Rob_Haswell's Blog

A belated thanks and a Happy Holidays to all those that came out to the Germantown Christmas parade this past weekend!

I thought I'd share a pic of me and the kids in our cool horse drawn carriage that we got to ride in for the parade!

As a kid growing up in Canada, one of the most important days on the calendar was November 11th. Here we call it Veterans Day, Canada calls it Remembrance Day but either way it is indeed one of the most important days all year. It's a day to pause, step back from all we do everyday and remember those that gave their all so that we could live the lives we do today.

I remember every year in grade school, we'd learn this poem and I still feel it's among the greatest ever written so I thought I'd share it with you.

In Flanders Fields
By: Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, MD (1872-1918)
Canadian Army

IN FLANDERS FIELDS the poppies blow
Between the crosses row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

It doesn't matter if you're a Republican, a Democrat, an independent or other you need to get out there and....


Millions of people around the world don't have this basic right.  Thousands, if not millions, have died to protect the right to vote and it all comes down to you deciding to make your mark!

Even if you can't decide on some of the races, you need to vote on the issues you feel strongly about and have your say today.

Remember, if you don't vote today.... don't complain tomorrow!

If you want my face or any Wake Up face on your pumpkin -we're here to help!

Nicole and I carved all the Wake Up faces this morning and you can see that on the Wake Up page but if you want the stencils we used to do it please CLICK HERE

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

My very talented wife, Tanya, made this cool picture for our annual calendar we give to the grandparents and I liked it so much I thought I'd share.

The faces are my kids of course! :-)

You know the old saying "No two snowflakes are alike."  right?

Well, depending on how strict you want to be on your definition, two flakes can actually be alike indeed!

While it's true that full sized flakes are unique, smaller flakes can often look the same.  Check out this picture of small flakes- sometimes called nano-flakes - that are simple hexagonal prisms!



Look pretty much the same huh?

Now of course that's now really what most people think of when they think of a snowflake.  When it comes to the full fledged, traditional flake like this:



it is indeed true that no two are the same.

Here's a great site that gives you an even more in depth look at snowflakes.
CLICK HERE

What are all those little bugs?

 

If you live in the United States, your home is probably being invaded by swarms of lady beetles.  Most of us thought these were the harmless "lady bug".  But we were wrong!

Many people are wondering what they are and what to do about them.  Here are the answers from the Missouri Department of Conservation. 

Over the last few years, many Missourians have been encountering thousands of lady beetles "swarming" around and inside their homes. This is not some bug that's gone berserk, but actually an insect that is new to Missouri. The multicolored Asian lady beetle was originally released into some southern and eastern U.S. states several years ago as a predator to control aphids on trees. None were released in Missouri, but the beetles have spread here from other areas.

There are about 400 species of lady beetles in the U.S. Most of these are native to the U.S., and because most feed on insects that attack plants, they are generally considered to be beneficial insects. However, the Asian lady beetle has become a major nuisance because of its swarming behavior. These insects congregate in the fall as they try to find sheltered places where they can hibernate during the winter. Then on warm days in early spring they congregate again in huge numbers as they come out of their over wintering sites.

In their native range in Japan, Asian lady beetles swarm around cliffs to search for crevices for over wintering sites. However, houses and other buildings seem to be attractive alternatives to cliffs. These beetles enter homes by slipping through cracks around doors and windows or through attic vents. Lady beetles do not reproduce indoors during their hibernation period. They do not harm humans or pets, although at times they can give a bit of a nip by biting.

The best thing you can do for this problem is prevention. Caulk up all crevices around doors, windows, and utility pipes. Make sure you have tight-fitting screens on windows and attic vents. You should especially concentrate on openings on the south and west sides of the house, because those are the warmer areas where lady beetles are more likely to gather. If you already have lots of beetles inside your house, about the only thing you can do is vacuum them up and dump them back outdoors, preferably in a sheltered place a long distance from the house. Avoid squeezing or crushing the beetles, because they can emit a fluid that can stain carpets or drapes. Spraying with insecticides is usually not effective, and trying to use enough insecticide to have some effect just adds a high level of toxic materials to your home.

