POTW Week 51

The Fact that it is Thursday today almost seems supernatural. Lately the weeks have had only three days. Monday, Thursday and Sunday of course when the Patriots play. I wonder if global warming has anything to do with it?
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"Time flies when you're having fun." The adage holds no weight here. It's no fun watching deadlines loom so much sooner. The problem with deadlines is that people get so wrapped around the axle trying to meet them that they basically don't give a crap what happens by the time that the deadline is passed.
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If you make it, you hate the naysayers and ballbusters who tormented you along the way, and they don't give you any credit when you finally succeed because of the overall acrimonious nature of the process.
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Are you depressed enough now???? It gets worse..... because now it's time to choose the Peeps of the Week.
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ANNOUNCING....
Nanepashemet Peeps of the Week for the 51st week of 2007.

• Gail Johnson
• Josh Dolben
• Dave Bruett
• The entire Membership Committee of the Boston Yacht Club
• Bill Hillegas
• John McCain

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Now let's get back to the hand wringing.
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Sorrowful Phrase

You want to know what I'm really sorry about???
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I'm sorry that I ever heard the phrase "Mea Culpa".
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Mea Culpa, Mea Culpa, Mea Maximus Culpa.
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Kiss my royal Irish Ass.

The origin of the expression is from a traditional prayer in the Mass of the Roman Catholic Church known as Confiteor (Latin for "I confess"), in which the individual recognizes his or her flaws before God. The "mea culpa," as the Confiteor has come to be known popularly, is not simply a confession of sins, but rather an admission of one's flawed nature and the willingness to make amends for it.

The text in Latin is:

Confiteor Deo omnipotenti,
beatæ Mariæ semper Virgini,
beato Michæli Archangelo,
beato Ioanni Baptistæ,
sanctis Apostolis Petro et Paulo,
omnibus Sanctis, et vobis, fratres (et tibi pater),
quia peccavi
nimis cogitatione, verbo et opere:
mea culpa,
mea culpa,
mea maxima culpa.
Ideo precor beatam Mariam
semper Virginem,
beatum Michælem Archangelum,
beatum Ioannem Baptistam,
sanctos Apostolos Petrum et Paulum,
omnes Sanctos, et vos, fratres (et te, pater),
orare pro me ad Dominum Deum nostrum.
Amen.

This translates into English as:

I confess to Almighty God,
to blessed Mary ever Virgin,
to blessed Michael the Archangel,
to blessed John the Baptist,
to the holy Apostles Peter and Paul,
to all the Saints and to you, brothers (and to you Father),
that I have sinned exceedingly,
in thought, word and deed:
through my fault,
through my fault,
through my most grievous fault.
Therefore I beseech the blessed Mary,
ever Virgin,
blessed Michael the Archangel,
blessed John the Baptist,
the holy Apostles Peter and Paul,
all the Saints, and you, brothers (and you Father),
to pray to the Lord our God for me.
Amen.

Holiday Strain

Every year in the wireless telecom industry, the same thing happens.... a headlong rush to get things done by the end of the year. As I contemplate the last ten years doing this, the holidays are always extra stress. If it's not a major procurement, it is a production deadline that must be met.
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This year is no different. Fending customer expectations and trying to get subs to take on challenging amounts of work.
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The Stress and Strain Game. Pressure that a lesser man would surely find daunting. And yet I carry on. If I only was eligible for POTW, this type of inspiration would be a no-brainer.

Tuna Lips said...

Speaking of strain, I need to introduce some fiber to my diet. I popped a blood vessel "heavin' a havana" last night, plugged up the Route 135 rest stop outhouse but good.

Seems the local area boys choir gave a concert last night, al fresco, takin' to the woods about the rest area, singin' what musta been Christmas carols, what with all the howlin' and gleefulness. Gave me a special feelin'. And the local police provided the twinkle lights, with their strobes of blue and red flashin' and they search lights flashin' across the tree line. Real community spirit.

Tuna Lips Reaction

Tuna Lips has a masterpiece a couple of posts down. Don't miss it.
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I laughed, I cried, I almost attempted suicide.
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That boy can write.

Patriots Again

Patriots just beat the Jet's to move to fourteen and oh.
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I knew that they would have a winning season, but I didn't predict this.

Ho Ho Ho

I was just watching Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops on TV, and I have to admit, it pretty much kicked in the Christmas spirit for me.
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Looks like it's time to fire up Amazon.com and start spending on gifts.

Birdseed Godsend

I know that I haven't mentioned much about the birds at the feeder lately. That's because I've been plum out of birdseed.
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But it's all changed now. After a trip to Costco, I've got about 30 lbs. of the wondrous stuff that birds and squirrels crave.
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We'll be taking proper care of the little feathered critters for the foreseeable future.

