The Darwin Evolution

The theory of evolution got a big boost today as Darwin made major strides with Sprint and Cingular.
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o7 - Bring It On!
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Back to Paramus, NJ on Thursday. Planting corporate seeds in Atlanta.

Clear to Close

Operation Moonshadow is ready to go full speed. We should close, pull permits and begin construction by this weekend.

Courtney's Cookies

Another reason why Ryan married right.
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Courtney's cookies.
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They brought a bunch over on Sunday, and I really didn't get into them until tonight. I could easily eat them all, before hitting the sack tonight. It is only through my superior will power and self control that I am able to limit myself to five.... or six.

Nice Round Trip for Lunch in Mahwah

There are approximately 195.19 statute miles between Mahwah, NJ and Marblehead, Massachusetts.
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DiMatteo, Ohanian and I are driving down in the morning, having a meeting, giving out Golf Shirts, buying lunch and driving back.
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It's actually faster to drive. By the time you get to the airport, park, go through security, board the plane, rent a car, drive from Newark to Mahwah... you are better off just driving from Marblehead.
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I know what you are thinking. How can I spend 6 plus hours in the car with DiMatteo without my head exploding? I haven't figured that part out yet.

Blue Egg Baking

Wait until your try this stuff!

Fortier is going to make a million Bucks!!!

http://www.blueeggbaking.com

View from Monday Morning

Number crunch, NJ trip, Moonshadow closing, Amazon gifts, Boston Xmas Party.
It will all get done. We'll see another Saturday.

Nanepashemet's Deed to Marblehead

On September 16, 1684 his (Nanepashemet's) heirs gave Marblehead a deed to their town, it was signed by

Joane Ahawayet, Squaw, relict, Widdow of George Saggamore, alais Wenepauweekinwwekin or George No Nose;

Joane Quanapohkownat, the widow of John Quanapohkownat of Natick:

James Quanapohkownat, alais James Rumneymarsh,

Isreal Quanapohkownat, Sarah Quanapohkownat all of Natick;

Susannah Wenepawweekin, Sarah Wanapawequen daughters of Sagamore George;

Joseph Quanophkonatt, alais Joe English, son of old John ( Essex Reg. Deeds, 11,132 )

( 1.) ( 2.) (3.) ( 4.) ( 5.) ( 6.) ( 7.) ( 8.) ( 9.)

The Marks of: 1.David Nonnuphanohow, 2.Sam Wuttaannoh, 3.John Tontohqunne, 4.Cicely Petaghuncksq, 5.Thomas Vsqueakussennum, 6.Isreal Quanophkownatt, 7.Jane Quanophkownat, 8.Yawata, 9.Wattawtinnusk*. James Rumneymarsh signed the deed in English. From the Salem Deed 1686
* Wife of Peter Ephraim - all signers give their home as Natick

Woodworking Secrets

The secret to woodworking is that wood has only a little to do with it. A good woodworker is really an accomplished metal worker.
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As I get more experienced, especially in building boats and projects with curved surfaces, I've had to understand how to use chisels, planes and scrapers. ~
The essence of these tools is a sharp blade edge.
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I've found that Japanese waterstones progressively up to 6000 grit can put a razor sharp, polished edge on a chisel or plane iron. But it is tedious business to do it by hand. Last year, I bought the Makita Sharpener that uses a powered rotating waterstone. It works quickly and with great results.
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For my scrapers, I use the Veritas burnisher to get the right hook and sharpness to the blade.
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Understanding your saws and other power tool and tuning them correctly is the other secret, involving a good mechanical feel for the machinery and what it is designed to do. This woodworking technique involves wrenches and screwdrivers and has nothing to do with wood.
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Basically, to become a good woodworker, you have to be very good with metal. Seems wierd.

Heartburn and Hangovers

I reccommend Gaviscon Extra Strength Antacid.
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BTW, Hangovers suck.
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I used to be good to go by 12 noon the next day, no matter how bad the morning was. You would think that over your lifetime, the recovery period would improve, but no, I still feel like crap at 4:45 PM.
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It gets worse as you get older.
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Mike just ordered two pizzas from Vesuvius. Tom McMahon is over and we're having a pizza party. This wil be the Gaviscon test.

Senor Balzac....

... is either Mike Nestor or Tyler Gill. Until I figure it out, I think I'll blame them both.

Not Looking Good

12 minutes to go in the 4th period. Patriots down 13-0 to Miami.
2 possessions needed and some big plays.
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Now 10 minutes. Pats have the ball but not showing any luck. Just fumbled. I hate to do it, but I'm going to concede this to the Dolphins.
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This is all Jay Turner's fault. If he hadn't flown down to Miami to watch this game, everything would have been fine.
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My brother in Ft. Laud. should be happy. Thanks Jay.

Stapleless Planking System

In my next boat, I'm going to utilize the stapleless method of clamping the strips together using a plywood clamping system as illustrated here.
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Not because of aesthetics. I doubt that any untrained eye can spot a staple hole in the hull.
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I'm using it because it should align the planking strips together better, thus saving time against the horrendous amount of sanding that these projects entail.