August 20: The Crawl Brings Something New

The 6th annual Wyandotte Wine Crawl took place this evening in downtown Wyandotte. My wife, myself, and my In-Laws attended last year's event for the first time, so we decided to do it again this year. And, once again, it did not disappoint. Before we dove head first into all of the wine samples scattered across the city in various stores, we took in a quick meal at the Sports Brew Pub, just outside of the main event. This restaurant is actually one of my favorites in Wyandotte - beer, good food and plenty of sports ambiance. This time around, I decided to go for their "3 Pepper Burger" for the very first time - a delicious combination of tangy banana peppers, green peppers and jalapenos, all smothered under melted cheddar cheese. Man, was I glad I made this choice. In one word...AWESOME! After filling our bellies, we commenced to the wine sampling. They give you maybe an ounce at each stop, just enough to wet your whistle. By night's end, though, all of those ounces begin to add up. We capped off the evening with one final stop at DoHickeys Irish Pub. This is a place which I've passed many a times while visiting Wyandotte, but I've never actually been in the place. I skipped any additional wine samples and had a good, old-fashioned beer instead; risking the dangers of combining wine and beer and any potential bad outcomes as a result. Still, how can a guy go into an Irish pub and order a glass of wine? They would have run me right out of the joint!

August 19: You Say Tornado, I Say TorNOTo

Up until this evening, I'd never been in a tornado before. Not really the type of new experience I was hoping for when I signed up for this blog gig. But, nonetheless, it happened. About 6:45 or so, the family decided to make a Slurpee run to 7-Eleven. At the time, the sky to the North of us was getting a little cloudy, but not too bad. By the time we returned home, a matter of 5-10 minutes, the sky was much darker. Shortly there after, the sirens went off. At that point, we looked into the local weather for an update of what to expect, and we discovered a tornado warning for our area. So, we ventured into the basement, and within 5 minutes or so the worst of it arrived. We could hear hail slamming off the house, the wind swirling like mad, and eventually a big THUMP outside. It only lasted approximately 10 minutes, but it sounded pretty nasty. As I hit the top of the stairs, first thing I saw outside was that the patio furniture cover had been lifted off one of the chairs which was soaked in the still falling rain. Wish that had been the worst of it. A few more steps and I found the kids' swing set to be intact on one side of the yard, however, on the other side, 3 huge fir trees were now laying on the ground, stumps up! Obviously, we now were even more curious about the exterior of the house. As the neighbors began to slowly exit their homes to observe the damage, we found our shutters in the front, which we thought were made of wood but are actually plastic, riddled with holes. I have to think there is a better way we could have made that discovery. The shutters now look like we've been the victim of a recent drive by. Fortunately, that was the bulk of the damage. The house was structurally fine, just some minor cosmetic things here and there. The neighborhood looked like it had just been through a war zone - branches everywhere, piles of hail covering the ground, street flooded to your ankles because the sewage drains were blocked with all of the fallen foliage. But, everyone in the neighborhood was safe. News reports later confirmed that a tornado touched down nearby, thus ending any discrepancies as to whether or not we experienced a tornado. Remember the movie "Twister"? Well, in all honesty, it was nothing like that, but still enough to scare the dickens out of you (and Bill Paxton, too)!

August 18: Facts from a Team Meeting

Staff meetings are not typically one of the more exciting work events for anyone. Doesn't matter who's leading them, it's just one of those meetings that always seems to focus on process, routines and the tasks at hand; which everyone already knows. However, in a team meeting this afternoon, I learned some new things that had nothing to do with work. And, for once, my position on team meetings shifted from "urgh" to "wow, very cool". The meeting facilitator used some interesting facts, not to tie into a work-related event or issue, but rather to simply "break the ice" of the typical staff meeting format. These facts were:

• The term "Golf" originated from the sport's original perspective of "Gentlemen Only, Ladies Forbidden". Unfortunately, like most staff meetings, all of the information you receive isn't always exactly true. In this case, the "Gentlemen Only, Ladies Forbidden" theory is just an old wives tale. The true origin of the word "golf" is it derives from the Dutch word ’kolf’ or ’kolve,’ meaning"club". In the Scottish dialect of the late 14th or early 15th century, the Dutch term became ’goff’ or ’gouff,’ and only later in the 16th century ’golf’.

