The Edge of Empty

Ferret Friday #34 - A Shoulder to Lean On

2012-01-27T06:00:00.000-05:00

In the midst of winter, I thought a bit of green would be welcome so I went back to the travel pictures and found this photo taken at a rest stop in Pennsylvania last fall. The Hubster has always had a fascination with having a pet lay on his shoulders. A E is not so accommodating of this wish. However, when a small ferret is out in the big world with really big trucks zooming by, a familiar shoulder is not such a bad place to be.

Late again?

2012-01-26T06:00:00.000-05:00

Another Wednesday night and as I turn off my computer at work after another 12+ hour day, I realize that once again I don't have a CryWolf hint ready for Thursday morning. For the last two weeks, I have managed to post something on Thursday night (so if you checked earlier in the day on Thursday, you might want to go back and check them out). This week, I was determined to get to it earlier and be prepared but I just haven't been able to squeeze more into my days. If you are here looking for this week's hint, I will try to have one up at some point tonight.

A Stitch in Time

2012-01-24T23:35:00.000-05:00

My grandmother was a quilter. She taught me a lot and I spent many evenings stitching on quilts with her, but I have never created a quilt by myself. I have thought about quilting many times, but I have never taken the plunge. When I came upon In Color Order's Half-Square Triangle Block of the Month tonight, I must have been feeling very optimistic about the amount of free time that will be available to me this year. What really excited me was that I would only need to learn to make half square triangles and then arrange them in different patterns. Even better, I would only need to create one quilt square per month. This seems totally achievable. So now, I am publicly committing to this project and have placed the button on the sidebar. I am getting started late so I am giving myself permission to make the blocks the month after they are introduced. If you want to join the LATE block of the month club, hop on over to In Color Order.

The Hubster will roll his eyes when he reads this post (you can bet I won't be telling him in person). Not only is he waiting for his t-shirt quilt that I started a few years ago to be finished, I also recently agreed to make curtains for his office. You can be sure that A E Ferret will try to claim the quilt squares since they will be perfectly ferret sized.

Merry Christmas from the House

2012-01-23T23:29:00.000-05:00

As much as home ownership is the American dream, the past few years of underwater mortgages have shown that the dream may be somewhat flawed. Not only that, once you put a down payment on a house and sign your mortgage agreement, the house begins to be one money sucking adventure after another. This year, for Christmas, our house gave us a broken heater. Of course, the service plan that I bought last summer when the air conditioner went out really paid off (not!). Because of the service plan, we would only have to wait 3 days for our "priority appointment". Together with the reduced price of $175 for the first 30 minutes, I just knew that I got a great deal. (Just in case you weren't catching it, that was sarcasm). Once the service person had made the evaluation, they would give us an estimate of the repair costs. After a day of shivering, the Hubster started making comments about what he thought the problem might be. Not to be outdone, I put my research skills to good use and discovered that one of the most common causes of gas heater failures is a dirty flame sensor. Even better, I found out that this was a problem that any moron with a wrench could probably fix. So after I watched a few videos and read lots of instructions from various sites, the Hubster set to work. Within a few moments, he had the sensor cleaned and reinstalled. It actually took more time to find the correct wrench than it did to fix the problem. Once everything was put back in place, we flipped the switch and held our breath. The heater cycled on, the flames lit and stayed on, and once again the heater was doing what heaters are supposed to do. Once again, we learned that doing a bit of research can save a lot of money. The only question left to answer is what will the house give us next?

The Hubster's engineering degrees are finally coming in handy.

Ferret Friday #33-Ferrets Got Milk?

2012-01-20T06:00:00.000-05:00

I have shared A E's love of water bottles previously. We decided to see what he would do with milk jug. He did have a tough time figuring out how to take it away, but he managed. Eventually, he worked the lid off and was able to get a better tooth hold. He struck out when he tried to drag it under the ottoman though.

Automating Reports

2012-01-19T21:46:00.001-05:00

CryWolf® has a lot of great features to make alarm administrators' jobs easier. One of the great features built in to CryWolf® allows jurisdictions toemail reports easily to alarm companies. Ifyou don’t currently use this feature, here is how to start:

From the Reports menu, scroll down to "Alarm Company Related" and then over and down to "PDF creation for eMailing to Alarm companies". Then over to "Accounts by Alarm Company".

In the "Accounts by Alarm Company" pop up, use the pull down menus tocontrol the information that the report will include. For my office, our weekly reports are meant to inform the alarm company ofany new permit numbers that were issued that week, so we select the alarmcompany type and the date that theaccount was created. We then choosethe dates that we want the report to cover. CryWolf® also allows you toclick the Email Reports box option to send the reports electronically to all alarmcompanies with an email address on file. The Text pull down menu allows you to select what letter you want toappear in the body of the email. (The letter has to be available in the Letters section of Maintenance).

For 6 months, I have been trying to use this feature to send the reports,but I could not get CryWolf® to display our list of letters in the Text box pull downmenu. It was driving me absolutely bonkers.

In my defense, my unit processes alarms for several otherjurisdictions besides our own. This means that in the Agency pull down menu, several agency namesappear along with the choices “All” and “Default”. (For some tasks, all of the agencies use the same settings sothe "All" choice helps minimize the information that must be set up in the rules ofCryWolf®. The "Default" choice is used for settings that apply to all jurisdictions). Because CryWolf® sortspull down menus alphabetically, “All” always appears in our Agency box. (If you only process alarms for onejurisdiction, the agency that appears is most likely “Default”). All these months of growing frustrationwere caused because I should havebeen changing the Agency to “Default”. If I had done so, my list of letters would have been available to me the first time Itried to send this report by e-mail 6 months ago.

