F******. Catalina Wine Mixer

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All three kids are slated to come back to Marblehead today.
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Everytime they link up here, it's like the F**king Catalina Wine Mixer.
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Before things heat up, I'm going to get the Herreshoff Columbia Tender out for a row on Marblehead Harbor around mid morning when the tide is right.
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Maybe a good workout will help me cope.





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POTW Week 22

My friend Harvey Rowe has developed a blog called "Harvey's Thoughts" which I have started to follow. Generally, it's takes all of my time to keep self centered on my own stuff, but Harvey's Blog is worth a visit.
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The rap on Harvey is that he is a Lawyer and a practicing Catholic.... both of which can promote some pretty warped thinking.... but he manages to pull it off pretty well.
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BTW - I can say that, because I am a cultural Irish Catholic who was traumatized by Nuns and force fed the Baltimore Catechism. Purgatory still scares the shit out of me. Plus I get a big kick out of Lawyer jokes.
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My fervent hope is that a good deal of you will start to bug Harvey on his Blog, and leave me the hell alone for awhile.
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Anyway....
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ANNOUNCING....
Nanepashemet Peeps of the Week for the 22nd Week of 2009.

Harvey Rowe
Brendt D'Orio
Rick Hudson
Charlie Sheen
Katelyn Nestor
Sarah Crawford

It's www.hrowe.blogspot.com, Harvey's Thoughts.

Must Do

It's 5 o'clock on a Friday.
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The one thing that I had on my list as a "must do", I didn't do. Everything else I did and more. How does that figure???
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Now the "must do" moves on to the weekend, because I'm going to bag this and settle down with a visit from Sam Adams.
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BTW - I can't get into Twitter, and I'm only on the fringes with Facebook. You would think that a wicked cool dude like myself would rule those fashionable sites, but I kind of like the idea of Blogging better. Actually thinking out whole paragraphs. Although, I do admit that the paragraphs that I think out can be pretty pathetic.
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So have a nice weekend.

Peep Milestones

Lindsay Kepnes got engaged.
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Tina Rhodes had a baby boy, and Mary Endres had a baby boy on the same day.
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Pretty good milestones.
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Life changing, moving on milestones. Feel good milestones.

Well thats it J. I'm having a rough time dealing with this. Lindsay Kepnes is engaged. All my plans are shot.You won this one Lindsay Kepnes's fiance, but you haven't heard the last of me.
- McMahon

Houses of Cards

GM filing for bankruptcy is amazing to me. All of those smart people, strategizing, planning, doing all the things that big corporations do... and it still hits the skids.
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I'm starting to believe that big government and big business are little more than mega-juggernauts with no real way to understand or control their well being.
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During my stint in corporate life, I saw many things happen that made no sense at all, but the consequences of the actions were not faced for months later. By that time the spin doctors had expertly redefined and redetermined the outcomes, and were exhibiting their only real proficiency.... feathering their own nests.
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Hate to sound cynical, but these huge organizations get so complex that many insiders can pick them clean with impunity. The complexity rewards mediocrity, and hides incompetence. A little lie here, a little shaded truth there, and the incompetents save their bloated incomes for years at a time.
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They know that they could never survive in a fair marketplace based upon real achievement, production and service. So they contrive and conspire and plot, and bend the facts in Powerpoint presentations to perpetuate their phoney careers.
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I know that this is harsh, but if I didn't see it with my own eyes, I probably wouldn't believe it either. Sooner or later, the House of Cards comes crashing down, and the poor working stiffs and pensioners on the bottom level bear the ultimate brunt.

Passing Funk

I've been watching these great days of summer pass as I toil away with Nanepashemet Telecom. Just not fishing enough, and no golfing whatsoever. That has got to change.... at least the fishing part.
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I also haven't put the Tender into Marblehead Harbor for any kind of rowing effort.
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Maybe I'm getting too old.
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Nah....
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That can't be it.
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After all... I'm still the same old rough, tough, hard to bluff and damn good looking guy that I always was.
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I guess I'm just in a little funk. It will pass... I'll get over it.

First Harvest

Tomorrow, I plan on getting out on the Mountain Bike early. Hopefully get about 15 miles in. Then maybe attack some paperwork and invoicing so that I'm not bogged down with that when the week hits.
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Apparently, the boys came up with three keeper lobsters from the four traps that we set this week. If that ratio holds when we get our ten trap limit out, we'll be hauling in over a dozen lobsters per week. That's a lot. More than we could find ways to consume.
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Maybe we'll be making lots of Peeps happy this summer with the thoughtful gift of fresh lobster.

Tuna Lips said...

I takes all my best clientellers to Red Lobster. Beats the shorts offa Sizzler, and I aint sayin' that cuz I was barred from that mule shack, neither.

POTW Week 21

The boys got into some mackerel this morning. That should be enough to bait the rest of the lobster traps. In the meantime, I headed up north for some serious kickback in North Conway. Even though I'll probably get some paperwork in, chilling out is at the top of the list.
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However..... I was reminded in a very annoying voicemail from Mountain of a Man, Bobby Brown, that I had neglected to select the POTW this week.
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Man.... is that irritating!!!!
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I didn't freaking forget. Maybe I just didn't get around to it yet.
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Announcing.....
Nanepashemet Peeps of the Week for the 21st week of 2009

Bob Brown
Mike Chandler
Emily UnGardia
Ty Hemmert
Sprague the concrete guy on Block Island
Michael "Murph"Murphy

That will teach Brown a lesson! Mountain of a Man aside, he's got to learn to curb his annoying habits.

Constant Sorrow

POTY Privilege

Apparently former Peep of the Year, Michael "Murph" Murphy, and his lovely wife, Beth, are running with a fast crowd these days.

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So do you think you are pretty cool these days, Murph?

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Have you considered the fact that the only reason that guys like Adam Sandler will take a picture with you is because you are a Former Nanepashemet Peep of the Year????

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That's right.

