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Latest News and Blog Posts from Wayne “Pendragon” Owens.
A Talk at Mold Chapter – The Missing Word on the Plate of Gold
This evening I attended Mold Royal Arch Chapter at the Mold Masonic Hall, to give a talk.
The Chapter’s Scribe Ezra had reached out to contact me from the North Wales Association of Masonic Studies Lecture List, to see if I would be available to come along to their meeting to give a talk. I asked if they had anything in particular that they would like a talk on, and I was informed they wanted “The Missing Word on the Plate of Gold”. I always enjoy visiting Mold Lodge, and since I had never visited Mold Chapter I jumped at the Change to go and give them a talk.
It was a very enjoyable evening, and all the Companions seemed to enjoy the talk. I even bumped into an old NWAMS speaker who was before my time, and we got talking about the association, and talks we had given. It was interesting to see how the association had changed over the years.
Anniversaries and Farewells
An Evening at Westminster Lodge: Honoring Tradition and Friendship
This evening, I had the pleasure of visiting Westminster Lodge in the Province of Cheshire.
For nearly two decades, I have been frequenting Westminster Lodge sporadically; my first visit dates back to their December white table event, 20 years ago this December. A close friend of mine, whom I worked with at the time, joined Westminster Lodge a year before I became a member of Llannerch Lodge. Both of us joined and climbed the ranks together. We took turns visiting each other’s Lodges, and eventually, we assumed the positions of our respective Lodges’ chairs a year apart. Ten years later, we once again took on the chairs of our new Lodges, having both moved to new Lodges.
When Pete informed me that he was visiting his mother Lodge on the 20th anniversary of his initiation, and that they were performing an initiation demonstration with him acting as the candidate, I knew I had to attend. Since he joined before me, he witnessed my initiation, but I had missed his. This anniversary provided a perfect opportunity to finally experience it, albeit two decades later.
A couple of weeks before the meeting, I received the sad news that Pete’s father had passed to the Grand Lodge above. Given that Westminster was John’s Lodge, they planned a small memorial for him during their next meeting, coinciding with Pete’s anniversary. This occasion provided two significant reasons to attend.
So, I gathered my father, who had met John several times, and another member of Wrexhamian Lodge to visit. Despite my efforts to rally more attendees, Hugh succumbed to food poisoning, and Henk’s demanding work in the medical field prevented him from leaving early enough. Nonetheless, the three of us attended to pay our respects to John.
The evening was profoundly moving and somber, yet undeniably memorable and enjoyable.
RIP. John Maguire
This post has been brought to you by the Number 2.
The number 2 has several unique and fascinating qualities:
- Prime Number: It’s the only even prime number. All other even numbers can be divided by 2, making them non-prime.
- Binary System: In computing, the binary system (base-2) uses only two digits: 0 and 2. This system is the foundation of all modern computer architecture.
- Duality: The concept of duality appears frequently in philosophy, spirituality, and science, representing pairs such as good and evil, light and dark, yin and yang.
- Symmetry: It’s the smallest natural number that is not a palindrome but symmetrical in its form. The symmetry concept is crucial in mathematics and geometry.
- Human Perception: Humans tend to think in pairs or opposites, like day and night, left and right, etc.
- Mathematics: Multiplication by 2 is equivalent to adding a number to itself. It’s the basis for the concept of doubling.
It’s incredible how such a simple number holds so much significance across various fields!
So why is this post brought to you by the number 2?
Well, today I had an email from LiveJournal (Yes apparently they it is still a thing!)
“Blog’s Birthday – We’re together for 20 years now! Thank you!”
Looks like my LJ account is 20 years old today. I wonder how long ago my last post was? to be honest I did not know the place was still live, I really should go post something on it just for old times sake. So 20 years old, and in 2 0. I know there is nothing odd in that, we are all getting old now. Hell I remember the time we had a work experience kid turn up in the office and I realised I had websites older than him.
This would be nothing, but the number 2 had popped up a few more times recently, like I visited 2 lodges in 2 different Masonic Halls, on 2 consecutive days. (you want more?)
Both those Lodges ended up doing Second Degrees.
I do not know what the world is trying to tell me, but it has something to do with the number 2.
Wasn’t there a film once called 2, or 22, or something about the fact a number keep showing itself to main character?
