The Musings of Peter DeHaan

Woodpecker Wars

2011-11-12T12:10:27Z

I used to like woodpeckers, admiring their colorful beauty and stately appearance, being amazed at their peculiar characteristic of using their beak as a drilling tool to find food or make a shelter.

However, when I learned that woodpeckers had taken an interest in my neighbor's house, I immediately checked mine. Unbeknownst to me, they had been hard at work on the shutters on the south side of my home -- fortunately, it was only the shutters.

My bride, an amazing cyber-sleuth, quickly learned that:

It is usually just one or two woodpeckers that attack one's abode, not a flock of them.
There are a variety of motivations: looking for food, establishing a nest, or trying to attract a mate.
There is no one guaranteed solution, but a list of possible ones -- that may hinge on their motivation for pecking.
Anything that hurts or kills a woodpecker -- or disturbs their nests -- is illegal; they are protected. (Not that I would want to harm them, but recalling the tenacity and rapidity of their work, courtesy of the old Woody Woodpecker cartoons, I can envision things quickly escalating out of control.)

As a first step, I filled and painted the holes.

That solved the problem -- for a few days. Though they never returned to the south side of my house, they moved their focus to the shutters on the north side, which have now been filled twice and repainted.

I now make a daily walk around my home's perimeter, scrutinizing it for the telltale signs of a woodpecker at work. I am now pleased to state that I have been woodpecker free for seven days.

Copyright 2008-2012, Peter DeHaan and Peter DeHaan Publishing, Inc.

The Domino Effect of Home Improvement

2011-10-27T17:43:27Z

This summer my bride and I began working together. This required that we convert an unused bedroom into her office. At the time, she made the reasonable request to paint the room first. I noted that this would also be an ideal time to replace the carpet. I had planned to ditch the aged 25-year-old carpet throughout our home next year anyway, so we picked out and ordered the carpet for the entire job.

Candy's office was painted and re-carpeted on schedule. However, re-carpeting the rest of the house set in motion a chain reaction, which I call the domino effect of home improvement.

It was pointed out that before installing the rest of the carpet, it would be preferable to have all the non-carpeted areas redone first, not later. That too, had been planned for next year.

However, the existing bathroom cabinets -- also planned for replacement in two years -- had a larger footprint than what is currently available. So, new cabinets were picked out and installed first. Between the cabinet replacement and redoing the flooring, both bathrooms have been out of commission for a couple of weeks. (Fortunately, the guest bathroom was still functional.)

Of course, this was an ideal time to repaint the bathrooms.

But, with the flooring tore up, it was the window of opportunity to try to fix the squeaking floors. The list goes on...

In the midst of this, I decided to move my office next to my bride's, as opposed to being at the opposite end of the house on a different level. This meant buying a new desk, since the other one wouldn't fit in the new room.

At this point, every room in the house -- save the guest room -- is either in various states of remodeling or is storing furniture from the other rooms.

I think that our home is currently at the peak of disarray and can now anticipate steady movement towards getting back to normal.

As for dominoes, I think I've had enough of them for a while.

Copyright 2008-2012, Peter DeHaan and Peter DeHaan Publishing, Inc.

There Has to be a Better Way

2011-10-19T11:19:22Z

I don't know if I wasn't listening or am slow to catch on, but it wasn't until later in life that I realized how to land a job:

The purpose of a resume is to secure an interview,
the purpose of an interview is sell yourself well enough to receive an offer, and
the purpose of an offer is to negotiate a compensation package for your new job.

Silly me. I thought that people should just hire me because I could do the work -- and would do it well. (I wouldn't have applied if I didn't believe that.) I viewed the application/resume and interview steps as unnecessary irritations in the process. As far as compensation negotiations, just skip that part and pay me what I am worth.

The sad reality is that -- except for a few positions, such as sales or marketing -- being able to pen a compelling resume or conduct a convincing interview is no measure of one's ability to actually do a job, merely their ability to obtain a job. The result is that unsuited people are hired and -- I fear -- good people are overlooked. There has to be a better way.

The same is true in politics. You need to be able to raise money to campaign and you need to be able to debate well to raise your poll numbers and you need to speak with conviction to create interest among the electorate. But these skills have little bearing on your ability to lead well.

Whether it is obtaining a job or being elected, the conventional processes do not allow the best person to prevail. There has to be a better way.

Copyright 2008-2012, Peter DeHaan and Peter DeHaan Publishing, Inc.

Tantilizingly Close

2011-10-08T12:13:50Z

In the ongoing saga of running fiber optic cable to my home (for high-speed Internet, digital telephone, and video services) things moved one step closer to completion this week.

