Thinking of Those Who Fell

Every year on Memorial Day, I have a need to post something about the significance of the day.  It's because  the day evokes such mixed emotions.  
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It's the start of summer, a day off, grilling, having beers with friends.... but it is given to us by those lost their lives in the service of our country.  So, as much as I enjoy the day, I also feel a little guilty about having such a fun and relaxing time.... thinking about those who fell to preserve our country.

POTW Week 21

It's been one of the nicest Memorial Day weekends that I can remember weatherwise.
We've taken advantage of it on the porch of the BYC and will undoubtably be gracing the Corinthian soon as well.
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Announcing....
Nanepashemet Peeps of the Week for the 21st week of 2011.

Brendt D'Orio
Will Crawford
Katelyn Nestor
Jessica Rincon
Nancy Kerrigan
Lindsay Kepnes Joffe
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I'll be spending more and more time on the porches.

Otherwise, the power washer will be the focus of this morning's activity within the driveway, with the tender and the pram getting a thorough washdown to get them ready for varnish and paint.    I also want to powerwash the boulder stock for the stone wall in order to identify seams for spltting.

Euphoria

Red Sox are in first place.
Sarah Palin is running.
It's fishing season.
All is right with the world.
Life is good.
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Now if we could only get the boy out of FreshAyer, my euphoria would be complete.
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Go Bruins!

Modern Family

My favorite comedy, now that McHale's Navy is off the air, is Modern Family.  It's on with back to back episodes for an hour tonight.

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I've always liked Ed O'Neill, since Married With Children and also his appearance in Wayne's World.  And his wife in the series, Sofia Vergara, is both hot and hilarious.   I'm too lazy to type out what I like about the rest of the cast, but I really like them too.

Sudden Death

Every morning lately, we've been waking up to horrific stories of killer tornadoes in the Midwest.  The death toll is up to about 500 people this year.  There is obviously a change in atmospheric patterns that is spurring these violent storms that randomly cut a small swarth of destruction .
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Apparently these things can formulate quickly and sneak up on you.   Tornadoe alarms are frequently drowned out by the roar of the winds, and buildings get torn apart and leveled in minutes.
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The odds of getting killed by a tornadoe are infintesmal, which probably is not much solace to the 500 or so that are the grim statistics this year.   Death is a part of life.... but sudden death always seems too harsh.
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My prayers go to the families of sudden death victims.

Almost Over Oprah

Oprah is supposedly shutting her show down this week... And shutting it down... and shutting it down.
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What a freaking good bye.
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That women is a money machine.   She'll make more money saying goodbye than most of us will make throughout our entire working life. 
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Part of me wants to be aggravated by Oprah.  Lots of self aggrandisement and stuff.   But the other part of me stands in total awe and admirataion of the way she has succeeded in her career and touched so many people.
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So she gets a pass for the aggravation part.

One True Religion

I actually got sucked into a conversation about religion yesterday.  Apparently there are a lot of people who have taken this "end of days" dialog seriously.
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I'm not one of them.
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It is so pretentious for any man, Pope, or pauper, to claim to have the inside track on God's purpose and truth.  And also dangerous.   Because as soon as you get people claiming to act for God's side, then the atrocity to others begins.  They can kick the shit out of you because they are on the side of the Lord.
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Can anyone say "Islamic Jihad"?
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American Indians took the brunt of the largess of European Christianity.  And I wouldn't have wanted to be a Jew during the Spanish Inquisition.
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The truth to me is that there is no one solid truth.  Right and Wrong, Good and Bad are constantly evolving and changing.  Walls and rules come up and are knocked down.  The Taoists have tried to represent this fluidity with their intertwined circle symbol.

But I bet people have been killed over this as well.

Crime of Blood Doping

I was just watching Tyler Hamilton, the world class cyclist from Marblehead, on 60 Minutes accusing Lance Armstrong of using illegal substances and blooddoping.   Hamilton has an immunity deal from the FBI, and is singing like a lark.
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Why don't the Feds attack the World Westling Federation about steroid use?  How else would those guys get so big and stupid?   Why don't they test hard rock bands for illegal drugs which would stimulate their guitar riffs and shreds?
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Seriously, why should the government be involved in persecuting anyone who wants to screw around with their body for a sport.  Isn't that their right?   If others in the sport feel that it is cheating, then they have the ability to regulate themselves.  The FBI has no business in the sport of riding bicycles.  Or how many home runs an idiot can hit, or how fast a sprinter can run. 
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Obviously, the FBI has its fingers in this mess for the publicity. They actually send people to jail for this stuff. How absurd!  I'm not in favor of the cheaters... but it's really none of my business, and certainly none of the business of the government that I support with my tax dollars.

