Go Pre... Eternally

How can you look at this photo and not love Track and Field?  

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The Finn in front was Lasse Viren, who won the race and was suspected of blood doping.  We hated him. 

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 Steve Prefontaine is the American in third place, who ultimately finished fourth in this unforgettable 5,000k  at the Munich 1972 Summer Olympics. I was on the UMass Track Team at the time and we all lived vicariously through the exploits of Pre, and others like Marty Liquori, the great miler from Villanova.  These guys were good runners and cool at the same time, and they were like the rock stars of Track and Field.  

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This was a time when growing your hair long and wearing a mustache was a sign of individuality and rebellion, and Pre was definitely a rebel as he railed against the conservative ruling  agency of the sport... the American AAU.

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We were all liberals then... because liberals represented change and change was required in a society that discriminated against minorities and women and sent our military to defeat in a civil war in Vietnam that was none of our business.

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Now things seem to have changed.   Now Liberals like Elizabeth Warren lie about being a Cherokee Indian minority.   That's the kind of stuff that makes me label myself as conservative, which would have been unthinkable when Steve Prefontaine was running that race.

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Prefontaine died in a tragic car accident 37 years ago.    You have to wonder what he would have done and where distance running would be in this country if he wasn't taken at such a young age....  but his spirit lives on in people who love the sport and remember the class and passion that he exhibited.

GrownUps 2 in Marblehead

Adam Sandler's company, Billy Madison Productions is in Marblehead these summer days shooting GrownUps 2, which is the sequel to the Classic, GrownUps... a 2010 movie that I forget exactly what it was about.
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Many of you Peeps have posed the reasonable yet irritating question...."Have they asked the Mountain of a Man to take a small role in the production... as an extra or  bit player or something.???
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No, they haven't.
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So I can't really vouch for the ultimate quality of this film.
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Nevertheless, I'm pretty excited to potentially catch a glimpse of my favorite comedian, Chris Rock, who has been seen locally and has a speaking part.
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And it will be cool to see scenes from Marblehead.   That last film about Marblehead concerned the cemetery that is down the street from my house, and the scenes were nothing close to the real thing.
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 Crew and Extras Parking is around the corner from my house.  I'd even be willing to let them use the Columbia Herreshoff Tender if they had a rowing scene.

The Routine of Dying

The guy who lives across the street from me died today.
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The Ambulance, Fire Engine and Patrol car charged up to his address and the Emergency Workers rushed in with equipment and a stretcher, but then they strolled out and leisurely repacked the stuff into their vehicles.
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After a while, the Emergency Vehicles drove off and a Funeral Hearst with suited undertakers took the curbside place.  Then, a gurney with a quilted covering was lifted out of the house by the funeral parlor staffers.
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So that was it.
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I didn't know the guy, and wouldn't recognize him if I bumped into him on the Town Hall staircase.  But I still felt bad.  The processing of the event... by professionals who live their lives in this situation..... seemed depressing.   It should be more eventful when you die.... not a daily set of routines.

Apprehension and Twisters

I'm patiently waiting this evening for a line of thunder storms for roll through.  Need the rain for some grass seed that I planted in the front lawn.  But the weatherman also talked about some tornado warnings and I have a strong new found respect for the fury of a tornado after witnessing the path one tore through in Western Mass last summer.  A hundred yard wide path of mangled trees and damaged buildings, cutting a long swarth through the landscape and hopping over Route 84.
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I certainly don't expect a tornado, but I'm still shocked by the devastation that these storms can create.  Imagine the force that can snap mature tree trunks in half.... like a massive karate chop.   That's the power we are talking about.
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Hopefully, the country will dodge  these storms a little better than last year, when tornado alley in the MidWest was hit time and time again.
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As you know, a Mountain of a Man like me doesn't scare easily.   And I'm not exactly scared of a freaking Tornado either.... but remain mildly apprehensive.

Another Keeper

Nice Keeper.

Ryan is either a lucky bastard, or a damn good fisherman.
Have to go with the good fisherman alternative.

Mark Vona and his new boat found a couple more landed by world traveler Nathaniel Clarke and Mike Nestor.   Mark is a great fisherman and never reveals his locations.  But between these two pictures and the island backgrounds, I think I can get a general idea Mark.   Plus, I can always ask these guys.

Annual Memorial Day Reflection

It's Memorial Day, and those of you who have followed this pathetic Blog over the years know that I always get sentimental on this day of remembrance... thinking about my father, my grandfather, my father-in-law, friends... all who sacrificed a great deal in the defense of our country.
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I've always regretted that I didn't contribute... was in Army ROTC until I got my draft number and was safely out of the range of being drafted for service in the Vietnam War.  Vietnam was a disastrous policy for the country, and I had no willingness to go at the time, but the mistakes that we made there geared us up and gave us the lessons that we needed for the War on Terrorism.
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Vietnam was a war that we fought while trying to act like we were not at war.   It was a terrible posture.  We sent our guys there for tours of duty.... they would be in firefights one week then shipped back walking the streets of their hometown like nothing was happening.   And the abuse they took from protester's at home was horrendous.  The war was stupid policy, but the veterans who fought were following orders like their brethren did from the Revolutionary War onward.   They should never have been criticized.
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My father was dead against me going to Vietnam as well, and encouraged me to get a 2nd Lieutenant's commission through ROTC in the mistaken notion  that an officer had a better chance of survival.   Ironically, those guys were the first to be casualties in Vietnam... for all sorts of reasons and my high draft number probably saved me.
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But Memorial day is not about politics.   It is about our service men and women, past and present, who have answered the call to put their lives on the line so that we can maintain our freedoms and way of life.  They should have our thanks and admiration.

