Imagine That

Just Coincidentally, the Greenhouse has enough room to construct a twenty foot long boat.

Repetition is the Path to Mastery

Peeps....

"Repetition is the Path to Mastery."

It's estimated that you must invest 10,000 hours into a skill or subject matter before you can gain true expertise.

That's five work years.

So I can't yet play the banjo like Earl Scruggs.
And my guitar skills are far less than  Stevie Ray Vaughn's.
I'm woeful as a CAD designer, and my woodworking is dwarfed by Tage Frid.

Lots more hours to go, and this middle aged Mountain of a Man is running out of unlimited time. 

But someday, I hope to be sitting on a stool that I designed and built and amaze some of my closest Peeps with a stunning rendition of "Foggy Mountain Breakdown" followed  by a kick ass version of "Pride and Joy".

That will be quite a few hours from now.

12 x 24 Panelized Greenhouse

Peeps....
I'm starting to get the hang of this Sketchup Program.   Above is my design of  a greenhouse that is made up of stock 2x4 nominal pressure treated lumber that is sheathed in 4x8 panels of 8mm polycarbonate panels.  All of the panels are fastenened
by deck screws so that the structure can be deassembled and relocated.  Rough estimate of the stock is $3,000.  With Labor and markup, Nanepashemet Builders can put this in your backyard for about $10,500. and you will be eating home grown tomatoes and smelling the roses in no time.

8mm PolyCarbonate Clear Panel

Temporary Hiatus

 It's been real busy at Nanepashemet Telecom this week, and during the evening, I've been brushing up on my stringed instrument skills, so the Blog has taken a hiatus for a few days.  Can't believe its Thursday already.
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But for me, a lapse in posts is usually a good thing.... because this Blog is where I generally work out my frustrations, so I must have not been too aggravated this week.
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Since I made a conscious decision not to get wound up over the Massachusetts US Senate race this time, and Obama and his money grab minions are mired in the horrors of Sequestration (is that still going on?), I just have not been moved to rant about politics.
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And my Spring projects, not the least of which is raising the war chest to fund Katelyn's Nuptuals, have also been taking up what might be bloggable items, but they are not really in full swing with the temps hovering around the freezing mark during these April mornings.
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But don't worry.
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Something is sure to aggravate me soon, and you will be the first to know about it.

Pondering at Easter

Happy Easter to my Christian Peeps.
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This holiday is the cornerstone of Christianity.  If Christ rose from the dead, he most certainly was divine and his teachings were those of God.
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I believe this.   And I also believe in teachings of the Buddha and other incarnations of the Divine who have appeared from time to time to try to help humanity in sorting out this crazy existance that we share on Earth.
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Why must religions be at odds?  Can't they all have certain Universal Truths that are interpreted through their respective historical and cultural prisms?
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Imagine how may lives would have been saved if people didn't kill in the name of their religion.

Latest Nanepashemet Truths

A Leader is Gender Neutral... M-F-H.

Large Corporations are cesspools of mediocrity.

Day trading is gambling.

Gary Sinise is the best actor alive...for may reasons.

Successful Organizational Management

Peeps...
I bet you didn't know that I am an enlightened manager.   But it's true.  Over the years, I've discovered the optimal ways to organize an enterprize and get the most out of employees.
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And since I'm feeling particularly magnanimous tonight, I've decided to share some of my enligtened management techniques with you.
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First and foremost.... hire good people.   Hire the best you can find.  And for God's sake, hire people who are smarter than you.

Many managers secretly are afraid of their employees, and purposefully hire mediocre people who are dumber than them and will never eclipse them.... wicked insecure and a stupid move.    Smart people will rise you up.  Mediocre people keep you in the status quo at best.

Second.... figure out the people that you can trust, and get rid of anybody that you don't.    Peeps... even if Einstein works for you, if he is an asshole, it will inevitably get disastrous in time.

Third... after you trust the smart people who work for you.... empower them.  That means create an environment where they have to make their own decisions.... and allow them to make mistakes.

Once your people realize that you have their backs and won't throw them under the bus if they make a mistake... a magic thing happens.   Their productivity freaking soars.   They are able to use their intelligent creativity on your behalf and they take initiative that you could never even conceive of.  The whole organization moves upward.

And Finally... Fourth... support and promote your people.   Make them believe that you would jump on a grenade for them...  because you actually would.  Protect them from the predators that lurk in large organizations.... like HR and Contracts Administration.   If they are winners, help them move up through the organization.  Even if they leave your direct control, they will remember and help you because of the support and assistance that you gave to them.

Then... repeat the process.
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BTY... this is an alien and radical method for many large corporations and many senior managers will be severely threatened by this approach.   But you don't really want to work in those types of organizations anyway.

The List of Truth - a New Nanepashemet Service

Everyday, in every way, I'm getting better and better.
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It's true Peeps... and to demonstrate this, the Mountain of a Man has a new Blog feature.... a page to the right dedicated to an organic and growing list of Nanepashemet Truths and Facts..

So now... before you send me a neurotic vm, text, or email, please consult this list and your pathetic inquiry may be already answered, and you won't have to wait to contact me.

