Life

Dwindling duckies

/ hsoi

About 3 weeks ago, two nests of muscovy duck eggs hatched. I forget the exact numbers, but each had around 20 ducklings.

An interesting thing happened.

The 2 “families” merged into one large group. I’m not exactly sure why or how it happened, but one day we’d see one mother with more and the other mother with less. Then later on we’d see that same mother with a lot less and the other mother with a lot more. I reckon since they all travelled in similar circles, they all just merged and blended… ducklings would see others similar to it moving on and would join the flow, others were looking the other direction and would stay with the others still eating. Just not sure what sort of “duck think” was going on here.

But more interesting was the two mother ducks seemed to be OK with it… as if they were agreeing to share the load. Every other time I’ve seen some mother duck and not-its-ducklings interact, they keep away: the foreign mother will chase away the strange babies, everyone keeps to their group. But here, they seemed to be all accepting. It got to a point where what you would see was a large group of 2 mothers and a whole mess of babies, rarely just one mother and babies.

Interesting. Just never seen such behavior before.

But what’s been harder to watch is the number of babies dwindling down. As of this writing, there are only 2 babies. It’s been an unusually cold winter so far, food has been scarce. Well… I guess that’s relative. For you see, we know there’s a predator bird flying around. I haven’t seen it so I can’t confirm what it is, but Kiddos have seen it. It’s a hawk or falcon or a kite or some such bird of prey. Kiddos have seen it dive-bombing the ducklings; they try to scare it off, and maybe they succeed for now but they can’t guard the ducklings all the time.  I’d love to see this. I think large birds of prey are really cool. It’d be cool too to see where it’s nesting, because obviously it’s nearby.

I’m of mixed emotion on it. Of course, it’s just nature and the way things are: nature has some critters produce large broods because it’s expected for most of them to die off in one way or another. That includes being food for other critters higher on the food chain. Furthermore gosh… if we had all 40 ducklings survive, that would have massively increased the muscovy population in the neighborhood, which would put other pressure upon the population and just lead to another round-up. So it’s all good… but it still sucks because geez… ducklings are cute. 🙂

Homeschooling-related bills for the 82nd Texas Legislative Session.

/ hsoi / 4 Comments

There are (at least for now) 2 homeschooling-related bills in the 82ns Texas legislative session.

SB 207 – relating to requiring certain students leaving public school to provide documentation necessary to ensure an accurate calculation of dropout rates.

HB 196 – relating to requiring certain students leaving public school to provide documentation necessary to ensure an accurate calculation of dropout rates.

Quick look and the text appears to be the same in both the House and Senate bills.

No, bad bill. Oppose. I LOVE the phrasing… that leaving the failed public school system for a better education via homeschooling is considered dropping out.

HB 132 – relating to the issuance of a driver’s license to a person who has not obtained a high school diploma or its equivalent.

HSLDA is opposing this, but I’m not 100% sure why. My guess is because it enumerates “home school” (in Texas, homeschooling is generally not enumerated, falling under jurisdiction of “private school” and it is best kept that way). I’m going to contact HSLDA for clarification.

Updated: I contacted HSDLA to ask for more details as to why they oppose.

Here’s their more detailed response to SB207 & HB196.

Here’s their more detailed response to HB132.

I agree with their reasoning. You can debate the merit of the intentions behind the bill, but from a purely legal perspective they are bad bills.

What Is Work Ethic?

/ hsoi

One of those things that you just stumble across while clicking around the web… What Is Work Ethic?

Click through to the other website to see all the videos, but of them, I thought these two summed it up best:

The first is Will Smith

The second is Kobe Bryant

Crazy K kinda day

/ hsoi

Yesterday was crazy, in a good way. 🙂

Remember Sneeze, the rescued duck? He’s now living at Crazy K Farm. Ever since Sneeze’s relocation, the kids have wanted to go back and visit. Heck, Wife and I have wanted to go back and visit as well, since we didn’t get a chance to see the farm in the daylight (and it’s our not-so-secret dream to move to the country, so this is just more fuel for that fire). Not to mention, we’re getting to know Tobi and her crew of her daughter and “Long-Suffering Husband”, and they pretty cool people.

So yesterday we packed everyone (Sasha too) into the car and headed down to the farm to spend some time. When we arrived we got a tour of the property, with the highlight being the finding of Sneeze. Both Sneeze and Squirt look great, better than when they were living here. But that stands to reason, because they’re in an environment of care. Sure, we did our best to care for them, but there’s only so much we’re able to do… the overall environment around here isn’t as friendly and welcoming as being on a dedicated farm. In fact, we were floored at the Muscovy’s we saw at the farm. More varieties, like chocolate ones… some of whom even looked golden. They were simply beautiful birds. But there’s more than Muscovy’s at the farm: a few varieties of goats, geese, other ducks, lots of chickens, guineas, 4 horses and 2 donkeys, and a bunch of livestock guardian dogs. Oh, those dogs were awesome.

