Nine weeks down, forty-three left to make a difference.
This past weekend got stretched by my office being closed on Monday and Tuesday, which made a great opportunity to get some planning done. They say that for every minute you spend on planning, you save four minutes on execution and that is a very good thing because execution already sucks up more time than anyone can imagine.
So I started with the planning for our Deputy Grand Matron Brush Up Schools. This is a chance for us to answer questions that have arisen since the regular School last October as well as covering stuff that we didn't do at that time. Since the regular School was bursting at the seams already, it is a good thing that we have this chance for more stuff.
Of course, some other changes in plan have caused me to change the agenda for this school too. For example, originally, I had expected that Escort would be a topic covered at the Transitionals because it is 95% for the Conductresses, but now that there are going to be Retreats and not Transitionals, we will have to cover that at the Brush Up Schools. Luckily, I've been in the room when Escort was taught or taught it myself a couple dozen times, so that should not be too tough for me. But it did mean re-arranging the schedule to fit it in, since teaching it takes around an hour plus a little bit if you want to do it right.
And I have no way to know what questions have come out of the first meeting practices, so who knows how long answering them will take. So far, I haven't gotten a lot of advance questions, but you never know until you get there. Anyway, most of my stuff for the planning has happened; now I am just a bit nervous about the logistics planning since my Grand Secretary is out on medical leave. But hopefully there will be hotel rooms and people will get fed. Fingers crossed!
Then there was the start of planning for monthly messages and OV speeches. I am planning to send out a message each month with the packet that goes out from the Grand Chapter office. I know that in some years the Worthy Grand Matron does not send something each month, but I have trouble understanding that. If it is relatively short and informative, I would think that the members would like to have it so that they have more news of what is going on and what is coming up. I can see where it would be a total bore if it was several pages long and/or poorly written, but I haven't seen really bad writing from anyone in the past in my position, so I have to assume that maybe people were just trying to lighten the correspondence burden. And of course when there was a regular newspaper, I suppose a lot could have been put in that instead. But right now, without a paper and until our WebMagic web site comes on line, the monthly letter seems to be the best way to get timely news out on a regular basis. Last year of course, there was a monthly newsletter to the Deputies and Worthy Matrons and Patrons, which was very cool looking, but this year I would like the messages to go to all the members attending their Chapters and I will send separate e-mails to the Deputies as needed. That is one of the big advantages of insisting that all Deputies have e-mail.
And then there are the OV speeches. My goal is to give a different speech at each OV and to a certain extent, I can't write them until I get the Planning Sheets, which is why it is critical for those to be done on time, but whatever the theme of the OV might be, there are certain themes and messages that I hope to convey at the OVs and getting those thoughts on paper should be a big help. I got some of that done already and have next weekend to finish up.
Oh, and I managed to clean off my dresser and one armoire. There's still one armoire and the shelves in the front hall closet to go, but at least it is a little progress, just in time for all flat surfaces to be inundated with paper again. I had to move all my piles from my dining room table to the living room coffee table and this weekend, when all holiday meals are over, I will move them back. Sometime next year, perhaps about this time, I am told that I will get my dining room back. I will even get to take the pin map off the wall and everything!
Next weekend I am home to finish planning and cleaning.
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Teaching and Traveling
Eight weeks down, forty-four left to make a difference.
This past weekend we held the last two All Member Instructionals, one in Riverside and one in Chowchilla. Lots of members attended - we had three rows of chairs full in Riverside and fifty some members came up from San Diego - now that is cool!
Some of the members told me that they weren't going to come, but then they heard about the great time that others had in San Pedro two weeks earlier and they made the effort - that is really cool too! It almost makes me wish we were doing a couple more, to get more people to attend, but I did say almost, which means not quite, since they were very exhausting to do and odds are that most of the people that wanted to attend one have already done so.
I also think that it didn't hurt us to have fabulous door prizes. A few people who had to leave early for one thing or another left their tickets with others who were staying, but I am not sure that any of the early departure people will ever see any door prizes because the people who got them wanted to keep them. We'll see if I ever hear otherwise.
