Lapse

Sorry for the lapse in posts. I had to go to Puerto Rico Sunday morning for two business meetings and got home at 3:00 AM this morning after a huge screw up where the connecting flight crew didn't show up in Charlotte, delaying a 9:00 PM departure to 12:00 midnight. Plus, there was never an opportunity to log on. I know this is boring and of no interest to you, but it must be entered for the record.
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After all, this blog is destined to be a side bar in the Akashic Records of man's existence on earth.
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As for this blog getting sluggish, I agree. There actually are some extremely exciting and stressful things going on which I can't reveal at this time for a number of confidential reasons. Hang in there, things will pick up when the coast is clear.... probably in the next few days.
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BTW, Puerto Rico on business is the pits! I'm sure that if you are on the tourist trail, you can find nice places, but the Marriott Courtyard in downtown San Juan is as painful as anywhere, and the area creeps you out with the bars on all the windows and barbed wire in great abundance. I get a kick out of Joanne who was semi-disappointed that I didn't take her.
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I took out some frustration by trying to race a Porsche with my rented Nissan Altima. The guy didn't even realize that I was trying to make the challenge.

Dinner Party

Had a nice visit with the DiMatteo's tonight. Joanne did her magic in the kitchen and created an unbelieveable pasta with lemon, asparagus and red peppers - along with her usual superb pork loin roast. Tom and Laurel are great company.
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Tom also brought me a bottle of Lagavulin... you know what that means! He is the first automatic Peep of the Week for 2007.

Tax Time

Time for our government to keep the money that they've taken from you all year, and ask for more. Strike that.... Take more.
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It's enough to make you lose your sense of humor.
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Regardless.... the latest undetectable by radar fighter jet that the Air Force is developing costs $28M each... and we are making over 300 0f them.
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It costs money to kick the shit out of anything that enters our air space.
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So let's pony up. It's tax time.

Rejection

After about two months of correspondence, I was rejected by the last two book agents that I was dealing with. What's up with that? Don't they realize the huge opportunity that they have passed up? Not to mention the money, prestige and honor???
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Obviously fate has picked another as yet unknown agent to represent the "Nanepashemet Boatbuilding" book. I'm sure that the worthy agent will appear as soon as I conduct the next email blitz.
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All of the book publishing pundits say to expect a lot of rejection, but this book has too much to give to humanity to go unpublished for long.

Loss Update

5 lbs. in two weeks. At this rate, I'll be at my desired weight in 20 weeks. That's four months.... July!!!
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They'll be some awesome topless cookouts this summer.
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Now I have to figure out what to do with the hair on my back.

Thursday POTW

Once again.... the burden of responsibility. Peeps of the Week must be chosen despite the cold and icy weather. After all, it's Thursday. The burden cannot be taken lightly.
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Let's see...
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Who was inspiring? Who was annoying? Who deserves the ultimate honor and/or embarrassment?

Announcing....
Nanepashemet Peeps of the Week for the seventh week of 2007

• Dave Fortier
• Magnus Ojert
• Jill Peabody
• Thomas Peabody
• Mike Lane
• Emily Engardia

Now let's move on.

Oracle

I've never seen a robin in the snow, in Feb.... until today. Seemed weird. Lately I've been seeing birds in places that don't seem right - the Mallard in the woodland brook, and the robin.
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If I was an ancient Greek, I'd probably consult the oracle at Delphi to see what these omens were about.

Law of Attraction

It's not bullshit. More to Follow.

One More and We'll All Leave Together

"I love Scotch. Scotchy, Scotchy, Scotch." - Will Ferrell

Happy Valentine's Day

Nice pictures of the Peabody Twins and beautiful Pheobe Piscatelli made it to us in time for Valentine's Day. There is hope for humanity.
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They will be contemporaries for the Nestor boy who is supposed to make an appearance in June.

A Beautiful Heads Up.

And while we're on the subject of cool peeps, Brian Butler tells me that there is a liquor store in Peabody that sells Lagavulin for under $60.00 per bottle.

http://maps.google.com/maps?source=ig&hl=en&q=south%20peabody%20liquors&btnG=Google+Search&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wl

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Knucks to Brian.

