Welcome to a world where cigars meet Masonic mysteries, where the smell of fine whiskey mingles with the intriguing tales of Freemasonry. Today, we're joined by Johnny Schaeff from the Three Ruffians cigar company, and we're cracking open conversations around their unique product range, including the mysterious JA cigar and their Cuban seed wonder. As we sit in the grand lobby of a Washington DC hotel, we delve into the world of Freemasonry, unraveling its deep-rooted traditions and the fascinating world of recognition between Grand Lodges.
Ever wondered how technology is bridging gaps and making global connections in an ancient brotherhood like Freemasonry? Our guest, Jeremy, the creator of the innovative Amity app, spills the beans about the inception of this tool that's making Masonic travel a breeze, replacing physical recognition books, and connecting Freemasons across borders. As we probe the potential of this app, we also touch upon some exciting future plans, including its expansion for the Grand Lodge of Florida and possibilities of worldwide outreach.
Today's podcast is not just a deep dive into Freemasonry and cigars, but it's also an exploration of forgotten histories and intriguing tales. From the fascinating story of the George Washington gavel to the mystery behind Dan Brown's symbolic severed hand, we've got it all covered. We'll also share a few laughs over the thoughts of creating a "Clandestine Lodge" and the mysterious disappearance of Chris's wife. It's a captivating, humorous, and enlightening discussion that you wouldn't want to miss! So, sit back, light up a cigar, pour yourself a glass of whiskey, and let's journey into the captivating world of Freemasonry.
#freemasonry #pocast #bluelodge #amityapp #the3ruffians #masoniccigars
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:04):
Hey, chris, yeah, fred, what's a Mason?
Speaker 2 (00:09):
That's a really good question, fred.
Speaker 1 (00:15):
You've reached the internet's home for all things
masonry.
Join Chris and I as we plumbthe depths of our ancient craft,
from the common gavel to thetrowel.
Nothing is off the table, sograb your tools and let's get to
work.
This is On the Level.
Oh my gosh, chris.
Where are you?
Oh my gosh, there it is theRebel Yell.
Hey, when I grow up, I want togo to Washington DC and be a
(00:40):
politician man.
What about you?
Speaker 2 (00:42):
I want to go to Washington DC.
I'm down with that.
Speaker 1 (00:45):
But I don't know about being a politician.
Okay, fine, fine, wait, you area politician.
Aren't you the worst fullmaster of 147 in Sarasota?
Speaker 2 (00:54):
Silence.
What I would like to do, though, is sit in DC with some really
good cigars and some whiskeywith friends.
Speaker 1 (01:03):
What if we did it with Masons?
What do you?
Speaker 2 (01:06):
think about that.
Speaker 1 (01:08):
Your wish is my command, sir, because, ladies
and gentlemen, we are currentlyin the nation's capital,
washington.
Speaker 2 (01:14):
DC OMG.
Speaker 1 (01:16):
And this is going to be an epic weekend for OTL I got
to be honest with you.
Speaker 2 (01:21):
We're here.
It's going to be awesome, man,we're sitting in the lobby of a
hotel in DC, in DC, and we'rebroadcasting.
Speaker 1 (01:30):
There's a person next to me, oh yeah, well, our main
sponsor, three-ruffy and cigarcompany, johnny Schaeff, is here
.
He is one of the three Ruffians.
Speaker 3 (01:43):
Johnny, how's it going?
Man, it's going all goodBrothers, how you doing.
Speaker 2 (01:47):
Wow, his first words on the air First words on the
air.
Speaker 1 (01:49):
I love it, I love it man First words.
We're doing great.
We're doing great.
Tell us a little bit aboutwhat's going on with the cigar
company lately.
Give us the 411.
Speaker 3 (02:02):
So there is a company out there called the Three
Ruffians Three.
Speaker 1 (02:06):
Ruffians, a cigar company.
That sounds very Masonic.
Speaker 3 (02:08):
What do they represent?
I wonder the vices of the world.
Speaker 2 (02:13):
Perhaps Maybe there's layers to that, I think.
Speaker 3 (02:16):
Right, yeah.
Speaker 2 (02:17):
I definitely think there could be a representation
that they do represent the vicesof the world.
Speaker 1 (02:22):
I would agree with that.
They.
Speaker 2 (02:23):
Might they do the vices the best ones whiskeys
smoking, cigars.
Speaker 3 (02:29):
So I have to agree.
Tonight, three of us aresitting here at the microphones
and join some whiskey.
What I've got next to us here,brothers, are four cigars that
are offered by the ThreeRuffians.
Speaker 2 (02:41):
This is going to well .
We're going to take pictures ofthis and put it live we should.
You're going to see thepictures before you hear the
audio.
Speaker 1 (02:46):
Absolutely.
You guys got to keep on here.
I'm looking something up, sokeep talking.
She's just perusing pictures onhis phone while we're doing our
podcast.
Speaker 2 (02:56):
All right, Johnny who's that naked lady on your?
Oh, it's your wife.
Okay, what are you mad at mefor?
You married her.
Speaker 4 (03:04):
Favorite movie ever.
Speaker 1 (03:07):
Does anybody know what that movie's from?
Speaker 2 (03:08):
No, I actually don't.
Come on the Mask.
Come on, oh damn it.
I called the Mask earlier too.
Mask.
Speaker 1 (03:13):
Slapstick, modern Comedy of All Time.
Speaker 3 (03:16):
Somebody's going stop me.
Speaker 1 (03:18):
No, what I was looking for was the recording
that I did of the Three Ruffians.
Introduction.
Speaker 3 (03:23):
Oh, are you going to play that for us?
And I thought I could play it,but it's on there, isn't it?
Speaker 1 (03:26):
It's on here which is on there, and it's everywhere.
So the answer is yes.
Speaker 3 (03:30):
But, anyway.
Speaker 1 (03:31):
So.
So, johnny, give us a.
What do you?
What do you got in front of usright now?
Speaker 3 (03:34):
I see four cigars there, tell us a little bit
about each one.
Can I smell one?
We offer four cigars.
I'm going to start this one foryou, Chris, right here.
This is the box press.
Speaker 2 (03:42):
It's flat.
I know this it is flat, it's aweird shape.
Speaker 3 (03:44):
Right it is.
It's a box press.
Speaker 2 (03:46):
Cigar Connecticut wrapper.
It's flat.
Yeah, is that what they callthe box press.
They put it in a box and pressit Because I'm asking this
because I seriously don't knowanything about cigars so they
may seem like stupid questions.
It's a unique shape.
Speaker 3 (04:00):
It definitely is.
That's why they call it the boxpress, because of the shape
that you see right there, thisis correct this is Connecticut
wrapper, okay, nicaraguan.
Speaker 2 (04:09):
Yes.
Speaker 3 (04:10):
I actually think this is one of the best cigars that
we offer.
Speaker 1 (04:13):
See, now I keep hearing that and you would think
that the Madura or thatConnecticut torpedo would be.
But we always hear thateveryone loves that cigar,
Everybody.
Speaker 3 (04:23):
Even if you're a 30-year guy who smokes cigars,
you're going to like this one.
Speaker 1 (04:26):
Yeah, it's so true.
Speaker 2 (04:28):
Or a rookie who just getting started.
Me too Is this more mild, it isvery mild but very smooth.
Okay, okay.
Speaker 3 (04:37):
It's a good cigar right there it's a good cigar.
Speaker 2 (04:40):
It's also as an orange band, and you have a name
for this.
Speaker 3 (04:42):
Yeah, we call that the JA.
Speaker 2 (04:45):
The JA the.
Speaker 1 (04:46):
JA, we can't tell you what it stands for, because
that's a secret.
Speaker 2 (04:49):
Johnny Appleseed's here.
Speaker 1 (04:51):
Johnny Appleseed wait a minute.
Speaker 2 (04:53):
Who are you talking about?
La, Okay.
Speaker 1 (04:55):
We have three more.
Speaker 3 (04:57):
We'll go to the second cigar here, which is Zorn
Torpedo Cigar.
Speaker 2 (05:01):
Torpedo, I see, because it has like a point on
the end.
That's right, but the rest itlooks like a normal cigar.
Speaker 3 (05:07):
This also is a Connecticut wrapper, also a
Nicaraguan, and I think that'sreally good.
These have Cuban seed.
Right, it is Cuban seed based.
Yes.
Speaker 2 (05:18):
Okay, and this is a really cool logo wrapper that
we've done.
Speaker 1 (05:22):
You guys are dying over there.
Come on, pick up the pace.
Speaker 2 (05:25):
Pick up the pace, you two.
Come on, just keep looking atyour nude pictures on your phone
, all right.
Speaker 1 (05:31):
You know it's, I'm not going to find it.
Speaker 3 (05:33):
The third one Actually that second one that we
just presented that was theConnecticut wrapper yes, this is
the.
J the torpedo, okay A J.
Speaker 1 (05:43):
Oh, sorry J-O, Sorry J-O, that's the J-O, that's
right.
Speaker 3 (05:47):
And that won't make sense when you put all three of
them together.
So we've got the J-A, the J-Oand I'm going to introduce you
to the third cigar, which wecall the J-U.
Speaker 1 (05:56):
The J-U.
This is the Habana, that's ourHabana.
That's a late cigar A littlebit stronger.
Speaker 3 (06:02):
This is my personally , this is my second favorite of
our four.
Speaker 1 (06:06):
Right Now, the last one of our line that I smoked
was that one, and it was awesome.
Speaker 2 (06:11):
It burned perfectly right down to the roach clip man
.
Speaker 1 (06:14):
It was just like yeah , that was a great smoke.
You used roach clips with cigar.
You know I do.
Speaker 3 (06:18):
A trained professional.
Speaker 1 (06:19):
A trained professional.
I don't recommend Do not trythis at home, folks.
It's not for everybody.
Speaker 3 (06:24):
But Freddie Pac can do that.
Speaker 1 (06:26):
I can do that, all right.
Well, johnny, we're going tohave you back.
And then there's one last one Ijust want to throw out there.
All right, throw it out there,because by demand.
Speaker 3 (06:33):
People wanted this.
Speaker 1 (06:35):
Maduro cigar, yeah, that's heavy.
Speaker 3 (06:37):
We call this the Outlaw.
Speaker 2 (06:38):
The Outlaw.
Yep, so we changed it up.
No secrets on that one.
No secrets on the Outlaw.
There are no secrets on theOutlaw.
Speaker 1 (06:44):
That's a really good smoke as well.
And Justin Broome, or or orJustin Broome.
The right honorable districtinstructor Right honorable
district instructor Broomehighly recommends that cigar and
.
I didn't say that with greatconfidence and joy, because he
is a connoisseur two to max man,so we're really happy about
that.
Speaker 3 (07:02):
You can find all four of those cigars.
Speaker 1 (07:04):
Online.
Speaker 3 (07:06):
At the the threeruffianscom.
The threeruffianscom, yeah,that's great.
Speaker 1 (07:12):
And we do appreciate we do appreciate threeruffians
sponsor in the show, always,always, always appreciate it.
Now John's going to give way toour next guest and he's going
to put them headphones on andwe're going to sit and yak a
little bit, we'll have John backfrom time to time to talk.
Speaker 2 (07:26):
Bye brothers.
Yes, all right, see ya.
Come back, john.
Please, please come backsomeday Next, wait, who's he
giving way to I?
Speaker 1 (07:35):
don't know.
Who is this man?
Speaker 2 (07:37):
Is he a ruffian?
Probably.
Speaker 1 (07:40):
Yes, we're all.
We all have a little ruffian inour heart.
He doesn't admit it.
Speaker 2 (07:43):
He does not admit it.
Could you please state your?
Speaker 4 (07:45):
I admit it clearly I actually put my name on the
sign-in sheet today as a wrongworshipful.
Speaker 2 (07:52):
Wrong worshipful.
Okay, all right, I put mine asleft worshipful, so that works
too.
I'm also a lefty it's all right, I won't hold that against you.
Speaker 4 (07:59):
We're the only ones in our right mind.
Speaker 2 (08:03):
Could you please state your name rank?
Speaker 4 (08:04):
and serial number for the listeners please Wrong
worshipful brother Jeremy Barnespast master of Potomac Lodge
number five and happy to be here.
Speaker 2 (08:12):
Past master of Potomac Lodge number five, right
around the corner.
Speaker 4 (08:15):
Right around the corner, oldest lodge in what is
now known as Washington DC,because we actually predated the
city.
Speaker 1 (08:21):
Ah, correct, that is very good.
Speaker 2 (08:23):
But you have another name for yourself.
In Masonry you are the owner ofthe Amity app.
