Time to Lay Low

On Friday, I deadheaded home from East Greenwich, RI, jumped into the shower, then went right down to the Boston Yacht Club for dinner with friends.
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On Saturday, I deadheaded home from South Boston, jumped into the shower, then went right down to Hungry Betty's for dinner with friends.
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Not a clear pattern for success.
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In each case, I was really tired after doing physical construction work, which isn't my everyday gig.
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And in both cases, my physical fatique caused my rapier sharp wit and verbal comeback abilities to be a bit delayed and dull.
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Being a Mountain of a Man means that you have to suck it up and carry the Peeps on your back every once in awhile.... even when you are not 100% up for the task.
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I'm pretty sure I carried it off, but today, I'm laying low.  Dale Johnson wanted to go into the Boston Garden this morning to see the Marblehead Boys Hockey team in the state tournament, but I think I'll pass.

TommyO, Reigning POTY,  said...


Marblehead 6 - Westfield 3
Marblehead Division III State Champs.
A great time, great bunch of kids.
They worked hard and their efforts were rewarded.

Shelving not Shelved

This morning, I'm trying to wipe off the cobwebs from last night's libations, because I promised Katelyn that I'd build her custom closet at her condo in South Boston.
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I had told her that I would be there at 8:00AM, but that't not going to happen.  Probably will show by 9:30AM, take measurements and make a rough plan and stock list.    We will  be going with 1x12 pine shelving, held together with Kreg Screws and supported by base 1x4's and pre-made brackets.

By 10:30, we'll be at the Home Depot picking up the stuff and the saws won't cut their first board until noon.
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Mike wants to grab lunch at a Southie Pub which could seriously threaten the project schedule.
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But Katelyn will be driving me hard to see this project reach completion.  That means that the finish will not be a final coat of paint, but just the carpentry.

Celebrate the Green

We had a nice time at the Boston Yacht Club St. Patrick's Day celebration.
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Lots of of banging the bar at the "No, Nay, Never, No More" verses of Wild Rover.
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Then  Maria Rowen stepped up to the mike wirh a sweet rendition of "When Irish Eyes are Smiling."  She brought the house down with her soulful arpeggio stylings.
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Filling out our group was Harvey Rowe, with whom we artfully substituted the Phrase "Oh Harvey Boy" instead of the commonplace "Danny Boy" in the classic ballad., his lovely wife Lisa Panakio Rowe, who expressed her disinterest in attending a viewing of the "Spartacus" finale at our house, and Lynda Murray our special friend.
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I don't want to say that we carried the bar at the BYC, but we pretty much did.
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A fine celebration.

Erin Go Bragh

Happy St. Patrick's Day.  Erin Go Bragh.

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We celebrate this day to commemorate St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, who converted the pagan Celts to Christianity and reportedly drove the snakes from Ireland.

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When I was a young upstart in the City of Lynn, MA, it was a day for exessive beers at the Porthole Pub after lunch and stopping off at the Commodore Restaurant in Beverly where politicians from all over the state would gather to throw good natured barbs at each other and show their singing prowness, bellowing out "When Irish Eyes are Smiling".

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One of my fondess memories of the day was having a corned beef and cabbage dinner at the Ancient Order of Hibernians, Division 10 in Lynn and listening to Senate President Billy Bulger immitate James Michael Curley as he promised to take the Golden Dome of the Statehouse and turn it upside down, and fill it with water to use as a swimming pool for the children of Boston, if elected Governor.  Bulger's rendition made you feel that it was really Mayor Curley on the podium.

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When I was a little kid, I remember my father taking me and my brother to the parade in South Boston where we froze to death on the sidewalk until he took us into a neighborhood pub to warm up.  I can still feel that cold in my bones.  Later, my father told us the story about how he got into a ruckus in South Boston in his younger days, and that the Judge had told him stay out of South Boston.   I never got anymore details than that.

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I think he liked the fact that he was returning to South Boston to watch the parade with his kids.  He'd probably get a kick out of the fact that two of his grandkids live in Southie today.

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I can't deny that I've always been proud to be of Irish descent.  Sometime around the turn of the century, some Crowleys, Kelly's and Nestor's left County Cork and County Sligo and made their way to Pennsylvania to work in the coal mines, and finally landed in Lynn.  They aren't even memories now, just historical fact.   The only tie I have is this photograph of Darby Nestor taken in West Lynn, who bears a slight resemblance to my son Ryan.