• The San Francisco Cable Cars are the only mobile National Historic Landmark. This one is true...somewhat. They are, in fact, a mobile National Historic Landmark, but the New Orleans' St. Charles streetcar line is the other. Thus making it two mobile National Historic Landmarks.
  

• It is impossible to lick your elbow. Well, not sure if it is fact or fiction, as I can't find any hard data on the topic. I know I can't lick mine, if that's any consolation. I guess give it a shot and let me know whether or not you have any success.
  

August 17: Honey, I Can't Believe We've Never Seen These Movies

Have you ever noticed that are certain movies that come back around from time-to-time and, when they do you, marvel at the fact that you've never seen them. Such was the case this past week with the Disney "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids" (from 1989) and it's infamous sequel "Honey, I Blew Up the Kid" (from 1992). Today, we watched the latter, having seen the original for the first time last weekend. I have to say, the original was the better of the two. The kids liked both. They were mesmerized by the idea of being smaller than an ant and going on an adventure in the backyard, and tickled by the sight of a 50-ft. infant walking the streets of Las Vegas. While I was entertained by both concepts myself, even laughing out loud a few times, I couldn't escape two questions as I watched these films: (1) Why had I never seen these before considering they are 21 and 18 years old, respectively?, and (2) What ever happened to Rick Moranis, as the guy used to be in everything? I don't really have an answer to the first question, only that seeing I was 21 and 24 at the time, without children, I probably had interests beyond shrinking kids and growing babies. But, I was able to gain some insight into the second question. Rick Moranis is, in fact, retired from the acting profession, with his last "role" being the voice of Rutt the Moose in "Brother Bear 2". He did so in 1997, citing other obstacles in his life. These obstacles were a result of losing his wife to liver cancer in 1991, and being a single father. Moranis felt that the travel requirements of an Actor were just not conducive to his need to be with his family, therefore he chose family over career. He now runs a production company, and he released a country/comedy album in 2005 called "The Agorophobic Cowboy". Even though I loved him as an actor, I think I now respect him as a man who decided that, even though he had it all so to speak, his family was still the most important thing in his life. You would think that would be an easy choice for any man, but I bet you would also be surprised and how many choose the other path instead. I salute you, Mr. Moranis.

August 16: Steaz

Yes, another new beverage in the household. We're always in the market for the next best "healthier" alternative to soda pop. So, this time around it is Steaz. It's marketed as a sparkling green tea "made from the finest natural ingredients in the world". Funny, it still has 23g of sugar per serving, though. So, while it may be "natural", it's still very sweet; something we were hoping to keep around 10-15 grams. Don't get me wrong, I love sugar as much as the next guy; probably quite a bit more than the next guy. But, I've made a commitment to cut back on my pop intake, as my wife is convinced that an over-abundance of sugar leads to several different health ailments, including pancreatic cancer. I don't know whether or not that is fact, but I made a commitment. Anyway, Steaz is organic, reinforcing their "all-natural ingredient" pledge, and also available in a regular or low-calorie version. They have 4 flavors from which to choose: raspberry (which we tried), lemon-lime, root beer and orange flavors. The taste? Well, it's more like a fruit juice than a tea, but still refreshing when you need something cool to quench your thirst. Though not a long-term pop alternative, I still think I'd buy another 4-pack of Steaz to have on hand on a warm day. I guess 23g of sugar is still better than the 49g I'd get in a Coke.

