Getting Funny

I heard today that the AP hired 11 reporters to "fact check" Sarah Palin's 400 page book.   They came up with 6 questionable facts, for the most part, matters of interpretation, and no bombshell disclosures at all.
~
What the hell is the Liberal press so afraid of???.   If she is so dumb, incompetent, and bad,.... won't she just disintegrate by herself???? Why do they need 11 people researching how to discredit her, and how could they come up so short?
~
Why are they so afraid of Sarah?
~
How could a little woman from Alaska, who just won't  fall in step with the media Thought Police be so threatening?  It's getting less and less aggravating to me, and more downright humorous.
~
In the meantime, we have Obama trying an international terrorist as an American Citizen in New York, which will give him legal access to any of our classified records to use in his defense.   To top if off, BO bows to Emperor Hirohito.
~
You just can't make this stuff up.   As the fluff drops off from BO, he will make Jimmy Carter look like the next candidate for Mount Rushmore.  Leadership by teleprompter.  I think Obama is right, though, he was the candidate for change, and we are in for some real change.

Maria Rowen said...

Sarah Palin continues to prove the harder they hit the harder she can hit back. The same media trying to discredit her is making her bigger than life. This whole fact checking 'thing' has inspired me to write a book and I already have the title... "BO STINKS AND THAT'S A FACT..."

Pisc said...

"First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they attack you, then you win." Mahatma Gandhi.

 

Keep It Legal

My Real Estate Broker's license expires in Dec. and Massachusetts law calls for 12 hours of Coninuing Education in order to renew.  
~
I've let it go this long, but now today is the day, and I am going to sit in class from 8:00 AM to 8:30 PM to check off this requirement.
~
I've always preferred self teaching to classroom work.  Anything that I do really well, I've taught myself.   Music, Computing, Woodworking, Boatbuilding.  (ok, I'm not that good at Music, but I plan to be.)
~
But the Massachusetts Government knows best what is right for me and I will comply with the law by planting my ass in a classroom for a day. 
~
Sometimes, being a Mountain of a Man means that you have to suck it up and keep it legal.

POTW Week 47

My wife, Joanne, came through big time this week to end the drought around gifts of Lagavulin causing an automatic Peep of the Week selection.
~

I love her so much.  Even more than I love the "King of Scotch".
~

Announcing....

Nanepashemet Peeps of the Week for the 47th week of 2009

Joanne Nestor (Automatic Lagavulin Rule)

Bobby Brown

Sam Khairi

Lauren Rathbone

Maria Rowen

Lou Panakio

I won't be as mushy if one of you breaks down and coughs up a Bottle in the next few weeks.

Foggy Mountain Breakdown

The rumor is that Joanne is buying me a Gold Star 100 Bluegrass Banjo for my upcoming birthday.
~
It certainly would be an appropriate gift, giving me and all who hear me play so much joy in the future.
~
OK, I really can't play that well, but I'm going to learn.   And I'll teach my Grandson's Will and Ethan to use my old Washburn Infinity.  Maybe we'll start a group in a few years.... Country Will and the Nanepashemets.  I can definitely see that.
~

Joanne is super thoughtful, but I helped her along a little by placing the order myself  on Amazon a few days ago.



Tuna Lips said...


Son, you gets to pickin' that harp, well, me an Shoo will bring the Bristol boys with they jug band round yer place real soon, get us some friendly gals outta Memphis, some eats and spirits, hooey! We gonna roast us a pig or maybe a big ole 'coon and pass a jar o' talkin' juice, dance us a jig, weez gonna have a right fine time. You invite that Mexicano gal, Maria along, we have a good ole hoot.

Maria Rowen said...


Fee fie fiddley i o...o...oh...I hear the Gold Star "Mexican" blue "Grass" is the best you can buy...but...don't tell your fishy-friend...he is alreay way beyond the 'rocky-mountain-high'...

Automatic

Sometimes I take even the most obvious things for granted.
~
For example, it's been a while since I set you Peeps straight on the sacred criteria that is used to select the weekly Nanepashemet Peeps of the Week. Unlike the Brotherhood of the Masonic Temple, there are no secrets here.  Our rituals are open for the world to see.
~
Because of this, I tend to think that all of you are proficient in the decision making process.   But since it has been so long since someone has become an "Automatic Peep of the Week", it is clear to me that an alarming number of you are lacking in the basic protocol.
~
Just so you know....
To be named a POTW, you must....

... have done something annoying, and/ or,
... have done something inspirational, and,
... not be dead, or deceased.,and,
... not be an animal.

However.... should you take the exceptionally admirable action of buying me a 750 ml bottle of Lagavulin 16 Year Old Single Malt Scotch. you are automatically named a Peep of the Week, regardless of the appicability of any of the other criteria.
 ~
And I remember warmly those of you who went the "Automatic" Route.   People like "Mountain of a Man" Bobby Brown , the Insidious Bob Wojcik, Mike Elsier, Jay Turner, Tammy Pham, Archrival Joe Collins, to name a few, have appropriately achieved the honored status by going this route.
~
It actually makes the most sense to buy me a bottle of Lagavulin, because otherwise, you can never know why you were a chosen POTW.   And this can cause needless angst and anxiety.
~
So become an "Automatic POTW".  You'll feel good about yourself and I will certainly enjoy the "King of Scotch".
 ~
BTW, if you are really ambitious, you should know that a case of Lagavulin would buy you an automatic Peep of the Year title.  And not just for next year.... I actually would dethrone the current POTY, Lauren Rathbone, to accomodate you immediately.


Lauren Rathbone said....

What did I do!!


I really am not going to be able to get over that last sentence. Jason thinks I am overreacting, but I am hungover today and this was not what I needed to see. And now I am suspicous of the peep of the week selection.

Lauren -
Surely you would have to step down if somebody else bought me a case of Lagavulin!!!!  That goes without saying.

However, you can nip this in the bud by buying me a case of Lagavulin yourself.  That way, you will have total assurance that no one could pre-empt you in the last month or so of your POTY reign.

It's your choice.
- J

Nanepashemet Poll Results

So I found myself in an act of self flagellation this evening as I watched George Stephanopoulos and Charles Gibson discuss the results of an "ABC Poll" that proclaims that 56% of the US population supports and "likes" President Obama.
~
I continued to watch as these two pundits discussed this "news".   This made up, biased poll that obviously supports their lefty suppositions was substituted as national news.  I guess I'm as bad as they are for watching this charade.