Lost In The Dark – A Solo 5e RPG the Review
You wake in a cave, with amnesia. While you explore, you slowly discover who you are, and how you became lost. The broken and dangerous cave system reveals part of a temple to a lawful good goddess that befell a calamity. As pieces of your memory return, you realize that you must race against time to help your mentor battle an ancient evil. But, for now, you are alone and Lost in the Dark.
Can’t get the group together, but want to play 5th Edition? Grab some dice and get ready to escape mysterious caves in over 200 pages of solo 5E adventure. We’ve created a complete adventure from character generation to your first boss battle. Suitable for new players who might not have a regular group to play.
I was recently given a copy of this book to have a look at.
This of course made me bust out some dice, print out a 5e character sheet and give the game a go. I should point out the book does contain a character sheet you can use to play the game, I just tend to not use them so as not to damage the book. It’s a thing I have had since the old days of Lone Wolf, and Fighting Fantasy books.
My character sheet is mostly empty because you start the game not knowing anything about yourself, and will fill in more details as you progress.
The Review.
I first delved into the world of “Choose Your Own Adventure” books back in the early ’80s with classics like “The Warlock of Firetop Mountain” and other captivating Fighting Fantasy titles. Alongside these, I enjoyed the fantastic “Lone Wolf” books, which were a staple of my childhood. Over the years, I’ve played dozens upon dozens of these interactive stories, each offering a unique blend of adventure and choice. However, “Lost in the Dark” stands out as the first one requiring dice—a refreshing twist!
“Lost in the Dark” is a comprehensive Dungeons & Dragons 5e adventure, complete with the need for all the platonic dice and a character sheet. It’s the perfect solution for when you’re craving a bit of TTRPG fun, but your group isn’t available, or if you don’t have a group to play with. All you need for an engaging session is your set of dice, a pencil, and that one essential ingredient for all TTRPG enthusiasts: imagination!
You can read the adventures of my first playthrough here :-
The replay value of “Lost in the Dark” is unparalleled, thanks to its reliance on your dice rolls and the character you build during your session. Each action and fight hinges on these elements, making every playthrough a unique experience. I highly recommend replaying it multiple times and experimenting with different classes. Personally, I’m tempted to embark on the adventure again as a wizard, launching fireballs everywhere (assuming that’s one of the available spells).
Even though I successfully completed the adventure and survived, there are still vast sections of the book that remain unexplored. This book is an excellent recommendation for all TTRPG enthusiasts and serves as an accessible entry point into D&D and its 5th Edition, in particular.
Lost In The Dark – A Solo 5e RPG (Act 3)
You wake in a cave, with amnesia. While you explore, you slowly discover who you are, and how you became lost. The broken and dangerous cave system reveals part of a temple to a lawful good goddess that befell a calamity. As pieces of your memory return, you realize that you must race against time to help your mentor battle an ancient evil. But, for now, you are alone and Lost in the Dark.
Can’t get the group together, but want to play 5th Edition? Grab some dice and get ready to escape mysterious caves in over 200 pages of solo 5E adventure. We’ve created a complete adventure from character generation to your first boss battle. Suitable for new players who might not have a regular group to play.
I was recently given a copy of this book to have a look at.
This of course made me bust out some dice, print out a 5e character sheet and give the game a go. I should point out the book does contain a character sheet you can use to play the game, I just tend to not use them so as not to damage the book. It’s a thing I have had since the old days of Lone Wolf, and Fighting Fantasy books.
My character sheet is mostly empty because you start the game not knowing anything about yourself, and will fill in more details as you progress.
Act 3 – The Breach.
Following after my repaired Temple Defender, I exited the tunnel at the edge of a rolling field, the sun blindingly strong in the sky after so long underground. Unfortunately, since I had been controlling the Temple Defender by shining a light where I wanted it to go, when it saw the sunlight it just shot off at full speed and I lost it. This upset me, as I feel like it may had been handy.
Standing in the Sun, enjoying the light and warmth that seemed to warm up my still not fully recovered memories, I did what any self respecting rogue would do. I investigated the area to see what I could swipe. I found a lovely shiny dagger, which meant I now have three daggers, high stealth, and a cloak, meaning I can cosplay as Vax “Dagger, Dagger, Dagger… And I walk away!“
Picking a direction randomly, I headed up some terraced fields, heading towards a barn in the distance. A quick Investigation check along the way found an abandoned picnic which I looted for lots of weird stuff like a dice set, and a book of elvish poetry (I just need Keyleth now). Arriving at the barn with a successful Investigation roll, found me a load of tools. My inventory is getting quite full now. From here I could see smoke in the distance, possible from a campfire. I could also see a way out of here which would end my adventure and find me freedom.