That's correct, I am indeed oneof the founders it's true One
of the founders of the Amity app.
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (08:32):
Now, jeremy, we've been trying to get you on since
Grand Lodge of last year and Igot to say our scheduler really
really just bungled it up, andof course that's me, so Thank
you for it.
Speaker 4 (08:42):
It takes two to tango .
It takes two yeah.
Speaker 1 (08:45):
So we are really glad that you're on.
Tell us a little bit aboutwhat's going on with Amity man.
Give us an update, what'shappening.
Speaker 4 (08:50):
Oh my gosh, when to start?
It's been incredible.
We are now either directly orindirectly supporting a million
Masons around the world.
Speaker 2 (08:57):
No kidding In how many countries.
Speaker 4 (08:59):
We're up to about 120 , 125 countries.
And that's nuts About 280 GrandLodges, wow, which?
Not to dive into the triviaimmediately, but one of my
favorite things to think aboutis, if you talk about
recognition, there are about 310regular Grand Lodges in the
world.
The average Grand Lodgerecognizes about 180.
Speaker 2 (09:19):
Really, Really Interesting.
Wow, what a tangled word.
Speaker 4 (09:23):
The irony is within masonry on average.
You don't recognize half theGrand Lodges and I don't say
that to be negative.
Speaker 1 (09:28):
Don't get me wrong, right, right.
It's a fascinating thoughtexperiment to say why is this
Right, right, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2 (09:35):
So that actually just showcases a need for the app
that you built.
Speaker 1 (09:38):
I was just going to say that's right.
Speaker 2 (09:39):
I think that's incredibly complicated to be a
mason as a traveling man in themodern world.
Absolutely, as you said, ourGrand Lodge might not recognize
the Grand Lodge of Washington DC, which they do, obviously.
Speaker 1 (09:51):
But how I know?
Speaker 2 (09:52):
if the independent Lodge is recognized by your
Grand Lodge in DC, which isrecognized by my Grand Lodge in
Florida, it gets reallycomplicated.
They used to publish thesebooks that were like bigger than
a phone book, I think.
Speaker 4 (10:06):
And now we publish those right.
Speaker 2 (10:07):
So you can throw your right to me, but they're online
, it's online.
It's online Real time.
Speaker 4 (10:12):
We'll be the first one to say you don't need the
book.
Speaker 2 (10:14):
It's digital Right.
Right, you have the app.
If you're a mason, you shouldhave the app.
Where can they go to downloadthe app if they don't have it?
Speaker 4 (10:20):
If there's a Play Store, the app store.
It's no matter what kind ofphone you have.
It's supportive, it's out thereand it's free to download.
Speaker 1 (10:27):
So, jeremy, for the listener who he just downloaded,
it it's in front of them.
What does he do?
Give us the 101 on this Sure.
Speaker 4 (10:38):
The easiest thing to get started with, right in the
middle of the page on the homescreen is a map and you just tap
on the map and literally it'sjust like Google Maps.
Matter of fact, it is GoogleMaps behind the scenes and we've
overlaid every lodge in theworld on that map and you can
just move it around, zoom in,zoom out, See who's recognizing
who Exactly.
We've actually also got theappended bodies in there now in
most cases, really.
Speaker 2 (10:57):
OK.
Speaker 4 (10:58):
Not to again to dive into trivia, but what I've
learned recently is how manyScottish Wright Supreme Councils
there are in the world.
Speaker 2 (11:06):
Really, you never think about it right, Even in
the US we have two.
Speaker 4 (11:09):
You're right, exactly , but I mean almost every
country has their own.
Speaker 1 (11:14):
Yeah, Wow.
Speaker 3 (11:15):
I didn't know that and a lot of Latin.
Speaker 4 (11:16):
America.
Actually the Scottish Wright iswho started the Blue Lodges.
Speaker 1 (11:21):
That's very interesting.
Speaker 4 (11:22):
One of the ways that it moved around the world.
Speaker 1 (11:23):
No kidding, yeah, that's interesting.
Speaker 2 (11:26):
I see a lot of famous Mason's.
Oh, the Spaniards coming in.
We got an SG IG walking.
Speaker 1 (11:31):
Well, no, we have.
I better watch my mouth, youbetter watch what you say there,
mister.
Speaker 2 (11:36):
Do you know who this is?
He is the founder of the Amityapp.
You cannot touch this man,that's right.
Yeah, you tried to tell himthat to my grand lodge, so what?
Speaker 3 (11:43):
about that dues guard .
Speaker 2 (11:45):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (11:46):
What about onboarding their profile?
How about a profile?
What lodge they're at?
What's?
Speaker 4 (11:51):
the process.
That depends on which grandlodge we're talking about these
days, which is a pretty coolthing.
Speaker 2 (11:55):
Let's go with Florida , so just Amity has replaced
Circumstries indeed it has ofthis year and it.
Speaker 4 (12:02):
In fact, florida Masons no longer need to create
accounts.
They have already been createdfor you, because we're working
with the Grand Lodge.
And so, okay, what you'll seeif you try and create account.
You'll see an error that says,hey, you've already gotten
account.
Okay, because it recognizesyour member number.
Speaker 1 (12:17):
Oh, okay, so that's what they're gonna need their
member number.
They're gonna enter that insomewhere, yep, and that's gonna
get it, get the process rolling.
Speaker 4 (12:24):
Yeah, from that perspective.
All you need to do is go to ourwelcome site.
Okay and you put your.
You put your email address inthere and if we can't find your
email address, you can add yourmember number.
Okay, and it'll.
It'll finish activating theaccount for you super easy.
Speaker 1 (12:36):
All right.
And then, once you have yourprofile, the way I understand
that your profile is done, it'sverified correct in that way,
when you're traveling, you'reyou.
This this proves digitally,proves this thing on your, your
SAP on your phone proves who youare to any lodge in the country
.
Speaker 4 (12:50):
And it's approved by the Grand Lodge of Florida that
is.
It's approved in both ways.
Right, because there's hey, I'ma Florida Mason and I'm going
to New York, right?
Right, so you want to show whoyou are, but if your New York
Mason is coming to you, yeah,it's also.
You're also able to look upthat brother's lodge right and
see if he's recognized, that's.
Speaker 2 (13:06):
that's amazing, so much I mean I'm sitting master
this year and many times I'vehad a brother come from another
jurisdiction or even anotherlodge in my own jurisdiction.
And it's very difficult toverify somebody is who they say
they are, but you have thisthing called the King Solomon's
Passport which allows them tovery quickly.
For me is the master to sayokay, you clearly are verified
(13:28):
because the app is connected tothe Grand Lodge records?
Speaker 4 (13:31):
in about 120 grand lodges now.
Yeah oh, fairly, it's, it'simmediate right immediately yeah
you know, under a second right.
Wow just just spins up and offyou go.
It's like we're using moderntechnology and you do this.
Oh my god.
Speaker 1 (13:44):
Okay, here's what yeah let's go back to the
beginning.
Don't even get me started there.
Speaker 2 (13:48):
No, this is where the story really is trust right.
Yeah no cuz we're in thefraternity.
Okay, we're in our 40s ish.
We're all in our 40s ish areaof our age here or greater
ourselves middle-aged men.
Speaker 4 (14:02):
Okay and Don't say that I'm not.
I know I don't.
I'm just starting on readingglasses.
I've accepted it.
Speaker 2 (14:08):
I have a whole nother story about Jeremy, how I met
him.
That involves my wife, which isa fantastic story go ahead and
share.
I mean, look, you can't justdrop that.
Speaker 1 (14:18):
All right well this involves my wife.
Speaker 4 (14:20):
It does not involve your wife like anything.
Anyone that is listening tothis would.
Speaker 2 (14:26):
My dear listener, please know I will tell you this
truth.
Speaker 4 (14:30):
I was it also involves Mardi Gras it was my
birthday.
Speaker 2 (14:34):
Okay, okay, okay.
I've heard this story.
Speaker 1 (14:36):
I've heard this story , but our listeners haven't go
ahead.
Gentlemen, why don't we hearthis story?
Speaker 4 (14:40):
I just wanted to up the ante with you know right.
How he met me involved, hiswife involved and Marty grass
and Marty grow.
It's the beginning.
Speaker 1 (14:52):
Marty grow his wife and him.
Yeah, okay, here we go.
Speaker 2 (14:56):
You should know Jeremy's a good-looking guy.
Speaker 4 (14:58):
Oh, okay, you're a doll, he's, you're taking though
I am taken.
Speaker 1 (15:03):
I am taken, let's move on and my wife is 15
Uncomfortable.
I'm getting there.
Yeah, I'm getting it.
Speaker 4 (15:09):
It's the middle-aged thing, right, we're all
middle-aged.
Speaker 1 (15:12):
Let's face it Some of us are more middle-aged than
others.
Speaker 2 (15:15):
Middle-earth not a bad thing.
Speaker 1 (15:16):
All right keep going, keep going.
Speaker 2 (15:18):
So we have a mutual friend in common, bill Cattilitz
.
Bill Cattilitz, very, you'veheard him on the Paddy, oh yeah,
yeah, Magnanimous personality.
Speaker 1 (15:27):
He's around here somewhere.
We're gonna get him in here ina minute.
Speaker 2 (15:29):
So I'm going for my birthday you to Mardi Gras and I
tell my wife, you know, and Ithink I know a guy that's kind
of like we're embedded in thereand I post are you still there?
And he's like are you effingkidding me?
Am I still here?
Like I'm the king of oceaniststhis year and I'm like I don't
even know what that means.
Speaker 1 (15:45):
What does that mean?
Speaker 2 (15:46):
But I kind of know because I lived in Baton Rouge
for a couple of years so I hadsome familiarity with you know,
mardi Gras and stuff.
But my wife had never been.
So I was trying to convince herto go to Mardi Gras for my
birthday.
We go up there.
Bill's like, come immediatelyto me, I'm gonna hook you up.
We went to this fancy ball.
He, we got all the equipment tobe on the float.
It's like really hard to get onthe float we got it in the last
minute.
Speaker 4 (16:06):
It is like the day before.
Wow, especially last minute, Iknow you can imagine.
Speaker 2 (16:10):
So Bill was pulling some strings.
He definitely pulled somestrings.
And we are up there doing ourthing, having the time of our
life, and we get off the floatand I, Mike, see my wife talking
to this handsome guy and I'mlike let me get her away from
this freaking tool before I getinto some serious trouble.
And he's like hi, my name'sJeremy and I'm like wait a
second, are you the Jeremy?
(16:31):
I've emailed you.
This is my wife.
We've talked, we've met.
We've actually had many timeshow dare you sir.
Speaker 4 (16:37):
Step away, sir.
Speaker 1 (16:39):
Ha ha, ha, ha, ha, ha , ha, ha, ha ha ha, ha, ha, ha,
ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, cause I havean attractive wife, amazingly,
I don't know how.
I don't know how either.
Well, you're right, she's veryattractive.
Speaker 2 (16:46):
I'll marry up Cost a lot of money, I guess.
Speaker 4 (16:48):
I don't know.
Speaker 2 (16:49):
Yeah, no, she's sweetheart.
Speaker 4 (16:50):
Thankfully everything , all the doubloons you got at
Mardi Gras.
You know they're not actuallyreal.
That's right.
Speaker 2 (16:55):
That's how I met Jeremy.
I met Mardi Gras.
He was hitting on my wifeaccidentally.
Hey, hey, hey, or she washitting on you.
I was gonna say I know.
Speaker 4 (17:02):
Look, I've been around enough Masonic events
that that part of you just shutsoff.
Speaker 1 (17:06):
Yeah, that's not a bad policy.
Not a bad policy.
Speaker 4 (17:08):
I mean I promise until proven, otherwise they're
all taken Not gonna go there,I'm gonna go with my wife as a
fault here because he is a goodlooking guy.
Speaker 2 (17:16):
I don't blame her, okay.
And that's how I met Jeremy.
I was like okay.
Speaker 4 (17:19):
I thought we were just being friendly.
You were friendly, obviously.
Speaker 2 (17:22):
And she loved it.
That was a great time she neverbeen to Mardi.
Gras, mardi Gras, ever.
That was her first visit to aMardi Gras.
Speaker 4 (17:29):
I'm the freaking fault.
We should all go back.
Speaker 1 (17:31):
I'm down with that.
Who does it every year?
I'm down with that.
I would go back.
That'd be a lot of fun.
Speaker 4 (17:35):
That's one of the things I mean to talk to him
about this weekend.
Speaker 1 (17:37):
Yeah, you should definitely go to Mardi Gras at
least once a decade.
Absolutely, yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 4 (17:42):
It's the type of fun that you just can't get anywhere
else, and especially withOkeanos and Bill's group.