Old Age

Hryhory Nestor, at 115, living in the Ukraine is believed to be the oldest living human in the world.
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No relation.

Snow Day

We live in New England. Ice and Snow is not a phenomenon.
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So why does the TV news coverage treat a snow day as a major reporting event? On Boston Channel 5, WCVB, reporter Shiba Russell is demonstrating how to scrape your windshield.
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Give me a break! If you can't think of any news, put some music on or something.... Don't treat the New England audience like they were born yesterday.

Business Confidential

There is a ton going on now, but most of it can't be let out because of business confidentiality. Maybe I'll disclose some of it in the book, when the heat is off. Probably not
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BTW, when the book is published, the loyal Nanepashemet Peeps will get complimentary signed copies. I know who you are.

A True Professional

Have I mentioned to you lately what a great mortgage broker Steve Lewis is?
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Well, he is freaking awesome, and a tremendous asset to VIP Mortgage. Thanks Steve. It takes a lot for the Crusher to be so impressed.

Raiders of the Northeast Kingdom

The quiet and tranquility of Vermont was grossly disturbed by these unabashed thrillseekers this weekend. While I was silently gliding in North Conway on my XC Skis, Katelyn, Jay, Stacy and Brian were adding carbon dioxide to our overburdened environment while screaming along in their God forsaken snowmobiles.
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Looks like they had fun.

Chinese Food for Thought

It's always interesting to see where the hits to this blog come from. Of course, there are the loyal Peeps who show up regularly, and if if wasn't for their involvement, I probably wouldn't be posting on this hideous site every day.
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But curiously, a great deal of the international hits come from China. Not sure why this is.

Almost There

I've got a feeling about this week. Something is going to pop. Lots of wheels have been turning on a big, complex machine for some time now.
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Hopefully, it will crank out a product that helps everyone. A win-win machine producing the greatest good for all concerned.
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A Nice Resource

The woods in North Conway have great groomed trails, and I can ski right from NorthBrook.
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Saw two small red squirrels, a chickadee and a mallard duck. I was pretty surprized to see the duck in the middle of the woods in a stream. Don't ducks fly south for the winter?
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This one didn't.
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The trails had about three inches of snow that was packed and grandular - no ice. Good conditions. It would be nice to get a couple more days like this in before the season ends. I'm not optimistic. Taxes and Sundance have to get done first.

Steamy and Scary

Would you get into a hot tub with this guy?
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Me Neither.
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Then there was the issue of having a deadly icicle thrust at us while we were innocently sitting on the couch.


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We were looking for a quiet evening, but then were forced to fend off these challenges!
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Other than that, we had a great time with Lynda and Will Murray at their condo in No. Conway

Weather Report

Really cold... the longest cold snap that I can remember... and no snow. Meanwhile, Al Gore and the Virgin Airlines guy are beating the global warming drum. A weird winter.
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BTW, you know the commercials about skiing at Wachusett Mountain with the fortyish two brothers and sister? Do they irritate you? Me too. WA WA Chusett. I will never ski there.
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This is the last weekend that I can kick back. With taxes and Sundance revving up, as well as a host of other ventures, there won't be anymore leisurely weekends until the spring. So, I'm going to get some XC skiing in up in No. Conway, do some serious couch potating, and gather strength for a big push.

Under Full Sail

Seems like a fair wind was blowing today.

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Lots of stuff falling in place. Sometimes when you listen to the voice in your head - your random thought - and follow it without judgement, things naturally seem to come together.

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I know this sounds New Age, but today it eerily had some relevance. I'll utimately disclose a lot of the details behind this stuff in my book, but I have to be discreet for the time being...

Week 6 - Peep of the Week

This was an easy week for POTW Selections. It was pretty obvious who should get the nod for a host of unambiguous reasons. Regardless.... that doesn't lessen the prestige or disgrace that a selection brings to a chosen Peep of the Week.

These peeps have the right to be proud, or embarrassed as the case my be.

Announcing.....
The Nanepashemet Peeps of the Week for the sixth week of 2007.

• Ben Martin
• Brian Butler
• Drew Jellison
• Steve Lewis
• Tommy Kallopoulos
• Lynda Murray

That felt good. Now back to more of the mundane and insignificant daily grind.