I still had questions I needed answers too, so I headed back towards the fields and on to a flowing river. My Magic Amulet that I stole from the corpse of that poor goblin I murdered back in Act 1, told me I may want to cross the river elsewhere, so i went upstream to cross, arriving at a broken Mithril Vault. Here I met one of my lost companions Erland the Tinkerer who was trying to repair and close the vaults door, to prevent evil coming in from the breach. He needed my help to try and fix the damage, but before I helped I decided to be stupid and enter the breach (My Amulet said this was a BAD idea), Entering the breach I saw evidence of monsters, and danger all around, so I did a quick investigation (Which I failed for the first time this act) and found nothing. So I fled back to Erland and using my sneaky skills (+5 Slight of hand FTW) helped him close the door and repair the vault. We could have left together then, but those answers still needed to be answered, and we had more companions to find. I therefore arranged to meet up with him later and returned to the river.
Heading back I passed a nature check and got myself a wild flower remedy. and entered the temple grounds. Here I failed another Investigation check, I think the breach cursed me or my dice. I did manage to find a few small coins. before arriving at a wall of fog. My amulet warned me of danger, so I stealthed into the fog (+7 Stealth) arriving at a crossroads in the fog. I headed towards the smoke I had spotted from the barn, and reached a merchants camp where my old friend Berit was recovering from his injuries. I failed yet another investigation, but I did have some items in my pack to heal up Berit and he also agreed to meet up with me later.
Heading back to the crossroads, I went up to a crystal spire and found my lost Temple Defender who was now stationary since the fog was hiding all light. A quick check of a nearby corpse pile which found me nothing due to another failed Investigation check, and it was time to meet up with my allies and fight the big bad!
So team Murder-Hobos were Myself, My Temple Defender, Berit and Erland.
The fight went for the full four rounds, we were very lucky due to the Big Bad rolling low numbers and missing all its normal attacks, and most of us surviving the poison gas attacks, Luckily I was well equipped for those infected. and we slowly battered the Hit Points down on the Vrock Brood Mother, until round four where on the first go, Berit struck true and killed that beast.
We rested, healed up and left. Oddly on the way to the end we made a cup of tea, which my Investigation finally succeeded again, and I was able to provide honey and lemon. We then continued on with our lives, happy, safe, and memories returned. I also had a load of stolen items that I imagine I sold for beer money.
Lost In The Dark – A Solo 5e RPG (Act 2)
You wake in a cave, with amnesia. While you explore, you slowly discover who you are, and how you became lost. The broken and dangerous cave system reveals part of a temple to a lawful good goddess that befell a calamity. As pieces of your memory return, you realize that you must race against time to help your mentor battle an ancient evil. But, for now, you are alone and Lost in the Dark.
Can’t get the group together, but want to play 5th Edition? Grab some dice and get ready to escape mysterious caves in over 200 pages of solo 5E adventure. We’ve created a complete adventure from character generation to your first boss battle. Suitable for new players who might not have a regular group to play.
I was recently given a copy of this book to have a look at.
This of course made me bust out some dice, print out a 5e character sheet and give the game a go. I should point out the book does contain a character sheet you can use to play the game, I just tend to not use them so as not to damage the book. It’s a thing I have had since the old days of Lone Wolf, and Fighting Fantasy books.
My character sheet is mostly empty because you start the game not knowing anything about yourself, and will fill in more details as you progress.
Act 2 – The Buried Temple.
After going through the doors I arrived at an entrance that was stacked high with boxes, and pools of blood, with bloody tracks going off into a hallway. As any sensible person would do when finding themselves in a blood soaked room full of boxes, I looted the place. Most the box’s were full of rubbish, but I did manage to find a healers kit which may come in handy.
Moving into the hall way I came across multiple doors, and a grate blocking access to a room that looked like a workshop. Now as we all know, workshop have things in them, and I like things. So I picked the lock on the grate and accessed the room, finding a dead body of the forge master, which for some reason triggered more of my memory to return, namely what class of person I am.
Yes, I got to pick a class, and gain the class benefits. I could be a Paladin, a Warrior, a Wizard, or a Rogue. I did not really have the STR/CON stats to make it as a warrior, and my INT/WIS were not really good enough to be a wizard, so I had to pick between Paladin or Rogue. Since Act 1 saw me mostly being a murder hobo thief, I figured I was not really a holy person so selected Thief. I therefore gained the rogue abilities, found leather armour and some nice daggers and returned to the hallway.