Speaker 1 (17:47):
it's such a community Right, that'd be a lot of fun.
Speaker 4 (17:50):
Bill really brings like a Masonic sort of influence
.
It's obviously not Masonry,right.
Right right that speaks to, inmy view, not to shamelessly
bring it back to Amity, but partof what we can do by meeting
each other and learning fromeach other is bring Freemasonry
into the world around us, andbuild us that really really well
.
Speaker 1 (18:09):
Yes, I would just absolutely brought that
influence into Mardi.
Speaker 4 (18:15):
Gras and his Mardi Gras crew.
Are we not connected?
I don't know.
I see the levels going on.
Speaker 2 (18:21):
I do, I do too.
We'll just wait for it, did youguys?
Speaker 3 (18:24):
get it.
Sorry, were you guys off.
No, I'm sorry.
Speaker 1 (18:27):
Keep going, keep going.
We're still amazing.
We're still amazing, we'restill Good.
I don't know what happened.
Speaker 2 (18:31):
Fred's flipping out over there.
He's twisting knobs and pushingbuttons.
No, I hit the solo button.
Sorry, do you feel?
Ok, man, you've got the groupcodes on that thing.
Speaker 1 (18:41):
I'm in the middle of a restaurant producing a podcast
.
This ain't easy.
Speaker 2 (18:44):
Jackson so.
Speaker 1 (18:47):
Jeremy, speaking of shamelessly plugging the app,
the future of Amity man, whereare you going?
What's happening?
Speaker 4 (18:53):
here?
Where are we going with this?
You know, the biggest challengewith Amity is there is so much
to do and so little time.
Speaker 1 (19:01):
I can only imagine there are a lot of numbers.
It's got to be nuts man.
It's a lot of fun.
Speaker 4 (19:06):
It really is.
We're at a point where peopleare really starting to love what
we're doing.
I mean, it took us years.
It's been a matter of trust,right.
Speaker 1 (19:12):
Right.
Speaker 4 (19:13):
And we can totally understand it Masons take a
little while to trust we want toknow you're not these crazy
people stealing all of our data.
Speaker 1 (19:19):
You want to know you're going to be around and
it's not a short-term thing,right?
Yeah, yeah, I get it.
Speaker 4 (19:24):
Almost eight years in right.
We're here.
Eight years, Eight years.
Speaker 1 (19:28):
Wow, no kidding, yeah , that's awesome.
Speaker 4 (19:30):
February 29th.
Actually, It'll be our secondbirthday.
Speaker 1 (19:33):
Nice your second birthday.
Speaker 2 (19:35):
Well, we started on a leap year.
Speaker 1 (19:37):
Oh, got it.
Ah, clever, I'm the 28th.
Speaker 2 (19:39):
That was right there as well.
Just about there.
Yeah, four years, just aboutthere.
That'd make me like 12.
Speaker 4 (19:46):
We're actually wrapping up the rollout of dues.
Ok, dues payments for the GrandLodge of Florida.
Speaker 1 (19:50):
That's great, yeah, and when we got, the kinks
worked out of that.
Speaker 4 (19:52):
That's going to go nationwide and then actually
worldwide.
We've got a couple grand lodgesthat are super excited about
that.
Speaker 1 (19:58):
Yeah, that's going to make life so much easier.
Oh my gosh.
Speaker 2 (20:01):
You're solving a major problem.
Speaker 1 (20:02):
That solved that right there.
As a treasurer of a lodge, Ican tell you that's going to
solve a big problem.
Speaker 4 (20:08):
Yeah, the other interesting thing and this is
sort of above the interest levelof a lot of normal masons, but
one of the things that I'mreally excited about- there are
normal masons.
Speaker 1 (20:18):
Normal masons, huh, I don't worry Is that the name of
a lodge somewhere I don't knowNormal Lodge number 125.
Speaker 4 (20:24):
I'm still trying to get clandestine lodge chartered.
I think that'd be hystericalClandestine number 135.
Well, you don't even put anumber on it.
Yeah, no, that's right.
No, no.
It just says I'm in clandestinelodge Clandestine lodge Wait I
don't think I'm supposed to betalking to you.
Speaker 2 (20:38):
I don't know what's going on here.
You know, let's go to Are youon Amity.
Maybe Could be Scan this code.
Speaker 4 (20:46):
I have been in grand lodges where we have this whole
thing in ritual, at least in DC,where it's like.
This is why we have the words,the way we do, in which degree.
Yeah right, I do a grand lodgethat uses them backwards and I'm
like hey, my ritual told meabout you.
Speaker 2 (20:59):
Oh really For real.
But you've been, you really aretraveling man.
Speaker 4 (21:04):
I imagine that is fair, because how?
Speaker 2 (21:06):
many countries are you in?
Speaker 4 (21:07):
I've got 120 now Wow.
Speaker 1 (21:10):
That just blows my mind.
Speaker 2 (21:11):
That's a huge number, that's countries, Right.
So how do you even get thatmany countries on?
I mean you have to do a lot ofwork right With each individual
one to get them to sign on.
Speaker 4 (21:21):
It is.
But, to be honest, we're at apoint now where our reputation
is proceeding.
Speaker 1 (21:25):
We've been working with conferences for quite a
while.
Speaker 4 (21:28):
I was just in Serbia, actually at the European
Conference of Grand Secretaries.
Speaker 1 (21:32):
Wow, but to be honest , the fun thing about that was
oh no, God, no, no.
I started as a secretary.
Speaker 4 (21:38):
But no, the fun thing about that was, I mean, half
the room.
We already knew we're at thepoint where these are our
friends.
Speaker 1 (21:44):
Now they're starting to come to you, right.
Speaker 4 (21:46):
And so we're super honored and humbled.
Really, that's awesome.
You know that, hey, that peopleare still talking to us, yeah.
Speaker 2 (21:54):
You know If those amity gays, michael and I like
to joke that if New York and DCcan get together, it'd actually
like each other.
Speaker 1 (22:00):
Oh yeah, we can do this anywhere, you can go
anywhere.
Speaker 2 (22:02):
Also thanks for joining us tonight, so is that
your?
Speaker 4 (22:04):
partner Yep.
Yep Michael is a Mason out inNew York.
But you know, the crazy thingis, we've known each other since
we were three.
Speaker 1 (22:11):
Oh, no kidding.
Speaker 2 (22:12):
Oh yeah, Wow.
How did this happen, this wholeidea?
Can you talk a little bit aboutthe inception of this, the
birth of this in your mind, youknow it was, it was super random
, I mean I've.
Speaker 4 (22:21):
I've sort of toyed with this idea since God, since
about 2000 or so when I was in acivil organization, right you?
Know.
I heard somebody on on onInstagram the other day say they
were a teacher and one of theirstudents asked if they could
use sources from the late 1900s,because they found something
from the 1980s.
Speaker 2 (22:39):
Oh my God, it's like you know what my wife's little
brother says movies like Ramboare classics, and I'm like you
know what I lived that?
Speaker 1 (22:46):
It's in color.
What are you talking about?
Speaker 2 (22:48):
It's a classic.
I digress.
Speaker 4 (22:50):
Right, go back to the beginning of Amity.
Speaker 2 (22:52):
I need to hear this story.
Speaker 4 (22:53):
So so I'd been toying with the idea of some sort of
member management system forquite some time and and and sort
of let it go because lifehappened right.
Yeah, oh, yeah.
And then the funniest thinghappened with one of my oldest
friends.
So so Michael and I, like Isaid, our families were friends
and we were too old, too youngto know what friends were right.
And then we sort of fell apart.
Parents moved away, that sortof thing.
Speaker 2 (23:15):
Where are you from New York?
Speaker 4 (23:16):
Yeah, yeah, where I was born on the Upper West Side
in New York City.
Speaker 2 (23:19):
Oh no, kidding, OK yeah, real, new York Real.
New York Real cold.
Speaker 1 (23:24):
I'm not.
Speaker 2 (23:24):
I'm not one of the.
Speaker 4 (23:25):
Burgeon Tunnel people .
Yeah, I am now, but but so.
So Michael was actually at hismom's house and on her fridge
she had my family's Christmasphoto and in the Christmas photo
I was wearing a belt bucklethat had the Masonic symbols on
it.
Why, right?
Well, her compasses, you knowwhatever.
And he took one, look at thephoto and said I have to talk to
(23:47):
him, called my, got my dad'snumber from his mom.
Crazy Right Called my dad, whoat the time was not the biggest
fan of Freemasonry.
He's a preacher as his secondcareer.
Speaker 1 (23:59):
OK.
Speaker 4 (24:00):
And he's been sort of come around as he's seen.
You know me improve in lifebecause of Masonry, but but he
called my dad, michael called mydad and my dad said, no, you
don't want to talk to him aboutthat.
Speaker 1 (24:10):
And Michael said actually, I really do, can you?
Speaker 4 (24:12):
give me his number and finally got my number from
my dad and I mean we talked forsix, nine months like just back
and forth, back and forth backand forth.
Speaker 2 (24:19):
He was just fascinated with the idea that
you are a Freemason.
Speaker 4 (24:23):
Well, he had been looking into Freemasonry, ok,
but he didn't actually know anyMasons.
Speaker 1 (24:27):
OK.
Speaker 4 (24:27):
Come to find out through this circuitous route of
you know, the photo on thefridge, sort of thing Right.
Speaker 2 (24:33):
You know we end up and finally he's like look how
hard it was to get involved inthe fraternity back in the day.
Speaker 1 (24:39):
Well, it was not easy , if you care, freemason.
Speaker 2 (24:42):
I mean, you care Really.
You had to get to work at ithard to become a Mason back in
the day.
Speaker 4 (24:48):
I'm still a big fan of our in general.
Our Lodge dues are notcommensurate with the value that
we get from Freemasonry.
Speaker 1 (24:55):
Correct, yeah, I agree.
Speaker 2 (24:56):
I came from a Lodge in Florida that just increased
their dues.
They're now in the triplequadruple digits for their dues
annually and their per degreefees are in the triple digits.
Speaker 1 (25:07):
Yeah right.
Speaker 2 (25:08):
And so they're trying to experiment with.
This is the value we'rebringing, and are people willing
to pay it?
And they're finding that peopleare willing to pay.
Speaker 4 (25:16):
It's, yeah, it's actually happening.
Well, not only that when peoplerealize that they're paying
that sum of money, they want tocontribute and make sure that
they get the value that they'repaying for.
Speaker 1 (25:25):
Yeah, absolutely Right, so in my book.
Speaker 4 (25:27):
It's actually a self-fulfilling prophecy, right?
Yep, it's absolutely true.
Speaker 1 (25:31):
Hey, Jeremy, I've been asked to ask you about the
George Washington gavel.
Speaker 3 (25:36):
And the reason why I've been asked.
Speaker 1 (25:38):
That is because apparently you got.
You got some of the skinny onthat man.
You got a little of the historygoing on.
Share a little bit about itwith us, will you?
Speaker 4 (25:46):
For sure.
So segwaying back into PotomacLodge number five.
Speaker 1 (25:50):
That was a rabbit trail, by the way.
That's that's what we callthose Go ahead.
Speaker 4 (25:53):
Don't even get me started.
We could be here all night.
Speaker 1 (25:55):
Yeah, we could have a million.
We have whiskey on four moretimes, yeah, yeah, four more
times, right, okay, all right,give us, give us what you got
there, and then we'll move on.
Speaker 4 (26:03):
So so I'll try, and I'll try and condense this a bit
, give us a story, I mean.
I could do a half an hourlecture on this by itself.
Speaker 1 (26:08):
Well, you will book it, so you're in.
Speaker 4 (26:11):
Potomac Lodge number five is the oldest lodge in what
is now known as the District ofColumbia.
We were first chartered in 1789as Maryland Lodge number nine.
Speaker 1 (26:19):
Okay, maryland Lodge.
Maryland Lodge number time,because you remember.
Speaker 4 (26:22):
The District of Columbia was originally a
section of Virginia and asection of Maryland.
Speaker 1 (26:26):
Right, okay, that's right, that's right.
Speaker 4 (26:28):
And the portion that is now Georgetown used to be
called George Space TOWNE, rightGeorgetown was a port city on
the Potomac River Okay.
Speaker 1 (26:37):
The.
Speaker 4 (26:37):
Potomac, of course, goes into the Chesapeake Bay and
then out to the to the AtlanticRight, yeah Right.
Virginia has since taken theirsection of land back.
It's now Arlington County.
Georgetown, of course, was inMaryland, you know, is still in
what was at that time Maryland,and Potomac Lodge was started in
1789.
