Unfortunate Email

And to the DipShit who decided to send me an email and call me racist... let me just tell you....
~
I grew up with Black kids, went to school with Black kids from the 1st grade on. Roomed with a Black kid in college, took race relations training as a dorm counselor, my kid's Godfather is a Black man, was co-captain of my high school track team with a Black man. In many situations, was the only white guy in a host of social situations. Had close relationships with Black people, but also had a Black man physically hold a knife to my throat. And the list can go on.
~
But I'm not some freaking phony who will jump to a lock step liberal position because the parties are Black.
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You don't know shit about me. But I know that you are a low life, close minded asshole.
~
I have no problem calling Gates a racist. Because those are the overwhelming facts. And I have no problem busting your balls as well. Asshole.

Pisc said...

The media started telling this story in Cambridge as a white cop having an encounter with a black man, and filled in the blanks that the white cop is a racist, simply because he had an encounter with a black individual. That is racist. It is time to call it out. “All white cops are racists” is a racist statement, and the conclusion that the media, in not talking about any facts other than the race of the cop and the man breaking into a residence that happened to be his own, was reporting by omission. People who reject racism must not accept that thinking and should call it out as wrong. It was poised to obscure the character and personhood of the Cambridge cop, making him an “it”, and not a person with dignity, and intellect, and pride. And when the facts came out, sure we have an unfortunate incident, but a completely understandable one, without any racial implications. Unless you want to put them in there. Which you can. But the world is going to call out people who do so, call them out as racist.

Pax Vobiscum.

News Brief

This excerpt for WBZ news is particularly insightful. What is incredible about this Gates incident is that Gates keeps coming up as a racist prima donna, and that President Obama killed his opportunity to focus the nation on the health issue by saying that the "Cambridge Police acted stupidly."
~
Forget about Gates. This gives us way more insight into Obama.

~

Jul 23, 2009 3:37 pm US/Eastern

Gates Arresting Officer: Obama 'Way Off Base'

BOSTON (WBZ) ―

Cambridge Police Sgt. James Crowley speaks to WBZ Radio July 23, 2009.

Henry Louis Gates Jr. is arrested outside of his Cambridge home.

Henry Louis Gates Jr. mug shot from Cambridge Police.

Close

The white police sergeant who arrested black Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. said Thursday President Barack Obama was "way off base" claiming Cambridge officers acted "stupidly" during the incident.

Read: White House Clarifies Obama's Remark

Sgt. James Crowley, who is a police academy expert on racial profiling, responded to Gates' home near Harvard University last week to investigate a report of a burglary and demanded Gates show him identification. Police say Gates at first refused and accused the officer of racism.

Gates was charged with disorderly conduct. The charge was dropped Tuesday, and Gates has since demanded an apology from Crowley.

'THERE WAS A LOT OF YELLING'

"I acted appropriately," Crowley told WBZ Radio's Carl Stevens Thursday.

Watch: The Crowley Interview

"Mister Gates was given plenty of opportunities to stop what he was doing. He didn't. He acted very irrational he controlled the outcome of that event."

"There was a lot of yelling, there was references to my mother, something you wouldn't expect from anybody that should be grateful that you were there investigating a report of a crime in progress, let alone a Harvard University professor."

According to the police report, Crowley asked Gates to talk outside, to which he responded "Yeah, I'll speak with your mama outside."

OBAMA ON THE ARREST

Obama was asked about the arrest of Gates, who is his friend, at the end of a nationally televised news conference on health care Wednesday night.

"I think it's fair to say, number one, any of us would be pretty angry," Obama said. "Number two, that the Cambridge police acted stupidly in arresting somebody when there was already proof that they were in their own home. And number three -- what I think we know separate and apart from this incident -- is that there is a long history in this country of African-Americans and Latinos being stopped by law enforcement disproportionately, and that's just a fact."

Watch: President Obama's full comments

PRESIDENT 'WAY OFF BASE'

Crowley maintained he had done nothing wrong in arresting Gates.

"I support the president of the United States 110-percent," he told WBZ Radio.

"I think he's way off base wading into a local issue without knowing all the facts, as he himself stated before he made that comment. I don't know what to say about that. I guess a friend of mine would support my position, too."

Crowley has taught a class on racial profiling for five years at Lowell Police Academy. In the class, he teaches officers about different situations and how officers should handle them.

GATES: 'NOT ABOUT ME'

Gates has said he was "outraged" by the arrest.

He said the white officer walked into his home without his permission and only arrested him as the professor followed him to the porch, repeatedly demanding the sergeant's name and badge number because he was unhappy over his treatment.

"This isn't about me; this is about the vulnerability of black men in America," Gates said.

He said the incident made him realize how vulnerable poor people and minorities are "to capricious forces like a rogue policeman, and this man clearly was a rogue policeman."

RACISM CLAIMS 'UNFORTUNATE'

So what does Crowley think about Gates' claim that he's a racist?

"It almost doesn't even warrant a comment it's so ridiculous. My friends, my family, my colleagues, those people (whose) opinions mean the most to me, they know who I am. They know what I am and what I am not."

"It's an unfortunate thing that the professor or other people have even mentioned that."

'APOLOGY WON'T COME FROM ME'

Crowley, 42, said he won't apologize. And his union has expressed "full and unqualified" support for him.

"The apology wont come from me. I've done nothing wrong," he told WBZ.

REGGIE LEWIS CONNECTION

Fellow officers, black and white, say he is well-liked and respected on the force. Crowley was a campus police officer at Brandeis University in July 1993 when he administered CPR trying to save the life of former Boston Celtics player Reggie Lewis.

