Great Ones Passing

As many of you know, being of an Irish Catholic cultural background, I have been disheartened by the state of the Catholic Church and feel that it has lost it's relevancy for me.
~
But I wish that I had met this guy.

Father Beiting established a mission in Kentucky, and lived a life of service and accomplishment.
~
My friend, Harvey Rowe, no stranger to the concept of service to others and love for his fellow man, was an admirer of Father Beiting and was with a team swimming the English Channel when Father passed away earlier this month.
~
Harvey had been to Father Beiting's mission and had nothing but admiration and praise for the work that was being done on a very practical, economic scale.  Harvey's loss is all of ours when a person of this calibre passes.

People like Father Beiting and Johnny Pesky make you stand back and wonder if you are doing everything you should be doing with your time of earth.  They will be missed.

Sound Outlook

Hopkins is a great actor and not a bad philosopher.

Red Sox Redemption

Red Sox are dissapointing this season.
~
It's hard to have more than a passing interest in them.
~
Although yesterday, in Wolcott, CT, the Building Inspector noticed that I was from Boston, announced that he was a Yankees fan and proceeded to quiz me about the Sox.
~
I knew enough to fake the conversation, and bitched about Beckett.   He gave me the permit over the counter when normally it takes a day or so.
~
So maybe the Sox season has been redeemed for me at least.

Freaking Lapse

My apologies for the lapse in posts, Peeps.
~
I know that a lot of you get panicky when you don't get a daily Nanepashemet Fix, and while the state of your clinging psyches is of little concern to me, I still have a need to ease your pain.  
~
They don't call me Mountain of a Man for nothing.
~
And with your panting and possibly psychotic emails and voicemails pleading for an explanation... well I could easily tell you to kiss my ass.... which I won't.
~
Instead you should know that the period from Friday evening to the present Monday afternoon sitting was filled with the type of Nanepashemet activity that you have all come to yearn and hope for in your own daily drivels and strivings.
~
Superpeep Nathaniel Clarke had his 30th birthday this Sat. and we kicked he and his class parents, Dave and Deb off with Dark and Stormies at the BYC Deck on Friday, then attended a spectacular clambake at the Clarke house with some of our favorite Peeps on the following Sat.
~
Ben Martin, now a Running Back Coach for Princeton University, made an appearance at the clambake  and reminded me that I have to update the Official Nanepashemet NCAA Football Team endorsements.... which I will one of these times.
~
Then Sunday, we worked on Tommy O's deck and would have had a great deal more done if we were not interrupted constantly by reporters from Architectural Digest, Coastal Living, and Fine Homebuilding in their quest to break the story of the latest Nanepashemet Deck to the general public.
~
Not that I blame them.  The deck is shaping up in typical pristine primo fashion...  a suitable setting  for copious consumption of Coors Light and Margaritas in the coming months.
~
Then today it was time to deadhead back to Connecticut in an all out assault for Nanepashemet Telecom business excellence.
~
So that's the reason that the freaking lapse happened.
~

Sorry.

Boston Stuff

MOAM Looking Back

Doesn't seem so long ago.

Irritating v. Despicable

The other day I was complaining to someone about how the Democrats seem to talk down and pander to people.
~
Irritating.
~
But Vice President Joe Biden  hit a new low when he told a mixed race audience in Virginia yesterday  that Mitt Romney’s tax policy would put “y’all back in chains,”.
~
Joe, we know that you are not the sharpest knife in the draw, and we can't blame someone for being a little stupid.... but we CAN blame someone for being an Asshole.
~
So let's analize this statement a little bit.
~
How does cutting taxes equate to people being enslaved?   "Y'ALL" understand this? 
~
Then you are a lot smarter than me because I don't see the logic at all.
~
What I see happening here is a Democrat seeking to talk down to an ethic audience, because Joe isn't from the South and "Y'ALL" isn't close to being in his vocabulary, so that was a pandering, talking down remark.  This is irritating.

But the "back in Chains" part?  That goes deep into Joe's Liberal outlook, because he still looks out there and says something to cut deep into the psyche of a Black American... to scare them into seeking a false refuge with the Liberal policy of creating a dependency on government programs run by Liberals.
~
This part isn't irritating.  It is pathological and despicable.
~
So if you are looking for a slavery metaphor, Joe... consider this... Republican tax policy has nothing to do with slavery.... but Abraham Lincoln was a Republican... and he freed the slaves.  So maybe "Y'ALL" can weave this into your line of political bullshit.
~

Pandering Asshole.

