4th Quarter

It's that time of year again. Customers with their end of year expectations and fears. And when you are dealing with large corporations, it's all about finding someone to blame.
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Best thing to do is put your head down, move forward, and not let your ego get sucked into all the craziness.

Work Bench Detour

I've decided that I'm not going to resume the Marblehead Gunning Dory project until I build a suitable workbench. Of course I've done a little research, bought some books from the Taunton Press, and know exactly the type of bench that I will build, and I'm not going to scrimp either.
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I have purchased two front vises from Grizzly and have ordered tail vise hardware from Woodcraft and will be laminating the base from maple and mahoghany. The top will be birch plywood, laminated with CDX or MDF.
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It's going to have lines like this nice Laguna production model, without the cabinet work in the base. I'm going to store it in the basement and cover it in Nanepashemet paperwork when not in use.... which will be most of the time unfortunately.
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All in all, it will be a super cool bench and should be ready for action by February, when the Dory action will get back into the forefront.
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There will be pictures. I hope to keep the quality equal to Will's Toy Chest which I view as my best work thus far, even better than the Herreshoff Columbia Tender, although you haven't seen the pics of the corner TV shelf that I made for Joanne last month.

Gerry Dilemma

The Thanksgiving Day weekend is mercifully coming to a close. On balance, it was a tremendous respite with a few irritating occurrences.
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In general, I ate and drank way too much. Probably with an emphasis on the "drank". Made the mistake of going to the Gerry 5 last night and knocked down many beers that I really didn't need to consume.
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It's funny.... If I told Joanne on a Saturday night that I was going to the Gerry.... it would be hot tongue and cold shoulder for me. But if her Mikey asks me if I want to go... she is all "Why aren't you going to the Gerry?" Even if I don't really feel like going.
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I guess it's the inconsistencies of life that keep things interesting.
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So naturally... the minute I walk into the Gerry, some booze bag misinterprets something I said and tries to call me out. As much as I would have liked to pummel him into oblivion, I avoided the pleasure and talked him down. Getting sued by an inebriated asshole would have been fairly unsavory. Plus, I probably would have been banned by the Gerry. The satisfaction of moving his broken nose to another side of his drunken face just wasn't worth it.
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Once again... a Mountain of a Man Move!
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Today I'll start to mill the birch logs that I have hanging around the garage to begin building some oversized workbench legs. But by the end of the day, I'll be revving up Nanepashemet Telecom. Next week is a big week and I want to have all of the cobwebs shaken out before I wake up tomorrow morning.

Tuna Lips said...

I finds myself regurgitating sweet potato pie at the thought of the harm I done to myself this past festivizing period. There are several recitations of criminalizin facts that strike me all too plausible. Damn that Shoo Fly.

Consequences of Winter

There was a hard frost last night and the temperature is in the 30's. All the leaves are off of the trees, and I actually raked them off of my lawn yesterday. We're ready for winter.
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Every year around this time, I resolve to get some skiing in up North. X-C or Downhill... it doesn't matter. Course I didn't realize that the Nanepashemet business was going to hit like a Tsunami. So the prospects of really hitting this resolution are slight.
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I suppose that this is good.
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Since my skiing skills are only slightly better than than my golfing skills, I've been pretty lucky. After all... you can't get badly hurt golfing... generally.... but skiing is a whole different story.
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If I was badly injured, and couldn't Blog, thousands of Peep lives would be left spinning helplessly out of control. Just because I selfishly chose to ski this year. I couldn't live with myself.

POTW Week 46

With all of the Thanksgiving hub bub, you would have thought that I would have all but forgotten about the Peep of the Week selection.
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Maybe you would, but not me... what with my iron discipline and magnanimous sense of obligation.
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This week is a special week, because we came up with another automatic selection. That is always extra satisfying for me. Plus there is a huge range of choice from all of the annoying/inspirational things that happened at the Bash.
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Still, I'm sure the selections will stir their usual cauldrons of controversy.

Announcing....
Nanepashemet Peeps of the Week for the 46th Week of 2008

Bob Wojcik (Automative Gift of Lagavulin)
Joe Collins
Abby Bruett
Will Nestor
Ginny Hudak
Nick Demakes

Now we can head into the Christmas season.