I have to give a shout out to our fantasticCryWolf® rep who very patiently pointed this mistake out to me this week. I figure that I am not the only one whoever makes these blunders, so I am sacrificing my pride so that you don’t make the same mistake.

Ferret Friday #32 - Muddy Boots

2012-01-13T06:00:00.000-05:00

A E Ferret loves shoes. He especially likes his boys boots because they are big enough to climb in and stinky enough for ferret enjoyment. Our family has long since learned that any shoe left unattended will likely be missing the insole if it is removable.

Default doesn't mean Permanent

2012-01-12T21:16:00.001-05:00

My unit has been around for a number of years, so rarely do we create a new alarm company account as a result of receiving an unsolicited registration form. These days, new alarm company accounts usually result from a citizen registering their alarm system and reporting an alarm company that is not in our database. Of course, we aren’t going to let that alarm company do business in our county without being registered, so we create an account for the company and place it in pending status until they return all of the required forms. Occasionally, I have been bothered by the fact thatthe status for a new alarm company account defaulted to "Registered" status and had to be manually changed to "Pending". It made more sense to me that the default status should be "Pending".
Tonight, I had a few minutes to investigate for asolution. While using CryWolf®, Ihave found solutions to be available if I take the time to look for them. If you have ever wanted to change the default status of an account, this is your lucky day.
Foralarm company registrations, under the General tab in Maintenance choose "AlarmCompany Related Settings".

On the "Default Status/Person Type" tab, simply choose thestatus that you would like to be the default.

For customer account registrations, under the General tab choose "Account Related Settings".

On the "Default Location/Status/Person Related" tab, simplychoose the default status of choice. This tab is alsowhere you can choose the Default Location Type for new registrations.

I was alsohappy to see that I could choose the Default Phone captions on this tab as well. In our area at least, many homes no longer have a home land line so it made sense for our unit to switch to a priority list (Phone 1, Phone 2...) instead of a list of number types such as Work and Home.

Of course, the pull down menus on these tabs will onlyinclude the options that have been set up for your jurisdiction. Adding different options will be a discussion for another day.

Ferret Friday #31-Guilt Trip

2012-01-06T06:00:00.000-05:00

For such a little guy, he sure can make you feel guilty when it is time to go to work. He seems to be saying "Won't you play ball with me, please?"

Ferret Friday #30 - Bike Enthusiast

2011-12-30T06:00:00.016-05:00

A E Ferret may not ride a bicycle, but he is a connoisseur of all things leather so these biking accessories were fun things to play in and around.

Changing Streets

2011-12-29T20:40:00.000-05:00

Our CAD (computer aided dispatch) system places prefixes for streets at the end of the street name which is fine if that is where they belong. However, the Post Office prefers the prefixes to be in their proper place. There is a difference between N Main St and Main St N. In our area, some older communities have two addresses that differ only by their prefix. For example, 100 W Main St and 100 E Main St. Several communities also have streets that encompass the town center in circular form. The only way to know where a store is located is to refer to the NE, NW, SE or SW designation. Maybe natives of the area have some innate sense of where they need to go, but I have spent a great deal of time literally going in circles to find an address.
I have noticed that our county property tax database is set up the same way, so I imagine that the data from CAD may have originated from the county geo records. No matter what the source was, when we extract the data for alarm calls, it comes into our system the way it appears in CAD. This wouldn't be a problem except the Post Office prefers the prefixes to be in their proper place.
Our unit has routinely changed the addresses in accounts to meet postal standards. Unfortunately, this has occasionally led to duplicate accounts being created since CryWolf® can't match streets that have the prefixes in different spots. To solve this problem, I have decided that we will no longer change the addresses but will use the street name as it appears in CAD for the main account address. We will, however, change the address in the responsible party section to meet postal standards. Since this is the address that shows in the envelope window, it should be a good compromise. This seems like a great plan moving forward, but I needed to deal with all of the data already in CryWolf®. Fortunately, I know that CryWolf® doesn't edit the responsible party section streets when you use the tools in Maintenance, and I discovered the Change Street Names function was the best way to update the streets for this project. To edit streets, follow the directions below.
On the general tab, scroll down to Reassignments, and then over and down to Change Street Names.

This opens the Unique Streets pop up box.

In the example below, I searched for streets that begin with W for West.

To edit, simply click on the street name. This will open the Change Street Name pop up box. Type in the street name as you would like it to appear.

Click OK and the change has been made.

Have fun using this function, and share ways that you have used it in your unit.

Ferret Friday #29

2011-12-23T06:00:00.000-05:00

There are not very many places left in our house that A E hasn't explored. He is a curious creature and gets into everything. Occasionally though, something new will catch his eye. Yesterday, it was the umbrella crocks turn. When things had been quiet a little bit too long (you parents know what I mean), I found him inside becoming one with the umbrellas. Now that he has discovered the umbrellas, it won't be long before they disappear I'm sure.

Ferret Friday #28-Basket Case

2011-12-16T06:00:00.000-05:00

A E Ferret's favorite object to "steal" is plastic water bottles. Here he is in the recycle bin feeling a bit forlorn since it was recycle day and there were no water bottles to be found. His despair had only just begun because I had further plundered his hoard by gathering a full trash bag of bottles from the hidey spots in the depths of my closet.

