Sweet Dreaming

Last night, while having a weird dream, I fell out of bed. At the time, the dream seemed perfectly natural.  But,  after getting back into bed, both pissed and embarrassed at myself, I was able to recount the dream in great detail. 
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Why is it that when you are in the process of dreaming, everything seems so logical, but when you wake up and reflect upon what you were just dreaming..... it seems so wacko???
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Anyway, this dream had me back in my childhood home, throwing various types of kitchen appliances at my brother.  Does that seem Freudian to you?  I have nothing against my brother, and have no inclination to throw toasters, blenders and convection ovens at anyone.  But in my dream, it made perfect sense.
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Not sure why I was so unsettled so as to throw myself off the side of the bed either.   It couldn't  have been the Chinese food and Sam Adams from dinner.  That is not so extraordinary.  I've had way more beers with fried rice, and never fell out of bed before due to an extra crab rangoon or so.
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Work is fine, no big beefs with family or friends and things like FreshAyer have become fairly stable.
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I'm not worried about the Mayan end of time, and there had been no liberal fiascos that have gotten me wound up lately.
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So I'm not sure what the hell was going on.

Good Morning Bianna

Those of you who follow the pathetic posts in this hapless blog must have realized by now that I have a love/hate relationship with Good Morning America.
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As in.... I watch the show every day, but generally despise the people who operate it.
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Bianna Golodryga is the exception.   Not only is she pretty hot, she is also wicked smart.
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And I haven't noticed any taint of liberal bias in her yet.

Clean Water

So the water in Boston is now safe to drink.  Course it was safe to drink all along.  But it was a great chance for politicians to shine.  Solving a crisis which wasn't really a crisis.
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It turns out that we just needed to call a plumber... for a big pipe.
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Crisis Solved.

Wesley Makes His Entrance

Welcome Wes Rowe to the Family of Man.  Happy Birthday.
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What a great time to be born!!!  Here and Now.
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We'll be keeping an eye of you.  You come from good stock and have a lot going for you right from the start.  You have good people around you who will help you find your way.
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Make your Mark.  And Make a Difference.

Karmic Issue

Don't forget about the Law of Karma.
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That's that lttle annoying problem that you reap what you sow.
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You know what I mean???? If you lie and screw people, you end up getting screwed right back.
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Man... What a Bummer.
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You think you're getting over by nailing someone when they're down, then your life starts to suck and you wonder why.
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Law of Karma.
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Maybe you shouldn't forget about it from now on.

Pram Pondering

In getting the Pram ready ready for the ring down on the Village Street Landing pier, I'm starting to think that I'll spend a little more time and get it rigged up for sailing.  It will be a great opportunity to learn to sail in the protected waters of Salem Harbor and there will be a lot more use for the Pram than just transport back and forth to the WhaleEye.

All I have to do is assemble the mast and fabricate a center board.  The Sail is all ready from my initial use of it on the Tender.

Pisc said...

S.S. Never Sail
Credit to Bobby Brown

Maria Rowen said...
Let the 'little skippy' set sail...and be ponder this...the eight foot dinghy responds very quickly...sail on...sail on...

Too Much Tazer

They had to taze a guy who jumped on the field during the Philadelpia Phillies game.
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Highly unnecessary.
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If Philadelphia had anybody with the specialized skill of former POTY Tommy McMahon, they could holster all of their tazers.

Tom McMahon said....
If I worked there he never would have made it to the grass!

Self Fulfillment

It's so important to take responsibility for yourself.
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The minute that you blame another for the circumstances of your life, you severely disempower yourself and eliminate a host of opportunity.
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As perverse as it sometimes sounds, everything happens for a better, greater purpose.  If you continually judge the individual components of this process as good or bad, right or wrong.... you miss the point that these ups and downs are simple milestones of a path that you and God have chosen for yourself.
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Observe rather than judge.  Act on the feelings, hunches and intuition that are sent your way as directions and guideposts to your truth and destiny.  Feel yourself move down your own path to self fulfillment.
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And stop all the freaking whining.

Gail said....
Jay, you are so right. It's not always easy during the tough times to accept that things happen for a reason and I'm still learning that lesson. I sometimes have to just step back, take a deep breath and make my choices. For the most part things do work out although you certainly can't forsee the outcome which is the lesson we learn. Trust in yourself and as you have said "act on the feelings, hunches and intuition sent your way as directions and gudeposts to your truth and destiny". Thank you for this, Jay. I needed this today.

Gutter Minds.

Now the pundits are claiming that Barack Obama had an affair with this women, Vera Baker.
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Isn't this a private matter???
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All the talk of Michelle kicking Bo's ass is so inappropriate.
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You shouldn't even be thinking about it.
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One of the reasons why being a Mountain of a Man is often a good thing is that I can move thoughts like this out of my mind at will.   I know that it is none of my business......that President's having a little monkey business has nothing to do with me.
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Although, I sometimes feel sorry for the rest of you weak-minded, pathetic peeps who have such sordid thoughts and voyeuristic tendencies.
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Get your minds out of the gutter.

Tuna Lips said...
I likes this queen, and thinks it would be a right fine thing to pleasurify hers with some delicate play from the left.

Double Pump Bird

Flipping  the Bird to people who offend you in traffic is a time honored Boston tradition.
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And so it was offered to Harvey Rowe in the Sumner Tunnel last Sunday morning at 6:00 AM as he was manuvering a van of Walk for Hunger volunteers down the center line.
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Granted, Harvey was having a bit of a challenge staying in his lane, but was that a reason for an irate cabbie to speed by and offer Harvey a big waving Bird, followed by an additional pump of the Bird???
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Driving isn't Harvey's strong point, so maybe the cabbie had a point, but the cabbie is lucky  that he wasn't trying to pass Harvey a few months ago...... before Harv had the cataracts removed.  
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Then the Bird would have been downright polite.

Maria Rowen said...

We (I mean me) recently regaled the benefits of a well placed 'f'bomb. How could we (I mean me) overlook the 'finger' in lieu of the aforementioned 'f'bomb when hand gestures are truly universal. So 'thumbs-up' to Harvey and
bras d'honneur to the cabbie...add a pump and that is so 'Bang'...*_*

Sunny, Warm Weekend

It's shaping up to be a warm, sunny weekend.
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This morning, I'll strip the bottom paint from the pram, then repair the plywood at the bow, which has delaminated.
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If I still have the time and energy, I'll sand and varnish the Tender and get that ready for launch.
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Tomorrow, I promised to help Harvey Rowe set up water tables for the Walk for Hunger in Boston.  The bus leaves My Brother's Table in Lynn at 4:45AM.  If you are thinking that it doesn't seem like me to be doing such a selfless altruistic thing, then I don't blame you.   I feel the same way.
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But Harvey is a good guy and he's done a lot to help me in the past, and this is important to him, so that's the gig for tomorrow morning.  Harvey says we'll be back in Lynn by 11:00 AM.

Harvey Rowe said...

Hey.....MOUNTAIN MAN don't give yourself a "bad rap"......Every time you go for Fresh Ayer.... and you and Joanne do all the other responsibilities that "come with your "Turf"......I see unselfish and loving acts.......sorry to tarnish your self imposed image....

