DownEast

Headed to Maine.
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Don't worry.... I can get on line in Ellsworth near the Acadia National Seashore, so no need to panic. You'll get your Blog fix.
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I won't let you down.

Only Human

Peeps....
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You're starting to make me nervous.
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This Blog is not religious dogma, it is not from the United States Code of Federal Regulations, it is not a tablet from Mount Sinai.... it is only the Nanepashemet Blog.
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That means it is the ramblings of a middle aged, slightly overweight, Irish American white guy who has been known to be loud and obnoxious in public and doesn't dress particularly well.
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Sure, I'm rough, tough, hard to bluff and damn good looking, but that is beside the point.
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Even with my wireless, tech savvy PMP professional status, and my expertise in cedar strip boatbuilding.... I'm just a man who is not that much better that you.
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So.... please do not send me anymore money in the mail and stop emailing me with your anguished pleas for advice with your personal and professional life. (I will, however, continue to accept bottles of Lagavulin with appropriate gratitude.)
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There is only so much responsibility that I can bear in trying to eliminate evil from this earthly dimension.
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I'm trying the best that I can, but you really have to try and learn to get along without my intercession.

Fast Week

I have to cram a lot of administrative details, plus a couple of Rockett meetings into the next day and 1/2 before I leave for the Maine Coast Guard surveys on Tuesday afternoon.

When I return on Friday night, Mike will be home from DC and Kate will be in Marblehead on Saturday. Should be a fast week and a great weekend. July is already over.

Striped Bass Anyway

So I resolve that I'm going to stick to Bluefishing, and what do we catch????
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A nice stripped bass for Tom O'Shea's 49th birthday.
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It is the only striper that was ever caught on my boat while trolling in Bluefish Alley
behind Baker's and near the Breakers.

Go figure.

More Deck

Not a newsworthy day. Nothing of note nationally or internationally as of this morning. Nothing crazy, irrational, or shocking.
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So I guess I'll have to tell you more about my deck project.
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The rain yesterday was a setback, but I plan to glue the rest of the oak accent blocks, go bluefishing, then cut and shape the railing before it is Dark and Stormy time at 5:00PM. There will be pictures to follow.
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I'm feeling lucky.

Contingency

Now its pouring outside. A thunderstorm cell is passing though and wreaking havoc with the deck railing project schedule. As a professional project manager, I know that contingencies must be part of the plan.... but my plan is screwed.

Off Schedule

The West System Epoxy Resin at West Marine, Marblehead, was $94 per gallon, but they didn't have any West 207 Clear Coating Hardener, so I went to Nautical Traders on Bridge Street in Salem to see if they had any.
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Glad I did.
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The resin at Nautical Traders was $74 a gallon and the harderer was 10% cheaper too. But they didn't have the 207 clear. The nice lady there said that she would order it and it would be in by Tuesday, which I agreed to, but I won't be back in town until Saturday, so she said she would put it aside.
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From now on, I'm a Nautical Traders customer for all of my epoxy needs.
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I'll get everything done on the cap so that the finishing can start next weekend. So the schedule is off.

Time for Action

It's 8:15 on Saturday morning.
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I've just finished the three hard boiled eggs that Joanne made for me and had a cup of coffee. I haven't taken my blood pressure pill, aspirin and fish oil capsule yet though.
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I guess it's time to start the deck cap schedule.
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Obviously, I'm stalling, but pretty soon, this lazy lethargy will lift and I will be in a dervish of productive project activity.
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Any time now.....

Time Crunch

August is coming quickly. Mike is due back from DC a week from today.
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I had hoped to have made a dent in the deck and basement tile projects by the time he came back. The deck cap has a chance to be finished, but it looks like I have to hit the road from Tues to Fri. next week, driving up the Maine coast all the way to the Nova Scotia border to survey Coast Guard tower sites.
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That tightens up the deck cap schedule.

Saturday Morning

• Jigsaw Cut curves in mahogany cap.
• Epoxy glue oak bottom backing to mahogany top.
• Go Fishing while epoxy cures
  

Saturday Afternoon

• Fair Edges and top with belt sander
• Rout channel for oak accent strip
• Cut and epoxy accent Strip
• 1st Coat Epoxy coating
  

Sunday Morning

• 2nd Coat Epoxy

Monday Morning

• 1st Coat Marine Varnish

Tuesday Morning

• 2nd Coat Marine Varnish
• Leave for Maine
  

3rd Coat Marine Varnish when I return at the end of the week

That's the best I can do.

