Boogie Down

If you haven't tried a Neti Pot, then you can't know the liberating feeling of having your sinuses completely rinsed and drained.
~
It's not fair for me to keep this secret to myself.
~
All of my Peeps should experience the thrill of mucus free breathing. Your nostrils will thank you for using a Neti Pot.

Pop Culture

What is the popular fascination with the personal lives of people like Joey Butafuco and Anna Nicole Smith? Why does the media focus on people who act on the outskirts of propriety? I suppose it is entertaining to fantasize on the possibility of acting with outrageous abandon, but it gets tiresome to see characters like this constantly on mainstream TV.
~
Why can't the focus be on renegade boatbuilders, or wireless telecom contractors, or basement tile layers? I suppose that will never happen, but that would be truly fascinating. I mean, I could get into that.

Unlikely Committment

A rainy Saturday.
~
I told Mike that I'd like to have the Tender done for a launch when he comes home next weekend, but I'll need a combination of good weather and lots of time. With Nanepashemet Telecom getting red hot, and meetings scheduled throughout next week, it appears that I shouldn't have opened my mouth. If the WhaleEye is in the water, it won't matter though.
~
I'll have to bug Ryan Marine to put the WhaleEye on the Salem Harbor mooring.
~
In the meantime, I might as well tile the basement today.

UMASS Club

Had lunch at the UMASS Club today on Franklin Street in Boston with DiMatteo and Elsier. Great views, good food. I'm glad that Ryan told me about it. The only trouble is that those guys now have my club number.

Unimaginable

So I get a series of comments from Lindsey K. asking why she was named a POTW last week.
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Very annoying... even retroactively so.
~
Loyal Blogger Peeps know that such information can never be disclosed. It would be like anti-matter ripping a hole in a parallel universe.
~
I can't be held responsible.

Logical

Anything too stupid to be said is sung.
- Voltaire

Since I don't sing too well, the Blog will have to suffice.

Week 20 - Peep of the Week

For the first time in a long time, all of the POTW selections are males. Don't make a big thing out of it!! It's just the way it happened. I'm not going to pick a woman just to be politically correct! That would be so un-Nanepashemet-like. Why can't we all just get along????

ANNOUNCING...
NANEPASHEMET PEEPS OF THE WEEK for the 20th Week of 2007

Bill Hillegas
Pat Piscatelli
Steve Lewis
Peter Crawford
Timothy, the Gay French guy at the Paris Whiskey Bar
Tony Blair

Next week I will take care to see if any women meet the criteria, which bears repeating here due to the enthusiasm by which some peeps seem to feel when they are honored/disgraced.

To be a Nanepashemet POTW, one has to meet one or a combination of the following conditions...

• Do something Annoying
• Do something Inspiring
• Not be Dead
• Not be an Animal
• Have given me a bottle of Lagavulin 16 yr old single malt scotch over the past week

The Lagavulin condition is automatic. A side rule is that if you ask to be a POTW, you can never be selected, unless I forget later on.

BTW, I'm starting to run a little low on Lagavulin.

POTW Time

Keep your pants on. We'll be annointing the chosen this evening.

Marblehead Gunning Dory

With the Herreshoff Columbia Yacht Tender coming to a conclusion, I have to get serious about the next project. Even though I was set on a Maine Peabod, I've always liked this dory which was popular in Marblehead at the turn of the last century, and is known as the Chamberlain Marblehead Gunning Dory, as drawn by John Gardner.
~
Ryan was saying that my next project should be a boat that can be motorized, and could be used to flyfish in close to the rocks.
~
The dory design has a flat bottom and this version has a motor well. I can envision three people in this boat rather comfortably, with a fishing station in the bow and stern and the middle reserved for the "guide" handling the motor.
~
I would modify the design by decking the bow and stern to be conducive to flycasting, changing the motor well so that the shaft and propeller could be tilted back up clear of the bottom, and rounding the hard chines so that I could plank the sides with cedar strips.
~
The boat is 18' long and has nice lines. Some feel that this is the culmination of the dory line. I've seen this boat at Grace Oliver Beach in Marblehead and at the Center for Wooden Boats in Seattle.
~
Bill Hillegas was freaked out that I knew so much of this boat when we were on a business trip in Seattle and saw it on Union Lake, and when I told him that I had a set of plans in my room, I knew that he thought I was bullshitting him. So I went up to the room and brought the plans down to the bar.
~
I wish that I had bet him money. He couldn't believe it.
~
Maybe this will be the choice.

