Nice Start

I've purposefully avoided all of you Peeps who've asked me how much weight I've lost since staying off of the carbs for the last 12 days or so.
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It goes without saying that it is none of your freaking business.
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Nonetheless, as a Mountain of a Man, I realize that I must maintain the standards, set the bar, show the way for the rest of you hapless, disoriented, and uncharted Peeps.  It is a burden that I must bear.
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So the fact is that I have lost 12 pounds in the first 12 days of this no carb, disciplinary period.... for a ratio of 1 lb per day.   I know that this rate will fall off over the remaining 75 days, but I'm pretty psyched at the start.  My goal is to get under 200 lbs  during the disciplinary period... but don't want to get too good looking too fast.

Classless, Hostile, and Insensitive

BO came out today and said that people have a constitutional right to build a mosque on Ground Zero.
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He is absolutely correct by the laws of this nation, but if allowed to stand alone, it is the statement of a pussy.
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Let's face it.  The only reason that a Mosque is being planned for an area where radical Isamists scored a twisted victory is to memorialize the successful act of Radical Islam.
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In the United States, we have separated church and state.   Where this has not happened in the Muslim world, it should be understood that the actions of the Muslims at Ground Zero were nationalistic as well as religious.
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Obama's leadership here takes a narrow legalistic posture and negates the real reason that the Mosque is proposed.... to mock us and flip the finger at the American culture.   Mr President... protect the Constitution, but stand up and proclaim your real feelings here.   What do you feel about the gesture here to mock us, and deride us???????
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Yes, the proponents of this Mosque have the right to build if they comply with zoning laws.   And I for one would allow it to happen..... but not without labeling in as a classless, hostile, and insensitive action.  It takes advantage of the liberties that this nation stands for.

Axiom

Every time anybody takes the opportunity to tell you that they are an ethical person.... they are doing something to screw you. Acting unethically. I have never seen this to fail.

Fun with Johnson's

It was the cocktail party that wouldn't quit last night as the entire Johnson family came over.  That includes reigning Peep of the Year, Jeremy and his beautiful wife, Julie in from Minnesota, the gorgeous Amanda from LA and of course Dale/Buck and Trophy Wife Gail.
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Grandson Will was rather smitten with Julie and kept up a constant motion.  Mike dropped in which prompted Scuba Steve to come by and even Katelyn made an appearance at the end of the evening.
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Jeremy had gotten about three hours of FreshAyer with a fake tattoo on his forearm to prove some streetcred with the C.O.'s.   His "THUGLIFE"  tat in Olde English lettering was freaking hilarious, and Ryan was apparently convinced of its authenticity.   He and Ryan had a great visit, and he came back with truckload of stories and anecdotes.
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Jeremy had also let his beard grow for a week so had some mild, barely discernable fuzz going on with his tattooed audacity.
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I laughed so hard that I thought my stomach was going to flip.
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I was thoroughly impressed that Amanda and Jeremy found the King of Scotch, Lagavulin, much to their liking and we finished the last of the bottle that Maria Rowen had bought for me in gaining the coveted Automatic Peep of the Week designation.   We also finished the Laphrogh  and the Jameson's so my liquor cabinet took a good beating.
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But it was damn worth it.
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I'm hoping that some of you Peeps will step up for another "Automatic" soon though.

Figity Photos Part Deux

Low Carb

No carbs for 8 days and I've lost about 9 pounds.  There is no doubt that the elimination of bread, pasta, potatoes, cookies and crackers has significant power for weight reduction.   I still have a Sam Adams from time to time.  I mean... I haven't gone freaking crazy about totally dropping every single carbohydrate.   So this is technically a low carb diet.
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Last night at the My Brother's Table Summer Party, it was easy to stay on  the shrimp and the cheese, and eat stuff off of the bread.  Been eating lots of nuts and cheese to ward off the munchies, where I would ordinarily turn to Cheezits, chips and popcorn.
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But Man.... I miss my Ben and Jerry's Cherry Garcia..... really Bad.
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I definitely feel like I have more energy.   Eggs for Breakfast,  Tuna with no Bread for lunch, Grilled Meat or Fish with Salad for dinner.  And as much cheese and nuts as I feel like in between.   Doesn't seem like much of a sacrifice.  
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If I have lost 9 already in about a week, it would seem reasonable to be able to be able to lose 30 or so by the end of September.  Then I'll reintroduce macaroni and cheese, and Ben and Jerry's....  and Lay's Potato Chips.   All in moderation.   Plus I have to get some workouts in more consistently.
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I like this diet better than counting calories because there is no denial - just a choice of different foods.  I'll probably switch to counting calories when I get to my goal weight in about 80 days.

