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Latest News and Blog Posts from Wayne “Pendragon” Owens.
You must learn patience in the time it takes to smoke a Cigarette
It has been a while since I have had a customer rant on here, I have tried to be “professional” but this one ended up tapdancing on my last nerve. We are talking two days dealing with a ten minute task.
We have one customer who requires a SSL Certificate on their website, but like to try and save money and get their own certificate instead of paying for one of ours. They then pay us to install it for them. This normally ends up when you add our install fee, plus their certificate fee, a saving of around £10. But it is still a saving (Normally).
So our fun starts on a Monday morning, at one minute past our phones going live for the day, when we received an email.
Customer “OUR SITE HAS BEEN DOWN FOR AGES, I HAVE EMAILED YOU. INSTALL OUR CERTIFICATE!!!!”
Now, as a pointer to you all, this is never the best way to get anyone in IT to do what you want. We IT people tend to be a special kind of person who will move annoying people to the bottom of the work queue. Read the BOFH before dealing with IT people. This counts double so for a Monday morning, especially if you have not emailed in any requests, or you only just sent it and it has not reached its destination yet.
Me “Oh, we have no email from you yet, did you just send it?”
Customer “Our site has been down for days. We urgently need the certificate installing”
Me “ok, I can see an email from you. I will install that now”
Well. Not only did he email with a subject line of URGENT, and was phoning up chasing up his request that he had only just sent. And if their site is so important, why wait until the certificate runs out before replacing it.
But, I am nice (shut up! I try) so I go to install the certificate and find out they only sent a windows certificate for a Linux server.
Me “can you send the PEM apache certificate and key”
Customer “Sent”
Me “No, you just sent a PEM certificate. We also need the key”
Customer “here you go”
Me “No, that is just the certificate with a different name”
Customer “Try these”
Me “again, that is multiple zip files all containing the certificate with different formats. we need the key you signed the request with”
Customer “what is a key?”
This back and too went over several dozen emails, and phone calls. I even had to explain how certificate requests are created. I explained the software used, and eventually I got enough files in different formats I was able to generate a certificate and key. So I install it, check the site and report it is up.
Customer Phones “OUR SITE IS STILL BROKEN!!!”
Me “Really? I can see it is running fine.”
Customer “The certificate is not installed. re do it!”
Me “I can see your website is live and certificate works.”
Customer “NO IT IS NOT!!! IT IS AFFECTING US!!!!”
Me “What are you seeing? I can see it is fine, I can also see you got a three month free certificate, so we will need to install a new one in three months.
At this point the customer emails me a screenshot showing the certificate errors he is getting. And I can see that he is on a different site, a subdomain that is not their website.
Me “That is not your website. That is a subdomain you need to install the certificate on that. We only look after your website”
Customer “Here is a copy of the certificate, install it”
Me “That will not fix that site, we only host your www website.”
Customer “This is affecting our business. Fix the pointers and certificate”
Me “We do not manage your DNS, we do not manage your domain, we do not host or manage your subdomains, we only host your public facing website which is working.”
I figured that was the end of it.
Tuesday morning, while checking my work emails I see several from the Customer yelling that their company is being strongly affected by this issue, their site is still down and it is affecting them. He has even copied another IT company in to offer us help fixing the certificate issue. I email to ask in what way is his site affected, I can see it is ok.
Customer “The certificate is still broken. the other IT company says to check your pointers”
Me “What pointers? your public website is fine.”
Customer “The site is down we need this fixed now, it is damaging our business!”
Me “is this your public facing website or the subdomain site?”
Customer “The public site is fine. You need to check the pointers. Godaddy says the certificate is not installed, and the site is down”
Me “we do not manage your DNS. we do not manage your pointers. we do not manage your email. we do not manage your domains. we do not manage anything other then your public facing website.”
Two full days I have been dealing with this guy, trying to get him to understand that his issue is nothing to do with us, has never been anything to do with us, and he needs to talk to whoever manages that for them.
I swear there is stupidity, but this level needs a need classification.
Uber-Stupidity!
Et tu, Brute?
Many people have asked me:
“My dear Mr. Owens, might I be so bold as to inquire, what circumstance or contemplation hath occasioned your retreat from those esteemed endeavours which you have so diligently pursued within the Province of North Wales? Your absence is most keenly felt amongst the brethren.“.
Well maybe not as fancy as that, but the gist of the question is the same. They are curious why I am stepping back in everything after spending a lot of my free time over the last 9 years doing Masonic “stuff”. And the answer is, after it was announced our Provincial Grand Master was retiring, and then who his replacement was to be (Someone who has issues with me), Several incidents happened that could be mere random coincidences, but could also be classed as knives in my back.