Feeling the Heat

Memorial Day heralds as the first real day of summer.
~
I'm going out on a limb to say that the Tender will be ready. It would be great to have it done before Mike comes home from Washington. Looking forward to trolling for stripers by rowing close to the shoreline and islands.
~
Ryan is already showing tuna fever - practicing Bimini knots and stuff. Mark Ryan at Ryan Marine says that the WhaleEye will be in the water by the end of the month. We have to take on the Maddie's Anglers in the Tuna Tournament.
~
This is going to be the year.
~
Adding sushi to the menu... not just the daily specials.

Waiting for Someday

This is an Apha dory that I plan to build at a future date. I hope God gives me the time. I'm thinking of building it in cedar strips rather than marine plywood.

KMA

More to Come.

~

I haven't even started yet.

Cleveland - Minnesota

Lucky Mike is sitting in Cleveland at the Indians - Twins game in the 2nd inning with Cleveland leading 7-2.

Incontrovertable Evidence

I can't get into "Dancing with the Stars" this year. I was rooting for Emmit Smith last year, but nothing moves me this time. Probably another bit of evidence on the irrefutable fact that I' m not GAY!!!

Running Out the String

Remember Chris Crawford? The Peep who got screwed out of the marathon win by the Kenyan who got the big head start?
~
Well his luck just isn't changing.
~
His wife, Sarah, made things so much worse by going on a Lagavulin binge at a whisky bar in Paris.
~
Nice Sarah. Although if you are going to kick Chris while he's down, I have to admit that Lagavulin in Paris is a pretty classy way to do it.

It's the OCEAN!

Does it irk you when people refer to the Atlantic Ocean as "the Pond" ? Me too, but in the most recent case, the perpetrator is one of my personal favorites, so I'll have to issue a pass.
~
Would the Pacific be termed "the Lake"? Extremely irksome.
~
Just don't do it again.

Note to Self

Remind me never to get a letter of recommendation from Buck Johnson.

A Day for Mother

So the Red Sox pulled off a thrilling 6 run, 9th inning rally to beat the Orioles today! Lucky for me that Joanne was watching some Lifetime, made for women, Chick flick instead. Otherwise, all of the excitement might have caused a spike in my high blood pressure.
~
Happy Mother's Day.

Tender Homestretch

The major structural components are done on the Herreshoff Columbia Tender except for the sails, masts, and tiller. I'm waiting for oar lock hardware to arrive from Jamestown Distributors.
~
Now the real dog work begins - final coating and epoxy sanding, permanent attachment of floor board and seats, and spray varnishing. These steps will determine the quality of the overall project, so I can't rush it.
~
I'm really happy with the lines of the boat.
~
I know that the next project was supposed to be a Maine Matinicus Peapod, but wouldn't it be cool to build another Tender which I could us to race various worthy Peeps, kids, friends and grandkids? The Peapod could serve this purpose, but we'll need a small fleet of the same Tender class.
~
If you would like me to build one for you, kindly send a check for $20k to Nanepashemet Boatbuilders and be prepared to wait for two years or so. Seriously, if there was enough demand, I would open a loft and do it full time, but I doubt that the market would bear the final price that all of the labor requires.

Tiling Slowly

With all of the emphasis on the Tender, the basement tile job has admittedly taken second position.
~
Mike is concerned that the basement will be in inoperable when he comes home from DC on Memorial Day and the 4th of July, but I have a contingency plan in place. we'll get stuff temporarily back in place while he is around.
~
Since I have to rip out cabinets, the tender is nearing completion, and the fishing season looms, even I would be nuts to tell you that the basement would be done by the Fourth.
~
But it doesn't hurt to try.
~
BTW, it is incredibly painful to lay tile if you don't do it everyday. Working on your hands and knees and stretching to trowel uses muscles that scream from disuse.

Mother's Day Thoughtfulness

So I ordered a Neti Pot from Amazon for Joanne for Mother's Day. The gift of clean and drained sinuses. I hope she doesn't get all emotional.

A Good Day

DId you ever have one of those days when everything seemed to work out pretty good? Today was one for me.
~
Got some quality time sanding and epoxying the tender in the morning, was accepted for membership in the UMASS Club on Franklin St. in Boston, had a good field meeting at cell and switch sites on the Cingular Energy effort, received more RFP's for the Coast Guard job, took delivery on the final marine varnish from NewFound Woodworks, and paid my dues at the Maddie's Angler Club.
~
A rich full day.
~
If this continues, I will shortly be formulating solutions for world peace.