Lewis, who was black, collapsed and died during an off-season workout.

SUPPORT FOR BOTH SIDES

Gates' supporters maintain his arrest was a case of racial profiling.

Supporters of the Cambridge police were stunned the incident came up at the White House news conference.

"We were shocked to hear the president weigh in on this during a prime time news conference. They are a model police department; true professionals. It's a shame that they are being nationally targeted like this," Harold MacGilvray of the Massachusetts Municipal Police Coalition said in a statement.

Crowley said he wouldn't do anything different if he had the chance to do things over.

"If a similar call came in tomorrow, I wouldn't shy away from responding and I would do what I have to do."

Racist Cambridge

What does Judge Sotomayor think?

Gatesgate

I know that I said that the Gates arrest in Cambridge was not really newsworthy.
~
But last night, President Obama decided to sound in about the incident during his press conference. Course neither he, I, nor anyone except Professor Henry Gates and Cambridge Police Sergeant Joe Crowley has the real facts.... except maybe the guy who lives across the street who said to NewsCenter5 that Gates was agitated but that the police were under control. Guy is probably a racist.

~

Barach opined that the "Cambridge Police acted stupidly". That could have been a stupid comment as well.
~

So if President Obama can make stupid comments, certainly I can do the same.
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Seems to me that the issue indeed is racism.... whether or not a prominent Black Harvard professor can pull the race card and claim that he can say anything he wants to a white Police officer when he is called to do his job.
~
After all, didn't they know who he was??? And that he was a friend of President Obama??? How dare they question him about a breaking and entering call that was made to the Police? If he was a white guy, wouldn't the police have ignored the breaking and entering call and driven right by???
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Would Gates have gotten so irate if the first responding officer wasn't the white Sgt. Crowley, but one of the many black officers on the Cambridge Police force?
~
Gates is right to say that racism plays a part here. But who is the racist?
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And don't be telling me that the People's Republic of Cambridge harbors a racist police force. Sell that Bullshit someplace else.
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Now Gates wants Crowley to "beg" his forgiveness.

~

This professor has made a career in the study of racist America over at Harvard. Certainly he is sensitive to his outlook as a Black man in an oppressive society. But it seems as if he might have overreacted in this case.
~

Benchdogs

Yesterday, when I was waiting for plan sets to be printed for the Mystic Country Connecticut permit run, I went over to Woodcraft in Woburn to kill a half hour.
~
Forty five minutes later, I was walking out with two sets of brass benchdogs by Veritas. What the hell.... the workbench is coming along nicely and those benchdogs will really add a nice touch. I know that I owe you some pictures, and if I don't have to go out to Block Island this Friday, the bench should see some real progress.
~
After that, the concentration will return to Kate's Adirondack chair, plus I have a couple of secret projects in mind that I can't tell you about right now.

Wishful Thinking

I'll be making the trek down to New London, Connecticut again today, with three permits to file at three different jurisdictions.
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It would be great to get this done before noon.
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Then I would have the dilemma of deadheading back to Marblehead, or getting on the Point Judith Ferry to check on the progress at Block Island.
~
That's wishful thinking.
~
Somehow, I'll probably be fighting stop and go traffic in both Providence and Boston during rush hour.

Misplaced Priority

It's a pretty slow news day around here.
~
The breaking story is about a Harvard professor, Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Director of the W. E. B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research, who lipped off to the Cambridge Police about racial profiling and now is charged with disorderly conduct. Now the issue is whether the Police will drop the charges.
~
Like I said... pretty slow.
~
I even when to the "Harvey's Thoughts" blog to see if I could get some inspiration. My friend, Harvey Rowe, had something going on about gangs in Lynn exchanging gunfire, and the police response to it.
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Not for Nothing, but... that seems to be a bit more newsworthy than some high minded Harvard prima donna who thinks he can play the race card rather that cooperate with a police officer doing his job.
~
I guess the Boston news media is more concerned over a full-of-himself, insulted Harvard professor, than the brave actions of Lynn and Nahant Police dodging gang bullets.

Full Moon

Forty years ago today, we landed a man on the moon in a spacecraft that had the computing power of an iPhone.
~
There's been lots of debate over whether the expense and effort was worth it. There are even those who deny that it ever happened.
~
I find these wacko's who say the Holocaust didn't happen, or that the Moon Landing was a hoax to be at the Pinnacle of Pompous Paranoia.
~
Probably.
~
For the record, if you wanted to rate the wasted expense of space exploration compared to the other stuff that the government spends our money on, I'd have to give the moon landing a big thumbs up. At least it's something that inspires some awe and pride. It's a lot cooler than the Big Dig.
~
As a practical matter, the Moon is the only realistic place that we can frequent in space unless we perfect time travel. Everything else is just too damn far away. So there is no harm in checking it out.... every forty years or so.

Down Day

I truly thought that I had bounced back from the intensive travel schedule last week, but my ass is really dragging this monday morning. I feel like I'm just going through the motions at Nanepashemet Telecom... which is not good.

~

Because we've got a ton of stuff going, and I have to snap out of it.

~

I suppose one down day is acceptable.... even if you are a mountain of a man like me.

Tuna Lips said...

Nuttin' like a good beer buzz on a Monday mornin' to remind yerself that no one's the boss of yerself.

