Liberal Feline Bureaucrats

We've had cats all of our married adult life.... from Mingo who we got from a farm in Hadley, MA a month into our marriage, to Roenick pictured below in the driveway, who used to follow us to the neighbors houses up and down Beverly Ave. and wait for us outside to walk us home, all of our cats were healthy, happy and spent a lot of time outdoors.
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It is my considered opinion as an experienced and seasoned Feline observer that to keep a cat imprisoned in a house is cruel punishment and against the natural order of things.   Over the years, one cat got hit by a car, one was poisoned accidentally by the next door neighbor, one went away for two weeks only to crawl home with feline leukemia and die within hours, and a number saw their end at the Marblehead Veterinarian's Office after a full feline complement of years.
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Owning a cat is a pain in the ass, because you end up caring for them as much as a kid, and then you outlive them in 15 years or so.
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So when the Grandkids wanted us to get a kitten, Joanne and I headed over to the Marblehead animal shelter on Village St.  to adopt.   They were charging $180 bucks, but I figured that I was there so that was the deal.
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Then we had to fill out an application, and they wanted to check our references.  Then, they asked if the cat would be let outdoors, because they wouldn't allow any cat to be adopted that was subject to coyotes or cars on the street.  In other words. they are in control of these poor indigent felines, and they know best.
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I was polite though, as I sensed a certain "save the whales" essence starting to permeate the room.  We exited and I told Joanne that we wouldn't be supporting their little kitty fiefdom with a purchase and would find a cat elsewhere.
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Felt a little bad because I did like some of the cats and seemed to make a connection with one of them.
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Then last night, I get a call for my "interview to adopt".
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When I explained to the nice lady who seemed to know best all things feline that I felt that keeping a cat indoors was cruel, the conversation veered off quickly with a mutual declaration that "we have different philosophies."
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Indeed we do, and I bet cats are not the extent of it.
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If she doesn't have an Elizabeth Warren sign outside of her cat filled house, I'll be shocked.

Wayne Webster8:10 AM said....

Our basset hound is from the Salem shelter. They pull the same stuff but once you put down $250 for the free shelter dog that no one else wants well they become convinced that you understand the rules and will follow them. True Americans.

Weekend Work and French

I don't like to work on the weekends... Business style work I mean.   The weekends are for diversion, like fishing or building Tommy O's deck.  But this weekend, I had to devote extensively to Nanepashemet Telecom.  The orders are piling in, which normally happens in the 4th quarter of the corporate world and we have to rise to meet the challenge.  Which we will... MOAM style of course.
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I did sneak a couple of peeks at the Patriots game and also visited Ryan in his new apartment.   And got in some good firearms talk with Brendt D'Orio since that seems to be the topic de jour.   (that's French for topic of the day.)

Red Squirrels and Dead Squirrels

Got a ton of response from you Peeps about which new piece I should purchase to add to my obsolete firearms collection that my Grandfather handed down to me.
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When I think of how my Grandfather used to sleep with a loaded pistol under his pillow, and thought nothing of leaving me as a ten year old kid out on the side porch up in his Maine cabin with a .22 calibre rifle telling me to "shoot the phucking red squirrels" that he hated so much.... it's hard to believe that I turned out as such a  well rounded, overall nice person.
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Grampa backed me off of this squirrel duty after I put a round through his shed and splintered a rug on his wooden ladder.... plus I missed the phucking squirrel.
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I know that this is starting to sound like a Tuna Lips vignette, but it really happened.
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Anyway.... I had no idea there were so many Glock and Smith & Wesson afficionados out there.  I was originally set on a Glock 19 or 23.  Now I'm leaning heavily on the Smith & Wesson 38 or 380.
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Thanks for all of your comments and suggestions, but I'm more confused than ever.
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Maybe I'll just keep cleaning Gramps old collection.

Frank Iacono Said  10:06 AM

If you're truly interested in plinking squirrels, I'd suggest the Barrett .50 caliber. It's the only thing I use AND it quite effectively gets rid of them. It also gets rid of any loose hanging branches as well.

Permit Breakthroughs

Lately Peeps... Nanepashement Telecom has taken the science of Zoning permitting to new levels.
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We have been pulling massive amounts of permits using a range of new and exciting techniques.
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Naturally, I can't disclose these techniques in that they are trade secrets and company confidential, but rest assured that they are wicked effective... allowing us to pull multiple permits in one visit and completely manipulating the outcomes of zoning hearings.
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We may have to seek the services a patent attorney soon.

Glock v. S&W

The handguns and hunting rifles that my grandfather left for me are cool, but are starting to seem really old and dated.   I take one or two of them to the firing range every couple of months, but they are really antiques and I thought that I might want to impress the guys at the gun club with a new composite Glock 23.
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But a close friend of mine, and the guy at the Fireams store today talked me out of the Glock and pointed to good old Smith and Wesson as the direction that I should head in for the use intended.
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Plus Smith and Wesson is manufactured in Springfield, MA, while Glock is an Austrian company.   So I'll be zeroing in on an S&W model to update the family arsenal, and doing my part to help abate the United States trade imbalance.

Racist Grandparents

I've been trying to get over my obsession with US Senate Candidate, Liz Warren, and her claim to be a whopping 1/32 Cherokee Indian... without much luck.
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It's because she won't admit to the lie.  Now she says that her parents eloped because her paternal grandparents objected to her father marrying someone who was part Cherokee and part Delaware.
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What parts Liz????  The top geneologists in the country come up short and can't find a drop of your minority red blood corpuscles coursing on their 1/32nd path through your high income Harvard attorney frame.
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And what about the racist stock that you come from??? Now that you have disclosed your grandparents as anti-Native American.
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I have to admit, my hands are tired from scatching my head every time I see a Warren sign.  Who could ever buy her Bullshit?

Tuna Lips said

Great point. To explain herself she takes a big sh*t on her own. Kind of like Frank MCCourt making money off of telling how his mum had to prostitute herself to get by. It happens, we get it, but don't shame your own in public or speak of their failings in a casual manner to advance your life. They gave you that life.

Warren has loyalty to herself and the story she tells about herself, that is it.

 

Just heard her pathetic ad again this morning.  She ends it by saying that Scott Brown is attacking her family.   Quite a twist of logic.  She accuses her grandparents of racism, but when Brown challenges her obvious lie, he is guilty of attacking her family.   What the Hell do they teach those kids at Harvard anyway????

Just my Opinion - Polls.