August 15: Hedgehogs and Millipedes

The annual Township Art Fair rolled around this weekend, and today we decided to kill a few hours by taking a stroll through the event. The kids always seem to enjoy it what with the bounce house, inflatable slide and face painting. They also got to sit in a fire truck and participate in a safety "tour" run by the Fire Dept. There was a motor home split into 3 rooms - kitchen, living room (with fireplace) and a bedroom. We went from room-to-room and in each a gentleman instructed on the dangers that kids may encounter. In the final room, he even released smoke into the room and we got to climb out the window on a fire ladder. It was actually pretty cool and educational! That, however, was not the highlight...at least for me. Nope, it was the exhibit from the local Nature Center. Every year they have rabbits, snakes, usually a tarantula or such. This year they also had a small hedgehog, which the kids and I were able to pet. Now, you would think that a hedgehog would be prickly or sharp to the touch, but it's actually quite soft; provided you stroke its fur in the right direction. We also pet an African Giant Millipede, which was quite creepy. I always thought of millipedes and centipedes being one in the same, just with a different number of legs. But I learned the two are quite different. First, the millipede is a herbivore, while the centipede is a carnivore. The millipede moves quite slowly, whereas, we all know, the centipede travels very quickly. Finally, the centipede is actually venomous, as a result of poison glands in their limbs. And, here I just thought they were all legs and no bite. Oh, that was bad.

August 14: Caipirinha

Saturdays for us are typically about running errands early so we can simply enjoy the rest of the weekend as a family. That is, on Saturdays when we do not already have some event planned; which lately are few and far between. Today, the girls had a hair appointment a few cities away, so my son and I did the PetSmart shopping then met the girls afterwards. With a few more errands to run, we decided to "fuel up" first at the local Bahama Breeze. It's there where my wife discovered a most intriguing alcoholic beverage on their "specials" list. It's called a Caipirinha, pronounced (kai-pee-reen-yah). At Bahama Breeze, it's a concoction of natural cane rum, fresh lime and sugar cane juice. My wife suggested we split one, just to try. Given the ingredients, and it sounding like a piece of lime candy with some rum mixed in, I, of course, agreed wholeheartedly. Our expectations were exceeded after the first sip - it was refreshing, tasty and addictive. I can see where some people might easily order 3-4 of these things in one sitting, only to realize that, despite their delicious flavor, they also pack a punch! Upon writing this blog entry, I was curious as to the origin of this unique beverage. I found that it is a traditional Brazilian drink, which has become increasingly popular in the states over the past few years. In Brazil, it's served with cachaça, which is a liquor made from fermented sugar cane. There are several variations of the drink using various fruits, including tangerine, strawberry and passion fruit. Some prefer replacing the rum with a different alcohol to create new variation. There's the caipiroshka which uses vodka and the caipiríssima, which uses white rum. Whatever your tastes, I highly recommend the original. Keep it in mind for your next trip to Bahama Breeze.

August 13: Lamb Patties

Tonight, my wife and I enjoyed our first "date night" of the Summer. Luckily, it wasn't anything at all like the last one Steve Carell and Tina Fey went on, but, unfortunately, it wasn't nearly as exciting either. Let me clarify, going on a date with my wife is always a fun and enriching experience no matter what we do, it's just that tonight's date night was all about needs. And, as luck would have it, we needs to do some grocery shopping. So, there we were, two sweethearts enjoying each other's company and mixing in good conversation on our romantic strolls through Whole Foods and Trader Joes. Ahh, it was just like the days back when we were dating...minus the grocery stores, shopping lists, and kids back at home, of course. Anyway, in Whole Foods, near their seafood/meat counters, they had set up a "sample station" - those little booths where they give out free samples. This one happened to have a lamb focus. Now, I don't know how many of you like lamb. My wife loves it; specifically rack of lamb. I, for one, believe it has a very distinct taste and you either love that taste or loathe it. I'm still not sure where I stand on that one. This "station" did have rack of lamb, but it also had samples of Atkins Ranch frozen lamb patties. Yup, lamb meat, ground and molded into burger-like patties. So, we tried it. Not bad, I must say. In fact, it bordered on tasty. Of course, we eventually took the bait and grabbed a box to take home for one of those evenings when we can't quite plan out what to have for dinner, so we inevitably whip up some mac and cheese for the kids, but usually are left scrounging about for something for ourselves. If you have kids, you know exactly the evening I'm talking about.

August 12: Freelance

Oddly enough, today's blog entry comes courtesy of the bank at which my wife and I have accounts. While standing in line to make a cash withdrawal for an odd dollar amount, thus eliminating any opportunity to use the ATM machine which only distributes money in $20 increments, I was watching the TV behind the Teller line. They displayed some sort of fact/tidbit segment which shared that the term "freelance" was coined by Sir Walter Scott in his 1819 novel "Ivanhoe". The term he used was "Free Lances" in reference to "medieval Italian and French knights, free men who would sell their skills with the lance to any master, whether his cause was good or bad." Originally the word “freelance” consisted of two separate words, however, in the 19th century it was accepted only as a noun, and in the 20th century it was officially recognized as a verb. And, there you have it! It's amazing the things you can learn at the bank these days.