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Without the POTY designation, these guys wouldn't let you carry their Kleenix, and don't you forget it.
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The truth is that Sandler, Rob Schneider, and Kevin James all wish they were you.... a former Peep of the Year. And they have absolutely no chance.

Piscine Prognostication

We've got all of our fishing tackle organized as hell, and have big plans to tune up all of the loose ends on the WhaleEye.
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Got a call this morning from Patrick Piscatelli telling me of his fishing success down on the Cape this weekend. The piscine aficionado landed some blues and schoolie stripers, and was right at the verge of his enthusiasm transforming into bravado. Not that I can blame him. If I caught Blues and Stripers this early in the season, I'd be bragging my ass off.
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Tomorrow, I'm taking the CEO of a promising wireless startup in the public safety networks sector to lunch at the Boston Yacht Club. I thought I might impress him with the ambiance of Marblehead Harbor, but it appears that he lives on the Monterrey Peninsula in California, which is probably the most spectacular ocean venue that I've yet seen.
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So I'll have to find another way to impress him. Maybe with fishing stories.
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Anyway.... I predict the best fishing season ever this year. Tuna, Stipers, Blues and Lobster. Not necessarily in that order.

First Crack at Crustaceans

Ryan and Mike caught four mackeral off of the Tinker's Island Gong yesterday, so we had no excuse but to get four lobster traps baited up and dropped outside of Salem harbor this morning.
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After fishing for another hour and only coming up with one more mackeral and a monkfish, we headed back to check the traps which had only been in place for less than two hours.
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We found scates, and crabs in three of the four traps. That was an optimistic sign. Probably Wed. this week, we'll check the traps and put out three or four more. By the end of the week, all ten will be in service and we should be crawling in crustraceans.
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The whole effort was salvaged by the beautiful weather, and the beers that Tommy O'Shea so thoughtfully contributed to the effort.
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BTW, with the new fin on the lower unit of the Honda Four Stroke, the WhaleEye seems like a new engine. Planes perfectly, and idles at slow speeds with no issues.
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This could be a hell of a summer.

Unblocked

In case you were wondering, the three tumblers of Newman's Own 100% Grape Juice came through big time last night. And I do mean "came through".

Memorial Day

A beautiful Memorial Day Weekend. I hope you all get to kick back and enjoy the company of your friends and families.
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But don't lose sight of the fact that you won't be speaking German or Russian this weekend. That many have made huge sacrifices so that you could have a peaceful, stable, enjoyable weekend.
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This day always makes me reflect on my father, who was blown off of a ship in the Atlantic and survived during WWII, my grandfather, who was gassed in the trenches in France during WWI and my father-in-law who was a POW to the Chinese in the Korean War.
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Regular people like you and me, who were called to duty and made the sacrifice so that we could have a normal life. And our young people continue to serve so that terrorists who would destroy our way of life don't get the chance to implement their demented plans.
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Freedom isn't free. And some of us have had to pay a stiff price. Give them your recognition and respect this weekend.

Pisc said...

A wonderful reminder to the folks who hold forth on appeasement as peacemaking while sipping a buttery chardonnay with oak high lights and wearing the latest from Ann Taylor and Tommy Hifigger, snacking on canapes. The Barry Crowd, I bet you get a bit of that in MH.

POTW Week 20

So I get a couple hundred emails yesterday from Peeps who didn't appreciate my hourly rendition of my daily grind. They basically said that they didn't care what the hell I did, and should concentrate on cogent, and controversial commentary.
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Well..... Kiss my Royal Irish Ass!!!!!
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This Blog is not for your reading entertainment. It's not designed to make your pathetic day go a little easier. Loosely disguised as a blog about Boatbuilding, it is really all about me. By me, for me, and about me. And I'm not too thrilled that you get to read it anyway.
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Pretty annoying, which gets me to the next step in this juggernaut of a literary institution.
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ANNOUNCING.....
Nanepashemet Peeps of the Week for the 20th week of 2009.

Ann Swaine, the Weston Permit Lady
Jack Keough
Larry DiGiamarino
Steve Lewis
Perry Dinatale
Emily Angardia

Tomorrow, I think I'll tell you my special technique for cutting your toenails.

Advice to Barach.

This whole Obama emphasis on the "Torture" issue reminds me of Clinton's first issue "Gays in the Military." Both are non issues that I could care less about.
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It seems that when the Democrats win the big prize, they go through a "Holy Shit, What Do We Do Now" phase. They are good at strirring peoples emotions, at campaigning, but now they have to belly up and lead with some policies.
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Now Obama chooses to concentrate on the "evil Republican practice of torture." Never mind that fact that when we were under siege by radicals looking to kill anyone who takes a elevator in a major US City.
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So Peeps.... here's how I weigh in on this.
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I know that I don't usually show it, but I deeply care for each and every one of you. Even those of you who have relentlessly chosen to act like assholes. At least you are my assholes.
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So if I ran into some misguided moron hell bent on a plot to kill millions of you by crashing airliners into buildings, or igniting a nuclear blast, or causing an anthrax outbreak, I would have no problem in torturing this motherfucker over and over with every whacko method that I could devise until he gave up the details.
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That's just the way I am.
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By the way, the evil Bush administration waterboarded three people in the last eight years. That's THREE! And I understand that the technique was highly effective in eliciting information.

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How many people died in the Twin Towers???? and the Pentagon???? and herocially bringing down their own airliner headed for the White House????
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Oh yeah.... well over 4000 noncombatant Americans. Peeps like you.
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How many more of us would have bought it in Tunnels, in SmallPox epidemics, in Propane Tank explosions, in contaminated water supplies if we didn't pin the ears back on these Fuckers.
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C'mon Barach. You won the White House. Now Lead!!!! Cut the Bullshit. Your're not a phony idiot like Nancy Pelosi. Get out in front and use your inspirational abilities to get this economy swinging back.... and making sure that these medieval motherfuckers never get the chance to screw with us again.