I still have to fabricate the deck stair railing.

Sore Losers

Lots of fallout on the Peep Logo selection. A real Donnybrooke. Bitter feelings and Harsh words.
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Bobby Brown in particular has been a bit of a sore loser.
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Bob, you came this close.... at least that's Vice President Chaney's opinion....but, your logo just wasn't as good as Emily's.
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Take it like a man. Your threats have no effect upon me.


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Although.... a bottle of Lagavulin just might be enough for a reconsideration.

Corporate Jets

A day of interesting meetings.... for financing, architectural design, and permitting. In between, we set up some communication and management processes for the upcoming General Dynamics Coast Guard work. I like to be busy, but it is starting to take a good deal of time management.
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Looks like a bank is interested in tying into the cash flow requirements of Nanepashemet Telecom. I've tried to keep things small, but it looks like the company is busting out, and we might as well share the wealth. Even bankers have to eat.
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We'll be putting together a formal business plan, which I have avoided, but it is inevitable. As I described the business to the bank, even I wanted to invest in it, and I already own it!
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There is a compelling story when you look at our potential customers, our industry contacts, professional knowledge and the fact that we have already done this before.... highly successfully for the General Dynamics Wireless business area. That effort bought our boss, Mike Chandler, a Gulf Stream Corporate Jet, and decent bonuses for us.
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We won't be buying a jet, but everything else is a go.

Week 30 - Peeps of the Week

It's official.
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The Nanepashemet POTW logo is established for the ages.
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I suppose that I should give some credit to Emily Ingardia, even though there is a cloud of suspicion regarding the source of this submittal. I really don't care. Emily had the fortitude to propose the best, regardless of where she stole it from.
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So Emily is the winner, basking in the sultry glory of her victory. She gets a ride in the Tender on Marblehead Harbor over the holidays, and fifteen minutes alone with Roenick the Cat.
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I know these prizes seem too generous, but to the victor goes the spoils.
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Now.... to the all important business at hand.

Announcing
The Nanepashemet Peeps of the Week for the 30th week of 2007

• Lou Tarmy
• Will Murray
• Linda O'Shea
• Lindsay Lohan
• Jack Attridge
• Jack Barry

Now that the POTW has a logo, the honor/disgrace is even more intense. That's progress.

Take Care

That brutal home invasion crime in Cheshire, Ct. reminds us that we still have to live defensively. Our ancestors were wary constantly of the threat of wild beasts or vandal attacks. In our "civilized" society, we have let our guard down.
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Be careful.

Anticipation for POTW

Today is a special day for Katelyn Nestor and Roenick the Cat.
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They can't wait for the Peep of the Week Selections this evening.
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I think that Katelyn is more enthusiastic than Roenick.
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The lovely Emily still has the logo contest lead.... even after well over a thousand submittals. There is still time to overtake her, but it will be tough.

Phase Transition

We are rapidly transitioning from the business development phase to the implementation phase at Nanepashemet Telecom. Hopefully this will lead to the making a lot of money phase. That's the phase I'm looking forward to.

I'm thinking that the making a lot of money phase is comprised of excellent quality, service beyond expectations, and high customer satisfaction. Should be no problem.

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BTW, that is not me at the top of the State of New Hampshire Liquor Commission Rohn Tower. It's a guy that we hired. I may be nuts, but I'm not crazy.

Logo Contest Update

This logo, submitted by Emily Ingardia of Lake Tahoe, is clearly the lead of the Peep of the Week logo contest.
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Pristine, don't you think?
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I still have to sort though about nine hundred and fifty additional submittals, but this will be hard to beat.
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Tomorrow, I will have to bite the bullet and make a choice. Whining and complaining by the losers will have no effect.

Physical Evidence

We installed the Broadband equipment today at the New Hampshire State Liquor Commission in two Concord, NH sites.
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I have to say, I was impressed with my partners, and their ability to work hard in a physical situation. I had seen them in office and business development situations, but never in a scenario where they were required to exert themselves into an uncomfortable physical condition, In other words....work up a sweat.
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We also tied into a great Tower Climbing tech firm which will substantially enhance our productivity and service offerings to the wireless industry.

I have pictures, but I'm just too bushed to download them right now.