Week 19 POTW

I have to hurry with the selections tonight, because I have to go to the Maddies Anglers Club meeting on the upper deck of Maddies Sail Loft. A trip to Maddies is always risky and I want to make the selections when my faculties are suitably sharp.

Announcing...
Nanepashemet Peeps of the Week - week 19 of 2007

Lindsay Kepnes
Jill Phillips
Dale Johnson
Jim Ouellette
Will Murray
Janet Doyle

I'll check back with you after the Maddies Meeting.

Squirrel Antidote

You remember Isabelle? Our other cat who is always such a bitch to Ronick?
~
Well she proved her worth this morning as she kicked some freaking squirrel ass on the deck.
~
I love you so much, Izzy.

Making Tender Time

Before I meet the team at the cell site tomorrow, I'm going to try to get some Tender work in. The idea of doing a little after business is over isn't happening. It's just too tiring to haul everything out and get a fine layer of sawdust on me in the evening.
~
If I can coat some parts with epoxy, or get some sanding in before the morning shower, maybe I can make some weekday progress. I'm getting antsy, because I can see the conclusion of this project. The current goal is to completely finish before Kid Nestor decides to be born.

Size Containment

The meeting with Ed Hudson was really interesting. With the VP/GM role in wireless expanded to include International as well as the IWIN win, the old GD business unit has substanitially diversified. I'll have to admit that the conversation was cathartic to me as I recounted my viewpoint of wireless events, which I'm sure comes to him from a different perspective.
~
Saw some great people in the Needham halls.
~
Tomorrow, Cingular energy.... Friday, Sprint. Trying hard to keep it small without much luck.

Seasonal Declaration

As far as I'm concerned, it is the first day of summer. The temp is projected for the 80's today, and all of the trees have full foliage. Time to launch the boat. Woe to Fish!!!
~
This summer proves really promising between Kid Nestor, the Tender Launch, Nanepashemet Telecom, and the Tuna Quest. I hope you are getting psyched about your summer.

POTY Chase

Barely four months after his controversial selection, Tom McMahon proved why he is the defending Nanepashemet Peep of the Year.
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Not many guys would chase the idiots that run onto Fenway during a baseball game, but Tom (in his official polo and khakis) made this Blog proud with his highly publicized and televised effort.
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Annoying or Inspirational.... whatever!!!
~
Nice work McMahon. You have maintained the standard. That's what it takes to be a POTY!

Balancing Priorities.

A beautiful day. I've been trying to work in some time on the Tender the last few days, but have been on a roll at work and haven't found the time. Looking forward to this week, I really don't see much chance until the weekend.
~
Good thing for Nanepashemet Telecom.... bad for the Tender.

Tornado News

Is the weather that bad lately, with the Midwest tornados and flooding, or is the ability to report local news on a national scale so much improved over the past? The information revolution makes all news local and personal.... brings it immediately to our attention from any point in the world.
~
My sense is that the weather has always been this horrific, but the majority of us have not been bombarded with the details.

Squirrel Bitch

I surrender. The squirrels treat me like their bitch. They just eat my birdseed and hardly go through the motions of running away when I try to shoo them off.

Mary's First Dark and Stormy

When Mary, Katelyn, Staci and Emily dropped by yesterday and farted on our couch, Emily asked if I would make her a Dark and Stormie. A little early for the classic Nanepashemet Drink of Summer, but after a quick trip to the Community Store, I was happy to oblige. I was horrified at first that the store was out of Stephans Ginger Beer, however the Barretts was a fine substitute.
~
At least it wasn't Ginger Ale.... which wouldn't even qualify for a Dark and Stormy.
~
It was Mary's first D&S, and she was suitably impressed, as is should be.

Party On

Getting Staci married off has become a serious party effort for Katelyn and Mary. It all comes to a head on June 23 in Burlington, VT.
~
But it is unlikely that it will end there.

Someone Farted

An Irritating Solution

So Joanne's strategy for scaring the squirrel off of the birdfeeder is to slam the deck door.... which is about fourteen times more irritating than the squirrel. Then the squirrel comes back anyway.... hogging the feeder and eating his weight in seeds.
~
I'd much rather have the squirrel squander the birdseed than deal with the door slamming.
~
I'm being tortured.

Seeing the Finish Line

Big progress today on the Tender. The seats were sanded and epoxied, and the centerboard swivel hardware was fitted. Also, it appears that the interior epoxy mess can be overcome with extensive sanding and foam brushing the last coat of epoxy.
~
With the weather report set for mainly sunny over the next week, the Tender should be really shaping up soon. Then I'll have to assemble that damn trailer.