ABC News and Bloomberg have polls out that show Romney falling behind President BO.
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What a shocker!  These polls seek to be the news rather than reflect the news.
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Remember the Brown polls when he was running against our beloved AG, Martha Coakley?   Seems the election results showed that the polls were wrong.... big time... as Brown pounded the smug heir to the Kennedy Senate seat.
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That is what I suspect is going on here.
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The only reason that Conservatives have prevailed against Democrats in two of the last three Presidential elections is that Americans are not stupid.  They can't be herded into the pens that the Liberal polls seek to create.
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Good Morning America is shamelessly reporting today how things are getting better in the Country and how Romney is dropping in the Polls.   You can't make this shit up.... excuse me?  ABC News makes it up all the time.

Warren Deserves Respect

Scott Brown Supporters today were shown in a disgusting video, taunting Senate Candidate Elizabeth Warren with tomohawk chops and war whoops.
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What an insult to the Native American Indian Senate hopeful!
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Oh... I forgot... Warren is not really a Cherokee.  She just claimed to be when she applied for law professorships in Ivy League Schools, like Harvard.
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And when she was tenured for her teaching position, she did the moral thing by unchecking the affirmative action box.   And it didn't matter a bit that she didn't need to claim to be a minority anymore.... it was the right thing to do.
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Shame on Senator Brown for not controlling his supporters with their shameful display of disgust for Professor Warren.  He should clean his act up.
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Warren deserves Respect.  She's always been for the little guy... like securing a trust fund for employees that her client, the Travelers Ins. Co. was suing.  But... if she was working for the Travelers, why was she helping their opponents????    Then she represented another  big business, LTV Steel.   But I thought she was supposed to be for the little guys.
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This is so confusing.  Can you say "Horrendous Liar"?  Cause that's what it seems like, doesn't it?
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Hopefully some of my "Progressive" Friends can explain it for me.

 

But don't make fun of her Phoney Indian Heritage.  That's just not right.

Narcissist in Chief

I, for one, am not willing to criticize our President for choosing to hang out with Barbara Walters, Whoopie Goldberg, and David Letterman rather that meeting with  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

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So what if Netanyahu has his finger on a nuclear trigger in the most volatile hotspot in the world.  Shouldn't he cater to Baba Wawa first?   And what if he were to delay an audience with the cheater but really funny Letterman?  Could he risk getting a cheeky remark from the Liberal wisecracker?

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Netanyahu should take his proper place in line.  Just keep his finger in his pocket and shut the phuck up about that stupid Iranian annihilation threat.   Geez... What a Freaking Nag!!!!  Wants to take up BO's time for that shit when he has to prep for Late Night with Dave?????

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 Go see the Canadian Prime Minister or something and don't be such a whiney girlyman.

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When you are the Chief Narcissist of the Free World, you have to pick your priorities carefully.

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Beyonce v. Benjamin?

You make the choice.

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Whoopie!

 

Tuna Lips Said..... Say what yiz want, but Billy Clinton woulda had his hand on that comely lass Lizabeth thigh, stead of sitting next to them two beasts. Little known fact, I have done the lighting and soundboard on a couple movies. This set up in the picture, a whole hodge podge of women and a black guy, New York City, it's a story line ripe with potential. on Narcissist in Chief   OK..if you can pick out the one person here who knows how to sit like a man, you will win a free copy of Lizzie Warren's best selling Native American Cookbook... "Pow Wow Chow".   (Hint.... look at Goldberg.)   Tuna Lips said.... I think that Ben Franklin lookin' negress has a sausage betwixt her legs .   ---- Nice to have TL Back.

 

Painted Perfectly

Waiting for the Pats Game to start at 8:30 PM tonight against the Baltimore Ravens.  I doubt if I'll last to the 4th Qtr due to the MOAM effort in painting ceilings at West Shore Drive today.
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The ceiling came out great with minimal mess.... largely due to the Wagner
PaintMate Plus 9 in. Manual-Trigger Paint Roller that I purchased yesterday at Home Depot.
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This little baby cost less than $25 bucks, worked like a charm and cut the time and effort in rolling out the ceiling in half after I finished cutting in the fixtures and the moulding with no mess whatsoever.
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You load up the storage tube directly from the paint can with no drips, then roll away with no trips to the paint tray.
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I had taken a piece of unused moulding from the kitchen cabinet repairto Home Depot, and their computer color scanning system nailed the ceiling paint cover to exactly match the cabinets.  And the quality and coverage of the paint was excellent.
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Painting has always been my least favorite renovation activity... primarily because of the mess involved.  But the success of this day may change things.

Precautions Perpetrating from Project Perfection

Tommy O's Deck is just about finished with a couple of punch list  items remaining.  It is a piece of art by all accounts.  It was my origninal intention to just create a home improvement for a close friend and former POTY.   I did not consciously initiate an attempt to build a project that would attract such media and industry attention.
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Sure the deck is well built and the design proportioned nicely.   I just didn't anticipate that it would be an example of Fung Shue perfection.  Too much hoopla over a wooden platform if you ask me.  All of the people trespassing on Tommy's property to catch a glimpse of the latest pristine Nanepashemet Deck has become a real nuisance.
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Plus it's time to start painting the interior of West Shore Drive.  That property is an unpolished gem and is destined to be a historic shrine as the  center of project management excellence professed by Nanepashemet Telecom.
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By late November, hundreds of you Peeps will be making the pilgrimage to the annual Night Before Thanksgiving Day Bash and your expectations for an ostentatious, yet tasteful and subdued setting cannot be denied.
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So tomorrow, the living room ceiling at West Shore gets a coat of paint.   I would hope that it is a one day job, but you can't rush perfection.

Nanepashemet Opinion Poll

All the poll results are so confusing.  Scott up by 5%,  75% of voters don't care if Warren eats succotash and venison in a teepee, Obama leads Romney by 8%... the day after Romney was up by 2%.
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Pretty unreliable.
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So I've decided to commission my own poll, the Nanepashemet Opinion Poll, in order to get to the truth about what people are thinking.
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The results have been astounding.... suitable for coverage from such unbiased institutions as ABC News and the Boston Globe.
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85% of the scientific sample polled by Nanepashemet thought that Elizabeth Warren did not look like an Indian.

67% felt that Obama had big ears.

72% reasoned that it was racist to think that Obama had big ears.

92% believed the Mitt Romney was a stiff.

55% felt that Michelle Obama would kick the shit out of anyone who said her husband had big ears.
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There you go.... the first of many Nanepashemet opinion polls..... absolutely as reliable as any of the other poser polls out there.
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George, leave me a voicemail if you need me to interview on your Good Morning America journalistic gem.

POTW Week 38

Mitt Romney disclosed his taxes today.   Seems he has averaged 20% over the last twenty years, and the total is in the multi-millions.  And this doesn't include the 10% tithe that he makes to his church.