Hatching

Today was supposed to be a slow day, with only one appointment in the morning, but I was out straight all day. Planning for the New Hampshire installation, handling some real estate transaction issues, setting up a PMO for a construction company, talking to a bank for business finance, were only a few of the things that filled up the hours quick.
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I have a feeling that it is going to get a lot worse as the projects that we have been incubating start to hatch.

Weekend Progress

To my surprise, I got all of the mahogany cut and secured on the deck cap today. Now, I can add the oak accent undersides, and rout in the oak center accents.
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Hopefully, I'll be doing the laminated stair railings by mid week. I'd like to wrap this project up midweek and ambush some Lake Umbegog trout by next weekend.
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It all depends on weather and the Nanepashemet Telecom workload.
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We'll be in New Hampshire on Tues., and Will Murray is lending me a pulley winch to hoist equipment up to the top of the New Hampshire Liquor Commission Headquarters.
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Everything else is classified.

J Boat

I keep telling my friends that when Nanepashemet Telecom starts to hit stride, then I don't want money to change me. They think I'm joking, but I'm really serious.
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The advantage that I have is that I made a lot of money in my thirties with the attendant cars, boats and high end homes. I also attracted quite a few phonies who hung around me as "friends".
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When the real estate bubble of the eighties burst, and we took the financial hits, only a few friends remained. They remain today as my most trusted confidants. It took a disaster to discover them. But now I can spot the phonies a mile away - those pretentious, polite gold diggers who only care about what you can get for them. They wear their disguises well, and can be very convincing, but they don't stand a chance with me as we experience our long awaited financial resurgence.
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I see them around others on the upswing, and I know what the surrounding phonies look like. You want to warn people, but everyone has to experience their own pitfalls I guess.
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I believe that mine made me a better person in the long run, even though you wish others wouldn't have to go through the same pain.
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While my kids were in college, I went the conservative corporate route and didn't take the kind of entrepreneurial chances that can lead to big scores. But now they are out on their own, doing well financially, and it's time for this J Boat to set sail again. There will be no phony crew members, and this boat will steer clear of the rocks because I've already been through these waters.

Real Estate Investments

I had a chance to help a good friend with a real estate deal today which was quite gratifying.
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It's nice when people understand and appreciate what you do for them.
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Real estate is great to be involved in as a method to accumulate capital and wealth. If I had maintained the investments that I was involved in during my thirties, I would be happily retired by now, but it was not in the stars.
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Things happen for a reason.

Bluefishing

It just hit me that in my conversation with my son Mike this afternoon, he mentioned that I was a Bluefish fisherman.
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I know that he was intimating that I never have much luck with stripped bass, but I usually catch bluefish.
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He's right. And I have to say that it is a good observation. I think that I will concentrate on what I am good at, and leave the stripped bass to others.
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Blues fight a lot harder anyway. Also, you have a chance to tie into a football tuna if you are bluefishing.... especially out by Halfway Rock.

Years ago, in my old Mako, Joe Collins and I were into Bluefish out there when something hit that stripped Joe's line. In hindsight, it was a tuna, although we didn't know it at the time. Tuna will take the same kind of Rebel lures that we troll for Bluefish with and actually feed on the Blues.
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So, I'm going to key in on the Blues.

Weekend Goals

There's a couple of things that I'm going to try to do this weekend.
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Tomorrow, I have to test the Broadband equipment that we bought for the New Hampshire State Liquor Commission with Elsier and DiMatteo.
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So don't you think it is appropriate that we taste some fine single malt scotch afterwards? Me too.
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On Sunday, I really have to devote some time to the deck railing project, but that shouldn't preclude a spin around the Marblehead Harbor on the Tender.
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There's a bunch of other things I'd like to do too, some that I can't, and some that I won't.

Friday Decision

OK Peeps.
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It's 2:00 PM and I've finished both pricing submittals with DiMatteo and Elsier and heard from Mikey in DC. Time to commence the weekend.
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I'm going to head down to Silver Shears for a trim and then maybe get some work on the deck railing done. Tomorrow, we are testing some broadband equipment that has to be installed next week, so I don't feel too bad about quitting early.
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I'll have my cell phone on, just in case.

Courageousness

Just to let you know that I am not afraid of anything, I'm going to reveal the following fact.
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I'm a big fan of Martha Stewart.
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I don't watch her show or anything, but I admire her determination and steadfastness. She took a stint in prison, got out, dusted herself off, and resumed her career with a lot of class. She is a model of how to handle the setbacks in life.
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Now....