Pisc said...
El jefe:
I got some foreign guest workers to clear the back quarter on my lot (total size 0.3 acres) and lay some 10 yard of topsoil. The house was built in 1890, and that corner of the lot was used as the "dump", a spot where the homeowners threw all of their (mostly) biodegradable waste. Rich black soil and a lot of rocks, and even more broken bottles, china shards, and weeds with roots that spanned the whole area. There were rocks the size of Rob Jones' head all over the place, I mean really big nuts. So we had some fill work, and a decent bit of grading to do.

And of course, putting down grass seed over a decent sized area, and waiting and hoping. That not being my style, I raised a few blister working the seed into the soil, and then using a hand spreader to fertilize, and the a shower sprayer (as opposed to the sprinkler that moves the soil and floats the seeds) to water, at 5 am and at 8 pm

And it looked like a pile of dirt for a week.

But the recent sun, and some luck, have raised a peach fuzz growth of grass over this, the mountain after the last mountain summited in the home owner universe.

Sitting in the middle of all of this is a Japanese Stewartia (google it), that we planted when Phoebe arrived.

The yard is gonna be wicked sweet.

POTW Week 17

Oprah Winfrey wants to limit the use of a cell phone while driving.
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She is absolutely correct.
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Nobody should endanger the lives of another so that they can conduct business or chat at their convenience.
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Announcing....
Nanepashemet Peeps of the Week for the 17th Week of 2010.

Tom Holmes
Ed Davignon
Ray Crews
Joanne Nestor
The Administrative Assistant at the Groton, Ct. Building Department
Riell Hunter
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Even a Mountain of a Man has trouble concentrating on two things at once.

Classic Conumdrum

I'm thinking seriously of renaming the "Classic Winter Cocktail". 
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Since it's now spring, and I show no signs of  backing off, maybe its time call the satisfying combination of Seagrams Seven Canadian and Ocean Spray Cranberry something like.... the "Classic Multi-Season Cocktail".  Or the "Classic Six Month Plus Cocktail".
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None of these sound right.
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But "Classic Winter Cocktail" doesn't fit anymore.
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Part of the problem is that spring came early this year.  It's one of the five warmest Aprils on record here in Boston.  So who would have thought that the weather would screw up the harmonic seasonal nature of the official Nanepashemet beverages???
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Dark and Stormies in the Summer.
Seagrams and Cider in the Fall..
The Classic Winter Cocktail in the Winter.
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Course,  Lagavulin, the King of Scotch, rules over all seasons.... but this goes without saying.
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Now we are left with quite a dilemma, and it's probably those freaking Mayans who are screwing with us again.

Tuna Lips said...
I does like the white rusky fer a drink come candlemas. Its liquored enuff, yet somewhat mild, allowin' fer several long quaffs. Get yerself under a warm blanket, best served with a Injun squaw and a pipe of skunk bud ala Shoo Fly. You will be singin' "I am Superman" in short order. In concludifying, and I thinks milk and vodka wuz part of that teachable merment, so Ise vote white rusky.

TommyO said...

"Seven Seas Cocktail"

Think about it....

Ocean Sprays from the Sea, You are a Sea-Goin Guy, Seagrams Seven, Lucky Seven, Seven-Eleven
Seas or C's (Celtics) Bruins in Seven. To the Ancients, Seven meant "Many"

O-Zone.

Barack's Birth Certificate

This whole controversy over Obama's birth certificate is bogus.
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I know what the Constitution says.... that you have to be a natural born citizen to be elected President.  But as a nation of immigrants ....(except for the Native Americans that we wiped out with disease or  rounded up and put onto reservations.... but that's another story).... I should be able to vote for Arnold Swartzenegger if I wanted to.
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Barack Hussein Obama was duly elected as President of the United States.   I don't care where he happened to be when he popped out of his mother's womb.
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Put your focus on stuff that matters.

Pisc said...

I agree with the sentiment of let it go. But we are a nation of laws, first and foremost. Without them (e.g. the Constitution of the United States) this whole thing falls apart.

Maria Rowen said...
This Barack-‘birf’place‘bidness’ has some‘Birther’s-bloomers in a bunch. House Arizonans passed the ballot-bill ‘requiring’ Barack to belly-up his birth certificate. At the same time… the finches return to the feeder. It all matters…but... in a moment of merriment…peeps should pass on politics, pursue pleasure and on May day...dance around the Maypole.

Salvageable

The Town of Swampscott lost big yesterday when they failed to elect Sue Sue Raiche by a couple hundred votes to a seat on their Board of Selectmen. 
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But  before anybody panics, you have to consider that Swampscott isn't going anywhere, and Sue Sue isn't a qutter.
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Even though the Town will be worse off by the time she runs again and gets elected, there still will be enough to salvage.

Pretty Good Day

Those of you who know me best, know that I'm not a boastful person.  Don't really like to brag.  I definitely maintain a certain degree of humbleness. ..... and humility.
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But when you are a Mountain of a Man like me, that isn't always easy.
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Like today.... when everything in Nanepashemet Telecom went right.  I don't mean just good.  I mean "kick ass" GOOD.
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Left the house at 6:00AM and got back by 3:30 PM.... a whole lot better than when I left.
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I'd like to tell you about the good stuff, but then you may not understand.  This is high level stuff.  Not easily understood by laymen.... or laywomen.
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Now if Sue Sue Raiche pulls off the election in Swampscott, then this will cap it pretty well.  We'll see.

Return of the Prodigal Birds

After a full year's absense, two goldfinches showed up on the feeder today.
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I am pumped.

May Day

For some reason, May Day was a big thing when we were growing up in Lynn.  Kids would dress up in costumes and wrap strands of paper around a Maypole.
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The significance of the event has escaped me, but I dug out this old photograph of the kids in my neighborhood standing on the sidewalk in front of my old house in the Highlands.
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I'm the good looking one on the left in the Fireman suit.

Sue Sue Raiche said...
That little firefighter looks just like Ethan!

Tuna Lips said...
look like them munchkin folk from the wizard of oz. Theys sure growd them freaks good in Lynn town

Dubious Award

This would seem like an impressive award, but the fact is that we are the only radiotelephone communications contractor in Marblehead.
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Just want to keep things in perspective.
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But that doesn't mean that we won't raise a glass or two in raucous celebration of the achievement.
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And.... there's a good chance that we'll repeat in 2010.

Sue Sue for Selectman

Town faces fine for moving sand at Fisherman's Beach - Swampscott, MA - The Swampscott Reporter

If I lived in Swampscott, I'd vote for Susan Raiche this Tuesday for the Board of Selectmen.  If you want to know why, read the above article from the Swampscott Reporter.

This article is about a citizen who asks a simple question to intrenched bureaucrats. I sincerely hope that the people of Swampscott elect Susan Raiche to their Board of Selectmen. Wish I could vote!

