Entries from April 2010 ↓

Another in the “ASK MONTY” series

I answer this question everyday. All three are important, but the only thing you can hang your hat on is service (ease of doing business) Price is great and is a door opener, but you will never ever be the lowest price. At least not for long. There is always a price leader, and they most always take a beating with loss ratio. Product is fine but most products are vanilla, except niche/ boutique businesses. Most of the time those product differences, are superficial
BUT, ease of doing business and service are in your control. Most people buy from the company that makes it easy to do business.

Last night was my third visit to Bridgeman’s in Hull. The first two times were  Ok I guess. Nothing to rave about or to blog about. Overpriced food overlooking the municipal parking lot at Nantasket beach.

But last night was enough to make me offer an opinion on this restaurant and service overall.

We walked into a sparsely populated restaurant. Two people at the bar and two tables full with one couple at each table. We were dining with 4 people. They sat us at the window, but right beside the service door to the kitchen. If you leaned back a smidge, you would have got whacked in the back.

The owner/ manager, and a plethera of waitstaff streamed in and out of the kitchen. I would say that maybe someone passed us 15-20 times without eye contact.

No One, and I mean no one said a thing. they never asked us if we wanted a drink. We were offered a menu when we were seated along with a basket of bread ( no butter) That is where the service stopped. I desperately wanted a drink. No one helped us. They seemed to be concerned with a party they were having upstairs.

The staff and owner kept shuttling back and forth, while we all sat and waited. we said 5 minutes more and we are out of here. then another five minutes. then we said last chance and we gave them 5 more minutes. Finally we got up and walked out without notice. That was even more annoying. So we walked back in and said, ” just to let you know, we are walking out, because, you failed miserbly to wait on us”.

With a shrug of apathy, the waitress said sorry, we are busy. including our party, there were 10 people in the restauant and bar. BUSY??  They just completely embarrased themselves.

If you are looking for service, do not go here.

We went down the street to Dinaro’s and had a great meal and service at half the price….

Monty

Seacrest Marine

WWW.SEACRESTMARINE.COM

64 Washington Court
Quincy, MA 02169-7323
(617) 471-0480

This company has exceeded my expectations…….

I have had boats since I was 16. I have also had nightmares when it comes to boat failures and downtime.

My frustration always comes when you either want to get things done quickly and get in the water, or it is mid July and you have a problem that you want fixed ASAP.

Well if you have a boat, you know that this is where the frustrations come in and the hair pulling starts.

I have dealt with this for years until, I found Brian Foley and Seacrest marine.

It is amazing. You ask for something and it is done on time and professionally. The attention to detail is amazing, and the workmanship is far beyond my standards. Brian Foley has a standard that is greater than you would expect. He wants it done right the first time, and he wants it to show the pride of ownership that you have in your boat and reflects what his company stands for.

We all know that B.O.A.T  means ” break out another thousand” That is true with Seacrest, BUT, you get what you paid for. Timely service with a professional attitude.

I am tough on my reviews, because I expect  alot, but in this case, Brian Foley and Seacrest Marine get five stars. I highly recommend them for sales and service of your boat. They exceed my expectations.

*****

Monty

Ok…I must be sick because I DO SEE HOMER SIMPSON….

Squint a bit and you can see Homer Simpson

Stephanie and her husband Jon went for counseling after 25 years of
marriage.
When asked what the problem was, Stephanie went into a passionate, painful
tirade listing every problem they had ever had in the 25 years they had
been married.

She went on and on and on: neglect, lack of intimacy, emptiness,
loneliness, feeling unloved and unlovable, an entire laundry list of
unmet needs she had endured over the course of their marriage.

Finally, after allowing this to go on for a sufficient length of time,
the therapist got up, walked around the desk and after asking Stephanie to
stand, embraced her, unbuttoned her blouse and bra, put his hands on
her breasts and massaged them thoroughly, while kissing her passionately
as
her husband Jon watched with a raised eyebrow!