Bill Hillegas said...
For me, this Memorial Day has brought about a sad awareness of the increasing disappearance of World War II veterans, and the realization of what is really lost when they have all gone. My father was a WWII vet and a large portion of the adult men I grew up around were WWII vets. These were guys whose psyche and values were molded by the Great Depression and the war. From my experience, what we will really lose when they are all gone is their example. I’m talking about the way they looked at life every single morning when they got up to go to work. In general, these were tough, no-nonsense men who valued personal responsibility, hard work and respect for others and their property. The concept of entitlement was a totally foreign idea to this generation. When you shook hands with one of them you knew you were shaking hands with a man. Those of you who lived around these WWII vets during their prime will know what I’m talking about. The rest of you just missed out. It is their on Annual Memorial Day Reflection

BPop said....
My mom and pop were both WW2 vets. Mom was a major in the Army nurse corps, and Dad was a Sgt Maj in the 82nd Airborne. Both were in for the duration, and both are gone now. I miss them always, but today is special. I did my 6 yrs '68 to '74 in USN submarine service,  Did my 6 years '68 to '74. Submarine service. My mom was a Major in the Army (nurse) in Europe and served on the front lines in what were later referred to as Mash units. Dad was a first Sgt in the 82nd airborne in the same theater and didn't like gliders or chutes much. Sure miss them everyday, but especially today. BPop

Not Kenyans

They have their numbers on so it looks like the Nestor siblings are running in that South Boston Half Marathon this morning.
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They look pretty happy don't they?   It would be nice to see the same pose a couple of hours from now.
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My prediction is that neither of them will win.   They were brought up in Marblehead... not the Kenyan Foothills.
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Thanks to Pam Georgian, we have a nice after picture.  They still look happy and are toting a little hardware as well.

Conservative Metamorphosis

My friend, the other Mountain of a Man, Bobby Brown, came up with an interesting insight yesterday morning.
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For all we bitch about government waste and bureaucratic ineptitude.... you know what government agency is freaking the most efficient?????
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You are correct, Kemosabe.  It is the IRS.  The Internal Revenue Service can slice and dice you with ruthless efficiency.... as good as anything that the private sector can dish out.
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Plus you are guilty until proven innocent with the IRS.  They levy first, strip you clean,  then ask questions later.
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BTW... Bobby Boy... Last time I checked, you were a Bill Clinton supporting Dem.  How are you leaning now after the IRS roughed you up a bit????
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Not that a Mountain of a Man like Bob couldn't take a little loving from the Taxman.  But as the saying goes.... a Conservative is a Liberal who has just been mugged.

Wicked Tuna Reality

So my son, Ryan runs into Captain Dave from the National Geographic Wicked Tuna series at the Marblehead "Hungry Betty's" restaurant last night.   Turns out that the series is pretty much what we expected... contrived for the camera.   There's no rivalries... the Captains don't even freaking know each other.  They only met for the series.
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And the times when they said they were at Jeffrey's Ledge when we could tell  they were a few miles out of Gloucester????  They were a few miles out of Gloucester.
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Anyone who thinks that these reality series are really reality are missing a few marbles anyway.  It's still good entertainment.

Painting the Pram

Today we will be priming and painting the pram until it is pristine.  A Perfect Pastime.
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I know what you're thinking..."He's a Poet and He don't No it."
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It's all about iambic pentameter Baby.

High Honors

We last won this coveted award in 2009.... And I've been informed by an email that avoided my spam filter that we are up for the honor in 2012.
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For a small fee, we can get these cool paperweights that show everyone that we are the best of the best.
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Who the hell won in 2010 and 2011?
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Must have been someone wicked good to beat us out... or freaking stupid to get scammed into buying these phony award trinkets.

Liberal Advice from Hollywood

Hollywood Liberals like Matt Damon, Susan Sarandon, and George Clooney are so far removed from the real world and the struggles that we all must go through.
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Government policies frequently kick the shit out of us Goobers just trying to run a small business in the country, or to hang on to a corporate job,  or to make ends meet while we get continually harpooned by taxes, fees and regulations.  

These policies don't effect these out-of-touch Moonbats in the least.  How could they?  Doesn't matter which elected officials are ruining the economy or spending our tax dollars.   These people are uneffected .... whatsoever.
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So they can flip out their stupid political comments to show that they don't know shit about what's going on.... out here.... in their audience.
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It can't be all their fault.   If I made $100 million per movie for my ability to act like someone I'm not, I'm sure I would be a little out there in my opinions as well.  (in the Lizzie Warren spirit of avoiding plagiarism, that comment was made to me by my wicked smart son, Mike.)
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But don't tell us who to vote for.... because you have no freaking idea what is really going on.
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Shut up and act.  We need you to help us forget, not let us hear how completely out of touch you are.