The Grand Family is starting to get used to travel in a caravan up and down the state, having made two long trips now. They don't know how easy we are taking it, compared to some of the last few years, where we might do two or three of these with trips in between and not done teaching until 10:00 pm, then getting up early the next morning. Of course there will always be those who think that the caravan goes too slowly and those who think it goes too fast, and those two groups never seem to talk to one another to figure out why we stick to a reasonably midrange travel speed. Of course, very few of them have done as my WGP and I have done, traveling in the front, middle and rear of the caravan to get a feel for all three types of driving. And we still have a few nervous nellies in the middle who speed up too much and then hit their brakes, causing those behind to get whiplash from the back and forth, but they'll get used to it. We actually did manage one caravan without a hollow square, but of course someone will think that I am making that up because no one is sure that it is a real caravan if you don't hollow square or U-turn at least once.
So far we've also managed to find food, mostly sticking to chains where we know what we are getting. Luckily most of the family likes Mexican food and Italian is good too. Most like some form of Asian food, but this is one Family that is not going to have sushi!
Of course, between weekends, there is lots of paperwork and reports and such, for running the business of the Order. But I wasn't doing anything else, like shopping or cooking or laundry or anything with my evenings anyway. And of course, once you learn that sleep is optional, you can get lots done!
Next weekend, we are not on the road, so I will be catching up on yet more paperwork, putting the finishing touches on our Deputy Brush Up Schools and ramping up for our first OVs in January.
This past weekend we held the last two All Member Instructionals, one in Riverside and one in Chowchilla. Lots of members attended - we had three rows of chairs full in Riverside and fifty some members came up from San Diego - now that is cool!
Some of the members told me that they weren't going to come, but then they heard about the great time that others had in San Pedro two weeks earlier and they made the effort - that is really cool too! It almost makes me wish we were doing a couple more, to get more people to attend, but I did say almost, which means not quite, since they were very exhausting to do and odds are that most of the people that wanted to attend one have already done so.
I also think that it didn't hurt us to have fabulous door prizes. A few people who had to leave early for one thing or another left their tickets with others who were staying, but I am not sure that any of the early departure people will ever see any door prizes because the people who got them wanted to keep them. We'll see if I ever hear otherwise.
The Grand Family is starting to get used to travel in a caravan up and down the state, having made two long trips now. They don't know how easy we are taking it, compared to some of the last few years, where we might do two or three of these with trips in between and not done teaching until 10:00 pm, then getting up early the next morning. Of course there will always be those who think that the caravan goes too slowly and those who think it goes too fast, and those two groups never seem to talk to one another to figure out why we stick to a reasonably midrange travel speed. Of course, very few of them have done as my WGP and I have done, traveling in the front, middle and rear of the caravan to get a feel for all three types of driving. And we still have a few nervous nellies in the middle who speed up too much and then hit their brakes, causing those behind to get whiplash from the back and forth, but they'll get used to it. We actually did manage one caravan without a hollow square, but of course someone will think that I am making that up because no one is sure that it is a real caravan if you don't hollow square or U-turn at least once.
So far we've also managed to find food, mostly sticking to chains where we know what we are getting. Luckily most of the family likes Mexican food and Italian is good too. Most like some form of Asian food, but this is one Family that is not going to have sushi!
Of course, between weekends, there is lots of paperwork and reports and such, for running the business of the Order. But I wasn't doing anything else, like shopping or cooking or laundry or anything with my evenings anyway. And of course, once you learn that sleep is optional, you can get lots done!
Next weekend, we are not on the road, so I will be catching up on yet more paperwork, putting the finishing touches on our Deputy Brush Up Schools and ramping up for our first OVs in January.
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Why We Go Nuts
Seven weeks down, forty-five left to make a difference.