Now I want to see what Obama has paid... not just the percentage.... but the total amount.   Who has contributed the most????
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And I want to see Obama's college transcripts.  What were his grades?  What did he study?  What financial aid did he receive?  The big rumor is that he registered as an Indonesian foreign aid student named Barry Soetoro.  Obama must disclose and quell this falsehood.  Right?
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We have a right to know.... don't we??????
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And in the meantime... where are Liz Warrens employment records?   How come she won't disclose?  What is she hiding?  A little ill begotten Affirmative Action perc maybe?

Announcing....
Nanepashemet Peeps of the Week for the 38th Week of 2012

Elizabeth Warren
Barry Soetoro
Wendy Heller
Cindy Bencal
Liz Kelleher
Maria Rowen

The game is over now that Romney has disclosed and called their bluff.   Now we want to see from the critical Dems.
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Gotta Love Politics.
It is scientific proof that we never grow up.

Planning the Year

Not for Nothing, but... I was just discussing with Joanne that if I lost 1 lb per week every week for the next year, I would lose over 50 lbs. It seemed like a good sign when she didn't roll her eyes and actually listened.
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But, when you look at it that way, it doesn't seem unattainable at all. I mean, calculate the calories that you can eat every day in order to lose 1 lb per week. In my case, that is 2,237 calories.
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Keep track of the calories with some food program on your computer or IPOD that you eat every day, burn 600+/- calories on the Cybex or the treadmill, and after one year.....you will be the rough, tough, hard to bluff, mountain of a man that is your true destiny.
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It almost seems too easy. Even now, I'm holding out on that second glass of Scotch.
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I can hardly wait until next year, when I give my daughter Katelyn away.

Sex Changes and Brain Transplants

A lot of controversy is swirling up here in New England lately about the convicted murderer who was granted sex change at taxpayer expense by the Federal Judge in Boston.
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I basically have no problem with this.... as long as the Judge gets a brain transplant at the same time.  We could then examine his brain to see what makes a Moron like that tick.
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BTW, the Judge also allowed the murderer/he/she to have his/her legal bills paid by you and me.
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Peeps... you couldn't make this shit up.  Nobody would believe you.

No Knock on New Haven

After a quick appointment this morning with my collection attorney, Wendy Heller, I may be taking the F-150 down to New Haven County.
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Lots of stuff brewing down there,  We are filing to install some unobtrusive and rather attractive cell antennas on a former beer brewery building  and will be negotiating to install a slightly thickened  flagpole stuffed with  carrier antennas on another historic locus.
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Also have to start from scratch at a college site down there.
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Being a Mountain of a Man means that you have to go where the work is.... even if it takes a little dose of 5 Hour Energy for the late drive home.

Responsible or Entitled?

Politricks is just what it is.... the effort to herd people like sheep into a non-thinking mode and into the same pen.
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Romney said in May Republican Rally that 47% of the people in the US do not take responsibility for their lives and seek entitlement from the government.
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  Now the Dems want to make hay of that statement, but I highly doubt that either party will deny it.
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Romney is simply saying to his supporters that he cannot hope to reach the 47% of Americans that want to be taken care of and seek entitlements.
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Obama misses the point in his ad that merely highlighting this fact will not bring the other 53% into seeking the federal entitlements that he and the "progressives" espouse.
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The difference in the approaches is psychological rather than political.  If you are self assured and secure in your abilities to provide for yourself and your family, you will vote one way.    If you feel that you are at the mercy of others, and are insecure in your capabilities, you will seek the comfort of the government and vote the other way.
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In either case, you're not a bad person.... it's just your psychological makeup.

POTW Week 37

This week, I tended to my annual golf obligation as Nanepashemet sponsored a hole at the New England Wireless Association Golf Tournament held at the Red Tail Country Club in Ayer, MA.
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Red Tail abuts Fort Devens, and it was weird to drive by the FreshAyer locus again after all of the trips in previous years.... a feeling of  "Did that really happen?"
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At least my golf game was consistent... on the bad side of sucky. 
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Bobby Brown tried to take the sting out by telling me that he had a bottle of the King for me in his car, but I had to leave the post tournament cook out early for a zoning hearing up on the North Shore and never even connected with the Lagavulin.  Gave Bobby the "Automatic" selection anyway, because I'll catch up with that bottle soon enough.
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Announcing....
Nanepashemet Peeps of the Week for the 37th Week of 2012

Scott Brown
Frank Iacono
Brendt D' Orio
Bobby Brown (Automatic Lagavulin Rule)
Sharon Horne
Jeff Previte
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This morning, I'm bringing Grandson Will out for a row in Marblehead Harbor on the Herreshoff Columbia Tender.... which will be far more enjoyable that hitting a dimpled spheroid badly and ackwardly for 18 miserable holes.

Computer Time Warp

Yesterday, around 4:00PM, I came to the conclusion that the multitude of spread sheets that I have been using to track work for our largest customer were not going to cut it anymore.
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Too many cells to cover, too much cutting and pasting, and overall, a chore to quickly tie into the specific information that we seem to need on a moment's notice.
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Lucky for me that I'm a Mountain of a Man who happens to come equipped with an abundance of database programming ability dating back to the old dBase II days.
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So I dusted off my copy of Microsoft Access 2007, cranked it into the CD drive and within an hour, I was deeply into the programming mode.  So deeply in fact, that when I came up for air and checked the clock, it was 12:05AM.
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I am not shitting you... I had one of those time warps as I wrestled to get all of my project records organized slickly in an my Access database.  Not elegant by any means, but the time warp paid off.

Bearing Down on the Present

Peeps...
I've been experimenting lately about the here and now... about how if you really want your future to improve, you should focus doggedly on the present... not regret what might have happened in the past... or worry about what might happen in the future.
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So far this week, it has worked pretty well.  New customer possibilities have been pouring in, and bills are getting paid.
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Now that I'm entering the latter part of my middle aged Mountain of a Man life, I have a huge advantage over you younger peeps..... experience.   I no longer have to project how things should work out... most all of the shit that I encounter now, I've seen before.   And I know how these things end up.
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For years I worried about what might happen, and how to prevent it from happening.   And even though some really bad shit actually happened. we didn't fall into the great abyss.   Things happened to abate the worse, and we worked through the rest.
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Somebody told me years ago that things are never as bad as they seem, nor are they as good as they seem.  That's pretty much how things have worked out.  Excessive worrying never solved anything.
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Yesterday, Ryan told me that he handled his ordeal with a lot of false positives.   So be it.  It got us through, and now that's in the rear view mirror.
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And what is ahead is the present.
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That's where I hope to be for here on in.