The Daughter’s played together, the boys (especially Oldest) enjoyed all the animals. In fact, Oldest was truly in heaven; I know if we lived closer he’d be happy to come to the farm every day to help out. The adults enjoyed some good wine, good conversation, Long-Suffering Husband (Tobi’s nickname for him, per Facebook) grilled some food, we ate, we enjoyed. Of course, the farm must continue to function so there had to be feeding of animals, cleaning of cages, and other chores while we were there. Unfortunately we did have a heartbreaking moment when Tobi discovered one of her best chickens had been killed (we assume by a hawk). There was grief, but also resolve on how to prevent that from happening again (once one of the dogs heals up from his surgery, he’s going to be re-trained to guard that segment of the farm).

BTW… feeding time is LOUD. Geese. They are either on or… well, on; there is no off, and they are loud. Get a large group of them together, and it’s deafening. 🙂

Unfortunately our day had to be cut short since we had to get back to Austin. But what a wonderful time. Making new friends is always a good thing.

I’m going through changes…

/ hsoi

I’ve been reassigned.

Still with the same company I’ve been with for many many years, but I’ve been put onto a new project. It’s radically different from what I’ve done for the past umpteen years, but it’s still writing Mac software. Yet for all the same, it’s very different. I think the hardest transition hit me this morning as I was talking with another engineer on the team. You see, for nearly two decades I’ve developed software direct for the consumer, where anyone could download it or buy it off the shelf at a store. But now, the software is written for enterprise sales and while “Average Joe” still ends up using the software, the process of making things happen, the customer I am directly responsible to isn’t Joe. It’s subtle, but it’s a different paradigm to have to work in, and I have to adjust my mental paradigm.

The project is also higher profile, higher pressure. When I was told of the reassignment (just before Christmas), I wasn’t sure. I had helped out the same project a couple of years ago and it wasn’t the most favorable experience. But time has passed, and I’m happy to see that while yes there’s still problems, there’s a true effort to improve things. The best part? The guy that’s now my boss (and then his boss as well) are very sharp. We’ve only worked together for a couple of weeks but I’m left with nothing but a solid and positive impression. They understand reality, they understand proper development process, they understand how to say “no” (very important), and they understand that their job is to enable me to do my job (getting me what I need, shielding me from what I don’t need). Even better, they understand that while there are important things to get done, we cannot have death marches, we cannot demand 60-80 hours a week every week, that people need to have their non-work lives and have balance overall in their life. This is a welcome thing and gives me hope for this assignment. Sometimes having a good boss makes all the difference in the world. 🙂

It’s been a rough couple weeks to get started, but that’s only due to being dropped into the deep end of the pool and having to swim. Just lots of little things to have to figure out, get in line and get going. But overall, so far so good. That’s one reason I haven’t been blogging much… just had other things to cope with right now. But things appear to be settling into a groove, so here’s hoping.

I am bummed that I cannot pursue working on mobile apps like for iOS and Android, but that’s not too big a worry. So long as that job maintains a healthy role in my life, I can get my mobile work in other venues. And I’m working to do just that.

Life is full of surprises. You roll with the tide. You play the hand you’re dealt, and all those clichĂ©s. I’m working to find what’s good, what’s ultimately best for me and my family. At first I wasn’t sure this move was going to be good, but it’s actually turning out to be alright. Onwards….

Goals and fundamentals

/ hsoi

Top competition pistol shooter, BJ Norris, blogged about his 2011 goals.

Note. BJ is in the elite of competition pistol shooters, with numerous Open Junior National championships and also a World and National Steel Challenge SteelMaster title. He’s fast, he’s accurate, he’s good at what he does.

So notice what his goals are about:

  • Dry fire 15 minutes daily
  • Group shooting
  • Physical readiness

What do you notice? It’s all fundamentals and working those fundamentals on a consistent basis. It’s also very calculated: shaving 0.1 seconds off his draw adds up to 3.1 seconds over the course of a match, and that’s HUGE at his level of competition. He wants to repeat the World title this year, and that will be all about speed and accuracy. So he’s doing what he can to go faster and do it in a calculated manner. Working group shooting will help his accuracy and work those fundamentals of sight picture, sight alignment, and trigger control.

It’s always interesting how we journey through something. As a beginner we learn the fundamentals but want to get on to learning the advanced skills because they’re fancy and exciting. But once you get to that advanced level, you realize that you need to go back to the fundamentals if you want to become a master. It doesn’t matter what you’re doing, it’s all about fundamentals. They’re never sexy, but you’ll never get anywhere without them… nor the goals to motivate you along.

Plumbing tip

/ hsoi

Yesterday had a plumber over to tackle numerous little plumbing tasks around the house.

