Friday, November 17, 2006
Thursday, November 16, 2006
Worth the Lagavulin
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If they come up short, I have a ton of pics to choose from... I got a great one tonight from one of the Peeps of the Week.
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My guess is that I'll be happily sipping the King this weekend sometime.
Nanepashemet POTW
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Unfortunately, the selection criteria has to be clarified again due to the confusion yesterday.
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To be named a Nanepashemet POTW, you must have been annoying, stupid or inspiring, and you can't be an animal or dead.
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That stated..... the NANEPASHEMET PEEPS OF THE WEEK are...
- Nathaniel Clarke
- Jose, the Ticket Agent at Airtran in Chicago
- Mike Rockett
- Stacy Millett
- Emmit Smith
- Laurel DiMatteo
If you are a loser this week, just keep acting in according with our selection criteria, and you may yet reach the pinnacle that these Peeps have achieved.
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Dancing with the Stars
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As experienced Nanepashemet Peeps know, I am confident enough in my manhood to admit that I hope that Emmit Smith walks away as the winner.
Dissapointing
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But that wasn't the only dissapointment!
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I get back at my desk in Wakefield at 2:00 PM, check the blog for "Peep of the Week" Nominations, and found only two. Two paltry nominations out of the thousands of peeps who hit this blog everyday! WTF! What a downer.
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But it doesn't end here.
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The two nominations were for my cat, Ronick, and the guy who invented Lagavulin 200 years ago.
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Let me make a point here that I kind of think should have been self-explanatory.
ANIMALS AND DEAD GUYS CAN'T BE PEEPS OF THE WEEK!!!
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Man... am I worked up. I have to cool down now.
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
Off Line - A Panic Situation
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Please do not panic. Take deep breaths.
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That's right..... Inhale... Exhale... Inhale... Exhale.
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See? You were obviously overreacting.
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Now that you've composed yourselves, I have a suggestion for you to fill the deep void that tomorrow will bring.
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Place a comment on the Nomination Button at the bottom of this posting detailing your choice for Nanepashemet Peeps of the Week. The nominees can be of any religion or political persuasion, but there must be a cool reason for you to place them in nomination. It could be that they were particularly annoying or stupid or inspiring this week. We don't even have to know the reason, the honor system rules here.
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All comments will be published as soon has I get back on line Thursday morning.
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Make your comments on your Nanepashemet Peeps of the Week nominations starting.......................................................................................................................................................................
Texas Bound
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It means that I have to get to Mike Rockett with the Sundance plans tonight.
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Also, I won't be able to get on the stationary bike tomorrow.
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It feels so good on days that you get a burn, that you wonder why you don't do it every day. But sometimes you have to go to Texas. Then I'll be screwed up from lack of sleep by Thursday, so that I will come up with some lame excuse not to get the exercise in.
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Monday, November 13, 2006
Computer Aided Design
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Took the measurements at the new school building today and dumped them into CAD. It's great to be able to manipulate the plan easily and see different options. Now I have to commit the whole Operation Moonshadow affair to Microsoft Project and jam this thing together before the end of the Holiday break.
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It will happen... but not without some serious nailbiting. I may need some moving help from the Peeps before this thing is over.
Ronick is no Help
Mixed Emotions
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Francis roomed with Steve Prefontaine at Oregon in the 70's and knew all of the track legends. He was the high school javelin record holder at 256' and held that record for 17 years. He said that he set the record 40 days after he first picked up a javelin and had a track scholarship in college, not football. He was well known to track and field diehard fans like my brother Jamie and I in the old days.
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He said that when the next guy broke his record, 17 years later, he pledged to send he and a friend to Hawaii, but the guy's coach objected, saying that it would violate amateur rules. Russ then waited five years until the kid ended college, then made good on the Hawaii trip. Pretty cool.
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Older Pats fans like myself will remember that Francis was a force at tight end and was a great football player.
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Nelson told me that his Curry College team that he currently coaches is 11-0 and he is waiting for an NCAA berth.
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It also appeared that the Cingular guys enjoyed the game and the Darwin hospitality.
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All in all, a fine way to watch the Pats lose to the Jets.
Sunday, November 12, 2006
Golf - Finding your Game
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It probably bothers Mikc and Ryan that I have a chance to play at great courses all over the US including Pebble. Customer Golf events offer me these great opportunities. But the fact is that if I broke 1oo, I would gladly spring for drinks all around.
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My father was a good golfer, an all around good athelete. My kids,Ryan and Mike, have good games and can compete well. But I have been playing for nine years, and continue to suck. The golf gene skipped a generation.
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I was wearing a golf pullover that I got from the Atlanta event this month when I met Rockett at the new school site. He reminded me that I suck at golf. How the hell did he know??? WTF!!!