The Asian lady beetle has been introduced into the U.S. several times since 1978. Since then, they have spread to many parts of the U.S. and Canada. They were first found in Missouri in 1993 in Carter and Wayne counties, but have now spread throughout much of the state. It is difficult to predict what impacts we will see in Missouri as the Asian lady beetle becomes well established here. Eventually native predators may provide some measure of control on lady beetle populations. Recent research in North Carolina indicates that as much as 25% of lady beetle populations were parasitized by a tachinid fly.

 

I found this online and had a good giggle - thought I'd share:

You know you are from Wisconsin when...

Your whole family wears green and gold to church on Sunday.

You refer to the Packers as "we."

Your idea of a traffic jam is ten cars waiting to pass a tractor on
the highway.

"Vacation" means going up north to Rhinelander for the weekend.

You measure distance in hours.

You know several people who have hit deer more than once.

You often switch from "heat" to "A/C" in the same day and back again.

You drive at 65 mph through 2 feet of snow during a raging blizzard,
without flinching. (ROB NOTE: DON'T DO THAT!)

You see people wearing hunting clothes at social events.

You install security lights on your house and garage and leave both
unlocked.

You think of the major food groups as venison, fish, and berries.

You know all 4 seasons: almost winter, winter, still winter and road
construction.

It takes you 3 hours to go to the store for one item even when you're
in a rush because you have to stop and talk to everyone in town.

You buy your Christmas presents at Fleet Farm or Menards!

You know what cow-tipping is.

You carry jumper cables in your car and your girlfriend knows how to
use them.

You define summer as three months of bad sledding.

Your definition of a small town is one that has only one bar.

You have gotten frostbitten and sunburned in the same week.

You can identify an Illinois or Michigan accent.

You learned to drive a tractor before the training wheels were off
your bike.

Down South to you means Chicago.

Traveling coast to coast means going from La Crosse to Milwaukee.

You know a brat is something you eat and Eau Claire is not.

You can pronounce and spell Oconomowoc.

You know where Waukesha is and can pronounce it.

You consider Madison exotic.

You got a passport to go to Minnesota.

Your ides of foreign culture is listening to Da Yoopers.

You know what a bubbler is.

You go out for fish fry every Friday.

You can recognize someone from Illinois from their driving. (ROB NOTE: And we have naughty nick names for them too!)

You've seen a hodag.

You know how to polka.

You used to think Deer Season was a national holiday.

You know Gotham is a real city.

You can make sense out of the words upnort and Trivers.

You can visit Luxemburg, Holland, Belgium, Denmark, Berlin, New London
& Poland all in one afternoon.

You design your Halloween costumes to fit over a snowsuit.

You go to work in a snowsuit in the morning and return home wearing
shorts.

You've seen mosquitoes with landing lights.

You have more miles on your snow blower than your car.

You enjoy driving in the winter because the potholes fill in with
snow.

Your sexy lingerie is tube socks and a flannel nightie.

The local paper covers major headlines on 1 page, but requires 4 pages
for sports. (ROB NOTE: The whole first section of the Ozaukee Pres IS sports!  LOVE IT!)

Your snow blower gets stuck on the roof.

You find 0 degrees a little chilly.

You drink "soda" and refer to your dad as "pop".(ROB NOTE: Unless you're from SW Wisconsin where they say Pop!)

You call an ATM a Tyme machine.

You get a drink of water from a Bubbler!

Hey, remember when you actually had to contact your friends to know how they were doing? 

You know, you'd pick up the phone and check in on your high school buddies or give Mom a call?

Now-a-days you just have to log onto your Facebook page and boom you're blasted with everybody's status!  Their every thought and whim is right there!  And not just your real friends, the whole Facebook world!  Anybody you've ever gone to school with, worked with or just somehow met and decided to accept a friend request from!  Many people you haven't talked to in years, some you barely ever talked to and some that you're not really sure how you know!  But they all know what you're doing from your status and you know what they're doing but we didn't really communicate or make contact at all!