We went through a fewiterations, but in 1793, the
(26:58):
cornerstone of the Capitol wasgoing to be laid and there was a
great ceremony that went alongwith it, of course, president.
Washington was a Mason.
We've all seen those paintings.
Yeah, exactly, yeah Well but theinteresting thing is what a lot
of people don't realize is thatprocession actually started in
Georgetown.
Speaker 1 (27:16):
Oh, okay, right Okay.
Speaker 4 (27:18):
So these days, if there's no traffic which is a
rarity in DC right, it stilltakes about 15 minutes to drive
from Georgetown to the Capitol.
Okay, right Now, get out ofyour car and walk.
Let's talk about how long of awalk that was.
Speaker 2 (27:32):
How long of a walk, was that?
Speaker 4 (27:33):
Yeah, I mean we're talking well over an hour.
You know, getting close to two,Right the whole way there were
people cheering on theprocession, there were, there
was artillery in the parade,right there.
I mean like bands, this was athing, A big deal.
This was like Mardi Gras at thetime.
Yeah, right.
Speaker 1 (27:50):
Yeah, that's right.
Speaker 4 (27:51):
And so George Washington got rode over from
Virginia because his house wasat Mount Vernon, right, right.
And so he got, you know, gotover to the Georgetown side, did
the whole procession, and againyou got to remember, put
yourself back in that time,right, there was no DC, it was a
swamp in a forest.
Speaker 1 (28:08):
Right.
Speaker 4 (28:08):
And you get to the top of what was Jenkins Hill and
they've cut a few roads throughthe forest.
Speaker 1 (28:13):
Right.
Speaker 4 (28:14):
So we're talking like some you know Hillbilly movie.
If you think about it, you'veliterally got a stack of trees.
Right you can kind of walkthrough them, and that was where
the Capitol was going to be.
Speaker 1 (28:24):
Wow, and they dug a hole no-transcript.
Speaker 4 (28:26):
At the top of the hill and they said we have the
vision to create this buildingthat is going to be the
cornerstone of a country in themiddle of nowhere Right.
And I mean, you know, I'mgetting chills on my back just
thinking about that.
Speaker 2 (28:40):
Yeah, no, we were right over here at a pizza place
and this guy's grew up here andhe's like Masonry.
Speaker 4 (28:46):
What's that?
What's that?
I'm like, how do you live here?
How do you live your whole lifehere?
It's so central, right, it's socentral to the city.
Speaker 1 (28:51):
Right, it's so central to the country, right,
and so just to give you a bit ofa story real quick, right?
So the gavel.
Speaker 4 (28:57):
So, as many people, many Masons will know, when you
dedicate a cornerstone, youdedicate with corn, wine and oil
and you have to test the stone.
You use the implements of amaster Mason the plum, the level
, the square and you know youhave a gavel and you tap the
square into place right and atthe end of the ceremony, george
Washington gave the gavel to aman named Valentin Renssel.
(29:19):
Valentin Renssel was the masterof what is now Potomac Lodge
number five.
Oh okay, he also became thefirst grand master of Washington
DC.
Wow, Now at the time again tosort of have a little fun with
it.
You know, he just put the gavelin his closet because it was
just George and it was just agavel.
Speaker 2 (29:34):
Right, right, right, and so when he passed away
People aren't legends yet Right.
Speaker 4 (29:38):
Exactly they were just dudes you know and who you
guys are going to be legends oneday.
So I'm happy to be here.
Speaker 1 (29:43):
We're already legends .
We didn't ask for thatIncompetence.
Maybe there you go.
Speaker 4 (29:45):
Incompetence.
Maybe I'll take it right, it'sstill not famous in it.
Just want to be remembered.
And so when Valentin Renzelpassed away, his wife came to
the lodge and kind of said heyguys, you want this?
And we said, uh, yeah.
Speaker 2 (29:58):
Yeah, so you've been in possession of that gavel,
yeah, for 200 years 200 years.
And how do you keep that?
Speaker 4 (30:07):
How do you store that ?
Right now it's between one andtwo places.
Either it's in the capitalbecause it's one of the oldest
artifacts.
Speaker 1 (30:14):
So it's a national treasure.
It's considered a nationaltreasure it's yours.
Speaker 2 (30:17):
Oh wow, it belongs to the lodge Exactly, but you lend
it to the capital of the.
Speaker 4 (30:21):
United States.
Matter of fact, they love itbecause the way they frame it to
us is most of the stuff theyhave.
There is art.
It just hangs on a wall right.
It doesn't do anything.
Speaker 1 (30:30):
Right.
Speaker 4 (30:30):
They like the fact that our gavel is what they call
a living artifact.
Speaker 1 (30:34):
It still goes places Right.
Speaker 4 (30:36):
That's how we all got to know each other, remember,
because the gavel was invited tocome down to Florida.
Speaker 2 (30:42):
Yes, right, that's right.
That's where this trip up to DCstarted.
Wow, that's so cool.
Bill did tell that story whenhe was on the podcast.
Speaker 1 (30:49):
Yeah, that's right Right.
Speaker 2 (30:51):
And the idea of how that even happened was so random
and cool.
Totally Well, it's Bill.
I'm not surprised at all, Imean let's be honest Right,
right, right.
Speaker 4 (30:59):
But so this thing has taken on a life of its own.
Another interesting sidebar andagain you've got to be careful.
Stop me if I'm going too long,I'll talk all night.
But across the street fromPotomac Lodge in Georgetown is a
PNC bank.
Ok, Now, if you go back a while.
It was bought by PNC as part ofRiggs National Bank when Riggs
went out of business, and theywent out of business, because
(31:20):
they had too many accounts frompeople that were under sanctions
and they shouldn't have hadthem, and that's its own story,
which you should go look intoyeah, it's banking baby.
But before that all happened,one of the guys who started it,
who started the bank, was a guynamed William Wilson Corcoran,
and so some of our listeners mayremember him as the namesake of
the Corcoran School of Art.
Ok, or the Corcoran Galleryhere in DC.
(31:42):
William Wilson Corcoran wasalso a member of Potomac Lodge.
Speaker 1 (31:46):
Wow.
Speaker 4 (31:46):
And so when we needed the place to hold the gavel, we
went to him and he said sure,we'll do something in our bank
for you, not a problem.
And so if you walk into thatPNC bank on the corner of M
Street and Wisconsin Avenue andyou look at the vault, which is
a circular vault, it's one ofthose big circle doors that they
open every morning.
They still close it every night.
At the eye of the circle, rightat the point in the middle of
(32:07):
the circle, is a double highsafe deposit box.
To our knowledge, it is theonly glass front safe deposit
box with electric lightinginside.
Speaker 1 (32:15):
Wow.
Speaker 4 (32:15):
Geez, just for the gavel.
Speaker 1 (32:17):
Just for the gavel.
That's an awesome story brother.
That's a great story man.
That's sort of that's its home.
Speaker 3 (32:22):
I love that, because we don't want to just leave it
in the lodge.
Speaker 1 (32:24):
Yeah, right, right, yeah.
It's a national treasure.
I don't think you could.
Speaker 2 (32:27):
It has to, it's got to be locked up somewhere, man,
but it's their property to dowhat the hell they want with it,
right?
Well?
Speaker 4 (32:32):
unfortunately, it's PNC now, so they're charging us
for the safe deposit box, whichRiggs never did.
Speaker 1 (32:36):
But you know, what do you do?
Well, that's banking baby.
Speaker 2 (32:39):
Welcome to America, right, so true, yeah, so do you
use that gavel so?
Speaker 4 (32:43):
does the?
Speaker 2 (32:44):
lodge ever actually utilize it for anything, so it
depends on how you look at it.
Speaker 4 (32:47):
We can't, we can't actually pick it up and use it
anymore because the handle isbroken on the inside of the
gavel.
Speaker 1 (32:52):
Yeah, you know, right , but it still goes all over the
place.
Speaker 4 (32:54):
Matter of fact we have a picture of the Queen of
England, rest or soul, using itto lay the extension of the
cornerstone of the Britishembassy here in DC.
Speaker 1 (33:02):
Oh, that is sweet, which, to me, is the ultimate
irony.
Yeah, it is the ultimate irony,right?
Speaker 4 (33:07):
And for anybody who didn't get it, we've got the
Queen of England using theimplement used by George
Washington, the treasonous, thesecessionist Right right, who
used the gavel at its inceptionto create the country that
seceded, you know, from.
Speaker 1 (33:21):
England.
I love it, I love it, I love it.
It's amazing, that's awesome.
Speaker 2 (33:23):
My favorite picture of the gavel.
Speaker 1 (33:24):
That's.
That's a great story, man,that's a great.
Speaker 2 (33:26):
Jeremy, it's a great American story.
Speaker 4 (33:27):
Jeremy, can I, can I give you 30?
Speaker 1 (33:29):
seconds more.
Speaker 2 (33:29):
You can give me 30 seconds more.
My favorite thing about thegavel.
Give us 30 minutes more, ohwell.
Speaker 4 (33:33):
I don't know if we want to go there.
Damn you know.
Give me a drink and you got 12minutes at least so.
Speaker 1 (33:36):
I'll say it again no you don't?
We got, we got to move on.
Speaker 4 (33:42):
So one more fun piece is when Valentin Rental passed
away and his wife gave us thegavel and whatever the
grandmaster at the time saidwell, how do we know this thing
is real?
And so they got two people thathad seen the gavel at that
ceremony and they were in their80s, which is saying something
in the early 1800s.
Speaker 2 (33:57):
right, yeah, they got two people that had seen it.
That's like twice the lifeexpected to see somebody
probably at that time Right.
Speaker 4 (34:01):
Yeah, you know so.
Anyways, we can speculate aboutthat.
But they had to write a lettersaying hey, I certify that this
is actually the gavel.
Wow.
And that's why there's the goldcap on the top.
But the interesting thing, oneof the guys that wrote the
letter which we still have.
His letter says you know why?
I know this is the gavelBecause I saw George Washington
(34:21):
carrying it when I rode himacross the.
Speaker 1 (34:23):
Potomac Jesus, oh, that's sweet, oh man, and we
still have that letter.
That's awesome, that wasfreaking amazing.
Speaker 4 (34:28):
Yeah, totally, and so it's going to be on display at
our that our bylaws say thereare two times when the gavel has
to be out in addition to any.
Speaker 2 (34:36):
This is what I was curious about, in addition to
any visits it does.
Okay.
Speaker 4 (34:40):
At a minimum it must be present for the installation
of officers at Potomac Lodge.
Speaker 1 (34:44):
Wow.
Speaker 4 (34:44):
So this coming Saturday is our installation,
which is why you guys are all uphere.
Speaker 1 (34:48):
Yeah, that's going to be awesome, you'll see, it'll
be on our altar and the altarand the altar and the altar.
Speaker 4 (34:51):
Okay.
The other thing is when we knowin advance, to be fair, not if
it just shows up, but when weknow that the grandmaster is
going to be present in our lodge, we must bring the gavel.
Speaker 2 (35:02):
If the grandmaster is present, it must be in the
lodge, correct.
Speaker 1 (35:05):
And installation.
Speaker 4 (35:06):
As long as we know in advance, because we have to
have a resolution of the lodge.
Speaker 2 (35:09):
So if the grandmaster just shows up, I picture like a
bunch of guys in black suitswith a brief face.
Speaker 4 (35:14):
I mean, look, I've literally had a handcuff to my
wrist as we were on a plane.
Speaker 1 (35:17):
You've done that You've done that.
That's cool.
Yeah, that's cool.
Speaker 4 (35:19):
I mean it makes it a lot less awkward because
everybody looks at you like why?
You know why are you the firstperson to get off the plane.
Speaker 2 (35:24):
So you know if they see a handcuff.
Speaker 4 (35:26):
It's like oh, it's real.
Speaker 2 (35:27):
That is fascinating.
Speaker 4 (35:29):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (35:30):
Thank you for being here.
Speaker 4 (35:31):
Yeah, thanks.
My apologies for trying to cramall this space.
No, no, we're going to haveYann for a.
Speaker 1 (35:35):
For a full show.
So we'll get you.
We'll get you on a new year.
Speaker 4 (35:39):
When you have time, we can sit and talk about all
this stuff.
You can tell I have fun withthis.
Speaker 1 (35:43):
Oh yeah, I'm just happy to be here.
We love it.
People need to hear this stuff.
Speaker 2 (35:46):
We've forgotten our own history in this country.
Speaker 1 (35:48):
Yeah, that's right.
Speaker 4 (35:49):
Well if you want to have fun, I'll drop a seed for
you.
Did you know Dan Brown cut offmy hand in the law symbol?
