POTW Week 10 of 2013

I hate shoveling snow in March.  You know it will be gone in two days, but if the postman falls and breaks his leg within that time, you are screwed.

ANNOUNCING.....
Nanepashemet Peeps of the Week for the 10th Week of 2013

Brian Donovan
Brendan Ahern
Pat Piscatelli
Ethan Nestor
Elizabeth Hasselbeck
Lynda Murray

Freaking Snow.

Have to Catch Up, because of SketchUp.

Sorry for the lapse in Posts... Peeps.
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I kind of went on a binge trying to learn the SketchUp 3D CAD program.
( SketchUp Download www.sketchup.com  )

 My benchmark is that it takes about 40 hours to become proficient in a major program like Excel, Access or certainly a CAD program.  After that, you have to maintain practice, and you continue to learn.
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With Excel, which I am very comfortable with, after about twenty years or constant spreadsheet use, I still learn new stuff all of the time.  And I'm sure that I haven't scratched the surface.
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A couple of times, I have taken a stab at AutoCAD, because being able to design on the computer is a highly useful skill, but I always seemed to fall short since designing is not a central job function in my career path.  But the SketchUp program has really struck a chord.
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Except for building a boat, which requires strict attention to a set to tested plans, I usually design on the fly with my woodworking and home remodeling projects.  Tommy O' Shea's deck is an example.   But being able to lay out the design on paper, and making changes and modification before the work is actually implemented is a vastly better way to proceed.
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I like to plan out how the various project components will come together in my mind, and no CAD program has been intuitive enough to convince me to commit to paper first... until now, with this free SketchUp program.  That said, the learning curve is still substantial.

Blanket Chest/Toy Chest Design

This is a Blanket Chest or a Toy Chest along the lines of the one that I made for Grandson Will a few years ago.   Just tried to reproduce the design in Sketchup.   I have to make one for Ethan and will probably make a few more.

Aquaponics System Cost and Sales Price

Here is the materials takeoff for Vers. 2 of the Aquaponics design.  But don't get too excited.... this doesn't include Labor, Overhead and Profit.
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If I were to custom design and build this for you, it would go for the low discounted price of $9,899.00.

Aquaponics Version 2

After contemplating the initial design, I thought that the one plant tank was a little small. 

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This version uses the same one pump to send the fish water to a holding tank that sits atop the pump cabinet which waterfalls into two plant  tanks, each of which have a waterfall drain back into the fish tank which will be below grade.  The tanks will be trimed with 2x bench stock and slate stones as appropriate.

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Not a heck more work to double the planting space.  We are getting close to the final version

 

 

The SketchUp program that I designed this with is available free on-line and is really worth taking the time to download and learn.  My knowledge is rudimentary, but I plan to stick with it.

Aquaponics Design

This is the initial design that I produced with SketchUP.

The fish tank is on the left, and the fish poop and other effluent gravitates to the bottom of the tank where it is pumped to the plant tank. The plants, floating on styrofoam "rafts", absorb the organic fertilizer, and return clean, oxygenated water via a waterfall drain back to the fish tank.

The four foot deep fish tank will be three feet below grade with a foot above the ground. The two foot deep plant tank will sit on grade. Excavation will be the toughest part of the project and includes trenching to the house for the electrical conduits running to the water pump located at an enclosure at the end of the plant tank.

The tanks will be made of pressure treated plywood, reinforced with West System Epoxy and fiberglass fabric, and coated on the inside with a product called BrewCoat, which is designed to coat the inside of potable water tanks. The system will hold a combined 1,330 gallons and will be pumped with a 1000 gallon per hour water pump, that will be attached to a timer so that the water periodically circulates 24 hr/day.

The fish tank will be lined underground with polystyrene panels for insulation, and a grid floor with be set at the two foot level which will allow fish to go to the bottom of the tank to avoid cranes and raccoons, but will stop kids from sinking to the bottom of the tank if they fall in by accident (or on purpose).

Joanne wanted me to make some raised planting beds for vegetables, but we can have fish with our vegetables with this rig. I have the material budget at $1,100 and 11 man days will be required. And there is no particular credit to the man days even if a Mountain of a Man is doing the work.

The big contingency will be if I hit ledge when I dig the ditch for the fish tank.

If everything goes well, this system should be in place in the backyard by June, and we will stock it with Bluegill fingerlings and grow tomatoes and cukes. 
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I like the idea of the Bluegills because they are a hardy fish found in local ponds, and the kids may like to catch them for fun.  You could go with Koi or Goldfish if you wanted an ornamental fish tank, or you could stock with Tilapia or even Rainbow Trout if you wanted to raise the fish in the system specifically to harvest as food.
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Doug Maxfield, who used to have the second best Blog in cyberspace, northshorewaterman.com, before his last post some time ago, kept a largemouth bass, Bassford, in a tank in his living room for six years, so that is an option, although I would think that Bass could outgrow the aquaponics tank.

Sinkholes and Sequestration

So you hit the sack after a long day, and try to get in some z's.   You've locked the door and have your Smith and Wesson 380 close by in the nightstand, so nothing can really screw with you and your snooze.... right?
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Well, if you were that poor Bastard in Florida, shortly after you entered slumber, the freaking ground gives way under your house and you are buried alive.
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Man... talk about Bad Kharma!
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Word is that Nancy Pelosi says that the sinkhole crisis is due to the Republicans and Sequestration.

POTW Week 9 of 2013

So many things to think about lately.... what with aquaponics, weight loss, sequestration and other cutting topics on the agenda.  It's easy to lose your focus and forget about some of the really important things.... likely choosing the Peep of the Week.
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Granted I've been very lax at this obligation, but it's time to rededicate to this weekly feature that is so popular with Nanepashemet Peeps of all Persuasions.  It used to be that if I forgot to make the selections, so many of you would object that I'd almost feel a little bad.   But time and age have hardened me a bit, and I've become less vulnerable to your bitching and moaning.
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Anyway...
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ANNOUNCING.....
Nanepashemet Peeps of the Week for the 9th week of 2013.

Mike Nestor
Jon Dolan
Chris Crawford
Dick Coppola
Nick Avagianos
Kim Hause

Now that that's all done, I think I will look out the window to see if everything is ok now that Sequestration has hit with all of its insidious consequences.  The Prez says that the shit is hitting the fan, and he wouldn't fib a little... would he?

