Happy Columbus Day

Columbus Day is one of those nuisance holidays. Enough of your customers work, but you can't go to the bank or receive mail.
~
It's probably losing its significance too because of the Native American reaction to white Europeans coming to America and wiping out indigenous populations with their microbes and religious inspired brutality.
~
Italians like it, but even though my two partners are of Italian descent, they didn't seem to be in a celebratory mode today. Columbus showed up here a little over 500 years ago. A blink of a gnat's eyelash in the timescale of Mother Earth. What a difference a half of a millennium makes!
~
I wonder when this technology curve will level out.

Management Effectiveness

You really have to wonder about the effectiveness of Steinbrenner's motivational abilities. You would think that a businessman with his experience would realize that threats almost never produce positive results.

BTW, the Red Sox completed a sweep of the Angels tonight to go to the American League Championship Series, and the Patriots beat the Browns to go 5 and 0. It's nice to be a Boston fan.

Steinbrenner isn't good enough to own the Yankees.

~

NEW YORK (AP) -Win or else! That was George Steinbrenner's message to Joe Torre before the New York Yankees played the Cleveland Indians on Sunday night.

With the Yankees trailing 2-0 in the best-of-five, first-round playoff series, Steinbrenner reverted to the blustering boss of old and said Torre likely wouldn't return as manager unless New York reaches the AL championship series for the first time in three years.

"His job is on the line,'' the owner was quoted in Sunday's editions of The Record of New Jersey. "I think we're paying him a lot of money. He's the highest-paid manager in baseball, so I don't think we'd take him back if we don't win this series.''

Torre was hired before the 1996 season and led the Yankees to four World Series titles in his first five years but none since. New York last reached the World Series in 2003, wasted a 3-0 lead against Boston in the 2004 ALCS, then was eliminated by the Angels and Detroit in the first round the last two years.

"You're not surprised by whatever comes down the pike,'' Torre said. "You don't always get used to it, but you understand if you want to work here - and there's a great deal of upside to working here - that there are certain things you have to deal with. We've had ultimatums during the season, early in the season. This obviously is down to a game we need to win, and you'd like to believe everybody's trying to pull in the same direction.''

Cocktail Shift

Even though it's been unseasonably warm in New England for October, the leaves are turning and it is time to give the Dark and Stormies a rest.
~
Those of you who have been most attentive know that autumn at the Nanepashemet Blog means time to roll out the classic fall cocktail...... Apple Cider and Seagrams VO.
~
It's just not right to watch the Patriots play football without one. Or three.

Horsing Around

Yesterday, Joanne and I went horseback riding with the Murray's at Black Mountain in Jackson , NH. My horse's name was Chip, and he was a gamer. I wouldn't want a big load like me on my back for an hour as I walked around a mountain, but incredulously, Chip didn't seem to mind. He must have been sensing the cowboy in me.
~
Linda Murray was bragging alot about what an accomplished horsewomen she was, and we weren't buying it 100%.
~
I was nervous for Joanne, but she did very well. Got on and off the horse well, and stopped shaking by the time we were leaving the mountain.
~
Hope Chip is OK.

A Weighty Subject

So far, I've lost 4 lbs this week. The goal is to lose 2.5 lbs. a week until April 21, 2008, which will get me in the 180 lb range. So if you are twisted enough to wonder what I weigh now, you do the freaking math. I choose to keep focusing Progressively on the future.
~
As far as the anonymous commenter who tabbed me as the "Round Mound of Telecom".... if you have the gonads to disclose your true identity, you are a shoo in for POTW this Thurs.

Have a Heart

As I sit here Blogging to you Peeps, my heart is clicking away at a rate of 61 beats per minute. I know this because I invested in a Garmin Forerunner 305 GPS that has a heart rate monitor.
~
The GPS antenna is the most powerful that I have ever used, being able to pick up satellite signals readily, even indoors. Now I'm down to 59BPM.
~
The heartrate function is provided by a bluetooth wireless connection between a chest strap that is surprizingly compfortable, signaling the rate to the wrist unit.
~
Although the device is a little bit bulkier than a large wrist watch, it is light and not noticeable after a while, especially during a run. It should be a motivating factor to get me to workout regularly.
~
Now I'm up to 63bpm. Maybe blogging is too stressful.