Do tell.
Oh, that's a story for anotherpodcast.
Damn man, we'll leave that.
That's a cliffhanger, son of abiscuit.
Speaker 1 (36:01):
That's a cliffhanger.
We'll leave that one for nexttime.
Speaker 3 (36:04):
Jeremy brother, thank you so much.
Speaker 4 (36:05):
Brother this is amazing to be here.
I'm so glad to see you and wewill definitely have you back.
And I want to be clear I havenot seen Chris's wife since that
day that I met her.
Speaker 1 (36:13):
Yeah, we'll stay on that one.
Speaker 2 (36:16):
I'm very happy to hear that.
Very happy to hear that hehasn't gotten any worse, looking
to Son of a.
Speaker 1 (36:21):
Biscuit, all right.
Hey, chris, yeah, fred, what's a Mason?
Speaker 2 (00:09):
That's a really good question, fred.
Speaker 1 (00:15):
You've reached the internet's home for all things
masonry.
Join Chris and I as we plumbthe depths of our ancient craft,
from the common gavel to thetrowel.
Nothing is off the table, sograb your tools and let's get to
work.
This is On the Level.
Oh my gosh, chris.
Where are you?
Oh my gosh, there it is theRebel Yell.
Hey, when I grow up, I want togo to Washington DC and be a
(00:40):
politician man.
What about you?
Speaker 2 (00:42):
I want to go to Washington DC.
I'm down with that.
Speaker 1 (00:45):
But I don't know about being a politician.
Okay, fine, fine, wait, you area politician.
Aren't you the worst fullmaster of 147 in Sarasota?
Speaker 2 (00:54):
Silence.
What I would like to do, though, is sit in DC with some really
good cigars and some whiskeywith friends.
Speaker 1 (01:03):
What if we did it with Masons?
What do you?
Speaker 2 (01:06):
think about that.
Speaker 1 (01:08):
Your wish is my command, sir, because, ladies
and gentlemen, we are currentlyin the nation's capital,
washington.
Speaker 2 (01:14):
DC OMG.
Speaker 1 (01:16):
And this is going to be an epic weekend for OTL I got
to be honest with you.
Speaker 2 (01:21):
We're here.
It's going to be awesome, man,we're sitting in the lobby of a
hotel in DC, in DC, and we'rebroadcasting.
Speaker 1 (01:30):
There's a person next to me, oh yeah, well, our main
sponsor, three-ruffy and cigarcompany, johnny Schaeff, is here
.
He is one of the three Ruffians.
Speaker 3 (01:43):
Johnny, how's it going?
Man, it's going all goodBrothers, how you doing.
Speaker 2 (01:47):
Wow, his first words on the air First words on the
air.
Speaker 1 (01:49):
I love it, I love it man First words.
We're doing great.
We're doing great.
Tell us a little bit aboutwhat's going on with the cigar
company lately.
Give us the 411.
Speaker 3 (02:02):
So there is a company out there called the Three
Ruffians Three.
Speaker 1 (02:06):
Ruffians, a cigar company.
That sounds very Masonic.
Speaker 3 (02:08):
What do they represent?
I wonder the vices of the world.
Speaker 2 (02:13):
Perhaps Maybe there's layers to that, I think.
Speaker 3 (02:16):
Right, yeah.
Speaker 2 (02:17):
I definitely think there could be a representation
that they do represent the vicesof the world.
Speaker 1 (02:22):
I would agree with that.
They.
Speaker 2 (02:23):
Might they do the vices the best ones whiskeys
smoking, cigars.
Speaker 3 (02:29):
So I have to agree.
Tonight, three of us aresitting here at the microphones
and join some whiskey.
What I've got next to us here,brothers, are four cigars that
are offered by the ThreeRuffians.
Speaker 2 (02:41):
This is going to well .
We're going to take pictures ofthis and put it live we should.
You're going to see thepictures before you hear the
audio.
Speaker 1 (02:46):
Absolutely.
You guys got to keep on here.
I'm looking something up, sokeep talking.
She's just perusing pictures onhis phone while we're doing our
podcast.
Speaker 2 (02:56):
All right, Johnny who's that naked lady on your?
Oh, it's your wife.
Okay, what are you mad at mefor?
You married her.
Speaker 4 (03:04):
Favorite movie ever.
Speaker 1 (03:07):
Does anybody know what that movie's from?
Speaker 2 (03:08):
No, I actually don't.
Come on the Mask.
Come on, oh damn it.
I called the Mask earlier too.
Mask.
Speaker 1 (03:13):
Slapstick, modern Comedy of All Time.
Speaker 3 (03:16):
Somebody's going stop me.
Speaker 1 (03:18):
No, what I was looking for was the recording
that I did of the Three Ruffians.
Introduction.
Speaker 3 (03:23):
Oh, are you going to play that for us?
And I thought I could play it,but it's on there, isn't it?
Speaker 1 (03:26):
It's on here which is on there, and it's everywhere.
So the answer is yes.
Speaker 3 (03:30):
But, anyway.
Speaker 1 (03:31):
So.
So, johnny, give us a.
What do you?
What do you got in front of usright now?
Speaker 3 (03:34):
I see four cigars there, tell us a little bit
about each one.
Can I smell one?
We offer four cigars.
I'm going to start this one foryou, Chris, right here.
This is the box press.
Speaker 2 (03:42):
It's flat.
I know this it is flat, it's aweird shape.
Speaker 3 (03:44):
Right it is.
It's a box press.
Speaker 2 (03:46):
Cigar Connecticut wrapper.
It's flat.
Yeah, is that what they callthe box press.
They put it in a box and pressit Because I'm asking this
because I seriously don't knowanything about cigars so they
may seem like stupid questions.
It's a unique shape.
Speaker 3 (04:00):
It definitely is.
That's why they call it the boxpress, because of the shape
that you see right there, thisis correct this is Connecticut
wrapper, okay, nicaraguan.
Speaker 2 (04:09):
Yes.
Speaker 3 (04:10):
I actually think this is one of the best cigars that
we offer.
Speaker 1 (04:13):
See, now I keep hearing that and you would think
that the Madura or thatConnecticut torpedo would be.
But we always hear thateveryone loves that cigar,
Everybody.
Speaker 3 (04:23):
Even if you're a 30-year guy who smokes cigars,
you're going to like this one.
Speaker 1 (04:26):
Yeah, it's so true.
Speaker 2 (04:28):
Or a rookie who just getting started.
Me too Is this more mild, it isvery mild but very smooth.
Okay, okay.
Speaker 3 (04:37):
It's a good cigar right there it's a good cigar.
Speaker 2 (04:40):
It's also as an orange band, and you have a name
for this.
Speaker 3 (04:42):
Yeah, we call that the JA.
Speaker 2 (04:45):
The JA the.
Speaker 1 (04:46):
JA, we can't tell you what it stands for, because
that's a secret.
Speaker 2 (04:49):
Johnny Appleseed's here.
Speaker 1 (04:51):
Johnny Appleseed wait a minute.
Speaker 2 (04:53):
Who are you talking about?
La, Okay.
Speaker 1 (04:55):
We have three more.
Speaker 3 (04:57):
We'll go to the second cigar here, which is Zorn
Torpedo Cigar.
Speaker 2 (05:01):
Torpedo, I see, because it has like a point on
the end.
That's right, but the rest itlooks like a normal cigar.
Speaker 3 (05:07):
This also is a Connecticut wrapper, also a
Nicaraguan, and I think that'sreally good.
These have Cuban seed.
Right, it is Cuban seed based.
Yes.
Speaker 2 (05:18):
Okay, and this is a really cool logo wrapper that
we've done.
Speaker 1 (05:22):
You guys are dying over there.
Come on, pick up the pace.
Speaker 2 (05:25):
Pick up the pace, you two.
Come on, just keep looking atyour nude pictures on your phone
, all right.
Speaker 1 (05:31):
You know it's, I'm not going to find it.
Speaker 3 (05:33):
The third one Actually that second one that we
just presented that was theConnecticut wrapper yes, this is
the.
J the torpedo, okay A J.
Speaker 1 (05:43):
Oh, sorry J-O, Sorry J-O, that's the J-O, that's
right.
Speaker 3 (05:47):
And that won't make sense when you put all three of
them together.
So we've got the J-A, the J-Oand I'm going to introduce you
to the third cigar, which wecall the J-U.
Speaker 1 (05:56):
The J-U.
This is the Habana, that's ourHabana.
That's a late cigar A littlebit stronger.
Speaker 3 (06:02):
This is my personally , this is my second favorite of
our four.
Speaker 1 (06:06):
Right Now, the last one of our line that I smoked
was that one, and it was awesome.
Speaker 2 (06:11):
It burned perfectly right down to the roach clip man
.
Speaker 1 (06:14):
It was just like yeah , that was a great smoke.
You used roach clips with cigar.
You know I do.
Speaker 3 (06:18):
A trained professional.
Speaker 1 (06:19):
A trained professional.
I don't recommend Do not trythis at home, folks.
It's not for everybody.
Speaker 3 (06:24):
But Freddie Pac can do that.
Speaker 1 (06:26):
I can do that, all right.
Well, johnny, we're going tohave you back.
And then there's one last one Ijust want to throw out there.
All right, throw it out there,because by demand.
Speaker 3 (06:33):
People wanted this.
Speaker 1 (06:35):
Maduro cigar, yeah, that's heavy.
Speaker 3 (06:37):
We call this the Outlaw.
Speaker 2 (06:38):
The Outlaw.
Yep, so we changed it up.
No secrets on that one.
No secrets on the Outlaw.
There are no secrets on theOutlaw.
Speaker 1 (06:44):
That's a really good smoke as well.
And Justin Broome, or or orJustin Broome.
The right honorable districtinstructor Right honorable
district instructor Broomehighly recommends that cigar and
.
I didn't say that with greatconfidence and joy, because he
is a connoisseur two to max man,so we're really happy about
that.
Speaker 3 (07:02):
You can find all four of those cigars.
Speaker 1 (07:04):
Online.
Speaker 3 (07:06):
At the the threeruffianscom.
The threeruffianscom, yeah,that's great.
Speaker 1 (07:12):
And we do appreciate we do appreciate threeruffians
sponsor in the show, always,always, always appreciate it.
Now John's going to give way toour next guest and he's going
to put them headphones on andwe're going to sit and yak a
little bit, we'll have John backfrom time to time to talk.
Speaker 2 (07:26):
Bye brothers.
Yes, all right, see ya.
Come back, john.
Please, please come backsomeday Next, wait, who's he
giving way to I?
Speaker 1 (07:35):
don't know.
Who is this man?
Speaker 2 (07:37):
Is he a ruffian?
Probably.
Speaker 1 (07:40):
Yes, we're all.
We all have a little ruffian inour heart.
He doesn't admit it.
Speaker 2 (07:43):
He does not admit it.
Could you please state your?
Speaker 4 (07:45):
I admit it clearly I actually put my name on the
sign-in sheet today as a wrongworshipful.
Speaker 2 (07:52):
Wrong worshipful.
Okay, all right, I put mine asleft worshipful, so that works
too.
I'm also a lefty it's all right, I won't hold that against you.
Speaker 4 (07:59):
We're the only ones in our right mind.
Speaker 2 (08:03):
Could you please state your name rank?
Speaker 4 (08:04):
and serial number for the listeners please Wrong
worshipful brother Jeremy Barnespast master of Potomac Lodge
number five and happy to be here.
Speaker 2 (08:12):
Past master of Potomac Lodge number five, right
around the corner.
Speaker 4 (08:15):
Right around the corner, oldest lodge in what is
now known as Washington DC,because we actually predated the
city.
Speaker 1 (08:21):
Ah, correct, that is very good.
Speaker 2 (08:23):
But you have another name for yourself.
In Masonry you are the owner ofthe Amity app.
That's correct, I am indeed oneof the founders it's true One
of the founders of the Amity app.
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (08:32):
Now, jeremy, we've been trying to get you on since
Grand Lodge of last year and Igot to say our scheduler really
really just bungled it up, andof course that's me, so Thank
you for it.
Speaker 4 (08:42):
It takes two to tango .
It takes two yeah.
Speaker 1 (08:45):
So we are really glad that you're on.
Tell us a little bit aboutwhat's going on with Amity man.
Give us an update, what'shappening.
Speaker 4 (08:50):
Oh my gosh, when to start?
It's been incredible.
We are now either directly orindirectly supporting a million
Masons around the world.
Speaker 2 (08:57):
No kidding In how many countries.
Speaker 4 (08:59):
We're up to about 120 , 125 countries.
And that's nuts About 280 GrandLodges, wow, which?
