Locked and Loaded

A little while ago, I sent a cold call sales email out to a Massive Potential Client (MPC).   Actually, I was feeling a little frisky that Sunday morning and sent out emails to four MPC's.
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These are the types of marketing efforts that I never expect responses from.   They are off the wall offers to provide project management services to companies that have massive projects and resources in place.   I usually do this when I'm a little peeved with the current business outlook and do something outrageous to get the adrenaline back.
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But MPC Numero Uno responded... is interested.... set up a presentation meeting for the end of February.  
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This gives me one month to prepare.   And this MOAM is going to that meeting Locked and Loaded.
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If I told you who it was, and what I offered, you would never believe it.    But Peeps... you can never second guess yourself.   Because when you do that, your failure is a self fulfilling prophecy. 
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You have to try, sometimes, be bold... even outrageous.  Then, at least you have given yourself a chance.  Not a huge chance, but a chance that I wouldn't have if I didn't send out that crazy email.
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And if, against all odds, I land a game changing deal with this MPC, then I owe it all to allowing myself to go through with a crazy, impulsive action that Sunday morning.

Cynical Situation

Peeps... The other day I was on Facebook and one of my Liberal FB friends accused me of being a "Cynic".
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I would hate to think that criticism of the Obama regime has made me jaded. 
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Was I cynical when I went on that anti-Warren, "I'm an Indian so shut the hell up" tear?  Am I cynical when I criticize the headlong trip to financial oblivion that the federal deficit represents?  Was I cynical when the Liberals rushed to ban guns using the poor children murdered by a mental case as an excuse?   Is it cynical to see the Libyan consulate murdered with the President covering up the facts as an election liability?
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The fact is that I truly hate dishonesty, incompetence, and disingenuous behavior.
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If that makes me a cynic. then I'm a card carrying, front of the line, kiss my ass... CYNIC.
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And proud of it.

DisGushting

Peeps...
A special thanks goes out to the sweet baby Jesus that the inaugural is over.
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If any more of those ABC Liberally-Biased talking heads gush any more..... I think that I may have to hit the Emergency room for some Obamacare after a serious Gush and Fawn Overdose.
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Her Bangs.... "Stunning!!!"    Her Red Dress...."Spectacular"!!!!!!
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As Diane Sawyer said this morning... and I quote..."Fawn, Fawn, Gushy Gush Gush, Fawn".  To which George Democratontopofus responded, "Yes Diane, but I also thought that Gush, big fat Liberally Biased Gushy Gush, Fawn, Gush Gush."
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This is telejournalism at its hard hitting finest, Peeps.
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I always thought that I was as tough as the next guy... but the next Gush I hear could very well be the tipping point.
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At least the Prez pounded out a come together, feel good speech that made you proud to be an American.   Something for everyone... as long as you were a card carrying Liberal and don't mind Bankrupting the country for future generations to deal with... but we have to change the climate.... for the children.
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Too late.... Heading for the closest sink to Hurl.

Patriots Lost - No Superbowl this Year

At Least the Nestor Brothers salvaged some PR out of it.

Back in Control

Peeps -
I have neglected the posts yet again.
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Part of my regime of efficiency at Nanepashemtet Telecom has caused this pathetic compendium of irrationality to suffer as of late.
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I promise that I will re-dedicate.
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There certainly has been enough stuff for commentary...... Lance Armstrong, Imaginary Girlfriends, Pats v. Ravens, Gun Control....
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I guess I could cover these.
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Lance?  Who Gives a Shit.   Ride your two wheeler high as a kite as far as I care.