More FreshAyer

Heading out with the Grandkids for some FreshAyer this morning.
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As weird as it sounds, this is always a fun trip that we look forward to.   Ryan always has new stuff to tell us, and seems to know more about Marblehead than we do thanks to all of the people who visit and email him, and he has indepth knowledge in the fields that he has been reading.  He is in unbelieveable shape and holds the camp record for fastest lap around the track.
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It's a no win system that ultimately the taxpayer pays for.  Makes no sense and I can think of many ways  to change it for the better.
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But....the  kids are always thrilled to see him and he's the same.  If the weather is good, everybody is in non-stop motion outside.  It makes for a really good time.
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Like I said... pretty weird.

Gardening , Football, and SuperPeeps

We took the grandkids over to Merrimack College today to see Ben Martin's Football team put on an exhibition at alumni day.   Scuba Steve and his fetching wife, Jill, were there too.
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Ben is the Offensive Line coach, and he has some big bruisers under his mentoring.  Merrimack Football is the official NCAA Football team of the Nanepashemet Blog, so it was an important event.
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Ben taught Grandson Will the three point stance after the game.  All in all, a very worthy and enjoyable endeavor for a warm Saturday afternoon.
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I was pretty sore though, due to the events of the morning.   Superpeep Brian Butler had asked to borrow the F150 for some dump runs and showed up around 7:15 AM to pick it up.   Since I was up anyway, I decided to get some work done on the Appalachia Project in the backyard before I had to shower for the Merrimack event.
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The water table and mud had finally subsided and I raked, weeded and spread grass seed on about 1/3 of the backyard before it was was time to clean up and drive to North Andover.  Worked up a nice sweat and maxed my back to the limit.   Ethan and Will had a great time watching Ben's team despite their limited attention spans.
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But I was pleasantly surprized when I went to get something in the F150  after we got back.  Brian had left a bottle of Black Seal Goslings Rum with a nice thank you note for using the truck.   Even though it was entirely unnecessary, it proved once again why Brian bears the coveted title of "Superpeep".
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There are not a heck of a lot of Superpeeps.   And you don't often get contact with many of them in the same day.   But between Scuba Steve, Jill, Benny, and Brian.... it was one of those days that make everything seem right with the world.

Grenade Pin

Clammers found cases with 126 grenades in New Bedford.  Some were live.   They were safely detonated and no one was hurt.
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That reminds me of an old college incident, in James House at UMASS.  The Vietnam War was in play, and a crazy vet was visiting his friend in the dorm room next door.
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In those days, a lot of guys would come back from the war, fresh from firefights and other horrific shit that only happened a week or so ago.  One day, you are on patrol, firing off your M1 in DaNang at VietCong hell bent on killing you, and the next week you are hanging out on campus at Amherst, MA.  I always felt bad for these guys who didn't have a college deferment, and was enrolled in Army ROTC preparing to go myself.
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This guy was really jacked in a lot of ways, and we all were leary of him.  It was my freshman year and he used to drill Aaron Boykin and myself when we had our uniforms on to go to ROTC class.    But that's another story.
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One day, he came into my room with a grenade in his hand, stuffed it into the hand of my roommate, Jeff Middleton, pulled the pin, and told him to hold the lever, or we would all die.  Then he left the room.  Jeff and I stood there with a WTF look on our faces.
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After about thirty seconds of standing there stunned, I said to Jeff that we should carefully take the grenade outside, walk it across the athletic fields, and heave it into the woods.  Jeff stood there ackwardly holding the thing with his hand clasped on the detonation lever.  We were too dazed to be afraid.
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Before we got the plan into action,  the crazy vet came back, put the pin back into the grenade, quietly took it with him. and left without a word.    We never mentioned it again.... like it never happened.
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I often wonder whether that grenade was live, and what would have happened if it blew up on the edge of the intramural field.  My guess is that if it was a dud, the vet wouldn't have come back so soon to take it back.  He would have let us sweat a lot longer.
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It's one of the many things in my life that could have gone drastically wrong...... but didn't.... so I'm sitting here blogging today.  There is enough stuff that could have gone wrong and did.... but I'm here anyway.

MattyL said...

this blog is the ultra balls.

-- Matthew Lyons

POTW Week 16

Joanne and I took the afternoon off and headed up to the coast of Southern Maine.  A nice drive along the ocean through Kittery, York, Wells and Ogunquit. 
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It must be soothing to live on the water like that.  Maybe a nice place to retire.  But I'll need a to win the lottery or make a score before I can pull that off.

Announcing....
Nanepashemet Peeps of the Week for the 16th Week of 2010.


Ben Martin
Brian Butler
Wayne Webster
Kelly Light
Jill Phillips
Maria Rowen

Plus it's close to the outlet stores in Kittery.... particularly the Kittery Trading Post which is my favority place to buy fishing tackle.

Dropping My Guard

I'm watching some lawyer expert on Good Morning America who sounds pretty smart, but is wearing a bowtie.
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I can't take anybody seriously who wears a bowtie.
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Course I shouldn't be watching Good Morning America anyway, but Diane Vargas is a substitute host, and she hasn't made my skin crawl like some of the other phoney liberal hosts that have been employed on that show.   Even though George Stephanopoulos generally aggravates me, somehow I can tolerate him, unless he is in his self righteous, political commentary mode.
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Maybe I'm getting soft.

Observation of the Pathetic

People who are completely self absorbed end up to be such users and manipulators.
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Since all of their thoughts and actions are directed to themselves and their own self pity, they unconsciously position everything in their lives in a vain attempt to ingratiate themselves.  They always look for others to pity them, and do for them.
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The problem is that it is so transparent.  Any idiot can see it except for the self absorbed perpetrators themselves.
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I was just saying.

Tuna Lips said...

In the fine fashion of them Brits and theys court of guvment wearing wigs and shit, I says harumph! Self absorbin folks is such foneys, takin' on airs, likes they never snacked on the dead skin fermentin atwixt they toes, or havin' relashuns with they own kin (the ears on Charile, the feller tha was buggerin' that cheeky mynx Dianuh but preferred to pleasurify someone that looked like his mammy, tells me that ain't nature in action), its galls ole TL.

But I keeps on keepin' on. No sense in takin' to the baser assemblages of humanity.

Happy Birthday Mikey

It's my youngest son, Michael's, 27th birthday today.  Seems like only yesterday when he was delivered at the now demolished Lynn Hospital with no complications.  A great job by Joanne.
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Mike has met the challenges of youth and is now well along the path of adulthood.  He turned out damn good in a lot of ways.
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In case you are doing the math, I was twelve when Michael was conceived.  Joanne was thirteen...... We started early.

SRaiche said...

Happy Birthday Mikey!
Congratulations to the Mountain of a Man and Joanne for raising a wonder addition to the human race.
Sue Sue

Lull Period

Now that the Democrats have socialized medicine in place.... what next?  Seems like kind of a lull out there.
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Our occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan is damn quiet.  You only hear of something when some poor local twenty year old serviceman gets blown up from time to time.
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The stimulis package and jobs bill is virtually unnoticable and people seem to be silent about the economy.  Real Estate looks to be picking up.
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The Tea Party movement is nebulous and unfocused with no leadership outside of maybe Sarah Palin, who is ridiculed everytime she takes a breath.
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I'm not complaining.  Something whacky will show up soon enough.  A little lull is good for all of us.

pisc said...