Thursday Again

That means that by the end of the day, there will be POTW thrills and disappointments.
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Who knew that Thursday could be such an important weekday???

KMA

I'm asking you nicely.... Please stop emailing me on a constant basis asking me how much weight I've lost. I don't think that I deserve having my mailbox clogged with hundreds of emails a day requesting that I divulge such private information.
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Just to stop the hysteria.... I've only lost 2.5 lbs. in the first week of my healthly lifestyle binge.
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This is a high achievement given the mountain of stress that the universe has steamrolled down on me last week. Usually, I resort to a double cheese, double pepperoni from Vesuvius, or a kettle of Macaroni and cheese when confronted with too many of life's challenges at the same time.
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Bring it on. Give me your best shot. Regardless of the crap ahead, I'm going to be one buff son of a bitch by March 21.

Home of the Brave

You had better be damn brave with the IRS and their power to assess charges in view of overwhelming evidence to the contrary. Home of the Brave, but land of the free is a stretch.
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Don't tell me that freedom isn't free. We're outlaying our economic privacy to a ruthless, faceless bureaucratic agency who holds us guilty until proven innocent.
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So.... How is your day going?

Better Late Than Never.

I saw a couple of these Catbirds in my driveway last summer. and just identified them now. Never forget a face.

House Pets

We had a nice dinner last night at the Barnicle with Jay and Kate, who came to Marblehead with their dog, Jack.
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Jack Dog, the Pug, was excited to be here and kept running around the house, creating a mountain of concern from Isabelle and Ronick. The cats emanated a little hissing, but thankfully no domestic pet violence.
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Izzy and Ronick both slept with us together last night though. I can't remember the last time that they were both on the bed at the same time, for any continuous period. Jack Dog deserves the Nobel Peace Prize if he can bring those two together.

Rome Again

The HBO series, Rome, is back with season two. This show alone is enough to subscribe to HBO. We can never truly know, but it seems to depict a realistic version of how life might have been in Italy at the time or Julius and Augustus Caesar. The story of Caesar motivated Shakespeare and remains today as the highest form of drama.
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Well done with acting and sets, down to the colors of the buildings and the extensive graphic graffiti on the walls.
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One thing that is perplexing though.... Why is it that the film industry always represents Romans speaking with English accents?

Superbowl Sunday

An unofficial holiday in the United States. With the Patriots not in it, you have to root for the Colts. Manning deserves it. Plus the Patriots annihilated the Bears in the regular season. Sarah Crawford invited us over because it is Chris' birthday.
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No offense to anyone, but I had plans to stay at home and eat Buffalo wings with Joanne. Lay low and stay out of trouble.

Wardrobe Threat

By the way, I'm kicking ass with my weight loss program. 2 1/2 lbs lost since Tues. Course I haven't really eaten much except for when Ryan and Courtney came over, and even then.... no carbs. Plus I've been working out semi hard on the Cybex stationary bike. Joanne cleaned out Mike's room since he moved to DC, and she moved the Bike there.
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The last time that I had a significant weight loss, I got off of the carbs, but never really stopped having a beer or two at night, and certainly didn't get a daily exercise burn in. That time I lost 20 lbs in about a month.
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This time, it's diet, exercise, no weekday evening beverages, and probably a lot more business stress. The deadline is March 21. Plus I have the Peeps to cheer me on this time. Can't miss.
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Hopefully my clothes will still fit, but it would be a pleasure to buy smaller sizes. I do have some really cool clothes though.

Metz a Metz

One of those days. Got a lot done, but didn't feel good doing some of it.
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I can't really explain without compromising business confidentiality.
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On the good side, I settled the Sundance Elevator order, finalized the handicapped Bathroom issues and bought some real nice entry doors that will open to the outside per the wishes of the Marblehead Building Dept. These were special order doors that I got at a real nice price from the Peabody Building Products Outlet. A great referral from Sparky and Mike Rockett. Paid some bills that were due. Always a good feeling when you have the funds.
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I also had a nice conversation about China with a guy whose name I cannot reveal.
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Some really unpleasant shit happened that I can't tell you about. Business is Business. Some things never change.