The North Wales Association for Masonic Study (NWAMS)
I was the Wrexhamian Lodge Representative for three years before becoming one of the main committee members during Lockdown. I’ve been an official speaker since 2020 and unofficial since 2017. Over the last couple of years while working on the Speakers Profiles, and the presentations the Secretary had mentioned on multiple occasions he was thinning of stepping down, and asked would I be interested in taking over the role. I of course said Yes. These conversations happened every few months over the years, it was organised that when he stood down, I would take over.
Then the new PGM was selected, and I received an email from the Secretary saying he had decided that this year he would be stepping down, and that he had arranged with the Chairman, the Executive, and the Powers-That-Be that someone who was not on the committee, and had only been a speaker for less than a year be confirmed as the new Secretary. Making it a done deal, and preventing me putting my name forward, even though we had spent years arranging it.
Group 7/Group 7+8/Wrexham Region
In 2022 I created a Facebook group for Group 7 and ran it for the then Group 7 Chairman. The group was then expanded when groups 7&8 merged into a super group under a new Chairman.
This new “Super Group” actually got more organised and we had a team of us created to advertise what was going on, encourage visiting, sort charitable events, help mentor people. We had a few team meetings, and there was even a team photo taken, and posted online to advertise the new team.
Then the new PGM was selected, and an email went out from the Group Chair saying that the group system was changing, and new regions were being created. He informed one team member that his role was not needed any more, but a new one would be found for him. And me I was informed that Facebook would not be used, and I was not needed in the team and was kicked out. Not only that but a new Region page was to be created on the Provincial Members Portal, and screenshots were provided. Including a group photograph which was just the old one with me cut out of it.
Oddly. They had a meeting for the Team and all the Secretaries in the Region a few weeks after I was kicked out for not being needed, and one of the points raised was they were a couple of people short in the team so they needed volunteers. Not only that, but the Facebook group they are not using, well the Regional Chairman has been changing the cover image, the name, description, rules, etc because it is still to be used.
Provincial Honours
This year I was due a promotion, since my last one had been five years ago. Now in the Province of North Wales there is a basic step up you would get, and then if you did a lot for the Province over that last five years you would tend to get higher, and if you did absolutely nothing you get lower. Which is a fair and balanced system.
Over the last five years I have been Lodge Secretary for three, Lodge mentor for four, went back through the chair to help a lodge out, took part in multiple ceremonies, visited Lodges and Chapters all over the Province to give talks, was the Assistant Provincial Grand Mentor in Craft and Chapter, was an active member of the Provincial Pathway Team, did training to Groups on the new Membership system, organised and ran talks for Masonic Bodies, published several Masonic books to raise money for the 2028 Festival, published multiple Masonic articles, raised thousands for Blood Bikes Wales, and so on. I also attended every Provincial team outing during my active year, and stood in to others when the other Senior Deacons could not make it.
Some would say that counts as doing a lot and should make me eligible for a higher promotion, or since I was the assistant Mentor for five years and part of organising the work and training, that I would also be in a good position to take over the role since the current Mentor was standing down. Myself, I think it should at least get me the Basic, default, standard promotion.
Then the new PGM was selected, and I was given a below average promotion. In fact I was given the same as someone I know who did not turn up for any outing during his active year, and has not done much in the last five years.
And so, as the Americans are wont to say in their peculiar sporting vernacular, ‘Strike three, and you are out’. I must confess, I am indeed out.
The tally now stands at three affronts, and I find myself compelled to withdraw. My Masonic career, once pursued with fervour and devotion, now lies in quiet ruin. For five years I have laboured with diligence and honour in service to the Craft, yet I have received less recognition than those who have contributed but the barest minimum. This inequity, I regret to say, stems from the disposition of the newly appointed Provincial Grand Master, under whose tenure “potentially a decade in length” I will most likely receive naught. I have not been doing all that I have to get high honours, I was the Provincial Webmaster for five years because I wanted to help spread the work on the good we did, I helped the ladies in the office manage PECS and mailchimp because I had the time and skill and it freed them up, I took on the assistant mentors role to help teach and explain to the curious amongst us. At no point was any of my efforts partaken with the view of receiving rewards.
If my earnest efforts, my time, and my unwavering commitment are to be valued less than idleness, if I am to be used and discarded, then I see no merit in continued exertion. The path before me is now forked: either I undertake the considerable burden of relocating to another Province, with all the travel that entails, or I relinquish my active participation in both Craft and Royal Arch Masonry, maintaining only nominal membership to preserve my standing in other Orders.
It is a bitter reflection, yet one I make with clarity and resolve!
Someone wants to prank us. Bless!
At some point over the weekend, or Monday somebody decided to try and annoy us.