Ringer on a Racetrack

Today was another up and early day. The Building Inspector at the Town of Brimfield, Jack Keough, is only there for two hours on Friday morning and I had to make the 1 3/4 hour drive out to the Berkshires, leaving at 7:00AM. No problem usually except for the 4:00 AM gig the previous morning.
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You know me....
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I don't bitch and I don't complain. Those traits are just not in the repetoire of a Mountain of a Man like me.
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But my concern is that these irregular starting hours have truly changed the routine that my body has been used to. In other words, I haven't had a solid waste passing in two days. That's right.... constipated..... damn constipated.
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So by the end of the day today, my last stop was to get to Costco in Danvers and pick up a couple gallons of Newman's Own Grape Juice. This stuff has treated my digestive system like a ringer on a racetrack in the past.
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After three big tumblers in the last hour..... nothing.
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I'm starting to get concerned. No Camptown Races yet. Do Dah.

Daily Grind

Started the day meeting my partner at 6:ooAM in Grafton on the MassPike, which is about 1 1/2 hours from Marblehead.
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So you do the math. Got up at 4:00AM, printed out some stuff, hit the shower and jumped in the truck for the morning ride.
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By 7:00AM, was sitting at the Charlton Town Hall, waiting for it to open at 7:30 so I could ask for the certificate of occupancy for the two sites that we built in that town. Left the files for the building inspector with the Administrator, Nancy, and went 30 miles further up the road to the Hampden County Registry of Deeds in downtown Springfield.
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The Registry is on the fourth floor of the superior court building and there were tons of plaintiffs and defendants mulling around when I arrived at 8:30 AM. The security guards made me leave my digital camera with them which I hate because it could dissappear so easily, and I really need a good digital with me at all times.
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After wading though the chainsmoking malcontents outside, I made it to the elevator and filed a decision of the Brimfield, MA Zoning Board of Appeals for recording. The stamp on the recorded docs would be proof to apply for the Building Permit in Brimfield tomorrow morning when the Building Department will be open to file between 10:00 AM and 11:30 only.
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After Springfield, I deadheaded to Chelmsford to drop up some lease docs for execution at a Burlington site. Made it by 11:00 AM and was out by 11:15 and was on the road to Weston to file a permit to but an antenna on Regis College.
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The good folks at the Weston Building Department have a lot of requirements and I found out that I had to get an original structural report from the Engineer in Downtown Boston, needed a signature from the College facilities VP on the Building permit application and needed to record a Zoning Board of Appeals decision at the Middlesex Registry of Deeds.
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So that shot to hell my chances of filing for that Building Permit today with those three hoops in front of me to jump through. Put in some calls to see if I could get the Regis College signature, and made plans to pick up the structural on Summer St in Boston. I knew that the Middlesex filing would be a pain in the ass. It always is with the parking in Cambridge and the wait at the Registry.
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Plus I had to deadhead to the Suffolk Registry of Deeds after picking up Katelyn for the passing of her South Boston Condo.
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Got to Bowdoin St. outside of Katelyn's Beacon Hill office by 12:45PM, picked up Kate and went to park down at the Govt Center Parking garage. The closing went by without a hitch which is a miracle since everything in this deal seemed to be a chore. But Katelyn waded through it all, and I'm really proud of her.
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After the passing, at 2:15. I was driving with Katelyn to her apartment in Southie and hopeing to grab a beer to celebrate and wind it down. But then I got a call from Regis saying that if I got back there within an hour and a half, I could get the permit signature that I needed. So I dropped Kate off and deadheaded to the College with a permit signature in hand by 3:30PM
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I was in a debate with myself to see if I should go back to the Weston Building Dept and plead to file without the recorded ZBA decision, but ultimately resolved to go back to Cambridge and file in the Middlesex Registry of Deeds first.
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Without a quarter in Cambridge, I took a chance at a meter and was in and out of the Registry by 4:00PM with no parking ticket. That was the fastest Middlesex filing in history. Virtually no wait.
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The gameplan now would be to retreat back to Marblehead and make a run at the Weston Builidng Department tomorrow with all of their docs in place.
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My GPS said I'd be back home by 4:30, but no freaking way with the Tobin Bridge traffic. Walked into Beverly Ave. at 5:15 pretty damn tired.
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But it was a good day. and we kicked it pretty good on the Block Island RI project today too.

Tuna Lips said...

I applaud yer runnin' hither and yonder to get stuff done. I am missin' the part about takin' some cash down for all this sweatin'. Be right kind of you to let us knows when you gots the jingle we gots comin' to us, so we can help youse congratulate yerself.

I am all above showin' the love.

Amazing Foggy Mountain Breakdown on Guitar

Shift to Adirondack

Mike's Coffee Table is now living where it was designed for.... in Mike's South Boston Condo in a renovated brick foundry. He says it looks great, and I can't wait to see it.
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While building his table, I had hoped to get some work done simultaneously on my Workbench project, but that fell by the wayside.
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Now the demand to build Kate's Adirondack chair looms forth with her condo passing due tomorrow. I want this to be a unique piece with some tenon and mortise joinery that is not common in this type of piece, and have modified my original plans to match a design that I downloaded from SketchUp.
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The first step will be to make some patterns for reproduction of all of the parts, because I think a lot of the Peeps will want one of these chairs when I get Kate's done. Joanne is already talking about getting two of them.
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I have a feeling that the Workbench will be back burnered.... and I wanted to get that done before resuming work on the Marblehead Gunning Dory. Conservatively, the Dory probably gets started in mid-summer.

Fair Warning to Fish

The WhaleEye is in the water. I don't ever remember getting my boat launched in May and got caught short when Ryan Marine put it in before Mid-Harbor finished the mooring work.
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Thankfully, we are on a temporary empty mooring in Salem Harbor while mine is being set up this week.
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So it's only a matter of time before fish and lobsters start to die.

Foggy Mountain Breakdown

How to play the banjo

Countertop Threat.