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The cheaters should be banned from the sport, by the body that governs the sport.... not the FBI.  Let the sport judge who really won the race.   Keep the freaking FBI out of it, and don't jail these idiots at my expense just to ice the cake.
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If Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Lance Armstrong choose to cheat, that is the business of themselves, their sport, and their fans.   The only time it huts me is when I have to foot the bill for the Federal Government to investigate and jail the participants.  And that is the real crime.

Shed Start

It's good that this Rapture stuff is behind us.   Bring on the Mayans.
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Heading out for some FreshAyer with the Grandkids this morning.  Hope that the rain holds off so that we can run around outside.
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Otherwise, I want to finish the trash barrell shed that I started yesterday.  Had some nice interruptions from the Crawford kids. Mac, Will, Phoebe and Charlotte, who dropped by and played at the park, along with Cam and Francesca D'Orio who came by with Brendt and Kerry after a successful day of flounder fishing outside of the Lighthouse at Marblehead Harbor.
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Brendt brought over some of his catch, which is worthy of a POTW mention.... although if he brought a bottle of Lagavulin, then it would have been an Automatic.   The fish is a nice substitute though.  And Sue Sue came by for her Will and Ethan fix.
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So a one day project moved over a day or so.  It was worth it.

Skank Clarification

Last night I was having a little fun on Facebook threads about the "Rapture".   Lots of comments back and forth about the pending end of the world that was supposed to happen today.  I have some great friends on Facebook and enjoy bantering with them.
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But the problem with Facebook is the delay in comments.   So I called someone a "Skank", and two of my lady friends immediately thought I was disrespecting them.... because of the timing of my "Skank" comment.
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Damn....
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I don't need to be misconstrued by females on Facebook!  I get enough of that in person, sitting in the living room with my wife, Joanne, without getting into a jam with other women on FB.  
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Why is it so easy to piss off women??? It's something that I'm wicked good at... and I don't practice it or anything.   I guess it's just a natural talent that I have.
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For the record... I never called Denise or Liz a Skank.    The Skank above is the only Skank that I called a Skank.

Good Luck Tomorrow

Just in case tomorrow turns out to be Judgement Day, there are some things that I wish that I would have done in this life.... some things that I'm sorry about.... some people that I could have treated better... and some others whose ass I should have kicked when I had the chance.
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But all in all, I have no regrets.  Took my chances.....sailed the boat out of the harbor and into the open ocean.   In the end, the real satisfaction in life is in helping people, and in seeing the beauty and harmony that lurks quietly all around us.
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Course I'm not exactly done helping and harmonizing.   So if would be fine with me if that wacky minister touting our demise was dead wrong.... instead of us getting dead.
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Good Luck Tomorrow.

Maria Rowen said...


Good luck to the MoaM too...It's been a great ride...and if the lights go out tomorrow at 6:00 PM, some of us belive in the 'group souls' theory...so...where ever we end up...we will all still be doing the same thing...How exciting is that! So stock up on the red, white and Canadian Club...'cause next weekend is the Memorial Day Holiday and we are overdue...*_*

Tuna Lips said...


Sitch Apocalipsis makes fer staging a revival! Lotta room in the tent, make way fer thems that needs healin, that saw buck won't do yiz no good in the hereafter, unburden thyself!

Rapture Rumination

Apparently, some Christians are touting that the Rapture is about to happen... maybe this Saturday.  
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The Rapture was never described in the Bible, but it is supposed to be an end of the world event where born again or chosen Christians will dramatically disappear and will be swept to a heavenly aferlife, leaving the sinners to bear the brunt of the gruesome destruction of the world.
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I don't buy it.
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It just seems too wacky and complicated.
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When the world ends, we will probably all go together in a cataclysmic disruption.  God can always sort things out in the afterlife for whatever exotic punishment we require.
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But if the Rapture does occur, I'm sure that I will be around to put a Blog post together about it.... and I'm equally sure that most of my Peeps will be here to read it.