Self Absorbent and Narcissistic

Peeps...
For the last two days it's been back and forth to New Haven County.   Lots of miles logged on the White F-150.  So I'm kind of wiped out as I write this, and have a ton of email to attend to.
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But it was worth it, and the last two days may go down in Nanepashemet Telecom history as a crucial business turning point.   At least the potential is there.
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Being a Mountain of a Man means that you can't get your hopes up too high, nor can you drag your ass through the doldrums.  You've got to keep that even middle ground.
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Then I get back and check on Facebook and I find that one of my old classmates from Lynn English High School posted, while I was pre-occupied in Connecticut,  that this Blog is self-absorbent and narcissistic.  
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Being open minded and kind hearted, I didn't take offense.   Just because someone is a Dick, that doesn't make him a bad person.    Damn... I've always admitted that this pathetic Blog is indeed pathetic, and normal adjusted people really shouldn't read it,  but those comments lingered in my mind and began to cut like a knife.  Might be time to go on a bender.
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Just because this Blog is all about me, ....what I think, what I feel, and what I do...  that doesn't make it self absorbent and narcissistic.... does it?   .....I don't think so either.  Granted, with the Mountain of a Man status that I have anointed upon myself, it does appear to be a bit pretentious at times....   But the truth cannot be held back.
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So many of you lack the ability to form your own opinions and live you own lives, that I have been forced to carry this formidable weight of giving you truth and direction multiple times a week.   Kind of like the way the Liberals do (I can't imagine how Barack copes.... maybe he and I can start a support group or something).   And the thousands, even dozens of hits that the Blog gets in a week is testament to the obligation I have to dribble out a little wisdom to the multitudes as much as possible.
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I can't be responsible for people slitting their wrists, or jumping off cliffs just because I've cut down on the daily posts.    What do you think this is????  Sequestation or Something?????     I have to "Keep Calm and Carry On" no matter what cutting criticism is hurled in the MOAM's direction.
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So Peeps.... you have to realize... it's all about ME... but only for the benefit of YOU.
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Except for You,   DICK.

Doug Said....

Haters gonna hate. Personally, I enjoy reading about your bowel movements and long car rides.

Revived Again

Last year, about this time, I revived my intent to integrate an aquaponic system into our rocky ledge side yard.  And last night, Dale Johnson brought over a cool Pond catalog which got me thinking about making  a spring run at it this year.   Kate's wedding might push this project off, or maybe not.

Aquaponic Revival

I've been thinking of reviving my Aquaponics project that I scoped out a few years ago.  There is something really cool about raising fish and vegetables in a interactive organic system.... plus it could come in handy if I survive the Mayan end of days. (Editors Note... we did.)

The standard fish is Tilapia, but I'd love to stock the tank with Bass.
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Must be spring fever.

1. Doug Said...Mar 15, 2012 06:31 AM

   Bass are surprisingly interactive pets...Rip Bassford; 2000-2006.
2. 
   Tuna Lips Said....Mar 15, 2012 08:54 AM

   Looks somefin' like the rig ole Shoo Fly had back in North Memphis days, fer growin' reefer indoors, outside of pryin' eyes and such. Ended up torchin' halfa block of triple deckers. He had to split town right quick, bench warrants, you get the picture.
   
   Ole Shoo. Never was much good with jackin' 'lectricity offa the neighbors meter.
   
   

A Letter from St. MOAM to the Corinthians

Peeps....
I was hoping to ease off of the Weight Loss Epistles, but with so many of you hounding the crap out of me by constantly asking about the current status, I guess I have the pathetic obligation to report.  Now I know what the Apostles must have felt like with all of their gospel letters and stuff.
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Anyway... I'm Down 20.7 lbs.
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That's alot for two weeks, but remember I got a huge jump start with the three day juice fast at the beginning.   My calorie counting LoseIt.com program calls for a loss of 2 lbs. per week if I keep to my daily net calorie budget, but I have been significantly under it by adding an hour on the pain machines daily, so have been averaging about 4lbs. loss per week.
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Adding the exercise means that I can eat pretty much whatever I want as long as I account for the calories and portion control.   But when you honestly ask yourself when you are reaching for a cookie if you are really hungry, more often than not, the answer is "No".
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So then you have a choice to make... the joy of the cookie, or the satisfaction of seeing the weight loss at tomorrow's morning weigh in.   The honest truth for myself is that I have felt no real hunger at all during this regime.  And the exercise has almost eliminated the pain in my legs and knees that I had previously conceded as attributable to aging.
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You might have noticed by now that I haven't disclosed to you my starting weight or my final weight loss goal... because it's none of your damn business.... but suffice it to say that the 20 lb loss is just a start and the goal is quite a few more lbs. down the road.
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Although, I'm wicked optimistic about making my target number before the warm weather comes back if the current trends hold.
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A good test for me will be tonight when Dale and Gail Johnson drop by for dinner.   If Dale doesn't call me "Big Guy" in the first five minutes or so, it will be a clear sign that this weight loss gig is working.

Sleep Over at Auntie Kate's house.

Hacks, Scammers, and Lowlifes

Peeps....
There are a lot of creeps, losers, and lowlifes out there who spend their time on earth trying to hack into our email accounts, on-line accounts and social profiles.  You would tink that these hackers could do something better than work their illegal attacks on us, but a Loser is a Loser.
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It seems like everyday that some of these sorry losers makes a run at my stuff, and  I always fend them off by myself with little effort.   For the most part, it is enough just to rebuff the hacks which is easy.
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But I ran into a highly successful company which gave me a reasonable proposal to not only perform cyber detection to identify the losers, but their legal department will also file suit and prosecute!   And they quickly ran down one of the perps who has been bothering me and started the process.  There is a good chance that I will get a judgement and make some money.
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Oh Baby!   Nothing I like better than going after scammers and low lifes.   This should be interesting.

Buttons and Zippers

Peeps...
You don't have to be a Mountain of a Man to realize that sometimes you tend to obsess on things.   But it helps to have a certain MOAM perception of these things.
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I mean, I know that I've been obsessive on this weight loss regime  of late.   But at least I haven't mentioned any fake Cherokee Senators during this rant, so how bad can it really be?
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Let's face it..... none of you gave a rat's ass that Elizabeth Warren lied to us and still was elected a US Senator by the sheep herd that is known as the Massachusetts Democratic Party.
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And I'm pretty sure that you really don't care that I've found the way to steady and attainable weight loss.  
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But do you really think that I give even a inkling of a shit about what you think????   Not even a little bit.
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The fact is, I have a pretty big business meeting coming up in a little more than two weeks, with a highly successful guy that I haven't seen since the late 1980's.   And I'll probably have to suit up for the effort.   Even though, I'm fifteen lbs. down from a week or so ago, it will take another ten or so in the next two weeks to give me a little zipper room in my Brooks Brothers make-a-deal suit.
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I've done the math, and know exactly how may calories I have to avoid in order to button up the pants in the time allotted.