Now they are trying to sell me on the idea that my granite countertops can kill me. Researchers say that they emit radon and radiation.
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Let 'em try. I'm not scared of a damn countertop.
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Sooner or later, the researchers will come to the realization that we are not going to get out of this life alive.

Tommy McMahon said.....
Researchers are now finding that doing research causes cancer. Who knew.

Jay B Goode

Even some of my closest friends will be surprised when they learn that I'm an accomplished guitarist.
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Well, maybe not accomplished.... but I do know how to strum G and C chords.
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And I can play "Stairway to Heaven".
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But I haven't had a guitar in more than 20 years.
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Lately though, grandson Will seems to be interested in music, so I thought I'd get back into the music world and toughen up my finger tips.
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Bought a cool Alvarez RD20SC Cutaway Dreadnought Acoustic Guitar, Top Solid Spruce, Back and Side Mahogany from Amazon. It has a pickup for an amp and a built in electronic tuner.
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Will and I will be banging out "Johnny B Goode" riffs in no time.

Health Benefits

There is nothing like a power nap in the late afternoon. About 30 minutes of sleep can completely revitalize you to plow through the rest of stuff that you have on your agenda that day.
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But a lot of times, a nap is not appropriate.
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First... it is socially unacceptable in a corporate work place. Anybody caught dozing, like President Reagan years ago, is thought to be incompetent for some reason. Of course this is complete Bullshit, but I'm not going to get revved up about this.
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Second..... there is really no place that you can safely grab a power nap during the business day.
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Third.... since I'm on the road alot, a nap can be downright dangerous.
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Fourth.... there's only three things I can think of right now.
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So when I get really drowsy, especially driving hundreds of miles, I usually bang down a can of Red Bull energy drink.
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Katelyn and Ryan are all over my case about this. They say that Red Bull is bad for you. But my extensive research during 10 minutes of Internet browsing reveals that there is no obvious health risk. And it really perks me up.
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I figure the health risk of falling asleep during a 65 mph drive is a lot worse than ingesting a can of Red Bull from time to time.

WordSmith

Does Pelosi seem transparent to you? How does a partisan rock thrower like her end up as the Speaker of the House?
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A selective memory... blames everything on the evil Bush administration... now she is tap dancing around this water boarding bullshit.
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If I was a member of a group that flew planes into the NY Trade Towers and killed 4000 Americans, I'd welcome a little splash in the face compared to what I really deserve.
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Pelosi knew about the waterboarding. She is revealing her true nature with her wordsmithing denials.

Harvey Rowe said...

Right on!!!

Tuna Lips said...

Politickin' asides, I'd like to take baste miss nancy with my love honey, helps to relaxify this overwrought wench.

11:49 AM

Definition

Uncle Sam's Advice

Einstein's :Lament

We Know

You know that we know what you know.
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Do you know what I mean?
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And doesn't it piss you off that you know that we know?
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Don't worry. Even though we know, we won't act like we know.
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But we won't act like we don't know either.

Lobster Permit

Got my Massachusetts non-commercial lobster permit tonight. Stay away from the blue-green-purply buoys. Those lobsters will be giving it up for the Peeps all summer.
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I plan to use my lobsters judiciously. Won't be giving them away to customers to curry favors. That would be downright unethical. I'm sure that the customers don't like lobsters anyway.

POTW Week 19

Heading into Friday.
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But not until I get an ungodly amount of paperwork done tonight to beat a deadline for my largest customer. Like I always said to my staff at General Dynamics..... the job isn't done until the database is updated.
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Although I never appreciated what a pain in the ass that could be until now.

Announcing....
Nanepashemet Peeps of the Week for the 19th Week of 2009

Brian Butler
Will Smith
Whitney Watts
Bill Shanahan
Glen Davis
Kelly Light

Come to think of it, a lot of the stuff that I used to preach when I was on the top of the heap have come back to bite me now that I am a humble contractor. It's hard being a responsible businessman.

Island in Rhode Island

Man, did this week get away from me!
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Monday and Tuesday I crammed paperwork in because I knew that I would have a long day on the Coast Guard project in Block Island on Wed. So up at 4:00 Wed. morning, I headed to Seekonk to pick up some ground rods then deadheaded to the Block Island Ferry at Point Judith, RI.
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Naturally, Murphy's Law was in effect on the Block Island site, and we didn't pour concrete until 3:30PM.
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Nobody told me that you couldn't drive onto the 5:15PM ferry to Point Judith at 4:49PM. When the ticket lady said I was too late, I sort of didn't give a shit. I was too tired to bitch at her, and I felt that I was in the wrong anyway.
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My only real issue was that I was dirty and sweaty and needed a change of clothes. (Note to Self... in the future.... always stash a spare pair of scivvies in your briefcase for occasions like this.)
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So I found a hotel room on the Island at a good rate, bought a clean t-shirt at the hotel shop, showered, and had beers and dinner with the Watts boys who were staying overnight to finish tooling the slab pours. It was an enjoyable evening and I awoke at 4:30 AM to a rooster annoucing the pre-dawn. Couldn't sleep, so I got up at 5:00 to cruise around the Island in my F-150 at dawn.
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Block Island is really stunning. People are friendly, and there are some spectacular waterside homes. I hear that the fishing is great and was encouraged to see a keeper Striped Bass chasing some baitfish at the Ferry Pier in Point Judith.
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Hope those bass are swimming this way.

Real Wealth

Such a highly eventful, fun weekend, filled with fun Peeps.
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Among the notables....
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Jim and Kathy Peabody at the Boston Yacht Club, where we ran into "My Friend Who Doesn't Want His Name Mentioned in the Blog, along with his lovely wife Nancy....
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All of the forementioned Peeps at the Butler Surprize Extravaganza for Stacey....
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Steve Lewis, who along with Mike, is about to take the White Soul Food Catering Market by storm with his slow smoked ribs, pulled pork and macaroni and cheese....
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Auntie Susan Raich, who came through big time for Katelyn this week....
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My old friend Harvey Rowe, who was in the middle of a 13 mile run with his jogging buddy whose name I forgot but will remember.
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Grandkids Ethan and Will, who are undoubtably the best grandkids in the world....
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Emily Inguardia, possibly the nicest Peep east of the Pecos.....
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Bam and Bampy, Ryan, Katelyn, and Michael.
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It was the kind of weekend that money can't buy. A true definition of real wealth. It will be a hard weekend to match this summer.... but we will give it a try.... each and every time.