A New Watercooler

I remember when I used to work in a big corporate setting.... how I would get bored sitting in my office and head out into the corridor for a bit of respite with whoever was at the water cooler at the time.
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That little ten minute sojourn would take the edge off of the tedium and then it would be back to emails and spreadsheets again.
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Working in a home office has it's benefits, but the trip for a glass of water offers no substantial relief from the tedium.  But now, I have a better alternative.
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Facebook has become the new watercooler for cyper types like myself who can work from home but miss the interraction with employees.   Between Facebook and Skype, you always have a chance to goof off and take a break from time to time.

Cool Morning Reflection

First cool morning in September - portending change in the seasons. 
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Change denotes renewal, hope and improvement.
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Most people fear change.  We are born with a primal insecurity because no matter what we do, we will ultimately experience a final demise as we depart this life.  All of our strivings, hopes and aspirations eventually must incorporate this mortality.
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The only logic is to seize the present.  Live fully today, moment by moment.  The past is over... and has laid the foundation for your present...for better or worse.  The future is unfathomable, and your focus in controlling the outcome is a foolish endeavor that is beyond your ultimate capacity.
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But you can bask in the convergence of the past with the future... the present.  It is the only place that offers the joy and happiness that we strive for in this life.  The religious masters tell us that joy is the natural order of the universe.....  Happy little atoms and planets humming and rotating joyfully along.
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All we need to do is to focus on the cacophony of the present moment to squeeze our share of joy out of this life.

Matthew 6:26  Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?

So let change envelope you as you experience the constancy of the present.
Don't Worry, Be Happy.

POTW Week 36

Heading to Essex for some Fried Clams this evening with Tommy O and Linda O' Shea.   Someday soon, science will proclaim that platters of fried clams, fries and onion rings  are essential to maintaining a healthly life for overweight white guys like me.
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Until then, we will lead the way in consuming copious amounts of these tasty bi-valve mollusks that taste so good when breaded, deep fried, and served with a little salt and pepper, ketchup and tartar sauce.
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Announcing....
Nanepashemet Peeps of the Week for the 36th Week of 2012

Denise Kearns
Deval Patrick
Liz Kelleher
Peter Lojko
Christos Laganos
Jim Lundgren

Tommy is going to pick up Joanne and I after he finishes his pedicure... but that's another story altogether.

Three Jamesons

Peeps... I'm feeling a little mellow tonight.
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Went down to the BYC and had two Jamesons, plus one more together with dinner with my favorite wife, Joanne.  Joanne is the mother of my three kids and is really handy to have around.... among other things.   She is my life partner, and when I die, my life insurance policy will go to her.  But enough of the romantic stuff.
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Tomorrow, it will be a big push in the morning to get the railings up on Tommy O's classic Nanepashemet Deck, then we will probably take a harbor cruise out on the WhaleEye.  The end of the boating season will be here before we know it, and the WhaleEye has hardly gotten a workout in, so we'll have to get some time in there.
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Sometime before the weekend is over, we have to attend to some tax details at Nanepashemet Telecom, and also hope to share a beer with some of the kids if they drop by.
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In the meantime, I powerwashed the pram and will be stripping off the nasty Wireless Tower Weatherproof that I used as gunwale bumpers..... A big mistake as the weatherproofing material never cured and remained sticky and messy.
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My new theory is to use the PVC bending tool that we bought for the Hartford job, and bend some PVC to use as Pram bumpers.  At least the PVC won't rub off on the neighboring boats causing a lot of pissed off complaints to the Harbormaster.
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Probably won't get to all of this shit this weekend... but at least we are past the three Jameson milestone

Presidential Boast

Lots of rhetoric at the Democratic National Convention about President Obama taking down Osama Bin Ladin.
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Mr. President.... to paraphrase your admonition to the nation's business owners.... "You didn't kill Osama... somebody else did."
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I'll give you credit for not phucking it up though.

Pram Rescue

Today, I finally got around to getting the my Pram which the Marblehead HarborMaster had towed to a mooring at Riverhead Beach.   Seems that the wireless connector weatherproofing that I used as gunwale bumpers was rubbing off on neighoring prams on the Village Wharf rings, but that's a whole other story that I'll maybe tell you later.
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I put the Tender down the ramp from the trailer, then roped it off with a square knot on the ramp pier piling.  Then I pulled the F-150 up the ramp and parked the trailer.  When I got out of the truck and headed down the ramp, the Tender was rapidly drifting into the Harbor.
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Wrong Knot.
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I figured that the water to the Tender would only be waist deep and was surprized when I was quickly up to my neck holding my iPhone high in my left hand.  Then swimiming hard to reach the Tender and tow it back to the Ramp in my best Lifesaving sidestroke.
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I figured that this was the only phucked up episode that I was to encounter on this little chore.
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Wrong, Kemosabe.
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I got back to the shore and this nice elderly couple asked if I wanted them to watch my Tender while I went for some dry clothes.  I declined the kind offer and set out get into the Tender and row out the the Pram which was about 50 yards out on the mooring.
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When I got to the Pram, it was filled with a green slimy, rainwater residue which was a result of the thunderstorm downpours that we experienced over the last few days.  Amazing how heavy a pram full of water is.
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To make a long and increasingly  boring story short, I finally got the Pram into the back of the F-150 with the help of a by-stander from Castine, Maine who had a lot of cool stuff to tell me about wooden boats.... especially the designs that John Gardner had published. 
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I guess this story doesn't have much of a punch line.  But that's your problem.  What do you want me to do????  Make up some fantastic freaking ending?????
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Publish your own Blog if you think this shit is easy.

Embarassed in Boston

How the Hell does this guy continue to get elected as Mayor of Boston?  He must be the balls at constituent services because otherwise, he is such an embarrassment with his lockstep liberal outcries and mumbling messages.

Close to the Border

Great Stuff, but the debate is how do we continue to pay for this?

That's what the Dems seem to ignore.

Money doesn't grow on trees and it doesn't come from the Government.

It comes from the taxes that we bear.  And we are getting closer to the Border of this.

No Spew, No Hurl

The MSNBC Talking Heads, especially Rachel Madow, seem to have taken their blood  pressure medicine and a low dose of Valium tonight as the Democratic National Convention debuts tonight.
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In a much calmer demeanor from how we saw them last week covering the Republicans, these objective journalists are now telling us like it is... or specifically.... how they want us to believe.  They are completely happy and thoroughly transformed as they bask in Leftest rhetoric of the Democrats.
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But don't take my word for it... you have to see this disengenuous act as it is and form your own opinion.   Tune in to these Whackjobs.  It only hurts for a while and is worth it to see for yourself.  
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I would suggest that you go to C-Span first, then change the channel to MSNBC.   That way, when you feel the vomit start to surge, you can hit the "Last" button, which will automatically switch to C-Span and you will actually see what is happening at the Convention.   The urge to spew will subside.
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Course you'll still be watching these "Progressives" but at least you won't hurl all over the couch.
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Peeps... I hate to admit it, but it takes all kinds to make the world turn.  As much as I want government to get the hell out of the way so that I can take care of myself and my family, there are those who have no freaking idea of how to do it for themselves, and need a helping hand from us in the form of the Government.
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You just have to guard against the extremists on both sides.  And these MSNBC ideologues are a great example of the type you have to guard against.