Saturday Afternoon Popcorn time

Trending Downward

Peeps....
The other day I run into a young woman to whom I'm distantly aquainted and she says, "Oh, you write that Blog?  I read it but it is all about you."   Naturally, the MOAM kept his cool.

"No Shit Bitch, it is all about me, because that's my favorite subject,"  is what I wanted to say to this young, prissy-ass turd.  But I just kept silent and flipped her the Bird as soon as she turned away.
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Anyway.... enough of this.... Let's turn to my favorite subject.  ME.
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If I had told you last Saturday morning, before my 3 day juice cleansing fast, that I would be sitting here a week later on this very Saturday morning telling you that I had lost 15 lbs., I would have had my tongue firmly implanted in cheek with fingers crossed.   Not Believable.
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But Peeps, my official Mountain of a Man report this morning is that I have lost FIFTEEN FREAKING POUNDS!!!!!  IN ONE WEEK!!!!
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How?   Three distinct reasons.

1.  The Juice Fast.   I kept to it for three days with no coffee or solid food.  And I credit my kids, Mike and Kate, who called me throughout to see how I was doing as further motivators.

2.  Exercise.   The Blizzard had me moving snow both here in Marblehead and at the Peabody warehouse for about six hours over the week.   And otherwise, I spent about two hours on the Elliptical Pain Machine at the Y, for a total of eight hours of workout during the week.

3.  Calorie Counting.   I followed the free LoseIT ap on my iPhone and established a daily calorie budget of 1900 calories a day, then kept my net calories of food less exercise at about 1600 calories a day.   The Juice Fast established an ability to curb my appetite and steer away from carbs.  My old Lynn English High School classmates and current facebook friends, Denise Kearns and Wayne Webster, were helpful motivators to me.   Both have succeeded with significant weight lose over the past year by diet changes - Wayne by carb counting and Denise by calorie counting.
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The result was 15 lbs lost.  (Actually 14.9, but I rounded up... you gotta give this one to me.)
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So it was a good week.
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I also bought a low end Hamilton Beach Juicer machine, two pineapples, and ten pounds of carrots at Costco.
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Going forward, I would like to juice fast one day week with organic vegetable and fruit juice that is produced using machine, and keep up the exercise and LoseIT based calorie counting.   My goal is to get substantially below 200 lbs well before Katelyn's Wedding in September.  
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When I was in college on the cross country team, I weighed about 155 lbs, but was not comfortable at that weight.  Then after college, I hovered in the 175 lb. range for a while until my metabolism changed in my early thirties.   At the same time, my career took off with business lunches, cocktail parties, lack of exercise and the rest is history.   Steadily Gain in Girth.
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Peeps.... I have a closet full of pants that don't fit.   But not for long.   Soon I will be stepping out in slacks that have been out of style for years now.

Continuing Weight Loss

In the 3 day Juice Fast, I lost  9 lbs.... and in the last two days, I've lost three more.   The reason for the continued loss due to counting calories with the help of the LoseIt.com ap.   
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The application has an unlimited database of foods with their caloric and nutrient values, and it allows you to scan barcodes of any foods with your iPhone and add that food to your intake. 
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It also calculates the calorie burn of exercises such as the elliptical trainer at the YMCA.
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You then tell the ap what your goal is... lose x lbs. per week to reach a certain weight goal, and the program tells you the day when that will happen.
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I've tried this application before and came up short because the calorie budget seemed too stringent... but I think the juice fast jumpstart has shifted my metabolism or something, because now I feel completely satisfied with the daily calorie limits and have been significantly lower than my allotment in the last two days.
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Basically, when you count calories, you can eat whatever you want.... the guy on the Twinkies diet showed that he could eat only Twinkies and still lose weight.   I'm still going to try to stay away from the high percentage carbs like pizza, pasta, potatoes and bread though..... until I hit a certain milestone, because losing 12 lbs is actually a very small percentage of the amount of weight that I have to lose by Katelyn's Wedding in September.

I credit the 3 day juice fast that I started 5 days ago last Saturday with refocusing my body and mind to begin this transformation.

Juice Fast - Final Update

Peeps....
Those of you who claimed with glee that the Mountain of a Man couldn't swear off solid food for three days are wrong again, as I woke up this morning in juice fast victorious glory, having consumed nothing but green tea, fruit and vegetable juices and cashew milk since last Saturday morning.
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At 5:00AM I jumped out of bed, voided, had a bm (where the hell did that come from?) then got on the scale which registered a loss of 9.5 lbs.
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I would have been ecstatic with this if I wasn't so shocked with my weight at the beginning of this fast ordeal, plus I worked out pretty hard shoveling snow from the weekend blizzard, but this is a good jump start.
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No caffeine headache this morning and no food cravings.  Still a little abdominal discomfort, but nothing to talk about.  My mental acuity seems a little sharper too.
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All in all, this fast was very doable with really no heavy lifting and no extreme withdrawal.  If anything, it changes your daily focus away from food, or gravitating from meal to meal....  and this alone could be the lasting benefit.
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This morning, I've had my K cup of Starbucks, and plan to have a banana for breakfast.  My goal is to stay away from carbs and see if I can keep the weight loss regime in place.   
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And if the Vatican calls, I will be letting it go to voicemail.  I really don't care who the Pope is and would rather stay out of it.

Juice Fast

Waiting for the snow to stop this morning, then I'll get out and shovel.... probably sometime around noon.   I've lost hope that the snowblower will start.  Will still give it a try though.
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In the meantime, I've started my three day juice fast, along the lines of the Blue Print Cleanse system.  Mike, Kate, and Brady did this recently and had very satisfying results involving weight loss and an overall healthy feeling.  I don't know if I buy into all of the hype about the toxins exiting your body, called cleansing,  but three days of substituting liquid nutrients for the solid comfort foods that I regularly consume has to have some benefits and certainly can't hurt.
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When I went to  Whole Foods yesterday, one of the prescribed juices in the six juice a day system was missing, and one was short for two days, but I think I can substitute them using the recipes in this website. http://homefitnessmanual.com/diet-tips/hacking-the-blueprint-cleanse-how-to-get-the-same-results-but-at-half-the-cost/
BTW, the demographics in Whole Foods is literally the other side of the world from Market Basket, but this is a whole other post.
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So this morning, I got up and weighed myself (OMG ), voided and had two cups of Green Tea with my daily meds. The fast allows Green Tea, but no coffee or other food of any kind.   My expectation and hope is that I will drop 10 lbs. and start the basis for a different outlook toward food through this regime.   At about 9:30 AM, I plan to drink the first juice of the day... the dreaded Green Juice. 