Give me you best shot.
Attack my manhood.
You gutless wonders.

I think I just wrote a haiku!

Competition Heats Up

Lots of great Peep of the Week logo submittals already. So far, these are the best.
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I knew that this would be tough.

Week 29 - POTW

Today was a flurry of breakthrough activity.
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If I didn't realize from my ten years in the business that the telecom business development cycle was so protracted and slow, I would be quite nervous by now. But it always takes a long time for the deals to matriculate.
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The ironic thing is that the procurement process is so slow, but then the customer wants the implementation by yesterday.
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I'm going to reward myself by having a large double cheese with garlic, pepperoni and artichokes from Vesuvius in Marblehead. Easily the best Pizza this side of the Coliseum. I might even throw in a Mike's Hard Cranberry Lemonade. How's that for a celebration dinner!!!

Now for the business at hand.

Announcing.....
The Nanepashemet Peeps of the Week for the 29th week of 2007

• Emily Ingardia
• Rob Wise
• Gail Johnson
• Patrick Piscatelli
• David Letterman
• Mark Vona

Pretty soon, when I am swamped with work, I'm depending upon the Peeps to remind me of my current euphoria.

POTW Logo

I know that today is Thursday, POTW day.
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Seriously... do you think I need a couple thousand of you sending me emails to remind me????
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How Annoying!
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I suppose that it is the price of celebrity.
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What do you think of staging a logo contest for the Nanepashemet Peep of the Week?
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Naturally the sole judge would be me, and the winner would get little or no recognition. I think that it is a really good idea. Start sending your graphic images now.
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Who knows, you might even merit a POTW selection based upon your inspirational/annoying logo submittals.
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Maybe I'll even offer a prize to the Winner.... like a five minute audience with Roenick the cat, or a chance to touch the Tender.

Dory Research

In my research on the Marblehead Gunning dory, I've been impressed with the acceptance of this traditional New England craft all over the world.
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These guys are crabbing in Alaska with a homebuilt model.
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The cedar strip planking method should really make the nice lines of this boat come alive.

Playing with Pain

Peeps, I'm still tormented by pervasive stomach cramps, yet I have carried on today in a spirit that inspires even myself.
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Tom DiMatteo had to do most of the talking at our presentation today, which was good because Tom wowed the customer in my somewhat biased observation. My contributions were anecdotes and sidebars... but I'm pretty good at that, even in my debilitated condition.
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I'm pretty sure that my customer didn't catch on how I played with pain. The mark of a true athlete.
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Someday, when the story of how Nanepashemet Telecom became a dominant economic force on the American business landscape is told, tales of my triumph over stomach cramps will fill the boardrooms and permeate the water coolers.

A Matter of Faith

So the Catholic Church is coming up with over $600 Million in settlement money in LA to pay out to plaintiffs and make the current caseload go away. Cardinal Roger Mahony is off the hook and Cardinal Bernard Law is operating in Rome these days.
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I was brought up as an Irish Roman Catholic. Lots of guilt. Lots of terrifying doctrine. As a public school kid, I was second rate to the nuns at St. Joseph's School in Lynn where I went for my Sunday School Catholic indoctrination. We all felt that the nuns preferred the parochial school kids, who were repressed maniacs by the time they came out of St. Joseph's in the eighth grade.
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Easily the most violent kids at Eastern Junior High School were the transferees from St. Joseph's Catholic Elementary School from Green Street in East Lynn. I still have scars on my forearm from the maniac who took my ruler, split it in two, and stabbed me in the arm with one of the sharp pieces. When I proposed to meet him after school to settle up, he looked at me in a fearful and incredulous manner and asked, "What did I do?"
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That was the product of a St. Joseph's Catholic education.
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Luckily, I was never diddled by a Catholic priest. I was slammed up against the wall and slapped by a nun, but nothing that would turn me into the pitiful protoplasm of the victims who were sexually abused by the priests in Boston, LA and elsewhere.
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Those people have my sincere sympathy. As kids, they were victimized by the ultimate authority figures, priests, who used them for their temporary perverted pleasure. Dispicable!!!
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By the way, the fact that the Catholic Church has $600M to make them go away is a travesty in and of itself.
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Years later, as the Executive Director of the Lynn Housing Authority, I bought the St. Joseph's School with state funds and turned it into 40 units of elderly public housing. At the time, I didn't think of it as revenge, but now I do. By the way, the priests at the St. Joseph's Rectory during the price negotiations were among the rudest, most inappropriately acting people that I have ever encountered in my professional life.in their behavior to the wait staff and cooks of the Rectory.
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All in all, the Catholic Church has produced a completely dysfunctional social system in it's ministerial system, and wide scale reform has to occur. It's probably too late anyway, because the dogma is so non-sensical. I truly don't see how a thinking person can buy into the cosmology of a heaven, hell, purgatory, limbo, etc. Everything seems to be based upon fear and a medieval form of social control.
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This has nothing to do with belief in the divinity of Jesus Christ, his Blessed Mother Mary, or a host of other things that the Catholic Church exposed to me. The Church and my faith are distinctly separate to me, and I am certain that I will pray to Christ for mercy when I eventually contemplate my own demise.
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But I won't need a Priest to perform the Last Rites.