Debate Without Hate

One of the great things about this great country is that we are able to express our opinions and back our candidates without the fear of physical reprisals.
~
There has never been a forced exchange of power based upon election results here.  We debate fiercely, sometimes in bad taste, and sometimes in an irritating fashion.  But despite the vigor and rancor, Americans are tolerant of each other, and supportive of the will of the majority.
~
I may not understand the logic of your support for a particular candidate... I may even get annoyed and vocal about your exclaimations and rhetoric... but I ultimately support your right to make a choice.
~
Even if you want a fake Indian to be your Senator.
~
So this season, we will again see the amazing American system of tolerance of others, freedom of speech, and debate without hate.
~
If Obama gets re-elected, we may not understand it, we may not like it, but we will tacitly support it.

Channeling

Harvey Rowe, Lisa Panakio Rowe, and Superpeep Maria Rowen came by  for dinner tonight on the deck.  Maria brought some incredible crab stuffed mushrooms, and we did our best with the lemon pepper chicken breasts on the grill with some garden salads.
~
I had one or three Dark and Stormies and listened to Harvey's incredible story of his friend, Kim Garbarino's swim across the English Channel this month.  Harvey worked the boat politics while Craig Lewin did the in the water coaching as Kim Garabino braved fifty seven degree water to swim the 22 mi. channel in over 13 hours.
~
Harvey's rendition of the effort was spellbinding as Kim completed the feat after wishing to quit after the initial six hours.  It was absolutely a mind over matter accomplishment.
~
It was a great trip to London for Harvey and his team and I'm really happy for their success.

Fitting It In

It's Labor Day.... traditional end of Summer.  Always a bittersweet holiday, as you look at the summer that slipped away and all of the stuff that you wanted to do... then life's obligations get in the way, and the summer is over.
~
Once again this summer, the fish and lobsters around Salem Sound received a major stay of execution, as my activities drew me away from a vigorous pursuit. 
~
But if the truth be known, we soon will be entering into my favorite season of this great New England region... Autumn.   It's warm enough to do a ton of stuff outside, and cool enough to be comfortable doing it.  The only problem is that business usually gets crazy as we enter the last quarter of the year, as my corporate customers contemplate the boxes that must be checked for bonuses to be awarded.
~
Someday, after I make a business score, I will retire.   Then fish will die, boats will be built, books will be written, banjos will be played, and grandkids will get spoiled. 
~
Until then, I just have to fit this stuff in.

POTW Week 35

For the third time this summer, you Peeps have come through with the ultimate gesture of class and sophistication.... we have an automatic Peep of the Week selection.
~
This week it was Tommy O who presented me with a bottle of the King of Scotch... 16 year old Lagavulin Single Malt Scotch Whiskey.
~
 I really appreciate the gesture since I had just polished off the bottle that Brady Boyle had judiciously submitted at the occasion of asking to marry my daughter.  And the bottle that Nathaniel Clarke brought over when he introduced us to Katarina Simundic hardly lasted that evening....
~
So Tommy kept me from the ackward circumstance of not having the King in the liquor cabinet inventory.

ANNOUNCING....
Nanepashemet Peeps of the Week for the 35th Week of 2012.

Tommy O' Shea (Automatic Lagavulin Rule)
Will Nestor
Kyle Raiche
Liz Kelleher
Wayne Webster
Ann Romney

Can you imagine the shame of having to buy a bottle of the King for myself?

Recharge

Amazing how it got to be Friday so fast.  New Haven trips always screw up my week, and this trip ended with some beers at the Indigo Bar with the other Mountain of a Man, Bobby Brown..... A huge highlight of the frantic week.
~
I also took my biggest customer and his family out for some quality time on the WhaleEye, and the fantastic sights of Marblehead and Manchester Harbors didn't dissapoint.
~
Plus I stayed up late to watch the Republicans rally at their convention.  It's too bad that politics brings out the worst in people.... especially those who start off with a rather low base of credibility to begin with.  I'm still amazed about the amount of spin that the national broadcast networks put on the output, rather than let us idiots figure it out for ourselves.
~
Anyway... it's a long weekend, and time to recharge some batteries.

Sham of Journalism

If you want to see what biased journalism is, tune into the Republican National Convention on MSNBC.
~
I actually studied journalism in college and wrote some articles for the Daily Collegian out at UMASS, Amherst.   Professor Arthur Musgrave was a Libertarian who basically taught that the truth would eventually win out with a free exchange of ideas by sincere and objective reporting.
~
At the time, with the Vietnam War raging and the  Civil Rights Movement thrusting forward, it seemed that the only rational viewpoint was the liberal stance provided by the Democratic Party.
~
Yet, from Professor Musgrave's influence , I never did vote in a Democratic Primary and maintained an unenrolled  "Independent" status to this day.  In those times, I was firmly aligned with the liberal viewpoint, but if these MSNBC "Journalists" are liberals, then I don't want anything to do with that stance.
~
These people are neurotically obsessed in opposition to the Convention  Speeches that they are supposedly "covering".
~
In the convention hall, the Republicans have set up a Debt Clock, showing the current growth in the National Debt.  The MSNBC Crew attacked that with a smirk and some kind of chart that sought to prove that the Republicans were responsible for our debt.   
~
The Freaking Debt is just that... the Debt.   Why would anyone attack a clock that measured it?
~
Then the "Journalists" turned their rancor on the misinterpretation of Obama's "If you have a business, you didn't build that.  Somebody else did." quote saying that it had been taken out of context.   I listened to that quote over and over and posted it in this Blog. 

Sorry, but these talking spinheads can't convince me that Obama didn't leak his misunderstanding of free enterprize.  There was no misinterpretation on my part, and they can spin all they want.
~
If you click back and forth between C-Span and MSNBC, you would think there was no convention in place as MSNBC shows no speakers, only talking heads and now Hurricane Issac Coverage, while C-Span is actually showing the speakers.  Senator Kelly Ayotte of NH is speaking now while MSNBC is taking the place of the Weather Channel.... literally.
~
Professor Musgrave was at the end of his career when I sat in his class in 1972, and I hope he is still with us.   And I wish I could hear his take on this sham of journalism that we are witnessing tonight.

