Alpine Warning

Tomorrow we will be challenging the mountain again. Not sure which one. If Katelyn comes, maybe Bretton Woods, because she is not too confident to ski. But if it is just me, Ryan and Mike, then we will bring Wildcat to its knees.
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As long as I don't let some Black Diamond trail turn me into a sissy boy, it should be a great day.

Peep of the Year Lauren said...

WE have been in North Conway since Wednesday, the skiing is good. Jason and my dad will be at Attitash tommorow. Ethan and I are hitting up Kahuna Laguna the indoor water park at the red jacket.
Have fun..Lauren Rathbone

Tuna Lips said...

Ooh, well look at this, peep of the year Miss Lauren Rathbone chimes in about winter frolicking and playing water sports. Goolleee! What next, a new mock apple pie recipe? Hows about a way to loose some stains from yer briefs?

I swear the fix was in on this one, I does I tells ya.

Peep of the Week - Week 8

Peeps....
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Is there anythng more painful than having to take a wicked piss while you are driving a half hour away from your destination???
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A couple more details ....
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You have to take a wicked piss, your're driving a half hour from your destination, on a winding New Hampshire road with frost heaves every 10 yards or so, and your wife is sitting in the passenger seat complaining that she also has to take a wicked piss and would I please watch out for the bumps.
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Freaking Torture.
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Speaking of torture....
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ANNOUNCING....
Nanepashemet Peeps of the Week for the 8th Week of 2009

Michael Murphy
Gail Johnson
Steve Harvey
Lisa Panakio Rowe
Claudio Alvarez
Isam Halwani

I suppose that you could wet your draws, but that is such a social taboo. Plus it really fouls the interior of your Ford F150.

Mayan Economics

Everybody is so focused on the down economy.
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What will happen?
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Will Obama and his stimulus package of spending money that we don't have, help or hurt the whole mess???
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My recommendation is to keep Nancy Pelosi the hell out of the way. She really scares me.
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I don't know what the fuss is about anyway. Didn't the Mayans predict that everything will be cashed out in 2012? If that's the case, we only have to hang for another three years or so. After that, everybody will be dead, so what do we care??
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With my luck, the Mayans will have blown this prediction. They can't be that damn smart if they let a few dozen Hispanics kick their ass and bring down their whole freaking civilization.

Conflagration Proof

The Morso fireplace inserts were installed today and they are damn buff looking. Naturally I loaded it up with wood impatiently and neglected to build the first fire properly.
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But we're back in business again.
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Burning wood. Living the natural life of a natural born man.
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I'm hopeful that this time the insulated chimney and encapsulated stove will eliminate the chances of a house conflagration.

Tuna Lips said...

I recommend walkin' about the place with the fire ablaze and yer don johnson hangin' out whilst singin' "I am the walrus" by thems Fab Four. Get's folks attention, and I reckon it feels perty good, too, all that warmth on yer man gear. 'Chestnut roastin' on an open fire! Jake Frost nippin' on yer nose!"

Ise, too, heat the place with a stove. I find invigeration walkin' about Casa Tuna with my man tackle hangin' out, lettin' my vitals breath in the warm air from the stove. Granted, its a gas oven, with the door left open, hitched into my neighbors propane tank for economizin.' Nevertheless, real folk like us revel in the call of the wild, good feel of walkin about a place, singin' "My Way", and not bein' hauled in fer some trumped up charge. Enjoy!

Nice Bosch

I've bought a few jig saws in my life, and always found them to be one of the most useful tools.
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So since I could easily live without it.... when I bought this Bosch 1591EVSK 6.4 Amp Barrel Grip Jigsaw during one of my late night Amazon buying sprees, I thought it was extravagant and stupid as usual.
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But this baby is the winner hands down. I used it today to cut through the 2 1/2" fir plank that was the mantle for the fireplace that nearly burned the house down.
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It went right through the wood with as straight and clean a cut as if I cut it with a table saw. There was little vibration and virtually no creep or wander.
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So not so stupid after all!!

Weekend Workload

The great thing about weekends is that it takes the pressure off. Even if you decide to work, you can pretty much depend that people won't be calling you, taking you off plan and causing you to change direction.
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You can concentrate on one thing and get it done.
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But that doesn't help you if you have a bunch of conflicting priorities.
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Since Nanepashemet Telecom has taken flight, it's impossible to get the mundane administrative stuff done during the week. Like figuring out expenses and billing for reimburseables.
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But I also have to demolish the mantle over our fireplace and get the rubble to the dump while it is open on Saturday, so that we are ready for the Morso installation on Mon.
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And then there is the freaking tax work that has to get done for both Sundance and Nanepashemet, because my appointment with my accountant is next week.
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Plus, I have to take care of an investment deal for Mike.
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The challenge here is that all of this stuff really has to get done this weekend. I can see where a lesser man would falter, but it's all under control for a mountain of a man like me.

POTW - Week 7

I know that it's Saturday, and Peep of the Week Selection is Thursday.
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So what's your point?
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Do you think you are entitled to see the POTW each and every week???
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And then there is the broader, deeper, almost metaphysical question.... why do you even care who the freaking Peeps of the Week are anyway ????
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Those are all disturbing questions that you must personally deal with. Everybody has their own cross to bear.
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ANNOUNCING....
Nanepashemet Peeps of the Week for the 7th Week of 2009.

