Focus of Attention

Peeps -
Sorry about the post lapse.
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This house fire has taken a lot more attention that I had anticipated, and a number of other issues popped up that I don't want to tell you about.
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It's funny.
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Usually I feel like I'm getting screwed by business or finance, but that side of the equation is holding up well. It's a whole bunch of other abnormalities that has demanded my focus.
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This too shall pass.
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Looking forward to returning to peace and harmony.

Chest Planning

Little Ethan Nestor is now a month old. But I have to be planning for his one year old birthday now if I have any chance of making a toy chest that rivals the one that we gave to Will on his first birthday.
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This is a dramatically different style compared to the dovetailed traditional chest that I crafted last spring.
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I have some time, but I'm leaning towards this alternative design.

Fire Aftermath

We've had claims adjusters, cleaners, and contractors galore over since the fire. Lots of nice calls and notes from well wishing friends. But not one freaking bottle of Lagavulin!!!
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Wouldn't you think that somebody would be thoughtful enough to give me the one gift that would truly add solace to my life??? Thanks for Nothing.

POTY Power

I have been trying to tell you Peeps for a long time about the sheer power that the Nanepashemet Blog wields. It is not to be reckoned lightly with. Look at how it has affected our reigning Peep of the Year in only the first few hours of her term!!!

Her life is about to be turned completely on end and her kids are obviously struggling with the strain.

POTY Lauren states....
"I must say I am both shocked and honored to be Peep of the Year. I did not believe the news when I first heard. Calls, emails, and texts have been coming in all day!!! For a stay at home mom with two children under two this is about as good as it gets. I promise uphold the Peep of the year title with great respect. I am already looking for a company to make a Peep of the Year sash that I can wear out in public. I hope that I can pass it on to future Peeps of the Year. Happy New Year. Lauren Rathbone, attached is a picture of myself and the boys when we heard the News!"

Hang in there Lauren. It's only for a year, and time passes quickly.

Tuna Lips said...

I demands a recount! This is one of them Al Franken liberal conpiritatorials. Lauren cuts a fine figure, but should stick to makin' babies, this here is real work. When she breaks down aweepin' and complainin', don't says I didn't told you so. This here is heresy. Main street don't like it. I knows they don't.

Nanepashemet Peep of the Year - 2008

I've been sick of a month.
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My freaking house almost burned down.
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I've had Nanepashemet Telecom work up to my eyeballs.
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But all I hear from you Worthless Bastards is a constant annoying chorus of lamentation. "Who is the Peep of the Year??? When will you make the choice????"
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Do you know how irritating you have been? I wish I could make all of you Pathetic Pieholes, the POTY, because you all certainly qualify from the annoying criteria.
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Speaking of criteria....
The Nanepashemet POTY is chosen by the same qualifications as the Peeps of the Week.

The successful/lacking candidate must be....

• Either annoying or inspirational.
• Cannot be dead.
• Cannot be an animal.
• And the case of the POTY - A case of Lagavulin given to me prior to this moment would have been an automatic.

Gazing around the charred remains of my living room, I fail to see the case of the King of Scotch that would make this selection easy for me. Man, that SUCKS!!!
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So I have to make the selection from the remaining criteria.
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Looking back at the previous POTY's, Tommy McMahon -2006 and Michael "Murph" Murphy - 2007, I have to admit that the legacy of holding the crown is starting to gain some cache. McMahon's forays onto Fenway speaks for itself, but Murph's swansong comments a couple of posts ago, really brought tears to my eyes.
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This year's selection was decidedly a tough one. There were so many worthy candidates. MegaPeep Brian Butler was in the running right to the end. Mountain of a Man, Bob Brown, was hard to deny, and Pat Piscatelli was always in the mix. Not to mention the Insidious Bob Bob Wojcik and my Archrival, Joe Collins. Even "My Friend Who Doesn't Want His Name Mentioned In The Blog" merited serious consideration.
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But in the end, I think that the choice was a good one.
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ANNOUNCING......
NANEPASHEMET PEEP OF THE YEAR 2008 .... Lauren Rathbone.
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Now don't start with all of the "Why Lauren?" questions. You know that I could never disclose the reason(s).
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Just suck it up and offer Lauren your congratulations/condolences.
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Her life has been forever altered.

Where's the Fire

Just as I was getting ready to make the crucial POTY selection, a FREAKING FIRE broke out in MY FREAKING HOUSE.

And it's already been reported in the Lynn Item. If you don't think that the Nanepashemet Blog has deep metaphysical power... Think Again!

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Chimney fire causes estimated $50G in damage to Marblehead home

By Dan O'Brien / The Daily Item

MARBLEHEAD - A slow-building fire crept through a chimney flue at a Marblehead home Thursday before it burst through a wall and caught the house on fire shortly after 5:30 p.m., firefighters said.

Fire Captain Elizabeth Wilson said the couple who lives at 32 Beverly Ave. started a fire in the fireplace a few hours earlier but the situation got out of hand when the flames went through the chimney flue.

"It breached the chimney and was in the wall on the first floor" when firefighters first arrived, Wilson said. "It burned for quite a while before it broke through. There was a lot of charring."

Wilson estimated the damages from the one-alarm fire at about $50,000.

The occupants of the home, John and Joanne Nestor, both evacuated and no injuries were reported.

Wilson said the couple had their chimney cleaned just two days ago.

"This is a good reason to have your chimney inspected and not just cleaned," Wilson said.

She said frequently these types of fires happen at night.

"They were lucky they were home and awake," Wilson said.

Salem and Swampscott fire departments provided mutual aid to Marblehead.

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Our profound thanks to the Marblehead Fire Department for saving our house. They are hard-working, tremendous professionals.

Tuna Lips said...

I have to same troubles with my crystal meth lab. We moved that trailer towards the swamp area just in case. Smart thinkin'. We deals the mix to the entire volunteer FD here in town, so that too is good fer preventin infernos.

Has they ruled out a fire starter? Ise thinks a feller of your compartmentations has crossed metal with a few in the days. Plus, all them fairy types, why thems hates a plain speakin' gent, and takes to sneak attackin, like them no good Japs.

Sweet Caroline

Have you noticed the commotion over Caroline Kennedy's bid to be appointed to the vacant Senate seat in New York? All sorts of debate over her "qualifications" to be a US Senator.
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Seems to me that if you are a US citizen and people are either willing to appoint you or vote for you, then you meet the standard.
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All you have to do is look at some of the characters in the Congress to understand that the standards of admission just can't be too complicated.
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If you don't want Sweet Caroline to be appointed, why not just say so, and forego all of the bogus posturings of her qualifications.
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It's easy to have grown tired of the Kennedy's. If that is your position, so be it. But in America, everybody of legal age and proper residency has the qualifications by definition.

High Road

I've been taking a little bit of grief lately because of the lack of Blog posts, but it's not my fault. I've been sick as a dog which is quite a shock for a mountain of a man like me.
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So kiss my ass.
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If I can take the high road, so can you.
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In the next day or so, you'll know who the POTY is. That should calm you down a bit.

POTY Status

A nice comment received from outgoing Peep of the Year, Michael Murphy. Gives me renewed confidence that we made the right decision last year.
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This year's POTY choice is still up in the air. Thanks for your thoughtful nominations, but they are still falling way short.

Yuletide Memories

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

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.

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.