This past weekend we had two of our five All Member Instructionals. These have been called different things at different times, All Officers Instructionals, Grand Chapter Instructionals, etc., but basically, these are practice/demonstration sessions for how to perform our Ritual ceremonies correctly.
This year, we are focusing on our Opening ceremony, Balloting and a part of our Initiation ceremony called the Golden Chain. All of these are bits that involve most if not all the officers and all of them involve different officers working together to time their movements so they end up where they are supposed to and preferably at the same time. Since they can be a little complicated, having people practice is good.
Over the years, I have seen these events done as two, three or four hour sessions and each year that I have been on the road, we have done between zero and about twelve of them. While zero is pretty easy, twelve usually involve a fair bit of traveling all over the state and working them in around other events and holidays usually means that they are not done until some time in February, which is a little bit unfortunate because earlier is better when it comes to this sort of thing. The officers are installed in November and start doing their work in December, so the closest you can get the instruction to the beginning of our Chapter year the better.
But each time I have attended these, I have felt that something was missing. While we would demonstrate the work for the members, they were not getting a chance to practice with us there to help and guide them. The problem was, there wasn't any time. Doing all the work in about three hours is a very tight schedule and just doesn't allow for the extra time it takes to get people up and down and in and out.
So for this year, we decided to try a full day event and include interactive Q&A and practice by the members. Doing that required us going to a 9:30 am to 4:30 pm schedule, a pretty full day, with some allowance/arrangement made for lunch. But we put it together, had our Team Leaders set up halls and meals for those who wanted to buy a meal, although everyone was given the option of bringing their lunch if they'd rather because we don't charge for Ritual instruction, and hoped that "if we built it, they would come."
There were those people who said that the format would not work because people would not be willing to spend an entire weekend day on Ritual work and I feared at times that attendance would suffer for it. But I also knew that some people feel the opposite way. Some people feel that if you are going to drive two or three hours each way for anything, they want the event to have substance so that they are at the event longer than the time they spend driving. So we put it together and then we prayed. :-)
I confess that while I had every confidence in our format, I didn't imagine the amazing response we have had. We've had to add chairs and then more chairs in every hall so far. We added two rows of chairs in Chico! There wasn't an empty seat! I printed off 500 agendas, thinking that I would need about a hundred at each of the five AMIs and we've run through those. I've printed off another 300 for next weekend and while I think that is enough, I am ready to find a Kinko's if I have to! Wow!
The other part that made it great was that people seemed to have a good time. We had a few each time that had to leave at lunch or during our midday break, but actually just a few, and people were leaving happy about what they had heard and learned. They were excited and jazzed and it was an important Ritual practice. I sure hope we can make them this happy when we are doing something that is purely for fun.
But I have discovered one of the key elements as to why so many Grand Officers go a little nuts this time of year. You see, when we ballot, we usually encourage the Organist to pick a song for the Star Point Officers to use and then we use that song when they ballot to help them with their timing and organization at Grand Officers' School and Deputy School. It's bad enough, but bearable, having them do it those two days. But now we are balloting eight or ten times in a day, two days in a row, to the same darn song! I can sit here at my computer and still hear it playing! I suppose it is better than hearing voices (and far better than doing what the voices tell me to do :-), but who knows how many weeks it will take to get the song out of my head. I mean I avoid shopping malls at this time of year for the same reason. Even my friends who like Christmas carols say they get completely tired and postal hearing them over and over again in the mall. So there's no doubt that hearing the same song too many times can make you a bit bonkers. Let's hope that I can recover over the Christmas break.
Next weekend, I am in Riverside and Chowchilla.
This past weekend we had two of our five All Member Instructionals. These have been called different things at different times, All Officers Instructionals, Grand Chapter Instructionals, etc., but basically, these are practice/demonstration sessions for how to perform our Ritual ceremonies correctly.
This year, we are focusing on our Opening ceremony, Balloting and a part of our Initiation ceremony called the Golden Chain. All of these are bits that involve most if not all the officers and all of them involve different officers working together to time their movements so they end up where they are supposed to and preferably at the same time. Since they can be a little complicated, having people practice is good.