August 11: Scavenger Hunt

This evening, the kids were itching to do something active. My daughter wanted to bike ride, my son wanted to play pirates. And, of course, after working all day, all my wife and I wanted to do was drop into a comfy chair and relax. So, I summoned up some of that creativity I used to have when I worked as a Copywriter, and I created a Scavenger Hunt game the entire family could play. For all of you other parents out there, here's how it works: (1) Make a list of common things a child can find around the house. For example, "3 things you use in Summer" or "2 things you buy for your dog". (2) Draft a list of about 5 of these "topics" and duplicate the same exact list on a separate piece of paper. (3) Divide the family into 2 teams. This evening, it was me and my daughter vs my wife and my son. (4) Say "go" and each team heads off to locate the items and bring them to a designated area. (5) The first team to bring all of the items to the designated area wins the game. We played twice, and both times the game ended in a tie. Which reminds me, (6) if you you have competitive children, ensure the game always ends in a tie. Otherwise, you'll end up dealing with tantrums, fits and/or fighting for the 15 minutes following the game's end. I know, I know, it's your basic scavenger hunt. But isn't 99% of effective parenting simply all about leveraging what works for others rather than recreating the wheel?

August 10: A Walk in the Woods

The subdivision over from us has trails built into the natural landscaping throughout the back yards of the houses in that neighborhood. This evening, we took the kids for a walk through the trails. My wife and I had done it once before, but this was the first time we did it as a family. It's beautiful back there, and quite remote given that it's smack dab in the middle of a subdivision. You can see the outline of the houses that surround the area from the trails, but it still feels like you're miles from nowhere. Of course, and quite unfortunately, my mind also lends itself to that certain creep factor of being out in the woods with no other people around. Of course, nothing happened, but I still couldn't shake thoughts of "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" the entire time we were in there. I think I just watch too many movies, and, perhaps, this was my notice to cut back a bit.

August 9: ATWAS

My daughter is already interested in acting. Not sure why...or how the interest ever evolved. I mean, I like movies, and I can be quite a character from time-to-time, but I can't recall ever encouraging her to pursue acting. Anyway, we tried Musical Theater at the dance studio over this past year, and she seemed to love that. So, we were planning on returning in the Fall. However, today, my wife found this group called ATWAS, which stands for "All the World's a Stage". They have several locations around the state, and they essentially teach kids acting - the theory, the skills, the art, etc. They set up classes by age, and they start as young as the First Grade level. So, we're going to give it a whirl over the Fall into Winter, and see if it's something for which my daughter has a passion. Who knows, maybe she will become the next Emma Watson, starring in "Harry Potter: The Next Generation" during the summer of 2020. Just as long as she's not the next Megan Fox in "Transformers VII".

August 8: Rolling Out the Barrel

We went to Frankenmuth today. Met my In-laws for lunch at the Bavarian Inn. In the summer, they have this outdoor beer tent, is what I call it, but the restaurant calls it the Fischer Platz. They have live entertainment. food and drinks. Today, the entertainment was an older man with an accordion and an older woman who did most of the singing. As part of their show, they were taking requests from the audience and a gentleman from Upstate NY chanted for "Roll Out the Barrel". It's a well-known song and being Polish, better known as the "Beer Barrel Polka"; even though the tune itself was actually originally composed by a Czech musician. I've actually heard it performed in Polish before, however, I never had the luxury of hearing it performed in Polish, German and English; which is exactly what the perky couple playing the Fischer Platz did this afternoon. Amazing how music sounds so similar across different languages. Even better when you're sitting back with a beer, weather in the mid-80s and your family by your side.