Cinco de Mayo

Tomorrow, May 5, a lot of you are going to hoist a few margaritas, chug some tequila and down some nachos in a salute to Cinco de Mayo. I wonder how many of you really know what you are celebrating? Nonetheless, like St. Patrick's Day, a holiday centered around drinking has a certain attraction to it.
~
You should take the time to find out what Cinco de Mayo signifies. It's pretty interesting... and worth celebrating. Cinco de Mayo

Back Off

So I'm cruising along today, minding my own business, taking a day off from work for the most part to grout basement tiles and attend to the tender seats. No aggressiveness, no anxiety, just keeping rhythm with the Universe.
~
When POW!!! I get blindsided right when I didn't expect it.
~
First - a voicemail from one of my most trusted Peeps saying that the Blog has been "lame" lately.
~
Then - an email from one of the most loyal Nanepashemet Bloggers and a recent POTW asking me where I "buy my birdseed".
~
How would you react? It naturally jolted me out of my state of cosmic harmony, just as I was started to get really mellow.
~
But rather than shy away from the controversy, I'm taking them on, in order, and setting them damn straight.
~
As for the Blog being lame lately... it has always been lame, and it is not my fault if you are just now noticing. And where I buy my birdseed is personal and confidential. Find your own sources. What do you think this is??? A repository for birdseed junkies???
~
Think twice before you try to derail me the next time!

Freaking Little Pig Squirrels

Remember how I told you that the grey squirrels at the bird feeder didn't bother me? Well, I changed my mind.
~
The freaking little pig squirrels have already emptied the feeder that I filled for the weekend. Pigs!!! They look at me with impunity and come back as soon as I leave the deck. The birds fly over, land on the feeder, have a few seeds, and fly away. But the pig squirrels just hang on the feeder, gorging themselves, probably getting squirrel saliva all over the perches and stuff.
~
Looks like I'll have to teach Ronick to savor a little squirrel meat once in awhile.
~
Freaking Squirrels. They don't know it, but they are getting over their head. Biting off more than they can chew. Going way too deep. Out on a Limb. Get my Drift??? Those Peckerheads are in for a little Payback.

Lock and Load

The Bird feeder is loaded and ready for weekend action.
~
Anytime now, springtime song birds of the Northeast will perch.
~
I'm on it.

Peeps of the Week - No Fear

I know. It's Friday morning and I still haven't posted the Peeps of the Week. I know they are due on Thursday evening and thousands of you base your whole week of pathetic hopes and aspirations on the selections. And Thursday came and went with you panting in anticipation. I know that I have hurt you.
~
Yes... it's a little disappointing.
~
Yes... it's a letdown.
~
Yes... I screwed up.
~
So you've never made a mistake before??? Then BACK OFF!!!

ANNOUNCING....
Nanepashemet Peeps of the Week - 17 for 2007

Peter Caruso
Ed Rubbico
Brian Butler
Mike Rockett
Courtney Nestor
Janet Doyle

Nobody annoying this week because you have me on the defensive. I told you earlier in the week that there was a lot going on. Did you think I was exaggerating???
~
So... I'm not apologizing.
~
And you can stop the threatening emails also because you don't scare me.

Tender Progress

Believe it or not, I have been able to sneak in a little bit of work on the Herreshoff Columbia Yacht Tender.
~
The cedar seats are fitted and ready to be removed for sanding and epoxy coating. The centerboard case has to be secured and fitted with the centerboard attached to a lowering hardware rig, and the sailing mast cleats have to be attached.
~
I still have to sand and re-epoxy the interior sides. And of course, the whole thing has to be varnished with about five interior coats and two exterior.
~
Come to think of it, there is a ton of work to do......
~
But it's getting there.
~
Don't start in on me for a launch date. I've lost all credibility by saying that it would be in by last Thanksgiving. Plus the basement tile job is screaming for attention... and the deck in the back of the house is a mess.
~
So, I can't guarantee that the Tender will hit the water anytime soon. Keep the dream alive.

Home Depot Contractors

I get a kick out of the recent news showing homeowners outraged by shoddy work at their house performed by Home Depot Contractors.
~
Anybody who uses Home Depot to do their home renovations deserves to get screwed. If you are a half decent craftsman, you don't have to work for Home Depot to get your jobs. Ergo, anybody who works for Home Depot really isn't at the top of the renovation business.
~
I buy a lot of stuff at Home Depot because I know what I'm shopping for and they have a great shelf inventory. The pricing is good also.
~
But if you have to ask a question, or need help in any way, you are in the wrong store. The staff is really bottom barrel in my opinion. The picture at right is purportedly a load of plywood that Home Depot employees helpfully loaded on a customers car.
~
The idiot who bought this deserves to be screwed. No lack of stupidity here from everybody involved.