Here's the current sample and there's a lot more to come.

• The Shroud of Turin is a true image of Jesus Christ.
• UFO's and Extra-Terrestrial Beings exist.
• Liberals who label others as racist are struggling with their own psychological beliefs.
• Climate change exists, but it has nothing to do with Republicans.
• We dodged a bullet when the people of Tennesee prevented Al Gore from becoming President.
• Abortion is Capital Punishment to unborn human beings, legal or not.
• The Pyramids are not tombs, but are undiscovered advanced ancient techologies.
• God has no preference for either straight or gay people.
• Christian leaders who interpret the will of God have lost their way in the Universe.
• Some Psychics have true ability to foresee the future, others are phonies.
• No race of humans is morally better than the other... given the same situations and technologies, each would exploit the others in the same fashion.
• All religions pervert the path to God that humans strive to take.
• Barach Obama is a product of hope and redemption for past racist policies of America.
• Reincarnation is real... we've all been here many times.
• BigFoot is real... so is the Loch Ness Monster.
• Every living thing has the spark of the divine, but some people are consumed by evil.
• There is no such thing as eternal hell.... the Hindu's have it right.... Earth is the place to work off offenses to the Universe that you have committed.
• It is a lot more terrifying to be born than to die.
• The underlying state of life is a feeling of daily pure joy.
• Revenge is pointless and self destructive.
• Everything happens to everybody according to God's Universal Plan.
• Every skill takes discipline and practice... we are always bad before we get good.
• Honesty to yourself and others is the highest virtue.... but everybody tells lies everday.
• Liberals Feel, Conservatives Think... the world needs both kinds.
• Everyone should have a cat or a dog.
• Mountain climbing is a stupid sport.
• The Bible should be two books... the Old Testament is a tribal record with some crazy stuff, and the New Testament is the Chronicle of a Perfect Master.
• Male child molesters should be castrated.
• Obamacare is an idea executed with extreme incompetence.
• The President and his Family are not royalty, and we should not pay for more than one reasoable vacation per year.
• Republicans stand on their own... Democrats need a Village.... our society needs both.
• Struggling against Obesity is a big improvement over dying from malnutrition.

Enough for now.

I would recommend checking the page for new entries daily.... some of you should look hourly.

Nanepashemet Nod to Lynch

Peeps...
I'm not going to screw my head into the ceiling over this mounting Massachusetts race for US Senate.
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After the Democrat Machine engineered the campaing for a phony  Cherokee to put a  honest and talented guy like Scott Brown back on the pine, I lost my taste for investing any emotional capital in this.... so I concede the race to the Democrats.  
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The Nanepashemet Nod in this one goes to Stephen Lynch, who I think is a more independent thinker than the headline seeking and rather pompous Representative Ed Markey, who seems to feel that he should be the anointed one for this Liberal owned Senate seat.
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When Markey proudly boasts that he is endorsed by Planned Parenthood, I gladly choose his opponent.
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I'm not even going to discuss the Republicans.  Nobody like Scott will sneak up on these guys, because even they are not as presumptuous as Martha Coakley.
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So that's it.   Leave me alone on this one.... OK????  The Nod has been executed and there is nothing left for me to pontificate to you about.

Tiger on Top

With his recent victory in the 2013 Arnold Palmer Invitational, Tiger Woods has resumed his place as the Number 1 Ranked Professional Golfer in the world.
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I for one, am pretty happy for him.
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Yes, he cheated on his wife, having sex with any gorgeous white woman that came his way.
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Yes, he isn't a "give back to the Hood" ethnic role model trying to inspire other minorities to greatness.
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Yes, he seems a bit too self absorbed and stiff, rather than giving himself shamelessly to an adoring public.
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Peeps, maybe  I'm flawed as I'm sure you know, but I don't give a rat's ass about any of that Tiger stuff.  All I care about is the uncanny closeness to perfection that he has attained by hitting a dimpled ball around a manicured landscape.

Truth be told, if Lindsay Vonn made a run at me, I can't guarantee how I'd score on the fidelity scale.  I'd like to say that my life bond with Joanne would remain unscathed, but Vonn would be a hell of a challenge. 

But that wouldn't effect the thousands of you hapless Peeps who read this unsavory blog daily...... would it????
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So that's why I like Woods.   Off the course, he's just an asshole like me and you.  But on the Golf links... he's something extraordinary that we are priviledged to observe.
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.... Just like this Blog.

The Vikings

I've become a fan of The Vikings series currently being aired on the History Channel.

The historical context and acting is interesting, and the wooden long ships are the balls.

Contrary to popular opinion, the Vikings did not wear helmets with horns sticking out of them.

Spring Projects

Spring is here.  I don't care about the temperature, I'm done with winter and the cold weather as well.  And I've also rolled out my list of spring projects, few of which I can afford nor have the time to accomplish.
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Unfortunately, most of the stuff has to do with maintenance and remodeling, as well as getting the boats up to par.  The Aquaponics project is as the end of the list, and the Marblehead Gunning Dory can't even fit, so there is no real sex appeal.
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But if I can get in a good push, maybe those will see some life before summer is over.