Bloviate

Word of the Day

• bloviate
• 
• \BLOH-vee-ayt\

• DEFINITION

adjective

: to speak or write verbosely and windily

Read more at http://www.merriam-webster.com/word-of-the-day/#8O5dYtF8KLx7t3Mm.99

Willing to Help

Paul Ryan, the Congressman from Wisconsin, who authored the Republican House of Representatives proposed budget is Mitt Romney's choice for Vice President.  So far, he comes off as a well spoken, reasonable legislator.  
~
Immediately, I saw an ad on Facebook displaying him in a stressed face and claiming that he will eliminate Medicaid.  And George Stephandemocratatopofus in ABC News has been brimming in consternation with the choice..... so I think that it is a good one.
~
Obama has been spreading the word that "trickle down" ecomomic policy has hurt the country and that he wants to help the "middle class".   But I'm having a hell of a time trying to figure out how the billions that were squandered in the stimulus spending package with no effect on the joblessness problem validates his approach.
~
Naturally, I have the solution on how to create jobs, and those of you Peeps who faithfully follow this Blog also have the insight.
~
But I'm getting tired of being a voice in the wilderness.
~
If the candidates want to know how to cure this mess, they'll just have to ask me.   And my consulting rate is a bit on the high side.
~
And while we're talking politics... nobody asked me but.... even if Elizabeth Warren didn't lie through her teeth about being an American Indian, I'd still be against her and for Scott Brown based upon their ads.    Warren treats us like idiots... talking down to us and stressing her simplistic points as if we really don't understand otherwise.   Brown just comes off like a regular person.
~
That's just my opinion.... also known as the Facts, Truth, and God's Will.

POTW Week 32

I had an inspiration this morning to resume work on the Marblehead Gunning Dory which has a frame and bottom in pieces at the Nanepashemet Peabody Warehouse.
~
Years ago, Hillegas and Brown were making cracks about my Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), when they thought I wasn't listening.   I was, and it's lucky for them that they don't report to me anymore or I'd be kicking their ass at this recollection.
~
But what was I talking about?  Oh Yeah... the Dory. 
~
Not sure if it's a good idea to start it up again, with all of the other stuff going on.   But maybe I'll make it for Kate and Brady's Wedding Present.  
~
ANNOUNCING
Nanepashemet Peeps of the Week for the 32nd Week of 2012

Mike Rockett
Kerry D'Orio
Brady Boyle
Tommy O' Shea
Nathaniel Clarke
Sarah Loomis Crawford
~
Wouldn't hurt to set the frame up on the strongback during a lull next week.  But then again, I have to keep up the Banjo practice so that I can bang out the Bluegrass version of  "Here Comes the Bride" at the upcoming nuptials next year.

800 Meter Record

David Lekuta Rudisha	1:40.91
		Nijel Amos	1:41.73
		Timothy Kitum	1:42.53
4		Duane Solomon	1:42.82
5		Nick Symmonds	1:42.95
6		Mohammed Aman	1:43.20
7		Abubaker Kaki	1:43.32
8		Andrew Osagie	1:43.77

Incredible race in the 800 meters for a new work record by the Kenyan Rudisha.  The average varsity high school athlete couldn't sprint for 50 meters at a pace faster than this guy just ran a half mile.  
~
Congratulations to the other athletes who posted incredible times behind him.

Saddleback Mountain Bluegrass Festival

I was thinking of getting up to the Saddleback Mountain Bluegrass Festival in Rangely, Maine this weekend. Sam Bush and the McCroury Brothers will be there.
~
It's only 230 miles from Boston, about 100 miles northwest of Sunday River.
~
Or maybe I'll just stay home and play my Gold Star Model GF-100FE Pro Banjo with Flying Eagle Inlays (5 String) .
~
That will be harder on Joanne, who doesn't appreciate my Bluegrass artistry.... but I'll save a lot on gas.

Water Polo Break

I took a little break from the hectic pace of Nanepashemet Telecom today and decided to watch the Olympic Water Polo match between Australia and Hungary.
~
Peeps.... previously I have demonstrated to you that Soccer is more exciting than watching paint dry.... by painting the wall next to the TV and noting the time I starred at the wall vs. the time watching the Soccer Match.  
~
Soccer won hands down.
~
But, I'm not sure that Water Polo would pull off the same result.

Olympic Placemarks

The Olympics are an important milestone.   The fact that they happen every four years makes a crucial difference.   There is no..."We"ll get them next year" .... in the Olympics, because if you don't win now, there is no telling where you'll be four years from now.
~
Because they are separated by blocks of time, the Olympics tend to burn placemarks in my memory, that erases the years and brings loved ones back to life.
~
Some of my placemarks.....

Jim Ryun losing in the 1500 to Kip Keino of Kenya and Bob Beamon leaving the world record by over a foot in the long jump in Mexico City.
~
Dave Wottle coming from the back of the pack to win the 800 meters, with my father jumping out of his chair cheering him home.
~
Steve Prefontaine losing to the evil Finn Lasse Viren in Munich 5000 meter run.   Frank Shorter of Yale, winning the marathon, after an impostor jumped on the track.
~
Joan Benoit of Cape Elizabeth, Maine and Bowdoin College crushing the field in the first women's marathon.
~
Tommy Smith and John Carlos with their Black Power salute on the victory stand after a world record 200 M sweep.
~
Al Oerter winning the discus, four Olympics in a row.
~
Bruce Jenner waving the American Flag after an impressive Decathlon win.

