Goofy Dufus

So I'm right in the middle of the zoning hearing tonight, literally surrounded by hostile elderly condo owners who were giving me stares that made me feel that they thought rather ill of me.  Like they would inflict some pain if we were in a less civilized culture.
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I always try to keep a happy countenance in situations like this.   Make the people think that I am some goofy dufus who doesn't realize that he is right in the middle of a crowd that would like nothing better than to separate his gonads from the rest of his man tackle.  Poor Skippy... he would never be the same.
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Then, just as the testimony gets a little dicey, I start getting text messages from some of you misguided and irritating Peeps saying stuff like,  "How's it Going?"
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I know that many of you are probably getting sick of the characterizations of myself as a "Mountain of a Man"..... but who else could maintain a Goofy Dufus posture while enduring the most annoying text messages ever during a very ackward moment????    
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I mean.... you have to be a Mountain of a Man to pull this stuff off.
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Anyway, with the vote count in question, we succeeded in getting the hearing continued so that we can provide additional information.   Unfortunately for Nanepashemet, we are on a lump sum contract and can't charge by the hour for this one.   Or this permit process could be getting pretty lucrative by now.

Vituperation Resumes

It's back out to Western Massachusetts tonight for yet another hearing regarding my evil plot to build a tower for my wireless telecommunications client.

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We will be advocating to erect a monstrosity that will reduce property values, wreck the views, produce a fall down hazard, destroy human health, and even increase illegal drug traffic in the area.

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I truly believe that all of these arguments are bogus, and that the vituperation and anger that is heaped on me is a bit unfounded...... But at least I get a fee for doing it.
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Before I head to the hearing, I have to get an inspection sticker for the Nanepashemet F-150 because the current one expired in June.  I'd hate to be breaking the law on the way to carrying out my evil plot.

True Liberal

James Carville, Democratic Pundit, says that the Democrats have a three pronged strategy to keep control of the US House of Representatives.  The three prongs are "the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost".
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Even though I don't agree with his politics, I like Carville, because he is a true man of his convictions.
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He is not a Spin Doctor or a Thought Police Agent.  He doesn't try to twist stuff to fit a liberal agenda.  He believes in his cause, but clearly sees the facts that affect it.
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He is critical of Obama where he feels its appropriate, especially with the lack of leadership with the Gulf BP Spill, and points out that the Democrats and BO's administration have lost the faith of the majority of the country.
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I would contend that most liberals would simply deny this and put a spin on.
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It is refreshing that he describes the facts as he sees them, rather than manipulate and force feed in propaganda fashion.
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I know some other liberals that fit Carville's mold.... but generally they are the exception.

Gibson's Rants

Do we care what Mel Gibson says and does in his private life?
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Not even a little bit.
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He is one hell of an actor, director and producer.   Who cares if he has a fight with his wife and she tapes his shit talk????   That's personal and private and should only be between husband and wife. 
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In every marriage, people say stupid stuff that they don't mean,  but they depend on the trust and privacy of their partner to let them vent out their craziness. 
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The whack job here is his wife, who has violated inner privacy of a marriage.  To let even one other person into this personal space proves that you really have no hope for the marriage.  It is the ultimate betrayal of a relationship.
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When Joanne and I were first married, we lived in a low budget Western Mass apartment complex where all of our surrounding tenants were newly weds.   As screwed up as you thought you were in working out the kinks in your marriage, those thin walls told me that everybody had the same whacky behavior.... or much worse.
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The sanctity and intimacy of a marriage requires that you care enough about your spouse to work out these emotions within the privacy of the both of you alone.  Otherwise, your love is not genuine.
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So I feel bad for Mel Gibson, and total distain for his wife who exploited their intimacy.  He is screwed up like everybody else, including those self righteous GMA reporters who seem so disturbed at the contents of his spouses tapes.   But those phonies are a whole other post.

Tuna Lips said.....
Amen. What i finds pardoxifying is his truculence at her havin' them nice boobies. Wherever thems ponderous melons comes from, I am praisin' the baby Jesus fer thems orbs of pulchritude are here on this earth.

