Off Season Time Kill

[BigKen]

When I went in in 1968, I was 74" tall and weighed 166 lbs. When I inquired about being a 'fragman', I was told that I had to quit smoking. ( I smoked about 5-8 a day). I would have to give up drinking completely for six months of training. Then I would have to qualify by running two miles in 10 minutes or under and then meet other strength, endurance, and physical tests. I easily passed all of the "mental testing and written tests." I've never been a runner. I'm lucky if I can walk two miles in under 20 minutes.

I was in Drum & Bugle Corps from the time I was 13 and I could easily march 12 miles in a parade in 96 degree heat. I just have never been able to run. The impact of my feet hitting the ground gives me a headache about the size of the Alaskan YuKon. I gave it a shot but quit running after a little less than a half mile and walked away.

At the end of my 2nd tour, I was offered a scholarship to Annapolis . I had two years in, then do four at the Naval Academy and then have to give back 1-1/2 years for every year at school. That was a 10 year commitment after two tours in Vietnam and I just couldn't write my name on that line. Today, I kick myself in the ass constantly for not doing it. Then again, I would never have met my wife, never had my kids and wouldn't have my grandkids. With my kind of luck, I would have graduated as a full lieutenant ( I was an E-4 with combat) in 1974 and probably have been sent back to Nam and been killed in 1975 before or during the pullout. Or spent 30 years in the navy and retired as a bird Captain and be sitting on an island relaxing this morning..

 

[Yankee Traveler]

Mine are one genre. Action. I don't buy Comedy or Drama. Too often I never watch them again. I did watch an oldie the other night. Kramer vs Kramer. Was I ever that young? Meryl Streep and Dustin Hoffman have gotten old. I might watch it again in 2025. Last night I watched Act of Valor for the umpteenth time. I had tremendous respect for the SEALS. I know I was never physically good enough. Mentally yes. Physically, no. I would have rung the bell.

They would have had to take my corpse and thrown it at the bell.
I am beatable, but you can never defeat a man who will never give up.

I watched Lone Survivor last night.

 

[Yankee Traveler]

Or spent 30 years in the navy and retired as a bird Captain and be sitting on an island relaxing this morning..

With a different wife, kids and grand kids that you would not give up for a parallel life with the ones you know now.

 

[cheerupcharlie]

Got a brand new Patriots fan last night! My beautiful granddaughter.

 

[Southieinnc]

Congratulations!

 

[BigKen]

Hold on tight.They grow up way too fast.

Congrats.

 

[cheerupcharlie]

Hold on tight.They grow up way too fast.

Congrats.

Thanks. She’s my second. I have a beautiful 8 year old granddaughter. She plays flag football and is the only girl in the entire league. 8 teams 4th-6th grade. She is the starting QB. Can throw better than any boy in the league. Coaches and parents from the opposing team talk with her after games to tell her how impressed they are and to keep going with sports. She’s awesome.

 

[Yankee Traveler]

Got a brand new Patriots fan last night! My beautiful granddaughter.

View attachment 245441

Now that is a happy fathers day gift.
Congratulations!

 

[Southieinnc]

What does smoked haddock cost around NE these days?

Anybody got a traditional Finnan Haddie recipe?
I have not had it since I was a kid.....

 

[nefansince75]

What does smoked haddock cost around NE these days?

Anybody got a traditional Finnan Haddie recipe?
I have not had it since I was a kid.....

Give me a moment and I'll run down to the store and check... HaHa.

Seriously, you'll need to go to a forum where the members eat that, but maybe someone here will surprise me.... and Ill eat some crow, er smoked haddock.

 

[BigKen]

What does smoked haddock cost around NE these days?

Anybody got a traditional Finnan Haddie recipe?
I have not had it since I was a kid.....

Extremely hard to find. The fish smoke house are pretty much gone and the cost of fresh haddock is profitable enough that true smoking would make it almost unbuyable. When I was a kid back in the late 50's and early 60's I worked for a guy named Rex Sprague. He had a lobster and fish business and I worked in his smoke house and fish factory. At 12, I used to head and gut whiting. Cut the head off, make a slice on the belly and flip the guts out. They'd dip about 1000 lbs of thyem in the salt water and then pack them like sardines in boxes. We'd roll hundreds of those 5 lb boxes into the freezer and then they'd get shipped to Norway or Sweden or Finland. We'd smoked haddock because it was a waste fish that only poor people bought. Smoking it would get restaurants and rich people to buy it. The smoke pit was never allowed to go out. We used cedar and thrw 5 ft half logs on the coals and we cut off the haddock heads, gutted them and split the fish until there was roughly 3 in. before the tail. we strung the haddock over a pole and smoked about 200 haddock at a time for anywhere from 35-40 hours to completely smoke dry it through.