Arnold Phucked UP

The indiscretion by Arnold Schwarzenegger, in fathering an illegitimate child ten years ago, has struck a resonate chord with my wife Joanne and a lot of my female Facebook friends.

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As in... they are really pissed off and are calling him names that normally would emanate from the mouths of truckdrivers and bricklayers.

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As much as I like Arnold... and I do admire the way he has mastered so many areas that he has entered... bodybuilding, acting, business and politics.... it seems that he has crossed a big time taboo line. 
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Knocking someone up, other than your wife, just isn't cool.   It stirs a reaction deep within the psyche of females that is freaking frightening.

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I'm positive that I never knocked up anybody but Joanne... three times.

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But  Arnold is truly fucked.

Pisc said...



And think about the kid. His life forming event is referred to as an "indiscretion". A little better than being called a mistake, but not much.


Tuna Lips said...

Speakin' fer thems that feels an extraordunary need to sires some offsprouts, some of us gots that primal itchin to spreads our seeds and water it were the ground lay tilled for plantin. Its a burden, havin' to bring pleasure to as many as I does, and to see that my pleasurizin' is available fer thems that come after me, should that cryo freezin' thing not work out. And the insensitive among yiz, bein' the simple stump-trained filth of the lower breeds of folk, well yiz might take a minute to considerate that Arny might very wella been compassating for his poor English verbalating. somes gets theys point across best via the gentle whisper of the ole hickery love stick. Plain and simple.

Bored

Donald Trump pulled out of the President's race.
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Arnold Swarzenegger fathered a child with his staffer ten years ago.
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The Queen of England is visiting Ireland.
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Are you as bored as I am?   I guess we could all key in on that French Politician who jumped a room maid in a New York luxury hotel.
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They say that no news is good news. 
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So maybe I'll have to focus on my favorite subject.... which would be me.  What am I doing?  How am I feeling?  Why am I saddled with the burdens of a Mountain of a Man?
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Actually, even those intriguing topics offer no real interest this morning.
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That's how bored I am.

MOAM Agenda

Lots of stuff on the agenda for next week.
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Taxes.
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Back on the lose weight regime.
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Our Pennsylvania Nanepashemet Telecom initiative.
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Splitting stone for the dry stack stone wall.
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Builidng a wood stacking shed and a trash barrell shed.
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And just the run of the mill Mountain of a Man stuff that us MOAM's do. 
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The weather outlook is rainy, it but most of the stuff will get done. 

More FreshAyer

Heading out to FreshAyer this rainy Sunday morning with the GrandKids.
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We're on the back nine  now, and in some ways, it is harder to take.because this is the time that didn't have to happen.   It would be over now if it wasn't for a bit of lying and deceit on the part of those whose karmic reward is yet evolving. 
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If you think that I'm talking about you, then I probably am.

PS
When we got to the Camp, Craig :LoConte was already thete with Ryan.    I had forgotten what a class act Craig is, since he's been living in New Rochelle for so long, but after two seconds, it was all back to me... just a hell of a human being.
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Even with a little depressing news, it was a great visit.

Stone

For some reason, I've become fascinated with stone walls lately... specifically dry fitted fieldstone walls.  Maybe it's because of all of the ledge that is found around the Sundance house.  Somehow, I want to stay even.

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Anyway... it is far easier to split fieldstone than I had previously imagined.   You just drill a couple of 5/8 inch holes with a hammer drill and a masonry bit, insert a steel wedge with a widening wedges on both sides called feathers (feather and wedge technique) and tap these contraptions in place until the stone cracks and then splits.

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A few blows with the masonry hammer to dress up the stone, then it is ready to be fitted into a wall.
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A slow, painstaking process.
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But just my speed.

Please Give Me a Break

http://www.peoplenotpolluters.org/

The League of Women Voters just ran an ad on WCVB, Boston Channel 5 intimating that Republican Senator Scott Brown was voting to hurt a little Black girl by voting to help the Polluters.
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Cut the shit Scott.
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Leave that little girl alone.
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You should be ashamed.
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Thank god for the League of Women Voters for objectively pointing out to me what a bad person you are.  Keep of the good work, Women.   Let me know if any other politicians are harassing the little Black kids.