Update Saturday, Day 1  -  2:00PM 

At 11:00AM I had the Apple Pineapple Mint juice and just finished the second bottle of Green Juice at 1:45PM.  No BM's out of the ordinary, but I now have a dull headache which I attribute to caffeine withdrawal so I just brewed a cup of Green Tea.
The three juices left are the lemon based, beet based and cashew milk. 

The snow hasn't let up and I have been monitoring the weather radar closely.   Seems that this storm has camped on the Massachusetts coast  I had hoped that we'd see some blue sky by now, but no such luck.   In the late morning, I started moving some of the snow, but is not exactly light and fluffy, but compact and heavy.  Digging out will be an ordeal if I can't rev up that snowblower.

Update Saturday Day 1  -  4:45PM

The light weight, Toro "electric shovel" worked but the Ariens snowblower didn't so it was a lot of hand shoveling for 2 1/2 hours.  When I came in at 4:45PM I had the lemon based juice.  The dull headache is gone but I really feel spaced out.  I took off my shoveling clothes and weighed myself - lost 1.6 lbs..  Two juices left today - the beet and the cashew milk.  Plenty of shoveling left for tomorrow.

Update Sunday,  Day 2  - 7:00AM

Last night,  after the beet juce, I had a BM with lots of red.  Would have been scary if I wasn't forwarned by something I read on a website.   Drank the cashew milk then went to bed. 
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When I woke up this morning, I voided then weighed myself... lost 4.9lbs. total.   I have no craving for food and actually feel full but a little fuzzy headed.  Had a cup of Green Tea with my meds and I'm happy that  the downsized caffeine from my usual three cups of Starbucks a day is not causing a brutal withdrawal headache, which I have experienced in the past.
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Since they ran out of cashew milk when I was buying my supply at Whole Foods, I bought some raw cashews and am soaking them for blending at the evening juce drink.  After a couple hours shoveling to get the F150 out on the street, I have to get to Whole Foods to buy some more Green Juice.  That should be by noon or so.

Update Monday, Day 3 -  6:30 AM

After four hours of shoveling and then driving back to Whole Foods to get the Green Juice, I felt like hell... tired, sore, headache, fuzzy.  Then, resting on the couch and watching Sunday, no football Chick Flicks with Joanne, I had a series of bathroom sessions that you probably don't want to read about.  Nothing solid.
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Surprisingly, I didn't crave food.  At the Whole foods,  Instinctively, I went over to the nice looking lady offering samples at front door, then turned away when I realized that I was going to take a sample. Bought some Agave syrup for the cashew milk there too and checked to see if they had any of the Blue Print Cleanse, but they were still out of bottles.
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The cashew mike that I made in the blender turned out fine, but I'm not giving you the recipe here, It's on the webpage above.  What do you think this is???? A Freaking Cookbook?
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Joanne thinks this regime has made me crabby.
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This morning, after a sound sleep, I got up, voided, and found that I had lost 7.9 lbs. total.   Still feel fuzzy headed and intestinally challenged, but again, not interested in food.  At this point, there is no chance of cheating and eating solid food, and I think that a total 10 lb loss is very possible by tomorrow morning.

Update Monday, Day 3 - 5:45 PM

No headache anymore, in fact I feel really good.   I should be craving food but I don't seem to.  Joanne made herself a dinner of roasted chicken wings, peas and perogi and my dinner is the Beet Juice, but I'm still OK.  Weird.

Not sure of my weight loss, but I do the official weigh in tomorrow morning.  My jeans definitely seem a bit looser.   One more Cashew Milk to go before I go to sleep tonight.

Blizzard Prep

Peeps...
We're gearing up for a blizzard set to hit the Boston Area with two feet of snow and gale force winds this morning.
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Unlike my earlier and correct predictions that the hurricane would be a bust, I think this storm will meet the hype.   You can almost feel it in the air.   I was a young buck in my twenties when the Blizzard of 78 hit this region and it was an event not to be trifled with.
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You know you are getting old when you dread this happening.   It will be a ton of shoveling and snowblowing.   Naturally, when I pulled my snowblower out from under the deck, it didn't turn over.   It hasn't been fired up for two years, so I'll have to do some serious fiddling with it before this thing hits in the afternoon.
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Downloaded the Ariens Compact 24 manual, went to Home Depot to pick up some spare shear pins and 4 stroke engine oil.  They were all out of 10W 30 so I bought the 20W 30.  Hope this is ok.
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It is imperative to get this machine going.  My middle aged fat guy back won't last if I have to shovel all of this.
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I think I will head over to the Health food store and pick up some three day juice cleansing supplies.  This would be a good weekend to detox.


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Realty Show Pilot

The Nestor Boys made their local television debut at the Patriots playoff game a couple of weeks ago.
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Realty Show to follow.


jhgjhgj

Irresponsible but Understandable

Peeps....
Chicago bans owning and carrying a concealed firearm.   It has the toughest gun control laws in the nation.  Yet the murder rate is soaring.  Far higher than in Houston where women frequently carry guns in their purses.
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This is a simple unadorned fact.
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We all want to be safe.  We all wish that we lived in a world of harmony, safety and peace.  And we all take our chances in a chaotic existance.
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Unfortunately, being a deterrent to crime helps you to avoid being a victim.  Handguns are the deterrent that puts people on an equal footing.  A five foot grandmother can subdue a 6' 6" young marauding thug.
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Simple facts.
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So do you get the feeling that Liberals screaming about gun control while the deficit and government waste rage unabated is a diversion?   I don't.   I think that Liberals just wish for a better world, without examining the empirical facts of how to come closest to it.  Irresponsible but understandable.

Close to Planking

Gearing up again for the Marblehead Gunning Dory that is ready to be set up and planked at the Nanepashemet Peabody Warehouse.
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The base, frames, bow and stern stems are done. Next step is to secure the frames and stems  to the base and start planking the sides with some of the cedar strips left over from the Columbia Herreshoff Tender project.












 

Grandkid Time

I made the macaroni and cheese with brownies for later. Waiting for Auntie Kate and Uncle Brady to drop by while Nana works with the sticker book.

Life is Good.

Called It

. 