Imaginary Girlfriends?  The ND Linebacker might be a good football player, but he's still a 22 year old whack job, as we all were at that age.   So... again, my considered ruling on this matter is ... Who Gives a Shit?
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Pats v. Ravens?   Tom Brady and Bill Belichick are a legends in our midst.   They will not let the Super Bowl path end this Sunday.
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Gun Control?   The politicians who have ignored the established and documented fact that where the citizenry have access to guns for personal protection, the crime rate is low.... and have used the murder of children to fan their irresponsible position... are despicable.  And this list is headed by Obama, Patrick, Warren and Menino.
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I have a permit for concealed carry in a number of states.   The process to obtain this is regulated and fairly rigorous in Massachusetts.   First you have to go to a day long gun safety course, when you learn of the extensive regulations in keeping your firearm in a secure locked case when it is not on your person.    Then you have to be interviewed by the Police in your home locality.   Your fingerprints are recorded digitally and logged into the State Police Database.  Then the police do a thorough criminal background check on you.... and question everything in your record.   Only then, after a two month wait,  are you issued your Class A License to Carry a Concealed Firearm Permit.
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Then you go to the gun store.  The first thing that the clerk does is ask if you have a permit and if he can see it.   He takes it and puts it on the back counter while you are in the store.  If you decide to purchase a firearm, the clerk makes you fill out an application, then checks your fingerprint against the imprint that is on your license.   Then he accesses the FBI database to perform a background check.  If this checks out,  the clerk completes the transaction, you get your permit back,  and you walk out of the store with a firearm that is "Massachusetts Compliant".   That means that the magazine that you use in your gun cannot contain more than nine rounds and cannot be fired automatically like a machine gun.  This is not even close to an assault rifle that our military uses.
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By the way.... do you think I'm complaining????  No Freaking Way.
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I believe that the Massachusetts law, fairly exercised, is highly appropriate, and I am glad to comply.  If I can't defend myself or others with nine rounds from my semi-automatic pistol, then I guess my time is up, and I can accept that.
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But a 13 year old kid was shot in the stomach going to choir practice in Roxbury last week.  And the mental case who shot the kids in Newtown, was carrying firearms legally owned by his mother, but illegally secured.
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So criminals and mental cases are going to use guns.   But statistically, the use of these weapons hardly ever occurs where the Perp has knowlege that someone else in the venue may be armed.
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So call me any name you want, but to me, the facts emphatically say that an armed, responsible citizenry, with the ability for effective personal defense, is the best deterrent to crime.
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It wasn't too long ago, on this very Blog right after the Virginia Tech massacre, when your MOAM came out for a total ban of guns, saying that the 2nd Amendment was obsolete.   A multitude of Peeps assailed me on this, which normally wouldn't see me retracting,  Yet I felt a need to check into the regulations, and research the facts on gun control, which really opened my eyes and brought me to my present assertion.
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Gun Control is a complex issue, where knee jerk reactions don't apply.   I just saw the pathetic Warren and her mumbling Buddy, Mayor Menino, saying we have to protect the Children.  
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Yes we do, Liz.  We have to responsibly protect them.

Meterological Explanation

Peeps....
For the last two winters, snow has been negligible here around Boston.   Really no accumulation, unlike the year previous when we were constantly buried.
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I would like to personally take credit for this situation.
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Two years ago, in the midst of heavy snowfall, I shelled out significant dollars to buy a heavy duty snowblower, after years of holding out and waiting for Tommy O to save the day with his.
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Naturally, since I bought that unit, snow has ceased to fall.
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So the Universe is calling me out.   But at least Boston benefits.
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Maybe Global Warming has been caused by all of the Snowblowers that have been sold in the 21st century.  It's a scientific fact that the Eark has gotten warmer with the current proliferation of Snowblowers.
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Al Gore should check it out, but he's probably too busy counting his Al Jheezera Score.

Neat Streak

I've been on a neatness streak lately.
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A place for everything, and everything in its place.
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Those who have known me over time, know that this is never a permanent situation.   I've had sloppy streaks that have lasted for years.
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When I was the Lynn Housing Authority Director, I would never leave unless every file was in place.  And when I had an office in Cambridge, the level of organization was at an all time high.
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But at other times... not so much.
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When I'm in a neat streak, nothing can be out of place.   Neurotically.   A completely clean desk and not a paper in sight.  Historically, when this happens, I have been at the top of my game.   And it's true that I'm feeling that way lately, too.
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We'll see how long this lasts.

A True Hero's Passing

Thanks to former POTY Kerry D'Orio for posting this in Facebook...  As you know, I can never disclose why someone is chosen as a Peep of the Week, but in this case, you have a great clue.

Kerry Russell D'Orio shared Steve Kapner's photo.

• 

  "Shifty" By Chuck Yeager
  
  Shifty volunteered for the airborne in WWII and served with Easy
   Company of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, part of the 101st
  
   Airborne Infantry. If you've seen Band of Brothers on HBO or the
  
  History Channel, you know Shifty. His character appears in all 10
  
  episodes, and Shifty himself is interviewed in several of them.
  
  I met Shifty in the Philadelphia airport several years ago. I didn't
  
  know who he was at the time. I just saw an elderly gentleman having
  
  trouble reading his ticket. I offered to help, assured him that he was
  
  at the right gate, and noticed the "Screaming Eagle," the symbol of
  
  the 101st Airborne, on his hat.
  
  Making conversation, I asked him if he'd been in the 101st Airborne
  
  or if his son was serving. He said quietly that he had been in the
  
  101st. I thanked him for his service, then asked him when he served,
  
  and how many jumps he made.
  
  Quietly and humbly, he said "Well, I guess I signed up in 1941 or so,
  
  and was in until sometime in 1945 ..." at which point my heart
  
  skipped.
  