Party Review

It was a nice surprise birthday party hosted yesterday afternoon by SuperPeep Brian Butler for his SuperPeep Spouse, Stacey.
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Lots of former POTW's there including Jill Phillips, POTY Lauren Rathbone with Ethan and Becket, Tina Rhodes and Emily Azgardia.
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Jack Dog had a little bit of distress going on as he mingled among the guests, but that doesn't have to be mentioned.
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I think the highlight of the party was when Brian made me a highly creditable Dark and Stormy.... and then one more.
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Dark and Stormies are like Lay's Potato Chips. Nobody can have just one. Brian planned accordingly.
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The lowpoint of the party was definitely when Brian asked if he could be Peep of the Week for this fine effort. A major faux pas. It's an unalterable rule that you can never ask for this honor/disgrace.

Active Weekend

It's the weekend already.
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Mike and Kate are in from Boston, and Ryan and the Grandkids will be around tomorrow, so this place will be really active. Plus when they all show, lots of you Peeps tend to make an appearance over here.
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Any chance of peace and quiet is out the window.
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Who needs peace and quiet anyway??? You can have plenty of that when you're dead, and you're dead for a long time.

POTW Week 18

Every once in a while, someone decides to muster up the courage to take a shot at me on this blog.
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That's alright.
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If you are an asshole, and you like me, then that would make me an asshole like you. Course, sometimes I do act like a bona-fide asshole. But I still don't want you to like me when I act like you .... you asshole.
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Which makes this start to sound like a Zen Haiku.
~
Announcing....
Nanepashemet Peeps of the Week for Week 18 of 2009.

Peter Caruso
Kevin Gallegher
Sean Booth
Jennifer Geraci
Ellen Forgione
Maria Shriver

So you are really an asshole if you think that everytime this Blog mentions an asshole, it refers to you. But you already know if you are an asshole. You asshole.

Tuna Lips said...
Yer anger keeps me warm, like watchin' pappy pistol whip a no good poacher, poachin' on his poachin' ground.

Manny Being Banny

Manny Ramirez is banned for 50 games this year... it will cost him over $7M... for using a banned substance.
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I know it is wrong and cheating and everything.
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That's easy for me to say.
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I've got the God given ability to eke out a living, but I don't have a rare talent that allows me to make millions of dollars playing a game.
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If Manny wasn't a professional baseball player, he would probably be driving a bus in the Bronx or something similar.
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His options are the bus or baseball. The temptation to secure even a little advantage in advancing his million dollar career must be overwhelming.
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I can't say for sure how I would act in the same circumstance.

Class and Manners

Hey Clubber....
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Isn't it the case that the people who try so hard to maintain a prim and proper image ultimately have the least amount of class and very poor manners?
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You have spent so much effort trying to control the behavior of others, that you completely lose sight of the fact that you are so damn self-centered and crass.
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What an Asshole.
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You're such an Asshole that you immediately assume I'm talking about you. You Asshole. I guess that's crass to call you that, but you're an Asshole anyway. Asshole.

Channel Changing

Huge night for Boston fans.
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The Bruins play Carolina and the Celtics take on Tampa with playoff games and the Sox are playing the Yankees.
~
There will be a lot of action with the remotes.
~
I'll probably have to see the results on the news tomorrow morning because today was a long day in Southern Connecticut, and I have a bunch of stuff to get done in the morning before a lunch appointment in Westborough and a preconstruction walk in Concord after that.
~
Sure, I know my life is exciting.... but it doesn't make me any better than you pathetic wannabees. It just seems that way.

Talking Trash to Tuna

Think you're all that???
~
You Big, Freaking, Arrogant Tuna!!!
~
You're Going DOWN.

Tuna Lips said...

Well choke my chicken, I hope yer not fixin' on findin a fued with ole TL. I once carried the water bottles for the local football club. You best not go there.

Sunday Setting

With the good weather this Sunday, it's time to get the Herreshoff Columbia Tender ready for the season. This year, I resolve to row that sucker at least a couple of times a week.
~
Getting the Tender ready will entail removal of the Piantedosi sliding sculling seat, power washing the interior, sanding the worn spots and hitting the whole boat with a couple coats of Epifanes Marine Varnish. While I'm at it, I'll sand the Shaw and Tenney inspired oars that I made a couple of years ago, and hit them with a couple coats of varnish.
~
After that, its a 220 sanding on Mike's coffee table, then the second coat of Epifanes.
~
Plus I promised Joanne that I would cut the doors to her bedroom closet so that they can open and close freely.
~
Hope I have time for the doors.

Peep Preference

Apparently Emily Ungardia is pissed at me because I keep spelling her name wrong.
~
Sorry Em.
~
At least Emily has the cujones to call me out when she is annoyed. The rest of you Pathetic Peeps just seem to seethe in silence.... keeping your emotions in check. Not necessarily the most healthy alternative.
~
Then when you finally blow, it's like a big freaking eruption.
~
Em's approach is more well rounded. That's why Emily Ongardia is one of my favorite Peeps.

First Coat

We got the sanding done, fixed the top to the base, and sprayed an initial coat of Epifanes Marine Varnish.
~
There are some flaws that trouble me, but nothing that an unsophiscated Peep like you could notice.
~
Six more coats and we'll be transporting it to Mike's South Boston Condo.

Magic Feeling

This weekend is shaping up nicely.
~
No particular plans.
~
No particular obligations.
~
No particular crisis.
~
"Oh that magic feeling. No place to go" - the Beatles.

