National Source of Pride

The United States Manned Space Program ended today.
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It's a little sad.

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I don't know anything about the economics of the program, or it's production capability.

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But having the US in space and the only nation to put its citizens on the Moon was a backdrop of national pride.  It said.... despite our many faults, this nation is indeed special.... and can literally reach heights that are unattainable to other nations.

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A lot of rightwing dialogue says that the Obama administration has a distaste for America and is determined to bring it down to a level that third world nations can relate to.

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I don't buy that.   Seems a little far fetched... even though Michelle Obama claimed no pride in her country until her husband's Presidential campaign.  In Madison, Wisconsin, she said,   "For the first time in my adult lifetime, I'm really proud of my country, and not just because Barack has done well, but because I think people are hungry for change."

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I'm sure that the Obama's have a perspective spawned by guy's like Rev. Wright, their longtime former lefty pastor who said a lot of off-the-wall incendiary stuff.

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Is it coincidence that the space program... our major source of national pride has taken the plunge during the Obama administration?   You make the call.

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Already, there are those who make the conspiracy claim that the US never landed on the Moon at all.  And it is easy to imagine that the space technology could be lost in a short period of time... like we never even did it.  

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It's happened before.  We don't even know how the Roman's operated their catapults... and that was only 2000 years ago.

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Emanating from the vow of President John Kennedy, the Space Program has always been about national ego, and pride.  Not sure what we have lost, but I feel a loss with its demise.

Trophy Wife

There certainly are advantages to having a trophy wife.  Rupert Murdoch seems to be enjoying his.... and Lord knows that I enjoy mine.
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An added benefit for Rupert is that his spouse, Wendi Deng, has catlike reflexes and a great right hand, as she smacked a humiliating cream pie out of the hands of a dipshit trying to embarrass her husband who was testifying before the British Parliament.
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Not sure if Joanne could move that fast, but I bet she cooks better than Wendi.

Maintenance Phase

We've moved from the development phase to the maintenance phase at the Sundance House.  Which is a big plus in the quality of life.
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In the development phase, you live in a mess.  Tools, building supplies, and debris are left out and always in the way.  The job is always weeks in length.  The development phase involves a lot of sawing, sanding and dirt.  Nerves, Tempers, and relationships get frayed.   That's how it's been here for the last six months or so.
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But now in the maintenance phase, it is more caulking, painting and cleaning, with no heavy lifting.   You can sneak in a job, take out the tools, do the work, put everything back and everything seems normal.  You may even get a compliment or two.  Spouses and family don't get nearly as crazy.
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Plus the maintenance phase makes everything look nicer when you are done, while the development phase always ends in a mess, even if you worked your ass off.
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Course, the maintenance phase will last for another six months.  But  it will be more tolerable.

Accurate Accounts

It was one hell of a Monday at Nanepashemet Telecom.  A computer glitch caused me to lose a major file and I had to reconstruct.  Luclily, there is a lot of redundancy in what we do.  There are financial tracking files, project milestone tracking files, and in the Cloud accounting files.... all of which look at our data from a different viewpoint.
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So the reconstruction of a file is a nuisance and not a disaster.  In fact, it sometimes allows you to think of the status of an action in a different light.  So it is really a management exercise to reconstruct the file.
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But the bottom line is to keep your accounting up to date.  Without accurate accounting information, you are the victim of your assumptions, and whims, and ultimately fears.  Did I say fear???? It goes without saying that a Mountain of a Man doesn't know the meaning of the word.  But I bring it up because ordinary Peeps like yourselves can actually project all sorts of bad situations in the absense of the right information.
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At least, that's what I've heard.

Deck is Done

The deck is done.  All of the railings are up, the slider is roughed in, the staircase has an Ethan proof gate, and Tommy O helped me move the grill up.   We had our first successful night on the deck with grilled sausages, chicken, beer and Dark and Stormies with Linda and Tommy O on Saturday.
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I have to add lights and an outlet, trim out the slider and build the stair railings, as well as put up a screen on the West Shore side and straighten out under the deck.... but otherwise... the deck is done.

Making Room for WhaleEye

It's the middle of the summer, and tommorrow the deck is usable.  We will be moving our grilling operations out of the driveway, which had a sort of white trash charm to it.
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There still is a ton of finish work on the deck, particularly with the slider and staircase. And the deferred maintenance to the rest of the landscaping will hit first priority now that the deck is up an running.  Stuff like cutting the grass and trimming the bushes.
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But by next weekend, I'll have to take the WhaleEye out for some striper fishing.
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Enough is enough.

200 to Go

200 days left in the FreshAyer ordeal
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Time to reflect and give thanks to all of the support that has come our way.  We knew that our true friends would tip their hand, but didn't expect the volume and outpouring.  You know who you are... and so do we.  And we hold our gratitude to you for the long haul.   We will support you unconditionally on the road ahead in any way possible.
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Those who perjured and betrayed were also totally exposed, and that was a plus.   No need for phoney friendship in the future there.
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This is actually a harder time than at the start.  With 1000 days initially, it was absurd to tick off the days, but now every day seems to have significance.   For all of you who are talking about the homecoming celebrations, you should take it down a notch.
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There are still 200 days to Go.