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I told you I sucked. Did you think I was kidding?
Saturday, November 11, 2006
Moonshadow Accomplishments
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Meanwhile, progress on the Herreshoff Tender was slow and steady. The 3/8" Olkume plywood was ripped into three inch strips for the floorboards and fitted to the oak supports. The centerboard case was cut to fit and was initially sanded. I didn't get to epoxy anything, which is a setback because nothing will get done tomorrow due to the Pats-Jets game at the Darwin box.
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Monday, we close on one phase of the school financing and I have to take room measurements to get the plans to Mike. Then we will implement a Microsoft Project analysis of the work and start to get granular on cost and schedule.
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All in all, not a bad Saturday. It will be a hectic holiday season.
Nanepashemet Blog Posting and BC Basketball
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I know that sounds shocking... that there are people out there walking around aimlessly with a big gap in their lives... but it's true.
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When these people find out that I blog, they normally ask what I blog about. I answer that I don't know, which is the truth. Years ago, when I was at UMASS, I lived in the same dorm as a bunch of the basketball players. Rick Pitino and Julius Erving were there at that time, but they didn't live in my dorm. Al Skinner, the current coach of the Boston College Men's Basketball team did.
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I didn't know him other than to say hi, but I remember being in the dorm lobby one day, when he was hanging with some of the other players. I overheard one of them ask him if he worried about getting his share of points in a game.
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Skinner said,"I never think about it. I just know that they will come."
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Why is it that random comments like that stick in your memory? I don't know, but this one did. I don't think about what topics to post in the blog, I just know that they will come. Katelyn asks me how I find the time to write these posts. It almost seems that they happen by themselves, and take no time at all.
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One thing blogging has taught me is that there is a tremendous amount of stuff that happens to you daily. If you take the time to capture and analize the random shit that passes through your head, it's impossible to be bored with life. This blog only captures a minute fraction.
Friday, November 10, 2006
Autumn Drink
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Realizing that "Dark and Stormies" may have a summer feel to it, these insightful Nanepashemet Peeps bring up a good point. "What is my favorite Fall Drink?"
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Not an easy question. You must remember that any such designation doesn't dethrone Lagavulin as the King of Scotch, with an unapproachable position in my drinking preference.
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This aside, you are missing something if you haven't tried a "Seagrams and Cider". That's half a glass of ice cubes, covered with Seagrams 7 Blended Canadian Whisky, and topped off with Apple Cider with a sprinkling of cinnamon.
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Surprisingly, an upgrade to VO isn't really cost effective or better than the Seagram's 7.
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This drink has been an autumn standard since Joanne and I were first married. I used to be able to pack away a good amount of cider this way in one sitting, but if you get a bad batch of apples, you also might be sitting in the bathroom for an inordinate amount of time, so be careful.
Working Weekend
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Sat. Morn. - Workout.... get in a 1/2 hr sweat on the stationary bike and shower. Cut and Lay out the floorboards for the Tender. Sand the interior and gunwale rails. Get a coat of Epoxy on everything.
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Sat. Afternoon - measure and prepare renovation plan for the new Sundance School building with Joanne and Mike Rockett.
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Sat. Evening - put a dent in the Lagavulin stock.
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Sun. Morn. - Get another bike workout in. Head to Darwin in Wakefield by 9:00 AM to car pool to Foxboro for the Pats-Jets Game in the Darwin box. The Cingular NY and Cingular NE customers are invited and it should be a chance to embed a subliminal or two for 2007 business. Game start is 1:00 PM. Should be a good time, but a long day.
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Since I'm such an old fart, I actually prefer to watch the Pats at home, but this will be time well spent for my profit making career schemes.
Nanepashemet Peeps of the Week
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Peeps of the Week are generally cool dudes. Asking to be on the list is uncool. Hence you see the logical backdrop of the policy decision here. Generally, you have a better chance of making the list if you don't want to be on the list.
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Now that you all understand the protocol, we are free to proceed with the list.
- Mark Ferrante
- Vanessa, the honest bartender in Atlanta with the boob job.
- Steve Lewis
- Bill Bulger
- Brian Butler
- Lisa Chruzzzzzz
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To all of the other losers this week, there is nothing you can do differently to be chosen, so stop trying.
Titmouse Sighting
To those of you who have often wondered if a "tufted titmouse" ever visited my birdfeeders, the answer is a resounding - YES! Three or four of them this morning.
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Yesterday a nice red cardinal made a visit.
So the Birder list is....
- Crow
- Seagull
- Common Sparrow
- Morning Dove
- Blue Jay
- Cardinal
- Chickadee
- Gold Finch
- House Finch
- Tufted Titmouse
So far, no Bald Eagles or Vultures, but the Night Before Thanksgiving Nestor Bash is coming up soon.