Crying Wolf

2011-12-15T06:00:00.000-05:00

Hello faithful readers. I know that the weekly CryWolf® hints have not been as consistent as I would like. I beg your indulgence as my unit continues to struggle with being short staffed. That situation should be resolved in the next month or so and things should settle back to a manageable level.
Even before the loss of one of my staff, I had made an investment in the CryWolf® web module to reduce the amount of time that staff members use each day processing registration renewals. The module is an independent feature that can be purchased separately from the database to provide some additional functionality. The addition of the module allows citizens to register and update their accounts online. It can also be used to allow registered alarm companies access to their customer lists. Authorized users can experiment with a range of canned reports. And these are just a few of the many possibilities that this module offers. The module can be used "off the shelf" or it can be customized to more closely coordinate with another website.
By reducing the number of renewals that had to be processed by our hands, I hoped to allow my staff to work on projects which would reduce the number of false alarms. Many alarm units struggle with the renewal issue and the time needed to update citizen and business records. This is probably the biggest suck of resources in alarm units. One agency in our area has actually eliminated renewals and it will be interesting to see how this affects their unit and their record keeping.
After my staffer resigned in July, I thought that the module would be our salvation. My unit purchased the web module in June so it seemed to be perfectly timed. I wish that I could tell you how wonderfully it is working for us, but it has still not gone "live" to the public. This is no fault of Public Safety Corp (the makers of CryWolf®), but is due to the everlastingly slow pace of bureaucracy. I was told back in August that we were a week away from going live. It is now December. If you have called my office anytime in this period, chances are I have extolled the virtues of this new technology and given you a timeframe that I thought was reasonable for it to be up and running. But all these months, I have been "crying wolf". This week there are some signs that progress is finally being made. Only time will tell if this is the real deal.
If your unit struggles with the paper chase, this may be a solution that could be beneficial.

Ferret Friday #27-Worth his Weight

2011-12-09T06:00:00.000-05:00

After one of our travel adventures, we discovered that A E had become acquainted with fleas. Those fleas decided that they wanted to live with us, so they hitched a ride home. Being fleas, they did what all fleas do and poor A E couldn't handle all the attention. We finally had to go to the vet to get some relief because the poor guy couldn't sleep from all the itching. He also was so miserable that he wasn't eating much either.
Here he is checking out his weight. The scale is a postage scale with a bread pan screwed to the top. I believe that the scale was set to measure in grams and that weight includes the weight of the pan since the weight shown on his report was less than what is shown on the scale.

He is feeling much better now. We haven't won the war against the fleas yet, but we have won several skirmishes and things are improving.

Ferret Friday #26 -Tunneling

2011-12-02T06:30:00.000-05:00

A E loves to explore, but loves to tunnel under things even more. The rug at our back door is one of his favorite places because it is heavy enough to make good tunnels, but not so heavy that he can't get under it. Occasionally, he will pop up and look out to see if we are paying attention.

Ferret Friday #25-Photo shoot

2011-11-25T06:00:00.000-05:00

Most of the time, I capture A. E. wherever and whenever I am able. For Halloween, I wanted the shot to be a bit more posed. I knew that this would take some doing. Of course, the week before Halloween went by so fast that I didn't get a chance to make the pirate hat until Sunday night. This made my window of opportunity very short indeed since Halloween was on Monday and the post needed to be up before I left for work on Monday. After I had finished the hat, I gathered everything that I would need so that I would be ready when A. E. appeared from his latest snooze. I also enlisted the Hubster to be the ferret wrangler and Ferrevite giver.

A. E. was quite willing to take part in the Ferrevite portion of the photo shoot.

I love how his hair is mussed up in this shot after he rubbed the hat off.

He seems to be thinking "Really? I can't believe you are making me do this."

He liked the pumpkin and was very willing to explore it.

In the end, there were lots of cute pictures. There were very few pictures with the hat though because he could get the hat off faster than you can imagine. Fortunately, I got one and that is all that I needed. AE looked so cute that I was even willing to overlook Hubster's foot in the background.

Limited Letters

2011-11-24T06:00:00.000-05:00

Just when you thought it was safe from a discussion of letters here on "The Edge", we are right back to them this week. Since generating letters is one of the main functions of CryWolf®, it really is inevitable.

Have you ever wanted to print only one letter of the total in the queu? Using the tools available in the Outstanding Correspondence window, it is possible. (Editor's note: forgive the horrible graphics, I will replace them ASAP)

By selecting the "Further Limit Selection to" tab, you can choose one of seven options. I usually know which account I am looking for, so choosing the Account # is often the simplest option. The program will then list all of the accounts scheduled to receive the selected letter. Simply check the appropriate account and the single letter can be printed.

Ferret Friday #24 -Thirsty!

2011-11-18T06:00:00.000-05:00

Apparently, Ferrets like Sonic Route 44 drinks too!

A E wasn't thrilled with the noise at the Sonic Drive-in, but he liked the cups and attacked them with vigor trying to make them his own. Youngest wasn't quite fast enough and A E won this battle. The cup looked like it was attacked by a vampire and 44 ounces of fluids slowly seeped from the two tiny punctures.

Weeding out Duplicate Accounts

2011-11-17T06:00:00.000-05:00

It is Thursday again and time for our continuing series of helpful hints for the alarm billing software CryWolf®. I know it is scandalous, but we won't be looking at letters today. Today, we will focus on the subjects receiving those letters.

No matter how careful data entrants are, duplicate accounts seem to appear in the database. I have discovered that these duplicate accounts are opened most frequently during alarm processing. If CryWolf® doesn't find a match for the alarm site automatically, the manufacturer recommends manually searching three times before adding an account. I think this is because the normal duplicate prevention measures built into the system don't work when an account is added during alarm processing. Even following these measures, duplicate accounts will slip in due to misspellings or some other error. As a result, it is a good idea to check the system occasionally for possible duplicate accounts.