Sarah Palin

I continue to think that she is great.

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Not afraid to put herself out there.

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Willing to take the abuse.

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Dealing with the family issues that we all encounter.

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Full of honest comment and common sense.

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Plus she's smoking hot.

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Deal with it.

Power Day

Yesterday was a power day at Nanepashemet Telecom as we kicked off our project in Washington DC and linked up with our new Mid Atlantic team.  Now more of the country will benefit from the boundless services of Nanepashemet.  Why should New England have all of the fun????
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We also cut a deal on a killer home in Central MA for some of my favorite Peeps.
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So what's the problem?
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Basically getting up at 3:00 AM, having to suit up, and heading to Logan for a 6:00 AM flight always disrupts my natural patterns.  As in ..... no BM.  Then there is the rush to Dulles at the end of the day, only to have the return takeoff to Boston delayed for a couple of hours.   Then, on the packed Jet Blue flight,  I had a nice middle seat surrounded by two guys who didn't seem to share my sexual preference so to speak.  Not that it bothers me, but I made sure that my less than svelt frame stayed clearly within my own seating boundaries.
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Didn't walk through the door in Marblehead until 10:00 PM.
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Luckily, I always have my Mountain of a Man levels of endurance to carry me through this type of ordeal.   I can't believe how often that I had to do this when I worked for General Dyamics.  That's one other thing I don't miss about that company.
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Today, there are a lot of details to take care of that will insure the progress of yesterday.

Monkey's Ass

''as a Monkey that climbs a tree, the higher he goes, the more he shows his Arse.''  - Benjamin Franklin.
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I had a conversation with a Real Estate Broker today that brought this quote to mind.
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or... to put it another way....

The faster the Monkey climbs the tree, the more of an Asshole you will see.

Pass is Fading

Despite my efforts to look the other way, Michelle Obama is starting to get on my nerves.
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All of the cooing that goes on about her with the liberal media.  They even try to make us think that she is some kind of fashionable looker.   I mean, she's not ugly, but let's leave it there.
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And she doesn't seem to have any intellectural depth.   Her campaign against obesity in children seems to miss the mark somehow.
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This entourage to Spain... between trips to Bar Harbor, Martha's Vineyard and Florida..... how many of us can afford all of these back to back sojourns.   She's not a private citizen.... see's the Frst Lady of the United States - a title that brings her own White House Staff.   Not a good example when the country is struggling with 9.5% unemployment.
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Then I listen to people like Cokey Roberts who smirks and says stuff like, "Yes, it's poor judgement and looks bad.  But this will all blow over."
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In the end, the pass that Michelle and her husband gets will start to wear off, even with all of the swooning.

A Continuing Process

It's back to Marblehead tomorrow after an extended weekend in North Conway.  As painful as the cycling was here, I know from past experience that it will get better if I push though the discomfort and maintain a training regime.
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I think that I will pull out my old ten speed and see if I can use this to continue the process.  It's an old bike and probably obsolete, but it was always pretty rugged, so I hope that I can bring it back to life with my new found bicycle mechanic ability.
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Laying off of the carbs has been no problem.  No craving yet for bread, cookies, pizza or pasta.  
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My plan is to maintain a 100% no carb posture until I lose 20 to 30 pounds, then reintegrate these foods while watching my weight as closely as possible.  I mean... I can't turn my back on macaroni and cheese forever...
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It would be nice to regulate weight solely by cardio workouts, but if I have to back off the carbs again to maintain, then that's the the way that we will go.

TommyO said...

Hi Jay,

Welcome back buddy.
Lobster has less than 1g per 3 oz. serving. Good to know that your hard work will still reap rewards despite your intake restrictions.
TommyO

Fun Cycling

It would seem that threading a bike chain onto a Shimano Derailleur shouldn't be such a big deal.
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Wrong Kemosabe.
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If I didn't have Joanne's bike to use as a model, there would be no way that I could have figured it out.  Plus I naturally dropped a washer while doing the job on the second floor deck, so spent at least a half hour trying to find this which had lodged between the decking boards.
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The good part is that the mechanism was very nicely engineered and I only needed metric allen wrenches to deal with any of the connections.
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So I finally fixed the chain after about an hour, then took a 15 mile ride out towards Jackson and back.  The ride was freaking torture.  I kept thinking about the guy that I met in the parking lot who said that he was heading to Ossippi for a 60 Mile loop.   WTF!!!!!  How can I find this so challenging while every peckerhead around seems to be piling up 50 miles for fun and relaxation????
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Plus, I am acutely saddle sore after this weekend thrust for biking fitness.

