Super Bowl Chicken

So MegaPeep, Brian Butler, wants to know how I make my chicken wings as the Super Bowl looms near. Normally, I'd just blow him off, but he's married to the Fabulous Stacey, so I can't turn a deaf ear.
~
Good Chicken wings begin with good chicken. I don't care if it's from that hick at Springer Mountain Farms or the Perdue heir, the wings should look plumb and pink to yellow. They should look like they were flapping on their own a short time ago.
~
I get mine from Costco, but that's because I like the way they sell in bulk, but portion well in plastic for freezing. I personally can't stand that Springer Mountain Farms idiot.
~
Sharpen your cleaver and chop the wings, discarding the tips. I don't see why they even sell the tips... who the hell ever eats them, and what is there to eat????
~
Fill a large kettle half full of oil - peanut oil is best - and heat to about 400 degrees. Don't worry about the cost of the oil. Life is too short. I use a thermometer to test the oil. You want the wings to be in the oil for 12 minutes at 350 degrees, and they will immediately drop the temp down from 400 when they enter.
~
Dip the wings in an egg and milk mixture then place in a bowl filled with flour, garlic powder, Italian bread crumbs, parsley, and anything else that you think might make your toes curl. Sometimes I throw in some crushed red pepper. Use your imagination.
~
Coat the wings with your flour concoction.
~
Now with your wings coated and your oil hot, gingerly place some wings on a large serving spoon and place in the hot oil. It will make a big, loud and crackly disruption, but don't pussy out. You've gone too far to turn back now.
~
Add enough chicken to fill the oil, but don't overfill, because the chicken must have enough room to float around freely in the hot oil. Set your timer for 12 minutes. Stir the chicken every once in a while.... just because it's fun to screw around with the hot oil.
~
After 12 minutes, take the chicken out with the serving spoon and place in a large mixing bowl. Repeat the process with the remaining chicken.
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With the chicken in the mixing bowl, take a large bottle of Frank's Red Hot Sauce and dredge liberally.
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Place the chicken in a serving dish with a bowl of blue cheese dressing and another bowl for bones.
~
Have plenty of paper towels. Tell anyone who asks for the recipe to send $19.95 to Nanepashemet Recipes, 32 Beverly Ave., Marblehead, MA 01945.

Tuna Lips said...

Sounds cluckaliscious, Colonel Sanders. I am gonna whip up some of my "Angry Catfish Balls" and "Arby's Beef Curtains", mix up a jug o' Kool Aid, and roll out the welcome wagon! Its party time at Casa Tuna!

POTW - Week 5

Even a mountain of a man like myself can get tired.... a little fatigued.... a little short of gas from time to time. Especially when there are so many responsibilities and obligations. Like tending to you pathetic Peeps, or bringing Nanepashemet Telecom to the promised land, or worrying about the next move by the insidious Wojcik.
~
There is just so much pressure that you can stand, before your cellular structure gets bogged down in lactic acid, and you look to the couch for solace and sustenance.
~
But I know that it's Thursday, and I don't want you Peeps to wail in insecure lamentations about the Peep of the Week Selections. At times like this, you just have to ask yourself, "What would Tuna Lips do???"
~
ANNOUNCING.....
Nanepashemet Peeps of the Week for Week 5 of 2008

Inspector Joe Mountain of the Gloucester Fire Department
Brian Butler
Tom McMahon
Sue Dunleavy
Lauren Crawford
Maddie Gill

A couple of Dark and Stormies helps to shake out the cobwebs.

Site Office

I'm sitting here in one of my site offices away from Nanepashemet corporate headquarters, Panera Bread. This one happens to be in Beverly, MA, but it doesn't matter. Whenever I find one, I'm in touch with the Peeps because this company has ingeniously offered free connectivity to the Web with no strings attached.

~

When you order a coffee, they give you a mug, and you can fill it all day. It's like being in my office, but with a lot of people that I don't necessarily know all milling around.

~

With the price of gas, these cafes allow me to get into the field, and establish complete contact with all of my business processes. It they had a little room with a printer, it would be perfect. As it is, all I have to do is save to CD or Flash stick, and head for a copy shop like Staples or something.

Patriot Lessons

Tom Brady is the real deal.
~
In the midst of the Superbowl hoopla in Arizona, he has been pummeled with all kinds of stupid questions by idiots with press credentials.
~
Yesterday, someone asked him what he thought the "meaning of life was".
~
In a perfect display of grace and poise, he answered "I throw footballs.... we're not out here curing cancer or anything." Then he went on to say that the stature that football gives him and his teammates might enable them to do something worthwhile for humanity off of the field.
~
I think that his football work is much more worthy than he evaluates. By demonstrating a very visible professional demeanor, he gives valuable life lessons that his fans can emulate in almost any endeavor.
~
Preparation
Focus
Staying in the Moment
Losing the Ego
Humility
Crediting the Team Role
~
These are lessons that Brady and his team impart directly in the way that they play football. It's not curing cancer, but it's damn worthwhile.

