Christmas is such a signature day. It's a marker for memories.... happy and sad. Even happy memories can bring sad emotions, when the memories involve loved ones who can't be with you, or remind you of people and situations that are gone forever.
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The key is to concentrate on the present, and form the basis for more happy memories. I guess that's true for everyday, not just Christmas. But Christmas is the marker that elicits the memories.
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So Peeps.... have a Merry Christmas.... Felice Navidad.... Joyeux Noel..... and Glad Tidings to you and your loved ones.
Murph Said....
2008 has been a great year. As my POTY term comes to a close I have a few parting words. First off congratulations to the Nestor's, the Bruett's, and the Crawford's on their new family additions. Thankfully the children look like their mothers. Now I hope to see Tuna Lips Advice column heat up in early 2009. That is by far my favorite part of the Blog. Thank you again to Nance Nog.....I still wouldn't be here without it. And a Big Thank you to Jay for letting me live out my POTY dream. It has been a wild ride. I still get stopped for pictures and public appearances. I never knew how world-wide this Blog is. A Bottle of Lagavulin is in Jay's future, He deserves it. It has been a hectic year but I have enjoyed carrying the torch of POTY. I know Jay will pick my replacement carefully. Happy New Year to All. My predictions for 2009:
Celts Win NBA Championship again-Screw pau Gasol he sucks
Bruins win the whole Damn thing too-Congrats to Dave Bruett who has been waiting forever for that moment
Pats Make the playoffs
YANKEES DO NOT WIN THE WORLD SERIES-Guaranteed
and will be the laughing stock of MLB
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Thursday, December 25, 2008
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Tough Cookie
As part of the winding down effort, I'll be baking a batch of chocolate chip cookies this morning. In case you didn't already know it, I make a damn good cookie.
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This batch will be loaded with extra chips, chopped almonds and dried cranberries.
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This batch will be loaded with extra chips, chopped almonds and dried cranberries.
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Winding Down
I'm thinking of winding the machine down for the holidays. Getting it into a low maintenance speed. Take it down a few pegs.
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It's not like we have everything done at Nanepashemet Telecom. But we're substantially caught up, and it's going to be hard to get any response out there. So we'll concentrate on tying up some loose ends and try to get the machine into an idle mode.
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It won't be easy.
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It's not like we have everything done at Nanepashemet Telecom. But we're substantially caught up, and it's going to be hard to get any response out there. So we'll concentrate on tying up some loose ends and try to get the machine into an idle mode.
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It won't be easy.
Monday, December 22, 2008
Better Type of Worry
It's the end of the year push. Plus we have a couple of great proposals to respond to. Glad I like to work, because the work is piling up.
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I'm not complaining.
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It's so much better to worry about getting work done, than worrying about finding work.
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I'm not complaining.
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It's so much better to worry about getting work done, than worrying about finding work.
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Caroling
Went to the Christmas Reception at Ryan Marine Service, where I met "My Friend Who Doesn't Want his Name Mentioned in the Blog" and his daughter Abby.
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Mark Ryan and Abby convinced me that I don't want a 9.9 HP motor for the Marblehead Gunning Dory. A 5HP should do the trick.
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Anyway..... then I went back to pick up Joanne for the Roper's Christmas Party, where they always gather over the piano and sing Xmas Carols. Those of you that know me best, know that while I am an excellent dancer, my vocal skills are basically sub par.
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So we skipped out before the pressure to sing got too intense.
Snow Day
So it snowed about a foot here and hasn't stopped yet.
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Do you think that bothers me????
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Hell No! I even helped Joanne shovel the driveway !!!
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Being a Mountain of a Man means that you can overcome any obstacle.
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Do you think that bothers me????
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Hell No! I even helped Joanne shovel the driveway !!!
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Being a Mountain of a Man means that you can overcome any obstacle.
Friday, December 19, 2008
Red Belly
There is a ton of bird activity in the backyard and at the feeder this morning. They must sense the snowstorm that is about to hit New England.
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Lots of Sparrows, Nuthatches, Mourning Doves, Blue Jays, even a Robin. Plus the hog Grey Squirrel that is starting to get on my nerves.
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It's also the first time that I've seen a Red Bellied Woodpecker back there.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
POTW - Week 50
I'm tired from a trip to Rockland, Maine today, where everything went wrong.
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Couldn't get the trucks up a hill because of snow... so we hired a plow and sanded.
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Couldn't get the 1,100 lb. generator off of the truck because the hydralic lift broke down.... so we muscled it out with a backhoe.
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Clearly, the Universe sent gremlins to torture and challenge us today.... and it came up majorly short. Another score for the "Mountain of a Man" team.