I made more money than my father working my ass off at Spragues. How many kids in 1962 were making $160-$200 a week? That summer I piloted a 60 ft trawler from Portland, Maine to Georges bank and back for three days of deep sea commercial fishing. I couldn't work the deck because I was only 12 but I watched these guys pull in the nets and toss 50-60 lb haddock over the side because the fish factories didn't want 'waste fish'. They wanted Cusk, Cod, halibut.

 

[Southieinnc]

Extremely hard to find. The fish smoke house are pretty much gone and the cost of fresh haddock is profitable enough that true smoking would make it almost unbuyable. When I was a kid back in the late 50's and early 60's I worked for a guy named Rex Sprague. He had a lobster and fish business and I worked in his smoke house and fish factory. At 12, I used to head and gut whiting. Cut the head off, make a slice on the belly and flip the guts out. They'd dip about 1000 lbs of thyem in the salt water and then pack them like sardines in boxes. We'd roll hundreds of those 5 lb boxes into the freezer and then they'd get shipped to Norway or Sweden or Finland. We'd smoked haddock because it was a waste fish that only poor people bought. Smoking it would get restaurants and rich people to buy it. The smoke pit was never allowed to go out. We used cedar and thrw 5 ft half logs on the coals and we cut off the haddock heads, gutted them and split the fish until there was roughly 3 in. before the tail. we strung the haddock over a pole and smoked about 200 haddock at a time for anywhere from 35-40 hours to completely smoke dry it through.

I made more money than my father working my ass off at Spragues. How many kids in 1962 were making $160-$200 a week? That summer I piloted a 60 ft trawler from Portland, Maine to Georges bank and back for three days of deep sea commercial fishing. I couldn't work the deck because I was only 12 but I watched these guys pull in the nets and toss 50-60 lb haddock over the side because the fish factories didn't want 'waste fish'. They wanted Cusk, Cod, halibut.

You can get em/ on amazon now for $45/pound.
We were poor when I was kid. I only ate haddock when my dad could not steal lobseter or bring home bait (menhaden)
I want some Finnan Haddie.
I'm probably going to smoke some pollock when I get to east coast.
I used to catch Pollock in the Puget Sound (WA) Used it for fishand chips. Much like pollock.....

I'm sure back in the 50's everyone in NE was rich. Nobody ate trash fish, brown bread, baked beans or boiled cabbage.....

 

[Yankee Traveler]

I'm sure back in the 50's everyone in NE was rich. Nobody ate trash fish, brown bread, baked beans or boiled cabbage.....

HA HAA!!

 

[nefansince75]

I'd love to see others from here at the Celts Hoop board. I understand many here aren't C's or bucketball fans, but I'd love to engage a bit with those of you who are. Used to love all the dumb comments on yahoo, but all sports commenting has been shut off.

 

[Yankee Traveler]

Yeah...wish the Celtics the best every year, but I don't follow basket ball or baseball and would only watch a game in person.

 

[BigKen]

It's been a long day................

Took the grandson back to college this afternoon and then we went out for a nice dinner that turned in the worst shitshow ever. We went to a historically excellent restaurant. My wife orders a manhattan and the waitress comes back and asks if she wants gin or vodka. I freak and tell her, "Not a martini, a Manhattan." My wife says make it with a good bourbon and a good vermouth. Grandson orders a Shirley Temple (Practice starts tomorrow) and since I'm driving, a Diet Coke. Sorry, we're out of diet coke. Give me a fu*kin' break. The bartender doesn't know the difference between a manhattan and a martini and the place doesn't have diet coke on Labor Day weekend??? WTF???