Thinking Ahead

Even though the sailing rig is not complete on the Herreshoff Columbia Tender, and even though the deck railing hasn't been touched in three weeks, and even though the basement tile job has slowed to a dead halt.... I'm really starting to get psyched about building the Chamberlain Marblehead Gunning Dory.
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I find myself starring at the plans in John Gardner's Dory Book every chance I get.... thinking of ways that I would approach the construction.
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Plus, you wouldn't believe how hot Nanepashemet Telecom is getting. We're pitching two major contracts in the next two weeks and pricing another. If we win all three, plus maintain the other opportunities in the air, my boatbuilding time will be few and far between.

Indian Call Centers

The people who man these things from the Indian subcontinent are persistent to say the least. They force you to be rude.
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And those who know me best, know that I'm a very polite man.
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The earth is really getting small when you get irritated by people who call you from India.

It's Not Just About You

Today was a painful day. Not a metaphor. I had stomach cramps and more all day long. But, as you know, I'm not a complainer.... not a wimpy girly man.... not a bed wetting cry baby.
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So I stayed stoic and took it like the mountain of a man that I am.
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But my tummy really hurts.
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But enough about me. Let's start all over with another story... about me.
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Despite the pain that would cripple a lesser man, I stayed the course with the Nanepashemet Telecom team that was on fire today. Processing everything. Mowing down all in our path. One ball has settled for a time, and I'm nervous about another, four other opportunities are ready to bust out, and one hits the street next week.
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All in all - good productivity

Genuine Great Time

The day went according to plan.... only better.
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Joanne and I were over to Brown's Island by 11:30 AM in the WhaleEye.
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We were able to see Katelyn, Stacey and Brian Butler as well as a bunch of Katelyn's guy friends - the Wise Brothers, JJ McBride and others and still were able to ramp with Greg and Nancy, who had hooked up with Gilly, Chris Crawford, their wives Liz and Sarah, Dave and Megan, the cutie Maddie, and Emma the dog.
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Great company, sunshine, warm sea water, cold beers, grilled chicken wings and Hot Dogs. If you can come up with a better combination to have a great time on the planet Earth.... be my guest.
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No drama, no positioning, no worries about who you can talk to without pissing someone off. I hope I wasn't missing something, but I'm pretty sure that I had a genuine great time.

Brown's Island

It's going to be a scorcher in the 90's today. We're planning to bring the WhaleEye over to Brown's Island to tie up with Bruett's Damp Yankee. There's plenty of beers on the boat, and Joanne just went down to Crosby's to pick up some natural casing hot dogs and chicken wings for the Magma boat grill.
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I wish we could take Roenick, but he would freak out. You don't see too many cats on boats. Dogs yes, but not cats. Roenick probably wouldn't get along with Nancy's dog, Emma, anyway.
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Should be an awesome Marblehead summer day! Hope you have a good day as well.

Gearing Up

Some drawings on the web of the Chamberlain Marblehead Gunning Dory that I will build.