August 7: The Big Play Date

Shortly after school ended in June, my daughter commented that she wanted to have a big backyard party with all of her friends before summer came to an end. Of course, being the clever parents we are we smiled, said "we'll see", and went along with life figuring that our little angel would simply forget about the whole thing in a month or so when school had pretty much worn off. Today, I can tell you that my daughter is much more persistent than the credit we gave her, as she never once swayed from this party notion. So, we compromised. And, today, she had what we affectionately termed a "big play date" at our house. Being August, many of her friends were on vacation with their families, and as luck would have it, only two of her gal pals were able to attend. I say "luck" because the thought of a dozen little girls running around the yard gave me nightmares. In addition to my daughter's friends, we turned the play date into a non-gender-specific platform, and allowed my son to invite some of his daycare buddies. Again, the family vacation bug came into play and only one of his buds was able to come. So, for the first time in our experience, we had a group play date. And, it actually worked out really well. We set up the water slide, got out the squirt guns, grilled some hot dogs, and served up some watermelon, too! We also set a start and end time so as to give it some structure. And, at 3 pm, when the party ended and the friends had departed, we had two very happy children...tired, but happy. And that, after all, was the whole point of the play date.

August 6: Friday Night Bowling

From pop cans to pins, we've come full circle. Tonight we took in Imperial Lanes and a couple games of real bowling with the kids. We had taken them once before, on a weekend afternoon, but this was the first time we had ever gone on a Friday night. We had hoped to do the "Cosmic Bowling", but we arrived too early and didn't plan on staying too late (Cosmic Bowling starts at 8 pm, I guess). I have to say, I like the bowling alley much better now that state law prohibits smoking in public places. Other than our family time, that was the big moment of the evening. Particularly because no one in the family is much of a bowler. It was so bad, that none of us broke 100 in either of the games we played. Guess it's a good thing our motto is "just have fun!"

August 5: Pop Can Bowling

The kids were begging my wife and I to take them bowling tonight. Unfortunately, it hadn't been a good day at home behavior-wise, and we were not really willing to reward them for such. So, we nixed the bowling trip. Of course, shortly there after, I started feeling a little bad for the tykes, as they are good kids and, well, all of us have bad days from time-to-time. So, rather than steal all of their bowling joy, I decided to create an alley of our own. I went out in the driveway, grabbed a dozen or so empty pop cans, a larger softball-size wiffle ball for each of them, and we had our first annual pop can bowling event. The wind was a little strong, however, and the pop cans kept tipping over, but the kids absolutely loved it. We started with the wiffle balls, but eventually the kids were drawn to a much larger kickball in an effort to drop ALL of the pins with one roll. Now, if I could just figure out how to create a homemade pinsetter, we would be all set to take this idea national. Hey, I can dream, can't I?

August 4: Chia Seeds

Today, I tried these new pretzel-like snack sticks called "Sticks & Twigs" made by Mary's Gone Crackers. Yes, that's the actual brand name, and, based on previous blog entries, yes, we bought them at Whole Foods. The statement "Contains Chia Seeds" is imprinted directly, and prominently, on the bag, which got me thinking "what the hell is a chia seed and should I be eating it?" Of course, that prompted me into another round of research on, none other than, chia seeds. Okay, first of all, chia seeds are the same seeds that cover the infamous Chia Pet and other Chia variations; the latest being the Chia Obama (I kid you not). Seeing as that was the first "fact" I had on chia seeds, I wasn't feeling too confident about just ingesting them. But, I continued my research. Turns out, chia seeds allegedly have quite the nutritional value. According to The Chia Seed website, they are "an excellent source of fiber, packed with antioxidants, full of protein, loaded with vitamins and minerals, and the richest known plant source of omega-3". Of course, they also have a claim that Dr. Oz loves the chia seed, so I'm not sure how much credibility we can lend to the site. I learned that the chia plant, from which the seeds come, is a flowering plant from the mint family, and the seeds are popular in Mexico and Guatemala where they use the seed in both whole and ground form for a number of different purposes. That would include chia sprouts, which are the end product of the aforementioned Chia Pet products, that are commonly found in salads; similar to the way we use bean sprouts in the U.S. I stopped there with my research, however, I did find quite a comprehensive posting regarding chia that some of you with a greater interest may want to check out. The article is appropriately titled "Chia Seed - The Ancient Food of the Future".