Over the years, I have seen these events done as two, three or four hour sessions and each year that I have been on the road, we have done between zero and about twelve of them. While zero is pretty easy, twelve usually involve a fair bit of traveling all over the state and working them in around other events and holidays usually means that they are not done until some time in February, which is a little bit unfortunate because earlier is better when it comes to this sort of thing. The officers are installed in November and start doing their work in December, so the closest you can get the instruction to the beginning of our Chapter year the better.
But each time I have attended these, I have felt that something was missing. While we would demonstrate the work for the members, they were not getting a chance to practice with us there to help and guide them. The problem was, there wasn't any time. Doing all the work in about three hours is a very tight schedule and just doesn't allow for the extra time it takes to get people up and down and in and out.
So for this year, we decided to try a full day event and include interactive Q&A and practice by the members. Doing that required us going to a 9:30 am to 4:30 pm schedule, a pretty full day, with some allowance/arrangement made for lunch. But we put it together, had our Team Leaders set up halls and meals for those who wanted to buy a meal, although everyone was given the option of bringing their lunch if they'd rather because we don't charge for Ritual instruction, and hoped that "if we built it, they would come."
There were those people who said that the format would not work because people would not be willing to spend an entire weekend day on Ritual work and I feared at times that attendance would suffer for it. But I also knew that some people feel the opposite way. Some people feel that if you are going to drive two or three hours each way for anything, they want the event to have substance so that they are at the event longer than the time they spend driving. So we put it together and then we prayed. :-)
I confess that while I had every confidence in our format, I didn't imagine the amazing response we have had. We've had to add chairs and then more chairs in every hall so far. We added two rows of chairs in Chico! There wasn't an empty seat! I printed off 500 agendas, thinking that I would need about a hundred at each of the five AMIs and we've run through those. I've printed off another 300 for next weekend and while I think that is enough, I am ready to find a Kinko's if I have to! Wow!
The other part that made it great was that people seemed to have a good time. We had a few each time that had to leave at lunch or during our midday break, but actually just a few, and people were leaving happy about what they had heard and learned. They were excited and jazzed and it was an important Ritual practice. I sure hope we can make them this happy when we are doing something that is purely for fun.
But I have discovered one of the key elements as to why so many Grand Officers go a little nuts this time of year. You see, when we ballot, we usually encourage the Organist to pick a song for the Star Point Officers to use and then we use that song when they ballot to help them with their timing and organization at Grand Officers' School and Deputy School. It's bad enough, but bearable, having them do it those two days. But now we are balloting eight or ten times in a day, two days in a row, to the same darn song! I can sit here at my computer and still hear it playing! I suppose it is better than hearing voices (and far better than doing what the voices tell me to do :-), but who knows how many weeks it will take to get the song out of my head. I mean I avoid shopping malls at this time of year for the same reason. Even my friends who like Christmas carols say they get completely tired and postal hearing them over and over again in the mall. So there's no doubt that hearing the same song too many times can make you a bit bonkers. Let's hope that I can recover over the Christmas break.
Next weekend, I am in Riverside and Chowchilla.
Friday, December 7, 2012
All About the Hat?
Six weeks down, forty-six left to make a difference.
This past weekend, we held our Christmas Party for the Residents of our Senior Living Community. As with most things, we wanted to try it a bit different although we kept some improvements from the past that have worked very nicely.
For many years, this party was held as a fancy dinner, often with a social hour first, then dinner, then a singalong, then Santa came with the presents for our residents. The Grand Officers would act as Santa's Elves and deliver the presents from Santa to wherever the residents were sitting. Now the first year we did this, each Grand Officer was given three names and we delivered those three presents. But that was tough because the appointive Grand Officers don't know the Residents on sight. For some of them, this party is the first time that they have ever been to our Home, unless they came down for a Fiesta or Festival some earlier year. So that was a little awkward.