Rare Feline Behavior

You remember our cat Ronick?
~
Lately he has been sleeping in a wine crate.
~
I'm not sure if this is catalogued in the archives of feline behavior.... this could be another first.... capturing the sedentary habits of house cats in wooden Merlot boxes.
~
Regardless... these photos won't be submitted to the Discovery Channel.
~
They don't deserve it.

Accepting Change

I was right. The tsunami is hitting.
~
It's weird how diverse things seem to converge on your life at the same time. But I'm up for it.... ready to tap the deep reserves of strength and resilience that I have stored for these times of challenge and opportunity. Nanepashemet Telecom is shaping up to be one of my more successful ventures. My goal is to keep it controlled and manageable.
~
Plus, I don't want success to change me. I want to be able to relate to you just as if I was still at the same level as you. Don't worry.... my success and economic dominance won't affect my basic humility. I'll still be the same old down to earth guy, despite my obvious superiority.
~
I know what you are thinking.... a lesser man would wilt under the stress and pressure. Thanks for the confidence. Now make sure that your subscription to the Wall Street Journal doesn't expire.

Colonial Pine Furniture

Peeps. I put this furniture up for sale on Craig's List, but would much rather convey it to a deserving Nanepashemet Peep. Let me know if you are interested.
http://boston.craigslist.org/nos/fur/321027862.html

Great Ads - Slowsky's and Cave Men

~

~

"
The irritations in these ads are hilarious.
______________________________________________
The Turtle tolerating his wife and losing it.... the "Cave Man getting back with Tina" being humiliated. Don't you wonder why these things are funny? I don't know the psychological reason, but they make me laugh.

Nestor Women

That's enough, Stop staring at them.


Tripoli Tasmir said...
How much for your women? A camel and three bushels of figs for them. I throw in a tent suitable for festivities

Waterfront Offerings

Land Offerings

Going Green

Big week. Can you feel it too?
~
By the end of the week, all of the leaves will be on the trees, and we'll be surfing on the Nanepashemet tsunami. Green all around. A spirit of newness and prosperity is in the air.
~
We'll do a gut check Friday to see if the optimism prevails.

Manatee at Feeder

Amazingly, I caught this rare shot of a Manatee just as it left the bird feeder on my deck.
~
It seemed to prefer the sunflower seeds.
~
Let's see if the Discovery Channel blows this off!!
~

Equal Rights for Rodents

I actually get a lot of grey squirrels in the feeder. I don't view them as a nuisance and I like them as much as the birds.
~
Avid Peeps will remember that I actually caught one on video, and submitted it to the Discovery Channel as the first recorded instance of squirrels feeding from a bird feeder.
~
No response from "Discovery".
~
They obviously don't care about really significant issues, although they probably get a ton of submittals from nuts.
~
Must be hard to sort through.

Regular Visitors

Birds are Cool.



































So far this Spring, visiting the feeder have been...
~
Tufted Titmouse
Mourning Dove
Cardinal
Blue Jay
Common Sparrow
House Finch
Chickadee
~
How has your feeder been doing?

Tender Time

So I used my carefree Saturday to lay out the cedar seats for the Tender. Lots of trial and error on the bandsaw to get them to fit right. With the seats in, I can eliminate extensive sanding of the epoxy where it won't show. This should ultimately save me time. I'd love to say that we will launch in June, but there is bound to be time a consuming crisis that prevents a logical conclusion to this project.

Woe Unto Fish

Lately, a lot of you have been asking me about the boat launch date.
~
I've told Mid-Harbor Marine that I wanted the mooring ready by May 1, and Ryan Marine won't launch the boat until they are assured that Mid-Harbor is done. So I have to coordinate that. Ryan Marine will tune the motor, charge the battery and paint the bottom before putting the boat on the mooring.
~
In the meantime, I am going to replace the helm seats with a bench cushion that has rod holders that I am ordering from Boater's World. Ryan bought a new Garmin fish finder which Ryan Marine will install.
~
We have to epoxy down all of the screw holes at the hatches and rod panels which have become loose and the boat has to be thoroughly cleaned.
~
Finally, the WhaleEye and Marblehead graphics have to be applied to the sides.
~
With a little good weather this year, we will send many tuna to fish heaven.

