Nanepashemet Peeps of the Week for the 16th Week of 2014

Superpeep Brendt D'Orio reminded me that I have completely fallen off of the wagon in my weekly obligation to choose a Nanepashemet Peep of the Week.
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My old, feisty Mountain of a Man persona would probably be a bit annoyed at this poke at my failing, but it dawns on me that the proud Danish-Italian machine shop entrepreneur is dead-on with his observation.
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Somehow the despicable yet inspirational tradition has been set aside, but today will receive a strong dusting off.
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As Nanepashemet Peeps will recall.... to become a Peep of the Week... one must fit the following criteria.

1. Must have done something either inspirational or annoying.
2. Cannot be an animal.
3. Cannot be Dead.
4. Or fulfill the automatic criteria of buying the MOAM a bottle of Lagavulin 16 year old Single Malt Scotch... otherwise known as the King of Scotch.

How is it then, that I have neglected this weekly duty for so long????
I am duped by the mystery as you must be also.

You would think that dwindling Lagavulin supply would have tipped me off that something was wrong.... but it was the Italo-Dane who snapped me back to attention.

And So.... after a long hiatus....

ANNOUNCING.....
Nanepashemet Peeps of the Week for the 16th Week of 2014

Brendt D'Orio
Brian Donovan
Dave Bruett
Lindsay Lohan
Lynda Murray

Somehow, the world is starting to feel right again.

Mindless Maggot Sickos. Why?

It's been a year since those mindless maggots carried out their perverse and cowardly plot to kill and maim people standing at the finish line of the Boston Marathon.   A crowd of people, assembling to applaud the human achievement of enduring 26 miles,  an achievement of self esteem and self worth..... stricken by two sickos.... viciously and cowardly by two vermin who slimed by them with their concealed explosives, and placed them in spots next to innocent, young, thriving victims,
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Why?   What was the motivation to kill and maim?  Was it jealousy?  Of What?  These two Muslims were in America.... on the dole.... subsidized by the people that they wished to kill.   What could possibly have been the outcome that they hoped for?   That we would cower in our homes?......  Unwilling to carry on our way of life?
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That didn't happen.
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All day long, the local news media has been talking about what happened.... and how we responded.... Boston Strong.
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But still no real analysis or answers as to WHY IT HAPPENED?   Why did these two mindless maggots kill. Who was their audience?  What message did they wish to convey?  Who were they trying to impress?
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If we answer these questions truly to ourselves.... things start to get wicked politically incorrect.  Don't they?

Living the Dream

Gearing up for a long day.
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By day's end, I will have submitted a complex lease for legal review, prepared a zoning application that is sure to antagonize abutters, and present at a public hearing in NH for a new tower proposal.
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I'm thinking that I'll be back at this living room recliner with a Bud Light in my hands by about 11:00PM tonight.
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I'm not complaining..... and in fact, I am technically Living the Dream.... working at my own company for major carriers.  But when I was dreaming the Dream back when.... I didn't anticipate how much work Living the Dream would actually entail.
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This is indeed my Dream job, just not so much of it was in my Dream.

Return of the House Finch

It was a huge day of renewal today.



We saw the first House Finch that I have seen in the last few years on the feeder.

Plus UPS delivered the grill gas regulator replacement part which I installed after getting back from a couple of County Courthouse filings that had to be made in Southern New Hampshire.

The grill works like a charm with the new parts, and I'm grateful that I went with the repair parts rather than shelling out all of the money for a new one.

We grilled some burgers for dinner.

Fake It Till You Make It.

You have to fake it till you make it.
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As I waded through lease review processes that I loathe today,  I played a mind game that they were really interesting and relevant to getting the job done.
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It worked.
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Tomorrow I have to go to a Balloon test where the neighbors are sure to show up with torches and pitchforks.  They are none too happy about a cell tower proposal that we have proposed for their backyard and, I can empathize with their hostility even though I am basically the cause of it.
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Not sure what mind games I can come up for that one.

Path to Wings and Burgers

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I've been busy lately working to get my gas grill repaired.  It's a Charmglow model that I bought from Home Depot about six or seven years ago and has served us well despite some real neglect.  The burners and the drip shields are all corroded and rusty, but the stainless steel chassis of the grill is in great shape and the grill grates are of large gauge stainless steel so I thought I could replace the worn parts and avoid a $300 new grill expense.
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Bought new ceramic drip plates for $10 and new burners for $7 on Amazon, which also sold the two components as Charmglow replacements for $135.   So I went with the $17 option which was delivered in two days.  I can't imagine how the $135 deal could be worth it, because the parts that I received were solidly made.
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Ryan came over this Sat. morning, looking for something, and I pretended that I didn't know what while I fiddled with taking apart the grill.   It seems like a simple devise, but the corroded burners were welded in place by the heat over the years, and what seemed to be a question of simply hacking them off of the chaissis turned into a lot of concentrated thought and effort, but Ryan eventually wrenched them out and we figured how to install the replacements.
Now... only to hook up some propane and try it out, right? .... Wrong.
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The propane would not proceed from the tank to the burners and it seemed that the gas regulator and feed had to be replaced.  Naturally the threads were completely rusted so I WD-40'ed the hell out of the nut and waited a while.   Turned the grill on its backed so that I could get better leverage and worked off the regulator nut, releasing the gas regulator from the grill.
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It was  a Nexgrill model 7806 regulator.... nothing on Amazon, so I went to the Web and found the part for sale at ereplacementparts.com.    $40 bucks for the part and $10 for shipping.
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It should be here by Tues. if the web site is the real deal.
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So now I'm in this grill repair job for $67 which will be a great deal it the grill works with the new regulator.  Will just have to shine up the stainless steel and the wings and burgers can resume.