Lucky and Happy

Yesterday, in an ambitious bike ride up Hurricane Mountain Road, I shifted quickly down to 1st gear and threw the chain.   Even though I had my allen wrenches with me, I had no idea how that chain was configured on the Shimano gear shifter, and opted to have Joanne bring the F150 to pick me up.
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Afterward, we followed my intended route but spent a decent amount of time on Hurricane Mountain since some guy had flipped his sports car and the ambulances and wreakers held everyone at bay.   While I was stuck on the side of the road, about 25 rallye cars had roared past me and I suspect that one of them misjudged the tricky turns in this road.
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At any rate, I felt lucky compared to that driver, with the top of his car all squished.
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Had my chain not flipped off, it would have been a decent haul back and I probably would have overdone it again, so I was happy with the mishap.  So Day 4 of no carbs laid off of the cardio for the most part.
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I'll try to repair the bike and rev it up for Day 5.

POTW Week 30

Day 4 of no carbs.   I didn't think that I would be able to walk this morning after my 35 mile bicycle debacle, but I feel surprizingly well

Announcing....
Nanepashemet Peeps of the Week for the 30th Week of 2010

Doug Maxfield
Pat Piscatelli
Mike Nestor
Tyler Gill
Jill Phillips
Christos Laganos

So I think I'll give the bike another spin today.

Pushing the Limit

Peeps...
You have got to FREAKING BACK OFF!!
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All or your emails and vm's about whether I stayed off of the carbs for the 3rd and crucial day in a row.
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To answer your annoying, irritating, neurotic and sometimes nasty inquiries.... I sailed through the day like gangbusters... not a carb in sight.
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I started the day with a 15 mile easy bike ride - my normal New Hampshire loop.  Pedaled through with nary a problem.   So in the afternoon, I mapped out a new 20 mile loop and tackled that.   A bit more challenging, but a Mountain of a Man doesn't know how to quit.... which can be mighty painful at times.
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After 15 miles I was pretty spent and thankful for the drivers who were swerving wide to avoid my erratic pedaling behavior.  But I'm sitting here typing this... proof positive that I again dodged cardiac arrest.



No carbs again for me tomorrow... but maybe no bike rides either.  Have to see if I can get out of bed.
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I think about my old Lynn English and UMASS classmate, Christos Laganos, who regularly embarks on 100 mile bike rides in the mountains, and my roommate from UMASS, Bob Towne, who is a nationally ranked ultramarathoner and 100 mi trail runner, and my old partner, Harvey Rowe, who routinely scoops up all of the hardware in his Triathlon age group
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Where have I gone wrong?    These guys have literally got me sucking air.
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This working for a living routine has got to go... I have to get back into shape.

Jim L. said...
Jay, I remember those dorms out in Amherst were often ripe with a pungent oder, which explains why you thought Laganos was in classes with you. However, I believe I passed out once or twice at his pad in the Back Bay when he was at Northeastern.

Your right, though, about that working for a living, it is constantly getting in the way of my attempts to get into shape. My bike seems to collect more dust than miles.

Weighty Issues

I'm on my second day of no carbs, and its going pretty good.
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Mike says that no carbs is for pussies... but he's in his twenties and has no freaking idea what's in store for him.
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Until I was 28, I could eat anything I wanted, with no weight repercussions.  But then, two things happened.  My metabolism changed, and I didn't need so much food or drink, and my career pressures increased and required  more lunch and dinner events.   Plus with family and job responsibilities came far less exercise.
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So... I heaved on the beef.   Big time.
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And once you get to a certain overweight and out of shape state, you start to get injured really easy when you do get the chance to do any meaningful exercise.   
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Another problem that I had was that I used to be a competitive runner, and my ego wouldn't allow me to jog slowly.   So when I began a running routine, I would invariably find a time when I picked up the pace and strained something or threw out my back.
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Now it appears that keeping off the carbs will do the trick.  I did it before and lost about 20 lbs., then went back on the pizza and mac and cheese lifestyle.   Can't say that this won't happen this time either but I'm going to try and make a run at it.