The first door I entered was to a dining hall, but entering caused the roof to start collapsing, luckily i was able to roll high on my save and dive into the kitchen before being flattened by the roof. unfortunately I then failed my investigation roll and found nothing at all of use in the kitchen (nat 1 ftw).
The second door led to a flooded lavatorium, it seemed to be flooded because a grate in the floor was blocked and sealed. Channeling my inner Mario I smashed open that grate to let the water out. Well that was my plan, it turned out the grate was actually trapping a mechanical killer spider inside that decided to attack me for no reason. I put my new daggers and stealth attack to use and kill that techno-spider. It did get me a key and a crystal shard (I get the feeling these shards may be useful).
After two bad choices I figured, why not try the basement. Nothing bad ever happens in the basement… right? Going down I find the basement also waterlogged, with wet clawed tracks leading into the boiler room, which my magic amulet (that I killed the goblin for) told me to be silent and avoid. So listening to the advice of the amulet I checked out the Infirmary, which was empty bar for a locked door. Since I am now a rogue, with thieves tools, the skill to use them, and a high skill in slight of hands I unlocked the door to discover the Apothecary and a dead gnome. I did not kill this one, I found him dead. Several successful Investigation and Perception tests later, I now had a load of looted items and an antidote.
Before leaving the basement, I decided not to listen to the magic amulet, after all how good could it be? the original owner was carrying it in his mouth. So I entered the boiler-room. and walked right into a nasty Bone Shard Monster. channeling my best Vax with Stealth, Dagger, Dagger, Dagger I killed the monster and gained a +1 to any ability (INT). I also found a nice +1 Short Sword. There may have been some damage done to myself, but the +1 sword was worth it, and hey I did find that healers kit earlier.
Going back up I continued further along the hall, fixing mirrors as I moved to spread the light around. I popped into a Chapter House which helped me remember more of my past, before making a noise which attracted another robotic guardian which I had to kill. I did find a locked cupboard, and was able to unlock it using the key I found earlier, and looted.
Going further along I found nothing thanks to a failed Perception and Investigation checks, entering a Chapel I failed to have anything to leave as an offering, nor find anything useful. I really need to try and get my Investigation skill higher.
Entering the Knave my way forward is blocked by fallen rubble from the roof. I did find some holy water, and a broken robotic temple defender. The defender was missing some crystals, and I just happened to have looted, I mean found more than enough of these while exploring. I quickly fixed the robot using the instructions I found in Act 1, and the crystals I have been collecting. The robot then dug a way out for me allowing me to escape to… ACT 3.
Lost In The Dark – A Solo 5e RPG (Act 1)
You wake in a cave, with amnesia. While you explore, you slowly discover who you are, and how you became lost. The broken and dangerous cave system reveals part of a temple to a lawful good goddess that befell a calamity. As pieces of your memory return, you realize that you must race against time to help your mentor battle an ancient evil. But, for now, you are alone and Lost in the Dark.
Can’t get the group together, but want to play 5th Edition? Grab some dice and get ready to escape mysterious caves in over 200 pages of solo 5E adventure. We’ve created a complete adventure from character generation to your first boss battle. Suitable for new players who might not have a regular group to play.
I was recently given a copy of this book to have a look at.
This of course made me bust out some dice, print out a 5e character sheet and give the game a go. I should point out the book does contain a character sheet you can use to play the game, I just tend to not use them so as not to damage the book. It’s a thing I have had since the old days of Lone Wolf, and Fighting Fantasy books.
My character sheet is mostly empty because you start the game not knowing anything about yourself, and will fill in more details as you progress.
Act 1 – Lost In The Dark.
I awoke next to a collapsed tunnel, with no memories of anything. I believe I must have received a head injury in the collapse. I searched the area to make sure I had not left anything important behind, and progressed down the only none blocked part of the tunnel.