Steph shut up, buttoned up her blouse, and quietly sat down while
basking in the glow of being highly aroused.

The therapist turned to Jon and said, ‘This is what your wife needs at
least three times a week.. Can you do this?’

Jon thought for a moment and replied, ‘Well, I can drop her off here on
Mondays and Wednesdays, but on Fridays, I play golf.

Spring Classes for Women at
THE ADULT LEARNING CENTER

REGISTRATION MUST BE COMPLETED
By Sat., May 29, 2010

NOTE: DUE TO THE COMPLEXITY AND DIFFICULTY LEVEL
OF THEIR CONTENTS, CLASS SIZES WILL BE LIMITED TO 8 PARTICIPANTS MAXIMUM.

Class 1
Up in Winter, Down in Summer – How to Adjust a Thermostat
Step by Step, with Slide Presentation.
Meets 4 weeks, Monday and Wednesday for 2 hrs beginning at 7:00 PM..

Class 2
Which Takes More Energy – Putting the Toilet Seat Down, or Bitching About It for 3 Hours?
Round Table Discussion.
Meets 2 weeks, Saturday 12:00 for 2 hours.

Class 3
Is It Possible To Drive Past a Wal-Mart Without Stopping?–Group Debate.
Meets 4 weeks, Saturday 10:00 PM for 2 hours.

Class 4
Fundamental Differences Between a Purse and a Suitcase–Pictures and Explanatory Graphics.
Meets Saturdays at 2:00 PM for 3 weeks.

Class 5
Curling Irons–Can They Levitate and Fly Into The Bathroom Cabinet?
Examples on Video.
Meets 4 weeks, Tuesday and Thursday for 2 hours beginning
At 7:00 PM

Class 6
How to Ask Questions During Commercials and Be Quiet During the Program
Help Line Support and Support Groups.
Meets 4 Weeks, Friday and Sunday 7:00 PM

Class 7
Can a Bath Be Taken Without 14 Different Kinds of Soaps and Shampoos?
Open Forum.
Monday at 8:00 PM, 2 hours.

Class 8
Health Watch–They Make Medicine for PMS – USE IT!
Three nights; Monday, Wednesday, Friday at 7:00 PM for 2 hours.

Class 9
I Was Wrong and He Was Right!–Real Life Testimonials.
Tuesdays at 6:00 PM Location to be determined.

Class 10
How to Parallel Park In Less Than 20 MinutesWithout an Insurance Claim.
Driving Simulations.
4 weeks, Saturday’s noon, 2 hours.

Class 11
Learning to Live–How to Apply Brakes Without Throwing Passengers Through the Windshield .
Tuesdays at 7:00 PM, location to be determined

Class 12
How to Shop by Yourself.
Meets 4 weeks, Tuesday and Thursday for 2 hours beginning at 7:00 PM.

Their head is in their ass.

Here are the players I would have taken in the positions where they had picks. These players were ALL available.

1st round #22-  Dez Bryant  WR  he will make the pats look like fools for the next decade

2nd round #44- Tony Gehart RB  Der! our running backs are Lawrence Maroney and old man fred Taylor

2nd round #47- Sergio Kindle OLB   chasing the QB  is a thought

2nd round  #53 either Ron Grankowski or brandon Spikes were Ok here  Those were the only two picks I liked that they made. They would have both been available

4th round  trade  give 1 or 2 of your 6th and 7th round choices to move up from #113 to 108 and pick up  Corey wooten DE from Northwestern. Good player for the 4th round

They had like 8 more late round picks in the 6th and 7th round. who cares? I do like their pick of the best punter available from Michigan. He will be a great pick like they did with Gostkowski in the 3rd round a few years ago. when you get the best player at ANY posistion later in the draft, that is a god pick.

Can we talk about this years free agents:

Algae Crumpler

David Patten

Tory Holt

Combined, they are 114 years old. Sounds like last year. Fred Taylor, Shawn Springs, Joey Galloway. Do you see the trend? A trioka of guys that are 100+ years old that are past their prime.