I watched with excitement as a third construction crew showed up in our neighborhood and then began running the fiber optic cable though my yard, from the distribution canister to my house.

Then I realized they were just taunting me. Although the cable is now run to my house, it is merely leaning against the outside wall of my abode -- they did not install an interface box.

Apparently, another crew will need to do that. I don't know when that will be or if that will mean they are ready to connect me -- but I am certainly ready to be connected.

As the saying goes, "Good things take time."

Copyright 2008-2012, Peter DeHaan and Peter DeHaan Publishing, Inc.

Partner or Employee?

2011-09-22T10:42:58Z

Last month, after much planning and consideration, my bride joined me in my publishing business. Her long commute to her prior job was becoming wearisome and with winter approaching, bad weather would make it even longer and more of a worry.

As we shared this possibility with others, the idea was met with raised eyebrows and skepticism. One doubtful friend directly stated, "Married people should not work together." A wise friend, however, advised that we consider whether Candy would be my employee or my partner. That was a great question and we opted for partner.

We even did a trial run this spring when she had some vacation time to use up. The test went quite well, so we moved forward with our plans. Now, six weeks into it, we are pleased with the results. It was a good move and I wish we had done it sooner.

The only occasional hiccup is that sometimes she acts like an employee and sometimes I view her as one. Still we are steadily moving towards the goal of becoming business partners and I suspect as she more fully understands the business, that goal will be realized.

Copyright 2008-2012, Peter DeHaan and Peter DeHaan Publishing, Inc.

One Step Closer to Fiber Optics

2011-09-16T01:33:06Z

In June, I reported that a fiber optic ring was being installed in my area, offering high-speed Internet, video, and digital telephone. The first sign of tangible progress in my neighborhood occurred in August. First, all the underground utilities were marked: natural gas, electrical power, telephone, and cable. By the time everything was identified, I had 54 flags poking up in my yard, signifying the various buried utilities that needed to be avoided. I know that there were 54 markers, because I had to mow around everyone for three weeks -- but that was a small price to pay for promise of high-speed Internet.

When they began work, my DSL was having technical difficulties and I naively envisioned that within a week or two, I would be connected to something better. Alas, that was wishful thinking. I called the fiber provider, who gave me a vague timetable of "by next spring."

All the crew was doing was laying the conduit that the cable would eventually be run through. Even so, I found myself finding excuses to take peeks at their progress throughout the day. Three weeks later, they moved on to the next street.

I feared that all we would have would be empty conduit until next spring. Then today, a new crew showed up. They began pulling the fiber through the conduit and installing cans, which would later serve as distribution points. Again, I found it hard to work, as I would have preferred to watch them work. They made good progress and I suspect will have all the fiber pulled in my neighborhood in a day or two.

Still, I will need to wait longer, as the next step will be to run fiber to my house. I know, I'm a geek about such things, but I can hardly wait.

Copyright 2008-2012, Peter DeHaan and Peter DeHaan Publishing, Inc.

What Do You Think About "Musings?"

2011-09-15T11:37:00Z

After a blog software upgrade, the comments and trackback features have been re-activated for this blog, "Musings."

I love hearing what you think about my musings and am excited to be able to once again do that, so feel free to comment on both past and future posts.

The comments are presently being moderated, so they won't be posted immediately. This isn't to quell discussion, but to protect everyone from spam. (Under the basic blog software package, I was receiving over one hundred spam comments for each real one, so I was forced to turn off that option while awaiting a software upgrade.)

Now it's your turn to respond.

Copyright 2008-2012, Peter DeHaan and Peter DeHaan Publishing, Inc.

Ten Years Ago Today

2011-09-10T15:02:33Z

Ten years ago I entered the publishing world when I bought Connections Magazine from its founder, Steve Michaels.

The transaction was done in parts, that is the documents for the sale were not signed at the same time or at the same location, but on different days via fax and mail. As a result, I don't know what day the sale was official, but what I do know is that the package of publication's records and files arrived on September 10, 2001.

Early that next day, I dove into the treasure trove of information that would set my career in a new direction. I was understandably excited and wanted to quickly grasp the nuances of my new business.

My morning bliss, however, was interrupted by my bride who uncharacteristically popped into my office to inform me that a plane had flown into the World Trade Center building. Assuming that it as a novice pilot in a single engine plane, I dismissed the news and resumed work. But not for long.