Bounce Back

OK Peeps.
~
I know you were worried about my exhausted condition, but a mountain of a man like me bounces back fast. Slept in until 8:00 this morning and I am ready for another go at it.
~
So we'll be springing into action today to check the lobster traps, revarnish the deck railing and make a dent in the workbench project. Maybe get some seed for the bare patches in the lawn.... and plant some daisies or something.
~
Plus the grandkids are over.
~
There's plenty of time for rest when you are six feet under.... which reminds me to get my prescriptions refilled.

POTW Week 28

The Road Trips this week to Maine, Connecticut and Rhode Island have taken their toll. I am a bit overtired and cranky, but still up to making the crucial Peep choices for this pathetic blog.

ANNOUNCING....
Nanepashemet Peeps of the Week for the 28th week of 2009

Linda O'Shea
Jay Turner
Will Crawford
George Clooney
Nathaniel Clarke
Lindsey Kepnes

Don't be calling me and asking me to do shit this weekend because the answer is a slightly rude "No". I won't be taking any action until the batteries are completely recharged.

Push to Conclusion

Back to Block Island tomorrow.
~
Ryan and Alex have been making progress on the ground with the civil work, and the aerial work on the tower is finished. We'll be testing the antennas and cables for radio frequency integrity tomorrow. By the end of the day, I am hoping that this chapter is closed and we are ready to concentrate on the mainland.
~
I can guarantee you that I will not be going close to my truck this weekend. With an average of over 300 miles per day since Tues in the F150, and the Block Island trip tomorrow, I'll be more than happy to stay off of the road.
~
But the weekend won't start until 8:00PM tomorrow night.
~
I'm already looking forward to building the base for the workbench, and pulling the lobster pots.

Physical Work

Out by 5:00 AM this morning to see what Ryan and Alex had going at the Block Island site. They have a busy couple of days ahead, but should be in good shape by Friday. I was home by 8:30 tonight, and snapped at Joanne a little bit. Hey.... I was freaking tired and cranky. Deal with it.
~
I hope to get back down to the Island on Friday to see if we are at the punch list stage.
~
But before that, I have to check out sites at Cambridge, Burlington, and will need to file for permits in Groton, CT. I should easily log over 1,000 driving miles this week in the F150. Suppose that it is ultimately worth it monetarily, but I freely admit that this type of travel really wipes me out physically.
~
Maybe there are easier ways to make money... so clue me in if you have the answer.

National Public Radio Contribution

On the drive back from Maine, I let my radio scan to PBS Radio and actually kept it on the station for an hour or two.
~
Linda Wertheimer, Nina Totenberg, Terry Gross... these people are such gag reflexes. Just the way they talk is so self centered and phoney, but then if you actually listen to what they say.... it's just amazing how they skirt the facts to fit their leftist agendas.
~
This afternoon, they were discussing Presidential "Signing Statements" which is a situation whereby the President may sign a bill into law, but will give examples where the Executive Branch may not agree or honor the legislation in certain circumstances.
~
One of these "Fresh Air" Moonbats said that the evil George Bush was the only President to issue such "Signing Statements". And she repeated this several times.
~
When it was established that this practice has been in use since the James Madison administration, and that Barach Obama has already issued several, and that Wild Bill Clinton issued far more than the evil George Bush.... in other words, when she was completely and totally discredited.... she stated that Bush's statements were "more onerous".
~
I'm not making this up.... unlike this National Public Radio Dipshit. Even I couldn't lie that bad.
~
I have to thank these pseudo-intellectuals for getting my ire up in what could have been a dangerously drowsy ride.
~
So maybe if I make the planned trek down to Block Island tomorrow, I'll tune into some "Fresh Air" with Terry Gross. A suitable host's name for this very gross and tainted radio show. At least it will keep me alert.

Tuna Lips said...

Give me a bag of pork rinds, a pickled egg and a warm six pack of Red White and Blue beer, I'll give them commies some fresh air. Put them to mind of a warm nucular breeze, have 'em crying "oh, the humanities!"

Coastal Maine Roadtrip

Got up at 2:30 AM this morning to drive to Swan's Island, Maine - 282 miles away including a 9 mile ferry ride - to attend a bid walk and take care of some site acq work. I'm a little tired, but nothing that a couple of cans of Red Bull can't cure.
~
The physical beauty of this place is stunning.... particularly if you like seascapes.
~
If I can get back in the 1:30PM ferry, then I'll be in Marblehead by 7:00 PM tonight. Trouble is that I've only got a reservation for the 4:00 PM ferry. That would push the Marblehead ETA out to 11:00 PM or so.
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Which could be fatiguing.
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Even for a Mountain of a Man like me.

RIP Pat

Pat McManus -Rest in Peace.
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God took you too soon, but a lot later than you thought he was going to. That's our secret.
~
Lynn's former Mayor, Pat McManus died suddenly on Friday.
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I saw him walking door to door on Lynnfield Street in Lynn, last Thurs. and wanted to stop and talk, but I had a delivery in Burlington that I was rushing to attend to. Now I really wish I made the time.
~
Pat was a classmate of mine and teammate on the track team at Lynn English. I watched his political career unfold and was happy for his success... and now particularly sorrowful at his untimely death.