Jim L. said...
It seems apparent that Mad Max is the real whack job in this relationship. The wife had no reason to have any hope. Having been battered, she took the course she felt she had to take.

That is a good take on the situation, Jim... and makes me agree that we don't have all of the facts.  I just think that she appears to be a bit more on the exploitation side.... and thus has violated the marital trust by going public.   Can't believe that Gibson performed all of the irrational ranting, and she probably wouldn't be taping her own bullshit remarks.

Tuna Lips said...

Yer thinkin' is spot on there, Jimbo. No uhn of sound cogitatin' lambastes a gal fer havin' them perty cans, and sharin' them with the rest of us is a simple corporeal work of mercy. She autta be canonaded a saint.

Studly Tender

The rowing was going good but it was too rough to fish outside of the harbor.  So I circuited Marblehead  Harbor twice for a total of 6.67 miles.
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Course after six miles I found myself at the Boston Yacht Club dock and noticed that the outdoor bar and grill was open, so I called Joanne to meet me on the porch and downed a couple of Mount Gays and Coke before the last half mile.
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The Tender performed well in the rough outer harbor chop and also received the usual oohs and ahs from passing boaters and people at the BYC Dock.  There must be something lodged deep in the human psyche that makes people attracted to natural wood and varnish.  Too bad it's so damn hard to maintain.
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At any rate, the Tender is back and looking studly even with an overweight, middle aged rower at the oars.

Rowing with Purpose

High tide this morning is at 10:30, and I'm thinking seriously of breaking through the lethargy and getting a vigorous row in.
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The Tender is finally ready and suitable for public view.
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I'll take my fishing rod for trolling, launch at Riverhead Beach, and row out to Marblehead Rock which .is about two miles away.  I have an ulterior motive with this route choice, because I had 4 pots at Marblehead Rock, and could only locate three when Tommy O and I hauled yesterday morning.
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It would be nice to land a keeper striped bass during this workout.  We only netted two keeper lobsters this week, although a lot of critters ended up in the traps including four shorts, three skates, a large flounder, two rock perch and about six huge snails.   So if we weren't so picky about just getting lobsters, it could be considered a fine catch.

To Do

Everytime I tick off something from the To Do List, I get a bit of satisfaction.
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But then some low lying item, that didn't seem too important before, looms forward as a high priority.  And the cycle begins anew.  By the time you tick off this item, you have stuff on the list that you never even thought existed before.
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It's not bad when you have a lot on your To Do List.  The ticking off and adding lets you maintain your position in the flow of things.

POTW Week 26

We are at the half way point in the year.  How are you doing on your New Year's Resolutions?   I'm failing miserably which is pretty much standard operating procedure as far as resolutions go for me.  But the difference this year is that at least I recall what the hell I resolved to do back in January.
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And there is still the chance that I can get back on track. 
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Ok .... not much of a chance, but anything is possible.

ANNOUNCING.....
Nanepashemet Peeps of the Week for the 26th Week of 2010

Lisa Panakio Rowe
LeBron James
Megan Erhardt
Pauline McBurney
Paul Dulong
Evelyn at the New London Building Department

It's way overdue, but all of the refurbishment of the Columbia Herreshoff Tender is complete as of today, and I'll probably get a rowing workout in tomorrow from Riverhead Beach.  Got to get the guns toned up.

Suicide Stance

I know that I put the scare into many of you Peeps at the thought of my Mojo being a little low.
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But there was no need for widespread panic!!!!
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Just because my fastball lost a little zip, I get all these calls and emails from Peeps looking to off themselves... to jump off the Tobin Bridge, or open their veins in the bathtup, or something gruesome like that.
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The official Nanepashemet position on suicide is a thumbs down.  Definitely not cool and not suitable Peep behavior.
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So..... Cut the Crap!!!
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The fact is that the Mojo Meter was tracking pretty positive today.   Took care of a lot of details, picked up a nice receivable in the mail, and got a great RFP opportunity.
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If you killed yourself, you would miss the tally of this week's lobster trap pull.  Which is precisely why Nanepashemet has adopted it's progressive anti-suicide stance.