Jeff Kuhner, One of those obnoxious nut job right wing talk show hosts said that Obama would soon be demonstrating how he is a gun enthusiast with photos of him shooting sheet at Camp David, in order to bolster his knee jerk gun control initiative.
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I was skeptical.
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But lo and behold, here it is.
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You can make fun of those talk show hosts all you want, but it's freaking amazing how they tend to zero in on the facts.   Maybe that's why the Libs vilify guys like Rush Limbaugh (who didn't make the current prediction).
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Because more often than not, they are right.
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And BTW, Prez, maybe it's me but this looks like the third time you ever pulled the trigger of a shotgun... Looks really phony and contrived.... but that's just me.  I'm sure you're a regular red neck NRA type.

Snookered

Peeps...
Went down to New Haven this week and came back will a lesser amount of milestones and paypoints than this Mountain of a Man has grown to be accustomed to.
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WTF!!!
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Do you think I'm losing it?
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Could I be Slowing down??? Showing my age????
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I guess if you're a .400 hitter, walking away  from a .250 road trip can be a real downer.
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Last time I checked, I was still rough, tough, hard to bluff and Damn Good Looking.  
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So maybe this was just an aberation.
~
Then the week ended with Scott Brown pulling out of the Senate race.... another downer.  When you think of it though, Brown would be in his third tough campaign, for a seat the Dems will pour money into again to manufacture a Warren like win in a highly Democratic state, so I don't blame him.  Would like to see him take a run at the Governor's seat when Deval finally moves to Washington in two years.

But I kind of like this Steve Lynch guy from Southie.   He's not willing to let the beautiful people anoint the slightly pretentious Markey for the vacated Senate seat.
~
I kind of lost it for Ed Markey when he tried to make political hay over the Gulf spill disaster.... claiming that the region would take years to recover.   Course now, the PR is that the beaches and sea life are as pristine as they were before the unfortunate  oil spill, while I distinctly remember Congressman Markey taking the low ground and saying that BP had ruined the resource forever.   Got a lot of national coverage from the liberal leaning networks for that one.   I hate it when the Dems try to scare us.... for their own political advancement.
~
Years ago, I met Markey with a bunch of telecom engineers as he toured emerging companies in his district,  and he asked each one in the technical group what they did for the company.  Got a lot of laughs when I told him I was a "Political Scientist".
~
But you kind of get the feeling that Markey thinks that he is entitled to step in behind Kerry.   And of course Kerry should be able to name his successor, shouldn't he?  Plus, it seems like a long time since Markey was a common sight in Malden.  That's why I like Lynch... a straight talking former iron worker, and no stranger to his home South Boston neighborhood,  who seems to have remembered that he represents and works for the people... and doesn't try to snooker them.
~
Maybe I'll plant a Lynch sign on the West Shore Drive front Lawn.    That will shock the liberal labelers who like to characterize me as a card carrying Republican.

Joedee Fawsta

Peeps...
I think I'm losing my mind!
~
Everywhere I go, this woman follows me.
~
She calls me on my cellphone... Constantly!
~
Doesn't stop emailing either.
~
And she parks a white BMW 640i Gran Coupe outside the front of my house and just peers at the door.
~
Everywhere I go, everything I hear... It's Joedee Fawsta, Joedee Fawsta, JOEDEE FAWSTA.
~
Right now, as I type this, Joedee Fawsta is in my driveway making obscene gestures.
~
I can't take it anymore.

Senator Selection

Today, Governor Deval Patrick announces his choice for interim US Senator to fill the seat vacated by John Kerry who assumes his Cabinet post.
~
Early in the process, I made it clear to the Governor that I did not want to be considered.   Sure, nominating the Mountain of a Man would have gone a long way to healing the resentment and vituperation that characterizes our present political situation..... as I would have opened my arms to harmony, mutual trust and understanding.....  I know this to be true.
~
Yet Peeps.... as I explained to Deval.... I have to be true to a higher purpose.... to expose Liberal Media Gushing wherever it is found.... to shine the light on phony Native American lily white Harvard Law Professors ....and to provide daily guidance to a pathetic flock of hopelessly addicted Nanepashemet Blog readership.
~
To the Governor's credit, he understood and agreed to pick a lesser soul for the post.  We'll see his selection today.

Swooning for the Secretary of State

There have been a lot of liberals gushing and swooning lately saying that H. Clinton is the "Best" Secretary of State that we have ever had.  
~
Let's take a look at their assertion though... maybe the Moonbats are right!
~
There have been 67 Secretary's of State including John Jay, Thomas Jefferson, John Marshall, James Madison, John Quincy Adams, Daniel Webster, Elihu Root, George Marshall, Dean Acheson, John Foster Dulles, Dean Rusk, Alexander Haig, Madeleine Albright, Colin Powell, Condoleeza Rice, and others.     
~
So, Dems... why is Clinton better than these Folks????
~
 It's a simple question.  But remember that you disrespect the work of all these people when you glibly gush away about Mrs. Clinton and say that she was better than all of  them with no empirical evidence of their accomplishments or hers.  Frankly, to say she is better than John Marshall, or John Jay, or John Quincy Adams is rediculous, and kind of irresponsible in my book.   Just to name a few Johns.
~
And here's another question. What is the difference between Fact and Propaganda?   Because the gushes and swoons seem to cross the line.

It's Not Cold, That Was Cold in 1906 when the Marblehead Harbor Froze

Add caption

Is It Hypocracy or Just Plain Crazy?

Diane Fernstein - Proponent of Gun Control. Her bill would allow politicians to be exempt. Classic.  The Democrats just want the laws to apply to us governed types.

Blogging from the iPhone

This could be dangerous

Global Warming

The Prez mentioned Global Warming as a big part of  his 2nd Term during his Inaugural Address this week, and John Kerry brought it up in his Secretary of State confirmation hearings.
~
So... Many of you have posed the question to the Mountain of a Man.... Do I think that the world is getting warmer?
~
Sure  I do . 
~
Only 10,000 years ago.... a blink of a geological eyeball.... the very spot that I am sitting on was covered by a thick glacier.... as in Ice Age.  There is evidence of this everywhere in New England... All of those big boulders were deposited in our back yards as the ice receded.   And this  process  has been encountered by the Earth on a natural cyclical basis.
~
Peeps... Despite what you may have been told, Republicans and a capitalist economy did not cause the Ice Age... and they aren't the cause of Global Warming either.   Al Gore may have picked up  an Academy Award and the Nobel Prize by ginning up a Global Warming Chicken Little Flick, but that's about the only tragedy that we will see in the short term during this geological trend.
~
So if BO and Kerry wish to distract you by tilting at the Global Warming windmill... that is exactly what it is.... a distraction.   Because we can't stop the Earth from spinning, and we can't control the climate.
~
And BTW, if they could do something about Global Warming, I wish they would turn up the thermostat a few notches today.... it's Freaking COLD outside!