Roger That

Roger Clemens walked on a mistrial.
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Roger is an idiot, and if not for the uncanny ability to deliver a baseball at a high speed past a batter to a waiting catcher's mit, he would have had an uneventful and mediocre career as a truck driver delivering freight over our interstate highway system.
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Roger That!
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But instead, the Lord gave Roger a peculiar combination of sinew, tendons and muscles in his right arm that allowed him to pitch at a major league level.
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Clemens had a great career as a pitcher for our beloved Boston Red Sox, and when his career seemed over, he was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays and eventually made his way to the hated New York Yankees, where his career saw a miraculous resurgence.  Some of Roger's buddies on the Yankees say that steroids were in the mix, but Roger went before Congress and denied ever taking the banned physical enhancement substances.
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Congress?   Why the hell were you talking to Congress, Roger???? Oh Yeah, I forgot... you're an idiot.
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Now you're up for a contempt of Congress charge by lying blatantly to them that you never took steroids, when all of the evidence points that you regularly let Dipshits stick you in the ass with soringes that were filled with the naughty shit.
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Here's the thing...
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I could care less if you cheated using banned substances to extend your career.  That's stupid and you're stupid, and that's how those things tend to end up.  But you were caught lying to Congress, which never should have given a shit about anything you did.   That was up to the fans, and Major Leauge Baseball to regulate.... Not the frigging Federal Government.
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So for that reason, and that reason alone... I hope you walk.   I don't want to spend money to house you in the Federal Pen just because you are an idiot.

MOAM Progress

Can't believe it is Thurs. already. 
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It's been a hectic and tiring week and the Blog gets the short end of it.  Between work trips to New Haven , CT and Swansea, MA and a lot of paperwork activitiy in between, the activity index at Nanepashemet Telecom was hitting the high level, but I couldn't afford to let that gap in the house stand unattended with the thunderstorms that were sweeping through.
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So I did get the sliding glass door on the deck buttoned up and even got some of the railings in place.
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Being a Mountain of a Man pays off sometimes.
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Hole in the Wall Kudos

There is a 6' x7' hole in the wall of our dining room with an uninstalled sliding glass door leaning roughly against it.  I have to block out the hole with 2x4's and then insert and finalize the sliding glass door.  The problem is time.
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Needed to make the trek today to New Haven for business and tomorrow will be all out with Nanepashemet Telecom production until 3:00 in the afternoon.  So the door and the freaking hole will stay put until at least then.
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Kudos are due for Mike Nestor, Jim Peabody and his son Andrew who helped get the door up on the deck.  A very heavy and stressful manuver.
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And while I'm in a kudo handing out mood, Dale Johnson came up big in a dinner that he made last night for Joanne and I.  From the shrimp cocktail to the raspberry sorbet and everything in between, it was a memorable meal.   Dale has a peculiar way of plating and he demonstrated how he can flip grilled salmon around the kitchen.   That was weird, but everything else was 5 star restaurant quality.

The Ancient Mariner said...

Aye, the gales came fast last night, many a pilgrim lost a sheet or three to the storm. Prithee tell, Master Seafarer, how yonder gaping hole fared through the torrents. Arrgh!

Request for Peep Assistance

Lots of Peeps have been asking me how the deck is coming along.  You know how irritated I get when I get annoying inquiries like this.   But.... Once Again... I have the ability to summon my Mountain of a Man capabilities and overcome the elevated levels of consternation that such moronic gestures impose.
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Anyway... the Deck is coming along fine.
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I finished the planking and all of the roughout of the staircase today, then headed over to Peabody Building Supply to pick up the sliding glass door.  When I got back, Jim and Kathy Peabody were over with some chicken salad and a 12 pack of Corona Extra, so the heavy lifting was done for the day.
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Tomorrow, I'll secure the planking for the top step, then will cut through the dining room wall for the rough opening for the slider.  By 12:00 noon, I will be at the mercy of others as the slider will have to be lugged into place onto the deck.  Mike should be getting back from FreshAyer by that time, but if he is late, I'll be putting out an RFPA  (Request For Peep Assistance) to help me with that task.
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By the end of the day, the door will be in place and we will be planning the trim and finish work.

See You Next Tues.

I've stayed away from the Caylee Anthony issue on this Blog until the verdict.
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The downside of our American system of justice is that sometimes murderers like OJ and Anthony go free.  Based upon the evidence, they have to be found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
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In both of these famous cases, the culprits hid behind the system and complicated it by issuing "The Big Lie".  The reason that these court dramas garnered such intense scrutiny is because everybody knows that they are lying... that they committed a hideous act, and now are denying it.  The more these people stand behind their unlikely lie, the more attention they secure.
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Doesn't matter what the evidence points to.  They say "Prove I did it, beyond a reasonable doubt... and I'm going to continue to lie to you all of the way."

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So some sociopaths will always fit through the cracks. They will take advantage of our rights, and hide behind our flag.
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But the system prevents government from just pointing the finger at anyone they feel like and laying some propaganda down with a conviction right behind.
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Anthony murdered her daughter and goes free because she is a sociopathic liar and got lucky with the evidence.   It's a stiff price to pay for our system of justice.
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Regardless.  That little "See You Next Tues." walks and we have to wait another 207 days so that the FBI could have their newsprint.  Bullshit.

Tuna Lips said...

Looks like that young vixen needs a solid pole from which to fly that flag. Come tell ole TL about it, I can help you expressicate yer patriotic urges.