Indonesian Race Card

As expected, the Kerry D' Orio Yoga pants are flying off of the shelves here at Nanepashemet.
~
I put in a call to the Indonesian sweat shop to see if we could step up production a bit.... maybe pay the help an extra $10 bucks a month or something as an incentive... but they were testy as hell.
~
Seems a couple of them are a little pissed at me when they found out that I believed Obama was born in Hawaii rather than being the first Indonesian who became President of the United States.
~
Obviously the Indonesians never watch MSNBC, or they would know that this type of statement is a major league play of the race card..... as despicably racist as you can get.  Romney will certainly roast in Republican Hell for his reference to it in Michigan the other day.
~
Peeps.... here's the deal.... It's hard enough for me to get the Indonesians to meet minimum production standards of the Nanepashemet  Clothing line at rock bottom  third world labor rates. 
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Don't be putting it on me to get them to be politically correct at the same time!!!
~
I may be a Mountain of a Man, but you are pressing the limit.

Amazing POTUS

There is a great deal of mystery about our President.
~
Some say he is a radical communist looking to dismantly America.
~
I just think that is an amazing story that this guy, who was shuffled back and forth from Indonesia to Hawaii in his youth, gained an Ivy League education but nobody knows his coursework or grades, then spent his poltical formative years among radicals in Chicago.... ended up being elected President of the United States of America.
~
It's true that I get aggravated by his narcissism, and seeming lack of depth and experience, but I continue to be genuinely amazed that this guy is the POTUS.

Family Photo

This is a photo of Katelyn and Brady's new extended family as we reved up things at the BYC.
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Hopefully the first of many get togethers.


Dealing from a Top Deck

This is not a heliocopter pad.  It is the present state of 2011 POTY, Tommy O' Shea's, deck that we finished planking at 1:00 PM this afternoon.
~
We'll be putting up the railings, adding the stairs and the pool safety gate... and this project will be taking its rightful place as an authentic Nanepashemet Deck.... the pinnacled pedigree of contemporary outdoor deck technology.
~
Course if Tommy and Linda wanted to use it as a heliocopter pad, that would be no problem.   It is that freaking solid.
~
Tommy is thrilled and who can blame him???  His legendary Coors Light stocked cooler will be up there in no time.


Kerry's Pants

It's taken a while for the Indonesian sweat shop to gear up for this latest item in the Nanepashemet Blogging Apparel line....
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the Kerry D'Orio Yoga Pants.
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Inspired by 2012 Reigning Peep of the Year, Kerry D' Orio, these pants should only be worn if you are serious about getting your Nanepashmet Mojo on.
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These are already flying off of the counters in Suite 1-A, so don't take your time in making an order or you could be left out of the most important fashion statement made at the end of this summer.
~

All proceeds to go to the JJ Fund.

Abortion Issue

If the political ads by Obama and Warren are designed to make me support them, they are hugely ineffective.   They are so condescending and insulting to our intelligence that they make me yearn for Romney and Scott to emerge victorious.
~
Especially the abortion ads.
~
I think that abortion is the taking of a human life.  Roe v. Wade says that this is legal.... and a woman who has become pregnant has the choice to end  the life of the human fetus growing in her... without legal consequence.
~  
But this doesn't mean that abortion is moral or right.... it only means that it is legal.    Killing a fetus is just that.  You may rationalize that a woman has a right to kill the fetus that has taken life in her body.... that you are "Pro-Choice".
~
And I really don't want to hear what the Catholic Church has to say about this.   That is an institution that regularly tortured heretics and Jews and burned people at the stake for hundreds of years in the not too distant past.  So they can shut the phuck up.
~
I'll be working this thing out for myself without Papist Pontification.
~
Our society condones the taking of human life.   We celebated the killing of Osama Bin Laden, and rightly so.   Certain heinous crimes are subject to capital punishment in a majority of the States.  Is being impregnated by a forced rape a heinous crime that means that the resulting fetus should be killed????  
~
It is a decision that I don't wish on anybody.... but is the cornerstone of the "Pro-Choice" advocates.
~
I guess where I end up on this issue is that Abortion should not be a convenient choice.  You shouldn't be able to kill a fetus because you don't think you can afford a baby or you'd rather be doing something else.   Plus there's a ton of tried and true ways to avoid getting pregnant in the first place.   So a convenient abortion is a wrong choice culmination of a series of wrong choices.
~
Abortion for your own simple convenience is  murder and deserves to be defined as such, whether legal or not.
~
God created a life for you to nourish... it is a part of His Plan..... you shouldn't rationalize it away.
~
But the final decision... to kill or not to kill should be yours.   You are your own judge in a case involving Capital Punishment of your fetus.
~
You will have to deal with God though.... and the phoney business called "Planned Parenthood" can rot in Hell.  I'm with Romney on this all the way.   There is no way that my government should pay for your abortion.

Ending the WorkWeek

You hate to make the 3 1/2 hour drive to New Haven County and come up empty handed.
~
Which didn't happen today as we tended to business in three separate localities with complete adherence to Nanepashemet Standards of successful business results.
~
I know we're good, but even I get impressed when we hit for the cycle once in a while.
~
One more big push, and this week is a wrap.  
~
Tomorrow, we will be testing our considerable permitting skill at a particularly challenging city on the North Shore,  putting the finishing touches on some critical reporting,  then maybe get some planks laid at Tommy O's deck before calling it quits with Dale and Gail at the Dolphin.
~
Please don't make a big deal out of this.   Even though the pace would fell the best of you, it is pretty routine for a Mountain of a Man.

Great Ones Passing

As many of you know, being of an Irish Catholic cultural background, I have been disheartened by the state of the Catholic Church and feel that it has lost it's relevancy for me.
~
But I wish that I had met this guy.

Father Beiting established a mission in Kentucky, and lived a life of service and accomplishment.
~
My friend, Harvey Rowe, no stranger to the concept of service to others and love for his fellow man, was an admirer of Father Beiting and was with a team swimming the English Channel when Father passed away earlier this month.
~
Harvey had been to Father Beiting's mission and had nothing but admiration and praise for the work that was being done on a very practical, economic scale.  Harvey's loss is all of ours when a person of this calibre passes.

People like Father Beiting and Johnny Pesky make you stand back and wonder if you are doing everything you should be doing with your time of earth.  They will be missed.

Sound Outlook

Hopkins is a great actor and not a bad philosopher.

Red Sox Redemption

Red Sox are dissapointing this season.
~
It's hard to have more than a passing interest in them.
~
Although yesterday, in Wolcott, CT, the Building Inspector noticed that I was from Boston, announced that he was a Yankees fan and proceeded to quiz me about the Sox.
~
I knew enough to fake the conversation, and bitched about Beckett.   He gave me the permit over the counter when normally it takes a day or so.
~
So maybe the Sox season has been redeemed for me at least.