Not to dive into the triviaimmediately, but one of my
favorite things to think aboutis, if you talk about
recognition, there are about 310regular Grand Lodges in the
world.
The average Grand Lodgerecognizes about 180.
Speaker 2 (09:19):
Really, Really Interesting.
Wow, what a tangled word.
Speaker 4 (09:23):
The irony is within masonry on average.
You don't recognize half theGrand Lodges and I don't say
that to be negative.
Speaker 1 (09:28):
Don't get me wrong, right, right.
It's a fascinating thoughtexperiment to say why is this
Right, right, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2 (09:35):
So that actually just showcases a need for the app
that you built.
Speaker 1 (09:38):
I was just going to say that's right.
Speaker 2 (09:39):
I think that's incredibly complicated to be a
mason as a traveling man in themodern world.
Absolutely, as you said, ourGrand Lodge might not recognize
the Grand Lodge of Washington DC, which they do, obviously.
Speaker 1 (09:51):
But how I know?
Speaker 2 (09:52):
if the independent Lodge is recognized by your
Grand Lodge in DC, which isrecognized by my Grand Lodge in
Florida, it gets reallycomplicated.
They used to publish thesebooks that were like bigger than
a phone book, I think.
Speaker 4 (10:06):
And now we publish those right.
Speaker 2 (10:07):
So you can throw your right to me, but they're online
, it's online.
It's online Real time.
Speaker 4 (10:12):
We'll be the first one to say you don't need the
book.
Speaker 2 (10:14):
It's digital Right.
Right, you have the app.
If you're a mason, you shouldhave the app.
Where can they go to downloadthe app if they don't have it?
Speaker 4 (10:20):
If there's a Play Store, the app store.
It's no matter what kind ofphone you have.
It's supportive, it's out thereand it's free to download.
Speaker 1 (10:27):
So, jeremy, for the listener who he just downloaded,
it it's in front of them.
What does he do?
Give us the 101 on this Sure.
Speaker 4 (10:38):
The easiest thing to get started with, right in the
middle of the page on the homescreen is a map and you just tap
on the map and literally it'sjust like Google Maps.
Matter of fact, it is GoogleMaps behind the scenes and we've
overlaid every lodge in theworld on that map and you can
just move it around, zoom in,zoom out, See who's recognizing
who Exactly.
We've actually also got theappended bodies in there now in
most cases, really.
Speaker 2 (10:57):
OK.
Speaker 4 (10:58):
Not to again to dive into trivia, but what I've
learned recently is how manyScottish Wright Supreme Councils
there are in the world.
Speaker 2 (11:06):
Really, you never think about it right, Even in
the US we have two.
Speaker 4 (11:09):
You're right, exactly , but I mean almost every
country has their own.
Speaker 1 (11:14):
Yeah, Wow.
Speaker 3 (11:15):
I didn't know that and a lot of Latin.
Speaker 4 (11:16):
America.
Actually the Scottish Wright iswho started the Blue Lodges.
Speaker 1 (11:21):
That's very interesting.
Speaker 4 (11:22):
One of the ways that it moved around the world.
Speaker 1 (11:23):
No kidding, yeah, that's interesting.
Speaker 2 (11:26):
I see a lot of famous Mason's.
Oh, the Spaniards coming in.
We got an SG IG walking.
Speaker 1 (11:31):
Well, no, we have.
I better watch my mouth, youbetter watch what you say there,
mister.
Speaker 2 (11:36):
Do you know who this is?
He is the founder of the Amityapp.
You cannot touch this man,that's right.
Yeah, you tried to tell himthat to my grand lodge, so what?
Speaker 3 (11:43):
about that dues guard .
Speaker 2 (11:45):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (11:46):
What about onboarding their profile?
How about a profile?
What lodge they're at?
What's?
Speaker 4 (11:51):
the process.
That depends on which grandlodge we're talking about these
days, which is a pretty coolthing.
Speaker 2 (11:55):
Let's go with Florida , so just Amity has replaced
Circumstries indeed it has ofthis year and it.
Speaker 4 (12:02):
In fact, florida Masons no longer need to create
accounts.
They have already been createdfor you, because we're working
with the Grand Lodge.
And so, okay, what you'll seeif you try and create account.
You'll see an error that says,hey, you've already gotten
account.
Okay, because it recognizesyour member number.
Speaker 1 (12:17):
Oh, okay, so that's what they're gonna need their
member number.
They're gonna enter that insomewhere, yep, and that's gonna
get it, get the process rolling.
Speaker 4 (12:24):
Yeah, from that perspective.
All you need to do is go to ourwelcome site.
Okay and you put your.
You put your email address inthere and if we can't find your
email address, you can add yourmember number.
Okay, and it'll.
It'll finish activating theaccount for you super easy.
Speaker 1 (12:36):
All right.
And then, once you have yourprofile, the way I understand
that your profile is done, it'sverified correct in that way,
when you're traveling, you'reyou.
This this proves digitally,proves this thing on your, your
SAP on your phone proves who youare to any lodge in the country
.
Speaker 4 (12:50):
And it's approved by the Grand Lodge of Florida that
is.
It's approved in both ways.
Right, because there's hey, I'ma Florida Mason and I'm going
to New York, right?
Right, so you want to show whoyou are, but if your New York
Mason is coming to you, yeah,it's also.
You're also able to look upthat brother's lodge right and
see if he's recognized, that's.
Speaker 2 (13:06):
that's amazing, so much I mean I'm sitting master
this year and many times I'vehad a brother come from another
jurisdiction or even anotherlodge in my own jurisdiction.
And it's very difficult toverify somebody is who they say
they are, but you have thisthing called the King Solomon's
Passport which allows them tovery quickly.
For me is the master to sayokay, you clearly are verified
(13:28):
because the app is connected tothe Grand Lodge records?
Speaker 4 (13:31):
in about 120 grand lodges now.
Yeah oh, fairly, it's, it'simmediate right immediately yeah
you know, under a second right.
Wow just just spins up and offyou go.
It's like we're using moderntechnology and you do this.
Oh my god.
Speaker 1 (13:44):
Okay, here's what yeah let's go back to the
beginning.
Don't even get me started there.
Speaker 2 (13:48):
No, this is where the story really is trust right.
Yeah no cuz we're in thefraternity.
Okay, we're in our 40s ish.
We're all in our 40s ish areaof our age here or greater
ourselves middle-aged men.
Speaker 4 (14:02):
Okay and Don't say that I'm not.
I know I don't.
I'm just starting on readingglasses.
I've accepted it.
Speaker 2 (14:08):
I have a whole nother story about Jeremy, how I met
him.
That involves my wife, which isa fantastic story go ahead and
share.
I mean, look, you can't justdrop that.
Speaker 1 (14:18):
All right well this involves my wife.
Speaker 4 (14:20):
It does not involve your wife like anything.
Anyone that is listening tothis would.
Speaker 2 (14:26):
My dear listener, please know I will tell you this
truth.
Speaker 4 (14:30):
I was it also involves Mardi Gras it was my
birthday.
Speaker 2 (14:34):
Okay, okay, okay.
I've heard this story.
Speaker 1 (14:36):
I've heard this story , but our listeners haven't go
ahead.
Gentlemen, why don't we hearthis story?
Speaker 4 (14:40):
I just wanted to up the ante with you know right.
How he met me involved, hiswife involved and Marty grass
and Marty grow.
It's the beginning.
Speaker 1 (14:52):
Marty grow his wife and him.
Yeah, okay, here we go.
Speaker 2 (14:56):
You should know Jeremy's a good-looking guy.
Speaker 4 (14:58):
Oh, okay, you're a doll, he's, you're taking though
I am taken.
Speaker 1 (15:03):
I am taken, let's move on and my wife is 15
Uncomfortable.
I'm getting there.
Yeah, I'm getting it.
Speaker 4 (15:09):
It's the middle-aged thing, right, we're all
middle-aged.
Speaker 1 (15:12):
Let's face it Some of us are more middle-aged than
others.
Speaker 2 (15:15):
Middle-earth not a bad thing.
Speaker 1 (15:16):
All right keep going, keep going.
Speaker 2 (15:18):
So we have a mutual friend in common, bill Cattilitz
.
Bill Cattilitz, very, you'veheard him on the Paddy, oh yeah,
yeah, Magnanimous personality.
Speaker 1 (15:27):
He's around here somewhere.
We're gonna get him in here ina minute.
Speaker 2 (15:29):
So I'm going for my birthday you to Mardi Gras and I
tell my wife, you know, and Ithink I know a guy that's kind
of like we're embedded in thereand I post are you still there?
And he's like are you effingkidding me?
Am I still here?
Like I'm the king of oceaniststhis year and I'm like I don't
even know what that means.
Speaker 1 (15:45):
What does that mean?
Speaker 2 (15:46):
But I kind of know because I lived in Baton Rouge
for a couple of years so I hadsome familiarity with you know,
mardi Gras and stuff.
But my wife had never been.
So I was trying to convince herto go to Mardi Gras for my
birthday.
We go up there.
Bill's like, come immediatelyto me, I'm gonna hook you up.
We went to this fancy ball.
He, we got all the equipment tobe on the float.
It's like really hard to get onthe float we got it in the last
minute.
Speaker 4 (16:06):
It is like the day before.
Wow, especially last minute, Iknow you can imagine.
Speaker 2 (16:10):
So Bill was pulling some strings.
He definitely pulled somestrings.
And we are up there doing ourthing, having the time of our
life, and we get off the floatand I, Mike, see my wife talking
to this handsome guy and I'mlike let me get her away from
this freaking tool before I getinto some serious trouble.
And he's like hi, my name'sJeremy and I'm like wait a
second, are you the Jeremy?
(16:31):
I've emailed you.
This is my wife.
We've talked, we've met.
We've actually had many timeshow dare you sir.
Speaker 4 (16:37):
Step away, sir.
Speaker 1 (16:39):
Ha ha, ha, ha, ha, ha , ha, ha, ha ha ha, ha, ha, ha,
ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, cause I havean attractive wife, amazingly,
I don't know how.
I don't know how either.
Well, you're right, she's veryattractive.
Speaker 2 (16:46):
I'll marry up Cost a lot of money, I guess.
Speaker 4 (16:48):
I don't know.
Speaker 2 (16:49):
Yeah, no, she's sweetheart.
Speaker 4 (16:50):
Thankfully everything , all the doubloons you got at
Mardi Gras.
You know they're not actuallyreal.
That's right.
Speaker 2 (16:55):
That's how I met Jeremy.
I met Mardi Gras.
He was hitting on my wifeaccidentally.
Hey, hey, hey, or she washitting on you.
I was gonna say I know.
Speaker 4 (17:02):
Look, I've been around enough Masonic events
that that part of you just shutsoff.
Speaker 1 (17:06):
Yeah, that's not a bad policy.
Not a bad policy.
Speaker 4 (17:08):
I mean I promise until proven, otherwise they're
all taken Not gonna go there,I'm gonna go with my wife as a
fault here because he is a goodlooking guy.
Speaker 2 (17:16):
I don't blame her, okay.
And that's how I met Jeremy.
I was like okay.
Speaker 4 (17:19):
I thought we were just being friendly.
You were friendly, obviously.
Speaker 2 (17:22):
And she loved it.
That was a great time she neverbeen to Mardi.
Gras, mardi Gras, ever.
That was her first visit to aMardi Gras.
Speaker 4 (17:29):
I'm the freaking fault.
We should all go back.
Speaker 1 (17:31):
I'm down with that.
Who does it every year?
I'm down with that.
I would go back.
That'd be a lot of fun.
Speaker 4 (17:35):
That's one of the things I mean to talk to him
about this weekend.
Speaker 1 (17:37):
Yeah, you should definitely go to Mardi Gras at
least once a decade.
Absolutely, yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 4 (17:42):
It's the type of fun that you just can't get anywhere
else, and especially withOkeanos and Bill's group.
Speaker 1 (17:47):
it's such a community Right, that'd be a lot of fun.
Speaker 4 (17:50):
Bill really brings like a Masonic sort of influence
.
It's obviously not Masonry,right.
Right right that speaks to, inmy view, not to shamelessly
bring it back to Amity, but partof what we can do by meeting
each other and learning fromeach other is bring Freemasonry
into the world around us, andbuild us that really really well
.
Speaker 1 (18:09):
Yes, I would just absolutely brought that
influence into Mardi.
Speaker 4 (18:15):
Gras and his Mardi Gras crew.
Are we not connected?
I don't know.
I see the levels going on.
Speaker 2 (18:21):
I do, I do too.
We'll just wait for it, did youguys?