Pisc said...
Exercise every day for 1 hour, get your heart rate up to 130 and keep it there for 20 minutes. Dieting is for broads, just eat right. Start by having oatmeal for breakfast and some milk. Makes you sh*t proper and set you up for the rest of the day. a 12 to 1 work out will kill your appetite and keep you from jamming food late morning. Have a Muscle Milk before 11 and run with that for energy. Do not eat soy protein. Go with whey.

Yes, I am into this.

northshorewaterman.com said...
Dude, you're old. Stop trying to get to muscle beach. Build yourself a throne; get yourself a goblet (may want to have it bedazzled)and sit back and enjoy all you have created. Think of the lobsters and bluefish that could have met their maker during the allotted 'exercise' time. And for the record, worrying about soy protein vs. whey is for metro-sexuals.
________________________________________________________

Some harsh and cutting remarks from the WaterGuy.   Probably true though.... except for the Whey.  No Way on the Whey, Doug.  You are Way off... about Whey.

Vacation Plans

I was thinking of taking a couple of days off and heading up north - through Coastal Maine and then over  to North Conway.   Not sure when I'll go.  
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Since I'm the owner at Nanepashemet Telecom, I can take any freaking time off that I want. 
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So don't push me. 
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I'll go when I feel like going. 
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I just don't feel like it right now.
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One thing that I am going to do is immediately lay off of the carbs.  It's not that I can't get into my pants... it's just so damn hard to button them.   And I'm not going to a larger waist size.   I'm going to go with cardio burns and no carbs until I need a belt to keep the pants from falling down.  The hell with a scale.  I don't care about losing lbs.  ..... just want to be able to grab any old pair of pants from my closet, and put them on with no issues.

Sound the Alarm

It's official.
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The Gulf Oil Leak is over.  They can't find anything else to clean up.
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We are damn lucky.... having dodged the Pandemic Swine Flu and the Greatest Environmental Disaster in History in the last year.
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What was it that Chicken Little said???
Was it "The sky is falling, the sky is falling"?
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So far, the Obama Administration has had some alarmist tendencies.  Is it some sort of plot to convince us that you should depend on the government for all of your needs?   Or is it poor judgement of the facts? 
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I suspect a combination of the two

Bachelorette Behind Us

I let my guard down last night and watched the season finale of  "The Bachelorette".

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Being a Mountain of a Man means that you are not afraid to look like a girlie man from time to time.  Even if it really looks bad.

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Ali chose Roberto and sent Chris from Dennis, MA packing for home a day early.

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I called it five minutes into the program.

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Now that this is behind us, I will be resuming my normal rough, tough, hard to bluff and damn good looking demeanor.

Maria Rowen said...
According to Askmen.com, rough and tough with a little bit of fluff is the perfect combination for the perfect man. They recommend 2-parts John Wayne/1-part Nathan Lane. So when the mood hits, just saddle up your sturdy steed while you sing about surrey with fringe on top...

Review of Hooked

I was starting to feel guilty because I hadn't been to Tina's restaurant, Hooked, even though Mike and Katelyn had brought us home a clam plate from there.  So during a lull today at lunchtime, I asked Joanne to call for some takeout.
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Another brilliant move by the Mountain of a Man!
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Joanne got the Spinach Salad with Shrimp.   I was a bit more diet and health conscious, so I ordered the Fried Haddock Sandwich.... with a side of Onion Rings..
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My considered culinary opinion is that the food was Freaking Delicious and Wicked Good.
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Joanne just kept making happy sounds as she bit into her shrimp, and I was wrestling with a huge piece of perfectly cooked haddock that wouldn't come close to fitting in the tasty roll.  Which is always a plus.  The rings were great too - not greasy and with cornmeal coating that let the onion come through.
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When Tina was telling us about the place.... How you could hang around and have a beer or a glass of wine while you waited for your order... I was silent with polite skepticism.  Didn't initially buy into it.
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But the place really pulls it off... if I ordered dinner for takeout, I would definitely come early and down a beer in the pleasant upscale surroundings at their sitdown ordering area (aka... bar.)
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There is a good chance that Hooked gets named as a Nanepashemet Official Endorsement in the  Favorite Local Seafood Takeout category... but we have to wait for the statutory probationary period.