Week 5 - 2007 Peeps of the Week

Another Thursday. POTW Day.

The elevator issue at Sundance definitely has me frazzled.... because it is going to make me broke. Plus, the Cingular capital freeze is a downer. Two money issues that have been playing havoc with my nervous system. Experience tells me that this too shall pass. But that simple phrase doesn't loosen the knot in my stomach.

At least I can turn to the weekly POTW selection process for solace and consolation.

So....
Announcing the Nanepashemet Peeps of the Week for Week 5 or 2007.

• Sarah Jane Freymann
• Dr. Louis Casale
• The Salesguy at Joe Jones who sold me the XC Skis
• Jan Cyr
• Mike Chandler
• Ben PC Wong

Now back to the hand wringing.

Squaw Sachem, Wife of Nanepashemet

The Mark of Squaw Sachem

Terrorism

When I was growing up, we were afraid of being nuked by the Russians. I remember the Cuban Missle Crisis, and the fear that I felt that a nuclear war was pending. We used to have air raid drills in elementary school where we would kneel in the corridor with our head against the walls.
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As much as that sucked, I think that the environment that my grandkids will grow up in is worse, where people from a range of countries wish to bring havoc upon us for reasons that make no sense. How do you defend against an enemy that has no distinct country, and hates with no distinct reason?
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At least fearing the Russians was easy and logical.

Not a Setback

I forgot that Ryan and Courtney were coming over for dinner, so I missed the burn, but it was worth it to see them. They are pretty excited about a bunch of stuff. All good things.

Negative One.

Since yesterday. I'm psyched. With a 1/2 hr. burn in this evening, I should be able to drop another one. Let's see if it's this easy after 15 lbs. or so.

New Motivation

I have to admit that during this snowless winter in Boston, I'm starting to really miss being out on the water. The Sundance Pre-School new site build and Darwin has pulled all of my time away from finishing the Tender, but I have to find a way to get it done in the next few months.
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My appointment with Dr. Casale is in Mid-March, and he wants me on fish oil, aspirin and the HBP med. I'm also supposed to exercise for at least 30 min per day. As much as the Cybex stationary bike is great, I think it would be cool to get that half hour in rowing around the harbor.
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That means I have to get the trailer assembled, registered and finish the damn Tender. Probably a good motivation. I'll be honest. I'd like to lose 20 lbs. in the next 50 days before my appointment. That's 3 lbs. a week for the next seven weeks.
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Really, How hard can it be??? Go low on carbs, cut down on portions, no cookies, lay off the scotch (weekdays anyway). Get the 30 Min. in everyday, and gut it out for 7 weeks.
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Time for a gut check.... literally.
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I'll let you know how I'm doing, +/- , when I publish the Peeps of the Week each Thurs. for the next seven weeks.

Vertical Lift

Choosing the elevator for Sundance has been fairly stressful. Probably because it will be very expensive, and is only needed to meet regulartory requirements.
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I don't even mind the matching handicapped "his" and "her" bathrooms on the bottom level, because I know that they will at least be used, but the elevator requirement is silly and bureaucratic, based upon the amount of times that it will be operated for the use intended.
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I have to bite the bullet and make the order, because there is a four to five week factory lead time.

Melt Down

With all good intentions today, I was home from No. Conway by 12:30PM. Ryan came over and told us about his trip to Arizona. By then it was 2:00 and rigor mortis set in. I was really paralized, and couldn't get to any action items. Took a power nap, but never rallied.
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I did manage to read up a little on high blood pressure on the internet. Apparently one in three adults has HBP. Looks like I have to get serious and attend to this. Means losing weight and working out. How bad is that? I have another check up with Dr. Casale in mid March, and hope to make a push to change things between now and then.
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Tomorrow, I'll be up at 5:30 AM, heading for the ariport to fly to LaGuardia for my Paramus Meeting with Cingular. I hope the lethargy has left by then. There is too much to do for this couch potato bullshit to be in the mix.