~
The Sprinter Flo Jo, Florence Griffith-Joyner with her spectacular finger nails that our friend Elaine Coughlan so admired.  Both died way too young.
~
Jim McKay and the Munich massacre of Israeli athletes by Muslim Terrorists.
~
Sugar Ray Leonard, Leon Spinks and his brother, Michael, in the Boxing competition.  I remember watching this in the Landing Restaurant Bar in Marblehead with my friend, Joe Collins.
~
Lots of Olympic memories.  Some years I was more attentive than others.... especially when my brother and I were so into track and field during high school and college.
~
Not sure if anything will be burned in from this Olympiad.  But hopefully, I'll keep the memories that transport me back to friends and family every four years or so.

CrossHairs

A good friend of mine, who has shared my outlook and philosophies for the most part, has told me more than once that "Revenge is a dish better served cold."
~
I would have to agree, given certain karmic consequences.... but when you have someone who went out of their way to screw you and yours... now squarely focused in the proverbial crosshairs....  can't really let the opportunity pass while the dish cools off.
~
My Lawyer certainly doesn't think so.
~
And Ive never minded mixing it up anyway.  So as Maximus said to his Field Captain..."At my signal, Unleash Hell." 
~
Or a reasonable facsimile.

Immunity

Whitey Bulger says he is going on the witness stand at his murder trial to testify about his immunity deal with the FBI.
~
This has got to be hard on the family's of the victims, if the FBI cast askance at their loss.

Happy Weekend

Peeps...
I know that I was in a blog lapse this weekend, but between Tommy O's deck, the final touches at 32 Beverly Ave., and the Olympics, I pretty much fell off the wagon.
~
We got all of the framing done on the deck and I called for the inspection today.  Then we will start to lay the decking.   Using 2x10's and 6x6 posts with a three board 6x10 laminated beam makes this deck a bit overengineered... ok .... it could easily be used as a heliocopter pad.
~
But the O'Shea's will need a solid platform with the type of serious partying and entertainment that is  their hallmark.
~
Across the street at 32 Beverly Ave., the new screen door looks great and the refurbishment of the back deck was also a total success.   Even the basement stair rails were completed with a bit of the Nanepashement flair that you all have come to know and love.
~
Bobbi Cody, the Marblehead Code Inspector, (classic code inspector name) came by and blessed the Nanepashemet House with a certificate of code compliance for the pristine residential shrine that is the birthplace of the Nanepashemet Blog.
~
The tenants are happy, the code inspector is happy, the O'Shea's are happy.... that really is the overall final work product of Nanepashemet .... Happiness.
~
Course, I would have liked to have seen Shalane Flanagan from Marblehead medal in the Olympic Women's Marathon, but she seemed to be content with tenth place after suffering leg cramps, and 10th in the Olympic Marathon is really a huge accomplishment in the overall scheme of things as well.
~
All that weekend happiness left me pretty sore though.  Just can't frame a deck in 90 degree weather like I used to.

BTTW at Tommy O's

Today, shortly after we hang up the Nanepashemet Telecom mantle in the late afternoon, it is BTTW (Balls To The Walls) time at Tommy O's Deck.
~
We'll be undertaking the crucial step of attaching the ledger board to his house, and setting up the posts to level for the cantilever receiving beam.
~
Tommy and Linda want to break after that and head to Essex for some fried clams.... which I think is an excellent notion.
~
They have opted for traditional 7/8" Pressure Treated Deck planks over the popular composite stuff that is on the market.   Our PT Deck  at 32 Beverly Ave. was showing some wear after a dozen years or so, but we screwed down some loose and warped decking, then stained and sealed it and it really came out completely renewed and rather beautiful, so I have no trouble with the traditional wood choice.

A Warren Irritation/Obsession

Does Liz Warrren's new ad about putting people back to work like they do in China irk you?

Should we pay our people the same wage rates as the Chinese Liz?

 Or should we indiscriminately rip down their homes without due process to put a road or project anywhere we like?

Or should we ignore the enviroment and spew pollution freely anywhere we please?

 LIKE THE CHINESE DO????

Is Warren as off base as I think? .... or is it just me? Holy Freaking Cow.

Cutting through Boston today, I saw an SUV with a Warren sticker on it so I caught up to the driver to see what he looked like.... because I can't imagine who would support this poser.

The guy looked like a Goofy Bastard.

Amazing Olympic Events

The Olympics are moving further away from the capabilities of regular people.   I remember 20 years ago or so when we were awed at the performance of Nadia Comenici of Romania in woman's gymnastics  as she performed amazing feats on the unparallel bars and the vault.
~
A look at her routine vs. the current competitors makes Nadia look almost pedestrian.... a truly amazing development.
~
I was also watching the 10 meter synchronized platform women's diving  and have no conception of how these athletes twist, twirl, flip, and enter the pool in perfect identical motion.
~

How the hell do they do that?