Tuesday, April 07, 2009

Paypoint Pain Killer

Made the drive to Old Lyme, New London and Groton, Connecticut this morning with a modicum of success. But a 2 3/4 hr. one way drive always takes it out of you.
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Anything over two hours in a car is physically taxing, but it helps if you make a paypoint. This trip brought Nanepashemet Telecom closer to two of them that should be realized by the end of the week.
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That definitely dulls the pain.

Tuna Lips said...

You might consider stopping in at them injun gamblin' parlors along the seaboard there. Dens of iniquity they is, pour a mean glass of free fire water. Them redskin's slaked they thirst on Pappy's 'shine til we could rob 'em of what they had in their satchels! I got me an on-again-off-again gal down there, I calls her Lil' Spread Eagle to protect the innocent. She gets a little ornery about my breathin' on her, but otherwise, I'd recommneds her to the Spirit in the Sky - that's injun parlance for the Almighty, 'cept they heathens. Cheap enuff too, at a sawbuck per table dance.

Sunday, April 05, 2009

Coffee Table Surge


Didn't accomplish as much as I would have liked on the workbench today in a sunny afternoon in the driveway.
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Figuring out how the tail vise was going to work turned out to be problematic.
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But Mike's coffee table is another matter.
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I never thought that I would get it all sanded with a sealer coat of clear epoxy applied so soon.
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Maybe it will even get done in time for his move in date.

The pictures detail the glued up panels prior to sanding, the completed sanding and the first coat of epoxy.
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The base will be constructed of 2 in. thick, glued up meranti mahogany stock.
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One more coat of epoxy to the top and then about 4 coats of sprayed marine varnish over the entire table to follow.
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Double click on the pictures to zoom in.

Saturday, April 04, 2009

Forging On

When the sun made an appearance this Saturday morning, I decided to take advantage and move forward with the workbench and coffee table projects. Gluing panels always takes a lot of room and I had to move the operation into the driveway. But I got both the tops for my workbench and Mike's coffee table glued and ready for sanding and finishing.
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I know that a I owe you pictures.
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I also set up the Jet mortising machine, the Grizzly tenon tablesaw jig and the Leigh dovetail jig upgrade.
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So it was a very productive day in the garage and driveway.
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Tomorrow, if the weather is right, I'm going to trim out the dovetailed aprons of the workbench and see if I can install the tail vise.
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Then we will concentrate on the bases for both the Coffee table and the Workbench.

Check Please

We had a nice dinner last night with Will and Lynda Murray at the Boston Yacht Club.
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I just bought an industrial condo from Will in Peabody to use for Nanepashemet Telecom, and it was Joanne's birthday, so he picked up the check.
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A class move.
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Generally, I like to pick up the check. Not because I am overly generous, but because I always get embarrassed splitting the check for some reason. Don't know why. So usually I reach for the check to avoid what is, to me, an awkward situation.
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But it's nice when someone beats me to it.

Friday, April 03, 2009

Testing the Water


Jim Cramer says it's time to get back into the stock market.
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It does seem like the market has hit bottom and is starting to turn back up. The telecom stocks seem to be fairly undervalued.
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The trouble is that every time I've entered the market, I have lost money.... not a ton, but enough to feel like a dufus.
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Maybe I'll just stick my big toe in.

Peep of the Week - 13

I had the opportunity to select the Peeps yesterday.
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Thursday is the official selection day. But I didn't feel like it. And you can't make quality and responsible decisions if your head isn't into it. After all... the POTW selections are just too important to handle on a casual basis.
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But this morning is another story.
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I got up feeling ready to challenge the day, and my first task will be to Purposefully Perpetuate this Pathetic Peep Process. ("P" is one of my favorite letters.)
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ANNOUNCING....
Nanepashemet Peeps of the Week for the 13th week of 2009

Ryan Nestor
Mike Rockett
Kathy Peabody
Lauren Crawford
Peter Krupp
Jeremy Johnson

Next week, I'll try to get this done on Thursday, but I'm not promising anything.