A Fair Trade

So I get a good row in today. All the way from Riverhead Ramp through Marblehead Harbor, around Fort Sewall, into Little Harbor and over to Grace Oliver Beach, where I picked up Joanne and we rafted up with Greg and Nancy Bruett. Greg took a trial of the Tender, and I was thrilled to see how it performed from afar. It even made Greg look good.
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A nice couple of hours.
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Then over to O'Shea's pool and a trip to Beacon Hill Liquors for some Dark and Stormie supply. At the Beacon Hill counter, they sell Nancy Bruett's mystery novel, Dusting.
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A guy was looking at the book and I told him that it was a great read. He said that it should be for $14.95, and I said he wouldn't be dissapointed. He muttered something like, "What the Hell, Life is short." and bought the book.
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I'm thinking that paid for the two beers that I drank on Greg's boat, Damp Yankee, today.
~

Coming Alive

Okay.

I'm going to watch one episode of Flight of the Conchords on HBO On Demand, then I'm getting into Saturday morning action.

Not Interested

Heading up the list of things I'm never going to do is running with the Bulls in Pamplona, closely followed by bungee jumping and technical rock climbing.
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I'm not as much afraid of the bulls, as I wouldn't get caught dead in one of those effeminate neckerchiefs.
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Not Ready to Rock and Roll

Did you ever wake up feeling lazy?
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That's what happened to me today. Thank God it's Saturday, and I don't have any scheduled obligations.
~
I just don't feel like doing anything.... although I am blogging, so maybe I can snap out of it.
~
Maybe I'll start by cleaning out the cat's litterbox. It smells like.... well.... shit. With Izzy and Roenick in and out of the house all the freaking day, wouldn't you think that they would void in the yard or somewhere. But no, they come into the house when it is time to take a dump.
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Plus I have one of those macular migranes going on, where you feel kind of whoozy and your vision has trouble with focus. It doesn't really worry me because I've had these periodically for the last twenty five years. But they are a pain in the ass.
~
So stay off my back for awhile!

Small Suggestion

If you want something posted on this Blog, for God's sake, don't tell me to do it. Because that's the last thing that will ever be written about. The best way to get an entry is to secretly hope and pray that it gets in, and then maybe by dumb luck, I'll post it.
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Conversely, don't forbid me to write about anything.... because I guarantee that the forbidden topic will be posted forward, backward, and inside out.
~
Enterprising Peeps have found ways to manipulate these rules, but it is not recommended.

High Tide

2007-07-13

11:06 PM EDT

10.70 feet High Tide

That pretty much kills my early evening rowing plans.
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Tomorrow, I'm going to work like hell on the deck railing in the morning until 12:00 noon when the tide will be high again. Then I'll take the tender out for a spin, maybe all the way to Grace Oliver Beach where I might have a Bruett sighting.

KMA

I was accused of kissing up to someone the other day.
~
My friends at General Dynamics, Darwin and just about everybody else would really laugh at that. If anything, Joanne and I have been the Anti-Christ of KMA. We brought our kids up the same way.
~
Everybody farts the same as we do, and we all end up with a long dirt nap. So what is there to kiss up to anyway???
~
If I was a kiss up, I'd still have a huge salary coming in bi-weekly. But I have my self respect instead..... which is priceless. Being nice and courteous to someone is not kissing up. It's called manners. Get some, they come in handy when trying to get along with people.
~
So you missed the mark when you called me a kiss up. Maybe your own personal preferences clouded your judgment. How's that for kissing up??? KMA.

Chicken Thighs and Pork Ribs

Stevie Lewis invited us to his traditional smoked meat competition this Saturday.
~
Joanne was supposed to be a judge, and I was planning to team up with Jim Peabody, who is more into this type of barbeque than I am. But then some stuff came up and Joanne decided to go up North. If Katelyn comes home to Marblehead this weekend, I'm sure that Joanne will abort the North Conway trip.
~
At any case, I've had to withdraw from Steve's smoke off, and thus will be missing the glory of dominating that cooking competition. I will honor the victors with Blog entries, but they only will be on top until a new smoke off is scheduled. Then I will assume my rightful place.

Maddie Sighting

Saw the cutie Maddie Gill at the BYC last night with her attractive parents, Tyler and Liz - a nice family. We were having a drink with Jim and Charlotte, enjoying his stories of sailing to the Carribean. Jim has done some cool stuff since I used to know him as a kid living by the Meadow.
~
Today, I have to get into downtown Boston at the UMASS Club to meet with subcontractors and finalize pricing for a couple of jobs. There are a bunch of Rockett punch list items to do, since Mike is taking a week off to golf in Ireland, and we have to finish off the State of New Hampshire LC details.
~
It will get really busy if I get a few more calls answered. By the end of the day, I'll be ready for the weekend.