Not time to overplay any hand. Job continue to be lost. Real estate is in the shitter, as property continues to lose value in my town (see zillow.com for what is happening in Marblehead). People are actually asking "where is the free health care?" 53% of us pay taxes. When it hits 49%, time to move.

Next year, when the taxes hit, there will be real questions, not about the personality of this man child running the show, but of the principles of the people behind him. He is a surrogate. In 2014, when he is gone, and the newer taxes hit, there will be more questions about what this great experiment has become.
Put your money in Apple. Apple product are, in 2010, the five cent movies of the 1930s.

Fresh Cod

So I'm on Facebook last night, looking to stir up some controversy, and up pops Mark Vona on Instant Messaging with the question that you long to hear.
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"J. Do you and Joanne want some Cod?"
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Coming from Mark, you know that this is the fresh stuff..... Codfish happily swimming around in Massachusetts Bay about 48 hours ago with absolutely no indication that they were about to give it up to Mark's superior angling skills.
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Early this morning, just as I was about to power up Nanepashemet Telecom, in walks Mark with a couple of pounds of fresh cod. all skinned, filleted and in a plastic freezer bag.
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Damn... What a class act!
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And they say that Facebook is a waste of time.  Fresh cod for dinner.

Never Watch It

Sometimes being a Mountain of a Man means that you have to admit that you enjoy some stuff that isn't exactly manly.
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Like watching "Dancing with the Stars" or something like that.
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Not that I ever watch DWTS.
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Or that I hope that Pamela Anderson makes it to the next round.
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Or that my favorite dance is the Quickstep, followed closely by the ChaChaCha.
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I wouldn't be caught dead watching "Dancing".
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Although, I hope that Jake the Bachelor gets the ax this week big time.

POTW Week 15

I know that I'm late with this.
Deal with it.

Announcing...
Nanepashemet Peeps of the Week for the 15th Week of 2010

Lindsey Kepnes
Gil Shaw
The Home Depot Guy Who Tried to Sell me a Pressure Washer
Ryan Nestor
Tina Rhodes
Alex Watts

OK, the reason is that I had a brain fart.... that lasted just about the entire weekend.   But I'm back now, so don't screw with me.

No Rain Delay

It's another miserable, drizzly, 40 degree day today.  Perfect weather to powerwash the  pressure treated planking on my deck.  That will take me the better part of the morning.
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After that, I promised Mike that I would take some measurements to fabricate a  replacement of a sliding door in his South Boston Condo.   Those two projects will account for most of the day.   In the meantime, I probably should clean up the mess in the kitchen before Joanne gets back from North Conway.
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By tonight, it will be time to settle in, pay some bills, and do some proformas.
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Sunshine would be nice, but it is not required today.

Lauren Rathbone, former POTY said...


We were in North Conway this weekend for the Tuckerman Pentathlon, and I thought I saw Mrs. Nestor downtown when we were driving by. It must have been her. We had 5 inches of snow up there on Saturday.

Dissing Dissent

Lots of heartburn out there from guys like Obama and Clinton regarding the Tea Party dissenters.
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What I don't understand is.... why don't they respond to the arguments?  Instead they just poo poo....  Saying that they are "amused" or warning that the dissent may cause another "Oklahoma City".
~
It's dangerous if you don't give dissenting opinions respect.   That's what will ultimately cause the explosion... not the dissent itself.
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If you don't like what somebody says and you simply attack them for saying it.... that is a particularly wrong strategy that will motivate and empower those who are striving to be heard.

Pisc said...
Well said. Word like arrogance and fear mongering apply to the hoighty toidy so called progressives.
I love using the term so-called as it was a common modified used by the American Civil Rights activists in rightly mocking some of the catch phrases of our country, such as "justice for all" etc.


Now, I find myself on the right side of the same phrase, the so-called "representative government", the so-called "Bill of Rights", the so-called "Free Press".


The individual American is the engine of this nation. The arrogance of this government, to deny the power for good that this recipe has been. We fight wars over this stuff, but we get it right. And then try to get it right when it goes wrong. Duh. I mean, how arrogant to think that their is a formula to life beyond work hard, defend your own, and hope for luck. That ensure justice, unless you are looking for it from someone else. Pompous pricks, these Libs.


And another thing. A principled disagreement with the administrations position is de facto racist. I call bullshit.

Earthquakes and Vocanoes.

Earthquake in Western China yesterday, volcanic eruption in Iceland this morning... are these geological events happening with more regularity?  Or do we have instant access to events everywhere in the globe so that things in China and Iceland are immediately observable.
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I think it's the latter.
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I hope it's the latter.
~
Because if it isn't the latter, then the Mayans are on to something.... and we could be screwed.

Pisc said...

Volcanos erupting cool the earth. Its science, though it seems too simple. Al Gore's Global Warming/Carbon Credits gamut is going down the sh*tter. Guy is a pickle sniffing pansie.

Maria Rowen said...

Non-fiction or fable… Whether it is the mystery of the Mayans or the roadmap of Revelations…if the grid goes down…peeps need to prepare. So…line up the Lagavulin, stockpile the soup and top off the tins of tuna. Buy batteries, books and cartons of Cottonelle because 12.21.2012 could be the day that never ends…

Excellent point on the Cottonelle, Maria.

Doug Maxfield said...


You tube 'final countdown on the kazoo'. I nominate this version as the anthem for end of days.

Good Health or Else

Kelly Light, a Nanepashemet Peep with her head on straight, passes along this little gem of a notice found in her Doctor's office.
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Welcome to the future.   Health care brought to you with all of the logic and efficiency that government bureaucracy is noted for.
~
Good health to you.

Raise Some Cash

Just so you know, I think that this real estate slump is about to end.  At least up here in the Boston area.  Course this is not based upon empirical, economic data... just my base feeling.  I've been helping some friends look for a home in Central MA, and the good ones are getting scooped up within a week on the market.  Nanepashemet Real Estate buyer's brokers are on the case.
~
True, these are reasonably priced homes, in mint condition, and in an up and coming market around Route 495.   But since when have you had to rush to put in an offer on real estate?
~
There are some real bargains out there, buying from people who have been hanging on during this slump and are getting desperate.  Now is the time to raise cash and buy some real estate.  Within a year, things will be heating up.

Pisc said...
Not so sure. Money will become more expensive before the year is over. The Fed has to move the inter-bank rate - gas prices are going up not because the economy is cranking along, its because the dollar is increasingly worth less. In order to shore up the dollar/fight inflation, the cost has to go up. I think people are rushing to move property before that happens. When that happens, fuggedaboudit.

More Meaningful Masters

Phil Mickelson winning the Masters was the best thing that could happen to Tiger Woods.  If Woods had won, and he certainly was in a position to do so, the backlash and reaction would have been acute.  Mickelson grabbing the spotlight was a nice diversion from Tiger.
~
Mickelson looked awfully good.  And I always like it when a lefty golfer wins a golf tournament.  But the added story... that he was preoccupied this year with the cancer that his wife and mother were both battling... stands in sharp contrast to Tiger's battle with a sex addiction.
~
So maybe those who are inclined to follow professional golf can back off from the Tiger topic, and embrace a more "healthy" situation with Mickelson.