A few years back, we went to what I call the shotgun style approach to present delivery. That involves lining up the Grand Family and having the person in the front of the line take the next present to the next person. Because we call out the name of the Resident and they wave, delivery is easier. Of course, there are more of them than there are of us, so when you've delivered your present, you go to the back of the line and come around again. It works much better, so we like that part a lot and did it that way.
Our big change was actually in the timing of the meal. While the big fancy dinner was very tasty, the late night and big meal at the end of the day were harder on our Residents. I was told that usually, the big meal of the day is usually lunch, with dinner being smaller and usually just quiet time or bed afterwards. So a couple of year's back, they tried moving the holiday meal to an afternoon tea, around 3:00 pm or so. I love tea, so that was great for me, but since it was really an extra mealtime, the food was primarily sweets, sort of a late dessert after lunch. It was very nice, but still cut in on the schedule a bit.
So this year, we decided to go with the tea idea, but have it be a full high tea in place of lunch instead of an extra meal. Little did I know that the event coordinator was going to call me and ask me what all my favorite tea foods were. My diet was DOOMED!!! But we had the most amazing variety of foods and it was delicious, even if my clothes don't like me any more. We had hot and cold appetizers including the most scrumptious meatballs in pastry with a sweet and sour dipping sauce. Then we had plates of tea sandwiches. You wouldn't think you could get full on these teeny little quarter sized sandwiches, but when you eat five of them, that is more than a regular sandwich in size. Then we had dessert plates with mini cheesecakes and other yummies! It is really amazing how full you can get when every individual bit you eat is no more than one or two bites.
After we had our lunch, we went and had our traditional sing a long, featuring winter songs this year, then we handed out presents and then the Worthy Grand Patron and I were invited to stand on either side of Santa's chair for pictures with the Residents. Apparently this is a traditional thing because some of the Residents want to sit in Santa's lap and get their picture taken with him and us. So we did that before heading out to our next meeting.
Now there has been some weird ideas about me and Christmas and this stuff. Somebody thought they ought to change the name of the event to Holiday party instead of Christmas party, but since all of the current residents happen to be Christian and the party is for them, it really is a Christmas party and I have no problem thinking of it that way or calling it that. Of course, I do have the most delightful hat, a black and white elf hat with Bah Humbug sewn across the front of the white faux fur edge, to wear for this. It was a gift last year that I have gotten great use from and will use again in the future. But that's all in good fun too.
Then there was one member at the party who was trying very hard to convince me that Santa was really okay for Jewish people, which is a little silly. And I don't know why she was bothering. Santa is not for me personally, but the pictures weren't about me, they were for the Residents and if that is what the Worthy Grand Matron does at this party for the Residents, then that is what she does. So I posed for some Santa pictures. Why would I be bent out of shape about that?
It's not like they were asking me to pose in a creche scene or something. Okay, I admit it, THAT I would not have been able to do, tradition or no tradition, and I would have gotten the Worthy Grand Patron's wife to stand in for me. But one bullet dodged there and smooth sailing the rest of the day. :-)
I don't get offended if people wish me Merry Christmas either. They mean well and very few of them actually ascribe any religious meaning to the phrase anyway. And the things I know about so many Christmas traditions and where they come from might shock the socks off them. :-) Go Oak King! Down with Loki! Dancing around decorated trees outside and naked in the snow - are you nuts?!?
So with so many things that do matter, getting all wound up about something that doesn't matter, like someone saying Merry Christmas, seems out of whack to me. Of course, as long as I have my hat, I can always just say Bah Humbug with a smile. :-)
Next weekend, I am in Chico and Richmond.
This past weekend, we held our Christmas Party for the Residents of our Senior Living Community. As with most things, we wanted to try it a bit different although we kept some improvements from the past that have worked very nicely.