To run a report that will list possible duplicates, go to the Report Menu. Scroll down to Searches and then to List Possible Duplicate Accounts.

There are several options available to limit the search.

Click OK, and the search will begin. The search will produce a list that includes all addresses that have the same number and street name. It does not eliminate addresses that have different suite or apartment numbers. This means that in our area where all of the stores in a shopping mall have the same street address with different suite numbers, all of the businesses will be listed as possible duplicates because they have the same street number. This makes the report a bit bulky, but these addresses are easy to skim over as you review the report for real duplicates.

I hope this will help your units clean up your databases. Prevention of duplicates is better, but this will help you find and remove the ones that do slip in.

Ferret Friday #23 - Travel Series

2011-11-11T06:00:00.000-05:00

A E Ferret is shown here choosing his preferred seat (under a seat) on a recent road trip. Most of the time, he travels in his carrier for safety, but on long trips, we sometimes allow him a little bit of freedom to stretch his legs between naps. As you can see, he only has limited freedom. He wears a leash so that he can't go play in the driver's foot well.

Bike mecca

2011-11-06T06:00:00.000-05:00

For cyclists, the Tour de France may be the only reason to sit on a couch in front of the tv instead of in the saddle. Of course, the cyclist in my house often sits in the saddle with the bike on a trainer to watch the Tour. In our area, one of the major advertisers for the Tour is Conte's Bike Shop. What I didn't know was that all of that advertising had planted the seed that Conte's was Bike Mecca. This year during the tour, Conte's revealed their new name of Fresh Bikes. The Hubster has been wanting to make the trek to Fresh Bikes for a long time. After some less than stellar tuneups by local bike shops, I agreed that it was time to find something better.

When his birthday was getting near, I surprised the Hubster by agreeing to a trip to Bike Mecca. From the moment we walked in the door, I have to admit that this shop truly seems to deserve its reputation. I know that the Hubster enjoyed the visit very much.

Ferret Friday # 22-Travel Series-Play time

2011-11-04T06:00:00.000-04:00

When travelling with a ferret (and other pets), it is good to bring along familiar toys and bedding so that they are comforted by something that they know. Hotel rooms are full of mysterious smells and places to explore so to keep A E out of mischief, we usually try to introduce a new toy to keep him occupied. This time, we brought along a box filled with biodegradable packing peanuts. I had seen the idea at the Doctors Foster & Smith website and happened to have a bag of the peanuts on hand.
He loved it! Back at home, the rice bin is still his top choice, but the peanut box will go on car trips because it is light, easy to transport, and not messy.

If you missed the special Halloween edition of Ferret Friday on Monday, be sure to check it out here.

A Look at the Competition

2011-11-03T06:00:00.000-04:00

Many of us inherit the tracking and billing software that we use daily. For those of you who have the opportunity to compare systems, I am listing the options that I have found.

AOT Public Safety Corporation's CryWolf
ATB Services' Alarm Tracking & Billing
Digital Design Group's False Alarm Software
EnablePoint Corporation's False Alarm Information Tracking Software
Moose Rapids Technologies' False Alarm Tracking
PMAM Corporations' False Alarm Management & Reduction Solution
Purvis Gray Technology Group's False Alarm Reduction System

Many CAD vendors also have some version of alarm tracking software as well. Have fun comparing the options. If you are a member, FARA has published a guide to choosing software that may be helpful. If you know of other programs, please let me know so I can add them to the list.

Flat

2011-11-01T06:00:00.000-04:00

You might think that working in law enforcement might help insulate our family from crime. In some ways it does, I suppose, because we work hard at keeping ourselves from being easy targets. However, random crimes do sometimes visit even the most vigilant as we learned the other day. Some moron thought it would be quite funny to slash tires on several streets in the neighborhood. Our tire was just one of several on our street.

"Pranks" like this can sometimes be the start of other activities. You can bet I will be on the lookout, and will counsel my neighbors to lock their doors and remove valuables from vehicles or at least out of site.

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T06:00:00.000-04:00

Welcome to a special edition of Ferret Friday on Monday. A.E. wants to wish everyone a very Happy Halloween!

Ferret Friday #21 -Travel Series

2011-10-28T06:00:00.000-04:00

At yet another rest stop, A E seemed to be thinking "It's a big scary world out there, but I feel safe here."

Maryland--Here's your signs!

2011-10-25T06:00:00.000-04:00

I travelled into Maryland last week for a training session. I must say that I love driving through Maryland because the road signs are always amusing to me. There is no pussy-footing around for the Maryland sign makers. They are not afraid to use all caps, different colors, and brevity to get their message across to drivers.
You will have to forgive the lighting and angles in the pictures below. When you are driving, you can't stop in the middle of the road to frame a shot. In Maryland, you can't drive and use a hand-held cellphone either. I wonder what they would say about a camera?
Anyway, I left my house at 5:30 in the morning and the sun was just coming up as I saw this sign. The sign says "ALTERNATE RIGHT OF WAY". Now this is what drivers should do in a merge zone, but this sign leaves no doubt about it.

A bit farther down the road, this sign appeared. "Form single lane NOW".

No wonder it seems that Maryland drivers seem a bit confused when they are in other states, the signs must seem like mere suggestions when you are used to imperative signs like this one. A recent poll does seem to indicate that Maryland drivers are less skilled than those in Virginia. Of course, if you ask Maryland drivers, they would say the same about Virginia drivers. One thing they seem to agree on is that DC drivers are the worst in the area.