Chistmas Gift Wish

So many of you have been sending me emails asking me what I want for Christmas. If you would only channel your energy to sending me a dollar a day cash for a year, I would be set for life, and able to build beautiful cedar-strip dories for the those who yearn to row.... but can't because of the critical lack of such small craft.
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But no.... you'd rather send me these annoying emails all of the time. So you all can bear your share of the blame.... that those who need dories, don't have them.
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Makes you feel kind of small, doesn't it????

Tuna Lips said...

I am with you, Christmas is a special time. Recently, or should I say annually, I get into it with the condo association (moved to a nice 50+ community a couple years back, where having a "Yankee Wife Swap" this Thursday at the socializin center)about my light display. Its the genuine article, I picked up the components on a business trip to Tijuana back in the 80s. That fact that the icicles resemble man gear irritates some of the non-joiners around the place. And those glass etchings, with the animals in the stable mounting one another on the cold December night so long ago, well, they tells it like it wuz. All these, and Elvis' "Blue Christmas" put me right in a festive spirit. None's is fer keepin' the holidays like ole TL. Sure, I wake in a puddle of my own sick now and again, but nothin' a good hosing down and some fire damaged candy canes caint fix. Time to go trim my nose hair. Merry Christmas, or should I say Feliz Navidad, what with the way things are and fear being such a silent motivator. Wow, that was deep fer even me. I could run for president, maybe cry on TV.

Stupid Choice

Those of you Peeps who have had the good fortune to actually work with me know that when the going gets tough, sooner or later I'll end up quoting Henry Ford.
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"Whether you think you Can, or think you Can't... you're Right!"
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Some people get inspired and motivated when I say this.... others are doubtful and intimidated... and the majority just get pissed off at me.
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I don't care, because I really believe it. Plus I'm not afraid to fail. Babe Ruth was the Home Run King of Baseball for years, but did you know that he also has the record for strikeouts? You are known by your successes, not your failures.... and you can't succeed unless you try.
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But I feel the need to modify Ford's credo. After all, he wasn't right about everything, being a racist and whatnot.
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So for now on, I'm going to nudge others to success by the following.....
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"If you think you CAN, at least you've given yourself a fighting chance. If you think you CAN'T, you are absolutely right."
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This way, those of you who are so paranoid of failure have an out.

No matter which choice you make, the one thing that you can absolutely count on is that things change and anything can happen. So with that basic fact, to say you can't is pretty stupid.

Lug Sails

Nice looking lug sail rig for a Chamberlain Gunning Dory. I like this better than the mutton chop sail espoused by John Gardner.
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But the sailing rig will definitely be a retro fit after we get this thing set up for rowing with two Piantedosi Rowing Rigs and a motor well for a Honda four stroke 8 hp outboard.

http://www.nanepashemetboats.blogspot.com/

We've been taking quite a few orders for these lately.

Friday Reflections

Friday Night.
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Another whole week under our belt.
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What did you do this week???? Besides eat, breathe, sleep and shit???
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Did you do one freaking thing to better the cause of humanity?
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Or was it all about you? You and your pathetic, self-centered, whiny-ass needs.
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Just kidding.
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My week was pretty good. Definitely kicked it up a notch, and moved our big order forward. It's such a pain in the ass to have to push on work through the holidays, when everybody else is heading for shut down. Maybe if my trust funds kicked in, I wouldn't have to work so hard. Then again, I'm pretty sure that I don't have any trust funds.
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So have a nice weekend. And think about somebody else besides yourself for a change.

Higher Purpose

Nobody has asked about the progress on the Chamberlain Marblehead Gunning Dory for quite some time now. Doesn't anybody care? After all, this Blog is technically supposed to be about boatbuilding.... yet scarcely a question about it.
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You're starting to creep me out.
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So anyway, the status of the Dory is that I haven't worked on it for over two months. I have plenty of excuses, but the bottom line is no Dory work. And I don't see any respite from the demands of Nanepashemet Telecom.
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The good news is that if the Telecom business continues at its current trend, I can retire early and become the boatbuilder that you and our modern society deserves. How's that for a higher purpose?

Tuna Lips said...

I am amullin' over your 50% rule thing. My o my. Poor sufferin' soul.

As a most popular fella, I caint imagine the demons that torment you, what with not having everyone like you. In my case, my overarching magnaminousness is unequaled. It can be a burden, though. Everyone flocking to me, like the chilluns' to our Lord, looking for guidance.

"A friend who can not be bought or is not buying is no friend."

That's the kind of knowledge I drop. See, I am wise, like Solomon I is.