The JETS an dolphins are loading up and passing the Pats by.

Monty

I have finally figured out the patriots draft philosophy.

1. get as many draft picks as possible and never pick em where you find em

2. trade this years picks for more picks next year

3. try like hell to never use a first round pick. Trade it, lose it for cheating, give it as compensation for signing a player or coach.

4. always draft lineman, and defensive backs. Never draft linebackers, or wide recievers. Never pass up a tight end.

5. Dont worry what the experts say, always draft two rounds higher than the experts say that someone will go.

6. Don’t worry if they can play, only draft for their ability to play special teams.

7. When in doubt, they always take the best white player available.

I also have figured out that the cheapskate Pats have no only decided to not hire a offensive or defensive coordinator, but they have let go their entire scouting staff. Their new philosphy is to take advice from the coaches kid and his old buddies that coach in college.

The first round pick was courtesy of Bill Belechicks son. He goes to Rutgers with Devin McCourty and obviously He told dad that this cool kid in his Physics class is a nice kid and plays football. you should take him.

In the later rounds, he just calls his buddy Urban Meyer at the university of Florida and asks him which is his next best player that is not drafted. That is why they picked three in a row. They ran out . too bad. I am sure he would have taken Tim Tebow too, but he got grabbed way to early by his protoge Josh Mcdaniels in Denver before he got his hands on him. Too bad he missed on Joe Haden and Chris Dunlop, they were the two best from Florida.

This team frustrates the shit out of me. So much fire power in the draft and they sputter like a v8 running on 4 cylinders.

Next year they have two number 1′s and two number 2′s. I promise you right now, they will not draft anyone in any of those spots, but will turn them into more picks in 2012.

Trader Bill likes trading more than picking or coaching. The man is losing it. He is turning into a control freak. He seems to be making too many bad decisions for my liking…. fourth and 2 anyone???

The Pats once again go away from what everyone is thinking. At least they did not trade all the way out of the first round.
I would have taken Dez Bryant, but after the trade I would have taken Sergio Kindle or Odrick out o penn state.
Wait til tommorow when the patriots trade one of their own picks with with themselves.
Why do the Pats stockpile #1 picks every year and never want to use them? It is absurd.
Mccourty is not a shut down corner, he is a JAG ( just another guy).

If you have the means to take a dynamic player, then for Christs sakes do it. We have 5 7th rounders now. By the end of the day, we should have traded away all our high picks, and we will own all 32 in the 7th round.
Why? because 7th rounders do not make much, and that cheap prick Kraft can keep all his money. Also if they do not have any expectations, then they cannot be faulted.
The Patriots suck at the draft. Let me repeat, they suck at the draft.
Lately they suck at free agency. They stock pile 40 year old guys that used to be good. They suck and they make me crazy.

Fuck the Patriots!!

Loved this place when i was a kid.

Steven died in a fire and his body was burned pretty badly.

The morgue needed someone to identify the body,

so they sent for his two best friends, Greg & Don.

The three men had always done everything together.

Greg arrived first, and when the mortician pulled back the sheet,
Greg said, ‘Yup, his face is burned up pretty bad.

You better roll him over.’
The mortician rolled him over and Greg said, ‘Nope, ain’t Steve ‘

The mortician thought this was rather strange.
So he brought Don in to confirm the identity of the body.
Don looked at the body and said, ‘Yup, he’s pretty well burnt up.

Roll him over..’

The mortician rolled him over and Don said, ‘No, it ain’t Ole Steve ‘

The mortician asked, ‘How can you tell?’

Don said, ‘Well, Steve had two assholes.’

‘What? He had two assholes?’ asked the mortician.

‘Yup, we never seen ‘em, but everybody used to say:

‘There’s Steve with them two assholes.’

It is that time of year again for me to hole up in a locked room surrounded by publications, mock drafts and break out my Mel Kiper henna tattoo.

I love the draft. I spend far too much time on it, but it is a passion. I have had nothing on the radio for the last two months but the XM NFL channel,  and when I get home, I watch tivo’d shows on the path to the draft, and reruns of the NFL combine in Indianapolis.

