I apologize for the nighttime site downtimes and e-mail (@excelsiorlodge.org) outages recently. It's been quite warm and it seems my server hardware has become very sensitive to temperature changes. It likes to shut down in the middle of the night when things get too hot. I've taken steps to increase airflow around the server chassis and I have plans to implement a failover system in the next few weeks.

Minutes from our June 23, 2008 Special Communication
Scholarship Presentation Night 2008

At 6 PM, Junior Warden Scites called the guests to refreshment. Cindy’s kitchen served spaghetti and meat balls with assorted vegetables.

At 6:50 PM, Marshall Armstrong assembled the scholarship recipients in the anteroom while Stewards Clinnin and Gerszewski helped the guests find their seats in the Lodge Room.

At 7:00 PM, Junior Warden Scites called the guests together for the presentation at the order of the Worshipful Master.

Brethren, the minutes of our previous stated communication are posted on the secure side. To view them, please log in with your username and password. Your user name is your full name (e.g. "Joshua Armstrong") with spaces. Your password was given to you at the altar after you've taken your second step in Masonry.

One of my favorite quotes ever from the Internet. It shows creativity and higher-order thought.

<Bonz> Light bulbs are not actually "light bulbs" but dark absorbers. When you turn them on, they suck the dark out of the room. You can prove this by holding your hand under a "light bulb". The dark will stack up under your hand where its path to the absorber is blocked by your hand. When they quit working and turn a dark color, it's not because they burnt out, it's because they're full.

Where were you first prepared to be made a Mason?

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The Lodge Membership and Finance Stats I promised earlier is surprisingly on schedule. I am planning to use two data marts (Membership and Finance) with two cubes in each mart (Membership and Attendance in Membership; Checks and Income in Finance). I have the Membership mart built, tested, and ready for the first data load.

My Website To Do List (a.k.a. Coming Attraction) 1. Secure side (members only) - something useful for you to log in to! 2. Meeting Minutes on the secure side 3. Expanded Masonic Dictionary (I've got tons of entries waiting to go in) 4. Statistics explorer (BI tools for membership and financial activity) 1, 2, and 3, I expect to have working this week. 4 will come later (maybe a month).

Our sister Lodge, George Washington 1776 Lodge #337 in Whitefish Bay, WI, gave us a nod in their May/June 2008 Trestleboard. They appreciate our Masonic Dictionary Project and I thank them for their appreciation. I will be expanding that section with a score of new entries soon.

These are the brethren who have birthdays in May. Please wish them well when you see them!

I apologize for the printing error on the March Masonic Birthday letters. The letter said that the first meeting in March was on the 4th. This is not correct. The first meeting in March is the 10th. I apologize for the error and will be calling the Brethren who got this letter to correct them.