Speaker 3 (18:24):
get it.
Sorry, were you guys off.
No, I'm sorry.
Speaker 1 (18:27):
Keep going, keep going.
We're still amazing.
We're still amazing, we'restill Good.
I don't know what happened.
Speaker 2 (18:31):
Fred's flipping out over there.
He's twisting knobs and pushingbuttons.
No, I hit the solo button.
Sorry, do you feel?
Ok, man, you've got the groupcodes on that thing.
Speaker 1 (18:41):
I'm in the middle of a restaurant producing a podcast
.
This ain't easy.
Speaker 2 (18:44):
Jackson so.
Speaker 1 (18:47):
Jeremy, speaking of shamelessly plugging the app,
the future of Amity man, whereare you going?
What's happening?
Speaker 4 (18:53):
here?
Where are we going with this?
You know, the biggest challengewith Amity is there is so much
to do and so little time.
Speaker 1 (19:01):
I can only imagine there are a lot of numbers.
It's got to be nuts man.
It's a lot of fun.
Speaker 4 (19:06):
It really is.
We're at a point where peopleare really starting to love what
we're doing.
I mean, it took us years.
It's been a matter of trust,right.
Speaker 1 (19:12):
Right.
Speaker 4 (19:13):
And we can totally understand it Masons take a
little while to trust we want toknow you're not these crazy
people stealing all of our data.
Speaker 1 (19:19):
You want to know you're going to be around and
it's not a short-term thing,right?
Yeah, yeah, I get it.
Speaker 4 (19:24):
Almost eight years in right.
We're here.
Eight years, Eight years.
Speaker 1 (19:28):
Wow, no kidding, yeah , that's awesome.
Speaker 4 (19:30):
February 29th.
Actually, It'll be our secondbirthday.
Speaker 1 (19:33):
Nice your second birthday.
Speaker 2 (19:35):
Well, we started on a leap year.
Speaker 1 (19:37):
Oh, got it.
Ah, clever, I'm the 28th.
Speaker 2 (19:39):
That was right there as well.
Just about there.
Yeah, four years, just aboutthere.
That'd make me like 12.
Speaker 4 (19:46):
We're actually wrapping up the rollout of dues.
Ok, dues payments for the GrandLodge of Florida.
Speaker 1 (19:50):
That's great, yeah, and when we got, the kinks
worked out of that.
Speaker 4 (19:52):
That's going to go nationwide and then actually
worldwide.
We've got a couple grand lodgesthat are super excited about
that.
Speaker 1 (19:58):
Yeah, that's going to make life so much easier.
Oh my gosh.
Speaker 2 (20:01):
You're solving a major problem.
Speaker 1 (20:02):
That solved that right there.
As a treasurer of a lodge, Ican tell you that's going to
solve a big problem.
Speaker 4 (20:08):
Yeah, the other interesting thing and this is
sort of above the interest levelof a lot of normal masons, but
one of the things that I'mreally excited about- there are
normal masons.
Speaker 1 (20:18):
Normal masons, huh, I don't worry Is that the name of
a lodge somewhere I don't knowNormal Lodge number 125.
Speaker 4 (20:24):
I'm still trying to get clandestine lodge chartered.
I think that'd be hystericalClandestine number 135.
Well, you don't even put anumber on it.
Yeah, no, that's right.
No, no.
It just says I'm in clandestinelodge Clandestine lodge Wait I
don't think I'm supposed to betalking to you.
Speaker 2 (20:38):
I don't know what's going on here.
You know, let's go to Are youon Amity.
Maybe Could be Scan this code.
Speaker 4 (20:46):
I have been in grand lodges where we have this whole
thing in ritual, at least in DC,where it's like.
This is why we have the words,the way we do, in which degree.
Yeah right, I do a grand lodgethat uses them backwards and I'm
like hey, my ritual told meabout you.
Speaker 2 (20:59):
Oh really For real.
But you've been, you really aretraveling man.
Speaker 4 (21:04):
I imagine that is fair, because how?
Speaker 2 (21:06):
many countries are you in?
Speaker 4 (21:07):
I've got 120 now Wow.
Speaker 1 (21:10):
That just blows my mind.
Speaker 2 (21:11):
That's a huge number, that's countries, Right.
So how do you even get thatmany countries on?
I mean you have to do a lot ofwork right With each individual
one to get them to sign on.
Speaker 4 (21:21):
It is.
But, to be honest, we're at apoint now where our reputation
is proceeding.
Speaker 1 (21:25):
We've been working with conferences for quite a
while.
Speaker 4 (21:28):
I was just in Serbia, actually at the European
Conference of Grand Secretaries.
Speaker 1 (21:32):
Wow, but to be honest , the fun thing about that was
oh no, God, no, no.
I started as a secretary.
Speaker 4 (21:38):
But no, the fun thing about that was, I mean, half
the room.
We already knew we're at thepoint where these are our
friends.
Speaker 1 (21:44):
Now they're starting to come to you, right.
Speaker 4 (21:46):
And so we're super honored and humbled.
Really, that's awesome.
You know that, hey, that peopleare still talking to us, yeah.
Speaker 2 (21:54):
You know If those amity gays, michael and I like
to joke that if New York and DCcan get together, it'd actually
like each other.
Speaker 1 (22:00):
Oh yeah, we can do this anywhere, you can go
anywhere.
Speaker 2 (22:02):
Also thanks for joining us tonight, so is that
your?
Speaker 4 (22:04):
partner Yep.
Yep Michael is a Mason out inNew York.
But you know, the crazy thingis, we've known each other since
we were three.
Speaker 1 (22:11):
Oh, no kidding.
Speaker 2 (22:12):
Oh yeah, Wow.
How did this happen, this wholeidea?
Can you talk a little bit aboutthe inception of this, the
birth of this in your mind, youknow it was, it was super random
, I mean I've.
Speaker 4 (22:21):
I've sort of toyed with this idea since God, since
about 2000 or so when I was in acivil organization, right you?
Know.
I heard somebody on on onInstagram the other day say they
were a teacher and one of theirstudents asked if they could
use sources from the late 1900s,because they found something
from the 1980s.
Speaker 2 (22:39):
Oh my God, it's like you know what my wife's little
brother says movies like Ramboare classics, and I'm like you
know what I lived that?
Speaker 1 (22:46):
It's in color.
What are you talking about?
Speaker 2 (22:48):
It's a classic.
I digress.
Speaker 4 (22:50):
Right, go back to the beginning of Amity.
Speaker 2 (22:52):
I need to hear this story.
Speaker 4 (22:53):
So so I'd been toying with the idea of some sort of
member management system forquite some time and and and sort
of let it go because lifehappened right.
Yeah, oh, yeah.
And then the funniest thinghappened with one of my oldest
friends.
So so Michael and I, like Isaid, our families were friends
and we were too old, too youngto know what friends were right.
And then we sort of fell apart.
Parents moved away, that sortof thing.
Speaker 2 (23:15):
Where are you from New York?
Speaker 4 (23:16):
Yeah, yeah, where I was born on the Upper West Side
in New York City.
Speaker 2 (23:19):
Oh no, kidding, OK yeah, real, new York Real.
New York Real cold.
Speaker 1 (23:24):
I'm not.
Speaker 2 (23:24):
I'm not one of the.
Speaker 4 (23:25):
Burgeon Tunnel people .
Yeah, I am now, but but so.
So Michael was actually at hismom's house and on her fridge
she had my family's Christmasphoto and in the Christmas photo
I was wearing a belt bucklethat had the Masonic symbols on
it.
Why, right?
Well, her compasses, you knowwhatever.
And he took one, look at thephoto and said I have to talk to
(23:47):
him, called my, got my dad'snumber from his mom.
Crazy Right Called my dad, whoat the time was not the biggest
fan of Freemasonry.
He's a preacher as his secondcareer.
Speaker 1 (23:59):
OK.
Speaker 4 (24:00):
And he's been sort of come around as he's seen.
You know me improve in lifebecause of Masonry, but but he
called my dad, michael called mydad and my dad said, no, you
don't want to talk to him aboutthat.
Speaker 1 (24:10):
And Michael said actually, I really do, can you?
Speaker 4 (24:12):
give me his number and finally got my number from
my dad and I mean we talked forsix, nine months like just back
and forth, back and forth backand forth.
Speaker 2 (24:19):
He was just fascinated with the idea that
you are a Freemason.
Speaker 4 (24:23):
Well, he had been looking into Freemasonry, ok,
but he didn't actually know anyMasons.
Speaker 1 (24:27):
OK.
Speaker 4 (24:27):
Come to find out through this circuitous route of
you know, the photo on thefridge, sort of thing Right.
Speaker 2 (24:33):
You know we end up and finally he's like look how
hard it was to get involved inthe fraternity back in the day.
Speaker 1 (24:39):
Well, it was not easy , if you care, freemason.
Speaker 2 (24:42):
I mean, you care Really.
You had to get to work at ithard to become a Mason back in
the day.
Speaker 4 (24:48):
I'm still a big fan of our in general.
Our Lodge dues are notcommensurate with the value that
we get from Freemasonry.
Speaker 1 (24:55):
Correct, yeah, I agree.
Speaker 2 (24:56):
I came from a Lodge in Florida that just increased
their dues.
They're now in the triplequadruple digits for their dues
annually and their per degreefees are in the triple digits.
Speaker 1 (25:07):
Yeah right.
Speaker 2 (25:08):
And so they're trying to experiment with.
This is the value we'rebringing, and are people willing
to pay it?
And they're finding that peopleare willing to pay.
Speaker 4 (25:16):
It's, yeah, it's actually happening.
Well, not only that when peoplerealize that they're paying
that sum of money, they want tocontribute and make sure that
they get the value that they'repaying for.
Speaker 1 (25:25):
Yeah, absolutely Right, so in my book.
Speaker 4 (25:27):
It's actually a self-fulfilling prophecy, right?
Yep, it's absolutely true.
Speaker 1 (25:31):
Hey, Jeremy, I've been asked to ask you about the
George Washington gavel.
Speaker 3 (25:36):
And the reason why I've been asked.
Speaker 1 (25:38):
That is because apparently you got.
You got some of the skinny onthat man.
You got a little of the historygoing on.
Share a little bit about itwith us, will you?
Speaker 4 (25:46):
For sure.
So segwaying back into PotomacLodge number five.
Speaker 1 (25:50):
That was a rabbit trail, by the way.
That's that's what we callthose Go ahead.
Speaker 4 (25:53):
Don't even get me started.
We could be here all night.
Speaker 1 (25:55):
Yeah, we could have a million.
We have whiskey on four moretimes, yeah, yeah, four more
times, right, okay, all right,give us, give us what you got
there, and then we'll move on.
Speaker 4 (26:03):
So so I'll try, and I'll try and condense this a bit
, give us a story, I mean.
I could do a half an hourlecture on this by itself.
Speaker 1 (26:08):
Well, you will book it, so you're in.
Speaker 4 (26:11):
Potomac Lodge number five is the oldest lodge in what
is now known as the District ofColumbia.
We were first chartered in 1789as Maryland Lodge number nine.
Speaker 1 (26:19):
Okay, maryland Lodge.
Maryland Lodge number time,because you remember.
Speaker 4 (26:22):
The District of Columbia was originally a
section of Virginia and asection of Maryland.
Speaker 1 (26:26):
Right, okay, that's right, that's right.
Speaker 4 (26:28):
And the portion that is now Georgetown used to be
called George Space TOWNE, rightGeorgetown was a port city on
the Potomac River Okay.
Speaker 1 (26:37):
The.
Speaker 4 (26:37):
Potomac, of course, goes into the Chesapeake Bay and
then out to the to the AtlanticRight, yeah Right.
Virginia has since taken theirsection of land back.
It's now Arlington County.
Georgetown, of course, was inMaryland, you know, is still in
what was at that time Maryland,and Potomac Lodge was started in
1789.
We went through a fewiterations, but in 1793, the
(26:58):
cornerstone of the Capitol wasgoing to be laid and there was a
great ceremony that went alongwith it, of course, president.
Washington was a Mason.
We've all seen those paintings.
Yeah, exactly, yeah Well but theinteresting thing is what a lot
of people don't realize is thatprocession actually started in
Georgetown.
Speaker 1 (27:16):
Oh, okay, right Okay.
Speaker 4 (27:18):
So these days, if there's no traffic which is a
rarity in DC right, it stilltakes about 15 minutes to drive
from Georgetown to the Capitol.
Okay, right Now, get out ofyour car and walk.
Let's talk about how long of awalk that was.
Speaker 2 (27:32):
How long of a walk, was that?
Speaker 4 (27:33):
Yeah, I mean we're talking well over an hour.