Tuna Lips said...

Truth be told, most rite minded fellers would prefers to embrasify them blonde trollops with the ponderus hooters like Woodsy done do.



Pisc said...
For the Bruins fans out there, could not have happened to a nicer guy.
http://nhl.fanhouse.com/2010/04/10/matt-cooke-suffers-one-punch-knockout-by-evander-kane/




TommyO said...


Could not have happened to a nicer guy.
The first right sent him down, the right on the way down kept him down. Kane was certainly Able.
- OZone

Migration on Hold.

With the fence done, the messy woodpile at the side of the house was scresaming to be moved.  So I completed the wood rack and saw jack under the deck and moved half of it yesterday.  After a visit to FreshAyer this morning I will complete that project.
~
Then a thourough raking and clean up will be in order.
~
I uncovered and moved the Tender and the Pram yesterday as well and each will need a fairly serious overhaul of all surfaces to be ready for the season.  The Appalachian project will be put on hold until these boats are ready to be launched for the season.
~
But that will only take a few weeks and the migration of the backyard from Appalachia to New England will continue.  The problem is that everytime one component is finished, other parts emerge to be intolerable.

POTW Week 14

It was a nice turnout at the charity auction last night that Melissa Sherwood coordinated at RockStar Fitness in Marblehead. 
~
My friend Harvey Rowe did a great job describing how the event would help the "My Brother's Table" soup kitchen in Lynn where Harvey has done such inspirational work.  And my friend Mike Rockett really revved up the bidding, and literally put his money where his mouth is.  Another great job.

Announcing....
Nanepashemet Peeps of the Week for the 14th Week of 2010.

Mike Rockett
Harvey Rowe
Sarah McCormack
Norm Sherwood
Stephany Connolly
Tom McMahon

It's nice when something that you drag yourself out for turns out to be such a fun time.

Goofy Golfer

Once again our thoughts turn to Tiger Woods....
~
He comes out after a harrowing 6 month ordeal away from his craft and shoots 4 under in the first round to be tied for 3rd in the Masters.
~
That would have been a great step in his re-entry after embarassment and scandal.  That should be the story of the day.  No more.
~
But then he allows a Nike ad to run with his dead father's narrative and a contrived baneful look on his face.
~
Jeez Tiger... you went to Stanford.  I thought that was a good school..... but you are freaking stupid.
~
Just swing the club.  None of your perverted personal life is any more than gossip and voyeurism to us.  Why the hell do we need to see you pretending to listen to your father speak from the grave????  You have completely lost your way.

Tuna Lips said...


This here feller bangin' the next door neighbors daughter and not so much as a barn burnin', well, the end of civilezatin' as we knowd it caint be far off. Before that happens, I does want to git my hoe-down on like he do whith them adult movin' picture show hore-type starlets. So much to get done.

Woodpile Delay

I had planned to move the woodpile from the side of the house to underneath the deck by this time of the week.  But like most plans, other factors caused some changes.
~
The first was that pesky virus that overtook Joanne and I at the beginning of the week.  That killed Monday.  Then I had to make up the work at Nanepashemet Telecom on Tues and Wed..
~
But during that time, in considering that a lot of the wood that I would be moving won't fit into the wood stove without being recut, I decided to make a cross jack chainsaw horse first.  Then I have to make a wood storage rack out of pressure treated lumber that I salvaged from a telecom shelter that we demolished.
~
So when I move the pile, it won't be transferring one mess to another mess.
~
My primary project for the weekend was to paint the pram, but the woodpile delay will push this off to next week.
 Former POTY, Tom McMahon said...
Yes, I know you hate being called big. But this video is why you should love it. Play it between the 5:12 - 6:15 time period.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdE1C6NaT5Q

Have a good one Big J.,
McMahon

No Nukes unless Necessary.

The US has announced that it would not be using it's nuclear weapons against countries that do not have them.
~
This appears to be a plea for countries to resist a nuclear bomb development program.
~
It won't work.
~
Crazy regimes will continue to try to have nukes and we will find an excuse to nuke them if the occasion exists.  What we say now has no bearing on future actions, so I wish the conservative talk shows wouldn't get so freaking strung out.

Spring Season

Trees are budding.  Tomorrow the temperature is set to go to the eighties.  The Red Sox are playing the Yankees tomorrow.
~
So Spring must be here.
~
After this, there is only one more Spring to go.

Project Management Success

Wayne Murray, a good PM at GD from my memory, asks the following question on LinkedIn.

What is the key to being a successful Market Manager/Program Manager in todays Commercial Wireless environment?

I know that I sound presumptuous, but I really feel confident with the answer here.

You need the following elements to be a successful project manager.

• A solid knowledge of the contract work breakdown structure resonating through the market organization as well as the market customer staff.
• Production metrics tied directly to the WBS and staffed by competent professionals who are enpowered to make decisions at their staff level. 
• Metrics must reflect reasonable contract monetary milestones.

If you can line up knowledge, metrics and competence along with a healthy customer contract, you will hit program goals and achieve customer satisfaction. 

If any component is missing... the compensatory strain will ultimately affect the project.   All of these components must be looked at continuously and tweaked as necessary during the project.  That includes staff changes and contract modifications.

I have walked away from projects where the components cannot be lined up.   Better for the customer to throw stones at you at the beginning based upon an untenable situation than to slog through and with a project that cannot work and hurt your company and career... all the while screeching "I told you so".

Nobody listens to "I told you so" when a project has gone to hell.  Memories are short and corporate careers are being protected.   Take the hit up front and project your company.  Negotiating the right contract terms is 60% of project success.

Tuna Lips said...

Ise finds horse wippin' the non-acomadatin' dirt peoples is an efacaseshus way to gettin' er done. Kernel Sartoris learnt me that, back in Chickesaw County days. Kill the monkee and the hens get to layin' eggs right quick.

Give Us Barabbas

Happy Easter.
~
One of my favorite holidays because it signifies spring and rebirth, and the ultimate hope.  Plus there are cool Easter movies, like "Barabbas" and "Ben Hur".
~
They just don't make actors like Anthony Quinn and Charlton Heston anymore.

POTW Week 13

It was a beautiful, sunny, warm day.  Mike helped me to finish the fence, and the back of the house has officially moved from Appalachia to the North Shore of Boston.  Once all of the trim is painted it will actually look really good. 
~
I'm concerned about the water table though in the backyard since the willows have been cut down.  It's like the Everglades back there.  So maybe we are moving the house from Appalachia by way of the Everglades.
~

Announcing ....

Nanepashemet Peeps of the Week for the 13th week of 2010

Ben Martin's girlfriend who is from RI but I can't remember her name.

Ben Martin

Craig Murray

Mike Nestor

Rakesh Goel

Tommy O'Shea

Tomorrow is Easter.  And I will give an appropriate amount of consideration to the day, since I'm a cultural Catholic and believe in the divinity of Christ.  But I'm also going to try to move the firewood storage from the side of the house to the underside of the deck.
~
Then we'll be concentrating on getting the pram and the tender ready for the season.  Hopefully the back will dry out.