Freaking Lapse

My apologies for the lapse in posts, Peeps.
~
I know that a lot of you get panicky when you don't get a daily Nanepashemet Fix, and while the state of your clinging psyches is of little concern to me, I still have a need to ease your pain.  
~
They don't call me Mountain of a Man for nothing.
~
And with your panting and possibly psychotic emails and voicemails pleading for an explanation... well I could easily tell you to kiss my ass.... which I won't.
~
Instead you should know that the period from Friday evening to the present Monday afternoon sitting was filled with the type of Nanepashemet activity that you have all come to yearn and hope for in your own daily drivels and strivings.
~
Superpeep Nathaniel Clarke had his 30th birthday this Sat. and we kicked he and his class parents, Dave and Deb off with Dark and Stormies at the BYC Deck on Friday, then attended a spectacular clambake at the Clarke house with some of our favorite Peeps on the following Sat.
~
Ben Martin, now a Running Back Coach for Princeton University, made an appearance at the clambake  and reminded me that I have to update the Official Nanepashemet NCAA Football Team endorsements.... which I will one of these times.
~
Then Sunday, we worked on Tommy O's deck and would have had a great deal more done if we were not interrupted constantly by reporters from Architectural Digest, Coastal Living, and Fine Homebuilding in their quest to break the story of the latest Nanepashemet Deck to the general public.
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Not that I blame them.  The deck is shaping up in typical pristine primo fashion...  a suitable setting  for copious consumption of Coors Light and Margaritas in the coming months.
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Then today it was time to deadhead back to Connecticut in an all out assault for Nanepashemet Telecom business excellence.
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So that's the reason that the freaking lapse happened.
~

Sorry.

Boston Stuff

MOAM Looking Back

Doesn't seem so long ago.

Irritating v. Despicable

The other day I was complaining to someone about how the Democrats seem to talk down and pander to people.
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Irritating.
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But Vice President Joe Biden  hit a new low when he told a mixed race audience in Virginia yesterday  that Mitt Romney’s tax policy would put “y’all back in chains,”.
~
Joe, we know that you are not the sharpest knife in the draw, and we can't blame someone for being a little stupid.... but we CAN blame someone for being an Asshole.
~
So let's analize this statement a little bit.
~
How does cutting taxes equate to people being enslaved?   "Y'ALL" understand this? 
~
Then you are a lot smarter than me because I don't see the logic at all.
~
What I see happening here is a Democrat seeking to talk down to an ethic audience, because Joe isn't from the South and "Y'ALL" isn't close to being in his vocabulary, so that was a pandering, talking down remark.  This is irritating.

But the "back in Chains" part?  That goes deep into Joe's Liberal outlook, because he still looks out there and says something to cut deep into the psyche of a Black American... to scare them into seeking a false refuge with the Liberal policy of creating a dependency on government programs run by Liberals.
~
This part isn't irritating.  It is pathological and despicable.
~
So if you are looking for a slavery metaphor, Joe... consider this... Republican tax policy has nothing to do with slavery.... but Abraham Lincoln was a Republican... and he freed the slaves.  So maybe "Y'ALL" can weave this into your line of political bullshit.
~

Pandering Asshole.

Bloviate

Word of the Day

• bloviate
• 
• \BLOH-vee-ayt\

• DEFINITION

adjective

: to speak or write verbosely and windily

Read more at http://www.merriam-webster.com/word-of-the-day/#8O5dYtF8KLx7t3Mm.99

Willing to Help

Paul Ryan, the Congressman from Wisconsin, who authored the Republican House of Representatives proposed budget is Mitt Romney's choice for Vice President.  So far, he comes off as a well spoken, reasonable legislator.  
~
Immediately, I saw an ad on Facebook displaying him in a stressed face and claiming that he will eliminate Medicaid.  And George Stephandemocratatopofus in ABC News has been brimming in consternation with the choice..... so I think that it is a good one.
~
Obama has been spreading the word that "trickle down" ecomomic policy has hurt the country and that he wants to help the "middle class".   But I'm having a hell of a time trying to figure out how the billions that were squandered in the stimulus spending package with no effect on the joblessness problem validates his approach.
~
Naturally, I have the solution on how to create jobs, and those of you Peeps who faithfully follow this Blog also have the insight.
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But I'm getting tired of being a voice in the wilderness.
~
If the candidates want to know how to cure this mess, they'll just have to ask me.   And my consulting rate is a bit on the high side.
~
And while we're talking politics... nobody asked me but.... even if Elizabeth Warren didn't lie through her teeth about being an American Indian, I'd still be against her and for Scott Brown based upon their ads.    Warren treats us like idiots... talking down to us and stressing her simplistic points as if we really don't understand otherwise.   Brown just comes off like a regular person.
~
That's just my opinion.... also known as the Facts, Truth, and God's Will.

POTW Week 32

I had an inspiration this morning to resume work on the Marblehead Gunning Dory which has a frame and bottom in pieces at the Nanepashemet Peabody Warehouse.
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Years ago, Hillegas and Brown were making cracks about my Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), when they thought I wasn't listening.   I was, and it's lucky for them that they don't report to me anymore or I'd be kicking their ass at this recollection.
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But what was I talking about?  Oh Yeah... the Dory. 
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Not sure if it's a good idea to start it up again, with all of the other stuff going on.   But maybe I'll make it for Kate and Brady's Wedding Present.  
~
ANNOUNCING
Nanepashemet Peeps of the Week for the 32nd Week of 2012

Mike Rockett
Kerry D'Orio
Brady Boyle
Tommy O' Shea
Nathaniel Clarke
Sarah Loomis Crawford
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Wouldn't hurt to set the frame up on the strongback during a lull next week.  But then again, I have to keep up the Banjo practice so that I can bang out the Bluegrass version of  "Here Comes the Bride" at the upcoming nuptials next year.

800 Meter Record

David Lekuta Rudisha	1:40.91
		Nijel Amos	1:41.73
		Timothy Kitum	1:42.53
4		Duane Solomon	1:42.82
5		Nick Symmonds	1:42.95
6		Mohammed Aman	1:43.20
7		Abubaker Kaki	1:43.32
8		Andrew Osagie	1:43.77

Incredible race in the 800 meters for a new work record by the Kenyan Rudisha.  The average varsity high school athlete couldn't sprint for 50 meters at a pace faster than this guy just ran a half mile.  
~
Congratulations to the other athletes who posted incredible times behind him.

Saddleback Mountain Bluegrass Festival

I was thinking of getting up to the Saddleback Mountain Bluegrass Festival in Rangely, Maine this weekend. Sam Bush and the McCroury Brothers will be there.
~
It's only 230 miles from Boston, about 100 miles northwest of Sunday River.
~
Or maybe I'll just stay home and play my Gold Star Model GF-100FE Pro Banjo with Flying Eagle Inlays (5 String) .
~
That will be harder on Joanne, who doesn't appreciate my Bluegrass artistry.... but I'll save a lot on gas.

