Friday, April 30, 2010

POTW Week 17

Oprah Winfrey wants to limit the use of a cell phone while driving.
~
She is absolutely correct.
~
Nobody should endanger the lives of another so that they can conduct business or chat at their convenience.
~
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
~
Even a Mountain of a Man has trouble concentrating on two things at once.

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Classic Conumdrum

I'm thinking seriously of renaming the "Classic Winter Cocktail". 
~
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".
~
None of these sound right.
~
But "Classic Winter Cocktail" doesn't fit anymore.
~
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???
~
Dark and Stormies in the Summer.
Seagrams and Cider in the Fall..
The Classic Winter Cocktail in the Winter.
~
Course,  Lagavulin, the King of Scotch, rules over all seasons.... but this goes without saying.
~
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.


Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Barack's Birth Certificate

This whole controversy over Obama's birth certificate is bogus.
~
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.
~
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.
~
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. 
~
But  before anybody panics, you have to consider that Swampscott isn't going anywhere, and Sue Sue isn't a qutter.
~
Even though the Town will be worse off by the time she runs again and gets elected, there still will be enough to salvage.

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

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.
~
But when you are a Mountain of a Man like me, that isn't always easy.
~
Like today.... when everything in Nanepashemet Telecom went right.  I don't mean just good.  I mean "kick ass" GOOD.
~
Left the house at 6:00AM and got back by 3:30 PM.... a whole lot better than when I left.
~
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.
~
Now if Sue Sue Raiche pulls off the election in Swampscott, then this will cap it pretty well.  We'll see.

Monday, April 26, 2010

Return of the Prodigal Birds

After a full year's absense, two goldfinches showed up on the feeder today.
~
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.
~
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.
~
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.
~
Just want to keep things in perspective.
~
But that doesn't mean that we won't raise a glass or two in raucous celebration of the achievement.
~
And.... there's a good chance that we'll repeat in 2010.

Sunday, April 25, 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.
~
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.
~
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.
~
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.
~
Like I said... pretty weird.


Saturday, April 24, 2010

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.
~
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.
~
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.
~
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.
~
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.
~
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".
~
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.
~
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.
~
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.
~
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.
~
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.
~
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.
~
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.
~
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.
~
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

Friday, April 23, 2010

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. 
~
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.
~
I can't take anybody seriously who wears a bowtie.
~
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.
~
Maybe I'm getting soft.

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Observation of the Pathetic

People who are completely self absorbed end up to be such users and manipulators.
~
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.
~
The problem is that it is so transparent.  Any idiot can see it except for the self absorbed perpetrators themselves.
~
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.
~
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.
~
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

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Lull Period

Now that the Democrats have socialized medicine in place.... what next?  Seems like kind of a lull out there.
~
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.
~
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.
~
The Tea Party movement is nebulous and unfocused with no leadership outside of maybe Sarah Palin, who is ridiculed everytime she takes a breath.
~
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.



Tuesday, April 20, 2010

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.
~
"J. Do you and Joanne want some Cod?"
~
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.
~
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.
~
Damn... What a class act!
~
And they say that Facebook is a waste of time.  Fresh cod for dinner.

Monday, April 19, 2010

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.
~
Like watching "Dancing with the Stars" or something like that.
~
Not that I ever watch DWTS.
~
Or that I hope that Pamela Anderson makes it to the next round.
~
Or that my favorite dance is the Quickstep, followed closely by the ChaChaCha.
~
I wouldn't be caught dead watching "Dancing".
~
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.

Sunday, April 18, 2010

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.
~
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.
~
By tonight, it will be time to settle in, pay some bills, and do some proformas.
~
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.

Friday, April 16, 2010

Dissing Dissent

Lots of heartburn out there from guys like Obama and Clinton regarding the Tea Party dissenters.
~
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.
~
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.

Thursday, April 15, 2010

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.
~
I think it's the latter.
~
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.






Wednesday, April 14, 2010

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.
~
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.

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

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.



Monday, April 12, 2010

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

Sunday, April 11, 2010

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.

Friday, April 09, 2010

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.

Thursday, April 08, 2010

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

Wednesday, April 07, 2010

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.

Tuesday, April 06, 2010

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.

Monday, April 05, 2010

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.

Sunday, April 04, 2010

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.

Saturday, April 03, 2010

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.

Thursday, April 01, 2010

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.