Adirondack Chairs and Lobster

Contrary to your negative Peep thought processes, I did accomplish quite a bit this weekend, most of which I can't talk about until the summer is over, but I can tell you that the patterns for Katelyn's Adirondack chair were all traced from the plans and cut out in luan plywood.
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I also cleaned and organized the garage somewhat, and the workbench may be getting some life soon.
~
Tommy O and I rebaited all of the lobster traps and caught 16 shorties in the process, which we lawfully returned to the sea. By Wed of this week, when I get back from Swan's Island, ME, we will pull the traps with the hope of getting six keepers or so. Then on Sat. the same thing, which will insure a great clambake next weekend. Stay tuned.
~
If you think that there is a lot that I'm not telling you, you are dead on. But discretion is the greater part of valor.
~
When the time is right, I will tell you how we dealt with all the bullshit, but now is not the time. For way too long, we have been waiting for the pendulum to swing back. Soon, it will begin it's karmic drift, drastically challenging those who felt that they were secure in their self serving precarious perches.

Bonus Plan

A sunny Saturday morning. Mega bonus. Time for a plan.
~
Tommy O and I baited the lobster traps yesterday afternoon, and the boat is a mess. Plus there is some unprocessed bait that I have to take care of. High tide is around 3:00 PM. So I'm thinking of going out around noon, bringing the boat into Village Landing for a hose down, then heading out to Bluefish Alley behind Baker's Island for a troll or two.
~
That will get me back to the dock by 3:00 PM.... Time for a nap before we rev up the evening with Harvey and Lisa Rowe. We'll probably do a harbor tour with them.
~
So that leaves between now and 12:00 noon to start Kate's Adirondack Chair in the garage. I'll cut the patterns out of luan plywood and use these for final pattern routing of the chair parts.

Pisc said...

When was the first beer cracked/dark & stormy mixed? Peach of a day it was.

Patrick -
Many a beer and Dark and Stormy was encountered. Statistics are hazy.
- J.

POTW Week 27

Watching the politically correct lefty assholes on Good Morning America playing a video of President Barach Obama checking out a young French woman's ass. They played it three times to emphasize that he was really watching his step.

~

For God's sake!!!

~

The girl had a killer ass.

~

If I was President, I'd still look at asses. It's only human.

~

So don't say he was looking down to watch his step.... you manipulative thought police assholes. Which brings me to the task at hand.

~

ANNOUNCING....

Nanepashemet Peeps of the Week for the 27th Week of 2009

~

Diane Sawyer

Julie Johnson

Paul Parocchi

Grady Butler

Denise Kearns

Lou Panakio

~

Now I have to get through one more day before we rock this weekend.

You Go Sarah

To the pathetic Peep who emailed me asking if my fondness for Sarah Palin has waned since she has resigned the Governorship of Alaska, I have this response.
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What are you freaking Crazy????
~
She's still sizzling hot isn't she????
~
Plus I love the way that she brought that sanctimonious "funnyman", David Letterman to his knees.
~
Whatever her reasons for resigning were, this much is true. She was brilliant in her timing.
~
All those lefty media types who are so threatened by her were too busy fawning over the untimely death of Michael Jackson. Even though she could never slip under the radar, nobody had the chance to tee off on her like they would on a slow news week.
~
We haven't seen the last of Sarah Palin. And that is all right by me.

Paul on the road to Damascus said...

Now its all about Barry, no more smug mocking - you wont have Palin to kick around anymore. The whole "economy we inherited" bit is starting to lose some resonance. Joe Plugs has been like a broken record with that.

And Medvedev and Barry seem really tight, but when the Russian version of Darth Vader appears (Putin) Barry decides its wise to lecture the real leader of Russia that his ideas are in the past. And that "stern" proclomation about the fledgling democracy in Georgia, that has the Georgians feeling real positive about the stand they took for popular governance at the beginning of this century. Wow, the moral authority, Russians historically respond well to that. Where have you gone, Dick Cheney? What do the Iranians think of the democracy (admittedly fledgling) that you established in Iraq, in light of their "democratically" elected officials murdering them in the streets. The Mullahs are to Achmadinijad as Putin is to Medvedev. Playing nice with the folks who can't make deals, why, that reminds me of the sales folk that would golf with the lowest level lackey in a customer's orgnaization, and claim progress. Its playing business.

For the moonbat reader, note that the G-8 countries told him to go shove his global warming talk - Gore can get a medal, but the Europeans, who invented racism and excess, ain't havin' it.

It will take time to have all this nonsense discredited, but it will happen. Thanks to Governor Palin for falling on the sword, and stepping away from a rigged game.

Your home mortgage is a good hedge against inflation. The dollars you pay down with will not be worth the dollars you borrowed in real terms - the banks get Josed.

Spam

Don't know about you, but I get a ton of junk E-mail.
~
Mostly about things like weight loss, acai berries, phoney college degrees, Rolex watches, and the ubiquitious "pills to make your pee-pee get bigger".
~
Just so you Spammers know, I don't need any of this shit.... especially the weeny peenie crap.

Not Lip Service

My friend, Harvey Rowe, is a doer not a talker.
~
Although he can still talk a good game.
~
But he doesn't just say that "My Brother's Table" soup kitchen in Lynn is a worthy cause.
~
He actively recruits his friends and family to lend a hand.
~
Not a bad looking dishwashing crew!

Tuna Lips said...
I eats at the shelter anytime I gets to not having no food around the hacienda. I reckon it would be Tuna Lips service, then, sho nuff! Hoo ha, reglar Bob Hope I is!

Harvey Rowe said...
Thanks John/jay but the heroes are the ones in the picture like Ryan who gave his all and helped get 200 or so people feed and made their day a little better.......


Er.....
Harvey....
I didn't exactly refer to you as a "Hero", just as a freaking "Doer". I think you've read a little too much in.

Off Line

Peeps -
~
My Internet connection was down last night.
~
I felt so naked.