Beyonce takes a road trip

2011-10-23T18:23:00.002-04:00

This summer, the blogosphere had a presence that loomed large and crossed over blog boundaries. The Bloggess introduced us to Beyonce here. Sightings were made all over the country and the continuing saga entertained us all (and continues to do so if we are honest). When I was on the way home from a training course in Maryland last week, I passed through Lovettsville, VA. As I pulled to a stop at the traffic light there, I glanced to my right and was astounded to see Beyonce (or one of her acolytes) gathering an army of pigs. If you look carefully, you can see the large corncob that she must have been eating because she has gained some size and is now as tall as the house she is standing beside.

Ferret Friday #20 -Travel Series-Rest Stop

2011-10-21T06:00:00.000-04:00

A Ferret would a walking go, mm hmm...

A E enjoys a few minutes of exploration at a rest stop.

Pause, Print, Repeat

2011-10-20T06:00:00.000-04:00

For those who are faithfully tuning in on Thursdays for CryWolf® hints, I hope that you are finding the notes helpful. For those readers who are scoping out information on their competition (you know who you are, Texas), I would be happy to review your product for my readers if given the opportunity. And now, back to our scheduled "blog cast".

The other day, my office ran completely out of black ink. And I mean OUT. No warning, no partially printed pages, just full stop by the printer. Of course, we were in the middle of printing after processing a long weekend. We are also in our high season for renewals so the queue was full and then some. That night, without thinking, I shut down my computer. When I realized what I had done, I felt sick because I had no idea if the printer would retain all of the jobs or if they were gone. I'm sure you have had instances of closing a program when a job was printing resulting in a half printed page in the printer tray. Although I knew that I could search for specific letters and determine who should have received that letter, I had no idea what letters had been in the queue. I also knew that I could recreate most of the lost queue if necessary, but I didn't think it would be fun. I knew too that I could get the total correspondence prepared on that day with the Workload Snapshot report. One small glitch to that plan is that although I have been meaning to compare that number with the actual output, I haven't gotten around to it. I suspect that the workload snapshot counts more than the documents that are printed. (I'll let you know in an upcoming edition unless someone shares it with the group in the comment section).

The next morning when the office supply order arrived, I installed the ink cartridge. Much to my amazement, the printing resumed. I still had no way of knowing if all of the jobs had printed or if some had been lost, but I was relieved that at least some of the output had made it . After a minute or so of perusing my options in the Report menu, I discovered the Activity Summary under the General Reports heading.

In the pop up window, it was simple to set my search parameters.

The resulting report gave me exactly what I needed.

Although knowing how many of each letter should have been produced would have sufficed, the report is clickable. By clicking on the number, a list of the actual recipients can be revealed. This made it very easy to verify that all of the "missing" letters were present.
Don't wait for a similar "emergency" to try out this feature. I can think of several instances where this report will come in handy. Have you ever used this feature? What mishaps have led to discovery of useful CryWolf® features?

Ferret Friday #19 - Water bottle Want!!!

2011-10-14T06:00:00.000-04:00

Docile to devil in mere seconds.

Ferret Friday #18 - Porch

2011-10-07T06:00:00.000-04:00

A E likes to view nature from the safety of the screened in porch. Here he is watching the neighbor's puppy. Our cat died about the same time as their dog. We got our new pets the same week. Ours is much cuter : )

Preview Letters

2011-10-06T06:00:00.000-04:00

So does all of our talk about letters recently have you interested in the letters in your CryWolf® database? If you would like a quick way to review them, in Maintenance, go to the Forms menu, and then choose Review Letter information.

In the View Letter information window, there will be two options:
View Basic Letter information and Preview All Letters

The view Basic Letter information will give you a table listing all of the letters and the basic information about them such as the letter use, the letter title, and any charges associated with the letter. It will also show the template used, the letterhead, who the letter is sent to, if there is a registration form associated (and which one), and if an invoice is attached (and which kind). Also, any special actions associated with the letters will be listed.

The Preview All Letters option produces a continuous file of all of the letters in the system. This is a quick way to review the letters. If you choose to include the support forms, then any relevant registration forms or invoices are also included in the report. The report can be saved as a pdf file. However, in our office, we used this function to make a notebook of all of the letters that are currently in the system. This lets us quickly view which letters might need an update. We also labeled the letters with any special instructions that need to be followed such as if it should be sent by certified mail.
Have fun with this feature and add a comment if you have any ideas for other great uses of this feature.

Ferret Friday #17 - Sock Monkey

2011-09-30T06:00:00.000-04:00

A E loves to wrestle. Teeth play an important role in this play--or at least that is what seems to be the case in our house. To protect ourselves, we often wear a pair of the Hubster's old thick wool dive socks. We call them the "sock monkey". The sock monkey is A E's favorite wrestling partner--whether or not there is a hand in them. A E particularly likes to defeat Sock Monkey from the inside. Here A E is preparing his attack.

The attack is well under way here:

Stealth is key to victory, so pretending to fall asleep lulls the opponent into a false sense of security.

Although you can't really tell from the picture, A E's head is at the toe of the sock in this photo. It is really funny to watch when he is fully into the sock like this. Inside the sock, he is trying to bite the toe of the sock. While doing so, he lifts his head up and moves it around--it is similar to watching an earth worm.

Soon he will emerge the victor in another round.

Don't forget!