Spring

Birdfeeder Resurgence

I finally got around to setting up the bird feeder and filling it with seed out on the new deck.   The  birds in this neighborhood haven't witnessed my generosity since we moved to the Sundance House from 32 Beverly Ave.
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In no time, a couple of Chickadees were snacking at the station.
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Also, one Titmouse.

Homophobia

Naturally, because of the last post, some of you Peeps saw the need to call me an anti-Gay homophobe.
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No.... No.... that's not it.
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All I've been trying to say is that, if Gays want to go mainstream, then they should get in the freaking boat.    Because us mainstream types have respect for others, and keep things that should be left private as our own private affairs.
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No parades are necessary.
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I'm not anti-gay.  I am definitely anti-anyone who wants to advertise their sexual preference for the express purpose of causing a distressful emotion in others.   If you want mainstream respect, then respect others in the mainstream.

Erin Go Bragh? or Bra Less?

Should Gays be allowed to march in the South Boston St. Patrick's Day Parade?

Absolutely.  It would be illegal to use the public streets and restrict anyone because of race, creed, religion, national origin, sex, or sexual preference in Massachusetts

Should they be allowed to wave flags and flaunt their sexual preference?   That  is up to community standards.  Personally, poke it wherever you want.  That's your business, not mine.  And if you want to advertise your preference, that's not an inherent right, and basically is in bad taste in my opinion.

So I support the ban on Homosexuals marching to advertise that they are homosexual.  If they want to march in a marching band, or with any other group.... fine.  But just to flaunt their preference for members of their own sex is not a valid reason and is offensive to community standards in my opinion.

I would be in favor on banning a group of nymphomaniacs from marching for the same reason.
Keep your sexuality in your own pants in public.

President's Day Musings

It's Presidents Day.  When I was a kid in grade school, it was a time to think about George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.  Pretty simple, non-descript stuff.  You would never compare modern day Presidents with them.

But by the end of 2011, President Obama had characterized himself as one of the top four Presidents in history... behind FDR, Johnson, and Lincoln.  Not a little hubris and ego going on with our current Prez, whose jetsetting ways and ostentatious family vacations paid by the Feds seem to border on that of an entitled Emperor rather than the leader of a democratic republic.

I believe that Obama will go down in history as a scheming ideological opportunist, who squandered the chance to improve race relations in this country by widening the gap and sharpening class divisions through unthinking and non-inclusive policies.  His use of Federal agencies to punish conservative groups will be classified as Nixonian, and his incompetent foreign policy will be compared to Carter.  The ObamaCare debacle will implode under its own weight of bureaucratic incompetence, and whenever people think of FDR, BHO will be the antithesis.

It's too bad.  Not sure what went wrong with him, but he has generated a surge of Black conservative politicians, anxious to correct the legacy of our first Black President.

Maybe that is a good thing.
Happy President's Day.

Giarda's Recipe for Pizza Dough

This is Pizzeria grade dough.   The secret is little or no sugar in the yeast, and a hot 500 degree oven.  Bake for 8 minutes on a pizza stone that has been heated for 30 min. in the oven.

 

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups warm water, 100 to 110 degrees F, plus extra as needed
• 1 (1/4-ounce) packet active dry yeast
• 5 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra as needed
• 1 1/2 teaspoons fine sea salt
• Olive oil, for drizzling

Directions

Put the water in a small bowl. Add the yeast and stir until dissolved.
In a large bowl, whisk the flour and salt together. Add the yeast mixture and stir until a soft dough forms. If the dough is too dry, add a little extra water, 1 tablespoon at a time. If the dough is too sticky, add extra flour, 1 tablespoon at a time. Transfer the dough to a floured work surface. With floured hands, knead the dough until it becomes smooth and elastic, about 10 to 12 minutes. Drizzle the inside of a clean bowl with olive oil. Put the dough in the bowl and cover loosely with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel. Set the bowl in a warm, draft-free place, until the dough has doubled in size, about 2 hours.
Using a fist, deflate the dough in the center and cut it into 3 equal-sized pieces. Form the dough pieces into 3 balls and put into 3 oiled bowls. Cover each bowl loosely with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel and let rest for 1 hour. Remove the dough and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate for up to 1 day.