~
Maybe I'll come up with a Nanepashemet Poll that we can all swallow as absolute fact, and vindicates all of my wacky positions.   Can't be any sillier than the ABC Poll.
~
In fact, in our first Nanepashemet Poll, 78% of Americans felt that George Stephanopoulos is anal retentive.  And the same Poll found that 69% of Americans think that Charlie Gibson picks his nose during commercials.
 ~
Now that's some damn objective news if I say so myself.
~
So back to our rival ABC Poll.
~
Do 56% of America like President Obama????.... or do they really have the hots for his TelePrompter????

Tuna Lips said...

Ise self-flagelatioed meself to that pic of Miss Sara on the cover o' that magazine I lifted from Sol the Shyster's newsstand. All the right moves, TL, still got 'em.

No Pause for Palin

From a few quick glances at the Flat Screen, Sarah Palin on Oprah was sizzling hot as usual.  But I really couldn't listen to her because I was in the midst of some roiling work issues.

Lauren Rathbone said...

You can read the transcript on Oprah.com. She places a lot of blame on John McCain and how the campaign was run. The most surprising thing in the interview for me is how tiny she is! I dont think I will read the book, maybe if someone gives it me or I borrow it. I can't come to grips with spending money on it.

Pisc said...

check this out: Click here: CapeCast Video: CapeCast: Man versus tuna! | CapeCodOnline.com

U Phuk Dup and Forgiveness

Does everything occur for a reason and for the better?
~
It seems perverse to think that major tragedies are for our greater good.
~
You almost have to agree to a reincarnation theology or at least an afterlife to justify some circumstances as happening "for the better".
~
How could the Holocaust have happened for the better in any other case?
~
But in the confines of the lives of people that I have experienced, it does seem that this trite little axiom seems to be true.
~
Now that I am cruising toward the downslope of middle age, I'm able to look at a lot of experiences, that I viewed at the time as horrific setbacks.   Surprisingly, in light of the ultimate outcomes, it does certainly seem that they happened "for the better".
~
When I was younger, it was easy to discern any situation as "right" or "wrong".... "good" or "bad"... "white" or "black".   Now it seems very blurred, because of the realization that everything happens for a reason. If everything is really shades of grey, and you move away from wide swinging, judgmental emotions, it definitely is a calmer, more centered daily existence.
~
I've found that forgiveness is a powerful tool for your own wellbeing, rather than a sign of weakness.
~
I've also come to the clear indication that there is no model way of life, that everybody is festooned with foibles.... in other words.... fucked up.  So if that's the case with yourself as well as everyone else, you might as well forgive them for their transgressions towards you.  Especially if the very action of forgiving actually strengthens you.
~
The eastern religions... Hinduism, Taoism, Buddhism... say that "good" and "bad" are really the same thing, and can't exist without the other.   The way to Enlightenment, or Heaven, in this cosmology is to seek a center point between good and bad, where you don't celebrate success or scorn failure.
~
Easy to say, but not so easy to achieve.

Tuna Lips said...

i reject them voo doo thinkin' chinks, a'ceptin whens I am a the Tokyo Health Spa getting a body shampoo from one o' them slant eyed heathens. I like the green tea, exspecially with some white litnin', chinky style. You can't get er done likes theys does knowin' nothin more than acceptional hoorin' principles.

Maria Rowen said...

For me, this kind of thinking is bottomless (probably topless for Tuna Lips). Maybe the whole good/bad thing is just a well designed social construct to take us to and guide us through our foibles. Who really knows? This earthly existence is so incredible and full of pain and suffering at the same time. It’s hard to reconcile or find balance. We learn at an early age how to mix the colors black and white to get gray. If you are lucky enough to apply that principle to life…maybe that’s enlightenment…

POTW Week 46

Went out to get some Fresh Ayer this morning and ended the trip by delivering Kate's Adirondack chair to its new home on her South Boston Deck.  Then we took Kate and Mike out for lunch at Amrheins on the corner of West Broadway and A Street in South Boston.
~
By the time I got back to Marblehead at 2:30PM I was really tired and treated Joanne to a snorefest on the couch for an hour's nap or so.

Announcing....

Nanepashemet Peeps of the Week for the 46th week of 2009

Sarah Palin

Larry David

Dale Johnson

Sarah Crawford

Dr. Thomas Kingston
Tom Raich

At the end of the month, I have an appointment with an Ear, Nose and Throat Specialist to whom I will plead to rip from my throat whatever is causing this incessant snoring.  Everytime I dose off, I wake up feeling like I've been screaming non-stop for a couple of hours.   Which is practically the case.

Obscene Inaction

Saw in the network news tonight a story about some firefight for a forsaken piece of dirt and rock between our US Troops and the Taliban.  Nine US Soldiers died.
~
Taliban are fighting for God and to repel the Invaders from their country.
~
And we are fighting and sending our sons to die for....... What????
~
That blank should be able to be answered immediately and briskly.... and with conviction.  If  you have to stretch and think.... even a little....while our people are being shot at by religious zealots screaming "Allah Achbar" and gladly looking to die, then the situation borders on the outrageous.
~
So we are waiting for President Obama to make up his mind what to do.
~
Well Barack.... Shit or get off the Pot!   Either pour resources in so that we can send these wackjobs to gaze first hand at Allah..... or get the hell out of that high end piece of bullshit global real estate.
~
Beautiful Afghanistan... What a freaking garden spot.  Really worth seeing our sons and daughters being gunned down by brutal medieval zealots killing innocents in the name of God.
~
But leaving these kids over there in harm's way, and doing nothing but pontificating while  they get killed is obscene and immoral.   Get some Balls and stake a direction.

Tuna Lips said...


Downer, and I feels the same. Now, how about some boobies, like that Gay's Anatical gal with them big ole breastistes . . . . Holidays issa comin', ho ho hos for all the fellers!

Buff Bound

If you've followed this Blog, you've seen me make attempt after attempt to lose weight and get into shape... all for naught.
~
Well.... I'm going to make another push to drop some pounds between now and the end of the year.
~
More Cybex, More treadmill.... less pepperoni pizza, less Chardonnay.  As much Harbor Rowing as possible.
~
Being a Mountain of a Man means that you not afraid to admit defeat... you just get back up, dust yourself off, make another pointless resolution, and hop back on the Cybex.
~
Meet me in BuffLand around the end of the year.