Upward and Onward

I hope you took the time to reflect upon things you are thankful for this Thanksgiving.
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Most people like to dwell on the stuff that pisses them off. There is a whole series of New Age philosophy called the Law of Attraction that says that this practice attracts more negative stuff and a constant circle of problems and unpleasantness materializes. If this is true, then the current economic downturn must be adding a lot of fuel to this negative thought engine.
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You can't dwell on the bad stuff.
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I'm not saying that you should deny it's existence. Forgive and forget is Bullshit. You have to forgive, but you should never forget. The bad stuff is part of what makes your current existence who you are, and you have to remember it to avoid its recurrence. But if you can forgive yourself and others for the negative stuff that happened, then you don't perpetuate negative stuff that occurs by dwelling upon it.
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That's what I think Christ mean't when he said to love your enemies and turn the other cheek. Disarm the bastards by forgiving them. It is practical advise and allows you to move forward and rise above.
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After all.... Living Well is the Best Revenge.

Tuna Lips said...

Ise taken to cognitatin' on yer ramblings, and whilst i love the baby Jesus and thinks you are spot on in assaying his logic, I also find a sharpened key to the quarter panel of yer fellow person's new pre-owned marcedes has a catheterizing effect. Lives in the moment, carpet days sorta thing.

The ceremonial airing of greivances while dancing around an open fire built with yer high fallutin' neighbors belongings, that can bring a primal stirring to a fellers loins that spells out much of the rule book of this here existing. Take by force and fear, or by guile and a smile.

Tuna Lips, out!

Bash Results

This year's Night Before Thanksgiving Day Bash is history.
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After sifting through the dozens of emails asking how the Bash worked out, you would think I would be a bit annoyed. If you are so interested, you should have come. But then it was packed to capacity, so it's probably better that you didn't.
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Judging by the comsumption of Dark and Stormies, it would have to be termed a success.
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Bob Wocjik attained the status of "Mountain of a Man" due to his classy gift of Lagavulin and other sacrifices that he made for the overall Bash Results.

Bash Prep

If everything works out today, I'll make a quick trip to Ogunquit this morning to pull a permit for a Nanepashemet customer, then deadhead back to Marblehead and be in place by noon. That's when we will be packing it in to concentrate on the Thanksgiving Bash that we are hosting this evening.
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Bash preparations include making the dough for Fried Dough, cutting the twenty lbs of chicken for the Buffalo Wings and setting up the turkey fryer. That's my chores. Joanne has her own, including making the macaroni and cheese, chili, scallops and bacon, clam balls, etc. .... and we try to stay clear of each other for the most part.
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It's tough to keep the menu concentrated on "White Trash" food, but we are trying to stay true to the theme, with an eye to the subtheme of "understated elegance".
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We always take a number of photos at each year's Bash, but this year I'll be periodically downloading onto the PC and projecting onto the 42" HDTV so that everyone can withness their true appearances. It will be interesting whether this revs things up or cools it down.... I suppose it depends upon the individual.
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At any rate, all Peeps are welcome. And remember the Lagavulin automatic rule. That always makes it extra special for me.

Tennis Tough Talk

Peeps....
You remember the Insidious Bob Wojcik, who successfully ruined my running career by his fraudulent advice on stretching. Now he is at it again, wistfully remembering a tennis match that he and I clashed in at the North Conway NH venue last fall.

"Speaking of the makings of Mountain Men... My doc confirmed that I took you down, on your homecourt with two (not one) torn Menisci. To come back from one set down, then 3 Love in the last set while in excrutiating pain is inspriational and without a doubt, the true definition of a mountain man! "

What he is trying to say in his folksy colloquial manner, is that he once beat me in Tennis while suffering with two torn Menisci.
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First of all Bob, I don't know what the hell a Menisci is. So why the hell are you boasting that you that you had two of said Menisci torn????
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The fact is that you were in danger of being beaten in tennis by an old, fat, white guy, who damn near collapsed from exhaustion before the warm ups were over. Despite being at least ten years of age older than you, and slovenly living those ten years at that, I made you tear your freaking Menisci in order to beat me.
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I anxiously await a rematch.

Wosidious said...
btw...what made you get back on your bike after three months? Did you run out of gas or something but couldn't wait to run out for some more nachos? Motivation or necessity? That is the question!