Soon I was drawn to the TV and the horrific events that would forever change life in the United States. For a time, my labors no longer mattered; ceasing all attempts to work, I watched the news in shock. I wondered what this would mean to the future of business and commerce -- and the magazine operation I had just bought. Would I end up being a victim of bad timing?

For the rest of that week, I did only the work that was absolutely required. Then, life slowly began to reclaim a degree of normalcy, even if normal no longer existed.

As we remember the events of 9-11 and the people who innocently lost their lives, we can also celebrate the resiliency of our country and our ability to prevail and succeed. Personally, I can also celebrate Connections Magazine and the new path it has provided.

Copyright 2008-2012, Peter DeHaan and Peter DeHaan Publishing, Inc.

Construction Season In Michigan

2011-09-07T01:55:28Z

Summer is road construction season in Michigan. Locally, we have been enduring a construction project relating to our bridge over the nearby Interstate highway. Actually, it is not the bridge that is being worked on, but instead each end of it.

For years drivers have complained about the difficulty of exiting the highway at our small town and traffic tie-ups over the bridge as vehicles wait to make left-hand turns to get on the highway.

Requests for a four lane bridge was rejected, while a scaled down plea for a bridge with a center turning lane was also dismissed. The eventual offer was to install a roundabout (a traffic circle) on each end of the bridge. At a cost of 2.8 million, the design will theoretically increase the flow of traffic and decrease accidents. While few were happy with this as a solution, the response from the powers that be was to take it or leave it.

The project began in earnest when the school year ended and was promised to be completed before school resumed in the fall. But the project was behind schedule almost from the start and despite repeated assurances to the contrary, it was not completed by the time the kiddies returned to school. At present we have one and a half turning circles completed and three of four highway ramps working. The new completion date is late September -- contingent on weather and other delays.

So, we will need to endure delays and detours a bit longer. At least the students now have an excuse for being late to school.

Copyright 2008-2012, Peter DeHaan and Peter DeHaan Publishing, Inc.

Summertime

2011-09-05T23:37:53Z

For myself and many others, summer effectively begins on Memorial Day and ends on Labor Day.

This year the weather seems to concur that summer is over. Last Friday, temperatures in southern Michigan were in the upper nineties, with a heat index of 105 to 115. Today, the highs failed to hit 70, with a predicted low tonight of 45.

For the first time in months, I am wearing jeans and have donned a sweatshirt. It certainly feels like fall.

With fall comes a pledge to blog more frequently. If you're keeping track, it's pushing two months since my last post. It's not that I have nothing to share -- I've composed many a blog in my mind -- it's that I've not had a chance to write things out. So, I hope to begin catching up and write retroactively.

Another change is that the comments and trackbacks features are again reactivated. I had turned them off due to a high degree of spam, but with a software upgrade, things are again manageable.

Also, check out my other blogs, which I post to more frequently:

Byline - a blog about writing
Spiritually Speaking
The Bible Blog
From the Publisher's Desk
...and follow me on Twitter.

The Cost of Healthcare Reform

2011-07-11T14:14:00Z

This week I received my quarterly health insurance bill. Boy, was I in for a shock. It showed a 49% increase in my premium.

Convinced it was in error, I naively called the company's call center to get it corrected. The rep was nonchalant about the whole thing, acting as though a 49% increase was normative. When I protested, he began offering lame excuses:

The rates always go up
It's because of inflation
There have been too many claims

Each time, I dismissed his explanation, telling him that his stated reason was insufficient to justify a 49% increase in my premium.

Not able to dissuade me, he finally relented, sighed, and offered a plausible and convincing reason. "The rate increase is the result of added costs that we are incurring because of the O'Bama healthcare reform," he said. His tone was somber and sincere. He was no longer mechanically talking at me, but was personally talking with me. I believed him.

He then worked with me, offering options. I ended up increasing my deductible several thousand dollars in order to keep my premium in check.

His first three reasons where, I am sure, the standard script that he was supposed to follow. What I am not sure of, is if he deviated from his script in placing the blame on healthcare reform or if that was an official corporate statement.

What I do know, is that I agree with him. It is what I feared all along, that healthcare reform would end up costing me more and offering me less.

Copyright 2008-2012, Peter DeHaan and Peter DeHaan Publishing, Inc.

The Reality of a Rural Fiber Ring

2011-06-29T10:35:00Z

I was ecstatic last summer when it was announced that a fiber ring would be installed in our rural area. I was also quite surprised, given that I thought fiber rings were only feasible in more populated areas that possess a sufficient population density to warrant the costly installation.

However, glad that higher Internet speeds -- along with digital phones and video -- was soon to be a reality, I gave it no further thought.