~

Plus Brady Dates Hot Chicks.

Tuna Lips said...

Therein lies his weakness, the dating part. Love 'Em and Leave 'Em is what ole TL does. Shoot, if he is anything like me, that boy would be gettin' more ass than a toilet seat. Not just one piece of pouty model pooh nanny. Don't get caught up in some sort of "who I'm supposed to be" dialectics, son. Just throw footballs and humps the honeys, Tommy Boy, its best to do yer thinkin with a cooz thats got a daddy complex ridin' like Mustang Sally. Shucks, line 'em right up, I got a lot of love to give!

McMahon said...

Hey J.

Don't forget that tomorrow is Peep of the week day. Can't have any more slackin out of you.

State of the Union

Watching President Bush address the Congress is a scary thing. Grown men and women, sitting in their party chairs in a ritualized display of approval and distain. At the same time, either clapping wildly or sitting glumfaced, based upon the political leanings of the President's remarks.
~
We get older, but we really never abandon the behavior that we had in the schoolyard during recess. We just disguise it with different rituals.
~
When I was younger, I used to think that there was a type of order and that the best example of this was in our governmental system. Now, as I have grown older, increasingly it seems that our civilized society is a big free-for-all, with the rules made up as we go along.

Christening

After the Nursing Home visit, Joanne and I decided to christen our new club card at the BYC. Didn't want to waste the nose hair trim.
~
Joanne knows a lot of people in Marblehead because of her years at Sundance, and she immediately ran into friends. I may have a harder time fitting in.

Patrick said...

Everyone, be sure to vote on Tuesday, February 5th here in MA. And if you haven't selected a candidate, I would urge you to consider John McCain as the candidate who can best lead our country in the coming years. A man with the bearing of a stateman, respected around the globe, across classes, and among his peers. A collaborator, he will bring the leadership (not the PMBOK type, mind you)necessary to move the country forward, and empower each person in their own right to move forward. Not an abstraction. the real deal.

Underpowered Nose Hair Trimmer

So I'm taking a shower to get ready to visit Joanne's mother (i.e. my mother-in-law) at the nursing home. Everything went fine in the shower.... no mishaps or unusual circumstances.... but when I was toweling off, I noticed that my nose and ear hair was getting a little too bushy and required my monthly maintenance trim.
~
Naturally, my Panasonic Nose Hair trimmer that runs on double A batteries could hardly power up. Just when you really need to trim, you get let down again.
~
My Bad. I really have to invest in the heavy duty industrial model.

Tuna Lips said...

My 3rd grade teacher, Mrs. Thistletwat, coulda used one of them new fangled nose-hair trimmers.

Saturday Satisfaction

Yesterday was a fun day.
~
A little bit of Nanepashemet Telecom in the morning, then I shut it down to do a dump run. Two weeks of missing the curbside trash collection can be a messy thing - a bit of an overflow. So I brought four barrell loads to the Marblehead Town Transfer Station, which is a fancy name for the Marblehead Dump.
~
I love it at the Dump.
~
Everyone you see is always pretty friendly.... it seems that you capture the essense of their goodness.... at the Dump. In over 20 years, I've only had one bad experience there, which I won't tell you about. Painful memory.
~
When I got home, Ryan and Will Crawford came over with a load of scrap wood from Ryan's basement renovation project. I was getting ready to knock apart some hardwood delivery pallets from our Telecom warehouse anyway, and cut it to size to burn in the fireplace this weekend. So I cut up the load of scrap wood and worked up a little sweat in the garage.
~
Then I went to see my friend who doesn't want his name mentioned in the Blog. I can understand his concern. Anyone I name here usually attains instant celebrity, and many of you can't handle that type of pressure. My "Friend Who Doesn't Want His Name Mentioned in the Blog" is one such individual.
~
So I had a couple of beers with "FWDWHNM in the B," then suggested that I pick up Joanne and make some pizza's for dinner.
~
"FWDWHNM in the B" is allergic to cats, so he only comes to my house at special occasions, like when he has to borrow some tools. So when we want to invite him and his fascinating wife to my house for dinner, we usually pick up the meal and bring it to their house.
~
Joanne bought some artichokes, roasted peppers and pancetta at the Community Store. Pancetta is Italian bacon and Joanne fried it until it was crumbly and crumbly and crispy. It was killer topping of the pizza.
~
I'm not saying that my pizza is better than Vesuvius', but it's still damn good, and last night was some of the best that I've made in some time.