~
Speaking of torture...
~
ANNOUNCING....
Nanepashemet Peeps of the Week for the 50th week of 2008
Ethan Nestor
Marion Hummer
Tim, the Manager at the Penske Truck Rental Place in Portland, Me.
Dick Man
Deborah Burke
Eric Johnson
I expect things to slow down in the next two weeks. Time to get reflective and give you the benefit of some of my best thinking.
Tuna Lips said...
~
Couldn't get the trucks up a hill because of snow... so we hired a plow and sanded.
~
Couldn't get the 1,100 lb. generator off of the truck because the hydralic lift broke down.... so we muscled it out with a backhoe.
~
Clearly, the Universe sent gremlins to torture and challenge us today.... and it came up majorly short. Another score for the "Mountain of a Man" team.
~
Speaking of torture...
~
ANNOUNCING....
Nanepashemet Peeps of the Week for the 50th week of 2008
Ethan Nestor
Marion Hummer
Tim, the Manager at the Penske Truck Rental Place in Portland, Me.
Dick Man
Deborah Burke
Eric Johnson
I expect things to slow down in the next two weeks. Time to get reflective and give you the benefit of some of my best thinking.
Tuna Lips said...
Time to unshod yer feets and let them dogs breathe a spell. I reckon a good snooze and some extended mouth breathin' will fix you up jus fine fer a good run of it over these holiday makin. Drink long and deep of the potion of yer choice, amigo. Joyeux Noel (picked that up from a gap tooth harlot down in N'Orleans, Christmas tide, 1977). Plenty of good folk out there, I reckon. Dummies.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Complications
Nanepashemet Telecom is smoking hot these days. We're at a crucial time of having to add people and equipment to meet the increasing demand for our services. As much as I've tried to keep this business simple, when you give good service , it starts to get complicated.
Tommy McMahon said....
J. After age 25 are you required to have a minimum of a strong buzz to go sledding with your friends?
Yes Tommy, a strong buzz is a requirement for many things.... among them.... sledding.
Tommy McMahon said....
J. After age 25 are you required to have a minimum of a strong buzz to go sledding with your friends?
Yes Tommy, a strong buzz is a requirement for many things.... among them.... sledding.
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Macaroni and Cheese Disclosure
It's been a long time since I've given you Peeps a cooking lesson.
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Yes, now that I've taught you about Dark and Stormies, Buffalo Wings, VO and Cider, and Fried Turkey, you would thing that I have exhausted the entire culinary topic.
~
But No. I've just made the perfect kettle of macaroni and cheese, and since I'm feeling a bit generous this evening, I've decided to share my expertise with you regarding this ultra important, staple of life, food of champions.
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The first step is important. Get a two quart soup kettle. Fill it half way with cold water and put it on the stove to boil.
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While the water is boiling, place about a cup and a half of whole milk into a saucepan, and turn the burner on medium heat. Go the refridgerator or freezer for 1 1/ 2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese and place this into the milk. Stir this until the cheese is melted. The mixture will seem more milky then cheesy.
By now, water will have come to a rolling boil and take a lb. box of elbow macaroni, dump it into the kettle and set the timer for 7 minutes. I prefer Barilla or Prince elbows.
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Keep stirring both the macaroni and the milk and cheese with a wooden spoon. Take 1/4 cup of white flour and stir it into the cheese mixture. It's amazing how this thickens. Keep stirring and cut up one stick of butter and add it to the cheese. Salt and pepper the mixture while continuing to stir.
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Do you notice the stirring theme???? This is macaroni and cheese!! It must be constantly attended to if you want to achieve the pinnacle of success.
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By now the timer has rung.... immediately remove the macaroni from the stove and shut off the burner. Use pot holders, unless you are oblivious to pain. Bring the kettle to a colander that you have placed in the sink before this whole affair began.
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Dump the macaroni to drain in the colander and then refill the kettle with the drained macaroni.
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Take the cheese mixture and mix it into the kettle. Move the kettle onto the burner that the cheese came off of and keep it low. Mix thoroughly with the wooden spoon. Hit it again with some salt and pepper.
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Put a lid on the kettle.
~
Enjoy your comfort food to excess.
~
Yes, now that I've taught you about Dark and Stormies, Buffalo Wings, VO and Cider, and Fried Turkey, you would thing that I have exhausted the entire culinary topic.
~
But No. I've just made the perfect kettle of macaroni and cheese, and since I'm feeling a bit generous this evening, I've decided to share my expertise with you regarding this ultra important, staple of life, food of champions.
~
The first step is important. Get a two quart soup kettle. Fill it half way with cold water and put it on the stove to boil.