I have it all charted and will share my first round Mock Draft on Thursday.

But first on the backend of dropping my 5 season tickets to gillettte after 28 years, I am sooooo frustrated with the Patriots and their last 5-6 drafts.

A decent grade would be a “D” They used to be saved by some decent trades and some decent free agent signings, but those are becoming few and far between. Did you see that flotsam and jepson that they brought in last year ( leigh Bodden aside). all Busts. How about giving up this years third rounder for Derrick Burgess.  are we still paying Adalius Thomas and Roosevelt Colvin?

Year after year the pats have the most and best Draft choices. Two years in a row we have had a one and three two’s. A team like the Giants or Colts who can draft would have built a dynasty with those picks.

We have Two number one’s again next year. Don’t we always seem to have two?

Do we ever use the two. Hell No! We seldom use one of the one’s. WHY?

Bob Kraft is too cheap to pay them.

Although I don’t know why? whenever we do seem to get a good player it is in the first round ( Mayo, Wilfolk, Warren, Seymour)  BUT they like to trade into the cheaper second round, where BB cannot seem to pick his nose.

Let’s talk about some of his second rounders of late:

Patrick Chung

Ron Brace

Terrence Wheatley

Chad Jackson

Marquise hill

Do any of these guys jump out at you as all pro’s or even good players???

That draft is decimating this team. These are the players we have on the squad from 2004  to 2008  ( 2009 is too early to tell)

wilfolk ( almost walked)

Logan Mankins ( almost walked)

Nick kazur ( I wish he would walk)

Lawrence maroney ( he sucks)

Gostkowski ( great pick hooray)

Le kevin Smith ( who Le  cares)

Brandon Merriwether ( ok Safety)

Jonathan wilhite ( worst corner I ever saw, he should change his name to toast)

Shawn Crable ( LB who? has never seen the field)

Mayo ( a good player despite the sophmore jinx)

Ok that is 9 players in the years they drafted 10 or more ( 52 players) most high in the draft. 4 are first rounders with two being good one ok and one horrible        ( see maroney)

That is not good!

So all that being said. Here is what I think the pats will do.

Draft a  Defensive End inthe first round, in second round draft a QB ( tebow) ( let’s hope not) a wide reciver and a tight end

Their needs are in my opinion

Linebacker

Wide reciver

Running back

Tight end

Corner

O-Line

D-line

Quarterback

In that order:

Do not bother watching the draft to see who they will pick. They will either pick  Brandon Grahm if available or Jared Odrick from Penn state.

They will never go up and get CJ Spiller or Rolando mclain and fill desperate needs. If Dez Bryant ever fell to #22 and they passed, I would just throw up.

If they take a tight end again, I am going to throw up.

have you noticed when the Pats pick, the experts always say WOW they reached here, I had that guy going much later. They somehow think they are smarter than ALL the experts. They have hit on some late rounders like Brady and Edelman, but if they were that smart, they would have picked them long before the 6th and 7th round. They just got lucky.

I will have more on the draft later, but you can feel my frustratuion. Can’t you? We need a good draft, because all we got in free agancy was an old fat, over the hill tight end ( Algae Crumpler). The JETS and the Dolphins keep getting better by the day, and all that happens with the Pats is Bob Kraft keeps getting richer!!!