Sunday Anticipation

I have 19 hours of sanding to go with these 60 grit hook and loop beauties on the Herreshoff Columbia Yacht Tender interior work.
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I'll leave North Conway by 9:00 AM after a quick try out of the new XC Skis. Home by noon, and hopefully I can fit in 2 hours of sanding then. Leaving 17 eventful hours. I don't care. The Tender will rock when it is done. And I'm not taking any shortcuts.
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More basement clean up in the late afternoon, then get ready for the Paramus trip. No more Patriots games tying up productive Sundays.
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I still haven't heard from my book agent. Looks like I have to toss the passive waiting mode and start barking. Nobody said it would be easy.

Time for the Time

I broke down today and bought a pair of Rossignol XC Touring skis at Joe Jones Sports in North Conway. The ones that Joanne and I bought when we were out at UMASS in the seventies are virtual antiques. I'm not kidding. I've seen the same model nailed to a wall in a restaurant.
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My walk today convinced me that I should get out in the cold and solitude more often. Very cleansing, both physically and spiritually. So I figure that with skis, all that good stuff can get done quicker. Just kidding. But I think that physical exercise in solitude can get rid of a lot of demons. The key is to find the enablers to do it... XC skis, rowing the tender, jogging (ouch).
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It's time to find the time.

Winter Stroll

OK, so I didn't go skiing afterall, but at least I got out for a walk around the North Conway cross country ski trails; eventually coming out to Route 16 at the Scenic Vista in Intervale.
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Probably a three mile loop. I brought my camera, but didn't see any wildlife or birds, however, heard some chickadees. They obviously were mocking me.
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BTW, the Scenic Vista is the sight of an annual Abenaki Tribe summer camp, whereby the Indians made a trek down from Quebec to fish and trade. The last encampment was in 1964.
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It was pretty cold... under 10 degrees.

BC-BU Hockey

Watching the BC - BU hockey game. BC is winning 3-2 in the second period.
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Maybe I should root for BU where I went to grad school, but my son, Mike, played with the the BC goalie, Cory Schneider, in Youth Hockey and on the Marblehead Hockey Team. Then Cory went on to glory at Phillips Andover and BC. Cory is a great kid. It's kind of neat to see him excel at BC, and move on to the pro ranks next year.
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Brings big time hockey to a personal, manageable level. I'm happy, though, that I'm not slepping to rinks every weekend now, like Cory's parents are still doing.

Skiing

I'm up in North Conway and thinking of going skiiing tomorrow.
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I know what you're thinking..... He's old, he's out shape, he's going to hurt himself.
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Yeah, I think I will go skiing...... Screw you.

Misdiagnosis

My doctor thinks that I might have high blood pressure and that I seem stressed out. What an Idiot!!! What a Moron!!!! What the hell does he know about stress????
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I'm freaking fine.

Thursday POTW Time

I almost went to bed after having my celebratory Lagavulin in honor of the Sundance permit. But then I remembered....It's freaking Thursday, and Thursday is Nanepashemet Peep of the Week day.
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Imagine if I had forgotten to select the POTW???
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Earthquakes, Tsunamis, possibly the end of life as we know it would undoubtably have been the result.
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So don't panic. Ease the drama already. Here's the selections.

Announcing Nanepashemet Peeps of the Week 4-07

Amanda Johnson
The Bali Hai waitress who remembered that I always order the No. 32
Maddie Gill
Nancy Bruett
Alan Hezekiah
Bobby Wojcik

That's it. Now you can relax.

Reasonable Query

So often, my peeps ask me, "When you look out of your window at Darwin Partners, what do you see?"
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It's a reasonable question and, since I am patient and amiable by nature, I am always happy to respond.
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After all, there are no stupid questions. There are only stupid people who ask questions.

Building Permit Granted

Got the permit. Someday I'm going to tell my grandson how his grandpa stood there and took it like a man. Course, his inheritance took a major hit over this project. Time for a scotch... maybe even a Lagavulin.

Another Run

Eric Rumph and I are meeting with the Bob Ives of the Marblehead Building Department at 4:00 this afternoon. Since the New Sundance School site project is technically moving along under the residential renovation permit that I pulled, and other efforts that we can undertake, we are making progress, but I have to get the change of use permit which entails the requirements of a public building, namely handicapped access.
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I really hope that the permit phase is behind us by the end of the day.