 Harvey Rowe said....
Ok.....John, I am hoping you keep it going.......less talk more focus...no excuses
 ~
Trash Talk from the Bionic Octogenarian.

Tuna Lips said...


Ise recomendates you skip the veeno and hit the corn mash, Mr. Daniel's makes a fine brew that many in yer neck of the wood tolerates. Start smokin', too. Lotsa gals walkin' round these parts with a dixie cup of sour mash and a menthol danglin' from theys ulceratin' lips, done smoked theyself thin, and slaked they parched throats. These eyes dont lie.

Turning Back Time

This is a picture of Will Crawford, Cam D'Orio and Will Nestor....
But if you knew their fathers, Will, Brendt, and Ryan when they were around that age... the resemblances are uncanny.

Kerry D'Orio wrote...
Handsome little devils! XOXO Cam's Mommy

Cheap Shot Payback

Thanks to the Internet and the Information Age, this dirty soccer player will be scarred for life. Looks like she was a bad mood. A bad mood that she will never live down.
~
Elizabeth Lambert of the University of New Mexico, with a lot of help from YouTube, has demonstrated that you just can't get away with a cheap shot these days.
~
Brigham Young won the game, and Lambert lost a whole lot more.
~
The sad part is that if you look closely at the video below, Elizabeth was really retaliating in each  instance.  First she took an elbow, then responded with a slam to her opponent's back, and then she was grabbed in the crotch when she pulled her opponent to the ground with her ponytail.  Even though she was met with aggressive play, her over the top retaliation is what everyone notices.
~
She probably was justified in some form of retaliation, but she over did it to the point that nobody notices the original transgressions.
~
You have to believe that we are in for a new era of good behavior.  How can you risk acting like a jerk when it can be broadcast worldwide  and memorialized forever???   I can think of a couple of occasions that I am damn glad never made it to the Web.

 

 

 

Pisc said...

FROM THE WSJ The typical argument for ObamaCare is that it will offer better medical care for everyone and cost less to do it, but occasionally a supporter lets the mask slip and reveals the real political motivation. So let's give credit to John Cassidy, part of the left-wing stable at the New Yorker, who wrote last week on its Web site that "it's important to be clear about what the reform amounts to." Mr. Cassidy is more honest than the politicians whose dishonesty he supports. "The U.S. government is making a costly and open-ended commitment," he writes. "Let's not pretend that it isn't a big deal, or that it will be self-financing, or that it will work out exactly as planned. It won't. What is really unfolding, I suspect, is the scenario that many conservatives feared. The Obama Administration . . . is creating a new entitlement program, which, once established, will be virtually impossible to rescind." Why are they doing it? Because, according to Mr. Cassidy, ObamaCare serves the twin goals of "making the United States a more equitable country" and furthering the Democrats' "political calculus." In other words, the purpose is to further redistribute income by putting health care further under government control, and in the process making the middle class more dependent on government. As the party of government, Democrats will benefit over the long run. This explains why Nancy Pelosi is willing to risk the seats of so many Blue Dog Democrats by forcing such an unpopular bill through Congress on a narrow, partisan vote: You have to break a few eggs to make a permanent welfare state. As Mr. Cassidy concludes, "Putting on my amateur historian's cap, I might even claim that some subterfuge is historically necessary to get great reforms enacted." No wonder many Americans are upset. They know they are being lied to about ObamaCare, and they know they are going to be stuck with the bill.

Tuna Lips said...

Lizzy girl, come tell TL all yer troubles and doubts. I know that tuggin on your nickers has ye all confusified.

Kerry D'Orio said...

Those pretty little Mormon girls didn't stand a chance! Ouch!

I swear...
the more I look at the video, the more I think that Elizabeth was right to be pissed.  Those Mormon girls were messing where they shouldn't have been.

A Shocking Revelation

Now we find out the Hassan, the Army Major who massacred his fellow soldiers at Ft. Hood, had reached out to Al Queda.
~
What a surprize!
~
Good thing we didn't rush to judgement like our President told us.  Now what should we think, Charlie Gibson?  Without your careful thought guidance, we truly can never reach the right conclusion.
~
Now that Nancy Pelosi has given us all health care, we can all rest easier.  Just open your wallets.... Nancy will take care of us.

Maria Rowen said...


The commander-in-chief can call the attack at Fort Hood an act of violence all he wants. But...this terrorist attack happened on a US military base. He owns it. Charlie Gibson is a big wuss...At least Matt Lauer used the "T" word on his show...now that was shocking. Don't give up on the healthcare bill just yet. We still have a shot with the Senate, despite the giddy “Sneaker-of-the-House-Pellosi”(Drudge). All of a sudden I like Joe Lieberman...now that's my shocking revelation...

Closing Out Adirondack

It's about 31 degrees this morning, but the weather report says that Boston will get up to 70.  When the day heats up, I'm going to sneak in a last spray coat of marine varnish onto Katelyn's Adirondack Chair.  That will leave it with one coat of epoxy resin and four coats of varnish.
~
That should be enough to protect the chair from the outside elements for a few years.
~
After the varnish has dried solid, I'll sand it down with 220 grit paper with my random orbit sander to get the surfaces completely smooth to the touch.   A little furniture polish will restore the shine and the chair will be ready for delivery to Kate's condo.  I'm surprised at how comfortable the chair is to sit in.  The seat and backcontours seem right and it's extremely solid feeling.
~
Should give Kate many enjoyable hours of reading, contemplating and entertaining on her South Boston deck.
~
Course I have other things to do this week as well.  But it will be nice to closeout this Adirondack project.  I know that Lisa Panakio Rowe will miss me talking about it.

Health Haiku

So the fix is on to jam this health bill down our throats.  My prediction is a future of incompetent and mediocre care for the masses and acceptable treatment only to the very wealthy.
~
So if you are wealthy, you'll be healthy.
If you poor, you'll be sore.
~
Just a little "Health Haiku" for the Peeps to enjoy.
~

POTW Week 45

Did I tell you that our team stepped up big on this new Nanepashemet Telecom opportunity?
They really hit it hard, and I have no doubt that we will deliver the quality that the customer deserves

ANNOUNCING.... Nanepashemet Peeps of the Week for the 45th week of 2009

Deb Burke

Kelly Light

Dick Man   (yes.... that's his real name, so back off.)