POTW - Week 4

I can't believe all the angst and vituperation caused simply by missing the POTW deadline.
~
Peeps.... for two solid years, you've had your pathetic addiction tended to by the narcotic, narcissistic, and somewhat nasty, Nanepashement Peep of the Week selections. Do you think I'd let you down now? .... when you are hopelessly and hypnotically hooked on this hapless process?
~
You have to admit, alitteration is definitely in my skill satchel tonight. W. Shakespeare would have had to take note.

ANNOUNCING
Nanepashemet Peeps of the Week for the 4th week of 2008

• Mike Rockett
• Dick Man
• Tito Francona
• Jim Plunkett
• Katelyn Nestor
• Tina Rhoades

I know it's a day late.... and I promised never to do it again.
Now you all know what Joanne goes through.

R & R

Starting feel like the walls are closing in. Time to bust out with some R&R. This week's successes in business are heartening, but I'm definitely feeling physically tired.
~
The need to convert the business from Excel spreadsheets to Access databases has proven to be a sound move, and we haven't missed a step, but it's tapped a lot of energy.
~
Once again, I fail to see how a lesser mortal could have coped.

Iceman said...

Makes me think of some of the BS business speak we used to hear from the Yeti. Applying gigantic termslike "holistic", "massage", "drill down" to essentially linear problems, and insisting on whole scale changes in thinking and work. No human insight whatsover, a chalk board leader. Most sentient beings understand that people hate change, and if it is to be done it must be incremental, essentially to get people to feel they own it. Not by friggin' fiat. Running a business like a newly ascended junta in a banana republic, great idea. that works, a lot. In Dreams.

So well done on the system upgrade, having the right tools that get the job done (instead of becoming to job) is huge. Working on an access db myself. Talk to me Goose. Roy Orbison was the man.

Anonymous said...

I guess we don't do peep of the week on time anymore?

I officially dropped out of my marathon training as well J. I peaked at 25 I guess. My knees can no longer handle the pain. Clearly you are the mountain of a man you claim to be because I don't think I could even consider it 20 years from now.

-mcmahon

Anonymous said...

This is great news! Maybe now you can squeeze a in workout?

Btw... can you send me your workout plan? I've read about a lot of different ways to get in shape but haven't come across the one you are on. Where did you find it? Muscle and fatness? What the hell is this???

-work out 3 days, take 1 day off;
-work out 1 day, take 1 day off;
-work our 1 day, take 20 days off;
-work out 1 day, take another 20 days off.

Way to test and push yourself. It goes without saying that your college roomie would not be proud of these efforts.

With these results, I can only hope that your commitment to your Customers exceeds the commitment to show to yourself.

Memo to John: Stop the excuses; find the time and get in shape. A healthy body is a happy, productive body.

Wojo

Tuna Lips said...

I find a nice relaxin' break from the type of stress you can only blog about is to glaze yourself a nice ham, break open a bottle of some fortified wine, grab the remote and wave your troubles away. And, of course, if you gots troubles in the form of a repo man or irate business partner, leave the hounds unfed and ready to release, maybe keep yer squirrel gun at the ready, like the minute men of olden times. I find random acts of sodomy is also a good stress breaker. Creativity is a must in my worlds. Its an empty canvas, paint yer pallet !

Facebook

A good start to a conversation has always been.... "Do you know What's-His-Face?" If a common friend or acquaintance is found then a kinship and frame of reference is established between the conversants, and it's easier to speak to the other person.
~
Facebook does this on a global cyberspace scale. It's a comforting way to feel that you belong to a group and makes it easy to stay in touch.
~
As you may know, I am not a superficial conversationalist. I'm probably too deep and complex for Facebook. But I recommend it for Peeps seeking solace.

Tuna Lips said...

By virtue of an FCC rulings, two court orders, and a ruling by the elders of the Church of Latter Day Saints (applicable only in Utah and the state of Chihuahua, in northern Mexico, birthplace of George Romney, Mitts daddy) I can not have a Facebook page. And those Mormons, Why that shouldn't even count. There is nothing, I mean nothing, wrong with donkey on consenting adult relations, and the documenting thereof. Thems the true sodomites. They can kiss my taint.

Astounding

Patriots won the 18th game in a row. They've gone all the way to the Super Bowl. But I figure you already know this.
~
Now let's see if they play the Packers or the Giants.

Tuna Lips said...

What's astounding is the size of the ass on my son's lady friend. Jesus. Boy is licensed to drive the big rigs, I reckon. She was calling out Matt Lyght as a "big ole pussy". Light is one thing she aint. She drank the house dry and did some property damage before taking her show on the road, dragging my eldest, Ephus Jerome, along with her. Shame.