Beatles are probably not in vogue. But I carry a lot of their quotes in my head. They were great innovators for their time, excellent musicians and poets, and worked very hard trying to find meaning in a world that was in extreme transition.
~
Sorry.
~
I didn't mean to veer off like that. But that's what happens when the immediate future is wide open.
~
Back to the weekend.
~
Have to get a workout in on the Cybex, finish sanding Mike's coffee table, and get the first two coats of marine varnish. We also have to attend a wake and funeral. Maybe that is an obligation..... so I guess I spoke too early. The magic feeling is fading.

Peep of the Week - 17

So the PC Police have changed the name of the Swine Flu - ostensibly to save the lives of innocent pigs who were being slaughtered in third world countries.
~
No word lately from Mexico. Now that a few Americans, who went South of the Border, have the sniffles, there is no attention at all given to that hot bed of influenza. If the flu was so catchy, they should be running out of body bags in Baja California. But no word.
~
I personally think that the pandemic is a bust. And Joe Biden, telling people not to ride the subways, is quite the leader to be a spokesman for this crisis. Is he an idiot, or is it just me????
~
That was a high soft one, by the way.....
~
Announcing....
Nanepashemet Peeps of the Week for the 17th Week of 2009

Jenny McCarthy
Jill Phillips
Emily Angardia
Paul Pierce
Eric Johnson
Jay Severin

So stock up on the Purell and don't be spreading your Swine viruses my way.

Adirondack Kate

Katelyn seems to be on the verge of securing her South Boston Condo, after quite a few title challenges.
~
She's asked me to construct an Adirondack Chair for her deck, and since I've always wanted to build one, and she'll never back off, I decided on this design.
~
This one is 5/4 red cedar.I'll probably build Kate's in 3/4 merant1 mahogany and finish with Epifanes Marine Varnish.

Susan Raiche said...
This is a perfect design for Kate!
Beware though, she will probably want a matching pair.

That's a good point Sue. But being the Master of my Domain, I take orders from no one. Particularly Katelyn!

Condo Coffee Table

I dry fitted Mike's Coffee Table base to the top today, and to my amazement, it was the freaking balls.
~
The proportions fit very well and the contrasting fir and mahogany looked fine.
~
I was shocked because I had been pretty down on it. You can judge for yourself by the pictures to follow.
~
By the weekend, I'll get the final sanding in and fasten the top to the base. Then the spray coats of Epifanies Marine Varnish will begin.... at least seven thin coats. With the proper sanding between coats, and cure time, this will take about 1 1/2 weeks.
~
It will fit great in Mike's new South Boston Condo.

Tuna Lips said...

Ise dry humps my coffee table when the spirit grabs me. Good fer you, dry fittin' indeed.

Mega Millions

Mega Millions Jackpot is $181 M range, so I bought two tickets. If I am the sole winner, I'll probably opt for for the $111Million lump sum payout, which would net me about $50M after taxes.
~
That should be enough working capital to start Nanepashemet Boatbuilding on a full time basis with a waterside boat loft and everything.
~
Otherwise, I'm going to have to keep banging away at this Nanepashemet Telecom business.
~
Which really isn't a bad alternative.
~
But I like the $50M option better.

Peep of the Year, Lauren Rathbone said...
Love the adirondack chair!! Purchased my mega millions!!! I will take a lump sum, but remain anoyonmous (spelled that wrong) until i work out the details. so if someone wins and does not come forward it may be me.

Fallen Off Track

It was the first warm day of the year.
~
A great day for dump runs. The warm weather makes you take a walk around the property. With the fire on New Year's Day and the resulting renovation, there is a tremendous amount of trash all over the place, and we succeeded in getting a good bit of it to the Marblehead Transfer Station this morning.
~
My plan was to make a serious dent in Mike's coffee table project, and to transition into the Workbench project. After the first dump run, I made it over to Moynihan Lumber in Beverly to pick up some meranti mahogany 2x4's to complete the workbench base.
~
As soon as I got back, Harvey Rowe showed up on his weekend run from the Marblehead Y and I introduced him to Tommy O'Shea.
~
When I got back to the driveway, I remembered that I had to make a second dump run since I missed the trash pickup this week. Plus I was fresh out of Dark and Stormy supplies so I stocked up at Beacon Hill liquors.
~
After the dump run, I remembered that I hadn't touched base with "My Friend Who Doesn't Want His Name Mentioned in the Blog" lately.
~
I found said "Friend" and his talented authoress wife, Nancy, on their back deck and FWDWHNMITB succeeded in breaking my will power with the first beer of the day, on or about 12 noon.
~
When I got back home, Joanne had a big priority for me to build a gate for the deck so that our Grandson, Will, could go out there without tumbling down the deck stairs. All the stock for the gate was readily available from the stuff that had been removed by the fire and basement renovation.
~
By the time that was done, Tyler Gill dropped by to see Ryan, and the call went out at about 4:00 PM to break out the Dark and Stormies. Priorities and job plans went to hell shortly after that.
~
Mike, Kate, and Superpeep Emily Engardia showed up for dinner and the beer flowed like wine.
~
So I'll regroup, and see what I can salvage tomorrow.

Sniper

This contribution from master wireless sniper, Bill Hillegas.


~
Tyler Gill said...

A Special Forces Sniper when interviewed by Katy Kouric in Afghanastan.

Kouric
"what do you feel when you shoot one of these terrorist?"

Marine Corp Sniper
"a slight recoil....."

Excellent Contribution Tyler!!!!
~
Despite our loathing of the bias and closemindedness of the self righteous Katy.... we need to highlight the wisdom of Couric more often!

POTW - Week 16

I've already worked about 50 hrs. this week. And we still have Friday to go.
~
But it's starting to get me a little tired.
~
I know what you must be thinking.... that a Mountain of a Man like me would even be a little fatigued after only 50 hours of work.
~
It's true. I'm freaking tired. Just like the rest of you... I can get a little run down. I'm clearly not superior to you in all respects... only the majority of them.
~
Announcing...
Nanepashemet Peeps of the Week for the 16th Week of 2009

Harvey Rowe
TimmyBassett
Tyler Gill
Rob Wise
Ethan Nestor
Patrick Piscatelli

Maybe I'll knock off a little early tomorrow.