Happy 4th

Happy 4th of July.
~
We finally had a sunny dry day up here in the Boston Area. Went over to Will Crawford's house in Old Town, where his brother Chris was smoking five huge racks of ribs.
~
Many cool Peeps dropped by, including the very beautiful granddaughter of "My Friend Who Doesn't Want His Name Metioned in the Blog", Caroline Bruett.
~
Kevin Rockett gave us his insight of some of the intrigue at the Gerry Club, and I took a close look at Peter Crawford's motor scooter.
~
Pictures to follow.

Nanepashemet Job Opportunities

For all of you who have sent resumes to Nanaepashemet Telecom....
Be careful what you ask for.
~

~
Not every day is as good as this one.
~

Celebrating with Johnson

It's technically a work day at Nanepashemet Telecom. So we'll have our conference call, do some accounting, make a bank deposit, and tend to a few details. No big road trips today. Time to rachet this business machine back and shift into idle.
~
Plus, the Johnson's 4th of July Cookout is this evening and we want to harvest some lobsters, boil them, shuck them and bring the meat over for Lobster rolls. I suppose that we have to bring mayonaise, celery, and the imperative Nissan Hot Dog Rolls. A huge bonus is that Amanda and Jeremy have flown in from California and Minnesota... this is big time special.
~
So all in all, we will be pulling the traps and dispatching about twenty lobsters for this Dale and Gail Extravanganza. The Johnson's are the real deal. You find out who really counts during times like these.
~
Most of you really count too and have shown your friendship and support. Our family will never forget you.
~
Have a great 4th of July. You deserve it.

Tuna Lips said...
I am celebratory with my johnson every ding dong day. Why, you throw in a run away and a strung out street walker, its a regular marty graw. Me a my johnson is tight like that. No less than whitnee huston said learning to loves yerself is the greatest love. I likes that. Words to live by.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sorry.
~
I guess this Post Title was a High Soft One for our friend Tuna Lips. He took the bait quick and hard.

Dirt Under the Fingernails.

Those of you who know me as a top executive with rapier sharp business skills will be shocked to learn that I spent the day in Rockland, Maine helping Alex and Ryan set a communications shelter and pour a concrete stoop with 25 8lb sacks of 5000 psi Sacrete.
~
Is this a misuse of talent???
~
I don't care what you think.
~
A little sweat, dirt and grime doesn't hurt... as long as I don't have to do it everyday like those guys.

Karmic Justice

Thanks for all of the great emails today.
~
Just remember that people with axes to grind and negative motives tend to self destruct. Their transparency becomes obvious despite the rhetoric.
~
Don't worry. Justice ultimately prevails. The law of Karma dictates that.

Tuna Lips said...

TL alway prevails in de end, too. I often tell that no good hoochie Miss Pudding such. Restrainin' order or no restrainin' order.

Republican Reality

Does this women look crazy to you??
~
Trust me, she's not.
~
That's a special peep, Lisa Rowe, who still doesn't know that Barach Obama was elected President of the United States.
~
Don't break the news on her quickly. It will be like waking someone who's sleepwalking.
~
Wait till she finds out that Al Franken is a Senator from Minnesota.

Bitchy Trophy Wife said...

Ms. Rowe is a smart woman. Mitt 2010!

Tuna Lips said...

Looks like this philly needs some pacificatin'. Them big hoops danglin' from her ears says to me she has seen her share of sinnin'. I likes that.

Duffy Lewis

This is about Duffy Lewis, Not Monica Lewinsky.
If you are looking for Monica, click Here.

Duffy Lewis was always one of my favorites.

Boston Red Sox (1910–17) New York Yankees (1919-20) Washington Senators (1921)
Career highlights and awards
World Series champion: 1912, 1915, 1916

"In 11 seasons, Lewis batted .284 with 38 home runs, 793 RBI, 612 runs, 1518 hits, 289 doubles, 68 triples, and 113 stolen bases in 1459 games.

During his tenure in Boston patrolling left field, Fenway Park featured a ten-foot-high mound that formed an incline in front of the left field wall, now better known as the Green Monster. The young outfielder mastered the incline to such an extent that it was nicknamed "Duffy's Cliff". Sports cartoons of the period often depicted him as a mountain climber making catches amid sheep and snowcaps. The mound was eventually reduced in 1934, long after Lewis had left the Sox, and was not completely eliminated until the field underwent a major renovation following the 2004 season." - Wikipedia

John Stamos

Every once in awhile, you take a swing and drive the ball right out of the park.
~
Everything that we intended to accomplish in the business meeting came out better than expected.
~
It's like the turning point in "Step Brothers" when Will Farrell asks John Riley....
~
"Did we just become Best Friends?"
~
"Yep."

Sweating the Small Stuff

The appeal of running a small business at Nanepashemet Telecom was getting my hands dirty. At General Dynamics, I was very far away from the action at all times. And you don't get too much dirt under your fingernails giving Powerpoint Presentations.
~
That's not to say that I don't do the executive sort of things at Nanepashemet. Especially when we have to pitch new business.
~
But usually, we don't have to be executives and get sweaty at construction sites on the same day.
~
Tomorrow will be different. We'll be finishing up a site in the morning, then pitching an account by lunchtime. Not sure how I will deal with the sweat issue.

Philosohical Phallout

I didn't mean to get so philosophical in that last post.
~
It just kind of slipped out.
~
I mean, I'm not a freaking guru or something.
~
I'm not forming a cult or anything.
~
So don't be pledging me your life long loyalty and asking me to father your children.
~
It was all a big misunderstanding.