Locked and Loaded

A little while ago, I sent a cold call sales email out to a Massive Potential Client (MPC).   Actually, I was feeling a little frisky that Sunday morning and sent out emails to four MPC's.
~
These are the types of marketing efforts that I never expect responses from.   They are off the wall offers to provide project management services to companies that have massive projects and resources in place.   I usually do this when I'm a little peeved with the current business outlook and do something outrageous to get the adrenaline back.
~
But MPC Numero Uno responded... is interested.... set up a presentation meeting for the end of February.  
~
This gives me one month to prepare.   And this MOAM is going to that meeting Locked and Loaded.
~
If I told you who it was, and what I offered, you would never believe it.    But Peeps... you can never second guess yourself.   Because when you do that, your failure is a self fulfilling prophecy. 
~
You have to try, sometimes, be bold... even outrageous.  Then, at least you have given yourself a chance.  Not a huge chance, but a chance that I wouldn't have if I didn't send out that crazy email.
~
And if, against all odds, I land a game changing deal with this MPC, then I owe it all to allowing myself to go through with a crazy, impulsive action that Sunday morning.

Cynical Situation

Peeps... The other day I was on Facebook and one of my Liberal FB friends accused me of being a "Cynic".
~
I would hate to think that criticism of the Obama regime has made me jaded. 
~
Was I cynical when I went on that anti-Warren, "I'm an Indian so shut the hell up" tear?  Am I cynical when I criticize the headlong trip to financial oblivion that the federal deficit represents?  Was I cynical when the Liberals rushed to ban guns using the poor children murdered by a mental case as an excuse?   Is it cynical to see the Libyan consulate murdered with the President covering up the facts as an election liability?
~
The fact is that I truly hate dishonesty, incompetence, and disingenuous behavior.
~
If that makes me a cynic. then I'm a card carrying, front of the line, kiss my ass... CYNIC.
~
And proud of it.

DisGushting

Peeps...
A special thanks goes out to the sweet baby Jesus that the inaugural is over.
~
If any more of those ABC Liberally-Biased talking heads gush any more..... I think that I may have to hit the Emergency room for some Obamacare after a serious Gush and Fawn Overdose.
~
Her Bangs.... "Stunning!!!"    Her Red Dress...."Spectacular"!!!!!!
~
As Diane Sawyer said this morning... and I quote..."Fawn, Fawn, Gushy Gush Gush, Fawn".  To which George Democratontopofus responded, "Yes Diane, but I also thought that Gush, big fat Liberally Biased Gushy Gush, Fawn, Gush Gush."
~
This is telejournalism at its hard hitting finest, Peeps.
~
I always thought that I was as tough as the next guy... but the next Gush I hear could very well be the tipping point.
~
At least the Prez pounded out a come together, feel good speech that made you proud to be an American.   Something for everyone... as long as you were a card carrying Liberal and don't mind Bankrupting the country for future generations to deal with... but we have to change the climate.... for the children.
~
Too late.... Heading for the closest sink to Hurl.

Patriots Lost - No Superbowl this Year

At Least the Nestor Brothers salvaged some PR out of it.

Back in Control

Peeps -
I have neglected the posts yet again.
~
Part of my regime of efficiency at Nanepashemtet Telecom has caused this pathetic compendium of irrationality to suffer as of late.
~
I promise that I will re-dedicate.
~
There certainly has been enough stuff for commentary...... Lance Armstrong, Imaginary Girlfriends, Pats v. Ravens, Gun Control....
~
I guess I could cover these.
~
Lance?  Who Gives a Shit.   Ride your two wheeler high as a kite as far as I care.

Imaginary Girlfriends?  The ND Linebacker might be a good football player, but he's still a 22 year old whack job, as we all were at that age.   So... again, my considered ruling on this matter is ... Who Gives a Shit?
~
Pats v. Ravens?   Tom Brady and Bill Belichick are a legends in our midst.   They will not let the Super Bowl path end this Sunday.
~
Gun Control?   The politicians who have ignored the established and documented fact that where the citizenry have access to guns for personal protection, the crime rate is low.... and have used the murder of children to fan their irresponsible position... are despicable.  And this list is headed by Obama, Patrick, Warren and Menino.
~
I have a permit for concealed carry in a number of states.   The process to obtain this is regulated and fairly rigorous in Massachusetts.   First you have to go to a day long gun safety course, when you learn of the extensive regulations in keeping your firearm in a secure locked case when it is not on your person.    Then you have to be interviewed by the Police in your home locality.   Your fingerprints are recorded digitally and logged into the State Police Database.  Then the police do a thorough criminal background check on you.... and question everything in your record.   Only then, after a two month wait,  are you issued your Class A License to Carry a Concealed Firearm Permit.
~
Then you go to the gun store.  The first thing that the clerk does is ask if you have a permit and if he can see it.   He takes it and puts it on the back counter while you are in the store.  If you decide to purchase a firearm, the clerk makes you fill out an application, then checks your fingerprint against the imprint that is on your license.   Then he accesses the FBI database to perform a background check.  If this checks out,  the clerk completes the transaction, you get your permit back,  and you walk out of the store with a firearm that is "Massachusetts Compliant".   That means that the magazine that you use in your gun cannot contain more than nine rounds and cannot be fired automatically like a machine gun.  This is not even close to an assault rifle that our military uses.
~
By the way.... do you think I'm complaining????  No Freaking Way.
~
I believe that the Massachusetts law, fairly exercised, is highly appropriate, and I am glad to comply.  If I can't defend myself or others with nine rounds from my semi-automatic pistol, then I guess my time is up, and I can accept that.
~
But a 13 year old kid was shot in the stomach going to choir practice in Roxbury last week.  And the mental case who shot the kids in Newtown, was carrying firearms legally owned by his mother, but illegally secured.
~
So criminals and mental cases are going to use guns.   But statistically, the use of these weapons hardly ever occurs where the Perp has knowlege that someone else in the venue may be armed.
~
So call me any name you want, but to me, the facts emphatically say that an armed, responsible citizenry, with the ability for effective personal defense, is the best deterrent to crime.
~
It wasn't too long ago, on this very Blog right after the Virginia Tech massacre, when your MOAM came out for a total ban of guns, saying that the 2nd Amendment was obsolete.   A multitude of Peeps assailed me on this, which normally wouldn't see me retracting,  Yet I felt a need to check into the regulations, and research the facts on gun control, which really opened my eyes and brought me to my present assertion.
~
Gun Control is a complex issue, where knee jerk reactions don't apply.   I just saw the pathetic Warren and her mumbling Buddy, Mayor Menino, saying we have to protect the Children.  
~
Yes we do, Liz.  We have to responsibly protect them.