Mikey's Home

Mike came home from DC today. Always an event.
~
Katelyn came in from South Boston and Ryan, Courtney and Will came over. Joanne is psyched because Will is spending the night, and she can be the Ultimate Nana.
~
The Dark and Stormies have been flowing.
~
Right now, Ben Martin, Steve Lewis and his girlfriend Jill, and Mike are strategizing in the kitchen over the course that the evening should take. Will they go to the Gerry, Flynnies or Three Cod???
~
I'm thinking all three.
~
We'll see how this works out at 6:30 AM tomorrow morning when I have to take Mike back to Logan for the flight back home.

Burdensome Dilemma

The pressure is on.
~
Wojcik has me really on the ropes to get back in the mainstream of Blog culture. And in my heart, I know he's right. As pissed off as he makes me, I actually like the little peckerhead. He's Polish, but he's smart. And Tuna Lips was way too harsh on Wojo. TL .... there's a difference between evil and deranged. Learn to recognize it!
~
But I digress . Let's continue talking about me.
~
It's just that Nanepashemet Telecom has been so busy. Really crazy busy. Which is good, but it has crimped my style big time. I need to be calm, and a little bored to get creative, and it's been anything but that. If we just perform on the stuff that is in front of us in the first quarter alone, we could make our whole year financially as well as solidify the position of Nanepashemet in the marketplace. All we have to do is keep our heads, work hard, and do what we know how to do.
~
So the dilemma is .... do I stay focused with my eyes on the prize, or divert into the itinerant world of blogging to satisfy the likes of Bob Wojcik and thousands of other pathetic souls who seek me out for daily and incessant guidance and inspiration???
~
What would you do if you were me..... with an incredibly needy, almost cult-like, Peep following to support?
~
Sometimes it's a burden to even breathe.

POTW Week 3

"The blog is suffering, much like your workouts!"
- Wojo

So Bob Wojcik decides to tell me that the Blog is suffering.... Et tu, Brute.
~
Do you think I'm stupid Bob???
~
Don't you think I know crap when I see it????? Not to mention write it????
~
Once again, Wojcik succeeds in infuriating me. Go ahead... kick a guy when he's down. I know that the Blog is hurting... that I haven't had time to properly craft the level of literary excellence that you Peeps have grown to know and expect. I even went to the trouble to explain that I am completely preoccupied with some other stuff for the time being. But No. I'm held to an impossibly high standard by the pathetic, wanton, grasping masses.
~
Don't you think I deserve a pass once in awhile????
~
Man... why don't you just kill me and get it over with?

ANNOUNCING....
Nanepashemet Peeps of the Week for the Third Week of 2008

Bob Wojcik
Bill Hillegas
Vince Antonnacci
Tedy Bruschi
Leonardo Di Caprio
Lynda Murray

At least I'm trying.

Wojo said...

Do you think it is easy, calling out my Mentor? The man I look up to with utmost respect. Hell no!!! Nevertheless, somebody had to sack up and call you out. Had the roles been reversed, you would have had me for lunch a long time ago. In fact, if I were you, I would be disappointed that it has taken this long for any of the Peeps to question your efforts. That, in my opinion, is VERY unnestor like! We all deserve shame for giving you this extended free pass. At least I will be able to look in the mirror tonight. Question is, will you???

Tuna Lips said...

Good Christ on the road to Calvary, who is this ignant feller Bob who needs to get a new last name? Doedn't he know that those Polack types is among the dumbest breeds of humanoids? Don't go advertisin it, let alone braggin' on yer smarts, there, Bobinski, criticizing the like of a real American mick. And how bout you buy yerself another vowel from Vanna White there, Kielbasa boy, get in line with the times.

I do admire the on-line porn that originates in the regions formerly ruled by the czar, I grant you that. But shut your one-foot-out of-the-gulag arse and be thankful you are eatin' more than grass and moldy potatoes. I'm out.

Access Addiction

Trouble is brewing.
~
One of our main customers wants our reports done in Microsoft Access rather than Excel.
~
Access is a programmable database program. Years ago, I learned to program in dBase, then Hypercard. It is brutally addictive to me. And I'm not even that good at it. The other night, to the huge detriment of the Nanepashemet Blog Peeps, I didn't make one Blog entry as I obsessively worked on our Access database until David Letterman came on.

Cranston Again

Back to Cranston.
~
Yesterday's snow day was a good chance to catch up on paperwork, which I did to a certain extent.
~
Now back to juggling office and field work.

Tuna Lips said...

I tell you what else is abrewin', a big numero two for ole TL. That Green Chili Corn Chowder the illegals in the cafeteria stewed up has set my belly to a rumblin'. Look out below!

Whoa!

Did you ever feel like you were at a vortex.... a turning point..... that everything from here on in will be different?
~
That's the inspirational and somewhat creepy feeling that I have now.
~
It's definitely positive, but also challenging.