Grandson orders a filet, medium. Waitress says, medium well? No...a warm medium.....pink to light red and slightly bloody. I get a Yankee Pot Roast and the wife gets a Lobster Roll. 30 minutes go by, no drinks yet, no cheese and crackers. 40 minutes and the drinks arrive. It's 4:42 pm. At 5:15 I'm ready to go up front, take off my mask and cough on every person and surface I can reach. The wife gets the manager and asks where our food is and will Grubhub be able to deliver it before midnight. She offers my wife another drink. The drink comes but the meal hasn't. I almost pissed my pants when my wife sipped her second Manhattan. She almost sprayed me with it. The Bartender mixed together lemon juice and something else and didn't put any booze in it. My wife made the manger taste it. Apologies and more apologies.

The manager mixes a new Manhattan herself and delivers it. The meal arrives and my wife's lobster rolls is all small claw meat. We're from Maine. Lobster rolls are made basically with body meat and that's why they cost $20-$25. Body meat today will cost between $50-$60 a pound for fresh lobster. You can add a couple of small claws but you don't throw whole claws in mayo and call it a Lobster Rolls. Last, you don't advertise it as fresh when it's been frozen. Grandson's filet is good but closer to medium well than a warm medium. Problem was that he found two 8"-10" hairs in his wild rice pilaf and that pretty much killed it. The Yankee Pot Roast was boiled beef in boullion. My wife told me and the grandson to go out to the car and she'd take care of the bill.

Needless to say, there was no bill. My wife said that the manager should fire the chef. he doesn't know what New England seafood is or how to prepare it and the buyer should be fired if they're buying the small claws and charging patrons $22 for a lobster roll that a local diner wouldn't serve for $10. She also said that masks were not adequate in a kitchen for the prices charged and everyone should be in full hair and face nets. It was agonizing to say the least.


The only good thing is that the patriots pretty much have kept the entire team that practiced through the entire camp. I'm actually looking forward to next Sunday. Homemade chicken wings, Nachos from Puerto Villatre and ice cold Caffeine Free Diet Coke or Pepsi. 5'x8' projection. F*ck fancy restaurants.

 

[Southieinnc]

It's been a long day................

Took the grandson back to college this afternoon and then we went out for a nice dinner that turned in the worst shitshow ever. We went to a historically excellent restaurant. My wife orders a manhattan and the waitress comes back and asks if she wants gin or vodka. I freak and tell her, "Not a martini, a Manhattan." My wife says make it with a good bourbon and a good vermouth. Grandson orders a Shirley Temple (Practice starts tomorrow) and since I'm driving, a Diet Coke. Sorry, we're out of diet coke. Give me a fu*kin' break. The bartender doesn't know the difference between a manhattan and a martini and the place doesn't have diet coke on Labor Day weekend??? WTF???

Grandson orders a filet, medium. Waitress says, medium well? No...a warm medium.....pink to light red and slightly bloody. I get a Yankee Pot Roast and the wife gets a Lobster Roll. 30 minutes go by, no drinks yet, no cheese and crackers. 40 minutes and the drinks arrive. It's 4:42 pm. At 5:15 I'm ready to go up front, take off my mask and cough on every person and surface I can reach. The wife gets the manager and asks where our food is and will Grubhub be able to deliver it before midnight. She offers my wife another drink. The drink comes but the meal hasn't. I almost pissed my pants when my wife sipped her second Manhattan. She almost sprayed me with it. The Bartender mixed together lemon juice and something else and didn't put any booze in it. My wife made the manger taste it. Apologies and more apologies.

The manager mixes a new Manhattan herself and delivers it. The meal arrives and my wife's lobster rolls is all small claw meat. We're from Maine. Lobster rolls are made basically with body meat and that's why they cost $20-$25. Body meat today will cost between $50-$60 a pound for fresh lobster. You can add a couple of small claws but you don't throw whole claws in mayo and call it a Lobster Rolls. Last, you don't advertise it as fresh when it's been frozen. Grandson's filet is good but closer to medium well than a warm medium. Problem was that he found two 8"-10" hairs in his wild rice pilaf and that pretty much killed it. The Yankee Pot Roast was boiled beef in boullion. My wife told me and the grandson to go out to the car and she'd take care of the bill.

Needless to say, there was no bill. My wife said that the manager should fire the chef. he doesn't know what New England seafood is or how to prepare it and the buyer should be fired if they're buying the small claws and charging patrons $22 for a lobster roll that a local diner wouldn't serve for $10. She also said that masks were not adequate in a kitchen for the prices charged and everyone should be in full hair and face nets. It was agonizing to say the least.