August 3: Pluot

During our last food shopping excursion, we bought what I thought were plums. That is, until today when my family corrected me. What we actually bought was a pluot. So, what is a pluot you might ask? Well, let me just tell you. A pluot is the flavorful offspring of a plum and apricot, though allegedly much sweeter than it's Ma and Pa. They were created in the late 80s/early 90s by a man named Floyd Zaiger, a biologist who specialized in fruit genetics. Like it's Plum parent, pluots are available in several varieties, and they're supposed to be rich in Vitamin A nutrients. For everything you want to know about pluots and more, I recommend checking out Produce Pete's information here. Actually, I don't know Produce Pete personally, but he seems to know an awful lot about pluots.

August 2: Sugar Allergy

Before bed this evening, my daughter and I were discussing allergies; specifically her nut allergy. We began joking around about various allergy scenarios, which is not a funny topic per se, but humor seems to help her cope with her own allergy. My daughter said "what if I was allergic to candy!", to which I replied, "what if you were allergic to sugar?" After I tucked her in and returned downstairs, I started wondering whether or not people can be allergic to sugar. What I found is. yes, there are people who can have an inverse reaction to sugar if consumed. However, there seems to be a high-degree of controversy as to whether such a reaction can be defined as an "allergy" or just an "intolerance" to sugar. Unfortunately, I found no medical evidence to support one side or the other; granted I didn't research in much depth either, so that evidence may, in fact, be out there and I just didn't find it. Regardless, I did find some consistency in that whether one categorizes a reaction to eating sugar as an allergy or intolerance, the symptoms are basically the same: fatigue, lack of concentration and headaches, to name just a few. And, I can only imagine one hell of a challenge trying to find foods that are edible seeing as some form of sugar is pretty much in everything these days.

August 1: Paint Creek Trail adventure

My wife's been talking about hiking down Paint Creek Trail in Rochester for quite a while now. So, today, while the kids and I debated whether to go putt-putt golfing, bowling or see a movie, my wife decided we were going to go hiking...down Paint Creek Trail no less. I was a little skeptical at first. I'd never been on this particular trail before and a long walk just wasn't on my agenda for the day when I woke up this morning. But, I love that my wife is always encouraging our family to try new things, so I bought into the idea rather quickly. I'm glad I did, as it was an incredible experience. Well, Paint Creek Trail itself was okay, but we veered off the beaten path and cut though Dinosaur Trail. On the way, we came across a family of deer, not 20 feet from us. It was amazing! The deer were calm, didn't even run off. I'm sure they're probably used to humans walking the trail, but I sure wasn't used to getting that close to deer in the wild. Shortly thereafter, we stumbled upon the Nature Center where we encountered two of the friendliest folks around. They were kind enough to explain many of the "stuffed" animals in the Center, and share some of the upcoming events they would be hosting. On the walk back, we had a bit of a scare. I'm not sure how exactly it happened, but a trio of deer - 1 adult and 2 fawns - were close to the path near a road and somehow became startled by the cars, bikes and people. Their reaction was to bolt, and, unfortunately, we were smack dab in the middle of their escape route. Luckily, two of them veered off to our right before reaching us, but the third, one of the babies, ended up dashing by us, directly to the left of my daughter and me. No one was hurt, and no one was too shaken by the incident. Although, my wife and I did reflect on what could have happened later in the day. I can definitely say, I've never experienced that before in my life!

July 31: Family BBQ

When I look back over all the family gatherings I've attended in my life, I recall only a few that my wife and I have hosted in which the attendees included more than just my immediate family members. Today, we took a first step in changing that trend. We had a big family BBQ for my sister and her family, my Aunt and Uncle on my Dad's side, and both of my cousins and their families (my cousins being my Aunt and Uncle's children) - 21 of us in all, including my wife and kids. We set up the water slide in the backyard for all of the kids, rented some tables and chairs to ensure enough eating space, and cooked up a hamburger/hot dog bar with all the fixins' one could imagine! The kids had a blast, and it was great getting everyone together and catching up on life. I think my wife and I should host more family gatherings...not to sound arrogant or anything, but I think we're pretty darn good at it (lol).