2011-09-29T06:00:00.000-04:00

Our unit has had a continuing problem with staff turnover. Without a written employee handbook, this meant that what was be obvious to one person may be missed by another. Besides creating an employee manual, I have been working to automate as many processes as possible. Automating processes has the benefit of reducing human error and forgetfulness. Fortunately, CryWolf® has many tools to assist in this effort.
Although CryWolf® has the ability to communicate with CAD (computer aided dispatch) systems, we are not taking advantage of this capability...yet. This means that my staff must manually enter relevant information into CAD. Unfortunately, a review of recent actions showed that some notes were added and some were not. I find it especially disturbing that notes placing an address in No Response status remained in CAD long after the status had been removed in our office.
The solution that I settled on was adding a pop up note that appears when a letter in the Outstanding Letters list is selected for printing. By making it protocol to resolve the pop up before printing the letter, I hope that this issue will be eliminated.
These pop up notes can be placed by going to the Maintenance section of CryWolf®. From the Forms menu, choose the Add/Edit letters option. Select the letter that you want the pop up tied to and go to the Notes tab (circled in pink below).

To make the letter stand out, click the box with three dots (circled in green above). Choose the color and click Ok.

This color will highlight the letter when it appears in the Outstanding Letters screen. This will be an extra warning to the user that there are special actions to be taken. Be sure to save these changes to the letter by clicking the Save button.

Ivory soap

2011-09-25T06:00:00.000-04:00

As a person with sensitive skin and a mother of a child with sensitive skin, we don't do a lot of soap and detergent changing. Once we find a product that doesn't irritate our skin, we stick to it for life--or as long as they manufacture it. One product that I have been using since I was a child is Ivory soap. It's gentle, reasonable priced, and it floats. When Youngest was packing for school, I picked up a multi-pack when I was at a local retailer. One day in the shower, I noticed a pleasant new scent. I didn't equate it with the new bar of soap though because everyone knows Ivory is unscented. After several days of trying to find the source, I finally concluded that Ivory must have added a scent to the soap even when I knew how ridiculous that was. When I finally took a look in the closet, here is what I found:

The scent is Simply Aloe (the classic is now called Simply Ivory). But wait, according to their history timeline, Ivory introduced Aloe soap back in 2003. ~~I really am behind the times...~~I am going to blame my ignorance on the fact that we were ~~maybe still~~ in Japan when the hoopla was going on or maybe I just never noticed since I wouldn't have even considered buying a scented soap. The good news is that my skin had not told me of the change before I discovered it, so Ivory, way to go! You are still our soap of choice and now we actually have a choice.

Shenandoah National Park

2011-09-24T12:23:00.000-04:00

The Hubster has been wanting to ride his bike on Skyline Drive for months. It is a great idea especially since one of his upcoming triathlons will be in a mountainous area so some mountain training would have been in order. Our summer has flown by though, so the fabled trip never materialized until last Sunday when we finally made the trek out to Shenandoah National Park.
Coincidentally, this is the 75th anniversary of the park and there are lots of activities to commemorate this special landmark event. I love the old signs at the national parks and I was glad to see that the anniversary didn't prompt them to install some horrible modern monstrosity.

It was great to once more be in possession of an annual pass that gives access to all of the national parks in the country. I have to admit that I liked it better when it was called the "Eagle Pass"--it was much simpler than saying the "America the Beautiful-National Park and Federal Recreational Lands Pass". At $80, it is a bargain considering that you can use it as many times and in as many places as you are able to visit. There are other entrance fee options as well. You can bike in and pay the $8 individual rate or $15 for a carload.

(There is one secret if you are strapped for cash, all parks have fee free days and most have them listed on their sites. Since today (9/24/2011) is Public Lands Day, there is no entrance fee at many national parks. Also, in honor of Veteran's Day, no fees November 11-13 at any national parks.)

Now, I don't have a death wish, so I wasn't eager to strap on a helmet and take on some major climbs on a bike (on foot either for that matter). Also, it was foggy which made it even more ~~stupid~~ daring to take on roads that bear the warning "Bicyclers be cautious--shoulders can be narrow, and vehicle drivers may be distracted." I'll take on the distracted driver role in that equation, thank you very much. Fortunately, the fall leaf viewing has not begun or the ride might have been suicidal. The drizzle also kept traffic to a minimum.

Fortunately, the fog did dissipate so that visibility improved on the roads. While the Hubster pedaled furiously, I listened to a ranger talk on black bears, bought the obligatory postcards and wrote on them, and had a leisurely drive to the meeting point.

A E Ferret didn't go with us, but I wonder what he would have thought about meeting a bear? I think he would have liked roaming around in the park though.

All in all, a good time was had by all. On the way home, we stopped at a Kettle Korn stand near the Apple House in Linden, VA.

Here is the actual intersection if you are interested:

I even remembered to take pictures before the bag was half empty. (You wouldn't believe how many potential blog posts are eliminated because I am a bad blogger who gets half way through before I realize I should take pictures...)

It was a good day!

Ferret Friday #16 - Pantry Raid

2011-09-23T06:00:00.000-04:00

After several months of not having Coffee Mate in the house due to A. E.'s addiction, I felt sorry for the Hubster and purchased a box. It didn't take long for the A. E. to "ferret" it out. I caught him in the act as he was investigating the pantry on his way to the "crack".

Ferret Friday #15 - Mesmerized

2011-09-16T06:00:00.005-04:00

I have mentioned before that ferrets are curious creatures. During our recent air conditioner/hotel adventure, A. E. was particularly mesmerized by Youngest's new pocket watch. Too bad we couldn't hypnotize him so that he would stop crawling under the beds.