Jim Lundgren

Patrick Piscatelli

Tommy O' Shea

Next week, the job gets past launch stage and will hit a rhythim of acheving metrics that will get us to the finish line.

Pissed and Perplexed

What is the value of randomly killing people in a shooting spree?  With all of the Muslim Terrorist Acts, I still don't really know what the gripe is.  If it is because a group of Israelis inhabit a patch of dry dirt in your neighborhood..... that just seems to be a little weak.  You would think that they could get over that.
~
Is it genetic?  Some kind of medieval mentality stretching from the Crusades?  Is there some sort of inferiority complex that causes these pointless lash outs?
~
I never did anything to those guys.... yet I just missed having a seat on one of the 9-11 United Flights out of Boston to LA that flew into the Trade Center.   If I had been killed that day, over something that bears no explanation, I would have been even more pissed and perplexed.

Obvious Observation

You listen to people like Rush Limbaugh and Jay Severin rant and rave, and you think that they are seriously over the top..... that they have to be outright exaggerating about the liberal bias of the mainstream media.
~
Then you sit placidly watching ABC News with the self righteous Charles Gibson making sure that it is reported that a "single" Muslim shooter did all of the carnage at Ft. Hood, Texas.... and they roll in a sound clip from out of nowhere saying, "I wish his name was Smith."  Not Nidal Malik al Hassan.
~
Why are these thought police, aka national network newcasters like Gibson and Couric, so dedicated to negate the obvious conclusion that this nation is under attack by members of the Islamic faith?
~
I just don't get it.  They keep telling us that an apple is a banana.... when it is a freaking apple for all to see.   Are all apples rotten???? Course not.
~

And don't even think that you can label me anti-Islamic.
~
I'm not condemning every Muslim.  I have Muslim friends... and they know that I'm no bigot.  But that doesn't stop me from making the obvious observation that certain members of the Muslim faith are simply out to indiscriminately kill us.
~
So are Limbaugh and Severin over the top??? or are they just vociferous in their observation.  I guess I trust them a bit more with the truth than the smug Gibson.

Maria Rowen said...

Back in September when Acorn was outed for it's support of prostitution and Charlie Gibson was asked to comment...his comment was..."ha ha ha". I listen to Jay (James) Severin (Severino). He is extremely articulate and he knows his civics. He has his "schtick" and he knows how to use it. I also listen to Rush. He is to talk radio what the 'Mountain of a Man' is to this blog...a monster of a media machine. Is shock/jock/talk radio over the top? Maybe... but why is the current administration trying to shut it down...? I'll say good night now...

 

Piscatelli said...

Don't lose sight that Ms. Pelosi is ramming through the health care on a special saturday session. Use google, get the congressional office number, call you looney left rep, and while telling they are wrong on the merits is likely a losing proposition, telling them that the whole process is moving too fast, it is undemocratic and purely political. There needs to be a robust debate in Washington over a 2000 page bill (plus a 700+ page amendment) that was issued nine days ago. No one can say they agree, because you have to read it to agree. Note also there are nearly thirty cross references that modify existing law, that have to be look into. No way anyone has read this. So attack them on process. They are too blind in thinking they are right. Tell them the process and the voice of the people is be subordinated to the demagoguery of politicians and the will of lobbyists. No transparency. Its worth a shot. Don't lose sight on health care because of Hood, not today at least.

Jim L. said...

When these types of events happen, we all tend to generalize and rush to judgement. I found myself wondering why someone with a name like that could attain the rank of Major in the United States Army! Then I thought about it for awhile and figured there's gotta be some high ranking christians and jews, too! I'm not sure I'm real comfortable with that either. But, yeah, there are members of Islam at war with this country. However, they're not alone. There are other religious groups not happy with us. There are political groups not so happy either. One thing though about this Hassan, he's a loon! And, quacks like him come in all kinds of flavors. Let's not forget Tim McVeigh and his buddy Terry Nichols or how about Ted Kaczynski. Then we have a couple of nice kids from Colorado, Eric Harris and Dylan Kiebold. One thing they all have in common is, they lost it. The silicon chip inside they're heads switched to overload! And, that seems to be able to happen to some people no matter what they're creed or color is.

 

Return of the Pendulum

Independents, the largest political group in the country, voted for Republicans yesterday.  And Gay marriage was defeated in Maine.
~
Seems like a conservative surge.  This pendulum is swinging before any of BO's campaign promises have been kept.  Where is health care reform?  Why are we still in Iraq?  When will you figure out your "strategy" in Afghanistan. 
~
Granted, he did teach us how to sneeze in our sleeve, and enjoyed beer after his "rush to judgement" race relations teaching moment.  But I had some great teachers in the Lynn Public School system that already covered alot of the basics for me.
~
It will be interesting to see how the Obamanistas spin this.
~
As always, I will continue to view this with my fair and balanced, open minded approach.

Maria Rowen said...


The spin is in...Robert Gibbs reports the President wasn't even watching the results last night. How insulting to Corzine and Deeds..oh well…Maybe BO should plan on watching the returns in 2010…

Surf's Up

Did I mention to you already that Nanepashemet Telecom had a kick ass day today??
~
Well we did.
~
The only thing better than winning a new job is putting together a world class team and launching the project.
~
When a new team exhibits enthusiasm and starts brainstorming about efficiencies.... it's like the smell of napalm in the morning.....  smells like Victory.
~
Everyday won't be like today in this project.... so we'll enjoy the feeling and ride the wave.

Soft Moose Porn

My Friend, Bill Hillegas, who has a tender, romantic side to him, poses the following question....

Is this statutory rape???
Or just a moosedemeanor.....?

If anyone else has some good soft Moose porn... please let me know.

Tuna Lips said...

That moose shows mighty fine form, in terms of mountin' his selected one fer breedin'.

Maria Rowen said...

There can be no moosetake here...the heart knows what the heart wants...

 

Appeal to the Geeks

So I get a call from my good friend, Harvey Rowe,saying that he can't email me.   That the email is undeliverable.  I have the same thing happen to me when I try to email Mike Rockett's company.
 ~
I think that Harvey believes that I blocked him or something.  If I knew how to do that, I would definitely ban a whole pile of people, but not him.
~
If any of you techo geeks have an idea about how to abate this problem, please send me an email  to....

jnestor@nanepashemet.com

If your suggestion is annoying or inspiring, you may even find yourself as a Peep of the Week.