Not a Wheel Man

I really admire people with driving skills... especially since mine are so piss poor.
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Those who have traveled with me, like the two Bob's, know that I am just a terrible wheel man. Despite this, my driving record is immaculate. This is because of my superior judgement.... knowing that I am a hazard at the wheel, I deftly avoid situations where my lack of driving skills would be apparent.
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That is precisely what happened today as I rented a 30' Penske Diesel to deliver materials to a Coast Guard site in Cape Cod. After driving a mile, I quickly realized that I had no business driving a rig that big, and surrendered the wheel to the new Nanepashemet guy, Al, who proved to be the far better man..
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It takes a big man.... nay, a Mountain of A Man.... to admit to his weaknesses.

Tuna Lips said...

I am licensed to drive the bigs rigs - asks Lulu Thistlesnatch - gotta go about 20 stones, as the Limeys would say. Pleasured her at the Turkey Trot the other night, and dirn neer herniatered my back. Big rig.

Chickens comin' home to roost on others fronts, reapin' what I sowed. I felled victim to one of the classic blunders, the most knowed is never get involved in a land war in Asia, but only slightly less well-known is this here: never go in against a Eye-talian when death is on the line.

But I figure to endure.

Bash Anticipation

So the anticipation/anxiety surrounding the night before Thanksgiving Bash is intensifying.
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That's no surprize.
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The urge to eat copious amounts of Buffalo Wings, Macaroni and Cheese, Chile, and Fried Dough, along with drinking highly inappropriate amounts of Beer, Wine, Dark and Stormies, Seagrams and Cider, and ultimately Lagavulin Night Caps is enough to cause consternation in the sturdiest Party Hounds among you Peeps.
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Plus this year Carly Press passed the Bar in two States! That's Great... Another Lawyer... Just what we need!!!! At least she's a lot better looking than the average attorney. We'll probably have a couple of ambulance chasers at this bash. Piscatelli has threatened to attend, and this year, he might just come through.
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Course the Two Bobs and "My Friend Who Doesn't Want His Name Mentioned in the Blog" will be there, along with his authoress wife, Nancy, Abby, Dave and Meghan and his new granddaughter, Caroline.
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Katelyn is nagging me to get the door to the downstairs half bath fixed.... Something about privacy or something. I mean... just hold out as long as possible before you break the seal... then you won't care if the door is open of not. But I'll probably fix it anyway just to get her off of my ass.
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It's rumored that Emily Engardia along with her squeeze, River, will be coming in from Lake Tahoe. You will recall that Emily beat Bob "Mountain of a Man" Brown hands down in the Nanepashemet Peeps Logo Contest, so it will be interesting to see them both at the same event. Sparks could fly.
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MegaPeeps, Brian and Stacey Butler will be showing new megapeep offspring, Grady. I'm psyched for that.
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Tons of other Highlights.
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Katelyn and Jack Dog
Grandson Will along with his soon to be born brother, Malachi (that is the code name that the Psychic told me)
Tyler, Liz and Maddie Gill
Stevie, Ben
Archrival Joe Collins and the lovely Michelle.
Crawfords galore with young Will and his cousins Charlotte and Phoebe.
Hudaks, Dale, Buck, Gail, Drew and the ultra hotty Kristen.
Brendt and Kerry DiOrio, Peabody's, Tommy O and Linda
McMahon, Murph, Ropers
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And Many MORE!
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It will be a quiet, low key affair with witty humor and pithy conversation,,,,, NOT!!!

POTW Week 45

Did I call it or what?
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It was the week from hell with multiple hearings, night work, conference calls, site visits, deliveries, meetings. In the middle of it all, I bought a truck for a new construction manager that Nanepashemet is taking on.
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It was the biggest Blog posting lapse in the past three years, but I really don't give a shit... I was straight out.

Announcing....
Nanepashemet Peeps of the Week for the 45th week of 2008.

Tom McMahon
Dave Bruett
Tony Amonte
Alex Watt
Tyler Gill
Dave Dixon

Naturally, there was a lot of whining and complaning about the slack in Blog posts. I'm just too tired to get pissed off about it.

Tuna Lips said...

Bully fer you, Ise glad workin' is not lost on certain segmentations of this here country.

I gotta prepare my turkey baster for tonites "Turkey Trot" swingers dance. Gonna baste some giblets, hoo ha!