Life, Liberty...

As Americans, our government was formed to provide us with the opportunity for "Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness".
~
These are rights that say that the rank and file of us can live to freely try to find happiness.
~
When you reflect on the seemingly tormented life of Michael Jackson, it becomes obvious that talent and wealth do not guarantee happiness. So many celebrities seem to live a life of pain amid their possessions. Even when you can totally control your environment, as Jackson did, happiness and contentment are elusive.
~
The answer seems obvious.
~
Pursuing happiness is not the pursuit of things, or talent, or relationships.
~
The Pursuit of Happiness is a search to find a way to see the good in all things.... to see the glass as half full.... to be comfortable in your own skin.
~
The Pursuit of Happiness is an inner journey to let your soul resonate in harmony with any surrounding that you choose to associate. James Taylor sang, "The secret of life is enjoying the passage of time." Happiness is that natural state of the universe.... with electrons harmoniously rotating around protons and neutrons whether you are Michael Jackson or a piece of granite.
~
Happiness is a choice. You can choose to see the harmony in each passing moment, or you can resist and long for a different moment or environment causing anxiety and discord.
~
If you can't see the the harmony in your current situation, then pretend that you can.... because it is there. You just are not tuned into it. I know of no person, myself included, that doesn't have some massive adversity that imperils their well being and state of mind. But each adversity carries its open or hidden benefit, despite the apparent absurdness of this assertion.
~
Don't judge the rightness or wrongness of the situation. We are eternal beings and each experience has its lessons and insights for us that benefit and enrich us for the long haul. In the context of eternity, all adversity is just a detail.
~
Nobody can give you happiness. It is your personal choice. The Pursuit of Happiness is to constantly remember to choose happiness in each moment of time.
~
You can choose to embrace this, or to ridicule and degrade it.
Again... it is all up to you. But open your eyes and test it before you fade back to black.
~
Choose happiness. Bitterness, hate and despair suck compared to it.

Photogenic

There was a stiff east wind heading into Marblehead Harbor during my row this afternoon in the Tender. Tough going against it, but when when you turned around and rowed with it, it was possible to go six knots with ease.
~
I noticed two people at different times taking a photo of me in the Tender.
~
Since people don't ordinarily take random photos of me, especially when I am currently solvent and haven't any pissed off creditors, I have to believe that the attraction is the Tender and not me.
~
But then again, you never know.... being the rough, tough, hard to bluff, damn good looking mountain of a man that I am.

Lucky Striper

Ryan and Alex are out at Stellwagen right now and sent this picture of the 42" Striped Bass that they boated.

~

Federal Law prohibits taking Stripers from the Stellwagen Sanctuary, or we would be chunking this bad boy up for the deep fryer this afternoon.

~

So this fish gets a reprieve.

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Ryan said that the football Bluefin Tuna are breaking water, but so far no strikes, and that conditions are mostly foggy.

~

But he has that co0l new Nanepashemet sweatershirt on.

~

I'll be taking the Tender out for a rowing workout around 11:30AM when the tide is half high rising.

~

Joanne says that there are thunderstorms forecasted, but I have to get a good row in. Not worried about getting wet, and if I get struck by lightning, then this pathetic Blog would come to an abrupt end. So all in all, it seems like a win-win.

Boss Man

This morning I had to struggle to get out of bed and had all intentions of calling it in.
~
It was Friday, I already had completed a ton of stuff for a very successful workweek so I was thinking of taking the day off. I'm the boss of Nanepashemet Telecom... right??? I can do whatever I freaking want.... Right????
~
So I was ready to report on the morning conference call, then kick back and start the weekend..... and then the waves starting hitting the beach.
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Wave after Wave.
~
Things didn't stop until I finally pulled the Ford F150 back up to the house at 5:10 PM.
~
So much for being the Boss.

Tuna Lips said...
You needs a broader spectrum of workin' stiffs to horse whip to do yer biddings, that's all. Many a summer day I spent sippin' corn likker and pink lemonade with a barefooted harlot fanning me whilst I spectatin' the lesser folk fufillin' my obligations to Colonel Sartoris, he of the old stars and bars, bossman of the Chickesaw county.

POTW Week 25

Ryan and I grabbed some time this afternoon and pulled eight lobster pots, yielding 9 keeper lobsters and 2 fairly large crabs.
~
We rebaited the traps and if the same production occurs, we should have about 25 of the tasty crustaceans available for the 4th of July celebration cookouts. Remind me to pick up some more butter and Old Bay Spice before then.

ANNOUNCING.....
Nanepashemet Peeps of the Week for the 25th week of 2009.

Steve Farrar
Michael Murphy
Barbara Walters
Jorge Quiroga
William Nestor
Gail Johnson

It was finally nice on the water with the sunshine breaking through

Farah and Michael

We lost the American cultural icons of Farah Fawcett and Michael Jackson today.
~
These were people, who had weaknesses and frailties, but made a definitive statement and added richness to our culture.
~
Tempus Fugit.

The "P" Words

The morning news is really into the story of the South Carolina Republican governor, Mark Sanford who went AWOL for a hot date in Argentina.
~
Sex sells.
~
Plus Sanford was a Republican Presidential Maybe, who had the audacity to criticize President Clinton when he diddled Monica Lewinsky.
~
So often, those who stray into the swamp of sexual scandal have a history of criticism of others indiscretions.
~
I personally believe that unless you are screwing with me or mine, where you point your pecker is not a part of public policy.
~
But it's probably proper for policiticians to keep their pee pee in their pants.

Pisco said...