Dory Return

Thinking about the Gunning Dory. We're getting closer to putting this project on the front burner.

Mahogany Base

Spent a long time this weekend getting the hang of the Grizzly Tenon Tablesaw Jig and the Jet Mortising machine.
~
With the help of my radial arm saw and band saw, I fabricated these legs and bases out of mahogany for Mike's coffee table.
~
The base is coming out so good that the fir slab top is starting to look a bit unsuitable.
~
I'm going to finish it anyway, and if Mike doesn't like it, I'll make a different top to fit the base.


Bob Villa said...
It looks like Samson should be chained between those two pillars. Let my people go, Pharoah!

Character Test

The test of character is made when things are not going well.... when the unexpected happens.... when unpleasant and hurtful events predominate.
~
Anybody can express their loyalty and love when all is smooth sailing. But when the weather gets ugly, and the ship starts to toss and turn and take on water.... that is when those with the real strength of character shine through.
~
Those who pass the test show a selfless sense of compassion and support, that intensifies as the going gets tougher. They resolve to find ways to remedy the situation.
~
Those who fail concentrate on the unfortunate events solely by their fear of the effects on them. They search for blame and wallow in self pity.
~
You can almost predict who will pass the test, and who will fail. Even though you hope for the best, sometimes the facts that have always been obvious prove to be right.
~
Too bad.
~
I've been watching a number of people taking the test of character lately. Most are down right inspiring.


Okay J. Made it Monday in just under 3 hours. Now I'll be retiring from Marathon running for a few years now. That is unless you are ready to race some time in the near future.
-McMahon

An excellent marathon time by our 2006 Peep of the Year, Tommy McMahon.
Way to go Tom.

A Tad Resentful

I paid my taxes last week. An obscene amount of cash money because I didn't have withholding for the entire year of 2008.
~
The whole withholding process dulls you to the immense amount of taxes that we pay. It is only when you have to pay out a lump sum when you realize the bite that the government takes out of you.
~
Imagine that your gross pay is what you actually have to spend. You would be far better off, wouldn't you?
~
It didn't bother me as much in the old days, when the Russians were pointing missiles at us. I figured as long as I didn't have to speak Russian, the taxes were worth it. But as I get older, and more savvy in business, and see the incredibly wasteful processes and spending in the public sector, I tend to get a tad resentful.

POTW Week 15

Today was a great driveway day. Made the measured tenon cuts for Mike's coffee table with my new Grizzly Tablesaw Tenon jig. It's not the best piece of equipment that I've ever bought, but I eventually figured it out and got the job done.
~
Mike's coffee table top was refinished and I like the bottom side a little better. All in all, I'm dissapointed in the fir slab and actually considered another top. But it should fit well in Mike's new condo in South Boston, which is in a renovated foundry building with exposed brick walls and high concrete ceilings.
~
The fir slab has the mass to fit the surroundings.
~
I'm using the same base design for both Mike's coffee table and my Workbench.... mortised and tenoned, glued up 4x4 mahogany legs and 2x4 mahogany stretchers.
~
Announcing....
Nanepashemet Peeps of the Week for the 15th week of 2009

Martha Stewart
Patrick Piscatelli
Courtney Jellison Nestor
Perry Dinatale
Tommy O'Shea
Danny Ainge

Tomorrow, I use the new Jet mortising machine to cut the mortises.

Apology

Sorry Peeps.
~
I know that the last post was a bit harsh, a bit terse, a bit grouchy.
~
Even a Mountain of a Man like me can let his guard down once in awhile.
~
But if you don't forgive me, I really don't give a shit.
~
So..... Maybe it's too early to apologize.

Big Freaking Deal

Peeps.
~
So you noticed that I haven't posted for almost the whole week.
~
Big Freaking Deal.
~
What do you want.... a medal or something????
~
I was damn busy with my own shit. And I couldn't care less how much you bitch and howl.
~
I'm not even going to choose the POTW until tomorrow.
~
How do you like them apples????

Coffee Table Redo

After two coats of West System Special Coating Clear Epoxy on Mike's coffee table, I've come to a conclusion. It is not acceptable.
~
The sanding job is just too sub par. So I'm going to refinish the bottom of the tabletop and get the sanding done right.
~
The problem is a penetrating stain and swirl marks that have shown up through the finish.
~
I'm sure that the vast number of you unsophisticated Peeps would find no problem in it, and would give your usual annoying "oohs" and "ahs". But my standing as a Mountain of a Man cannot compromise on this.
~
It must be redone.

Tuna Lips said...

Looks like my shorts after a few days on the road and a tad too much fiber, what with that big racin' stripe down the middle.

Happy Easter

Easter is a nice holiday. You don't get any days off, and it doesn't get controversial in church and state debates, so the PC police have yet to infiltrate it. There are no big expectations for rituals, so the family pressures are generally low.
~
Maybe it's because the day fluctuates - never falls on the same day.
~
Anyway, some of my best memories revolve around the Easter Egg hunts that Joanne used to stage for the kids.... and just the family getting together and horsing around.
~
Now it's even better with the grandkids in the picture.
~
I'm sure that my grandkids probably aren't the cutest in the world, but they are until you can beat this.

Masters in Augusta

I'm totally into the Masters this year... and I haven't a clue why. Those of you who know better understand just how bad I am at golf. I make Charles Barkley's swing seem sweet.
~
But the Masters definitely caught my attention.
~
My friend Bill Hillegas is a buddy with Jim Furyk and he is in the race after the first day. I like Furyk, and also like Mike Wier, and Phil Mikelson, because they are lefties.
~
My favorite is a little known African Filipino American named Tiger Woods. Keep your eye on him... he's a comer.