Tuna Lips said...

Sure have. Why, just last week I had such a feeling. I had just taken a dose of Cialis in anticipation of the wife swap soiree at the condo function hall. I was also tinkering with the stocks we had voted to implement at the last condo board meeting. See, some people don't follow the association rules, and we have no way to punish, shame and humiliate them. Until I harkened back to the treatment my pappy got back is Hecubus, Missoura. Pappy was found to be in violation of the local blue laws. The town leaders threw him into the stocks in the town square for all to see. Sweating like a whore in church in the noonday sun, pappy was a stoic feller, even whilst retching blood and bile.

So, we voted on implementing such a device so for as to stop such miscreant behavior as parking in the handicapped slot when you have a perfectly functioning walker, not offering likker at a house warming, or getting yer pet spade or neutralixed. So, I had used the mitre saw I found in Mr. Twatzinsky's locker to fashion a stock. I was varnishing the stock to give it that well-worn look, having recently taken what I call my "rocket launcher" with a gulp of chardonnay from the box. Vortexed the shiznit out of me. I got to trying out that huffin' like the way Shoo Fly did afore we had to have him institutionalized. That varnish packs a kick. Straight to the outer spaceosphere. So I know of what you speak.

Ticking Them Off

Remarkably, I ticked off every item in the to do list today.
~
Doesn't happen often.
~
With the big Nor'easter snow storm predicted for tomorrow, the schedule for the week is undergoing substantial revisions, which is not too bad, because a snow-in will allow me to get alot of the bookkeeping and other housekeeping chores that I have been neglecting in Nanepashemet Telecom.
~
That's right..... even I have some loose ends to tie down every so often.

Sunday Fun

Peeps -
I can't deny that I am somewhat flattered by your concern, but why all the emails asking me what my plans are for this Sunday????
~
Don't you have your own stuff to do? You shouldn't be so obsessed with my paltry, unpunctual plans.
~
But just so you don't flip out and pull a nutty, here's what's in store for me today....
~

• Put seed in the feeder.
• Check on the Lynn property offer that I'm brokering as a favor.
• Build doors for the trash bin at the side of the house.
• Make a visit to the Nursing Home.
  
• Clean up some Nanepashemet Telecom bookkeeping.

~
Happy????. Maybe now you can make your own damn list.

Perfect Role Models

Last night the Patriots did what the Patriots do.
~
They won the football game with a 31-20 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars at Gillette Stadium.
~
Next week they play in the AFC Championship game.
~
17 Wins - 0 Losses. Against football teams whose players are all elite professional athletes.
~
Tom Brady completed a record 26 or 28 passees, and said it was easy when the receivers all get open and the linemen keep the opponents away from him. I'm sure that his contribution wasn't easy, but he clearly understands and appreciates the interlocking contributions that produce this type of performance. He is certainly the type of leader that warrants a winning organization.
~
The Patriots' focus and preparation on the present task at hand, and their resulting patient execution is a prescription for success in most all endeavors.

Clubber

I was never a big "joiner".
~
Yet in the past year, I've joined the UMass Club, the Gerry 5 Volunteer Fireman's Association, and the Boston Yacht Club.
~
Clearly something is going on here, and I'm not exactly sure what it is.
~
I'm definitely not looking to make new friends, nor am I a social climber, but here I am joining these diverse groups and incurring charges for dues.
~
In the case of the Gerry, a decent monthly bar bill as well. Somebody must have really banged my number that last time I was there.
~
I did meet up with Greg at the Gerry this afternoon, and I guess it's cool to grab a beer in a place that you can claim for yourself outside of your home from time to time.
~
The BYC and the UMASS Club also have great potential for entertaining Business clients.

Binnacle Definition

binnacle
noun

1. (nautical) The wooden housing for a ship's compass, its corrector magnets and illuminating arrangements; the log and other equipment for measuring the ships speed is also stowed there.

Belated Peeps of the Week

Yesterday was Thursday wasn't it?
~
I completely forgot about the POTW selection.
~
What a FREAKING MORON I am!!!!!
~
Now you have me exactly where you want me..... wrong, vulnerable, a sniffling mass of mucus and protoplasm.
~
What the hell, it's only a day late.
~
ANNOUNCING....
Nanepashemet Peeps of the Week for Week 2 of 2008

Peter Crawford
Lauren Rathbone
Brian Butler
Emily Ingardia
Tommy O'Shea
Patrick Piscatelli

I promise I will never be late again.