Meterological Explanation

Peeps....
For the last two winters, snow has been negligible here around Boston.   Really no accumulation, unlike the year previous when we were constantly buried.
~
I would like to personally take credit for this situation.
~
Two years ago, in the midst of heavy snowfall, I shelled out significant dollars to buy a heavy duty snowblower, after years of holding out and waiting for Tommy O to save the day with his.
~
Naturally, since I bought that unit, snow has ceased to fall.
~
So the Universe is calling me out.   But at least Boston benefits.
~
Maybe Global Warming has been caused by all of the Snowblowers that have been sold in the 21st century.  It's a scientific fact that the Eark has gotten warmer with the current proliferation of Snowblowers.
~
Al Gore should check it out, but he's probably too busy counting his Al Jheezera Score.

Neat Streak

I've been on a neatness streak lately.
~
A place for everything, and everything in its place.
~
Those who have known me over time, know that this is never a permanent situation.   I've had sloppy streaks that have lasted for years.
~
When I was the Lynn Housing Authority Director, I would never leave unless every file was in place.  And when I had an office in Cambridge, the level of organization was at an all time high.
~
But at other times... not so much.
~
When I'm in a neat streak, nothing can be out of place.   Neurotically.   A completely clean desk and not a paper in sight.  Historically, when this happens, I have been at the top of my game.   And it's true that I'm feeling that way lately, too.
~
We'll see how long this lasts.

A True Hero's Passing

Thanks to former POTY Kerry D'Orio for posting this in Facebook...  As you know, I can never disclose why someone is chosen as a Peep of the Week, but in this case, you have a great clue.

Kerry Russell D'Orio shared Steve Kapner's photo.

• 

  "Shifty" By Chuck Yeager
  
  Shifty volunteered for the airborne in WWII and served with Easy
   Company of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, part of the 101st
  
   Airborne Infantry. If you've seen Band of Brothers on HBO or the
  
  History Channel, you know Shifty. His character appears in all 10
  
  episodes, and Shifty himself is interviewed in several of them.
  
  I met Shifty in the Philadelphia airport several years ago. I didn't
  
  know who he was at the time. I just saw an elderly gentleman having
  
  trouble reading his ticket. I offered to help, assured him that he was
  
  at the right gate, and noticed the "Screaming Eagle," the symbol of
  
  the 101st Airborne, on his hat.
  
  Making conversation, I asked him if he'd been in the 101st Airborne
  
  or if his son was serving. He said quietly that he had been in the
  
  101st. I thanked him for his service, then asked him when he served,
  
  and how many jumps he made.
  
  Quietly and humbly, he said "Well, I guess I signed up in 1941 or so,
  
  and was in until sometime in 1945 ..." at which point my heart
  
  skipped.
  
  At that point, again, very humbly, he said "I made the 5 training
  
  jumps at Toccoa, and then jumped into Normandy . . . do you know
  
  where Normandy is?" At this point my heart stopped.
  
  I told him "yes, I know exactly where Normandy is, and I know what
  
  D-Day was." At that point he said "I also made a second jump into
  
  Holland , into Arnhem ." I was standing with a genuine war hero ...
  
  and then I realized that it was June, just after the anniversary of
  
  D-Day.
  
  I asked Shifty if he was on his way back from France , and he said
  
  "Yes... And it 's real sad because, these days, so few of the guys are
  
  left, and those that are, lots of them can't make the trip."
  
  My heart was in my throat and I didn't know what to say.
  
  I helped Shifty get onto the plane and then realized he was back in
  
  coach while I was in First Class. I sent the flight attendant back to
  
  get him and said that I wanted to switch seats. When Shifty came
  
  forward, I got up out of the seat and told him I wanted him to have
  
  it, that I'd take his in coach.
  
  He said "No, son, you enjoy that seat. Just knowing that there are
  
  still some who remember what we did and who still care is enough to
  
  make an old man very happy." His eyes were filling up as he said it.
  
  And mine are brimming up now as I write this.
  
  Shifty died on Jan. l7 after fighting cancer.
  
  There was no parade.
  
  No big event in Staples Center .
  
  No wall-to-wall, back-to-back 24x7 news coverage.
  
  No weeping fans on television.
  
  And that's not right!
  
  Let's give Shifty his own memorial service, on line, in our own quiet way.
  
  Please repost to everyone you know. Especially to the veterans.
  
  Rest in peace, Shifty.
  
  Chuck Yeager, Maj. General [ret.]
  
  P.S. I think that it is amazing how the "media" chooses our "heroes" these days...
  
  Elvis, Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston & the like.

Flu Shot

There is a lot of hype going around about the flu bug this year.  Joanne is on my back to get a flu shot, but I haven't had the flu for twenty years or so.  Course I was hospitalized with it in my early twenties, so I know how bad it can get.   Back then, I went on intraveinous feeding in Union Hospital for a week, lost a ton of weight and was really weak.
~
So Peeps, I really should get a shot and so should you.
~
But we are fortunate that we don't have the diseases of our ancestors.   Our great Sachem Nanepashemet had 3000 warriors in his band in 1616.  By 1619, he had 300 due to the smallpox that was introduced to the Indians by European fishermen landing in New England.
~
It was this epidemic that opened up the Indian lands allowing for the Great English Puritan Migration of the 1620's and 30's.
~
Smallpox was a scourge in Colonial America as well and would arise every few years to the great panic and despair of the townspeople.  In Marblehead, they would seal off the roads, not let anyone come and go, and send the sick off to a hospital on Cat Island, a 1/2 mile off shore.  But the disease still would sweep though taking a percentage of the population.
~
Must have been a terrifying period.   And the psyche of this lives on as we take precautions against the flu strains that exist today.

TommyO8:55 AM

I too will never get a flu shot.
Back in 1994 I got the flu. The virus teamed up with the antibodies in my system and ate away at my spinal column rendering me paralyzed from the neck down. The disease is known as Gulliane Barre Syndrom. This thing kicked my but and it took six months for me to get back on my feet. The Flu shot is a direct injection of the virus into your system. When diagnosed the doc asked me if I had a flu shot recently. Although the answer was no and I simply had the flu, the chances are increased to get this dreaded disease if you get a flu shot. It is a one in 2-3 million shot this could happen to you. I will take my chances and purchase hand sanitizer and stay away from anyone with flu like symptoms. Go Pats.