This spring I attended an informational meeting about the project.

It turns out that my fiber ring is a result of stimulus money. With an installation cost in the millions, averaging an astounding $10,300 per house, there is no way this project would ever be economically feasible without a grant to cover the installation.

The stimulus money had to go somewhere and I am glad to a direct beneficiary of it. What dismays me is that this is a three-year project. This means that much of the project's money is yet to be spent, therefore delaying its impact on the economy. If this slow disbursement of the stimulus money is common, that might explain why the recovery is so slow.

Regardless, with my connection to the fiber ring scheduled for September, I do thank everyone who paid taxes, thereby providing me with access to high speed Internet.

Copyright 2008-2012, Peter DeHaan and Peter DeHaan Publishing, Inc.

Waiting for Sand

2011-06-18T11:48:35Z

I understand the phrase "pounding sand" to be a reference to a futile activity, but "waiting for sand" was a new one to me.

This week, while awaiting takeoff of a small commuter plane, we endured a lengthy and unexpected delay. Finally the explanation was given.

The plane was "unbalanced" and we were light in the tail section. To correct this they needed to add weight in the back and were waiting for bags of sand to be delivered and loaded onto the plane.

Now if this weight imbalance was a safety issue, then I welcome the delay. However, if this was done merely to make the plane fly more aerodynamically in order to save fuel, then I'm a bit miffed.

Because of this delay, I missed my connecting flight, as I'm sure was the case with many of my fellow travelers who had even tighter connections then me.

As a result, I understand "waiting for sand" to mean a needless and unwarranted delay.

"Waiting for sand," seems to be the norm in the airline industry.

Copyright 2008-2012, Peter DeHaan and Peter DeHaan Publishing, Inc.

Gas Consumption

2011-06-13T10:12:00Z

Each winter, I have an informal means of judging the severity of the season, of ascertaining annual snowfall.

It is quite simple, really. The more it snows, the more I run my snow blower. The more I run my snow blower, the more gas I use. Ergo, there is causality between my gas consumption and the amount of snow. (Last winter, by the way, there was a moderate amount of snow.)

It never occurred to me that the same connection might exist between the quantity of gas consumed by my lawnmowers and the amount of rain received, but that seems to be the case as well.

In the month of May, we received a lot of rain and I used a lot of gas. I recently quipped to a friend that it seemed that it was either raining or I was mowing lawn.

Indeed, the need to mow my lawn every three or four days has burned through a lot of gas so far this summer. My gas consumption is at a faster pace this year then in previous seasons, so that must mean that we are receiving more rain than usual.

With the price of gas over four dollars a gallon, I wish it would rain a little less often.

Copyright 2008-2012, Peter DeHaan and Peter DeHaan Publishing, Inc.

The Future of the Legal Profession

2011-04-25T15:51:00Z

I recently made the acquaintance of a lawyer who was a founding partner in his firm. I asked what he saw for the future of his profession.

His answer was quick and direct: "There are too many law schools that are graduating too many lawyers."

I pondered the ramifications of this. "Does that mean there will be graduates who won't find jobs," I asked, "or an increase in lawsuits?"

His answer was sobering. "Both," he declared with a bit of acquiesced sadness.

The discussion of the group then migrated to states attorneys general, positions that are filled by lawyers. I've never given this position much thought or concern, but I think that will change. Someone in the group noted that the position of state attorneys general is viewed as a stepping-stone to state governorship, which was confirmed by the group to often be proved out.

Does that mean some of the preceding can't-find-work attorneys might go into politics?

With apologies to my new friend, I shudder at the thought. I think we already have too many lawyers who are in politics.

Copyright 2008-2012, Peter DeHaan and Peter DeHaan Publishing, Inc.

Knight and Day

2011-03-29T10:45:00Z

I recently watched the movie Knight and Day, starring Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz.

Given that it looked like an over-the-top action flick, I had low expectations for it.

I was pleasantly surprised.

I thoroughly enjoyed Knight and Day. The subtle humor, often delivered with deadpan seriousness, delighted and amused me. I found myself laughing frequently throughout their wild and implausible romp. At times I laughed harder than for any movie I've seen in quite some time.

There is just one thing that perplexes me: I'm not sure if Knight and Day was supposed to be a comedy.

Copyright 2008-2012, Peter DeHaan and Peter DeHaan Publishing, Inc.

A Wise but Shortsighted Decision

2011-02-22T12:16:00Z

It recently became time to replace our 24-year old furnace. As the installer wrapped up his work, he began teaching about the critical aspects of carbon monoxide detection. I had placed our lone detector where the furnace and water heater were located; detecting the poisonous gas at its source, I had reasoned, was the ideal solution. Apparently, not so; there should be one in each bedroom.