Take It Easy

The pen is mightier than the sword.
~
But a Blog can really bust your balls. Not to worry....scrotums will remain intact. So don't piss me off, OK?

Mind Song

Happiness runs in a circular motion,
Thought is like a little boat upon the sea,
Everybody is a part of everything anyway,
You can have it all if you let yourself be.

Why, Oh?
Because.

Why, Oh?
Because.

Happiness Runs, Happiness Runs,
Happiness Runs, Happiness Runs.

- Donovan

This little ditty has taken permanent residence in my brain for close to 40 years. I suppose that I could be mind-singing worse things.

Week 28 - 2007 Peeps of the Week

Peeps....
~
Today I was so torn. I have Peeps asking me to put stuff on the Blog.... asking me not to put stuff on the Blog..... what is a mountain of a man like myself supposed to do????
~
I'll tell you what I'm not going to do.... No matter how much screaming, begging, and threats I receive, I'm going to keep this Ponyboy golden. Righteousness and Purity never go out of style. Know what I mean????
~
So don't try to kiss my ass anymore.
~
If I were an ass kisser, I would be making a lot more money now.... but I also wouldn't be so damn goodlooking to myself in the mirror. Money isn't everything.

Announcing....
Nanepashemet Peeps of the Week for the 28th week of 2007

Bobby Brown (automatic Lagavulin lock in)
Jim Ouellette
Tommy O'Shea
Debbie the Waitress at 7 Central
Dr. Danny Levy
Steve Lewis

It's about time that the automatic Lagavulin selection criteria kicked in. Even though Brown, Elsier and then DiMatteo all put a big dent in the bottle.

POTW Anticipation

It's Thursday, POTW Day, and very busy schedule-wise for me. I will get the selections out this evening, but I've got business obligations going until after 9:00 tonight.
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I do have an automatic Lagavulin selection - the first in a while.
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And the Elephant in the Room is still there, but now it's clear, and thus not that important to me anymore. A shame.
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Plus I have to fit in an appointment to the dentist because of that broken molar that I told you about.
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It's a good thing that I have such a high pain threshold.
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Don't worry.... you will see your pathetic/admirable peeps of the week by the end of the day. So get to work and make some money or something.

Salvage Job

The customer comes in from San Diego and wants to catch some fish in the Atlantic.
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The first thing I did was call Mike in DC and check where he and Mark Vona caught the stipers last week.
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DiMatteo and Elsier got to Marblehead and we met the customer at the old Sundance Building.
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The breeze on the water was stiff and was pushing 2 to 4 foot waves. I decided not to anchor at Ram Island and went to the back side of Baker's Island to get shelter from the waves and chum for stripers. No luck at the spot that we anchored.

I started to head up into Bluefish alley between Baker's and Halfway Rock, but the wave action made trolling uncomfortable.
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There was nothing left to do but to salvage the trip by heading into Manchester Harbor for dinner at 7 Central. Luckily there was room at the public tie up at the end of the Harbor. 7 Central has never dissapointed, even though they didn't recognize my Dark and Stormie Card. They said that it was only a Marblehead promotion. Whatever.
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After dinner, the waves had calmed down, and we had a pleasant ride back into Salem Harbor.
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All in all, a very successful customer event.

The Sleep of Kali

Your brain turns to Jelly.

"Still a man hears what he wants to hear, and disregards the rest".
- Paul Simon

Sail Preferences

This is the Sailrite plan for the Marblehead Gunning Dory. It's fashioned after John Gardner's Alpha Dory rig.
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Pardon my blasphemy, but I don't like it. I'd rather see two sprit sails rather that the one mutton chop and the jib.
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I would fashion the sail design much like the Herreshoff arrangement for the Coquina below.
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Pretty good criticism from someone who has barely sailed more than a Sunfish.
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So I'm going to change the planking on the Dory from plywood lapstrake to cedar bead and cove strips, and I'm going to change the sail configuration. But the actual hull design will remain true to Gardner's revised plans of the original Chamberlain Marblehead Gunning Dory.
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I don't want to screw around with the actual performance in the water, just the way it looks.
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Aren't you getting psyched about this project? Me too!

Raising the Main Mast

I fitted the sprit sail mast into the front mast support during a lull today. It fits good, and now I have to complete the sailing rig.
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It will be interesting to see how this performs, especially since I have so little experience in a sailboat.