You know, getting close to two,Right the whole way there were
people cheering on theprocession, there were, there
was artillery in the parade,right there.
I mean like bands, this was athing, A big deal.
This was like Mardi Gras at thetime.
Yeah, right.
Speaker 1 (27:50):
Yeah, that's right.
Speaker 4 (27:51):
And so George Washington got rode over from
Virginia because his house wasat Mount Vernon, right, right.
And so he got, you know, gotover to the Georgetown side, did
the whole procession, and againyou got to remember, put
yourself back in that time,right, there was no DC, it was a
swamp in a forest.
Speaker 1 (28:08):
Right.
Speaker 4 (28:08):
And you get to the top of what was Jenkins Hill and
they've cut a few roads throughthe forest.
Speaker 1 (28:13):
Right.
Speaker 4 (28:14):
So we're talking like some you know Hillbilly movie.
If you think about it, you'veliterally got a stack of trees.
Right you can kind of walkthrough them, and that was where
the Capitol was going to be.
Speaker 1 (28:24):
Wow, and they dug a hole no-transcript.
Speaker 4 (28:26):
At the top of the hill and they said we have the
vision to create this buildingthat is going to be the
cornerstone of a country in themiddle of nowhere Right.
And I mean, you know, I'mgetting chills on my back just
thinking about that.
Speaker 2 (28:40):
Yeah, no, we were right over here at a pizza place
and this guy's grew up here andhe's like Masonry.
Speaker 4 (28:46):
What's that?
What's that?
I'm like, how do you live here?
How do you live your whole lifehere?
It's so central, right, it's socentral to the city.
Speaker 1 (28:51):
Right, it's so central to the country, right,
and so just to give you a bit ofa story real quick, right?
So the gavel.
Speaker 4 (28:57):
So, as many people, many Masons will know, when you
dedicate a cornerstone, youdedicate with corn, wine and oil
and you have to test the stone.
You use the implements of amaster Mason the plum, the level
, the square and you know youhave a gavel and you tap the
square into place right and atthe end of the ceremony, george
Washington gave the gavel to aman named Valentin Renssel.
(29:19):
Valentin Renssel was the masterof what is now Potomac Lodge
number five.
Oh okay, he also became thefirst grand master of Washington
DC.
Wow, Now at the time again tosort of have a little fun with
it.
You know, he just put the gavelin his closet because it was
just George and it was just agavel.
Speaker 2 (29:34):
Right, right, right, and so when he passed away
People aren't legends yet Right.
Speaker 4 (29:38):
Exactly they were just dudes you know and who you
guys are going to be legends oneday.
So I'm happy to be here.
Speaker 1 (29:43):
We're already legends .
We didn't ask for thatIncompetence.
Maybe there you go.
Speaker 4 (29:45):
Incompetence.
Maybe I'll take it right, it'sstill not famous in it.
Just want to be remembered.
And so when Valentin Renzelpassed away, his wife came to
the lodge and kind of said heyguys, you want this?
And we said, uh, yeah.
Speaker 2 (29:58):
Yeah, so you've been in possession of that gavel,
yeah, for 200 years 200 years.
And how do you keep that?
Speaker 4 (30:07):
How do you store that ?
Right now it's between one andtwo places.
Either it's in the capitalbecause it's one of the oldest
artifacts.
Speaker 1 (30:14):
So it's a national treasure.
It's considered a nationaltreasure it's yours.
Speaker 2 (30:17):
Oh wow, it belongs to the lodge Exactly, but you lend
it to the capital of the.
Speaker 4 (30:21):
United States.
Matter of fact, they love itbecause the way they frame it to
us is most of the stuff theyhave.
There is art.
It just hangs on a wall right.
It doesn't do anything.
Speaker 1 (30:30):
Right.
Speaker 4 (30:30):
They like the fact that our gavel is what they call
a living artifact.
Speaker 1 (30:34):
It still goes places Right.
Speaker 4 (30:36):
That's how we all got to know each other, remember,
because the gavel was invited tocome down to Florida.
Speaker 2 (30:42):
Yes, right, that's right.
That's where this trip up to DCstarted.
Wow, that's so cool.
Bill did tell that story whenhe was on the podcast.
Speaker 1 (30:49):
Yeah, that's right Right.
Speaker 2 (30:51):
And the idea of how that even happened was so random
and cool.
Totally Well, it's Bill.
I'm not surprised at all, Imean let's be honest Right,
right, right.
Speaker 4 (30:59):
But so this thing has taken on a life of its own.
Another interesting sidebar andagain you've got to be careful.
Stop me if I'm going too long,I'll talk all night.
But across the street fromPotomac Lodge in Georgetown is a
PNC bank.
Ok, Now, if you go back a while.
It was bought by PNC as part ofRiggs National Bank when Riggs
went out of business, and theywent out of business, because
(31:20):
they had too many accounts frompeople that were under sanctions
and they shouldn't have hadthem, and that's its own story,
which you should go look intoyeah, it's banking baby.
But before that all happened,one of the guys who started it,
who started the bank, was a guynamed William Wilson Corcoran,
and so some of our listeners mayremember him as the namesake of
the Corcoran School of Art.
Ok, or the Corcoran Galleryhere in DC.
(31:42):
William Wilson Corcoran wasalso a member of Potomac Lodge.
Speaker 1 (31:46):
Wow.
Speaker 4 (31:46):
And so when we needed the place to hold the gavel, we
went to him and he said sure,we'll do something in our bank
for you, not a problem.
And so if you walk into thatPNC bank on the corner of M
Street and Wisconsin Avenue andyou look at the vault, which is
a circular vault, it's one ofthose big circle doors that they
open every morning.
They still close it every night.
At the eye of the circle, rightat the point in the middle of
(32:07):
the circle, is a double highsafe deposit box.
To our knowledge, it is theonly glass front safe deposit
box with electric lightinginside.
Speaker 1 (32:15):
Wow.
Speaker 4 (32:15):
Geez, just for the gavel.
Speaker 1 (32:17):
Just for the gavel.
That's an awesome story brother.
That's a great story man.
That's sort of that's its home.
Speaker 3 (32:22):
I love that, because we don't want to just leave it
in the lodge.
Speaker 1 (32:24):
Yeah, right, right, yeah.
It's a national treasure.
I don't think you could.
Speaker 2 (32:27):
It has to, it's got to be locked up somewhere, man,
but it's their property to dowhat the hell they want with it,
right?
Well?
Speaker 4 (32:32):
unfortunately, it's PNC now, so they're charging us
for the safe deposit box, whichRiggs never did.
Speaker 1 (32:36):
But you know, what do you do?
Well, that's banking baby.
Speaker 2 (32:39):
Welcome to America, right, so true, yeah, so do you
use that gavel so?
Speaker 4 (32:43):
does the?
Speaker 2 (32:44):
lodge ever actually utilize it for anything, so it
depends on how you look at it.
Speaker 4 (32:47):
We can't, we can't actually pick it up and use it
anymore because the handle isbroken on the inside of the
gavel.
Speaker 1 (32:52):
Yeah, you know, right , but it still goes all over the
place.
Speaker 4 (32:54):
Matter of fact we have a picture of the Queen of
England, rest or soul, using itto lay the extension of the
cornerstone of the Britishembassy here in DC.
Speaker 1 (33:02):
Oh, that is sweet, which, to me, is the ultimate
irony.
Yeah, it is the ultimate irony,right?
Speaker 4 (33:07):
And for anybody who didn't get it, we've got the
Queen of England using theimplement used by George
Washington, the treasonous, thesecessionist Right right, who
used the gavel at its inceptionto create the country that
seceded, you know, from.
Speaker 1 (33:21):
England.
I love it, I love it, I love it.
It's amazing, that's awesome.
Speaker 2 (33:23):
My favorite picture of the gavel.
Speaker 1 (33:24):
That's.
That's a great story, man,that's a great.
Speaker 2 (33:26):
Jeremy, it's a great American story.
Speaker 4 (33:27):
Jeremy, can I, can I give you 30?
Speaker 1 (33:29):
seconds more.
Speaker 2 (33:29):
You can give me 30 seconds more.
My favorite thing about thegavel.
Give us 30 minutes more, ohwell.
Speaker 4 (33:33):
I don't know if we want to go there.
Damn you know.
Give me a drink and you got 12minutes at least so.
Speaker 1 (33:36):
I'll say it again no you don't?
We got, we got to move on.
Speaker 4 (33:42):
So one more fun piece is when Valentin Rental passed
away and his wife gave us thegavel and whatever the
grandmaster at the time saidwell, how do we know this thing
is real?
And so they got two people thathad seen the gavel at that
ceremony and they were in their80s, which is saying something
in the early 1800s.
Speaker 2 (33:57):
right, yeah, they got two people that had seen it.
That's like twice the lifeexpected to see somebody
probably at that time Right.
Speaker 4 (34:01):
Yeah, you know so.
Anyways, we can speculate aboutthat.
But they had to write a lettersaying hey, I certify that this
is actually the gavel.
Wow.
And that's why there's the goldcap on the top.
But the interesting thing, oneof the guys that wrote the
letter which we still have.
His letter says you know why?
I know this is the gavelBecause I saw George Washington
(34:21):
carrying it when I rode himacross the.
Speaker 1 (34:23):
Potomac Jesus, oh, that's sweet, oh man, and we
still have that letter.
That's awesome, that wasfreaking amazing.
Speaker 4 (34:28):
Yeah, totally, and so it's going to be on display at
our that our bylaws say thereare two times when the gavel has
to be out in addition to any.
Speaker 2 (34:36):
This is what I was curious about, in addition to
any visits it does.
Okay.
Speaker 4 (34:40):
At a minimum it must be present for the installation
of officers at Potomac Lodge.
Speaker 1 (34:44):
Wow.
Speaker 4 (34:44):
So this coming Saturday is our installation,
which is why you guys are all uphere.
Speaker 1 (34:48):
Yeah, that's going to be awesome, you'll see, it'll
be on our altar and the altarand the altar and the altar.
Speaker 4 (34:51):
Okay.
The other thing is when we knowin advance, to be fair, not if
it just shows up, but when weknow that the grandmaster is
going to be present in our lodge, we must bring the gavel.
Speaker 2 (35:02):
If the grandmaster is present, it must be in the
lodge, correct.
Speaker 1 (35:05):
And installation.
Speaker 4 (35:06):
As long as we know in advance, because we have to
have a resolution of the lodge.
Speaker 2 (35:09):
So if the grandmaster just shows up, I picture like a
bunch of guys in black suitswith a brief face.
Speaker 4 (35:14):
I mean, look, I've literally had a handcuff to my
wrist as we were on a plane.
Speaker 1 (35:17):
You've done that You've done that.
That's cool.
Yeah, that's cool.
Speaker 4 (35:19):
I mean it makes it a lot less awkward because
everybody looks at you like why?
You know why are you the firstperson to get off the plane.
Speaker 2 (35:24):
So you know if they see a handcuff.
Speaker 4 (35:26):
It's like oh, it's real.
Speaker 2 (35:27):
That is fascinating.
Speaker 4 (35:29):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (35:30):
Thank you for being here.
Speaker 4 (35:31):
Yeah, thanks.
My apologies for trying to cramall this space.
No, no, we're going to haveYann for a.
Speaker 1 (35:35):
For a full show.
So we'll get you.
We'll get you on a new year.
Speaker 4 (35:39):
When you have time, we can sit and talk about all
this stuff.
You can tell I have fun withthis.
Speaker 1 (35:43):
Oh yeah, I'm just happy to be here.
We love it.
People need to hear this stuff.
Speaker 2 (35:46):
We've forgotten our own history in this country.
Speaker 1 (35:48):
Yeah, that's right.
Speaker 4 (35:49):
Well if you want to have fun, I'll drop a seed for
you.
Did you know Dan Brown cut offmy hand in the law symbol?
Do tell.
Oh, that's a story for anotherpodcast.
Damn man, we'll leave that.
That's a cliffhanger, son of abiscuit.
Speaker 1 (36:01):
That's a cliffhanger.
We'll leave that one for nexttime.
Speaker 3 (36:04):
Jeremy brother, thank you so much.
Speaker 4 (36:05):
Brother this is amazing to be here.
I'm so glad to see you and wewill definitely have you back.
And I want to be clear I havenot seen Chris's wife since that
day that I met her.
Speaker 1 (36:13):
Yeah, we'll stay on that one.
Speaker 2 (36:16):
I'm very happy to hear that.
Very happy to hear that hehasn't gotten any worse, looking
to Son of a.
Speaker 1 (36:21):
Biscuit, all right.
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