Missing Mojo

Peeps... Sometimes I feel like I've fallen off my game.... that I've lost my Mountain of a Man Mojo.... that my fast ball has no movement.
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It's a lousy feeling.
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For instance, Al Gore left his soulmate, Tipper, just before the bombshell hit about his  attempt to get his "2nd Shakra" released by a $500 masseuse.    ..... And I stood by and said nothing.
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Or Lindsay Lohan is going to the Big House after attending a Court Hearing with "F**k U" printed on her fingernail.   .... No comment from me.
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Or the POTUS decides to sue the State of Arizona because the state wants to enforce immigration laws that are ignored by federal agencies that are supposed to work on behalf of the states.  ..... And I just let it slide.
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Or a Downy Woodpecker was seen a couple to times on the Feeder this weekend.  .... And I never even boasted a little with a Blog post.
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This can't be good.
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We all have our ups and downs.  I suppose  that  even a Mountain of a Man has to spend a little bit of time in the valleys.  So maybe I should be patient.... but when I come back, it will be with all cylinders firing.
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Only now... it just seems like a couple of cylinders are missing a spark.

Pisc said...

2nd Shakra, I am gonna have to use that. Thanks.

Palin Apology

Levi Johnston says that he lied about all those bad things he said about Sarah Palin.
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"Last year, after Bristol and I broke up, I was unhappy and a little angry. Unfortunately, against my better judgment, I publicly said things about the Palins that were not completely true,” Johnston said in the statement to People Magazine  “I have already privately apologized to Todd and Sarah. Since my statements were public, I owe it to the Palins to publicly apologize."
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Now it is only a matter of time before ABC News and Good Morning America issues their apologies about all of the lies and untruths that they have advanced about Palin.

Hazy Start

Back to work after a long summer holiday weekend.  Have it hit it hard.  I'd hate to tally the amount of beers that I consumed over the last four days.  It won't be hard to keep a resolution to cut down.
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But now, it's time to refocus, and see if I can get some business response from my customers and vendors who are probably as hazy as I am.

Design Flaw

There's a design flaw in the Pram.  The front rides lower than the back and water rushes up through the centerboard slot in a quick row causing the Pram to fill with water and swamp before I can get all the way to the WhaleEye.
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I don't mind a little swim in the Harbor, but I hate it when my wallet gets wet.
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The problem should be solved by capping the center board slot with a seat panel that I've been thinking of making anyway.

POTW Week 25

The cookout at Clarke's didn't disappoint.
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And Dave Clarke's craftsmanship and sense of design is of the highest calibre.
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When Nathaniel made me a Dark and Stormy, my night was complete... and the fireworks over Marblehead Harbor had get to begin.
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ANNOUNCING....
Nanepashemet Peeps of the Week for the 25th Week of 2010.

Nathaniel Clarke
Paul Perocchi
Jay Darcy
Ryan Nestor
Jimmy O' Shea
Mark Vona

Happy 4th of July.

Memorable Meal

Lobster count for the cookout at O'Shea's was 10 including a three pound beauty.  The work it took to harvest them made them even better. 

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We boiled them in the turkey fryer and combined wth Jimmy O'Shea's award winning chowder, and Tommy O's steak tips, it was a meal that we will remember for a long time.

Plan for the Fourth

The July 4th holiday is wicked big here in Marblehead.
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There is an undercurrent of history here because of the committment that Marblehead had to the Revolution and the part that Marbleheaders had in significant operations including the battles in Boston  and Trenton, NJ.
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Mike came home from Europe last night and had some great stories to tell about London and Majorca.  And Kate is already home with JackDog.
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This year, we'll have the grandkids over and Mike and Kate will be helping out.  After some FreshAyer, Tommy O, his brother Jimmy and I will be pulling the traps and sneaking a few trolls down Bluefish Alley.
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I hope that we will end tthe afternoon with ten or more lobsters.  Jimmy, who is an award winning chef at Bobby Brynnes down on the Cape, is in charge of cooking up this batch of  tasty critters and some will undoubtedly end up gracing a pot of macaroni and cheese.
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I'm also really looking forward to seeing the fireworks tomorrow from a cookout at Dave and Debby Clarke's newly renovated house down by Marblehead Harbor.   Dave owns Essex Builiding and his work is very high quality, and since I appreciate great craftsmanship, I will be happily viewing his latest work.
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Plus their son, Nathaniel and his squeeze, Meghan are here from DC.  Both qualify for the coveted title of Superpeeps and I always look forward to hanging out with them.
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And the weather looks very accommodating for these great plans.