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All this, and I never contributed to the Sierra Club.
Thursday, November 09, 2006
Darwin Rocks On
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I touched base with a lot of my wireless colleagues at the launch meeting of the New England Wireless Association, and I truly felt that I was a Darwin guy rather than "ex-GD". As much as I was dedicated and loyal to General Dynamics, it feels good to be with a group that is vibrant, business-minded and ready to make a real industry mark again.
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I don't like to talk freely about the specifics because of business security, but I am really psyched about the forward view that I am seeing. Today gave some particularly good signs of things to come.
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Indications are that Darwin is on course to pinch the industry in the ass. We will get some attention in 2007. Inspire some people, piss off more.
Herreshoff Columbia Tender Launch Prospect
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With the seat support planks in place, and the flooring supports down, everything else should measure fairly easily.... theorizing of techniques is no longer required. Now the process is "do it", not figuring out how it should be done.
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Tomorrow I'll take the afternoon off, get Mark my tax and deposit information for the the Sundance School acquisition, and get a couple of things done on the tender, hopefully ending with a coating of epoxy. A mild November day is forecast and I'd like to take advantage of the higher temperatures for epoxy and varnish curing as much as possible.
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Once I finish the tender, I'm going to find time to row around the harbor on weekends and at least one or two weekdays every week. I will utilize it to find my buff inner self. I like building boats. It remains to be seen whether I will like rowing or sailing them.
Democrats In, Rumsfeld Out
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Good conciliatory move by Bush that he is willing to compromise in the face of changing political winds. I read this election wrong. I thought that the overall economic health of the country would sustain the Republicans, despite the war.
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I just hope we pull out of goddamn Iraq. Don't care who does it, or how it is done.
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
Reaching Back for an Old Friend
- Henry David Thoreau, Walden, Chapter 2
It's been over thirty years since I read these words in a third floor cubby hole among the stacks in the old Goodell Library at UMASS Amherst.
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Thoreau would have had a killer blog.
Kennedy Mystery Vote Solved
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I voted for Ted Kennedy out of loyalty. I didn't see it before.
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Loyalty to a prior choice and a chosen path. Loyalty to what was, regardless of what is. Loyalty that transcends human frailties and says "No matter what, I'll support you. Even if you and I go down different roads."
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I feel a little better now.
Katelyn Offered to Help Move
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
Change of Season
Moonshadow Check Points
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Check.
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Thank you to Dana Lothrop, Alan Ball, Bob Crosby and Harry Christiansen. The deal is cut.
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Check.
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Thank you to Mark Ferrante and Steve Lewis. Money is in place.
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Check.
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Thank you to Dave Fortier, Tom DiMatteo, and Jay Ohanian for putting up with ranting and raving.
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Check.
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Thank you to Eyk and RoseMarie Van Otterloo for agreeing to make this possible without hassle.
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Check.
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Thank you to Mike Rockett for always listening and caring about what we try to do.
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Check.
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Thank you to the teachers and parents who were so positive at the initial announcement.
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Check.
There will be many more thank you's to check off before we pull this off.
Voted for Ted Kennedy Today
How the Hell do I know!
I have no logical, rational answer.
Certainly not because I agree with his politics, behavior, scandals, etc.
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I probably think I voted for him out of deference to the potential that the Kennedy ideal once had for the country and the past memories and pride that my Irish Catholic family once had by seeing one of their own in the White House.
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I also voted for Johnny O' Brien as Register of Deeds for the Southern Essex County Registry - a truly lovable rogue from the old Lynn days.
Election Day
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A nasty and expensive race. Over $40M spent. Theoretically, there is no return on this investment by the candidates. I suppose that I should say say something cynical here.
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Nationally, the control of the House and Senate is at stake, with the Democrats having a chance to grab the leadership of the Legislature from the Republicans. The national media is playing this as a referendum about President Bush.
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My prediction is that the discontent is not as deep seated as portrayed by the Press. I hate it when people try to tell me what to think. Give me the facts, I'll make up my own mind.
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Meanwhile, I'm hopeful that UPS will deliver my new sander today.
Pats Come Up Short
Monday, November 06, 2006
Moonshadow Revealed
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Eyk is looking to reuse the Pleasant Street property and it will be interesting to see what direction he takes it in.
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Goal is to close on the Stramski property and make the move after the Holiday Break in Jan. It will be a ton of work, but should be motivating. I'll be blogging the details.
Sunday, November 05, 2006
Batch of Wings
Pizza
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Normally, I don't disclose this type of personal detail, but I'm feeling rather vulnerable this evening in anticipation of the Pats punishing the Indianapolis Colts starting at 8:30 tonight.