Joe Kennedy
Grady Butler
Susan Sarandon
Ethan Nestor
Tom Egan
Abby Bruett

Now that you have your precious Peep Selections, what are you going to do next?

POTY said.....

I am so glad the blog is back up to speed...

Lauren Rathbone Peep of the Year and Proud...

Skipjacks Win- Win

I did something that I'm a little ashamed about today.
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I knew that the majority of people who work for one of my most important customers was in Arizona, so I took the liberty to send them an email, inviting them to Skipjacks in Newton, MA for lunch tomorrow.
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It's their favorite place.... they always order the lobster rolls.
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I knew they couldn't come.
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But I hope that they will see the good will gesture..... and I still won't have to pay for lunch.
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It's not like I never bought the freaking lobster rolls before.
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So.... It's a win - win.

Tuna Lips said...

I likes the sleight of generositiouness, damn fools just wants to think they important enough fer a sit down meals with a cocktail er three. I often do the same at the Red Lobster, where, I might add, I felicitate the 44 year young hostess with three divorces and a half breed daughter who is next in line. What? Cher was a half breed. No less than Cher. So check your high faluttin cogitatin'. Coo coo!

Tom McMahon said .....

I was recently watching the movie Stepbrothers with your son and I believe that it could be the greatest movie of all time. Any thoughts?

Tommy -

Almost as good as Wayne's World with the Scooby Doo Ending. And that's no Bull.

Morsø

Bought two Morsø Danish cast iron fireplace inserts today to install in the fireplace that nearly burned down the house last month, and the basement fireplace.
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They were not cheap, but the alternative was to demolish the entire chimney and two fireplaces, and rebuild. That would have kept us out of the house for 2 weeks with a huge mess. Just not feasible at this time.
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The fireplace inserts will have insulated metal flues that will extend from the stoves, all the way up to the top of the existing chimney cap. They will be installed in one day.
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Now the chimney masonry has nothing to do with the fireplace fire. It will be a lot safer and the heating efficiency from the cast iron and convection system will be far superior than a fireplace in heating the home.
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Plus.... It's the "Green" Alternative. Saving all that brick. And burning the scrap wood that I generate from Nanepashemet Boatbuilding.
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And I'm all about going green.

Tuna Lips said...

This here is one fabulous development in yer evolvin'. Soon enough, that shed of yers will be put to proper usin', with a chiminey of er own and some slow cookin' corn and sugah water, with a peach, er plum er raisins in there, make a proper mash.

aint no kevlar fer fire, neither. Pappy learned me right.

Joe for Oil

Am I the only one who gets repulsed by the "Joe for Oil" ads?
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Joe Kennedy talks down to people so bad, that you can scarcely believe that anyone would buy his bullshit. How stupid does he think we are? And how many old people and veterans will he treat like stooges in his obnoxious ads???
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No Joe... The Citco oil doesn't hardly come from the "people of Venezuela", any more than the "people of America" give us oil from Texaco.
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I haven't figured out what the scam is, but the stink is there.
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As an Irish Catholic from a working class family in Lynn, MA, it is a cardinal sin to dis the Kennedy's.... but this is just too tough to take.

North End Sympathizer said...

Citgo pulled their subsidy this past November. Chavez had gotten all the press he needed out of it (see, Light Weight in the White House)and now, you pay full, dirty American!

Joe's not for profit schtick does not account for his salary (600 large, that will buy a few pints) and those of his executive level colleagues, who also run for profit energy businesses.

Bullshit Barristers

On my way to the Marblehead Transfer Station (aka Town Dump) this morning with Ryan, he made a comment about what assholes the "Barristers" at Starbucks are.
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Man... did he hit the nail on the head!
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On average, the Starbucks people who sell you coffee are rude and smug. Not sure why.
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Is it because they resent you because of the station in life that they presently find themselves? They really don't seem to do much. For the Bold Medium that I buy, they just fill up the cup. I have to put the Splenda and Half and Half in by myself.

BTW, I simply refuse to call the size Vente, or Tall. That's just plain stupid.
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Maybe being forced to call a "medium" a "Vente" all day long brings out the asshole in you. I guess I have to give them the benefit of the doubt.
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The bottom line is that I like Starbucks coffee. I know that some people call it "Tarbucks", I still prefer it over Dunkin Donuts. But the people at Dunkin Donuts are way better that the Starbucks asshole barristers.
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Now... is everybody who works there an Asshole??? Of course not!..... just the majority.

Tuna Lips said...

Sounds ta me like homo anxiety. Folks dont much give a rat's arse fer where ye gits yer joe.

Peep of the Week - Week 6

This is the longest that I've not posted to this Blog in 2 1/2 years.
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Either I'm a slacker.... or I haven't had a life for the last 2 1/2 years.
`
Regardless, the reason that I haven't posted is personal and none of your God-Damn business. So piss off.