Bird Bonanza

Weird scene at the feeder today.
~
At first there were a few Chickadees, Sparrows, and Dark Eyed Juncos.... the usual suspects.
~
Then there was a couple of Cardinals and Bluejays... a colorful combination.
~
But in the early afternoon, sitting right out there on a willow branch was a big Red Tailed Hawk. Probably the same one that had a bird meal on Tommy O' Shea's front lawn.
~
The afternoon was capped when I saw a Robin in the same stand of willow branches. That's the first Robin in January that I ever saw here.
~
All of this cool bird action, tearing me away from my crucial work at Nanepashemet Telecom.

More California Kate

Kate -
I see that you were in beautiful Napa Valley during your visit to California to see the Provocative Peep, Emily Ingardia.
~
BTW... it's called wine-tasting... not wine-get-completely-pie-faced.

Love,
DAD

Burning up the Western Slopes

Just when you thought this Blog was getting dull, I get these killer pics from Katelyn and Emily in Lake Tahoe! Careful on the black diamonds.
~
Emily skied alot and at the end of the day, her ass was dragging.

Emily said...

It was cross country, JAY!!! ANd yes I wiped out and couldn't get up, but not as much as your precious little Katelyn who would disappear for minutes on end, no where to be seen, having fallen with no way to get up!

The Dentist as Artist

I forgot to mention.... popped over to Dr. Danny's Dental House of Pain in Peabody yesterday afternoon to get the final version of my left canine bridgework installed. You should see it... it looks AWESOME!!!!
~
I've fallen in love with myself all over again. Rough, Tough, Hard to Bluff, and even Better Looking than before! I didn't think it was possible. Even Joanne noticed the improvement.
~
Dr. Danny Levy is a maestro with a high speed drill.

Triple V Gut Check

OK.... I know, I know.
~
I've been really neglecting the Blog lately... the content has had no zing, no zip, no zap.
~
The Marblehead Chamberlain Gunning Dory project has also suffered.
~
But I have an excellent excuse, which I can't tell you about because it's personal. Don't worry though....as soon as I get time a little more time, this Nanepashemet Blog will virtually vibrate with vitality once more.
~
As it is, it's still on the cutting edge of cyber-journalism, what with Tuna Lips, Nancy and McMahon making cogent contributions over the last few days. It's still vastly superior to most anything else that you can pathetically surf to.
~
So quit your freaking whining. It's not so bad.

NH Primary Commentary

McCain's win in NH doesn't bode well for Mitt Romney.
~
Romney's record as a business man, Olympic Games Manager, and Governor is so much better than his campaigning style for President. He just seems so manipulative, and his negative posturing against his opponents is tedious.
~
At this point, the Clinton - Obama race is too close to call. It's an historic political contest for this country - an African American vs. a Women - two legitimately oppressed classes vying for the leadership of the USA, with white males trailing the field. And what is more impressive to me is that this fact has not been glommed onto by the obnoxious press.

Maybe we've finally beaten the minority mentality in this country. Only took 400 years - not bad in the grand scheme of things I suppose.

Tommy McMahon said....

I'm gonna have to disagree J. I bet there are people out there that don't even know there are republican candidates because Obama and Clinton are the only people the press talk about.

Total shocker by the way that Oprah is backing one of them. Didn't see that one coming huh. That just means that all the middle-age housewives of America who otherwise wouldn't know there was a presidential election will now be voting for Obama. (Not that all middle age housewives don't pay attention to politics. I'm only refering to the ones who actually don't).

Republican this year. The democratic party is becoming a circus for the media between Hillary crying and Obama dancing on Ellen.

-McMahon

A Crying Shame

Are you paying attention to the Presidential Primary in New Hampshire? Hillary lost control of her emotions and started crying twice yesterday. There was a part of me that really felt bad for her. I know that when I am dog tired, I feel like crying.
~
But that's me, and I'm not running for President, for the crying reason, as well as many others.
~
I don't want my President to cry, so I probably won't be voting for Hillary. It's not a political thing. Anybody running who cries automatically lost my vote. I need my leaders to be tougher than I am.





Dear Fearless Leader (that would be Dr. Nestor, not H.C.),

The paraphrased question posed to Senator Clinton, at an approximate 18 female round table in a diner, was,

"We are all women and we know how hard it is to leave the home every AM looking our best, yet you do it tirelessly day after day. How can you manage?"

Rather than tell the truth, which is the Senator travels with a hairdresser, make-up artist, and female valet, she responds, and again I paraphrase,

"People think running for President is a game blah blah blah blah but it is the future of America blah blah blah blah catch in the voice blah blah blah."

The End.