Nice use of alliteration in making your point about public policy, pointing peckers and your peeps.

You Can Bank On It

Getting back into the banking game.
~
Mountain of a Man historians will note that I used to deal with the banks all of the time in the 80's before the savings and loan crisis brought everything to a crash. I always felt comfortable with bank talk. Business finance holds a lot less mystery to me than a cellular antenna installation. Although there's really not a heck of a lot of mystery to installing antennas.
~
Anyway, I always vowed that if I got on my feet again after the 80's collapse, I would never again leverage business through financing.
~
But here we go again.
~
Maybe this time, I won't get that "Nothing Can Go Wrong" bullshit attitude that characterized my last go around.
~
This time, I'm really sure of what can go wrong. And there's no way I'm going to go through that crap again.

Tuna Lips said...

Ise, too, am wisened for havin' kept my moneys with so called bank & "trusts", only to have the whole thing go south just acause of somethin' I said, or dun, or maybe I exposed my weddin' tackle, and then find the bank & trust feller run off with his wife's cousin, all the while usin' my cash to bankroll a stag film starring the before menshoned cousin, who I comes to find out was with child due to fornicatin' with the boys in her sophomore english class. And that movie was my idea. John Ford was a major influence in my creative uprearin,' as was John Holmes. That banker screwed me.

We discuss such matters, and the unduly influencin' of internationalized bankers on the US of A every now and agin, like minded folk, down the holler, burn us a fire now and again. Real hush hush stuff. Sorta.

Evidence.

So I'm watching that big egotistical blowhard, Terrell Owens, get his ass kicked in the "Superstars" competition on ABC tonight. His female teammate is taunting him.... asking what he gets paid a million dollars as an athlete for.
~
Further evidence that there is a God.

Weather for the Week

It's cloudy and rainy. Tried to get out and see if a few of the traps could yield enough lobsters for dinner, but even in the inner harbor the nor'east wind was whipping up whitecaps, and seas reportedly hit six feet on Stellwagen.
~
A reprieve for the lobsters.
~
Now it looks like we're in for a whole week of this. Which is probably not at bad thing for the grass seed that we put on the dirt patch called our front lawn. But it doesn't bode well for all of the grounding cadwelds that we have to accomplish for Nanepashemet Telecom.
~
This is a big week - lots of moving parts in lots of areas - both personal and business. It will be interesting to see what Blog entry goes in next Sunday night.

Tuna Lips said...
One part I hope gets movin' is my bowuls. Criminiy sakes, Ise bound up like a treed pole cat.

Bound for Bait

Despite the threat of rain, tomorrow I have to get out early and catch bait to tend to the lobster traps.
~
My plan is to take the WhaleEye straight out to Halfway rock and jig for mackerel and pollack, then head down Bluefish Alley by the ledges to see if some early Bluefish might want to give it up for the traps.
~
Tide should be high enough and I should be back by 10:30 AM or so.

POTW Week 24

More rain.
~
The wet weather kills our efforts to finish some telecom work, because you can't CADweld safely around moisture, and CADwelding to support the extensive grounding systems at wireless telecom facilities is a daily, essential task.
~
There is only so much ditch digging that we can do.

ANNOUNCING....
Nanepashemet Peeps of the Week for the 24th Week of 2009

Pat Piscatelli
Bill Hillegas
Chris D'Orio
Kelsey O'Shea
Courtney Cox
Ben Wallace

The rain delays won't kill us, but they are really annoying.

No More Snore

In the spirit of total honesty and open disclosure, I have to admit to you that I snore.
~
Really Bad.
~
Each and every time I doze off.
~
And incredibly loud... like an old moose with a head cold.
~
I know that it bugs the shit out of Joanne, but there was nothing I could do about it.... until now.
~
Being sensitive to all of Joanne's needs, I decided that it was time after 36 years to take on this snoring problem. Plus it seems to have worsened over the last 2 1/2 years or so.
~
So I extensively researched the problem, and after 10 minutes of browsing, I came across a product called "SnoreMeds". Amazon sold it for about $39 bucks.
~
This is a plastic mouthpiece that you put into boiling water and then mold it to your mouth, causing the lower jaw to jut about a bit and create an open air passage past the offending palate.
~
It's the palate which vibrates when relaxed as you are sleeping, and that is the source of the gutteral snoring noise which Joanne loathes so much, but I don't even hear.
~
Tested SnoreMeds on a catnap today for about 1/2 hour and it is the first snorefree slumber that I can remember. So now I will be even better in the bedroom.

Pisco said...

Dude:

It puts a strain on your heart as well. I would not hesitate to mention it to your doctor. You might end up wearing one of those vacuum thingamajigs that make you look like you are ready to shoot down a MIG, but it could save your life. Plus, you can act like you are shooting down MIGs.

Lauren Rathbone, reigning Peep of the Year, said...

My mom has this problem with my dad, she wears industrial ear plugs every night. So much so, that my brother orders her them from some industrial safety catalog he gets at work.

Lauren's Dad must be cool.

Bunker Hill Day

There is a little commotion in Boston today, because it is Bunker Hill Day, and only Boston has it as a holiday. All city and state offices in Boston are closed.
~
The crux of the issue is that we have economic problems and can't afford this holiday, or the other Boston only holiday - Evacuation Day.
~
If people knew the history behind these days, the hue and cry should be why the whole country doesn't have these days off. Apparently the effects of a foreign occupation and the loss of American lives to throw tyranny off of American soil aren't very important any more.
~
Naturally, our Governor, Deval Patrick, has his finger in the wind and is making statements that he and his staff will be working.
~
Bunker Hill Day has nothing to do with the present economy and everything to do with remembering who we are and what our forefathers did to create this country for us. We are losing our true identity when we are so callous with our history.
~
I think that Deval caught the wrong wind on his finger.