July 30: Galeophobic

My friend, Doug, sent me an email this afternoon titled "You sir are a Galeophobic". Of course, I had no idea what a galeophobic was, but Doug was kind enough to explain it in the body of his email. A galeophobic is a person who suffers from an excessive and persistent fear of sharks. Doug sent his message in honor of the Discovery Channel's kick-off of Shark Week on Saturday (I would include a link here, but I had no desire to go to the DC Shark Week home page while typing this blog entry...I'm sure you all will understand). You may recall a previous blog entry in which I gave an explicit account of my fear of shark pictures. Needless to say, I've foolishly shared this fear with far too many people and eventually it comes back to bite me in the butt (no pun intended). Well, at least it's nice to know there's a name for my condition. Up until now, I just thought that term was "insane".

July 29: Eco-Tech

Bees. Don't like 'em. Hornets. Can't stand 'em. Wasps. Hate 'em. And, it's that kind of attitude that makes having a nest from one of these critters behind your window shutter all the more worse. And, to add misery to the situation, the nest was behind a shutter on the second level of our house. No way I'm taking on a swarm 12 feet in the air! So, I hit the Yellow Pages (the web version) for some help. In the past, my wife and I used a company called Apex. Decent service, questionable service people, not to mention costs. Instead of going that route again, I found an environmentally conscious pest control company - I didn't even know such a business existed. Their name is Eco-Tech Pest Management, and they serve Oakland, Macomb, Wayne, Livingston and Genesee counties. With that kind of coverage, I figured they had to be doing something right. So, my Eco-Tech technician came out today to rid our house of its pesky invaders. Came to find out it was paper wasps. The guy used a spray, from the ground no less, and I'm assuming it worked by the dead bee carcasses lining my roof. The guy also confirmed that they use only the necessary amount of chemicals in their sprays, and a non-carcinogen spray at that. Thus, the job got done successfully, and I don't have to worry about any of us growing a third arm either. It's always a good day when you can lay those worries to rest.

July 28: Short Surveys

In the learning field, we do these post-training evaluations affectionately referred to as Level 1 Surveys. They are typically administered on the final day of training. The purpose of the survey is to measure a participant's initial reaction to the training or education in terms of the Instructor, the content, the environment in which the training was facilitated and so on. In theory, learning people are able to use the results from this type of feedback to improve the education or make any necessary changes to the format of the training. The problem with level 1 surveys, in my own humble opinion, is that when used for training that occurs over an extended period of time, such as 3 or more consecutive days, the feedback tends to be skewed in that participants likely just want to wrap up the session and move on. Thus, people tend to focus on the last day, in particular, as the basis for their summary of the entire education. So, this afternoon, I learned that the Global Learning team I work for at the Bank has developed, but not yet implemented, what they call "short surveys". These short surveys are 3 general questions about the training, but their purpose is to be administered at the end of each and every day of training; thus capturing the feedback from each associate based on their current day's experience. Obviously, these short surveys are dependent on the training facilitator driving the points to which he/she wants the associate to provide feedback around. But, still, if used right, they can be very effective at capturing very specific feedback about a learning offering. Such a simple concept, yet, as I mentioned, these surveys are still not being used by the Bank's learning teams. I'm hoping to change that soon, however, as my team is hoping to use one of these short surveys for an upcoming pilot education, I'll keep you all posted on how that goes.

July 27: A Fish Burial

I've attended funerals in my life, but never quite like the ceremony my family held this evening. Back in March, I wrote a blog entry about the passing of our pleco, Stud, whom we inherited from my Mom and Dad. Well, over the past 4 months, Stud has been residing in our freezer in the basement, as we awaited the right day to properly lay him to rest. Tonight was that night. We found a nice spot in yard, dug the hole, carefully removed Stud from his freezer bag, and placed him within. Both kids said a few words in Stud's memory and that was that. Yep, we're a bit of an odd family.

July 26: McClure's Pickles

We're always on the lookout for something new in the food category and during our last trip to Whole Foods, my wife had snuck a jar of McClure's spicy pickles into our basket. I use the term "snuck" because they're like $6 a jar or something like that, and I probably would have flipped had I known beforehand. Far more than that Vlasic stork will cost you, anyway. These babies are all-natural, and naturally hot; getting steam only from the hot peppers packaged inside the jar. One bite and whew....