Exploding Head

So the Federal Government will still be cutting checks today.   The House of Representatives compromised on a bill to keep funds flowing today.
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At the bottom of this is a screaming hypocrisy that everyone seems to ignore.
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The Federal budget is based upon money that we do not have.
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If American families don't balance our finances and pay our taxes, we are subject to bankruptcy, foreclosure and incarceration.
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But the Federal Govermnent just keeps printing money and IOU's.   With impunity and no repercussion.  If you did as our government does, you would quickly go down like a lead balloon, with the prosecution being the Federal Internal Revenue Sevice.
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Does this hypocritical system seem fair or even ethical to you? 
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Are we just Lemmings???... following our lack of political leadership over a cliff into the sea?
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I have to stop asking these questions or my head will explode.  And I can't afford that to happen because the kids are coming over this morning.
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But, you have to wonder when this bubble is going to break.

dougmaxfield said...


ANARCHY! M.O.A.M., if you lead them, they WILL follow. They can take away our land, money, and freedom, but they will never take our FREEDOM!

You, You and Only You

Once again, I am reminded of the power of this blog.

Threatening, Intimidating, Exasperating, Biting, and naturally all about you.   Yes every innuendo, every vague comment, every off colored statement, every POTW selection is expressly directed to take a shot precisely at you.
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Once again, I have to remind you.
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Virtually none of it is about you... and virtually all of it is about me.
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Which, of course, you will take as a reference that is pertaining to you.
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If this Blog had a sixteenth of the power that is attributed to it, I would kick your ass with it.   And yes... that one was about you.

Tuna Lips said...

This here is some weird expustatings, even for an open-minded non-hatin' type such as myself

Makers and Takers

So I'm listening to the early morning local news and the attractive yet irritating newsanchor says that the last time that the federal government shut down, it cost us $1.6Billion in salaries by federal employees not working. 
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Huh?
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Seems like if we didn't spend the money, we saved it.
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Sure... I feel bad for those non-essential Federal employees who weren't paid.  Some of them are so incompetent, that if they didn't have those public jobs, they would be on welfare.   And for you politically correct types, I spent nine years on public payrolls and I said "SOME" employees.  
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So....
A.   I know what I'm talking about,  and....
B.   There are exceptions to the rules.
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But, having worked in both the public and private sector, there are fundamental differences.
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In the private sector, you have to produce sales at some level in order to keep your job.
In the public sector, you have to cover your ass to keep your job.
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Again, there are exceptions to the rules,   And this doesn't apply as much to big corporations, where I also spent an inordinate amount of time, and found that those who cover their ass to be much more attuned to the public sector.
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The basic problem is that we need government services and government regulations.   And we need people to carry these out.  But the system gets out of control and bloated as those empowered find they can spend money that they have not earned with impunity and little consequences.  That's why public buildings are so overbuilt and grandiose.
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Enough of this.   You are either a maker or a taker, and you know in your hearts what your are.  There are culprits in both sectors.

On the Road Again

New Haven is a lot farther from Marblehead than it should be.... a long drive.   But the bonus for getting there and parking at the side of the ocean to get my bearings was the sight of a huge swan cruising along the shore at the Nathan Hale Park.   I've seem a few of these in the last two weeks while driving around New England.  Very Cool. 
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Then I ended up looking at stuff in West Haven, Meriden and Cromwell as well before deadheading home.....back in Marblehead by 5:30 PM.
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Lots of time on the road for one day. 
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I used to deal with driving fatigue by drinking a can or so of Red Bull, but have been avoiding that recently because of the bad publicity and health concern that seems to be following these energy drinks.  Now coffee and Coca Cola with bathroom breaks at McDonald's give me the the road warrior edge. 
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Travel is such a necessary evil.  And it doesn't matter if it is trains, planes or automobiles.    Always tiring and stressful.  I so prefer to stay home.  I've seen swans down at the Rockett Landing in Salem Harbor.  Don't necessarily need to drive to New Haven for that.
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There was an underpinning of excitement down in Connecticut about the UCONN game for the national NCAA Basketball Championship.  I'm happy for their win.

No Plan to Go Public

Big week for Nanepashemet Telecom.
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New Haven, CT today, Springfield, MA tomorrow.  Lots of other venues in between and after.
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Lots of you have asked me when we are going public.   Even if we were, I wouldn't disclose it, but I'm pretty sure we are keeping it all for ourself.