Reaching a T-Junction I examined the area, and noticed a set of footprints leading one direction, and the other direction was blocked by spider webs. A perception check told me to follow the footprints. So I of course decided to go down the tunnel with the spider webs. (I have amnesia, maybe a concussion, I am not making the best decisions). Now I had several options for trying to get past the webs, and I picked athletics to ninja my way past the webs (Because someone who just regained consciousness and has an obvious head injury would be great at athletics). I failed my athletics check, got tangled up in the webs and attracted a group of spiders. (oops!). Luckily I had a crowbar with me, and those spiders did not last long before getting squished. Pulling the webs off myself, I continued along into a weavers room. The room was full of looms, are other cloth making tools, where someone had woven spider silk before releasing all the spiders by accident or on purpose? On one of the looms was an almost finished cloak, so I finished it off and adorned myself with a Spider Silk Cloak (+1) and dubbed myself Spider-Man (Well I do not know my name yet).
I returned to the original junction and followed the footprints. Sneaking forward I cam across a goblin carrying a strange amulet. I knew this amulet was important because all my options were related to it. I could try and charm the Goblin into giving me the amulet, or try and deceive him into the same thing (Unfortunately I had picked Chr as my dump stat and with a -1 there was little chance of making the rolls). I could also trade something shiny for it, but my starting background did not give me anything shiny so that was a no go. I could also hide and let him pass, or I could attack him. Now my starting background had given me a crowbar weapon (So in typical Murder-Hobo fashion) I attacked. The poor Goblin who could have been a innocent person out for a walk, was killed and his corpse looted, but I had the amulet and that is what is important.
I explored some more, in a patch of mushrooms I found a locked box, which I attempted to open (now I am carrying some thieves tools with me, but i used brute force instead). It took multiple goes and I finally opened it on my third and final attempt, giving me the lowest reward possible. In anger over my failure to open a simple box, I then looted a groundskeepers shed, taking a rope, a load of food, and a torch. I figure that I may be a decent person, but the amnesia means I have forgotten the difference between right and wrong.
Heading towards a big fissure in the distance I did come across a shrine to a Goddess, and in an attempt to make amends for any wrongs I may have committed (Like murdering innocent Goblins, stealing from a hard workers shed, killing the local wildlife, etc) I made a donation to the Goddess. I donated a metal pan that I looted from the weavers room earlier (It still counts). Now with the blessings of the Gods which amounted to 1 extra temporary hitpoint I approached the chasm. Finding some mithril ore on the way, which not only has to be worth a lot of money is shiny. Using the rope I had found I tied my equipment to my body, and carefully climbed across the wall to the other side.
On the other side I found a sharpening stone, and used my crowbar on it to give it a nice sharp edge (+1) just in case any other innocent people turn up. This turned up to be a good thing, since I instantly came upon a mechanical spider guardian doing whatever it was built to do. I considered using stealth (Something I am great at since Dex was my max stat) but instead, since I am reasonable at athletics and have some tinkering tools I decided to jump on its back and dismantle it. Which I managed to do, and I stole it’s power crystal (In my defense it was shiny).
I suspect I may be attracted to shiny things, and I may not be the most honest person. Hopefully more of my memory returns soon, I have been getting the odd flashback. But onwards to adventure.
I finally arrive at a damaged large but locked door. I was given the option to unlock it with keys, which made me think I missed a lootable location because I have no keys. So i used athletics and a multi-purpose crowbar to open the door and escape to… ACT 2.
The Year That Was – 2024
Its that time of year again.
Where I look back over the previous year and answer the same 40 questions.
1. What did you do in 2024 that you’d never done before?
OK, New things :-
- Wrote the Forward for a book (Robert Lomas – Daniel Owen’s The Township).
- Won the CQ paper writing competition.
- Became the Provincial Assistant Mentor in Chapter as well as Craft.
- Took an office in Wrexhamian Chapter (Joshua)
- Became a senior Provincial Officer (Provincial Secretary in SRIA)
2. Did you keep your new years’ resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
Last year I challenged myself to get at least one of the NWAMS books published and available to buy, and get my website updated.
I did publish book 1 “The Rise of Freemasonry in the Province of North Wales” which can be ordered from Amazon. And I have updated my Website, and have started moving all the multiple sites to the new main one wayne-owens.uk
I have not yes come up with a challenge for 2025.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
No births at all this year that I am aware of.
4. Did anyone close to you die?
It has been a bad year for Masons.
There seems to have been a fair number of Masons that I know who passed away this year.
5. What countries did you visit?
The normal, mainland UK ones.
I did pop over to Anglesey, and that should count as its own country.
6. What would you like to have in 2025 that you lacked in 2024?
I would like to have hope.
Oh, and an end of this Labour government!