For example, if a high school friend is going through a break up they might post something like "Tony Smith is glad he's finally a free man"  or if they're sad about it "Tony Smith is still crying over Pam".  You might only vaguely remember Tony from wood shop but now you know he every emotional move - if he wants you to!

So when did we go from an "on request" system where you had to make the call or write the letter and ask to a "broadcast" system where we all tell the world how we're feeling, what we're doing and what's going on in our lives?

In fact, if you're a Twitter person, you don't even have to log on to a page to know what's happening - your Twitter people will put a pop up on your computer when they want to tell you!

Is this all a good thing?  Well, yes and no.

The no is that we're not really communicating anymore.  We're just reading a little line on a computer screen and moving on.  There's no conversation.  There is no context.  There's not contact.

There's also the negative that we really might not think how many people and just who is reading our status.  Like when you post "Rob Haswell is napping" and your boss reads it!  Or if you're not careful, you're feeing a lot of personal information to people who might just misuse that!  You update your status to "leaving for a week in Mexico" and come home to find out that dude you didn't really know anyway on Facebook has cleaned your place out and he's somewhere out there watching your plasma TV and reading your status updates on your laptop in his living room!

The upside is that is can be a great way to get support and to rebuild relationships.

I confess that I am very bad at keeping in touch and hardly, if ever, pick up the phone to call friends and family.  However, I am much more connected to them now that ever since Facebook.  I have reconnected with dozens of old friends from college, high school and even made new friends by contacting friends of friends who I had always admired or respected.

It's also a great conversation starter.  Let's face it, often we really have nothing to say.  I'd probably pick up the phone if I thought the best man from my wedding really cared that I was taking my son to hockey but I assume he doesn't.  However, I post that I'm taking Noah to practice and suddenly I have 3 or 4 replies from friends who  were off to something their kids and wanted to share the frustration of trying to be a modern suburban parent who spends more time behind the wheel of the family taxi than anywhere else.  And one reply from a buddy who wanted to know when he should get his kid into the sport! 

Those are all conversations that would never have happened without facebook.

So, while I am a bit concerned that we have gone from a passive "wait to be asked" approach to the question of "how ya doin'?" to an aggressive approach where we broadcast how we are doing to anyone who'll listen, I do see that there can be a big up side!

And in closing, just for the record...

Rob is finishing his blog entry for today.

It's just the beginning of October but already our neighborhood has gone Halloween!

We joined the crowd on the weekend and since we talked about it a bit last week and again this morning on Wake Up, I thought you might be interested in a picture of the decorations.

It's dark - obviously - but that's the best way to see all the lights!

Just a quick post to say we'll never give up... never surrender!



The crew have done things the hard way all season long so that's how they'll win this series!

My serious prediction is that IF the crew can get CC a game 5 he'll give them a series win. He'll be all rested and super fired up to get a win and erase that last outing!

I know it's a stereotype but as a Canadian I have hockey in the blood. By Canuck standards, I am not that much of a fan but I do enjoy the sport and wanted my son to at least give it a try. If there's anything to DNA and genetics, he'll have very little chance of being a super skilled player! That said, my father was a good player so maybe it just skips a generation!

But that's not what I wanted to point out here. My desire for Noah (and next year Nyla) to give hockey a try is conflicted by my deeply rooted thriftiness! The good news is that the fine folks at Ozaukee Hockey have procured some loaner equipment for their mini-mites this year to take the edge of the cost and truly the league isn't overly expensive when compared to other things like gymnastics or dance etc. However, the price of some things for the little player have soared! I mean they've jumped in price by exponential amounts compared to when I was a kid!

The biggest price craziness I saw was buying Noah a hockey stick. In 1977 when I was 6 you could get a stick for under 5 dollars and a really good stick for about 15! Of course back then they were basically tree limbs with a bend in them! Even when I was older and the higher tech sticks came out they were under 20 dollars and the basic stick was still around 5-10 bucks.

