. Just this very weekend the western part of the state was getting a blizzard of snow while we got hit with torrential cold rain.

I don't know if it is global warming or what, but this weather pattern for the past month has been quite extreme at both ends of the spectrum. I'm looking forward, hopefully, to some nice pleasant days in the 70's for the next few weeks; at least that is the current predictions for this week.

This evening I will have my regular tennis match at West James Courts. I have been playing in the same tennis league now for about 12 years. A lot of guys have come and gone and now only myself and Warren are left from the original group. My tennis game has suffered, even though I am actually a much better player, because of my weight gain. I'm currently psyching myself up to really, finally, for real, lose weight and get back in shape again. Each time I try tolose weight I lose about twenty pounds, feel good about myself for a month or so, and then start eating and drinking in the lusty way I have become accustomed to. Maybe this time....not so much. At the minimum I would like to be down twenty pounds by the time I go on my vacation in July. Sitting in coach seats weighing as much as I do now is a lot more difficult than it was when I was younger.

Tuesday evening I have a meeting with the Lions club of Saint Louis. My wife has joined the Lions as well so this is always a nice social night out for both of us.

On Wednesday I have to take the day off of work while carpet is getting installed. That means I have to get everything out of the basement and then put it back again when they are all done. I also really need to spend some time getting my movie stuff organized again. Wednesday evening I will attend Wentzville Lodge where I am the current Junior Deacon. We have no degree work but a Brother will be turning in his proficiency.

On Thursday evening I have to go to downtown Saint Louis and attend my regular meeting at Napthali lodge, which meets in the incredible New Masonic Temple building. I am the current Junior Warden at Napthali. We will be conferring a second degree on a young man who is transferring his first degree from Illinois. Pretty soon it is going to become very difficult to attend my meetings at Napthali lodge as the major freeway one would normally take to get there is going to be destroyed for a couple of years.

On Friday night I am doing a movie showing for the Wentzville Rainbow Assembly. I will be showing some classic cartoons and then the my pristine LPP print of 'Beetlejuice'.

When I wake up on Saturday, before I can barely catch my breath, I have to drive down to the Scottish Rite temple, which sits right next to the New Masonic Temple, downtown. This is going to be a real challenge as highway 40 will be shut down for the entire weekend as they are blowing up a bridge and removing the debris. At the Scottish Rite temple DeMolay will be performing the initiatory degree, the DeMolay degree, and some other ceremonies such as the Flower Talk. I have to get down there so early because we will be having a new member initiated.

I haven't decided what to do next. It will take an almost two extra hours just to drive back home and then drive right back down again to the Scottish Rite for the Youth Ball in the evening. I may just stay at the temple and ask my wife to attend. The Scottish Rite Youth Ball is a lot of fun for the DeMolay and Rainbow members. They get to dress formally and dance in an incredible building relatively few people get to explore. These young people are very fortunate to be afforded the opportunities to attend these great events in such incredible facilities. I know my son is certainly looking forward to it.

Once Sunday rolls around, you would think I might be done. But, no, of course not yet. I will be selling candy for the Lions Club at the local Walmart as part of our fundraising event.

Sunday evening...I sleep.

I am embedding video of Lauren and her friends improv performance from this weekend so that they can find them. This may not be of general interest to regular blog readers.

Lauren's improv performance on Google Video:



Lauren's improv performance on YouTube