7. What dates from 2024 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
- August – For the release of Robert Lomas’ book that I wrote the introduction to.
- December – For becoming the Provincial Secretary of SRIA.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Being asked to write the Introduction for Robert Lomas’ latest Daniel Owen translation, and becoming the SRIA Provincial Secretary, See Question 7!.
9. What was your biggest failure?
Failing miserably in trying to save Wrexhamian Lodge.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Nothing!
I managed to survive the whole year without even so much as a cold.
11. What was the best thing you bought?
A Voice Amplifier with Wireless Headset Microphone thing, which is handy for giving talks.
Which is sad for the best thing gotten, but I have not really got anything great this year.
12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?
- Still Myself, because I am just so Awesome.
13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?
The people who voted our current government in, that in the few months they have been in power have broken every election promise. Have stabbed business’s, pensioners, students, working people, in the back. Have freed thousands of murderers, rapists, and violent people early from prisons to make room for all the people they are having arrested for posting opinions on social media that go against the “Party Line” Russia has about 400 arrests this year for people speaking their minds, the UK is over 4000. The world is looking at the UK the way we used to look at Russia and North Korea. They are planning to go against the vote of the people and reverse Brexit and make it so we can never leave the EU again.
And because the hatred for the government is so high, they are planning to cancel all the upcoming council elections to prevent the losses they will have.
14. Where did most of your money go?
Books, More Books, Possibly a few more Books.
I may have a problem, at least I can admit it.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
I do not think I got really excited about anything this year.
Don’t get me wrong, it has been a good year, with many great things happening. I just do not think there is any event that stands out as making me super excited.
16. What song will always remind you of 2024?
It is a hard choice this year. I have been rewatching Critical Roll, and the Legend of Vox Machina.
Due to that, these two songs have equally been stuck in my head, and will always remind me of the year 2024.
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
- a) happier or sadder? Happier
- b) thinner or fatter? fatter
- c) richer or poorer? Richer
18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
- Writing.
- Following my Dreams.
- Conquering the World.
19. What do you wish you’d done less of? .
Eating 🙂
I could do with losing some weight.
20. How will you be spending Christmas?
Eating too much, drinking too much, and doing a TV marathon I normally pick a film series to binge over Christmas, like Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, Marvel, etc.
I have not decided what this years watch will be, maybe I will pick something more obscure.
21. What was your favourite month of 2024?
February: Because I published the first NWAMS book, and completed 50% of my New Years Resolutions at the start of the year, so I could then relax for the rest of the year.
22. Did you fall in love in 2024?
Only with the legendary Ashley Johnson!
23. How many one-night stands?
I do not believe in one-night stands. How can you tell if you realy like something unless you try it at least a couple of times?
24. What was your favourite TV programme?
Way too many to mention, As well as all the excellent ongoing TV shows, There was the new finds of :-
- Tracker.
- High Potential.
25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
Last year I answered “You know what? NO! I do not believe I hate anyone this year that I did not hate previously. Maybe I am growing as a person, becoming more enlightened? Or is everyone already on THE LIST”.
This year I have the same answer, so I am now convinced everyone is already on THE LIST!
26. What was the best book you read?
This is always a very hard question. According to Goodreads I have read about 100 books this year. Trying to pick the best of that lot is not going to be easy.
But if you are going to hold a gun to my head and force me to answer, I will say “The Astrology Letters by Julius Harlande”, or “Daniel Owen’s The Township by Robert Lomas (Because I wrote the introduction)”.
27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
None. Mostly this year I have been listening to classic rock radio station, so nothing new.
28. What did you want and get?
A new Website.
I finally got around to updating my 18year old out of date personal website. It is not finished yet, but there is enough there to count as a “New Website”. And I can add to it as I go along.
29. What did you want and not get?
Wrexhamian Lodge to start trying to fix itself, or at least not continuing to destroy itself.
30. What was your favourite film of this year?
- Deadpool & Wolverine.
- Borderlands.
- IF
31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I am still not having birthdays. I have decided to stop having them so that I can live forever.
It is SCIENCE!!!!
32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
If the People who killed Wrexhamian Lodge had been truthful about their wishes to try and repair the damage that they caused.
Oh, and the death of the Woke agenda.
33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2024?
Mostly Cargo Pants (I like the extra pockets) Jumpers.
Oh and suits, because suits are awesome…… True story
34. What kept you sane?
Sane? Sane? “You Keep Using That Word, I Do Not Think It Means What You Think It Means”.