~
While the water is boiling, place about a cup and a half of whole milk into a saucepan, and turn the burner on medium heat. Go the refridgerator or freezer for 1 1/ 2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese and place this into the milk. Stir this until the cheese is melted. The mixture will seem more milky then cheesy.
By now, water will have come to a rolling boil and take a lb. box of elbow macaroni, dump it into the kettle and set the timer for 7 minutes. I prefer Barilla or Prince elbows.
~
Keep stirring both the macaroni and the milk and cheese with a wooden spoon. Take 1/4 cup of white flour and stir it into the cheese mixture. It's amazing how this thickens. Keep stirring and cut up one stick of butter and add it to the cheese. Salt and pepper the mixture while continuing to stir.
~
Do you notice the stirring theme???? This is macaroni and cheese!! It must be constantly attended to if you want to achieve the pinnacle of success.
~
By now the timer has rung.... immediately remove the macaroni from the stove and shut off the burner. Use pot holders, unless you are oblivious to pain. Bring the kettle to a colander that you have placed in the sink before this whole affair began.
~
Dump the macaroni to drain in the colander and then refill the kettle with the drained macaroni.
~
Take the cheese mixture and mix it into the kettle. Move the kettle onto the burner that the cheese came off of and keep it low. Mix thoroughly with the wooden spoon. Hit it again with some salt and pepper.
~
Put a lid on the kettle.
~
Enjoy your comfort food to excess.
-
Ho Ho Ho and Merry Christmas to youse and yers! TL here, spreadin' cheer and good feelins' like legs in a Tennessee cat house! Ooh ha, I gots a million of 'em.
I was listenin' to the wireless and heard that song about sleigh ridin', and hearin' that whip crack reminded me to slap the back end of Ms. Pudding as a sort of seasons greetification. Filled with the spirit is ole TL! I got me a stocking stuffer for Ms. Pudding, the likes of which she will find most gratified. I calls my bits and bobs the "Three Wise Men." She will knowd the gift of the Magi.
Yer kettle of cheese and noodles reminds me of the hamburger helper stew mama would make, she spared nothin', 'cept the burger of course. Good times, campin' out, thickened us up. Prepared Shoo and me for hoboing days. Christmas was a great time for us, plenty of food to be stoled, and presents for us under every Christmas tree in town!
Saturday Chores
It's a cold Saturday morning and do or die time to get to Amazon and send some gifts to my family in Florida. That's a top priority.
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I still haven't shaken this cold completely so have stayed away from seeing my new grandson, Ethan. Maybe today it will be safe enough to meet him by this afternoon, if this hacking cough has left me by then. I'm sure he's been disappointed by not seeing me yet.
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Other stuff that has to be done includes....
Seems doable. Or... I could sit here in my pajamas blogging and watch TV all day. It's not like that never happened before.
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I still haven't shaken this cold completely so have stayed away from seeing my new grandson, Ethan. Maybe today it will be safe enough to meet him by this afternoon, if this hacking cough has left me by then. I'm sure he's been disappointed by not seeing me yet.
~
Other stuff that has to be done includes....
- Covering the Tender for the weekend,
- Hauling the Trash that I forgot to put out this week to the Marblehead Dump
- Cleaning out my file draws and bookcase from irrelevant crap.
- Tons of Nanepashemet paperwork
Seems doable. Or... I could sit here in my pajamas blogging and watch TV all day. It's not like that never happened before.
Friday, December 12, 2008
Safety First
Up at 5:30AM to head to Rockland, Maine today, but by 7:30 there was ice everywhere and all sorts of power outages in Portland. We couldn't even get gas because the power was out at the gas pumps.
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The thought of another 2 hr drive to Rockland and then trying to navigate up a 30 degree sloped dirt road to the final cell site destination didn't look too promising. So we bagged it and came home to Marblehead. Safety considerations.
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A lesser man would have made the stupid decision to forge ahead.
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But we had breakfast in Portland, and were back in Marblehead by 10:30 AM with a salvaged day, and able to make a run at it again next week.
~
The thought of another 2 hr drive to Rockland and then trying to navigate up a 30 degree sloped dirt road to the final cell site destination didn't look too promising. So we bagged it and came home to Marblehead. Safety considerations.
~
A lesser man would have made the stupid decision to forge ahead.
~
But we had breakfast in Portland, and were back in Marblehead by 10:30 AM with a salvaged day, and able to make a run at it again next week.
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I reckon your mountainship is a fig newton of your imagining. I horse whip the fairer sex if necesscitsatifying to get me a path cleared fer mobilied. Check yerself. And have a Merry fesivizing with your homo friends in Massawhatever, I means that from the bottom of me hart.