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So here it is.
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Cafe Vesuvius
18 Bessom St
Marblehead, MA 01945
View Map
781-639-8120
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If I have to wait to get my pizza because of the surge of business that they will receive from this disclosure, I'm going to be pissed.
Floor Support Slats
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It's 11:15 AM on Sunday. I'll epoxy glue the slats to the bottom of the hull, clamp and glue the seat support planks to the gunwales, and finalize the centerboard sanding and attach the bottom logs with epoxy. Should be done by 2:30PM.
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A shower, trip to Crosbys for the wings and other Patriots game stuff, and then I'll be ready for the Indianapolis Colts.
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Not a bad plan.
Iraq - Time to Leave
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Let's disengage from this medieval part of the world. I don't know what our continued role is, and for our kids to keep dying without a clear definition of what we are trying to achieve is unconscionable. Time to leave.
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Earlier, the war had my unequivocal support. It was valid to take out the murderer Hussein. We met that clear objective. Time to leave.
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Iraq and the Middle East has evolved a culture that has not embraced the system and institutions that are successful here. That is clearly their choice. Our efforts to establish an elected government are laudable but ultimately artificial, manipulative, and doomed to fail. Vietnam survived our disengagement. Let's get out of Iraq.
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We are not making the world safe for democracy. We can find enough oil. What's the point?
Time to leave.
Saturday, November 04, 2006
Saturday Actions
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Then on to the Tender. ....
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Cut and epoxy the floor board supports.
Epoxy the seat support planks.
Sand and add the support logs to the centerboard case.
Friday, November 03, 2006
Stupidity and Incompetence
Amazing that it is a full moon today.
There has to be something to that.
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I think that I can tolerate stupidity better than incompetence.
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Stupid people doing stupid things is understandable.
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Smart people acting incompetently is so difficult to endure.
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Had my share of both today. Must have been the full moon.
Relief
Thursday, November 02, 2006
Late Night Tool Purchase
I'm thinking that this little baby will really help the interior finish on the yacht tender. The sander is a compact belt sander that is a new product by Porter Cable.
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I'm supposed to receive mine from Amazon by Nov. 7. There has been a big advertising push in the woodworking magazines for this product.
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A few more coats of epoxy resin, then I will rough sand the interior gunwales with this, followed by finish sanding with the random orbital sander.
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Still- the chances of a Thanksgiving launch are slim. With the success of Operation Moonshadow, a whole new set of items will be consuming my free time.
Nanepashemet Peeps of the Week
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Tom McMahon
Jay Turner
Will Crawford
John Kerry
Don Imus
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Hopefully they will experience the level of spiritual attainment that only can be found by constantly hitting the Nanepashemet Blog.
Ryan Turns 30
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Sometimes it seems like the time skipped by....other time's it seems like a long haul.
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He turned out OK. Married right. I hope he and Courtney have a son just like him someday.
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That reminds me... Charlie Jellison never did make good on that dowry that he owes me. I was willing to forego the herd of goats for a bottle of Lagavulin.
Coming Clean
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I'm just not ready to reveal it at this time.
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By January, everyone will know... so just back off. Suck it up and be content with the cryptic remarks for a couple more weeks.
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BTW, only one hurdle remains.
Progress on Moonshadow
I should not have been so cynical about "good faith". This time, it held out.
We'll be inviting the Building Department to the Grand Opening for sure.
Carnivore Heaven
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I must have eaten four lbs. of barbequed Brazilian meat in that sitting.
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Literally didn't sleep for the next two days in Georgia.
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The sick thing is that I'll forget how bad I feel and go back to Fogo when I'm in Atanta in six months or so.
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The Lamb Chops are so good, the Sirloin is so good. No amount of self control is adequate to control my gluttonous habits . If you have never been to a Brazilian barbeque, I highly recommend the pain.
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After the Fogo gluttony, we went into a Buckhead Jazz bar where a vocalist was styling away with a pianist.
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Ohanian, Fortier and I just wanted to find a TV set at the bar to watch the Patriots-Vikings game and we must have looked pretty rude and stupid.... yelling and screaming in the middle of her jazz vocals as the Pats mangled the Vikings.
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Brady Rules! Bring on Peyton Manning next Sunday!
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It is so cool to be a Pats Fan. We are just so much better than other people.
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
Customer Golf
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Swedish Meatballs never made the menu at the barbeque to follow.
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The bald Guy in the bottom photo is Dave. He has a hat on but, trust me, he's pretty bald.
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I'm the one who has the hair.... (substantially more on my back than on my head, but that photo will never make the blog.)
I'm Back
How can I make it up to you?
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I was stuck in Atlanta at a customer golf event and completely let you down with my lack of blog updates.
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I am truly sorry.
- John