The only good thing is that the patriots pretty much have kept the entire team that practiced through the entire camp. I'm actually looking forward to next Sunday. Homemade chicken wings, Nachos from Puerto Villatre and ice cold Caffeine Free Diet Coke or Pepsi. 5'x8' projection. F*ck fancy restaurants.

So what else happened?

 

[Yankee Traveler]

It's been a long day................

Took the grandson back to college this afternoon and then we went out for a nice dinner that turned in the worst shitshow ever. We went to a historically excellent restaurant. My wife orders a manhattan and the waitress comes back and asks if she wants gin or vodka. I freak and tell her, "Not a martini, a Manhattan." My wife says make it with a good bourbon and a good vermouth. Grandson orders a Shirley Temple (Practice starts tomorrow) and since I'm driving, a Diet Coke. Sorry, we're out of diet coke. Give me a fu*kin' break. The bartender doesn't know the difference between a manhattan and a martini and the place doesn't have diet coke on Labor Day weekend??? WTF???

Grandson orders a filet, medium. Waitress says, medium well? No...a warm medium.....pink to light red and slightly bloody. I get a Yankee Pot Roast and the wife gets a Lobster Roll. 30 minutes go by, no drinks yet, no cheese and crackers. 40 minutes and the drinks arrive. It's 4:42 pm. At 5:15 I'm ready to go up front, take off my mask and cough on every person and surface I can reach. The wife gets the manager and asks where our food is and will Grubhub be able to deliver it before midnight. She offers my wife another drink. The drink comes but the meal hasn't. I almost pissed my pants when my wife sipped her second Manhattan. She almost sprayed me with it. The Bartender mixed together lemon juice and something else and didn't put any booze in it. My wife made the manger taste it. Apologies and more apologies.

The manager mixes a new Manhattan herself and delivers it. The meal arrives and my wife's lobster rolls is all small claw meat. We're from Maine. Lobster rolls are made basically with body meat and that's why they cost $20-$25. Body meat today will cost between $50-$60 a pound for fresh lobster. You can add a couple of small claws but you don't throw whole claws in mayo and call it a Lobster Rolls. Last, you don't advertise it as fresh when it's been frozen. Grandson's filet is good but closer to medium well than a warm medium. Problem was that he found two 8"-10" hairs in his wild rice pilaf and that pretty much killed it. The Yankee Pot Roast was boiled beef in boullion. My wife told me and the grandson to go out to the car and she'd take care of the bill.

Needless to say, there was no bill. My wife said that the manager should fire the chef. he doesn't know what New England seafood is or how to prepare it and the buyer should be fired if they're buying the small claws and charging patrons $22 for a lobster roll that a local diner wouldn't serve for $10. She also said that masks were not adequate in a kitchen for the prices charged and everyone should be in full hair and face nets. It was agonizing to say the least.


The only good thing is that the patriots pretty much have kept the entire team that practiced through the entire camp. I'm actually looking forward to next Sunday. Homemade chicken wings, Nachos from Puerto Villatre and ice cold Caffeine Free Diet Coke or Pepsi. 5'x8' projection. F*ck fancy restaurants.

So...Where was it? I want to make sure I avoid it whenever I'm traveling through. It's not defamation if it's true.
After the bad drink, which is obviously intentional, I'm wondering if the hair wasn't intentional as well and what may they have done that you couldn't see.

 

[BigKen]

So...Where was it? I want to make sure I avoid it whenever I'm traveling through. It's not defamation if it's true.
After the bad drink, which is obviously intentional, I'm wondering if the hair wasn't intentional as well and what may they have done that you couldn't see.

The Common Man......Ashland. Off I93 Exit 24. I rarely complain about a restaurant but this might be the worst meal and service I've ever had. This restaurant in Merrimack (Hannah Jacks) and in Windham (Off 93 exit 3) are tremendous. I think it's just outgrown itself. Expansion can kill a business. Woman told me that the Italian Common Man off 93 exit 16 in Plymouth was the worst pasta she's ever eaten. It was so overdone that it would break when you lifted it off the plate. Her husband ate spaghetti with a spoon. Both are within four miles of Plymouth State University and the Ashland and Plymouth places may not have chefs, but lousy cooks.

 

[BigKen]

Italian Common Man off 93 exit 16 in Plymouth

exit 26

not 16.