ANNOUNCING.....
Nanepashemet Peeps of the Week for the sixth week of 2009

Denise Kearns
Peter Howard
Jeff Gold
Jim Lundgren
Ricardo Sousa
Kate Rugman

I'll be back on the routine soon... if that will make you freaking happy.

Dory Draw

It was 55 degrees today. Almost warm enough to get me back out to the garage to resurrect the Marblehead Gunning Dory. I think that I will stick to plan, though, and build the work bench first.
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Sometime during my travels this week, I'll stop by Home Depot and pick up the best piece of 4x8 maple plywood that I can pull from the stack. The plywood top gets the nod over the butcherblock because of the lack of movement when I trim the top with either solid maple or solid mahogany with dovetailed corners. I'll rip it in half and double it to provide the bulk and weight that a work bench requires, and will cut it to a six foot length.
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I'm afraid that the solid butcherblock would cause movement along the width of the top that would cause the dovetail trim to separate.
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I've also decided to keep the top on a 24" width more or less rather than the 30" that I originally planned. I want to be able to easily reach over the width of the bench.
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The bench won't be rushed, but I hope to finish it before spring draws me back to getting serious with the Dory again.

A Bit Pretentious

So today I ran into someone who told me supposedly what I was thinking, and why I should not be thinking it.
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That's pretty cool.
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I don't even know what the hell I'm thinking most of the time, but this Know-It-All has the fascinating insight to tell me what I think and why I'm wrong to think it.
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So, you invent what I think, and then condemn me for thinking it......
A foolproof argument.
Holy Shit!
I wish I was that smart.
Katie Couric could do no better.

Supply Trip

Peeps.
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I have a strong recommendation for you.
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Never go to lunch on a Fri. afternoon... have four beers and two scotches... then decide it might be a good idea to go to Costco for a little supply run.
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On my way home, I definitely had a bad case of buyer's remorse.
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• Not sure why I needed a 30 pack of Red Bull.
• Ten bucks worth of TUMS antacid tablets seemed a bit much.
• The ten pack of uniball pens was entirely unnecessary.
• An additional pair of jeans made no sense at all.
• Forty dollars for Gillette Fusion razor blades was questionable.

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But at least I had the good sense to buy twelve paper towel rolls, 24 rolls of toilet paper and three sets of leather work gloves. Not to mention the 55 packets of Quaker Instant Oatmeal and the 4 lbs of salted butter.
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There was more stuff... but I'm too embarrassed to tell you what it was.
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Four beers and two scotches.... cost me $400 bucks at Costco.

LMR

Finally got the courage to get a run in on the Nordic Track treadmill. Only 1.5 miles, but it's a start. Part of the Lean and Mean Routine.

POTW Week 5

Every once in a while, you get blessed with the chance to see where you really stand in life. The times that try men's souls.... so to speak.

Fortunately, these times don't occur often, but when they do, you have to recognize the blessing.

Announcing...

Nanepashemet Peeps of the Week for the fifth week of 2009.

Jeremy Johnson
Doug Maxfield
Chuck Jellison
Joanne Nestor
Frank Wetmore
Carol Kenner

Normally, I wouldn't give a hint why, but none of these were annoying... all inspirational.

Yes ... I Know.

If you're wondering if I know....
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I do know.
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So Freaking What!!!!
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You can take your Brady Bunch, Ozzie and Harriet, Leave It to Beaver Bullshit and stick it up your Ass.
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This is the HOME of the BRAVE.... not some pussified version of Wannabee Land. This is the shit that builds character. Shortly we'll see who has it, and who doesn't.

Time Constraints

It wasn't so long ago when Nanepashemet Telecom was in the sales and marketing mode. I vastly prefer the operating mode, but it has put my time at a premium.

Archrival said...

If you had gone to a pedigreed academy... like Shrewsbury High School, you'd have better learned how to manage your time, so that you could utter such wisdom as "Vidi, Vici, Veni"
I saw, I conquered, I came... Here in the Sunshine State of FL, where they finally learned to count Chad's, I bask in the sunshine while my contemporaries struggle in their day to day pursuits... Dodging snowflakes. My only concerns are political...will I drift left or right... though most drives are down the middle !

Must have hit a nerve with Joe Collins, my Archrival who is a proud graduate of Shrewsbury High School. Nothing personal Joe....
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....but your knowledge of Latin is lacking for an alumni of such a prestigious academy. The translation of Julius Caesar's comments about Gaul is "I came, I saw, I conquered". You completely misconscrewed it.

Tuna Lips said...

I likes to go swimmin' with bowlegged women and swims between they legs, swim between they legs, o' swim between they legs . . .

Taxes Again

I hate Tax Season.
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It reminds me that we are not close to being free in this country. We are lulled to sleep and let the government confiscate a huge amount of our productivity. By far, my largest anxiety is the power of the IRS to swoop in, pronounce you guilty, confiscate your bank accounts and leave you in a hapless state to try to defend yourself after you have been pillaged.
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If you think I'm exaggerating.... I'm not even a little bit. Been there, and I hope you never will be.
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So that's my annual tax bitch.
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In a few weeks, I will have fed the Monster again, and have forgotten about this gross inequity for a little while.