A few weeks later, I had purchased and installed two new units of the brand he recommended. Content that we were now safe (at least from carbon monoxide poisoning), I sat down to read that manual of my new devices.

Aside from helpful information about detection, harmful levels, and appropriate responses to an alarm, I was dismayed to learn that I should replace the unit after seven years. Yeah, like that's going to happen.

I read on and became further agitated. After seven years, the unit will emit a warning beep every 30 seconds, alerting me to replace it.

On the part of the manufacturer, that is a smart move. Not only will they have an opportunity to sell me replacement products in a few years, but they also limit their liability by effectively removing aging units from use.

It is also shortsighted. When a unit starts beeping, few people will immediately jump in their car and buy a replacement. No, they will unplug it to stop the annoying beeping.

Even more confounding is the realization that my units, being installed at the same time, will start beeping at the same time, and will be unplugged at the same time.

Copyright 2008-2012, Peter DeHaan and Peter DeHaan Publishing, Inc.

By the Numbers

2011-02-10T13:31:00Z

Being a numbers guy, I want to share some stats about this blog:

3 years, 1 month: the amount time I've been blogging
457: the number of posts
123,300: the number of words written (enough for a decent sized book)
1,272: average number of posts viewed per week (the most was 2,954)
14,718: the number of views of my top read post

Some things I've observed:

Posts receive most of their traffic within a week of being posted, but some are still being read a year or two later.
Most traffic is not a result of followers, subscribers, or newsfeeds, but of search engines.
Of traffic in a given week, most is not for recent posts but older posts.
Despite all of the traffic, the Google ad to the right generates only a few pennies of income a month. (Google ads are worthwhile on my Websites, but they've been a bust on my blogs.)
Soon after this blog was setup, I turned off the "track back" feature. Aside from never fully grasping it's purpose, I was receiving thousands of spam track backs for every legitimate one.
Recently, I also turned off the comment section. The ratio of spam comments to real comments has escalated, now being at over 100 to one.

Going Forward

2011-02-10T11:32:00Z

Regular readers of this blog (thank you, one and all) have noticed a decided decrease in posting frequency over the past six months. While Musings will remain alive and active, infrequency will become the new norm.

When I started Musings over three years ago, it was to provide a creative outlet, connect with others via the written word, and learn about the art of blogging. By design, Musings had no theme, other than to share the musing of my mind at that moment. While it was not a stream-of-conscience spew (that would be narcissistic and boring), it did bounce all over the place. No one would connect with all my topics, such as family, computers, nature, movies, politics, business, sports, weather, and even blogging about blogging.

Realizing the need to blog around a theme and for me to focus on areas of interest, I have begun to specialize. The result is that, going forward, I will primarily be blogging at:

From the Publisher's Desk a blog about publishing
The Bible Blog about reading and studying the Bible (There's A Bible A Day website, too.)
Byline, a discussion on the art of writing
Spiritually Speaking where I blog about Biblical spirituality
...and micro-blogging, also known as Twitter

I encourage you to pick the ones that interest you and follow me there, as well as occasional future posts here.

Thank you!

Copyright 2008-2012, Peter DeHaan and Peter DeHaan Publishing, Inc.

The Waste of Excessive Packaging

2011-02-05T11:08:00Z

I recently upgraded some software and paid an extra ten bucks for the installation CD. This makes restoration much easier when it becomes necessary. But for instant gratification, I downloaded the software so that I could begin using it immediately, while waiting for the disk to arrive. (It took 29 days, but that is a different story -- or perhaps two.)

When the software arrived, I was dismayed at the packaging: what a waste of resources, what excess. The cost to produce the package surely exceeded the cost to produce the CD. Just send me the CD in a functional case. I don't need a case within a box within another box within a sleeve (which was placed in another box for shipping).

Although the packaging was impressive and professional in appearance, it was also unnecessary and served no useful function. True, all software that is sold retail is similarly packaged, but this is a throwback to when a manual came with the software, thereby requiring a box. Over time, as the manual slimmed down and then became non-existent, but the box size remained unchanged while the packaging became more substantial.

Software can easily be packaged like movie DVDs or better yet, like music CDs. Doing so would cut production costs, reduce waste, save retail shelf space, and make shipping easier and cheaper.

Of course, it would also give me one less thing to rant about.

Copyright 2008-2012, Peter DeHaan and Peter DeHaan Publishing, Inc.