Nancy Bruett

Disturbing Flashback

We ended up emerging from the couch and taking a trip up the coast, through Newburyport and Portsmouth to Kittery and finally ending up at Allison's Restaurant in downtown Kennebunkport, where Joanne and I had some killer lobster bisque.
~
It would have been a great day except for the flashback that I had.
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I suddenly remembered Bob Wojcik saying that I should take my workout stats from the Blog because it was too embarrassing. At the time, though irritated, I quickly dismissed it. Naturally, I could care less what people think about my workout regimen, much less Wojcik.
~
But then.... while I was injesting a forkfull of cole slaw in Maine.... it hit me like the proverbial ton of bricks.
~
Here was Wojcik, who gave me the evil stretching advise that ultimately injured my knee, now telling me to remove my workout records from the Blog. Despicable!!!! What else lurks in that demented mind?
~
I will recover my health, get into running shape, and emerge completely victorious if only to get even with the Wicked Wojcik.

Piscabo said...

Nice take, KBP in the winter and Allison's. In the summer Federal Jack's has visits from Jenna and crew (though the engagement may end that) for a brew and Windows on the World up the street is a nice place to blow a couple hundred bucks. Or the Clam Shack, of course, with a dose of Lipitor.

Semi-Plan

It's a balmy 40 degrees outside. That's pretty good compared to the single digits that we have been experiencing in the Boston area lately.
~
Joanne and I are thinking about breaking from our couch potato ways and venturing up the coast of Maine in a day trip motocar excursion.
~
We're thinking about it anyway. I'll let you know how the plan works out.

No Fear

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.

It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be?

You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you.

We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone.

And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

by Marianne Williamson

Tuna Lips said...

I am hung like a gas pump at the filling station. Inadequacy does not occur to the likes of me.

Pajama Pants

No movement today. None. Pure couch potato action.
~
Then again, except for some invoicing in the morning and a call with Lec, this is the first Saturday that I've taken off work from Nanepashemet Telecom in some time.
~
I had originally planned to haul some stuff to the dump, and maybe pay a quick visit with Greg and Nancy, but the couch held me damn tight.
~
I do have to take a shower before we go to the Johnson's for dinner, and I'll hop on the Cybex for a half hour prior to washing, so the day won't be a total pajama pants event.

Bad Birder Bob

So I'm out to dinner last night with Two Bobs and Tommy D. Just as I was settling into my fried oyster appetizer, one of the Bob's (the Polish one) claims that he couldn't see the hawk on Tommy O's front lawn.
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Irritating....
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Look at the photo... I'll admit that Tommy took a sucky shot, but right in the exact middle is a Red Tailed Hawk dining on a bunch of feathers.
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Click on the photo to get a closer look.
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Bob, you'd make a freaking poor Birder!
~
BTW, I went off the wagon because of the bad influence of the Two Bob's and downed a shot of Talisker (or three). There was no Lagavulin in sight. Naturally, I layered in a good three Guinness base before venturing to the hard stuff.
~
Back on the wagon today, except for our planned dinner with Dale/Buck and Gale tonight. Can't be rude you know. So the wagon kicks in big time tomorrow.

More from the Peep of the Year

Peeps....

As I have explained to you time and again, being named Nanepashemet POTY is a life changing event. Look what happened to Tommy McMahon!!! You can see the transformation begin with Michael "Murph" Murphy.

~

Fasten your seat belt and hold on tight Murph. This year will be more thrilling than "Mr Toad's Wild Ride" at Disney. And be sure to keep Beth in line. But don't be too hard on her, what with her being new to the limelight and all...

Murph said...

I had no idea the magnitude of being POTY. I have Tuna Lips giving me his valued input and now I am getting fan mail. The following message was in my inbox this AM:

Dear Murph,

I would very much like to give you a half gallon of N. Nog the next time you grace Marblehead. Any chance it could be this weekend? Perhaps we could include the Nestors and the other Nestors. I believe they too are fans. Pre-Pittsburgh / Jaguars? (I'm thinking they're Sat. night, but if the game's earlier, we could do it during). Or Sunday?

Greg could be pissed, but we will soldier on.

A mere 36 years ago, I worked on the 25th floor of the State Street Bank Building on Franklin St. The elevator had a mirror on the ceiling.


Thank you Fans, Thank you Nancy. Upon hearing of my POTY Nancy has invited me to star in the Movie version of "Dustings". A true honor. Thank you Nancy.

The POTY is a bigger honor than I thought. I have my work cut out for me but it looks like I have the fan support. I shall continue my reign so that I could possibly pull off the unthinkable....a repeat in 2008. Tough challenge but I am ready. In a dissapointing move, my wife Beth was recently nominated as a POTW. I was excited to point it out to her and was ready to congratulate her when she asked the unthinkable... "Why did Jay make me a POTW?". I froze. How could she ask such a question. She is married to the Peep of the Year, perhaps the decade. Against all Peep rules. I hope this will not hurt my repeat chances.....She better make up for it with the Automatic Lagavulin rule...Perhaps that will help.....Tuna Lips may have some advice for her I hope....

Tuna Lips said...