Tuna Lips said...
Sounds like a right fine time to be had, Had by some, that being. Unless you choose to snap a few polearoids of some fine breasted gals and share them with us, sorta a made in the USA salute to Uncle Sam! I support this keragjus effort on yer paart, you gofer it, Boomer! USA! USA ! USA!

Lauren Rathbone said...
This month's Coastal Living Magazine has Marblehead featured as one of the top 10 places to celebrate fourth of july. Happy 4th .

Tufted Titmouse Return

This morning, after an absence of about a year, we had a sighting of a Tufted Titmouse at the Feeder.
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I know what you are thinking, Peeps. ... "How can J stand the excitement and just calmly enter this on the Blog???"
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What do you want????  Do you think that a Mountain of a Man loses his composure just because of the return of a few Titmouses (Titmice?) to his Feeder????.
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I do admit that my hands are trembling.

Waterfront Offerings

Land Offerings

Lobster Count

Tommy and I pulled the traps tonight and came up with five keepers and eleven shorts  Some of the shorts were borderline.
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That's one keeper lobster for every two traps that we pulled.  I'm no marine biologist, but sixteen lobsters  in one ten trap haul seems like a lot.  Especially given that there are dozens of other traps in competition with ours.
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The sea bottom around Marblehead seems  to be crawling  with these delectable criitters which taste so good when steamed and served with drawn butter.
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If we maintain this ratio, we will harvest abount 10 lobsters per week and over 100 lobsters over the remainder of the summer.  I'd estimate that over 2000 keepers will be taken from Marblehead waters this summer by recreational and commercial lobstermen.
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Can the fishery sustain this???  Like I said, I'm no  marine biologist.  But my guess is that these crustaceans are holding their own.  And as long as the regs against taking shorts, bigs and females are honored, there will be enough to go around for the time being.

Doug Maxfield said...

2:1 thrown back vs. kept...you ol' sea farmer you. Just keep tending your crop until they're big enough for the pot.

Evil Plot

Last night at a hearing of a Planning Board in Western Massachusetts, a Board member pinned back the President of a Condominium Association who has asserted that my client's tower would drop the property values of his Condo complex.   The Board member asked him to substantiate this claim.  Give some evidence where this has happened.
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Didn't expect that to occur.  Usually we are subject to unprotected assault as the perpetrators of evil towers at these hearings.  People can make all sorts of wild and insulting claims with no pressure to legitimize their assertions.
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For instance, we were accused of aiding to the drug traffic in the area, and it was stated that we should  pay a monthly stipend to each owner at the condominium.   Both of these points were new highs/lows for me at hearings like this.
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The Board Member's question.... to actually explain an inflammatory remark.... was a refreshing change.  
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We will eventually get the approval to build this tower, after hearings throughout the summer and the expense of substantial legal fees.   And the condo's value will not be diminished, nor will drug traffic pick up in the area, nor will the tower make people sick, nor will it fall down and kill someone.
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This too shall pass, as I inflict my evil plot to build wireless towers and wreck the lives of all in my path.

Lobsters for the 4th

With the help of Tommy O, we dropped all ten traps at strategic places off of the islands in Marblehead Sound.   The competition for the tasty crustaceans seems pretty intense with traps all over.
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I avoided the mud around the Salem Harbor Lighthouse this year because of all of the gross, jelly like stuff that grew around the traps.  Even though the area was productive, some of the alien life forms kind of turned me off from fishing that area.
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Had a little engine trouble, where the connectors to the battery had corroded and it was difficult to get the charge necessary to turn over the engine.   Mark Ryan of Ryan Marine jumped on that one and fixed it today for which I was really grateful.   It's nice to have a boat mechanic service that you can trust and actually gets work done promptly.
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We'll check the traps tomorrow and hopefully there will be Lobsters for the 4th.