POTW Week 13

So I finally changed the pattern and got a workout on the Cybex this morning.  It's the best that I've felt with this head cold in three weeks, and I broke a nice sweat during the thirty minute session.
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I won't be weighing myself during this regime until my pants get easier to button.  Otherwise, it doesn't matter what the scale says.
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Announcing....
Nanepashemet Peeps of the Week for the 13th Week of 2011

Tom Raiche
Brian Harrington
Denise Kearns
Kate Middleton
John Kerry
Robert Towne

But once I feel comfortable in my trousers, I will be interested in seeing the scale come up short of 200 lbs.  Even though I am rough, tough, hard to bluff and damn good looking right now, a little improvement couldn't hurt.

ReAlignment and ReAjustment

The author's of this book claim that if you read and implement, you will be healthier, your relationships will improve, and you will be financially successful.
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I bought it anyway.
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Had the electronic version downloaded from Amazon to Joanne's Kindle and then synched it to my Ipod and read half yesterday.
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So far, it had been quite an inspirational read.  I especially like the B-ALERT technique.
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B - Make a Blueprint for each day.  Link to your goals.
A - Take Action.
L - Learn - Read about your industry 30 min./day.
E - Exercise - 30 min. per day. 
R - Relax - When fatique hits in the afternoon, Nap if possible for 25 Min.  Take a full day off per week.
T - Think -  Take the time at the end of the day to replect and evaluate what happened, and how to improve.
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Naturally this habit has to be set over a well thought out series of balanced goals which cover your personal, career, financial and other areas of your life.  The goals have to be your honest evaluation of what you desire, and what action you will take to achieve your goals.
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And it all has to be habitual.  There are no magic buttons to push  You have to do this stuff every day until you do it automatically.
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What I like about this program is that it is doable and attainable.  It means that you have to reallign some of your behavior patterns, but not drastically.   The key is in the title... "Focus."
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And even if some things don't improve, at least I'll lose some weight by junping on the Cybex every morning.
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It's the first full week in April.  I'll check back with you on May 2 or so and let you know how this is working out.

Denis Leary Doesn't Suck

In the new house on West Shore Drive, I have my own bathroom.  And Joanne has hers.   She gets pretty pissed off if I use hers, even though hers is bigger and I have to walk past it to get to mine. 
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But in general, I'm pretty happy to be confined to my very own shitter.   I can't be blamed for misses or drips, because I never freaking use her toilet.
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And I'm free to have my own reading material in my own bathroom.  Don't have to put up with Lady's Home Journal or Martha Stewart Living because she sees fit to toss my woodworking or sports mags.
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But the bathroom is small with a small sink and stand up shower sqeezed into it.  Not much room for non-bath related paraphenalia.  I have room for one book at a time to be rested between visits on the window sill.
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Of late, the book has been "Why We Suck" by Denis Leary.   Dave and Meghan Bruett bought the book for Ryan early in his stay at Fort Devins, and he shipped it our way as his collection has grown in his limited bunk space. 
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Leary is an edgy comedian who grew up Irish Catholic in a Worcester, MA working class neighborhood.  He likes Hockey, the Red Sox, and has a kinship with firefighters.  All stuff that I can personally relate to.  He has a no nonsense outlook and doesn't suffer fools easily, which I like as well.
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Plus, you can read a chapter of his book in one sitting.... so to speak.

Getting Older

It was a nice birthday party for Joanne at the BYC with Harvey and Lisa Rowe and Maria Rowen.
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Always good conversation, insight and laughs with this group.
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At our age, birthdays seem to come pretty fast.  We've been cruising through the fifties in record speed.  But screw. it... it is what it is.  You can't do anything about getting older.  I used to think that people in their fifties were old, but now I'm way down that road, and I really don't feel that way.
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Sure.. I can't do some things that I used to do... namely run and play basketball.    But I'm certain that I think and reason better and my short term strength is as good or better than it ever was. 
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So far, no memory loss or anything like that.  And I'm a much better woodworker and boatbuilder  now.

New Haven Bound

Nanepashemet has picked up quite a few work orders for services in the New Haven, CT area.
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Although I am proud to have done my undergrad work at UMASS Amherst, it would have been nice to have gone to Yale.   I remember from my days on the track team, that they had great food there, and the Skull and Bones Club seems pretty cool.
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I could probably hang out there for lunch if I was an Alum.    But I guess I'll be finding a McDonalds.

Sperm Whale Sighting

Got a lot of grief with my Turkey in the Tree sighting yesterday.

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But it doesn't compare to the time I was out rowing and caught a glimpse of that sperm whale.

When I was a kid, we just didn't see too many sperm whales around these parts. 

Now it seems like they're everywhere.

Sure beats the hell out of Dougie's Cod.



http://www.northshorewaterman.com/

Royal Wedding Gaffe

One month until the royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton.

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Joanne and I are still checking the mailbox for our invitation.

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You would think that we would have received it by now.

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We're not bitter people, but will be scaling down the value of our wedding gift based upon this oversight.