Bird Seed Generosity

The other day, Stevie Lewis asked me how the action at the Feeder was.
~
It dawns on me that I have been keeping this to myself and not sharing the daily Bird Feeder goings on with the multitude of you Peeps yearning to know any insignificant thing imaginable.
~
So it does seem a bit selfish on my part.
~
Anyway.... over the last two days, numerous Blue Jays, Sparrows, a House Finch, Chickadees and a male and female Cardinal have been observed partaking of my bird seed generosity.  I've also seen Robins and a number of Mourning Doves in the general vicinity.
~
This should cover the Feeder report for the time being.

A Bit Below Par

I bought Joanne a Motorola Cliq Android phone for her birthday.
~
It has a GPS, Camcorder, Camera, Email, Internet access, all sorts of cool apps..... plus you can use it to call people.
~
She looks irritated and confused.  This could backfire.  Like the time I bought her a TV for Christmas, or a kitchen stool for a previous birthday.
~
Even though I'm a Mountain of a Man, it's clear that I'm below par as a gift giver.
~
This is proof that even I have flaws.  I just can't dominate over every facet of life.  In some areas, I'm just like the rest of you.... or maybe even worse.

Kerry D'Orio said...

Mountain of a man..your memory is failing. The way I hear it is the stool was for mothers day! Tisk-tisk.
Some men never learn...

Silver Lining

The rain has stopped, but it is still plenty soggy.  We finally did get a little water in the basement, but not enough to cause damage.  If it wasn't for the hard working sump pump, though it would have been a whole different story.
~
I feel bad for anyone affected by flood.  It can be so messy and debilitating.   The only blessing is that all of this rain in March wasn't snow.  In that case, we would have been literally buried  with up to ten feet, and completely shut down.  So, as bad as it is, it could have been so much worse.
~
Isn't that the case with most of the adversities that we face?  Things can be better, but they can be so much worse.

TommyO said... 

I hear ya my brother, as I vac'd and pumped water for hours on end the other night, all I had to do was turn on the TV to see the thousands of folks a lot worse off then me. Didn't feel so bad.

Aquaponic Pricing

If I were to build an Aquaponics System for someone... a system ready to add fish and plants....the below spreadsheet would be the breakdown for a 2 waterfall, course with 3' deep 4'x5' irregular, stone lined pond, that is connected to a 4'x8' hydoponic vegetable platform.
~
This is the way that I would construct my final price.  But you wouldn't see this breakdown. 
~
You would see a one page sheet that says....


Complete Aquaponic System with two waterfall course, 4'x5' Pond capable of keeping Koi four seasons and adjacent integrated hydroponic growing system.
$5,000.00.  Payment in full upon completion.

So for $5,000 you would be ready to relax to a soothing waterfall, watch your  fish, and harvest hydroponically grown plants and vegetables.

It hardly seems enough.

Shroud of Turin

Lots of news today about a 3D recreation of the Shroud of Turin.
~
It is not a painting, but a sort of phtotographic negative that scientists have used all types of state of the art dating scrutiny.  Evidence continues to point to an origin during New Testament times.
~
If the Shroud is fake, then I would say that it is the most ingenious piece of artwork ever created.
~
I tend to believe that the Shroud is the real burial cloth of Jesus.
~
But it doesn't matter.  We don't need an artifact to legitimize the existence of Christ.  He has made his impact on the world... whether or not his crucifixion was imaged on his burial shroud.

Frank Iacono said....

Thanks John--wonderfully stated.

More Rainfall

It's raining again here on the North Shore of Boston.  Really soggy.  Flood conditions anywhere near rivers and ponds.  It is the wettest March on record here, but I luckily haven't had any water in the basement like in previous years.  Probably because this precip is all rain with no ice damns that ultimately caused my basement leakage.
~
But the sump pump is getting a good workout.
~
The rain doesn't have me depressed.... a Mountain of a Man doesn't let a few drops get him down.... but it would be nice to get a little sunshine in the mix.  Plus, I'm interested in seeing if the backyard stops being a swamp since the fallen willow trees wil not be absorbing this moisture.

Weekend Progress

I appreciate all of the calls and emails asking how the fence project came out.  It does disturb me a bit that you are so obsessed with my weekend accomplishments, but such is the circumstance of a Mountain of a Man.
~
So to satisfy your pathetic obsession, please note that the fence came out fine.  I dug all of the post holes, leveled and poured the concrete, then cut and  installed the fence rails.  All that is left is to install the picketts, which shouldn't be heavy lifting, but still will require a little attention to detail.
~
I was pretty much done by 4:00, showered and went to dinner, with Katelyn and Mike, who were in town to see the grandkids as well as Stevie Lewis and his beautiful wife Jill. Joanne and I took them to the new restaurant that was the former Flynnies... has a wierd name that I can't remember... but the food was good.
~
Next weekend is Easter, and Mike said that he would come into Marblehead to make the pickett nailing short work.  It's supposed to rain Monday, Tuesday and Wedsnesday, but I still hope to get the shingling done before Mike gets here for the picketting job.
~
In the meantime, maybe I can get the Nanepashemet Warehouse sign carved and installed.

Pisc said...

Seldom does one comes across a topper like ______from back in the Needham days. Anything you have seen or done, he had seen a bigger one or climbed a higher one. In my current position, I have met an equal to the Topper. The same generation, same middling position in the organization but self-perceived C level executive talent, same ability to stultify a conversation, its uncanny. I need to sharpen my wit for the next round of topping. Pat -  Are you saying that someone is topping the Topper?  Hard to believe.

POTW Week 12

It's sunny and cool in the thirties.  A perfect day for some FreshAyer and post hole digging.

ANNOUNCING....
Nanepashemet Peeps of the Week for the Twelve Week of 2010

Harvey Rowe
Lindsey Kepnes
Michael Murphy
Linda Hewitt Murray
Jean Bubon
Will Nestor

Let the fun begin.

Project Appalachia Status

Today, after a very productive morning at Nanepashemet Telecom, I got out into the backyard and took stock of what remains to be done in completing the transformation from Appalachia to New England back there.
~
Still shingling to be finished, but the focus now is on the stockade fence.  I stabilized the portion where the willow tree had crashed through, leveled the post, and put some concrete mix into the post hole to mix with the rainwater.
~
Repaired the fence railings by using the Kreg Jig to screw some new support boards in.
~
After a visit to FreshAyer tomorrow morning, I will try to dig the last two post holes and install the railings.  Then it's just a question of installing the pickets, which I will hopefully complete on Sunday.
~
There's still a chance that I can get the shingling details done before April, but unlikely, since the Nanepashemet business is starting to really pick up lately.  But as long as we have reclaimed the backyard and painted the house trim prior to fishing season starting in late May, everything will be on track.