  At that point, again, very humbly, he said "I made the 5 training
  
  jumps at Toccoa, and then jumped into Normandy . . . do you know
  
  where Normandy is?" At this point my heart stopped.
  
  I told him "yes, I know exactly where Normandy is, and I know what
  
  D-Day was." At that point he said "I also made a second jump into
  
  Holland , into Arnhem ." I was standing with a genuine war hero ...
  
  and then I realized that it was June, just after the anniversary of
  
  D-Day.
  
  I asked Shifty if he was on his way back from France , and he said
  
  "Yes... And it 's real sad because, these days, so few of the guys are
  
  left, and those that are, lots of them can't make the trip."
  
  My heart was in my throat and I didn't know what to say.
  
  I helped Shifty get onto the plane and then realized he was back in
  
  coach while I was in First Class. I sent the flight attendant back to
  
  get him and said that I wanted to switch seats. When Shifty came
  
  forward, I got up out of the seat and told him I wanted him to have
  
  it, that I'd take his in coach.
  
  He said "No, son, you enjoy that seat. Just knowing that there are
  
  still some who remember what we did and who still care is enough to
  
  make an old man very happy." His eyes were filling up as he said it.
  
  And mine are brimming up now as I write this.
  
  Shifty died on Jan. l7 after fighting cancer.
  
  There was no parade.
  
  No big event in Staples Center .
  
  No wall-to-wall, back-to-back 24x7 news coverage.
  
  No weeping fans on television.
  
  And that's not right!
  
  Let's give Shifty his own memorial service, on line, in our own quiet way.
  
  Please repost to everyone you know. Especially to the veterans.
  
  Rest in peace, Shifty.
  
  Chuck Yeager, Maj. General [ret.]
  
  P.S. I think that it is amazing how the "media" chooses our "heroes" these days...
  
  Elvis, Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston & the like.

Flu Shot

There is a lot of hype going around about the flu bug this year.  Joanne is on my back to get a flu shot, but I haven't had the flu for twenty years or so.  Course I was hospitalized with it in my early twenties, so I know how bad it can get.   Back then, I went on intraveinous feeding in Union Hospital for a week, lost a ton of weight and was really weak.
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So Peeps, I really should get a shot and so should you.
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But we are fortunate that we don't have the diseases of our ancestors.   Our great Sachem Nanepashemet had 3000 warriors in his band in 1616.  By 1619, he had 300 due to the smallpox that was introduced to the Indians by European fishermen landing in New England.
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It was this epidemic that opened up the Indian lands allowing for the Great English Puritan Migration of the 1620's and 30's.
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Smallpox was a scourge in Colonial America as well and would arise every few years to the great panic and despair of the townspeople.  In Marblehead, they would seal off the roads, not let anyone come and go, and send the sick off to a hospital on Cat Island, a 1/2 mile off shore.  But the disease still would sweep though taking a percentage of the population.
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Must have been a terrifying period.   And the psyche of this lives on as we take precautions against the flu strains that exist today.

TommyO8:55 AM

I too will never get a flu shot.
Back in 1994 I got the flu. The virus teamed up with the antibodies in my system and ate away at my spinal column rendering me paralyzed from the neck down. The disease is known as Gulliane Barre Syndrom. This thing kicked my but and it took six months for me to get back on my feet. The Flu shot is a direct injection of the virus into your system. When diagnosed the doc asked me if I had a flu shot recently. Although the answer was no and I simply had the flu, the chances are increased to get this dreaded disease if you get a flu shot. It is a one in 2-3 million shot this could happen to you. I will take my chances and purchase hand sanitizer and stay away from anyone with flu like symptoms. Go Pats.

Massachusetts Puffin Sighting

Ryan saw a Puffin yesterday floating in Marblehead Harbor.

I think it's rare to see these cold water ocean birds this south. 
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Doesn't this little guy know about Global Warming?
Must be a Republican.

Boat Lure

IF you can look at this , and not have an overwhelming urge to build a double ended rowing boat, you have far more will power than I do.

 

Henry the Cat

A lot of you have been asking how Henry, our new 1 year old cat that we bought from the Salem Shelter, is doing.
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At first, the feline was acting skittish and hid under the bed whenever you came in... that was two weeks ago.
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Now, I am presently experiencing the rare instance when Henry is not laying across my arms, preventing me from typing on this laptop.
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Joanne and I have had cats most of our married lives, but this one is crazy affectionate.  Really in your face, notice me, purrball affectionate.
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Naturally, Joanne is a little put out that Henry prefers sitting on my lap, but to a cool cat like Henry, a MOAM lap is hard to resist.

Doug said...
Creepy... on Henry the Cat