Mr. Postman send me a letter

2011-09-15T06:00:00.000-04:00

I have been told that we may be having some new visitors from the Mid-Atlantic Chapter of FARA stopping by this week. Welcome!! You might like to check out my disclaimer here and some previous CryWolf® hints here.
Today, we are continuing our discussion of letters generated by CryWolf®. We previously discussed how to send a letter from the account screen and also how to use portions of the bulk letters screen. There are many times that it is necessary to send a letter to an alarm user beyond the alarm notifications that are generated when processing alarm calls. Before my arrival in the unit, the practice was to draft a letter in Word and send it out. This certainly served the purpose, but record keeping in CryWolf® was being ignored. Most of the time, the accounts in CryWolf® show no indication that a letter was sent--so staff members have no idea to go looking for those letters. Although the letters were saved and are available on the shared hard drive, no thought was given to cross referencing them with the alarm site or even the registration number in CryWolf®. With my arrival in the unit, I instituted the practice of saving the file as a pdf and importing it into the account record in CryWolf®. This at least assured that the correspondence was easily available for future reference.
After several months, I realized that many of the reasons for correspondence popped up repeatedly and that my life would be immensely easier if a "form" letter were available. I also believed that all correspondence going out to alarm users should be generated through CryWolf® in order for it to be preserved. I also wanted to reduce or eliminate the steps needed to produce the letter and then import it into the account.
As a result, I created several form letters in the "edit letters" section of Maintenance. These letters cover many of the common reasons for needing correspondence. Some examples include:

a letter to explain that the requirements for an appeal had not been met (usually the missing item was the appeal fee),
a letter to include with a check being returned because the invoice had already been paid,

I also created a letter that I change as needed for situations that I don't think will be repeated.

It is possible to create a letter so generic that it can be used without changes. These tend to be so broad that the recipient may not know which section applies to them. These certainly fill the need, but they don't always solve the problem. I like to tweak or personalize the letters when possible. By having the "skeleton" of the letter at my disposal, I can quickly add a little personalization when the situation merits it. The really great thing is that no matter how many times I change the "skeleton" letter, the version that went out to the alarm user is always safe and sound and available in their account history.

Another change that I have made to "personalize" correspondence is to add checkboxes to letters so that we can check the sections that are applicable to that user. My favorite use of this idea is a letter that is generated for customers who have paid the alarm fine but failed to pay the reinstatement fee or send in the new registration form that is required after their registration has been revoked. With a quick flick of my pen, I can "personalize" the letter to show what items have not been completed. I haven't done a scientific study of the actual numbers, but this change seems to be improving the results we are seeing.

Using the tools available in CryWolf® has decreased the time that I spend on paperwork so that I can focus on other projects.
Do you have any unusual letters that your jurisdiction uses? If so, share a little about them in the comments section so that others may be able to try them out.

Drain ferret

2011-09-14T06:00:00.001-04:00

One of the benefits of having the Hubster's project completed is that hair is no longer taking over our home. Our bathroom particularly is blessedly becoming a long hair free zone. In helping those efforts along, I decided to clean out the strainer plate over the shower drain. I had noticed that there was some hair caught in it and I wanted to get rid of it. Little did I know what awaited me. When I pulled up the strainer, a huge mass of hair came snaking out of the drain. Honestly, it was so gross that I about puked. What I thought was a few hairs was a mass so thick that it filled up the entire pipe--I can't believe that we didn't have draining problems. The mass was bigger than A. E. Ferret, and itt looked a bit like it could have been a relative too.

My poor mom is probably thinking "where did I go wrong? I taught her how to clean a house." However, blogging is a bit of an adventure--you never know when a bit of over-sharing will catch you.

Sorry Mom ; )

Earthquakes and Gas Leaks

2011-09-13T06:08:00.000-04:00

I am determined to buck the trends when it comes to blogging--that shouldn't be too hard with a site that focuses on false alarms and features photos of a ferret. I just don't think that there are many blogs out there that focus on either of these things--and certainly not any that combine the two. Also, I figure that there are enough posts about current popular topics without me adding my two cents. Hurricane Irene and the earthquake are recent examples. However, I can provide a public service announcement for those living in the earthquake affected areas. We have lived in Japan and California, so have experienced earthquakes several times. I knew that I should inspect my home for damage, but to be honest, I didn't really feel ~~much~~ any concern that there might be damage. That is until last Monday when my husband called to tell me that a neighbor texted him that he had smelled gas near our house when he walked his dog. Needless to say, my schedule for the day changed drastically starting with an emergency call to the gas company. Several hours later, the leak (actually, several leaks) was confirmed outside when the technician hadn't even left his truck before the equipment began to "alarm". And this certainly was not a false alarms as he found several leaks in the connections at the gas meter. He speculated that the earthquake may have "jiggled" (that's a technical term) enough to loosen the connections.
The smell is is often the first clue to a gas leak. However, I didn't smell anything because I have had a summer cold/sinus issues for two weeks. (If you smell gas inside your home, you should leave immediately. The gas company site says not to even do as little as flicking a light switch as that could cause a spark and create a bigger problem--namely an explosion). Fortunately for us, our leak seemed to be restricted to outside our home. I shudder to think what might have happened if the leak had been inside since we have a tankless water heater that uses gas and flame to heat our water. However, identifying the problem turned out to be the easy part. Getting it fixed took 3 visits by a plumber spread over a week. Let me tell you right now that a cold shower at 5 am is not a good start to a day.
So my public safety message is to get out and inspect your home if you were in the areas affected by the earthquake. You never know what all that moving and shaking may have jostled.

