Every lodge is different. Visitors from one lodge to another were once appalled by the more relaxed atmosphere of another. Even in a society of very well documented and studied ‘rules’ and practices can have widely different cultures depending on the town and people. Not all lodges are created equal.

The background check is no more than when applying to a job, they just check to see if you have a criminal record. They make a home visit to explain themselves to your family and to make sure your personal life doesn’t look like à mess, ie your not living like a piece of shit.

Comcast. I dare you to try to cancel or change your cable and internet package.

Do not use actual names, birthdays, phone numbers, addresses, email addresses, etc. There’s no reason they need to know that info and I love/hate seeing physical mail and email show up with my made up info. Doesn’t work when paying for stuff though.