Tuesday, July 28, 2009

If it is so important, why aren't you here?


So the Blythewood Masonic Lodge annual fundraiser BBQ was this weekend. Let me start off by saying that I do not enjoy this event.

I got to the Lodge at 6:45. My job in this annual bloodletting it to stoke the fire barrels, shovel hot coals on the end of a shovel with a 10' extended metal handle, load flip and remove the chickens, and generally be a spare set of hands. I am supposed to be on first shift. This usually works out just fine and dandy. I help cook about 500 of the 800 chickens, the other 300 are handled by second shift, who doesn't work as hard, but it is hotter in the afternoon so it's fair in the end.

Unless, there is no second shift.

Only one person assigned to second shift managed to show up. So, I was there until 5:30. Overheated, exhausted, sweaty, smelly, and with a very bad angry streak by that time as well.

All of this because a bunch of grumpy old men, most of whom have lifetime memberships and do not pay dues, are too stupid to realize that we cannot afford to operate on $50 per year dues per member with only 120 members. (Actually, about 75 of those pay dues!) So instead of having a fundraiser to help someone in the community, we have a fundraiser to support our laziness and ignorance.

I'm not cooking chicken any more. For the record: if the dues are not raised to fully fund the Lodge operations, I'm not helping with the fundraiser. The fundraiser should help the community, not support our sloth.

So here is a cute picture of Princess Poopy Pants to cheer us all up!