Stranger Than Fiction

I'm writing this post because I want to remember something that happened to me today, on Mother's Day, that is stranger than fiction.   You couldn't make this shit up.   And I'm not even going to tell you what happened.  It's  for me to remember when I finally  write my overdue book
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Holding back on the book until I have enough money to hire the legal help that I will need to fend off all of the libel and slander lawsuits.

Extension

I did what I do everytime I start running again.... overextended myself and pulled a calf muscle.  So it's back to the Bike for a while.   Maybe I'll go up to North Conway and get on the Mountain Bike.  That wouldn't be overextending would it?
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Nice visit at FreshAyer yesterday.   Interesting prospects.   Ryan continues to glean the best from every situation.   Not once have I ever seen him wallowing in self-pity, or whining about his situation. 
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He has a forward looking outlook and has taken some very positive insights from FreshAyer.
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When this is over, it will seem like it never happened.  We have all been changed... but maybe in a good way.   Scatch that.... Undoubtably in a good way.  Ryan will take his energy, drive and positive outlook and rebuild a stronger and thriving life for himself and his kids.  It will be a good restart, in the right direction.

Slab Foundation for the WorkShed

Village Idiots

I guess that it is President Barach Obama's prerogative not to release the photos of Bin Laden.   I can see both sides of the issue, and compelling arguments exist for both.
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But I'm not surprised at BO's decision.  A year ago, he was teaching us how to sneeze on our sleeve.  The Democrats know what's best for us.  It takes a village, and apparently, we are the village idiots.
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Can't wait for the next "Teaching Moment".

*=*

Murderer's Backlash

There is a chance of a backlash from people who think that bin Laden did a noble thing when he ordered the murder of 3,000 people in the Twin Towers and the Pentagon.  Despite this, we should show his death photo, no matter how gruesome.
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There is a lack of closure if we don't see the holes in his head.
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And the conspiracy mongers will have a field day.
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I don't think that the threat will ever go away anyway, so I don't mind it if some medieval whackjobs, who still think we are fighting the crusades, get more pissed off.  We always have to be vigilant about murderers, and it is appropriate to show them what happened to their leader.

Good Job BO

Even though I've been critical of President Barach Obama in the past, a tip of the hat goes out to the way this Osama Bid Laden hit went down.
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Damn good job.

Don't Mess With the US

Don't mess with the US.
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The snide, snickering, dispicable mastermind of 9-11 has been taken with two bullets  to his ugly head issued by Navy Seals last night.
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He is now fish food.
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Apparently the Ultra Scum Bag was living in comfort in a Pakistani city just steps from their Military Academy.  That will be another chapter to deal with any who gave hime aid and comfort.
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BYE BYE ASSHOLE.

Tap Tap.  Bye Bye.   Don't mess with the United States of America.

B-ALERT April Evaluation

At the beginning of April, I mentioned that I'd let you know about how the B-ALERT system worked at the end of the month.   That's the technique detailed in "The Power of Focus" by Jack Canfield et. al.
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The technique worked well.... actually really freaking good!  Without getting into stuff that's none of your business, suffice it to say that my business and finances improved, my weight dropped, I consistently started running again, and there is not one nagging "to do" item left on my desk, when last month.... it was covered with them.  I even improved my guitar playing.
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And there was no additional stress on my time, or regular Mountain of a Man routine.  
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Basically... the success confirmed the Power of Focus.   All of the tools to make personal improvements are readily at hand... they just have to be aligned and focused upon.

You will recall that B-ALERT is an acronym that stants for....

B - Blueprint - create a daily plan that links to your short and long term goals.
A - Act - overcome inertia and take action on your Blueprint
L - Learn - take time everyday to read and study in your fields of endeavor.
E - Exercise - You can't afford to neglect the health and strength of your body.
R - Relax - If you need a power nap to recharge in the day... take it.  Your productivity will soar later.
T - Think - Evaluate the events of your Blueprint at the end of the day.

So you Peeps should really stop centering your lives on this pathetic Blog every day.  You can emerge from the hopeless rut that has become your existence.  
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There is more to life than panting for daily tidbits from this Mountain of a Man.  
B-AERT!