I am guessing this “Prankster” must have had a spam phone call, and decided to google the number, finding the company name of where I work. We are a Telecommunications provider and sell phone lines and numbers. Apparently people do not understand that the company that sold the number is not the one who made the phone call. I guess people are dumb!
Well, this annoyed person decided that if they got a spam call, then we could have one as well. They then spent what must have been hours filling in every “call back” form they could find online, asking for a phone call about health and safety training, lead acquisition, training, hiring work experience people, etc. Using our Phone number and email address.
Which means we have had dozens of calendar requests, and people phoning us back to discuss what we require. They are getting very apologetic when we explain its a false request.
I do not think it has worked out like the “Prankster” wanted, all they have done is upset all the people calling, and us? We do not care, it beats working. Also, since all the online forms which were emailed to us contained the “Pranksters” IP address, then they must be expecting this to escalate into a “Prank War!”
And if there is one thing you never want to do, is to start a Prank War with a bunch of SysAdmin.
The Never-ending Chair (Update)
Since I am now in the Second Principals Chair in Wrexhamian Chapter I thought I would update my list of Never-Ending chairs.
Since 2018, I have been in at least one chair every year since (at the worst three chairs). And more so, since I first ever went into a chair, which was Llannerch Lodges chair way back in 2011, there has only been two years when I have not been in a chair. And one of those I was doing all the ceremonies from the IPM’s spot, the other year I was acting J.
| YEAR | CRAFT | ROYAL ARCH | SRIA | ROSE CROIX |
| 2011 | Llannerch Lodge | |||
| 2012 | Llannerch Lodge | |||
| 2013 | ||||
| 2014 | J – Wynnstay Chapter | |||
| 2015 | H – Wynnstay Chapter | |||
| 2016 | Z – Wynnstay Chapter | |||
| 2017 | J – Acting | |||
| 2018 | Bishop Wilkins College | |||
| 2019 | Bishop Wilkins College | Valle Crucis Chapter | ||
| 2020 | Bishop Wilkins College | Valle Crucis Chapter | ||
| 2021 | Wrexhamian Lodge | Bishop Wilkins College | Valle Crucis Chapter | |
| 2022 | Valle Crucis Chapter | |||
| 2023 | Clwyd College | |||
| 2024 | J – Wrexhamian Chapter | |||
| 2025 | H – Wrexhamian Chapter |
HRA The Family Business
This evening was the meeting of Wrexhamian Chapter (Holy Royal Arch).
It was a special evening because my father was installed into the First Principals Chair. Due to joining Masonry after my Father I never got to see him be installed into the Chair of Kind Solomon, I joined Rose Croix after he had been Enthroned into the chair there. So although I saw him Installed as Joshua, and Haggai this was the first time I got to sit in a meeting and see him become the master. He then Installed me into the Second Principals chair.
It was a very enjoyable evening and everyone seemed to have a great time. Now for a fun year with my father in charge.
So #TeamOwens are now 2/3 of the chairs.
Who are you? Who am I?
A strange thing happened to me today. I was doing a beer run to the Supermarket, and as I was wandering up one of the isles I had to pass a woman with a trolley who was blocking a big part of the isle, while the man with her knelt on the floor going through potatoes.
After passing and heading along the isle I hear “Hello.” followed by “Hello!…. HELLO!!!“. It then occurs to me that other than the woman and man, I am the only other person there, so I turn to face them. The woman smiles and says “Hi!“.
Now I am the first to admit I am crap with faces, or people. So I try to never use anyone’s names, because I often have no idea who the person is. A lot of the time the person may seem familiar, I just don’t know why, or where from. In this instance I was pretty Shure I had no idea who this person is. But I have to be careful, this really old person came up to me in a kabab shop once after a night out during my Uni days, and it turned out we were in school together.
So I play it cool, and cover myself with a simple “Sorry. I was in a world of my own, I didn’t see you there. Hi! how are you?”. Brilliant right? so it goes on a bit, she says I’ve never met her husband (Which is true became I am sure I have never met her!). And the conversation goes on until she asks…
“How are the Kids?“
Now, to the best of my knowledge I have no kids, but in case she means something else I play safe with a “OK”. She then asks where am I working now, before turning to her husband and goes “I’ve not seen him since we worked in ICI“.
OK. I may be crap at peopling, But. 1) I do not have kinds, 2)I have never worked at ICI. So I think in this case I am correct, I do not recognise this mad woman because I have never seen her before, she has mistaken me for someone else.
The only problem is… I have been pretending to recognise her, just in case she was someone I should know, and now I am in too deep to point out she has me mistaken for some other bloke. I can not tell her I am not him, because how do I explain pretending to know who she is.
Do these things happen to other people?
Also, I wonder who the other me is. I met the other me from London many years ago, but have yet to meet the local other me. It would explain stories I have heard over the years of stuff I have done, that I have not. Hell my sister saw me in town many years ago when I was not.