The Last Thousand Days

Some time tomorrow, it will be 1,000 days until December 21, 2012... which the Mayans have predicted as the end of time.
~
So is this our last one thousand days???
~
How will you spend these last precious moments?
~
I suppose that if you really believed in this doomsday stuff, you  wouldn't care about going on a diet, or learning to play the guitar, or paying your taxes....  among other things.  Probably doesn't make sense to buy a lottery ticket, or cut the grasss, or shave.
~
You still should treat people right, because the Mayans didn't say anything about the afterlife being cancelled... and you don't want a lot of people pissed off with you in the hereafter.   Or at least, you don't want to piss off more than you already have.
~
One good thing is that phoney liberals and their wacky bullshit won't bother me as much.  Don't care if they win the elections if they don't have any more time to screw things up.
~
I will continue to Blog though.  Blogging is Life and Life is Blogging.... and we still have 1,000 days to go.

Second in Line

Joe Biden is a heartbeat from the Presidency.
~
If BO keeps on smoking and gets lung cancer or something, this loose gun on deck gets to have his finger on the button.
~
Dropping the F Bomb to the President on an open mike was the latest gaffe among many.  My favorite is when he tried to curb the economic panic during the Presidential campaign.

~

"When the stock market crashed, Franklin D. Roosevelt got on the television and didn't just talk about the, you know, the princes of greed. He said, 'Look, here's what happened,'" Obama's running mate Joe Biden, told the "CBS Evening News."

~

Except Republican Herbert Hoover was in office when the stock market crashed in October 1929. And the television wasn't invented.

~

So Joe just reached in and pulled this one right out of his ass.   Brazenly inventing the facts.

~

Maybe he's not an idiot. Big Maybe. But he is the Vice President.

~

Loyal Dems will point to the gaffs that Sarah Palin has made.

~

But the difference between Palin and Biden is that Sarah says stupid stuff when she is chided by A Holes like Katie Couric (ugh!!!). Joe says stupid stuff off the top of his head on a regular basisl with virtually no provocation.
~
I know that a lot of people had strong feelings about our last VP, Dick Cheney... but Joe Biden truly scares me.

Maria Rowen said...


Maybe a well placed f-bomb can be very effective, but in most situations, ‘it’ belongs in a back room. As a matter of fact, Biden belongs in a back room. Maybe it’s just too much to expect respect and common decency in our highest-ranking, elected officials. After all…Fox News reported this morning, following the signing and the ‘say-it-ain’t-so-Joe-swearing, Obama thought it might be a good idea to have the following three letters put on a t-shirt…BFD…yup…it sure is…

Get a Grip

So for Kerry, Will, Tyler, TommyO  and a couple dozen others to name a few, who were asking what we did this weekend.... yada , yada, yada....
~
If I wanted you to know... don't you think that I would have freaking told you????
~
Sometimes, you have to live your own lives.  Sure, my life is fascinating and inspirational, but yours doesn't have to be so humdrum.   If you looked deeply within, you might even find something interesting in your own dull existance.  It could happen.  It's not so impossible.
~
OK.  Maybe I let you down a little.   But a Mountain of a Man needs a little privacy once in awhile.  Even if it's only for a long weekend.
~
The chances of it happening again soon are slight, so you can take the panic level down to a manageble decibel.

Tuna Lips said...

From the sounds of it, ye did a whole lotta nuttin'. Bully fer you. Sixer of PBR, some pork rinds, wire hanger to scritch at the mange betwixt my shoulders, and the clicker control is all Ise needs fer when yeh get down to brass tacks.

Staying Strong

The United States of America is the strongest nation in the world... by far.
~
Our American economy is so huge, at a Gross Domestic Product of $54Trillion per year, that it is larger than the next four largest national economies  - Britain, China, Japan and Germany - combined!
~
Our American Navy controls the oceans of the world without question.   Nothing moves between countries unless we tacitly allow it.
~
The spirit of individual initiative and ingenuity that has produced this unprecedented national strength can be attacked.  It can be compromised.  It can be a subject of self loathing apology.
~
But it can't be destroyed.... or even derailed.
~
Not even close.
~
We'll fix this health care fiasco.  We won't let the system bloat, decay, and erode like the other socialized systems.  We'll find a way before this ill thought out, abortion of a reform, ruins lives.   And we'll see the political pendulum sweep out the self loatheing hacks at the same time.
~
American Strength will prevail.

Not Healthy

If the National Health Care bill was so good for us, then why would it be such a btterly contested fight?
~
You would think that if we really needed this, it wouldn't have to be force fed along party lines.  It would be obvious that a huge national expenditure was needed to take care of a problem that everyone clearly saw had to be solved.
~
The US has a health care policy..... that by some analysis is the best in the world.  Emergency rooms are filled with giving care to those with no insurance .  Our hospitals and physicians lead the world in the development of cures and treatments.
~
Should the system be tweaked so that people don't fall through the cracks?  Absolutely. 
~
But this bill is not about health care.  If it was, Congress would be working  in good faith to put together a health care policy that identifies the shortcomings and comes up with some good faith fixes.
~
The fervor and zeal to tip the health care industry upside down and force massive change in a headlong rush betrays the real motive behind this bill.   Surely some Democrats feel strongly about the need for health care reform, but this is really about political power.... and forcing your will upon others.
~
It is the political nature of this bill that is so abhorrent.

Maria Rowen said...
"These are the times that try men's souls" (Thomas Paine). Today has been a trying day but the revolution begins again...to the peril of the progressive poison of this POTUS. This is still America...

A Little Sun

I took advantage of the first nice 70 degree day by hitting the beach ... and getting a very uncomfortable sunburn on my shoulders, neck and face.  It's weird that you don't feel like the sun is burning you until it's too late, and you can't move without a decent amount of pain.
~
As a Mountain of a Man, I naturally can handle a sunburn fairly easily... but I tend to wonder how lesser men put up with the discomfort without wincing and whinning like little girlie boys.

POTW Week 11.

This has been the longest lapse in Nanepashemet Blog Posts in a long time... maybe forever.
~
For those of you who depend on this daily, I do feel badly for you and your pathetic addiction to this illogical, nonsensical rant.
~
There was an excellent reason for the gap in posts, and I actually considered telling you what it is... but I don't think I will.

ANNOUNCING....

Nanepashemet Peeps of the Week for the 11th Week of 2010.

Ben Wallace

Robby Doyle

Will Murray

Tom Holmes

Tommy O'Shea

Dr. Anthony Costonis

I'll try not to let this thing drop again, so don't make a big thing about it.

Maria Rowen said...

The 'up and down' - 'un-official' peep-poll indicates no 'big thing' on the long lapse of posts because of Bret Baier...But...pathetic peeps still prefer the Mountain of a Man - four to one...word...!

More D and R Difference

Katelyn sent me this story which further differentiates the tendencies of Democrats and Republicans.
~
A woman in a hot air balloon realized she was lost. She lowered her altitude and spotted a man in a boat below.She shouted to him, "Excuse me, can you help me?
I promised a friend I would meet him an hour ago, but I don't know where I am."


The man consulted his portable GPS and replied, "You're in a hot Air balloon, approximately 30 feet above a ground elevation of 2346 feetabove sea level. You are at 31 degrees, 14.97 minutes north latitude and 100degrees, 49.09 minutes west longitude."