Going to the Dogs

Had a nice visit in Ayer this morning.  Ryan looks good and he has been upgraded to the "Dog Training Program".   The camp trains dogs -  collies, labs, even poodles - to be guide dogs for disabled veterans.
~
Ryan says that the dogs are so well trained that they would not eat a piece of pepperoni pizza unless you directed them to do so.
~
Apparently, these dogs have a hell of a lot more discipline than me.
~
So I predict that Jack Dog will be getting a cousin when Ryan gets home.

Tuna Lips said...


Shucks, that is quite a civilified pooch. Pappy had a mean ole coonhound, name of Throttler. Kept him at the still to fend off moochers and wet brains after that liquified gold. Pappy ferget to feed him from time to time, he took to eatin' his own droppins'. How comes I got that ideer when ole Shoo and me wuz being held captive by those reefer growers in west virginny.

Additional Adirondack

I hate to paint.  So I've continually invested in spray painting machines to make the job go faster.
~
When they work, they are awesome.   A nice even coat of varnish with no drips, and done in no time.
~
   But I hardly ever get them to work probably.   The cup on my gravity fed, high velocity low volume (HVLP) sprayer was welded in the spray gun with dried varnish from the last job.
~

So I had to break out the brush for the first coat of marine varnish on Kate's Adirondack Chair.

~

Naturally, the brushed finish is dripping quite a bit.  I'll wait 24 hours for it to completely dry, then spend some time sanding out the drips and streaks.
~
By then, the spray paint cup  will have been soaking in mineral spirits for over a day, and I should be able to twist the lid off.  Then I'll hit the chair again with a nice light spray coat with no drips or splotches.
~
If the weather and my schedule permit, I'll get another light sanding in after a day, then hit it with another coat of spray.
~
By that time, the chair will have one coat of epoxy resin and three coats of marine varnish.  If that is the smooth and blemish free finish that I am seeking, maybe the chair will be ready for delivery to Katelyn's South Boston condo by next weekend, after our Fresh Ayer run.
~
If not, I will repeat the process a couple more times and aim for the weekend after.
~
You can't rush these things.  This is a priceless work of art after all.  An original Nanepashemet piece destined for a special display when they construct the Mountain of a Man Museum someday.

Katelyn Nestor said...

Dad - it looks AMAZING! I can't wait to put it on my deck! Nice work! Can I take it back this weekend?   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Did anybody notice that I said that you can't rush these things?   ! The photo looks good, but there is still a sanding and a coat or two, and my workweek is a killer.  So delivery by the weekend is a big IF. ~   BTW.... do you notice the haze in the first picture, and also a ghostly bar on the garage door?  When I took the picture, none of that stuff existed.   I'm thinking that the spirit world is doing their own inspection of the handiwork.

No News is Good News

We'll be out for some Fresh Ayer this morning, then I hope to get a coat of varnish on the Adirondack Chair.
~
Before the HVLP sprayer gets cleaned out for this session, it would be nice to get the Nanepashemet sign varnished as well.  I probably have about six hours of carving left, then the sign has to be sanded and framed.  Plus I should hit it with a coat of epoxy resin as well.
~
I know you are probably bored by these project posts, but there is no current political or social event that is particularly aggravating at this time.  Which is a good thing.  It's nice to stay calm and centered from time to time.
~
I suppose that I could get agitated by a Bernie and Phyl's commercial, but that's no big deal.

Maria Rowen said...


I wonder if life would be boring if every day was exciting...

Mission Accomplished.

So this morning, I powerwashed off the weird gelatinous organisms that had thickly accumulated on the lobster  traps.  They were starting to really putrify and stink, plus Joanne was starting to give me dirty looks.  The Powerwasher worked pretty well and the traps are ready for next year.   They don't smell nearly as bad either.
~
Then I finished lettering the Nanepashemet warehouse sign, routed the main channels, then got out the chisels and started carving the letters into the mahogany blank that I glued up two weeks ago. Sometimes when I carve signs, I get on a roll and this was one of those times.  3/4 of the carving is done and there's a good chance that I can finish it tomorrow.
~
You would think that I accomplished enough today, and you would be wrong.
~
Because I finished gluing the screw caps on Kate's Adirondack chair, completed the final sanding and applied the first coat of West System Special Coating Epoxy Resin.   This treatment will be absorbed into the wood and will bond well with the marine varnish coats that I intend to spray in the next few days.
~
I guess it's time to proclaim once again what a Mountain of a Man I am.  But I won't because I'm feeling a bit modest and humble despite the enormity of the day's accomplishments.
~
However....  I will reward myself with a couple or three classic autumn cocktails - Seagrams, Cranberry and Lime.  Then maybe terrrorize a Halloween Trick or Treater... or two.

Tuna Lips P.O.'d

Tuna Lips is pretty pissed because somebody falsely used his name to post a comment to this Blog.  I don't blame him.  TL puts a lot of thought into his crude and lewd comments and he doesn't deserve to have one of you Yahoo Peeps putting words in his mouth.  Besides, none of you has his level of crassness, bigotry and buffoonery.
~
So don't send in any phoney comments.  We will hunt you down like the dog you are.

Maria Rowen said...

Outrageous...this world is hardly big enough for one Mountain of a Man and a tuna with lips...

POTW Week 44

I realize that I've been guilty of some Blog neglect lately.  Maintaining this Blog doesn't really take a lot of time, but it does take a little attention.
~
And my attention has been elsewhere.
~
So Deal With It.
~

ANNOUNCING....

Nanepashemet Peeps of the Week for the 44th week of 2009.

\
Kelsey O'Shea

Eric Johnson

Bill McCarthy

Thomas Menino

Mike McQueen

Janet Davis

The Blog is not the only thing that has been neglected.  I have to steam and power wash the lobster traps, and store them for the winter, and Katelyn's Adirondack Chair still doesn't have a coat of varnish on it.  Plus the Nanepashemet warehouse sign needs to be carved.  It's Halloween tonight and we have to terrorize the Trick or Treaters, and then we have to head over to the Crawford "C" Party.
~
Can't imagine getting all this done this weekend because we also have to get some Fresh Ayer in tomorrow.