This Jay feller you speak of, I would be wunderin' ifin he has eyes fer yer lass. Such subterfuge I have engaged in to hang another pair of bloomers from the good ship Tuna Lips. Beware, good sir, beware. And Rock n' Roll, Hoochie Coo! Oops, voices in my head, gotta run!

Ponderous

• The Paradoxical Commandments

"People are illogical, unreasonable and self-centered. Love them anyway.

If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives. Do good anyway.

If you are successful, you win false friends and true enemies. Succeed anyway.

The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway.

Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable. Be honest and frank anyway.

The biggest persons with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest persons with the smallest minds. Think big anyway.

People favor underdogs but follow only top dogs. Fight for a few underdogs anyway.

What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight. Build anyway.

People really need help, but may attack you if you do help them. Help them anyway.

Give the world the best you have and you'll get kicked in the teeth. Give the world the best you have anyway.."

~ Kent M. Keith

"Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great."

~ Mark Twain

Red Hawk Down

If you look closely, you can see a Red Tailed Hawk devouring its' hapless feathered prey on Tommy O'Shea's front lawn.
~
Obviously Tommy is trying to attract the Discovery Channel's attention to his side of Beverly Ave.
~
Tom, if they were not interested in my fascinating squirrel feeder footage of a couple of months back, what makes you think that a class act like the Discovery Channel will take stock of a big bird munching on a little bird????? In Tommy O's front yard no less!!!
~
Where's Tuna Lips when you really need him? I'm sure he could top Tommy's nature thriller.
~
By the way, Red Tailed Hawk bird turd must be a killer mess.

Peep of the Week - 1

You have to feel bad about ole Tuna Lips, the way he's reacted to Murph's taunting and all.... I suppose he'll get over it, but it must be hard being an undercover operative. Everybody has their breaking point.
~
But just because I have feelings for people, don't start thinking that I'm getting soft or anything. I have to toughen up, and fast.... because today is Thursday, and it's time to begin the year off by.....

ANNOUNCING....
Nanepashemet Peeps of the Week for Week 1 of 2008

• Courtney Lynch
• Jill Phillips
• Lindsey Kepnes
• Beth Murphy
• Ted Moore
• Eric Rumpf

An appropriate group of Winners/Losers to start the New Year off Right/Wrong.

POTY Acceptance

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Resolution Afterthoughts

I know that I didn't get very specific with my resolutions this year. That's because I'm finally noticing that I never turn these beginning of the year affirmations into life transforming habits. So that rather than make an about turn, I hope to suggest trends to myself that may effect positive change.
~
For example, I'd really like to lose about 40 lbs.. But rather than outline a Spartan regime of exercise and diet like I have in previous years .... with obvious failure .... I think that I will try to make small observations and behavioral modifications. Like noting each day in my Outlook calendar of the workout burn or lack thereof that occurred that day, and trying to cut down on my daily consumption of alcoholic beverages.
~
No need to drink that classic winter cocktail, Whisky and Cranberry, every night for instance. And save the Lagavulin for a special occasion.
~
Just to start the new year off right, I think that I will swear off any alcohol altogether until Feb.1. I'll knock back a few if the Patriots play in the Super Bowl though.... but that's not until February anyway.

Nanepashemet Peep of the Year - 2007

Happy New Year. I have to get out and fix the tarp on the tender this morning before it snows, but before I do that, it's time to select the Nanepashemet Peep of the Year.
~
As you may know, last year's POTY, Tom McMahon, caused a rash of controversy. There was a lot of "Oh Yeah!" combined with quite a bit of "WTF!!!"
~
Well Tommy proved to be a very worthy election, what with the photos of him chasing drunken idiots in Fenway Park during Red Sox games and all. And his sojourns down to our house with various youthful girlfriends and six packs of twisted tea solidified his status. It was an excellent year for Tom, as befits his reign as the prestigious/disgraceful Peep of the Year.
~
This year, there was a great candidate pool to choose from. Huge amounts of stupidity, annoyance and inspiration.
~
You should know the selection criteria by now. It's the same standards used to choose the POTW.
~
The winner/loser must have done something stupid, annoying or inspirational, and must not be an animal or dead. I kind of hoped that the automatic Lagavulin rule would kick in this year, with the successful candidate showing up at my house with a case of the King of Single Malt Scotch, but once again I am bitterly disappointed.
~
This year's recipient fit the criteria well and had a huge year.
~
ANNOUNCING.....
Nanepashemet Peep of the Year 2007

Michael "Murph" Murphy

Now don't start in with the obnoxious "Why.... Why.... WHY!!!" whine. You know that I can't disclose the specific reasons. Just suck it up and send your congratulations/condolences to Murph as he begins his momentous reign as the POTY for the coming year.