Initial Reaction

Friday's are a day of rest in my running schedule. Tomorrow, I'll run three miles in the morning along Route 16 in North Conway. Then repeat that on Sunday. My legs actually have recovered from the pounding aches at the beginning of the week when I started this workout initiative.
~
I'm discouraged at the initial lack of weight loss, but Wed. night's beer bash with Kevin Rockett and his brother at the Gerry had to have a factor here. The fact that I haven't thrown out my back, or cramped up a calf or hamstring after a week of running has me mildly optimistic. This has usually been the case in previous attempts to begin a running regime.
~
Let's see how I feel six miles from now on Sunday evening.
~
BTW, http://www.runnersworld.com has a great free on line training log that is really worth looking into if you want to plan and track your workouts.

POTW Week 40

Nanepashemet Telecom has a construction job around Sebago Lake in Maine, so I'm working out of North Conway today. No difference. Mountains here, ocean in Marblehead.... it's all good. It's interesting that you don't need a General Contractor's license in Maine. NH and VT are the same way.
~
Massachusetts requires a Construction Supervisor's license and a Home Improvement Contractor's license if you work on private residential construction. I have had both for years and they have come in handy. But now, with all of the construction that we are involved with for Nanepashemet, they are crucial.
~
Announcing....

Nanepashenet Peeps of the Week for Week 40 of 2007

• Greg Bruett
• Kevin Rockett
• Tom O'Shea
• Linda Murray
• Bob Brown
• Dr. Phil

Now, it's time to fix the network around Lake Sebago.

Runner's High

Ever since I mentioned that I was training for the marathon, I've been deluged by emails from Peeps worried about my well being.
~
Enough!!!
~
I know that I am a fat POS..... but I'm not stupid. I actually ran on the cross country and track team at UMass Amherst and was part of the Freshman New England Cross Country Championship team.
~
Don't you think I know what I'm doing?
~
Actually, I feel like I never ran a step in my life. My breathing is heavy and my legs feel like lead. My vertebrae are ready to slip right off of my spine.
~
You can't really say that what I'm doing is running. It is literally hauling my ass down the road. There are little gnomes with hammers beating on my thigh and calve muscles all day. I feel miserable.
~
But I'm committed... I've made a resolution.... crossed over the line..... turned over a leaf. In other words... BRING IT ON!!!
~
It's 200 days, 70 lbs, and 840 miles to the starting line of the Boston Marathon in Hopkinton, Massachusetts.
~
See you in April.

Cell Phone Trauma

My MotoQ is lost somewhere in Milton, MA today. Good riddance. It was bulky, hard to dial and the battery life was terrible.
~
But it is still very disconcerting to lose a cell phone, particularly when your business is so focused upon it. Plus replacing the contacts list is a real pain.
~
The phone was clipped on my waistband, and I must have knocked it off while I was carrying some equipment to a rooftop. Retracing my steps through the building a couple of times was frustrating.

I bought a Samsung will alot less bells and whistles, that will fit easily in my pocket without making calls by mistake when you brush against the keys, which was a big problem with the MotoQ. The store in Beverly had me up and running almost immediately, albeit $200 lighter.
~
I'm looking forward to a little simplicity in the constant use of this cell phone.

Electric Motor

An electric motor would be an interesting add on to the dory. This one is from eCycle Marine Systems of Temple, PA.
~
I'll probably stick to a gas powered 15hp Honda 4 stroke from Ryan Marine though.

Seven Months to the Finish Line

203 days until the Boston Marathon. I'm not training to win, so the Kenyans have nothing to worry about.
~
But today I started the journey by lugging my considerable bulk two miles up and down West Shore Drive. This will be a painful and challenging 203 days. Along the way, I hope that my weight drops well below 203 lbs.
~
I'm going to have to find a charity to run for because I won't be able to get a qualifying time before the actual race.
~
The last time I ran Boston, I was 18 years old. There have been many comeback attempts, usually marred by injury of some kind.... or reasons of motivation loss - some valid and some just character weaknesses. There is no reason why this time will be different, outside of the fact that I am opening myself up to ridicule by the likes of you Peeps.
~
Maybe that will be the difference.
~
Anyway, I'm following a program set up by Hal Higdon (www.halhigdon.com/marathon/Oint2-1.htm), and the real marathon buildup doesn't begin until Dec. 17. Everything up to that time is just conditioning to get into condition.