Adrenaline Push

It's been a while since I've rolled out a major program with a new customer, and I had forgotten how much adrenaline it tends to consume.  There is a rush to forge relationship bonds based upon the trust that has been offered, and the attention to detail and willingness to go the extra mile is an all encompassing and exhausting enterprize.
~
At times like this, I feel damn fortunate to be a Mountain of a Man.  There's no chance of mistep or faltering here.

Nice Landing

We won a significant portion of the job that we pitched earlier this month.  It's a nice move forward for Nanepashemet Telecom.  Plus, we got an excellent review from our largest client today with the indication that orders will increase.
~
I learned years ago not to get too excited or too depressed.  Things are never as good as they seem nor are they ever as bad as they seem.  Despite the peaks and valleys, we tend to land in the middle ground.
~
But that doesn't mean that you can't celebrate victory from time to time.   And a celebration is in order.
~
So, we'll have a good 4th Qtr. and a tremendous backlog heading into next year.

After Adirondack

Made a lot of progress with Kate's Adirondack Chair today.  It's all assembled, and I have to glue some screw plugs, sand, and begin the finish work.
~
I've deviated from the traditional Adirondack chair based upon the most complicated through mortise and tenon joinery that I've ever attempted, the meranti mahoghany that was used instead of pine or cedar, and a more daring, eclectic back pattern.
~
It's one of the better pieces that I've done, and depending upon the outcome of the varnish work, I may submit photos to Fine Woodworking to see if they will publish it.  This is the first piece that I have felt that confident with, although I was really happy with Will's Toychest that I built a year and a half ago.
~
Course, I'll share some photos with you Peeps before I let Fine Woodworking expose the work to the rest of the woodworking world.
~
Next up for projects is the Nanepashemet Sign that I was carving for our warehouse, and I've got to finish the fence in the backyard before the weather really turns.
~
Sometime after that, the Marblehead Gunning Dory will be back on the priority list.

Katelyn Nestor said...

I love it!

Sap for Senator

There was not much chance that I was going to vote for Democrat Steve Pagliuca for US Senate to fill the seat vacated by Ted Kennedy.
~
But now there is no chance in Hell.
~
Naturally, he calls himself a "Progressive".  Whatever.....
~
But what clinched my distaste for him was when he declares that he was against "Bush's War in Iraq" in his sappy campaign ads.
~

Steve - you tout yourself as a smart business man, but obviously you can't count too well.   Congress voted for the war.   Lots of people.  Even Leftys like Hillary Clinton.   The war is an AMERICAN war.  Supported and fought by AMERICANS.  It wasn't the Republican Army who sent the dictator Hussein to huddle in a dirt hole until he was captured and executed for his atrocities to human beings.   It was the AMERICAN armed forces.
~
I hate the way that Democrats treat us like idiots.
~
Looks like you have money to burn in your quest to bring your "Progressive" Values to the Senate, Steve.  But you can't buy my vote.

Hauling

Mike Murphy and Dave Bruett took in some Fresh Ayer yesterday.   A nice gesture from some good friends.
~
After taking care of some obligations this morning, I'd like to take one more ride in the WhaleEye to see if I can find the traps that were missing around Marblehead Rock.  I'd hate to think that they were lifted like Billy Oliver said they would.  He said that the professional lobstermen would see the quality of my traps if they pulled them by "accident". and would take them.
 ~
But losing three of eight traps is probablyacceptable given the level of neglect that I showed in pulling them this season.  Fresh Ayer and Nanepashemet Telecom demands caused the lack of lobstering diligence, but a Mountain of a Man makes no excuses.
~
Ryan Marine will be hauling the WhaleEye out next week.  We'll get em next year.

Gay Progressive

First, the homosexual community walked off with the word "Gay", which used to denote happiness.  Remember the Flintstones jingle???

When you're,
With the Flintstones,
Have a Yabba Dabba Doo Time,
A Dabba Doo Time,
You'll have a GAY ole Time.

It's pretty clear that Fred and Barney were not Homos.... and I'll bet that Betty and Wilma were straight too.  So you have to conclude that you'll have a happy ole time with the Flintstones when you're with them.

Now, the Democrats have stolen the word "Progressive".  It used to mean "moving forward, making progress".  Now you have Moonbats calling their lefty notions "Progressive" all the time.  And they call themselves "Progressives".
~
So are all Homos "happy", and are all Democrats "forward moving"????  I'm sure that isn't 100% of the case.  Granted, I know some Homos who are happy alot, and Democrats aren't wrong all of the time.
~
But they have stolen the words "Gay" and "Progressive" from the English language.  Not sure if that should be legal.

Maria Rowen said...

All those progressive democrats have a gay ole time drinkin' koolaid...choo choo cherry, jolly olly orange, rootin-tootin rasberry (guessing TL's favorite) and goofy grape. The next thing they will want us to believe is Fred and Barney were step brothers. *_*

Jim Lundgren. said...

Jay, you have to admit Fred and Barney were pretty damn close over the years! Oh, shit! Did I just use profanity! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  

This isn't freaking Facebook.  You are free to talk dirty here, Jim.

 

Torture for Terrorists

So the Town Council of Amherst, MA  wants to give a warm welcome to Terrorists detained at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

The Associated Press reports.....

Amherst leaders are backing a resolution offering the Massachusetts college town as a possible resettlement home for two Guantanamo detainees if they are released from the military prison.
The board voted 2-1 yesterday to endorse a warrant article filed on behalf of the two men by the group Pioneer Valley No More Guantanamos. The resolution would require approval from town meeting. It also calls on Congress to lift a ban on relocating former Guantanamo prisoners — even those cleared of wrongdoing — from resettling in the U.S.

That solves the problem for me.
~
For a while now, I have been wondering what we could do to make those terrorists miserable for life.   Sticking them with the Amherst Moonbat Liberals  is a suitable torture.
~
Do you think the Town would see it in it's heart to open its doors for released pedophiles and rapists as well?  I can't keep dwelling on this or I'll find myself at the Salem Hospital Emergency Room with a serious bleeding heart.
~
Maybe Amherst could start up some aid programs for the American families that lost loved ones in the 9-11 attack.  I'm sure they see all sides of the equation.
~
Amherst, Massachusetts - Moonbat Heaven.