No Problem

This is the first Saturday coming that I can remember not having to attend to a must-do crisis. There is nothing that I have to do tomorrow!!!! No taxes, no moving, no lifting, no painting - no nothing.
~
I suppose that I could manufacture some task that has to be done, or dire consequences will occur.
~
But there is no pressing priority.
~
Seems like the perfect opportunity to work on the Tender, or lay down some more basement tiles, or repair my oak desk, or all three. There must be something that I'm forgetting. It can't be this carefree.

Bring it ON

Definitely a power day.
~
Great conversations. Building a surfboard to ride the tsunami.

Week 17 - Peeps of the Week

Peep of the Week day at last. Thursday night is the best night of the workweek. Not just because of the POTW stuff. You have one more day of work left and you can feel the weekend coming.
~
Thursday Night is the evening of hope. I like to think that Nanepashemet has something to do with it. Not that I am searching for any type of humanitarian award or anything. Although some of you may feel that this would be an appropriate gesture.
~
The fact is that selecting the Peep of the Week just isn't that easy. You have to be in a deep meditative state, where your thoughts flow unimpeded by ego or emotion. There is a purity, a higher consciousness at work here that can't be turned on with the flick of a switch.
~
All of the great masters made it look easy.
~
Tiger swinging a golf club.
Seinfeld telling a joke.
Shakespeare writing a sonnet.
Orville Reddenbacher popping popcorn.
Nestor picking the Peep of the Week.
Jordan dunking a basketball.
~
Do you see my point???? OK, so this is a stalling tactic. I might as well get on with it.

Announcing....
Nanepashemet Peeps of the Week - 2007 Week 17

Sean Morris
Robert Towne
John Diamont
Dave Tivnan
Kathy Peabody
Joanne Nestor

There it is. Another masterpiece of sorting through the annoying and inspirational on an entirely subjective basis. I have to rest now.

Project Closeout

Operation MoonShadow - the acquisition, construction and transport of the Sundance Pre-School is complete.
~
We first started the process in Oct. 2006 looking for a property, found it, bought it, permitted the school use, built it, and occupied it in April 2007 - a six month plus process.
~
By and large, it was only possible because of the people who do work with Mike Rockett. His team of staff and subcontractors made the transition ultimately successful. Virtutally everyone who worked on the project, including architects, lawyers and myself are part of his team, on a formal or informal basis, and work well together because of the catalyst tendencies that he provides.
~
I have yet to hear any negative comments about the facility, which says a lot because the Pleasant Street Building that we originally built for the Van Otterloo's was really nice. Pre-School parents can be particularly opinionated. But this has a better scale and a better location next to the Gerry Park and the Harbor.
~
Joanne is thrilled.
~

Move On

Lots of moving going on. In the last two weeks, both Katelyn and Ryan moved, and we completed the Sundance move. How could people ever be nomads??? Moving is such a pain. I'm sick of lifting stuff. Can't imagine what I'd do without a Ford F150 Pickup.

Ramp Up

Time to shift gears. As much as I have envisioned a scenario where I could keep the Nanepashemet business small and avoid staff, financing and bureaucracy, the opportunities are looming too large, and we are going to have to complicate things.
~
Have to plan a serious staff and resource ramp up. Normally this would have me pretty psyched, but I am haunted by mistakes made in the past and determined not to repeat them. That means meticulous planning and attention to detail - work breakdown structures and projections - daily accounting and review.

Spring Fever

Spring is definitely here.
~
Buds on the trees and all that.
~
Got to make arrangements with Ryan Marine to get my boat launched.
~
Got to finish the Tender.
~
Fish are going to die this season.

Gellin

I'm almost too tired to blog. After concentrating on cleaning up the existing Pleasant Street Sundance School, which incorporated two big dump runs and moving the oak desk and couch, I met with Tyler on the EnerNOC Deal.
~
Also set up meetings with Lec and Sprint.
~
Tomorrow, I'll turn the keys over to Eyk and end the first Sundance phase.
~
Things are starting to gell.

Sports Circle

UMass Track Alumni has been contacting me. Considering that I only ran for two seasons, and not very well at that, I'm surprised that they have a record of my participation. My old coach, Ken O'Brien is still there. I don't think he liked me much, because I started beating some of his highly recruited kids right away, and I was a marginal walk-on. He used to call me "Maverick", ostensibly because I shouldn't have been doing what I was doing. But in Track, they can't bench you. When I saw their email list, it was interesting that not too many of my teammates were contacted.

It was fun to run at UMass, but I was not particularly talented and only had a few races that I was proud of. We won the Freshman New England Cross Country Championship and there were great guys on the team. I lost touch with all of them.