The kitchen sink faucet cold water has run rather slow for some time. I knew flow was restricted but wasn’t sure how. A few years ago the water main into our house broke (on the city side of the water meter). City came and fixed it, but because the pipe did break grit and sand and small rocks got into our pipes and had to be flushed out. I wondered perhaps did a small rock get jammed up in the faucet cartridge?

Nope.

Calcium build-up.

Central Texas… limestone everywhere. It happens.

But here’s the tip. The faucet is a Kohler. To replace the cartridge would cost as much if not more than buying a whole new faucet. The plumber recommended instead to buy Moen or Delta, because they’re simple: just pop the old cartridge out, put a new one in, and it costs a fraction. And the quality of the faucets are just as good.

So there you go. Your plumbing product shopping tip for the day.

Doggie School – round 2

/ hsoi

It’s time for Sasha to continue her schooling.

Our first round of training was with Triple Crown Dog Academy. We did 6 private lessons in basic manners and obedience. Overall our experience was a positive one. There’s no question that Sasha is a better mannered and behaved dog, and we’re better owners for the experience. However, we knew Sasha had some baggage, and there’s just some things about the Kuvasz breed that need tending to. It was our plan to go back to Triple Crown for more training, taking their “basic manners and obedience” in a group setting this time, to help with socialization.

But plans have changed.

Wife was poking around Facebook for Kuvasz stuff and happened upon a woman who was local (well, up in Round Rock, city just north of Austin) and lo… she also had a Kuvasz! Turns out she’s a trainer, S.A.F.E. Training for Dogs. From her page:

Elizabeth Marsh is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT) and behavior specialist. For over 20 years, she has been training pet dogs and service dogs and providing behavior therapy services for dogs with moderate to severe behavior problems. She has a formal education in behavioral psychology and is the developer of the SAFE Training method – a proven, scientific and reliable method for teaching dogs to adapt to life in a human environment. She is a certified evaluator for the American Kennel Club’s Canine Good Citizen Program and a member of several professional organizations including the APDT, Delta Society and The Humane Society of the United States. She is deeply dedicated to improving the welfare of animals through the education of pet owners and their pets. Elizabeth lives in Round Rock, Texas with her Hungarian Kuvasz dog “Gretta” and her Great Pyrenees “Bo”.

And of course, she has a picture up of her cuddling her Kuvasz, Gretta.

I cannot lie. This held great appeal to us. A lady with a lot of training experience, seems to have the credentials, and not only knows the breed but owns it. She’s got daily experience with what it takes. You know, that could be good!

Wife was very excited and got right on the phone with Elizabeth, even setting up a meeting at our house. Me? I wasn’t too hot to it. I knew nothing of this person and just didn’t want to deal with it. So I put it off.

While things are getting better with Sasha well… after the experience we had at Wife’s in-laws, I got to thinking that yeah, we need a “Sasha Whisperer”. We don’t need some generic training routines. What we need is not just general training, but we also need some work to specifically address Sasha’s issues and situation. After the weekend at the in-laws, I decided to contact Elizabeth and get the ball rolling. I figured that she had as good a chance as any, as far as general training goes, but knowing the breed… heck, that can only help, right?

Yesterday Elizabeth came down to our house and spent about 2 hours with us. Us getting to know her, her getting to know us — and Sasha. She asked us lots of questions, we asked her lots of questions. Sasha hung out, and while she was initially not receptive to Elizabeth being around, Elizabeth had us try a few things.

For instance, with a territorial dog, it can be hard to introduce someone by having them come into the room. The dog is there, sees this as place to protect. But if instead the person is already in the room then the dog is brought into the room, it can go over better. Sure enough, it seemed to have a positive effect!

Lots of things were discussed, other tips, lots of reinforcement of what we already knew, some “ah-ha!” moments. It was just a good meeting and time.

Yeah, we’re going to give her a try. We’re going to do more private lessons to help work out the issues, with the goal being that towards the end we join some of the group lessons. Elizabeth is excited by the fact she can work with another Kuvasz, which I think gives us something intangible here… there’s going to be a lot of care going in here, not just another client.

We’ll see how it goes. 🙂

An Indian Prayer

/ hsoi

O’ great spirit, whose voice I hear in the winds, and whose breath gives life to all the world, hear me! I am small and weak, I need your strength and wisdom.

Let me walk in beauty and make my eyes ever behold the red and purple sunset.

Make my hands respect the things you have made, and my ears sharp to hear your voice.

Make me wise so that I may know the things you have taught my people. Let me learn the lessons you have hidden in every leaf and rock.

I seek strength, not to be greater than my brother, but to fight my greatest enemy – myself.

Make me always ready to come to you with clean hands and straight eyes.

So when life fades, as the fading sunset, my spirit may come to you without shame.

Written by Chief Yellow Lark, Sioux, 1887