Battle of the Titans

I thought that an innocent post like "Seize the Day" would give the Peeps a little motivational push.
~
Instead, it appears to have stimulated a heated exchange between Tuna Lips and Maria Rowen,
~
In French no less!!!
~
I find it refreshing to see such keen intellects locking horns in a desperate struggle of wit and wisdom.

Maria Rowen said...
The gloves are off. As the French say in Italian...Può la vittoria dell'uomo migliore...Viva l'italia!

Tuna Lips said...

I likes me a frisky lass. You is an unreformed politics fool, Boomhower. Ye likes that, Miss Senorina Rowen?

Handle It

POTW Week 43

Another Friday.  For the most part, I've done a good job this week of clearing the Nanepashemet Telecom decks for action.   Got a nice indication that there will be a storm of activity from next week to Christmas.  Should take us to a great position by the 1st qtr. of next year.

Announcing....
Nanepashemet Peeps of the Week for the 43rd Week of 2009

Jorge Quiroga
Oprah Winfrey
Dick Cheney
Steve Pagliuca
Bernie and Phyl's "Kids"
Maria Rowen

BTW.....Clearing the decks is a shitload of work in and of itself.

Traps and Hits

Pulled the traps today, lost three and the others had so much creepy organic growth that we had to cut the ropes and toss the gelatinous mass overboard.   The stuff was squirting water and was really squishy and gross.  Plus there was all these crustacean like things with long legs waving through the mass.  It really looked alien.
~
All the while, we harvested seven keeper lobsters so we will be having lobster rolls with Tommy O and Linda this evening.
~
BTW, hits on this blog went over the 60,000 mark today.  That's sixty thousand times that you Peeps have sought to access the Nanepashemet Blog in order to find meaning in your humdrum, everyday, pathetic existences. 
~
I just don't get it.

Maria Rowen said...


60,000 plus One... the existential journey...un-identifiable organic matter...that's who we are...at times humdrum...maybe even pathetic...but never boring...let 'em eat lobster rolls!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~                                                     
Thanks for clearing things up Maria.  I'm starting to understand now.

Seize the Day!

Everything that you've done in your life has lead you to this time and place right here and now. A place of power... a time of action.

~

Carpe Diem!

Tuna Lips said...


I thinks here and now I need to cop me a squat. I thinks it was the fandango burrito with hellfire sauce and bottle of tekeller that led me to this place.

Maria Rowen said...

'Carpe'someone you love and enjoy the 'diem'!

Tuna Lips said...

Well senora, or senorina, I am in line with yer cogitatin. Tell ole TL yer hopes and dreams. Shhhh. Ise keeps it a secret . . . .

Lauren Rathbone, POTY, said...

FYI- Oprah Winfrey is interviewing Sarah Palin on a show airing nov 14....Thought you and your peeps may want to tune in. I certainly will be.

Maria Rowen said...

A signore...with the indulgence of this blog's author...I respond in kind...Questa buona singnorina voule l'amore di buon signore...it's that simple...and it's no secret...*_*

Tuna Lips said...

My o my, Missy Rowan, you even parlay the French. Can ye cook a fine fricasee ta boot?!




 

Calling It Quits

Much as I hate to admit it, the boating season is drawing to a close, and I have to pull, clean, and store the lobster traps in the next few days while the weather holds.
~
Not the most productive fishing season due to the demands of Nanepashemet Telecom and Fresh Ayer.
~
We'll get them next year.
~
In the meantime, if I get the urge to wet a line, I can always launch the Tender in Marblehead Harbor to see if some Stripers or Blues are lingering inshore.

No More War

The War in Afganistan is Bullshit. Trying to bring democracy to people who prefer to live in the Middle Ages. 

Enough. 

No more American kids should die. We have already proven to Al Queda that we can kick their ass, so let's declare victory and leave.

There is no economic reason to continue to be there, no political reason, and no threat to America.   We  can't force these people to like us, or want to adopt our way of life.  I was happy to see our involvement in eliminating the maniac Saddam Hussein. And we have sent Bin Laden to live hidden in holes.   This was the noble and suitable thing to do for the time.  But we have made our point.  

We can't stop future Husseins or Bin Ladens from emerging.  But now they know what will happen to them if they take a run at us.   Let's get our troops back here and out of harm's way.

Now.

We can't solve the problems, so let's manage them with vigilance and readiness.   But let the Iraqi's and Afgan's have their camel paths back.

 

Kerry Russell D'Orio said....

My vote is that we adapt isolationism as our foreign policy. No one ever appreciates the sacrifices that this country makes on their behalf. Screw them all and let them pound down our door when everything goes to hell in a hand basket!

Fine and You?

We all lie daily in our lives.
~
You get asked, "How are you doing?" and you answer "Fine and you?"
~
It's a lie.
~
The real answer is often something like.... "My throat is killing me, I don't want to go to work today, and you irritate the crap out of me."  But instead, we lie and say "Fine and you?"
~
This type of lying is acceptable.  Otherwise, all of us would be Larry David knockoffs.... constantly getting into beefs about all kinds of mundane things.  Plus the little lie has no adverse effect.
~
Lying is a crime when it causes other people to take action or formulate strong opinions that they wouldn't ordinarily harbor.  Generally, lying is a crime when the perpetrator says the lie to cause others to behave on the liers behalf.  Give attention to an untruth that shouldn't be addressed.  The problem becomes more complex when the liers act so fervently in the continuance of the untruth.
~
That Colorado whack  job family with the balloon hoax is a perfect example.  We all know of others.

Lauren Rathbone, Reigning Peep of the Year said...
I finally stopped following the balloon boy on fox news ...enough already.Larry King is still talking about michael jackson..clearly nothing else is going on!..                                                                                                                                                                       ~~

I agree Lauren.  We need a real scandalous issue to liven things up.


Maria Rowen said...


I accept the truth. We all lie. What a paradox. We are socialized from the moment we speak to tell the truth…yet…we all lie. This is (as the author states) a “complex” issue for most rational thinkers. When being truthful hurts [someone], we feel better with the lie. When lying hurts [someone] and we feel good…that is pathological. This is a really interesting and disconcerting subject. That’s the truth…

Tuna Lips said...

Maria: You sounds like the heat of a thousand suns burns in yer Aztec blood. Ise impressicated.

Fine and You?