Collegiate athletics is a huge committment. Ryan and Katelyn competed in lacrosse for St. Mike's through their senior year. Mike asked me if I minded if he stopped playing in his sophomore year, and I actually felt a little relief. He had played at Tilton, and had great years at Marblehead High. When he was at St. Michael's on a Friday afternoon, I called him because I was excited for his weekend in college... kicking back and revving up with his buddies. He said that he had Lacrosse practice at 9:00PM that night, and I felt pretty bad for him. Friday nights in college are not for lacrosse.

I missed a lot of Ryan's games because I was in California for GTE his senior year. But I flew back across the country on a Wed. to Bentley College for his last game... an expense that my boss, Art Hadley, wasn't too excited about. I had been tying Ryan's skates and going to his games for 15 years, and this was his last - and I wouldn't miss it, even at the risk of my job. He was the Captain of the team, but they had a poor record, and I think that he missed a lot of recognition because of that.
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Some of the most exciting games that I remember were played by Katelyn's Women's Lacrosse Team at St. Mike's. It always seemed to be raining and miserable at the games, but she had a very competitive team her Senior year, and we were thrilled when she was named MVP.
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Now we're waiting for Kid Nestor to emerge in June for Ryan and Courtney. It won't be long before we're tying skates again.

Time for Tender.

By this time tomorrow, all of the heavy lifting to get Sundance Pre-School moved to the new Gerry Playground location will be done. Joanne has done a great job and has really concentrated on the task at hand. I'm proud of what she's accomplished. The site is perfect and the facility is getting rave reviews. It has been exhausting - emotionally, financially, and physically. But it's done.
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Now I'm going to finish the Herreshoff Columbia Tender and launch in June. The basement tiling job can wait.
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Sopranos are on. I'll catch you later.

Crazy Boredom

Does this Blog seem boring lately to you? I just read the last couple of posts, and it was tough going if I say so myself. What do you want me to do??? Invent exciting stuff??? Make stuff up??
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Sometimes life flattens out. It can't be all crisis and triumph.
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In the meantime, suck it up. Something screwy will happen soon.
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Apparently, some guy from the Shangdong Province in China doesn't think it's so bad.
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He or she Googled the blog and had it translated into Chinese characters yesterday. There was no Chinese character for "Nanepashemet" so that stayed in English. The Site looked pretty funny.
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I was able to tie into this because there are free "hit trackers" out there that can show the IP address of anyone who hits the blog site.
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The tracker also notes what site it came from before it accessed the Blog. So if someone gets on the Blog after a Google search, you can see what the key words of the search were and what Google results occurred. If a Google translation occurs, you can see that too.
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Since the Nanepashemet site gets so many hits, it comes up early in a Google search. Anybody checking out a Peep of the Week name always shows in the Google list. For example, I got a lot of hits from people looking for "Kristen Bitter Silk", when Kristen's Boston Globe article was posted on the Blog last fall.
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If you think that this is cool, then you are slightly more depraved than I am.
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How's that for breaking the boredom? Time to get back to the cubbies.

Sunday Projection

Big push tomorrow for Monday's Sundance opening. It's supposed to be stellar weather again.
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First thing in the morning, I have to spray paint the backs of the cubbies because nine of them will be exposed on the floor with coat hooks attached to them.
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After spraying, I'll install the closet shelves while waiting for the cubbies to dry. Then the cubbies have to screwed in place on the floor or on the walls, after which the coat hooks have to be attached.
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I'd like to think that this will all be done before 12:00 noon, but nothing has gone according to plan on this project. I'm leaving Monday morning free to get the rest of the bookcases, the desk and the rugs out of the old building, otherwise, I'll try to get this done tomorrow if everything goes to plan.
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Sound like a fun Sunday to you?? Pretty mundane. I can't wait.

Watching Paint Dry

When I finished cleaning up after two coats on the cubbies, it was 6:09 PM. Emory Glass, the next door neighbor told me I could use his outdoor water spigot because we don't have one at the new building, and I need to fire up the pressure washer to clean the playground equipment.
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A day of painting behind me. The key to the Wagner Spray unit is to really thin the Latex with Floetrol and water... almost to the point where it doesn't seem like its going to cover.

Spring Weekend

It's Saturday morning and sunny. Time to paint the cubbies. I'm feeling pretty optimistic that the Wagner will do the trick. Otherwise, at 30 minutes per cubbie unit, I'm looking at 7 hours of brushing. That gets me done around 3:00 PM.
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I still have to hang the closet shelves and get to the Pleasant Street clean out.
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Katelyn is painting her apartment this weekend. It's Mike's birthday tomorrow. Hope he's having a nice weekend in DC. I hate to paint. Fishing season will start in a few weeks. Ryan kicked in for a new Garmin Fishfinder and I am supposed to upgrade the seat cushions, but I am behind in this. Lyrid Meteor Showers are tonight. 30 shooting stars per minute. I guess it's time to get to the cubbies.
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How is your weekend shaping up? Mine sucks.