Water Polo Break

I took a little break from the hectic pace of Nanepashemet Telecom today and decided to watch the Olympic Water Polo match between Australia and Hungary.
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Peeps.... previously I have demonstrated to you that Soccer is more exciting than watching paint dry.... by painting the wall next to the TV and noting the time I starred at the wall vs. the time watching the Soccer Match.  
~
Soccer won hands down.
~
But, I'm not sure that Water Polo would pull off the same result.

Olympic Placemarks

The Olympics are an important milestone.   The fact that they happen every four years makes a crucial difference.   There is no..."We"ll get them next year" .... in the Olympics, because if you don't win now, there is no telling where you'll be four years from now.
~
Because they are separated by blocks of time, the Olympics tend to burn placemarks in my memory, that erases the years and brings loved ones back to life.
~
Some of my placemarks.....

Jim Ryun losing in the 1500 to Kip Keino of Kenya and Bob Beamon leaving the world record by over a foot in the long jump in Mexico City.
~
Dave Wottle coming from the back of the pack to win the 800 meters, with my father jumping out of his chair cheering him home.
~
Steve Prefontaine losing to the evil Finn Lasse Viren in Munich 5000 meter run.   Frank Shorter of Yale, winning the marathon, after an impostor jumped on the track.
~
Joan Benoit of Cape Elizabeth, Maine and Bowdoin College crushing the field in the first women's marathon.
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Tommy Smith and John Carlos with their Black Power salute on the victory stand after a world record 200 M sweep.
~
Al Oerter winning the discus, four Olympics in a row.
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Bruce Jenner waving the American Flag after an impressive Decathlon win.

~
The Sprinter Flo Jo, Florence Griffith-Joyner with her spectacular finger nails that our friend Elaine Coughlan so admired.  Both died way too young.
~
Jim McKay and the Munich massacre of Israeli athletes by Muslim Terrorists.
~
Sugar Ray Leonard, Leon Spinks and his brother, Michael, in the Boxing competition.  I remember watching this in the Landing Restaurant Bar in Marblehead with my friend, Joe Collins.
~
Lots of Olympic memories.  Some years I was more attentive than others.... especially when my brother and I were so into track and field during high school and college.
~
Not sure if anything will be burned in from this Olympiad.  But hopefully, I'll keep the memories that transport me back to friends and family every four years or so.

CrossHairs

A good friend of mine, who has shared my outlook and philosophies for the most part, has told me more than once that "Revenge is a dish better served cold."
~
I would have to agree, given certain karmic consequences.... but when you have someone who went out of their way to screw you and yours... now squarely focused in the proverbial crosshairs....  can't really let the opportunity pass while the dish cools off.
~
My Lawyer certainly doesn't think so.
~
And Ive never minded mixing it up anyway.  So as Maximus said to his Field Captain..."At my signal, Unleash Hell." 
~
Or a reasonable facsimile.

Immunity

Whitey Bulger says he is going on the witness stand at his murder trial to testify about his immunity deal with the FBI.
~
This has got to be hard on the family's of the victims, if the FBI cast askance at their loss.

Happy Weekend

Peeps...
I know that I was in a blog lapse this weekend, but between Tommy O's deck, the final touches at 32 Beverly Ave., and the Olympics, I pretty much fell off the wagon.
~
We got all of the framing done on the deck and I called for the inspection today.  Then we will start to lay the decking.   Using 2x10's and 6x6 posts with a three board 6x10 laminated beam makes this deck a bit overengineered... ok .... it could easily be used as a heliocopter pad.
~
But the O'Shea's will need a solid platform with the type of serious partying and entertainment that is  their hallmark.
~
Across the street at 32 Beverly Ave., the new screen door looks great and the refurbishment of the back deck was also a total success.   Even the basement stair rails were completed with a bit of the Nanepashement flair that you all have come to know and love.
~
Bobbi Cody, the Marblehead Code Inspector, (classic code inspector name) came by and blessed the Nanepashemet House with a certificate of code compliance for the pristine residential shrine that is the birthplace of the Nanepashemet Blog.
~
The tenants are happy, the code inspector is happy, the O'Shea's are happy.... that really is the overall final work product of Nanepashemet .... Happiness.
~
Course, I would have liked to have seen Shalane Flanagan from Marblehead medal in the Olympic Women's Marathon, but she seemed to be content with tenth place after suffering leg cramps, and 10th in the Olympic Marathon is really a huge accomplishment in the overall scheme of things as well.
~
All that weekend happiness left me pretty sore though.  Just can't frame a deck in 90 degree weather like I used to.

BTTW at Tommy O's

Today, shortly after we hang up the Nanepashemet Telecom mantle in the late afternoon, it is BTTW (Balls To The Walls) time at Tommy O's Deck.
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We'll be undertaking the crucial step of attaching the ledger board to his house, and setting up the posts to level for the cantilever receiving beam.
~
Tommy and Linda want to break after that and head to Essex for some fried clams.... which I think is an excellent notion.
~
They have opted for traditional 7/8" Pressure Treated Deck planks over the popular composite stuff that is on the market.   Our PT Deck  at 32 Beverly Ave. was showing some wear after a dozen years or so, but we screwed down some loose and warped decking, then stained and sealed it and it really came out completely renewed and rather beautiful, so I have no trouble with the traditional wood choice.

A Warren Irritation/Obsession

Does Liz Warrren's new ad about putting people back to work like they do in China irk you?

Should we pay our people the same wage rates as the Chinese Liz?

 Or should we indiscriminately rip down their homes without due process to put a road or project anywhere we like?

Or should we ignore the enviroment and spew pollution freely anywhere we please?

 LIKE THE CHINESE DO????

Is Warren as off base as I think? .... or is it just me? Holy Freaking Cow.

Cutting through Boston today, I saw an SUV with a Warren sticker on it so I caught up to the driver to see what he looked like.... because I can't imagine who would support this poser.

The guy looked like a Goofy Bastard.

Amazing Olympic Events

The Olympics are moving further away from the capabilities of regular people.   I remember 20 years ago or so when we were awed at the performance of Nadia Comenici of Romania in woman's gymnastics  as she performed amazing feats on the unparallel bars and the vault.
~
A look at her routine vs. the current competitors makes Nadia look almost pedestrian.... a truly amazing development.
~
I was also watching the 10 meter synchronized platform women's diving  and have no conception of how these athletes twist, twirl, flip, and enter the pool in perfect identical motion.
~

How the hell do they do that?