NCIS

Despite the persistent rumors that my favorite show on TV is "Jon and Kate Plus Eight", my actual choice is NCIS.
~
I've actually never seen a Jon and Kate episode, and don't think I ever will.
~
On the other hand, I'd go out of my way to catch the latest NCIS.  Good looking women, fast moving plot, interesting characters and storylines.
~
Plus the leading character, Gibbs, builds boats in his basement.   Somewhat unrealistically I might add.

Tuna Lips said...

Shoo Fly thunk to build a still in his sextion 8 housing over there in East Memphis back when. But he nearly smoked the whole hovel, I think several elderly types and a Porto Reecan hooker wuz hospitalized. He knowed enuff to rush in there like some sorta hero only to scatter the copper coil and mash he had a brewin. He ended up gettin' a prentice slot on the union job to refixify the place. ..... So ole Shoo makes to knowin' some feller named Satchmo, and Satch, I guess he played the horn in some local gin joint, ole Satch like to partake of the reefer. While drywallin' what wuz to be Shoo Fly's basment, he striked upon some genius and built a compartmentalized room with sun lamps and the right amount of ventilatin. Next, thems fellers ran the sump pump (for the house, being near the bottoms, was always havin water in the basement),afixin it to some tubin with holes, to provide water. Thems created a veritable garden of Eden in that there basement, called it such, and ran more money sellin' that skunk bud than pappy ever did runnin his hooch. True enough about industrializin in basements. Satchmo ended up with a 6 inch blade in his gut and left for parts unknown. Nice feller, that Satch.

Autumn Nip

Starting to feel a bit nippy.  Temps in the low 40's.
~
Time to break out the Autumn Cocktail.   Not that we won't continue to pour Dark and Stormies.  Even though they rule in the summer, you can't just stop serving them cold turkey with the Fall rolls around.  So we keep the Stephan's Ginger Beer and Goslings Black Seal Rum on hand for Peeps unable to make the transition to the cool weather.
~
But this time of year, I always like to break out the Seagrams and Cranberry, with a squirt of lemon.  I also thoroughly enjoy an Apple Cider and Seagrams.   Both drinks have an autumn tinge to them... fit well with the season.  No need to use VO vs. Seagrams 7.  If I were to have a Seagrams on the rocks, then I'd choose VO, but the juice negates the distinction.
~
If I'm going to have whisky on the rocks, then I'm switching to single malt scotch anyway, so there is no issue.

Fresh Ayer

Joanne and I took the ride to Ayer this morning.   So many of you are constantly asking how Ryan is doing and we all really appreciate it.
~
The straight answer is that he is doing fine.  He is in a clean, very unregulated and safe environment, reads, works out, jogs, and gets to see his kids... which is what he really lives for.
~
The thing about Ryan, even since he was little kid, is that he knows how to live in the present.  He always makes the most of the card hand that is dealt to him everyday.   That's why he is so much fun to be with.... because he makes the most of the present moment.
~
And the present moment always harbors the joy of life, no matter how the past and future is portrayed.
~
He'll finish this episode, take whatever value that he can from it, and move on to the future creation of a joyful life.

Harvey Rowe said...

The sad part of life is that so many people "wander" through their existence without ever understanding the " secret" set forth in " Fresh Ayer"  ~~                                                                                                                                                          ~ That's true Harv... but you and I aren't one of them.

POTW Week 42

Chris Crawford, his great wife Sarah, and their beautiful twin girls, Pheobe and Charlotte, are taking in some fresh Ayer this weekend.  I know the Boy will be happy and grateful to see them.  We'll be there in the morning. 

 Announcing....

Nanepashemet Peeps of the Week for the 42nd Week of 2009

Lindsay Lohan

Bill Quirk

Harvey Rowe

Dick Gardner

Eric Johnson

Rich Ellis

Tons of Nanepashemet Telecom paperwork to get done when we get back.

Jill Phillips said...

Lindsay Lohan...really? You're  getting into risky territory Jill.

Lunatic Whackjobs

If you followed this "news" story and think that this whackjob family is anything but publicity scammers, then contact me ASAP.
~
I have a nice bridge in Brooklyn for sale that you may be interested in.
~
They name their kid "Falcon" and sit complacently while he pukes his guts out on national TV.
~
Freaking Lunatics.

A New Outlook

I'm always amazed how business can turn on the drop of a dime.
~
One day's bleakness changes with a brightness ripe with opportunity.
~
Makes me think of that biblical Jesus quote about how a person with faith can move a mountain.
~
"I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you."
(Matthew 17:14-21 NKJV)
~
I'm not trying to convert you or anything, nor am I interested in changing the view from my White Mountain condo, but it certainly seems that the landscape of my business outlook has changed for the better.

Pisc said...


The mustard seed is very small, from which something massive grows.

Pisc said...

Well put. One without faith to something greater than himself ofte has no goals and no principle. No loyalty to himself. And thus, none to others. Meet a person who can not tell a story about a pal from their youth and the same friend from their middle age and you know there is something sketchy. It could be a brother or sister, just something that they have from being a person until now. Otherwise, see ya. Jesus is my homeboy.

The Mistral Advantage

We brought our business prospects to Mistral in Boston's Back Bay last night for dinner.
~
I'm not saying that it sealed the deal, but our guests left very happy.
~
So now we have to price this project correctly, but I think we're there.
~
We were recommended by Ryan to order the filet mignon pizza as an appetizer for the table, and the boy knew what he was talking about.
~
I'd go back there, even if a multi-million dollar deal wasn't at stake.

Tuna Lips said...

Bets there was a lot of top dollar hookers hangin' about the place. I likes hookers. They has feelins, too.

Sue Sue Raiche said...

Seeing you're such a "Mountain of a Man", I'm not surprised you were able to make this important dinner with the cold and all. It sounds like the filet pizza apps may have been the clincher! -  Susan

Maria Rowen said...

When you close the deal maybe you can celebrate at Sorelina...a close second to Mistral...Try the truffled French fries...off the hook...but no hookers... *_*

Sniffle Endurance

I'm a little down with a cold that has lasted for a few days.  But you don't see me complaining, do you???
~
Sniffles, coughing, a sneeze or two.... when you're a Mountain of a Man, you can't let these things affect you.  Even if they would shut down a lesser man.

Maria Rowen said.....

Umcka Cold Care......Whole(Paycheck)Foods ...will put the Mountain right back in the Man...