POTW Week 14

Since I've been fairly out straight with Nanepashemet Telecom this week, it was nice for Tuna Lips to make an appearance. He is one funny sonofabitch, and really takes the pressure off of me from having to come up with pithy remarks on a consistent basis.
~
And I haven't been feeling too pithy lately anyway.
~
Today would have been a great day to put in some time on the Workbench and Mike's Coffee Table, but I had to spend the whole freaking day trying to make money. How Lame is That!!!! It's about time that somebody offered me one of those paid sabbaticals that the college professors get, so that they can allow their creative juices to rejuvenate.
~
Need to get one of those gigs.
~
Announcing....
~
Nanepashemet Peeps of the Week for the 14th week of 2009.

Dale Johnson
Dustin Padroia
Sarah Crawford
Jessica Rincon
Terrence Swhwab
Kevin Calnan
~
Don't worry.... If I had a sabbatical, I'd still keep posting to this pathetic blog.

Paypoint Pain Killer

Made the drive to Old Lyme, New London and Groton, Connecticut this morning with a modicum of success. But a 2 3/4 hr. one way drive always takes it out of you.
~
Anything over two hours in a car is physically taxing, but it helps if you make a paypoint. This trip brought Nanepashemet Telecom closer to two of them that should be realized by the end of the week.
~
That definitely dulls the pain.

Tuna Lips said...

You might consider stopping in at them injun gamblin' parlors along the seaboard there. Dens of iniquity they is, pour a mean glass of free fire water. Them redskin's slaked they thirst on Pappy's 'shine til we could rob 'em of what they had in their satchels! I got me an on-again-off-again gal down there, I calls her Lil' Spread Eagle to protect the innocent. She gets a little ornery about my breathin' on her, but otherwise, I'd recommneds her to the Spirit in the Sky - that's injun parlance for the Almighty, 'cept they heathens. Cheap enuff too, at a sawbuck per table dance.

Coffee Table Surge

Didn't accomplish as much as I would have liked on the workbench today in a sunny afternoon in the driveway.
~
Figuring out how the tail vise was going to work turned out to be problematic.
~
But Mike's coffee table is another matter.
~
I never thought that I would get it all sanded with a sealer coat of clear epoxy applied so soon.
~
Maybe it will even get done in time for his move in date.

The pictures detail the glued up panels prior to sanding, the completed sanding and the first coat of epoxy.
~
The base will be constructed of 2 in. thick, glued up meranti mahogany stock.
~
One more coat of epoxy to the top and then about 4 coats of sprayed marine varnish over the entire table to follow.
~
Double click on the pictures to zoom in.

Forging On

When the sun made an appearance this Saturday morning, I decided to take advantage and move forward with the workbench and coffee table projects. Gluing panels always takes a lot of room and I had to move the operation into the driveway. But I got both the tops for my workbench and Mike's coffee table glued and ready for sanding and finishing.
~
I know that a I owe you pictures.
~
I also set up the Jet mortising machine, the Grizzly tenon tablesaw jig and the Leigh dovetail jig upgrade.
~
So it was a very productive day in the garage and driveway.
~
Tomorrow, if the weather is right, I'm going to trim out the dovetailed aprons of the workbench and see if I can install the tail vise.
~
Then we will concentrate on the bases for both the Coffee table and the Workbench.

Check Please

We had a nice dinner last night with Will and Lynda Murray at the Boston Yacht Club.
~
I just bought an industrial condo from Will in Peabody to use for Nanepashemet Telecom, and it was Joanne's birthday, so he picked up the check.
~
A class move.
~
Generally, I like to pick up the check. Not because I am overly generous, but because I always get embarrassed splitting the check for some reason. Don't know why. So usually I reach for the check to avoid what is, to me, an awkward situation.
~
But it's nice when someone beats me to it.

Testing the Water

Jim Cramer says it's time to get back into the stock market.
~
It does seem like the market has hit bottom and is starting to turn back up. The telecom stocks seem to be fairly undervalued.
~
The trouble is that every time I've entered the market, I have lost money.... not a ton, but enough to feel like a dufus.
~
Maybe I'll just stick my big toe in.

Peep of the Week - 13

I had the opportunity to select the Peeps yesterday.
~
Thursday is the official selection day. But I didn't feel like it. And you can't make quality and responsible decisions if your head isn't into it. After all... the POTW selections are just too important to handle on a casual basis.
~
But this morning is another story.
~
I got up feeling ready to challenge the day, and my first task will be to Purposefully Perpetuate this Pathetic Peep Process. ("P" is one of my favorite letters.)
~
ANNOUNCING....
Nanepashemet Peeps of the Week for the 13th week of 2009

Ryan Nestor
Mike Rockett
Kathy Peabody
Lauren Crawford
Peter Krupp
Jeremy Johnson

Next week, I'll try to get this done on Thursday, but I'm not promising anything.

Bad Addiction

Everybody copes somehow.
~
My coping mechanism is to buy tools on Amazon late at night.
~
And ... Oh Baby!..... Have I been Coping lately!!!!
~
This week's stress has been Amazon's gain.
~
Did I need a Specialized Power Mortising machine??? Nope.
~
Did I get one?
~
Yep.
~
Did I need a Tenon Jig for my tablesaw???? Nope.
~
Did I get one?
~
Yep.
~
Did I need an upgrade kit for my Leigh Dovetail Jig???? Nope.
~
Did I get one?
~
Yep.
~
Believe me... this list can continue to the point where you can ascertain that I have a real problem. Lucky for me that Joanne doesn't read this Blog too often, because the cost of this stuff is really starting to add up.

Pier Four

After a lovely afternoon at the Joe Moakley house, we went over to the venerable Anthony's Pier Four restaurant, which is still serving one hell of a slice of prime rib with a popover after all of these years.
~
It was Joanne's birthday, and the dinner was spur of the moment, but we couldn't have planned a better venue.
~
Maybe we'll grab another meal there around August or so.