Stymied

I spent virtually all day trying to get two paint spraying systems to work with latex paint. My Fuji HVLP system, which performed so well with the marine varnish on the Yacht Tender, failed miserably with the latex. So I went to Home Depot and bought a Wagner Spray painter, which gave initial promise, but then also shit the bed.
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Meanwhile the cubbies could have been completed by brushing.
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The weather was great... what a wasted day.
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But tomorrow, I'm going to give it one more try by thinning the latex paint. I think that was the problem. If not, I'll be brushing well into Sunday.

Keep it Clean

Earth Day.
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I'm all for environmental legislation. The effects of the regulations have been dramatic, even in my lifetime. Fish are in Boston Harbor, and turkeys stroll down my driveway.
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But you have to admit. Environmentalists typically are obnoxious, alarmist and annoying.
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Al Gore - my point exactly. I suppose that this is the price of a cleaner Earth.

Tsunami Warning

Tomorrow, I have to pull out the HVLP sprayer and spray paint the fourteen 1'x8' cubbies that I made for Sundance between eight and six years ago. They've held up pretty well but are really dirty and stained from usage. I'd love to get two good coats of white gloss enamel on before the end of the day. It's amazing how much faster spray painting is than brushing. I love to spray and hate to brush.
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While they are drying, I'll put some 1x12 shelves in the closets.
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I hope that most of the new Sundance work will be done tomorrow, so that I can turn my Saturday attention to cleaning up the old Sundance building for a good transfer to Eyk Van Otterloo. Somehow, I don't see this push being complete until Sunday, but I'd love to get some Tender or tiling work in too.
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I know what's going to happen. As soon as the Sundance work is done, the Nanepashemet Telecom tsunami is going to strike. I can feel it. Rest will have to wait.

Peep of the Week Day

And you thought I forgot!
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Oh ye of little faith!!
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Normally I'd have to give that Korean psycho the nod for the ultimate annoying act. But screw him... he gets nothing.... not even POTW.

Plus NBC is such a whore for publishing his "manifesto". You give a mass murderer his ya yas. That's such bullshit. Somebody's media executive head should roll, but it won't.

Now back to business.

ANNOUNCING....
Nanepashemet Peep of the Week for Week 16 of 2007

Amy Mann
Mike DeLia
Mike Elsier
Bobby Brown
Ryan Nestor
Robert K Cheruiyot

All for good reasons. I couldn't bring myself to choose some annoying candidates because they were way off the charts.

Armed and Dangerous

This Virginia Tech stuff is getting more and more bizarre. At first I thought that the problem was gun control... just keep the guns out of the hands of insane people. And that is the central focus.
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But toss in the effect of violent video games as well as shoot em up, body count movies on the criminally insane and you have a mass murderers merit badge training program. I heard an expert on the radio saying that you can't control society to eliminate this risk. It is the price of freedom.
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I don't buy that.
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I would never keep a gun in my house. You never know when you might flip out over some non-sensical event, and five seconds of insane passion buys you a lifetime of grief. Even when I thought we had an intruder in the house a dozen years ago, I relied on my pal, Louisville Slugger, as my weapon of choice.
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Unfortunately, it was a false alarm.

Right to Bear Arms

The 2nd Amendment to the Constitution gives Americans the right to bear arms. But not automatic weapons that can wreck mass havoc.
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At the time of the 2nd Amendment, we were talking flintlock rifles that shot one round at a time.
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I'm willing to let the rifle lobby and libertarians keep the right to carry flintlocks, but not Glock Automatic Pistols.

More Marathon Disgrace

Robert Cheruiyot claimed another victim Monday in Tom McMahon, 2006 Nanepashemet Peep of the Year, who covered the Boston Marathon course in 3:08:12.
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Excellent time Tom... but you still lost to the Kenyan. Better luck next year.

Costco

I did a run to Costco yesterday after my lunch with DiMatteo and before I went to the Salem Waterfront hotel. Picked up the essentials....

Cat Litter
Cat Food
Cheddar Cheese
Poland Springs Water
Birdseed
Dress Pants
Swiffer Pads

Happy Birthday today to Dave Bruett. You will love the Gerry Club. A very thoughtful present.