Monty

I was reading the joke below, and it brought back memories of a golf trip I took one time to Arizona with a bunch of guys from Furnace brook Golf Course in Quincy( it is really a barroom with a golf course attached).
Well One of my fav people at the club was a guy named Bob Foley. We are making the room assignments out and ALL the guys said hey Monty, you can bunk up with Foley. I thought wow, good Draw. I later found out that Bob snores badly and that no one would room with him. As a snorer myself, I said I can do that.
So the first night we are there, we golf, eat, and get drunk. Time for bed. I decide to slip in early to get asleep before Bob.
An hour later I was awoken to this thunderous earthquake. I swear the room was moving. The man was sucking the drapes into his mouth with every gagging breath. I spent the rest of the week on the pull out couch. I could still hear him through the walls. I stuffed cotton in my ears from the aspirin bottles until it was slightly muffled. The next day I got the plugs from the drug store.
I had the worst week of sleep in my life.
I swore that day I WOULD NEVER EVER sleep in the same room with a dude again.
I did it one other time in Houston with my friend Kenny who was almost as bad. He only made it worse by farting in his sleep, and he would wake up in the morning and he had those tighty whitey’s on that had lost their elasticity about 5 years ago, they had wholes in them and “stuff” was hanging out all over.
Once again I got screwed with an unwanted sleepover.
I have learned and never again will I sleep with another guy. Makes me glad I am not gay.
My wife is going to read this and say:
” welcome to my world”
……………………………………………
The guys were all at a deer camp. No one wanted to room with Bob, because he snored so badly. They decided it wasn’t fair to make one of them stay with him the whole time, so they voted to take turns. The first guy slept with Bob and comes to breakfast the next morning with his hair a mess and his eyes all bloodshot. They said, “Man, what happened to you?”He said, “Bob snored so loudly, I just sat up and watched him all night.”The next night it was a different guy’s turn. In the morning, same thing -hair standing up, eyes all bloodshot. They said, “Man, what happened to you? You look awful!”He said, ‘Man, that Bob shakes the roof with his snoring. I watched him all night.”The third night was Fred’s turn. Fred was a tanned, older cowboy; a man’s man. The next morning he came to breakfast bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. “Good morning!” he said. They couldn’t believe it. They said, “Man, what happened?” He said, “Well, we got ready for bed. I went and tucked Bob into bed, patted him on the butt, and kissed him good night. Bob sat up and watched me all night.

Does it bother you that athletes and celebrities cannot just say I fucked up and I am sorry.
How hard is that, to be really and truly sincere when you screw up.
These scum balls kill people, beat woman, cheat on their spouses, wear woman’s underwear, get caught in clandestine gay rendezvous in gas station bathrooms, or getting BJ’s from their white house interns.
All that is OK. They fucked up and they need to pay. They need to sincerely apologize. They need to repent and straighten their lives out.

The problem here is that these spoiled pampered celebrities all first deny it, then they get a $500.00 an hour lawyer to write a script which they read what sounds like it was written like a legal brief. They tear up at a podium and say they will go to rehab.
They do not mean it and they do not care.
Just once, one of them needs to stand up without a lawyer written script and apologize and mean it. We can all tell when someone is truly remorseful. But I have not seen it.
Whether it is Tiger, or Jesse James,, or Ben Rothlesberger or Dante Stallworth ( I could name 100), just one of them has to stand up say it and mean it.
They think it is OK to just read the statement and then on their lawyers advice go to a phony rehab and LAY LOW for awhile, before they strike again.

Because I’m a man, when I lock my keys in the car, I will
fiddle with a coat hanger long after hypothermia has set in.
Calling AAA is not an option… I WILL win.
______________________________________________

Because I’m a man, when the car isn’t running very well,
I will pop the hood and stare at the engine as if I know what
I’m looking at. If another man shows up, one of us will say
to the other, ‘I used to be able to fix these things, but now
with all these computers and everything, I wouldn’t know
where to start.’ We will then drink a couple of beers and
break wind, as a form of holy communion.
_______________________________________________

Because I’m a man, when I catch a cold, I need someone
to bring me soup and take care of me tenderly while I lie in bed
and moan. You’re a woman. You never get as sick as I do.
So, for you, this is no problem.
_______________________________________________

Because I’m a man, I can be relied upon to purchase basic
groceries at the store, like beer, milk or bread. I cannot be
expected to find things like exotic cheeses or tofu. For all
I know, they are the same thing.
_______________________________________________