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I'm proud to be Irish, because somehow, their blood flowing though my veins has made it easier to live in my own skin.

Shit Happens

What a nightmare for the Japanese with this Nuclear emergency! 
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It looks like a meltdown is imminent so the question is whether the containment vessels will hold and prevent a massive outpouring of poisonous radiation.  Aftershocks continue to pummel the country and the devastation from tsunamis has yet to be measured.  There are reports of whole towns with no survivors.
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Could it happen here?
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Absolutely.  Which will create a huge debate over whether nuclear power is necessary and if the safeguards that are in place are enough..
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Our standard of living demands a high supply of electrical energy, but there are costs.... and shit happens.   I suppose that we could shut down the laptops, lights and TV's and huddle around the fireplace knitting and whittling wood.
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Or we can live with the danger and try to mitigate the risk that our high energy level way of life requires.
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I'm a pretty good whittler, so can go either way.

Antidote for Aggravation

OK....I've been watching the coverage of the Japan Disaster on ABC News against my better judgement. 
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I actually like David Muir and Martha Radatz.... both former Boston protoges, but Diane Sawyer officially makes my teeth hurt.   Her feigned compassion and efforts to compell emotional response.... just tell us the freaking news, Diane.   It's not about how bad you feel, it's about what's happening to them.
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Gag me with the proverbial spoon.

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BTW, this is what came up when I googled for an image of Diane Sawyer.  It's most definitely not her, but I'm going with it anyway.
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 Somehow I feel a lot less aggravated now.

TommyO said...
Hi Jay,
How about some local sports news.


Marblehead 3 vs Pembroke 2


Marblehead wins the D3 East Title and will play at TD Garden for the first time in many years on Sunday at 11:15. Let's bang the place out. This Blog has the power.


TommyO

Fragility of Life

The Japanese have a penchant for photography.   So there is no shortage of tsunami photos.   Such devastation.
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And since Japan is so advanced technologically, the concern right now is if their nuclear power reactors will be damaged and spew radiation poisoning.
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The resourcefulness of the Japanese people will ultimately prevail here, after a huge effort and cost. 
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This is such a graphic example of the fragility of our human existance on the thin geological crust of this moving molten planet

London Loser

You know how I tend to stick my tongue in my cheek and call you Peeps "Losers" from time to time???
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Well, some geek from London, England took it serious and sought to chastise me  for my arrogance.
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Seriously.... how can anyone take this Blog serious.  
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What a Loser.

Disaster Precaution

Now a Nuke is threatening to meltdown in Japan.  As a highly accomplished and competent nation, Japan will deal with this trauma, but it's still very heart rendering to see what is going on there.
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This type of thing always makes people wonder how they would cope if it hit them at home.   Around Boston, even with stringent building codes, there are a lot of old dwellings that would be hard pressed to withstand an earthquake. 
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But what worries me more, living near the harbor is the Tsunami.   We are pretty close to sea level here, and that would be a mess.
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So, just in case, I'm going to unstrap the Herreshoff Columbia Tender on the trailer in the backyard.   That way, at least we can hop in and stay on top of the flow.

Blame for Tsunami

Japan has absorbed a massive earthquake and tsunami this morning.  The entire Pacific Rim, "Ring of Fire" has been behaving badly as this quake follows the recent ones in Chile and New Zealand. 

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 With network coverage and extensive videos, the effects are readily observable, with the tsunami dramatically moving tons of water and debris on a march inland.

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The only redeeming value regarding earthquakes is that the Democrats can't blame the Republicans for it.  Unlike the global warming debate, their seems to be no hook to hang the blame on for this.

Naming the Ax

Not to make a big thing out of it, but I got my Epiphone Les Paul Standard Electric Guitar delivered by UPS this week.  After a quick tuning, I was pounding out the Pentatonic Minor Scale in the key of E like it was yesterday.
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I'm thinking of calling the guitar "Lucille".... but I don't want to piss off BB King.

Done with Sheen

OK, I've been sticking up for Charlie Sheen, but now he's starting to get on my nerves.  For one thing, put out the butt, Charlie.  Smoking is so passe.  Totally uncool.
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I guess that's the main reason.