Noah's stick cost almost 25 dollars - and that's a Jr. stick! Now to be fair I could have paid as little as 15 dollars but that was a pretty basic stick. The price of Junior sticks at the store we went to (I won't say where but the name rhymes with sticks) went up to 100 bucks! A 100 bucks?! You'd better make it to the NHL for that!!!!

Okay, I am overreacting a bit. I have to admit today's sticks are amazing by comparison to what we had back in the 70s and early 80s. They weigh almost nothing - my old stick was heavier than most baseball bats - and they have special finishes and blades that make it easier to play! So I guess it makes sense they cost more. However, hockey is one of the most expensive sports and in a state where the sport plays a backseat to just about every other team sport, it's a hard pitch to those who are new to the ice.

Big time kudos to the brilliant minds at Ozaukee Hockey who made the effort to get loaner equipment for the mini-mites to get them into the game without breaking the bank! Especially at an age where they're all about hockey one day and a few weeks later they're wild about skateboarding or art!

If you're interested here are a couple of links to junior hockey in our area:

WAHA
Ozaukee Hockey

This post has been edited by an administrator

Well, it's happened... I have become a stereotypical suburban Dad.  My entire week - outside or work - consists of shuttling my kids from one event to the next or staying at home the babysit the ones that don't have something that very minute!  And my kids do far far less than many others we know!

Last night for example, my daughter Nyla had gymnastics, soon she'll have dance and probably swimming lessons.  Add to that my son has Tiger Cubs and hockey and soon swimming lessons.   And you can add the school assemblies, fund raisers and events too!

That's really not that much but you know it always happens at the same time!  So we carpool with friends, make up elaborate drop off and pick up schedules and try to stay focused on one event at a time to avoid going totally nutso!

I know other kids his age that have all that and more and have parents who work even more than I do so I am not really complaining.  Sort of but not really.

My bigger point is ... WHEN DID THIS ALL HAPPEN?  I don't remember doing all this when I was a kid!  Or did we?

So tell me your extracurricular nightmares and I am open to any scheduling tips or short cuts you have discovered!

Here's a link to the website I mentioned today during the 11am news:

CLICK HERE

Enjoy the Fall colors!!

The summer of 2008 for us has ended and ended without any official 90 degree temperatures recorded.

However, despite a lack of super high daytime high temperatures here in our backyard, the planet was still on the warm side.

In fact, according to the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration it was the ninth warmers on record! And August was the 10th warmest.

Here are some snip its from the official press release:

The combined global average land and ocean surface temperature for summer 2008 was the ninth warmest since records began in 1880, and this August was the tenth warmest, according to an analysis by NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center in Asheville, N.C.

Summer (June – August) Highlights

• The combined global land and ocean surface temperature for summer 2008 was 0.85 degrees F (0.47 degrees C) above the 20th century mean of 60.1 degrees F (15.6 degrees C).

• Separately, the global land surface temperature for the summer was 1.12 degrees F (0.62 degrees C) above the 20th century mean of 56.9 degrees F (13.8 degrees C).

• The global ocean surface temperature for summer ranked ninth warmest on record and was 0.74 degrees F (0.41 degrees C) above the 20th century mean of 61.5 degrees F (16.4 degrees C).

August Highlights

• The August 2008 combined global land and ocean surface temperature was 0.79 degrees F (0.44 degrees C) above the 20th century mean of 60.1 degrees F (15.6 degrees C) and tied with 1995 for the tenth warmest August on record.

• The global land surface temperature for August was 0.88 degrees F (0.49 degrees C) above the 20th century mean of 56.9 degrees F (13.8 degrees C).

• The global ocean surface temperature for August was 0.77 degrees F (0.43 degrees C) above the 20th century mean of 61.4 degrees F (16.4 degrees C), which tied for seventh warmest August with 2001.

Other Highlights

• Arctic sea ice extent at the end of August was at its second lowest extent on record according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center. Sea ice declined by a record rate in August, decreasing by 950,000 square miles (2.47 million square kilometers) between Aug. 1 and Sept. 3. The current extent is 800,000 square miles (2.08 million square kilometers) below the 1979-2000 average.

NCDC August 2008 analysis: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/research/2008/aug/
aug08.html