Because I’m a man, when one of our appliances stops
working, I will insist on taking it apart, despite evidence that
this will just cost me twice as much once the repair person
gets here and has to put it back together.
_______________________________________________
Because I’m a man, I must hold the television remote
control in my hand while I watch TV. If the thing has been
misplaced, I may miss a whole show looking for it…. Though
one time I was able to survive by holding a calculator…..
_______________________________________________
Because I’m a man, there is no need to ask me what I’m
thinking about. The true answer is always either sex, cars,
sex, sports, or sex. I have to make up something else when
you ask, so don’t ask.
_______________________________________________
Because I’m a man, I do not want to visit your mother, or
have your mother come visit us, or talk to her when she
calls, or think about her any more than I have to. Whatever
you got her for Mother’s Day is okay; I don’t need to see it.
And don’t forget to pick up something for my mother, too.
_______________________________________________

Because I’m a man, you don’t have to ask me if I liked the
movie. Chances are, if you’re crying at the end of it, I didn’t.
And, if you’re feeling amorous afterwards, then I will certainly
remember the name and recommend it to others.
_______________________________________________

Because I’m a man, I think what you’re wearing is fine.
I thought what you were wearing five minutes ago was fine,
too… either pair of shoes is fine. With the belt or without it.
Everything looks fine. Your hair is fine. You look fine.
Can we just go now?
_______________________________________________
Because I’m a man, and this is, after all, the year 2010, I
will share equally in the housework. You just do the laundry,
the cooking, the cleaning, the vacuuming, and the dishes,
and I’ll do the rest…. like wandering around in the garden
with a beer in my hand, wondering what to do.

Man Suffers Lockjaw Trying to Bite Massive Sandwich

(CANVAS STAFF REPORTS) – A sandwich that literally made a man’s jaw drop is now being renamed at the man’s request.

AOL News reported that Georgia man Chad Ettmueller was biting into a double-meat, double-cheese sandwich when he suffered a locked jaw.

Ettmueller, 38, was eating at Dallas-based restaurant chain Which ‘Wich as his family celebrated his son’s second-place win in a local talent show. He ate his favorite a sandwich called “Wicked” and ordered a version with twice the meat and cheese.

CNBC.com reported that his jaw locked open and he could not close it. His family ended up heading to a local health clinic then an emergency room where it took doctors 14 hours to surgically move it to its original position.

According to AOL News, he suffered a “double dislocation of the mandible.” Basically he dislocated his jaw. Dentist Robert Sorin, who did

I recently got caught in one of those money making stings by the state police to get more money for the state.

I was traveling on a four lane highway entering Boston after the Tobin bridge. The posted speed is 55. then in a matter of feet, it drops to 30. That is 30 on a four lane highway. Have you ever tried to go 30? on a highway. You will get run over.

Not to mention, you are going downhill and picking UP speed. They know that you cannot possibly go 30. I tried it, you have to be standing on the breaks.

So I am going with the flow in the right hand lane, with cars wizzing by me going much faster, and this statey pulls me and 3 other cars over ( after just letting four go). He says do you know you were speeding and going 30 twice the speed limit? I say no. I was traveling at a safe rate of speed. ” well you were he said”
He hands me a ticket for $350.00

I appeal it. I go to court and they reduce it to $50. I am still pissed, because I was not speeding and do not want to get hammered by my insurance company, so I pay another $50 and go before a judge a month later. I tell him the story and he says tough . Pay the $350.

So now I pay $25, $50, $350 and $535 a year in increased insurance for driving with the speed of traffic.

A sting to get more money for the state to pay for the people who do not work. What a place.

Don’t get caught check this website out for speed traps in your town

SPEEDTRAP LOCATER

HERE IS WHAT THEY SAY ABOUT MY PLACE OF HORROR:

State Route 1 South near After the Tobin Bridge Tollbooth   Boston, Massachusetts

four state troopers waiting at the end of ramp. the highway speed limit is 55 mph however that changes all in a manner of a second to 30 mph as you approach the end of the ramp. beware, this is an extremely easy trap to fall into and the fines are ridiculous as a result of the change in speed limits.