Massachusetts Puffin Sighting

Ryan saw a Puffin yesterday floating in Marblehead Harbor.

I think it's rare to see these cold water ocean birds this south. 
~
Doesn't this little guy know about Global Warming?
Must be a Republican.

Boat Lure

IF you can look at this , and not have an overwhelming urge to build a double ended rowing boat, you have far more will power than I do.

 

Henry the Cat

A lot of you have been asking how Henry, our new 1 year old cat that we bought from the Salem Shelter, is doing.
~
At first, the feline was acting skittish and hid under the bed whenever you came in... that was two weeks ago.
~
Now, I am presently experiencing the rare instance when Henry is not laying across my arms, preventing me from typing on this laptop.
~
Joanne and I have had cats most of our married lives, but this one is crazy affectionate.  Really in your face, notice me, purrball affectionate.
~
Naturally, Joanne is a little put out that Henry prefers sitting on my lap, but to a cool cat like Henry, a MOAM lap is hard to resist.

Doug said...
Creepy... on Henry the Cat

Matinicus Double Ender

At right is Christine Coombs' painting of her family's  Matinicus Double Ender, Freedom which was refurbished by Duck Trap Woodworking of Lincolnville Beach, Maine.
~
These boats were originally designed and used for lobstering off of Matinicus Island.  It's said that they were inspired by the canoes used by the Passamaquoddy Indians in Maine. 
~
The Passamaquoddy's were warlike and used to paddle down the coast all the way to Massachusetts to attack the peaceful and agricultural Pawtuckets and Naumkeags.
~
There is a nice Matinicus moored near Brown's Island in Marblehead Little Harbor.
~
I bought a set of plans to build a 12 footer a few years ago, and just pulled them out again.

Speaker Thomas McGee of Lynn

Tom McGee, former Speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives, passed away this week from Alzheimer's Disease. He was 88 years old.

~

McGee from Lynn was a tough, cigar chomping,  ex-Marine and was an old style politician who believed in helping people.   He was completely unpretentious and didn't tolerate fools or phonies.
~
During his heyday in Massachusetts, the Governor's Office was held by Michael Dukakis, who was a well spoken academic liberal, adored by the Boston Globe.  McGee wasn't.   He and Senate President Billy Bulger were held in contempt by the Globe which held a great deal of sway in that pre-Internet era. 
~
The Globe had no use for straight talking, no bullshit political operatives that they couldn't intellectually control in those days, and that is precisely what McGee was.
~
When I had the ambition to become the Executive Director of the Lynn Housing Authority, I had a strange intuition to call the Speaker's Office and ask to talk to McGee.  I was 28 years old at the time, but remember precisely where I was as I miraculously picked up the phone and dialed his number without even checking the telephone book.   The number just appeared in my head, and I dialed it, even though I never had called him before.   That is a true story and even I have always been significantly weirded out by it.
~
McGee got right on the line, and I blurted out to him that I was interested in the job and would appreciate if he could give me his support.   He said he'd get back to me, and that was it.   Less than a minute on the phone.    
~
Two weeks later, I was the Lynn Housing Authority Executive Director.   I was young, naive and not a little bit stupid, but aggressively worked that job until I ran afoul of the state regulatory bureaucracy when I asked them to restore local control to the Authority.  They were hell bent on having the state community affairs office run the Lynn Housing Authority
~
In a showdown meeting in Speaker McGee's office, complete local control was restored after I demonstrated the physical and financial improvements that had been made in my first year there.
~
Throughout my three year tenure at the Housing Authority, I was accused of shilling for McGee for units and jobs, but he never put the arm on me to do any of that political stuff..... except once, when I laid off a painter who was his AA sponsor.  I didn't even know of the guy's relationship with McGee when the layoffs went down. McGee got me on the line and ripped me a new one for 30 seconds, then slammed the phone down.   So.... against the union rules and state regulations, I promptly put the painter back on the payroll.   Never a peep from anyone.... not the state bureaucrats, the union stewards..... nobody.
~
McGee was really proud of being the Speaker and loved to show you his office at the State House.   Grand ceilings and ornate wood paneling.   He served longer than any person in that highly volatile position and was crucial in helping the State maintain fiscal solvency when the Dukakis Massachusetts Miracle hit the skids.
~
I attended a Mayor's meeting once with a Dukakis transportation bureaucrat named Fred Salvucci, who was pining away on state process and policy when McGee finally had enough, slammed his fist on the conference table in the Lynn Mayor's office and yelled, " You tell your fucking boss the Governor, that Lynn gets this funding and I've got the fucking votes."   The Dukakis intellectual was stunned and the meeting was abruptly concluded.
~
Peter DeVeau and I sat in the back of the room, glanced at each other and suppressed even a smirk at this awesome shutdown by McGee, who so inelegantly stated what we we both thinking.
~
McGee was upended in the House by George Keverian of Everett who put together a coup and got the Speakership votes.   He still had a year or so to go on his State Representative term but he had to move out of the posh Speaker's Office and took a desk in the State House basement amid the exposed pipes with other freshman reps.
~
Harvey Rowe and I went to visit him down there, and I felt really bad to see him in those surroundings that were obviously meant to embarrass him, but he was his genuine self and was pleased that we had taken the time to look him up.
~
A while ago, I ran into Bob Fennell, State Rep from Lynn who told me that the job isn't like it used to be.  "You really can't do anything for anybody," Bob said, lamenting a time when guys like McGee would cut through the red tape and make the system work.
~
I always felt that I made a contribution in Lynn... at the Lynn Housing Authority, when I got grants to rehab all of the units, eliminated the graft and corruption from the budget and spending,  and brought fairness back into the process of getting a public housing unit.    After three years, that agency had been turned around, was being touted as a model for the State,  and I entered entrepreneurial business, which is a whole other story.
~
Maybe I wouldn't have had the opportunity to get that job without asking for Speaker McGee's sponsorship.   He didn't know me at the time.  I was the Deputy Director at the Lynn Community Development Department and had never even shaken his hand.   But I asked for his help and he gave it.
~
And it makes you wonder how many other people in his wide sphere of influence around Lynn and Massachusetts are thanking him in their prayers for the opportunities that he tilted for them as well.
~
Thank you for helping me Mr. Speaker.
They don't make them like you anymore.  
RIP.