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I had originally in mind a nice blender, but now they'll probably get a set of tupperware.

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Even tupperware seems too good for them if this goes on for much longer.

POTW Week 12 of 2011

I've been reminded that I've been lax on selecting the Peep of the Week.  Not sure why I've let this go, because it's obviously crucial to the health and well being of such a wide swath of society.  It's a good thing that you can translate this blog into other languages using Google.  Otherwise, it would be impossible to cover the international demand.

ANNOUNCING....
Nanepashemet Peeps of the Week for the 12th Week of 2011

Ethan Nestor
Kerry D'Orio
Phoebe Crawford
Charlotte Crawford
Emily Mountford
Craig LoConte

That should get the program back on the right track.
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BTW, a huge tip of the hat goes out to Superpeeps Chris and Sarah Crawford who brought their beautiful twin girls, Charlotte and Phoebe, out for some FreshAyer this weekend.
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A class act from a class couple, and Ryan really appreciated it.

Talking Turkey

You can click on this Pic for a better look.

Woke up this morning to see two turkeys roosting in the trees across West Shore Drive, about thrity feet up from the ground.   Just yesterday, Joanne was asking me where the turkeys spend the night. 
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Now we know.
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I stopped watching them for a second, and next thing I knew, they were pecking away in the front lawn.  Big huge birds.

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It's incredible that turkeys are found in such abundance in this area.   It's the same instance with Canada Geese.  Neither of these species could be found here when I was a kid.... now they are commonplace.

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In 1950, there were an estimated 300,000 turkeys in the United States... now the number is 5.4 million.  Two of them have been hanging around our house.  Nice comeback.

                                                                 

Great Ad

Kia Presents: A New Way to Roll 2010. - Click here for the funniest movie of the week

dougmaxfield said...

Why did I just picture you with a hat on sideways doing the running man, Salt 'N' peppa style?

Lying About Libya

I'm not in favor of putting American kids in harm's way over this Libyan civil war.  The threat to our country is minimal, despite the fact that the Libyan Dictator Gadhafi has openly supported terrorist attacks that have lead to the loss of American lives.
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The case with Saddam Hussein in Iraq was different in that he was gassing Kurds in his country and had given all impressions that he was developing weapons of mass destruction.  It was a definite threat, even though we found out that he was bluffing after we kicked his ass.

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Although it would be nice for Gadhafi to reach the same fate as Hussein, that can't be the motivation for our foreign policy.

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There are repressive regimes throughout the world, that persecute their people.  If that is our rationale for intervention in Libya, where do we draw the line?
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In reality, we are intervening in Libya because of the importance of Libyan oil to France and Britain, and the US is nervous about controlling the leadership position.  Funny how France is leading the way on this one, but turned their nose at the Iraq effort.  It's all about the money.  This repressive regime reason is bullshit.
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Obama already has the Nobel Peace Prize, and the lefties will give him a big pass on this action... although there is far less reason to attack Libya than Iraq.

Orlando Ordeal

Got back from the CTIA Wireless convention in Orlando, Florida today.
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I had a brutal chest cold and a hacking cough which made the whole thing an ordeal.  Plus there were other physical issues that I'm not going to tell you about, but it all added up to a great deal of discomfort.  The temperature down there was in the 80's which felt oppressive in my Boston end of winter mode, and there was a lot of walking from venue to venue
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Despite it all, I relied on my Mountain of a Man powers to catch up and renew some old relationships.  Got some good industry rumors and a few sales leads.
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It was worth suffering through.

Kharmic Storm

There are now 365 days left on the official FreshAyer countdown.   Anything happening earlier  is always possible
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If you feel guilty reading this because you know that you had something to do with it..... go easy on yourself.
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You will need all of your strength to withstand the shitstorm that is coming your way courtesy of the Law of Kharma.   For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.   As ye sow, so shall ye reap.
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Think of it.   How bad can it be????   Oh. Baby, you are screwed.   And nobody will feel guilty for you.

TommyO said...   Just wanted to let you know that I heard Celtics Number 5 Kevin Garnett on the radio today discussing his leisure time with the host.

Love to watch "Spartacus", can't get enough said the big man. The dudes alright in my book.

Into the Closet

Katelyn was pretty happy at the closet that we built on Saturday.
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So was I.
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Nothing fancy.  Just some 1x12 white laminate joined with Kreg Jig Joints and screws.  We bought all of the stock at the Home Depot, and cut the pieces on her back porch.
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The whole thing took about seven hours including design and stock plan,  the stock  pickup run, tools set up and breakdown, and a stop in the action for an Italian Sub sandwich.  The Kreg joints made it wicked solid.
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I suppose that if I worked in efficiencies, I could build two of these a day.
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Could be a fallback if the Telecom Biz tanks.