Tuna Bite

Ryan and Mike got up around 4:00AM this morning to test the dawn tuna bite out at Stellwagen with Alex and a couple other guys. Light rain, 56 degrees, 9 mph winds. Can't be comfortable in an open boat like the WhaleEye.
~
But if they hook into a Bluefin, it will seem like tropical skies and summer breezes.
____________________________

UPDATE
I told those guys that I didn't think they had enough gas in the WhaleEye to make a Stellwagen run. Apparently, nine miles out, they found that I was correct.
~
Pretty happy that I renewed my SeaTow membership.
~
One of these days they will find out that.... while I am not always right, I'm seldom wrong.
~
Score 1 for the Bluefin.

Out of the Box

Had some drinks after work today with Elsier, Mountain of a Man Bobby Brown, and Peter Howard, an ardent Peep. Course, we had these drinks after a liquid lunch with our major customer. So you would think that I would be a useless slosh hound.
~
Not so.
~
I paced myself accordingly, knowing that there was business at hand. As it is, at the end of the evening, I ran into two prospects that I had been targeting for some time. They were as surprized to see me as I was them, when we bumped into each other at the Indigo Bar in Newton, just off of the Mass Pike.
~
Sometimes you just have to get lucky. I had been trying to contact these two for some time now. Who would have thought that I would meet them both in the same setting!
~
The lesson here is obviously to get out and drink in bars more often. The way I left Elsier.... I know he would agree.

POTW Week 23

Found myself doing some surreal stuff this morning.

As Joe Collins often said in our formative undergraduate years at UMASS....
"Life is a Weird Boogie."

ANNOUNCING.....
Nanepashemet Peeps of the Week for the 23rd week of 2009

Lisa Panakio Rowe
Kevin Ouellette
David Cheney
Tom Raich
Stacey Butler
Tommy O'Shea

No Shit, Joe.

Tuna Lips said...

I hear ya hummin' there, Kemosabe. The other mornin', I wakes in a David Carradine Kung Fu contraption in the storage shed over yonder, havin' not the slightest clue about how I ended up with a rope around my neck, wearin' Dorothy's ruby slippers and mint julep spilled all over my sister Bitty's prom dress. Surreal.

Ornery Remark

Thanks for all the nice compliments on our 36th wedding anniversary.
~
I guess it is an accomplishment.... definitely beats the statistics.
~
Although..... Joanne gave me some lip because I characterized her as "ornery". Isn't that ironic! Her getting ornery about me calling her ornery!
~
I came so close to dumping her over that. She'll be damn lucky to make it to year 37.

Lobstermen Molt

Around 2:30 this afternoon, we took a break from the grindstone and went out to check the lobster traps.
~
We've got eight traps baited with mackerel around Salem and Marblehead Harbors. Can't tell you exactly where they are, or I'd have to kill you.
~
Of the eight traps, we pulled out six keeper lobsters and about an equal number of shorts. Plus about 5 skates, and numerous fairly large crabs which we didn't keep.
~
So not a bad haul for eight traps that were baited only three days ago.
~
By 6:00 PM the lobsters were dispatched and beginning to be digested. Two went over to Tommy O and Linda's house.

Wedded Bliss

Today is the 36th wedding anniversary for me and my first wife, Joanne.
~
So far, so good, but I still have her on probation, and if she fails to meet my high standards, I'll drop her like a lead balloon.
~
Many of you Peeps have asked me the secret to the longevity of our marriage. I wish I knew, because if I did, I'd franchise it and probably make a ton of money. She can be ornery and controlling, but I always counter it with my levelheadedness and sensitivity.
~
As it is , I've been offering out my services as a marriage counselor, but so far, no takers.

Lisa P said...

The secret to your marriage is Joanne is a saint. Saint Joanne

Tuna Lips said...

Ise doff my hat to yiz fer keepin' yer floor sweepeer in line fer such a stretch, through all these wimmins liberalizers times and such. Like them no good thievin' Mormon gypsies, I, too, keeps a brood at various locations on my circuit through the belly of this here Obammy Land. More likes a rock star, truth be told. And the more I takes on, the more friends they have that have no knowins' of the power of chloroform and cat tranquilisers. My herd grows thusly, me bein' the good sheep herder and all. I reckon you could hang with me, if I so chose.

F******. Catalina Wine Mixer

More


All three kids are slated to come back to Marblehead today.
~
Everytime they link up here, it's like the F**king Catalina Wine Mixer.
~
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.
~
Maybe a good workout will help me cope.





More

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.
~
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.
~
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.
~
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.
~
Anyway....
~
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.
~
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???
~
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.
~
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.
~
So have a nice weekend.

Peep Milestones

Lindsay Kepnes got engaged.
~
Tina Rhodes had a baby boy, and Mary Endres had a baby boy on the same day.
~
Pretty good milestones.
~
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.
~
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.
~
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.
~
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.
~
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.
~
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.
~
I also haven't put the Tender into Marblehead Harbor for any kind of rowing effort.
~
Maybe I'm getting too old.
~
Nah....
~
That can't be it.
~
After all... I'm still the same old rough, tough, hard to bluff and damn good looking guy that I always was.
~
I guess I'm just in a little funk. It will pass... I'll get over it.