Thursday, April 02, 2009

Bad Addiction

Everybody copes somehow.
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My coping mechanism is to buy tools on Amazon late at night.
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And ... Oh Baby!..... Have I been Coping lately!!!!
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This week's stress has been Amazon's gain.
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Did I need a Specialized Power Mortising machine??? Nope.
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Did I get one?
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Yep.
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Did I need a Tenon Jig for my tablesaw???? Nope.
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Did I get one?
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Yep.
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Did I need an upgrade kit for my Leigh Dovetail Jig???? Nope.
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Did I get one?
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Yep.
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Believe me... this list can continue to the point where you can ascertain that I have a real problem. Lucky for me that Joanne doesn't read this Blog too often, because the cost of this stuff is really starting to add up.

Wednesday, April 01, 2009

Pier Four



After a lovely afternoon at the Joe Moakley house, we went over to the venerable Anthony's Pier Four restaurant, which is still serving one hell of a slice of prime rib with a popover after all of these years.
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It was Joanne's birthday, and the dinner was spur of the moment, but we couldn't have planned a better venue.
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Maybe we'll grab another meal there around August or so.

Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Deferring

Normally I like to multi-task..... Handle a bunch of issues at the same time.
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But for the next two days, I really have to limit my focus. Emotionally and intellectually, I just don't want to take on too much.
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So if you have some big problem to lay on me.... wait until Thurs. You'll simply have to deal with the fact that I won't be addressing you until then.

Tuna Lips said...

Did ye git on yer bike and ride this mornin', like youse was supposin' to do? Or did you slather some cream cheeze on a bagel and get to thinkin' "the other feller must be doin' this, too, I can lean on my shovel a few more minutes."

Layin' about is the road to ruination, sure as corn likker and peep shows at the road house, so mammy said. Mammy was one to talk.

I'm gone.

Monday, March 30, 2009

Establishing Routines.

I know that I've been harping on the weather lately.... but it's been so cold and clammy, wet and miserable. It is permeating.
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This day came together well. I've decided to take the advise of my friend, Lisa Rowe, and work out first thing in the morning. Especially if you are not traveling, it seems to make the most sense. So today, that's what I did. Jumped out of bed, had coffee, took a massive dump, exchanged niceties with Joanne, then hit the Cybex for 12 miles.
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By 8 o'clock, I was on the regular Nanepashemet conference call, and already had an item ticked off of my to do list. Everything else seemed to come together pretty smoothly after that too.
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So tomorrow, I'll try the same routine.

Tuna Lips said...

I gots an established routine of loosin' my bowels when i arises to greet the day, and then pleasuring myself whilst perched atop the porcelain honda. I find such ablutions most effifecious, and quite effevesent. Multitaskin, the Wall Street types calls it. On Stall Street we call it Coppin' a squat and rubbin' one out.

Sunday, March 29, 2009

Waiting for Trust Funds

Someday, when all of my trust funds kick in, I will buy a beach house in some warm tropical place, and go there for the entire months of March and April every year.
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I don't really suspect that I have any trust funds, so this is probably an unrealistic fantasy.
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But what is definite reality is that March and April suck in New England.
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It's not cold enough for winter stuff, and typically wet, muddy and uncomfortable. Plus, the temperature is just below a nice warmth that starts to make you feel good.
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I would rather go from the winter right to the summer, hence the tropical beach house fantasy.
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Maybe I can substitute the trust fund approach with a couple years of kickass business years with Nanepashemet Telecom.

Saturday, March 28, 2009

Weather Delays

It was supposed to be a nice sunny spring day today.... in the sixties. Instead it lurked in the low forties, with clouds and fog.
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Once again, the freaking weatherman throws us a curve ball.
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If he was under oath, he'd be doing time for perjury.
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But I've always prided myself as being a forgiving person. Forgiving is fine, but forgetting is not my policy.
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Anyway.
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I got into the driveway, built the case for my workbench tail vise, cut the tails and pins for two dovetailed DVD cases, and milled the top for Mike's coffee table.
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No freaking weatherman is going to slow down this Mountain of a Man.