For many years, this party was held as a fancy dinner, often with a social hour first, then dinner, then a singalong, then Santa came with the presents for our residents. The Grand Officers would act as Santa's Elves and deliver the presents from Santa to wherever the residents were sitting. Now the first year we did this, each Grand Officer was given three names and we delivered those three presents. But that was tough because the appointive Grand Officers don't know the Residents on sight. For some of them, this party is the first time that they have ever been to our Home, unless they came down for a Fiesta or Festival some earlier year. So that was a little awkward.
A few years back, we went to what I call the shotgun style approach to present delivery. That involves lining up the Grand Family and having the person in the front of the line take the next present to the next person. Because we call out the name of the Resident and they wave, delivery is easier. Of course, there are more of them than there are of us, so when you've delivered your present, you go to the back of the line and come around again. It works much better, so we like that part a lot and did it that way.
Our big change was actually in the timing of the meal. While the big fancy dinner was very tasty, the late night and big meal at the end of the day were harder on our Residents. I was told that usually, the big meal of the day is usually lunch, with dinner being smaller and usually just quiet time or bed afterwards. So a couple of year's back, they tried moving the holiday meal to an afternoon tea, around 3:00 pm or so. I love tea, so that was great for me, but since it was really an extra mealtime, the food was primarily sweets, sort of a late dessert after lunch. It was very nice, but still cut in on the schedule a bit.
So this year, we decided to go with the tea idea, but have it be a full high tea in place of lunch instead of an extra meal. Little did I know that the event coordinator was going to call me and ask me what all my favorite tea foods were. My diet was DOOMED!!! But we had the most amazing variety of foods and it was delicious, even if my clothes don't like me any more. We had hot and cold appetizers including the most scrumptious meatballs in pastry with a sweet and sour dipping sauce. Then we had plates of tea sandwiches. You wouldn't think you could get full on these teeny little quarter sized sandwiches, but when you eat five of them, that is more than a regular sandwich in size. Then we had dessert plates with mini cheesecakes and other yummies! It is really amazing how full you can get when every individual bit you eat is no more than one or two bites.
After we had our lunch, we went and had our traditional sing a long, featuring winter songs this year, then we handed out presents and then the Worthy Grand Patron and I were invited to stand on either side of Santa's chair for pictures with the Residents. Apparently this is a traditional thing because some of the Residents want to sit in Santa's lap and get their picture taken with him and us. So we did that before heading out to our next meeting.
Now there has been some weird ideas about me and Christmas and this stuff. Somebody thought they ought to change the name of the event to Holiday party instead of Christmas party, but since all of the current residents happen to be Christian and the party is for them, it really is a Christmas party and I have no problem thinking of it that way or calling it that. Of course, I do have the most delightful hat, a black and white elf hat with Bah Humbug sewn across the front of the white faux fur edge, to wear for this. It was a gift last year that I have gotten great use from and will use again in the future. But that's all in good fun too.
Then there was one member at the party who was trying very hard to convince me that Santa was really okay for Jewish people, which is a little silly. And I don't know why she was bothering. Santa is not for me personally, but the pictures weren't about me, they were for the Residents and if that is what the Worthy Grand Matron does at this party for the Residents, then that is what she does. So I posed for some Santa pictures. Why would I be bent out of shape about that?
It's not like they were asking me to pose in a creche scene or something. Okay, I admit it, THAT I would not have been able to do, tradition or no tradition, and I would have gotten the Worthy Grand Patron's wife to stand in for me. But one bullet dodged there and smooth sailing the rest of the day. :-)
I don't get offended if people wish me Merry Christmas either. They mean well and very few of them actually ascribe any religious meaning to the phrase anyway. And the things I know about so many Christmas traditions and where they come from might shock the socks off them. :-) Go Oak King! Down with Loki! Dancing around decorated trees outside and naked in the snow - are you nuts?!?
So with so many things that do matter, getting all wound up about something that doesn't matter, like someone saying Merry Christmas, seems out of whack to me. Of course, as long as I have my hat, I can always just say Bah Humbug with a smile. :-)
Next weekend, I am in Chico and Richmond.
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