BBW – Sams Cafe 2025
Sam’s Cafe have been hosting an annual event in aid of Blood Bikes for 4 years now, with a variety of fundraising events like a ride out, raffle, cakes, selling donated items, etc.
This year they raised an amazing £760 (𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘶𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘳, 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘯 𝘶𝘯𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵).
The crew at Sam’s Cafe have been supporting Blood Bikes Wales for many years now, so if you are passing by pop in and have a coffee, a bacon sandwich and say thanks to them for their continued support.
The Year of a Not so Busy Mason
Well the first month of the new Masonic Year/Season is now over. And as I posted before, I will not be running my “Year of a Busy Mason” this year because in theory I will not be as busy this year as I normally am due to the following.
- Quit Wynnstay Chapter (4 meetings, 4 rehearsals, 2 committee meetings a year),
- Quit Wrexhamian Lodge (8 meetings, 8 rehearsals, 4 committee meetings) a year.
- Quit being the Assistant Provincial Grand Mentor in Craft and Royal Arch (Lots of work over the year).
- Quit being a member of the Provincial Pathway Team.
- Quit being a NWAMS committee member (Lots of work over the year).
- Stood down as Secretary of MLIM.
So that is at least 30 evenings a year (a whole month), not to mention all the other work. All to say, I will not be running my normal yearly meeting posts this year. Saying that. Month one of the new season so far has included.
- Committee Meeting = 2
- Rehearsals = 4
- SRIA Meetings = 2
- Rose Croix Meeting = 2
- Craft Meeting = 3
It is so good that I am not going to be busy this year.
Knights of the Pelican and Eagle
Tonight was the rescheduled meeting of Valle Crucis Chapter Rose Croix.
Recently we have had around ten joining members, and a load of new members that can not make the second Friday in September, so this year we temporary moved the meeting to the last Monday, and as of now we are moving it to some Monday in October. This is a bad since it took two hours to set up the rooms, and takes almost as long to put it all away. Normally this is fine when we meet on a Friday, as a small group go on the Saturday morning to put it all away before grabbing a pint in the pub. But meeting on a Monday with people working Tuesdays means it has to be put away the same night. So meeting, meal, toasts, and then when everyone is stuffed we need to put everything away late into the night. Well those who voted for the Monday meeting went home, or stayed in the bar drinking.
Other than that, it was a great evening, we had two new members to the order, and have at least four or five candidates waiting. So the Chapter is growing in strength. It will be nice to see where it gets too in a few more years of people joining.
Leaving Wrexhamian Lodge
I have been a member of Wrexhamian Lodge for twelve years, the first ten have been an enjoyable time. I Filled in for the Junior Warden a couple of times, the Senior Deacon, was the Lodge Mentor for five years, was the Lodge Representative to the NWAMS, wrote and managed their website, and even went through the chair.
Unfortunately the last two years of my membership has left me no better than a visitor (And occasionally worse than a visitor). The Lodge decided to start using WhatsApp for communication, which I do not use since my phone is used for work (WhatsApp itself states if you use your phone for work you can not use normal WhatsApp because it breaks GDPR) so I do not get the messages. I did not mind when it was just chat, social stuff, etc but they started doing all communications over WhatsApp.
So if they need to arrange what we are doing in the next few meetings, or get volunteers to do parts of the work, or even arrange a committee meeting it was only done over WhatsApp. So I (along with others) were excluded. This has led to the DC bringing his friends for his mother lodge along to do parts of ceremonies, and act as Wrexhamian Officers while there are multiple Lodge members sat watching and not being allowed to take part.
It got so bad that last year while I was at a meeting in the Province of Cheshire, a member of a Lodge told me he was visiting Wrexhamian’s next meeting to see the first degree tracing board, and he had heard about it from a member of a Lodge in a different Masonic Hall. That was the first I heard what we were doing, so I as a member of Wrexhamian was not told of what we were doing, but multiple other Lodges, in other provinces had been told.
When the issues of WhatsApp were brought up, and how multiple members of the Lodge were not getting any communications the DC (Who was only organising ceremonies and volunteers/officers on WhatsApp) stated it was nothing to do with him, he was not doing it, and the Secretary stated “I am too Important and busy to send multiple communications out, its just easier to post on WhatsApp so tough if you don’t get anything just ask people if they have received any news”
So after twelve years, this evening I handed in my resignation. I can not justify paying hundreds of pounds to be a member of a Lodge where visitors get more communication and participation.
WhatsApp is a very handy tool for the members to keep in touch with each other, and interact and keep the social aspect alive, BUT when it is used as the official communication method it is harming Lodges. I have seen it cause issue in multiple units in several orders.