I think the Sunday Night Beer Chat has done a lot to keep me sane, and save lives!
35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Marisha Ray, Ashley Johnson, Laura Bailey
I may have been re-watching Critical Role Campaign 1. As well as The Legend of Vox Machina.
36. What political issue stirred you the most?
The General Election!
For years now we have had Labour supporters saying everything wrong in the world is the fault of the Conservatives, and that if Labour was in power we would all be in a utopia. Then due to record low turnouts of voters, Labour had gotten into power with a massive majority.
And they instantly break every election promise they made, they attacked the pensioners putting them at risk due to removing the winter fuel allowance. They are looking to tax cars off the road, tax working people, remove the single person relief on house tax’s. Basically bankrupting every working or retired British person, so that they can fund massive pay rises for the unions, and spend billions a day putting the illegal immigrants in nice hotel rooms.
Then they released all the sexual and violent offenders from prison so they had room to lock up all the people who speak bad of labour on social media.
And as for sleaze, the new Labour PM has had more gifts for favours then the last 5 Conservative PM’s combined. And pays less tax than any of them.
It would have been nice if the people voting Labour had taken a look at Wales before voting. We have only ever had Labour in charge and we have the worst Healthcare (even though we get more money that the other home nations), Worst Education, Worst Roads, Worst public Transport, Lower speeds than the UK, More expensive alcohol, Tourist Tax. Wales is the worst in the UK. Well now the rest of you are under Labour Rule I guess you will soon be the same as us.
37. Who did you miss?
No one. “ high functioning Sociopath” Remember? Remember? from Question 22?
38. Who was the best new person you met?
I do not think I met any new person who exceptionally stood out.
The question is… Does that say a lot about me as a person, or people in general?
39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2024?.
AI Knows All!
Oh, and if you actually buckle down and do the work you can get things done!
40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
The adventure begins
They were always beside you
Your nerdy best friends
And the DM to guide you
The last Masonic Meeting of 2024 – Christmas Dinner Count
This evening was my last Masonic Meeting of 2024!
Tonight was the turn of Wrexhamian Lodge’s December meeting, which is usually more of a social gathering than a meeting, and a chance for us all to escape families between Christmas and New Year. Depending on how many excited kids you had to deal with over the Christmas week, this escape is necessary.
Originally the Secretary of the Lodge had asked me to arrange someone to come give a talk, but I had to cancel that when I found out the DC was planning on just doing a Walking Charge in the 3rd Degree because he wanted to.
Due to this, we did not have enough people turn up on the night to be able to have a festive board after the meeting, and we had to have several guests come to fill in for officers so we could open. And most people were doing multiple jobs. Only the DC, ADC, WM, JW, and SD were the actual officers.
So we opened and closed in the 3 degrees, did the 3 tools, and the walking charge. And it was the first time some had done the opening and closings, some visitors had to step in, so with no rehearsals it was a bit of a mess. Which was made worse by the DC team just sitting there and not prompting, or knowing what was going on. On the positive side, several of us were sat drinking in the pub less than an hour after the opening.
All in all it was a very poor way to end the year. Lets hope 2025 will be better.
And this year I managed to just have TWO Christmas dinners, one masonic and one family. I think it is the lowest number I have had in many years.
Archaeology on an Xbox
Other then three days of no electricity, Storm Darragh left another nasty side affect. You see, when the power blew the neutral cable into the house was being touched by the live wire, which caused electricity to flow the wrong way through the house circuits.
It was a weird situation. I had no electricity since the cable had melted, so no electricity, all the trips were in the off position, as were the light switches. But even so, some of the lights in the house would flicker on and off as the electricity came up the neutral wires (You can see a photo of the damage and read more information HERE.)
After the three days power was restored, then I had to check all devices to make sure nothing had dies due to the power. The people who came to repair and test the circuit said any damaged items would be repaired or replaced (Although I still have to see proof of this). Luckily I did not suffer too bad. One of the CCTV’s blew its power supply, My Internet Router blew, and my PS4’s insides died.
So during the holidays over Christmas I was without a gaming system, so out of boredom I powered up my old Xbox 360. I think it has been over a decade since I last booted up the old XBOX.
WOW. was that a blast from the past, seeing my families old avatars, and friends list, It really brought back many memories of the late night online game sessions. So I have been reliving old favourite games, and mostly cursing at the poor graphics and slow speed.