She rolled her eyes and said, "You must be a Republican."

"I am," replied the man. "How did you know?"

"Well," answered the balloonist, "everything you told me is technically correct, but I have no idea what to do with your information, and I'm still lost. Frankly, you've not been much help to me."


The man smiled and responded, "You must be a Democrat."


"I am," replied the balloonist. "How did you know?"

"Well," said the man, "you don't know where you are or where you're going. You've risen to where you are, due to a large quantity of hot air. You made a promise that you have no idea how to keep, and you expect me to solve your problem. You're in exactly the same position you were in before we met, but, somehow, now it is my fault!

Tom Holmes said...

You NEVER Disappoint me! EXCELLENT!!!!

Democrats and Republicans

The problem about Democrats and Republicans is that they are both right.
~
Democrats say that "it take's a village."
~
Republicans say "let individuals be free to take care of themselves."
~
So if you are competent and independent, the Republican side is right.
~
But if you need the help of others and can't get on by yourself, the Democratic side is right.
~
According to the needs and abilities of the individual, both sides are right. Sometimes government control is necessary... and sometimes freedom is the only stimulis required to solve issues.
~
It makes no sense to only take the side of independent, self sufficient people when some people legitimately need the help of others. Some people need the whole freaking village, and you have to accept that.
~
I'm so confused.

POTW Week 10

Former Peep of the Year Lauren Rathbone once again proves why was chosen as a POTY when she asked if she missed anything by not seeing the Peep of the Week choice last week.
~
The POTW wasn't  there because the Peeps  were never picked,  Lauren.  But I'm happy to act retroactively.

ANNOUCING.... Nanepashemet Peeps of the Week for the 10th Week of  2010.

Lauren Rathbone
Will Crawford
Tyler Gill
Lisa Panakio Rowe
John Tierney
Brian Butler

Nice Catch Lauren.

Angling Toward Aquaponics

The steady rain this weekend put a damper on my backyard projects.

~

But I had a lot of other stuff to fill the gap.  The Grandkids were over which always fills the time, and I had a real estate showing in Central Mass for some of the SuperPeeps who I can't name so that I don't jinx the deal.   And while I was out there anyway, I squeaked in an unplanned Fresh Ayer visit.

~

Then Tom Holmes turned me on to the concept of aquaponics, whereby a fish pond environment is exchanged with the water from hydroponically grown vegetables, and both the fish and the plants benefit from the exchange of nutrients. 

~
So I spent a good deal of the indoor down time reseaching pump systems  on the Internet and thinking of how this aquaponics system could come together.
~
All I was originally thinking of doing was making a backyard waterfall and Japanese water garden... then the thought of adding fish and growing hydroponic vegetables started to make some sense.   I think I'll make a run at it this summer.
~
Thanks for the idea Tom.  I'll send you some Tomatoes.

Lauren Rathbone said...

How come no peeps last week. Did I miss something?

Water Management

I'm waiting for the Grandkids to come by, and I'll be spending some time with them.   But I'd love to get some fence pole holes dug before this three day rain storm hits.  The  backyard  will be soggy and muddy for weeks after that soaking.
~

Since the willow trees in the back have been gone, the water table seems to have risen considerably.  Apparently, the huge willows sucked up a tremendous amount of moisture that is no longer leaving the soil.  Even with the trees, the water table in the backyard was only two feet down or so.

~

Maybe, I'll have to dig a shallow well and install a pump to use for watering this summer.  With a Japanese pond and Coi Fish to follow.  
~
That would be the ultimate evolution.  From Appalachia, to a Japanese Water Garden!  I should start digging for the electrical conduits, but it already has started to rain.
~

Weekend Outlook

It's an overcast and rainy outlook for the weekend.  That might slow the evolution of the backyard from Appalachia to New England.
~
I've been making progress though.
~
All of the trim has been installed and shingling is half done.  All I have to do on the house is finish the cedar shakes, then paint the trim.
~
The next priority will be to fix the stockade fence, then build a wood crate, then move and organize the wood pile.  After that, the backyard lawn and plantings will have to be attended to.... but that gets pushed out to May.  I'm going to get a painting contractor in shortly to do all of the trim around the entire house.
~
If all of the house stuff is done by the end of March, that will leave April to get the Pram and the Tender refurbished and ready for an active boating season this year.  We'll get the WhaleEye in in May and start reeling in the fish and lobsters.
~
That's the plan for this weekend.


Tom Holmes said...
I am Impressed... You Truly ARE a Mountain Man!

pisc said...
Got a call last night from a guy who built my house. He is in Sousa Baranowski for the rest of his life for murder. For what its worth, he is a guy who has nobody, and we communcate with him and keep a few bucks in his account up there.


As my pop, a Navy corpsman, later to become and MD and professor at no less than Yale University said to me when I told him this, hoping for affirmation for being a good Catholic: "we all could be in prison Pat. It's no trick to be free."


Maybe that is why we see eye to eye, Johnny.

Moaning about March

March is the worst month of the year for weather in Boston.   The temp keeps creeping over 50 degrees and the warmth of the sunshine makes you start to yearn for spring, then a quick cloud cover coupled with drizzle at 38 degrees puts the winter chill right back into you.
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Plus, even though I'm basically a Northern guy, and the cold weather  never really bothers me, you finally get bored with it, when it's raw and rainy but not snowing.
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When my ancestral trust fund kicks in... or when I hit the Powerball Lottery... whichever comes first, I'll be heading for some tropical outpost for the entire month of March.  Until then I'll be slugging it out with the March weather, getting as close to bitching and moaning as a Mountain of a Man can get.

Baa Baa Pelosi

In a remark at the 2010 Legislative Conference for National Association of Counties, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi urged the passage of the health care bill saying: “But we have to pass the bill so that you can find out what is in it, away from the fog of the controversy. "
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BTW, the bill is 2,700 pages long.  She would have been a great politician during the Cold War.....  For the Russian Communist Party.   She must truly believe that we are Sheep.
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A highly incompetent remark from the Democratic Leadership.

Pisc said...


Just do what I tell you to Pelosi - these remarks are heard by everyone, and everyone gets it. The onus is on us to tell our representatives that we do not support the proposed legislation and, moreover, are deeply disturbed by the attitude that the majority party is taking given the clear intent from the people that this bill is not just antithetical to our desire, but very,very destructive. The patrician posturing and blatant arrogance that Ms. Pelosi and her comrades are showing toward us, the great unwashed, is completely antithetical to the principle of government "of the people, by the people and for the people." I'll save you the google search. Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address. LIncoln being the first ever Republican president.

This latest surge is the Dem's Pickett's Charge. We must stop this, in the near term, to postpone the vote until after their recess. Barry wants it by date X (for the tenth time), a date conveniently just prior to his going abroad, to avoid the uproar here, to avoid the press, and, in his wettest dream, to gloat to the Socialist scum he wants to impress. Pig.

Pisc said...

Great trip to the Bass Pro Shop last night. Getting the tackle ready for a big year. DId you know that the license that I/we need to simply surfcast is put on us by, you guessed it, the Feds. NOAA. ********ers.