Special Olympics

2011-09-12T07:11:00.000-04:00

As anyone in Law Enforcement can tell you, the Law Enforcement Torch Run benefiting Special Olympics is a special event that takes place across the country and around the world culminating in the lighting of the Olympic torch at the opening ceremony of the summer Special Olympic games. The torch run was begun in Kansas City in 1981 by a police chief who saw a need and was moved to action. The International Association of Chiefs of Police soon adopted the cause and the torch run has grown to become one of the largest fund raisers for Special Olympics.
Special Olympics provides so much for the athletes and is something that the athletes benefit from year round. The best way to describe the spirit that I have seen in the athletes is competition with love. It is rare these days to see a fellow athlete demonstrate caring for his competitors. This attitude is shown every day across the country in Special Olympics venues though. The sports events also become social events for the athletes who look forward to their weekly practices. I went to a basketball game one night, and although their were "sides", the whole place seemed alive with goodwill. The sport had created one big family made up of the athletes and their own families and supporters. I cannot tell you how many times athletes have thanked me for making it possible for Special Olympics to provide these opportunities. I was able to attend the state level Torch Run training a few years ago. The featured speaker was an athlete who shared her personal story of what Special Olympics has meant in her life. Special Olympics has opened doors way beyond the sporting events for her and others.
I have had the privilege to run beside some wonderful athletes in local stretches of the Torch Run and to participate in many events that raised funds. One event that I have always wanted to do but never had the opportunity is the Plane Pull at Dulles International Airport. This year, the Dulles Day event will occur on September 24, 2011. If you live in the region, I strongly encourage you to make a day of it and take the family out for a great event that includes much more than the actual plane pull.
Since I was in contact with Loudoun, I asked if their department was participating in the plane pull this year. (I know that in the past, they were one of the strongest teams). The response was yes--if they can raise the funds. For several years now, the agency has been unable to generate enough interest to gather a team and raise the needed donations. Because this cause is so close to my heart, I have decided to feature their team site and give this team the opportunity to be featured here.
I ask that you consider making a donation to Special Olympics through their team site. I know from experience that it is hard to get a group like this up and running once it has fallen by the way side. It would be great if you support their alarm administrator Shellie Reid in her fundraising but all the funds go to Special Olympics so supporting the team is great also. Thank you for your consideration, and if you live nearby, go out and cheer for all of the teams! It seems like a great way to spend a day.

Columbus OH False Alarm Facts

2011-09-10T06:00:00.002-04:00

Our travels last weekend had us venturing through Columbus, Ohio. Of course, I had to check out the local False Alarm ordinance. My search began with a peek at Municode. This is one of the companies that helps local and state government organize (and create) their regulations. Fortunately for me, Columbus is one of the cities that is listed with this service. I found the false alarm ordinance for Columbus in the Business Regulation and Licensing section (title 5 chapter 597). (If you are trying to find the ordinance for your area, quite often it can be found in the licensing or nuisance abatement sections but it can appear under business regulations or might even have a section all its own).
Columbus has chosen the Licensing Section for the Department of Public Safety to administer the ordinance for the city. This is fairly common across the country and is one way jurisdictions reduce costs. It does make sense--issuing registrations is a good portion of what false alarm units do, so consolidating the units can be a good cost cutting measure.
The licensing section's website here lists a $35 charge that includes an application fee and a permit fee. The resulting permits are valid for two years. In Columbus, even alarm systems that are not being monitored are required to be registered. Columbus is also one of the jurisdictions that has criminal penalties for not being registered. In this case, it is a minor misdemeanor with a $100 max fine; however subsequent convictions can subject the unlicensed user to a $500 fine and/or 60 days in jail. I always find these criminal charges interesting since our ordinance does not have this type of penalty. Someday, I would like to compile statistics on how often these penalties have been levied.
In Columbus, alarm system users are allowed two uncharged alarms per permit year. After that, the first two alarms are $100, the next two are $200, the next 3 are $400, and any over that are $800 each. This is an easy system to remember. The ordinance does allow for appeals of false alarms, but appeals must be submitted within 14 days of the false alarm. This is a fairly short appeal time. I couldn't find an appeal fee, but the guidelines are quite specific as to what type of alarms have any chance of winning an appeal.
Alarm companies and their "agents" are required to register with the city as well. The fee for a company is $200 and $50 per agent and licenses are good for 1 year. A unique feature of Columbus' ordinance is that alarm companies must also furnish proof of liability insurance. I highly recommend that citizens verify that the alarm company is registered with the city before allowing them to install a system. This isn't a foolproof way to find a reputable company, but it is one way to see that they are at least complying with that portion of the law and may be more likely to be in compliance in other aspects as well.
I enjoyed my brief stop in Columbus and hope that this information is helpful.

This data is presented for informational purposes only. Residents must check with the government in their jurisdiction to determine what the current legislation is and what requirements must be met.

Ferret Friday #14 - Gamer

2011-09-09T06:00:00.005-04:00

It seems that the boys in this household are addicted to games. This is supported by the number of game systems that have taken up space in our household over the years. The youngest boy is no exception. Here he makes his answer selection during a friendly family game of "Scene it!" on our X-box.

Sending letters from account screen

2011-09-08T06:00:00.005-04:00

There are many times that it is necessary to send a letter to an alarm user. It is certainly possible to send a letter using the bulk letters option discussed here, but the easiest way is from the individual Account screen. At the bottom of the account screen, there is a Send Letter pull down menu in the center--see the red circle in the screen shot below:

To send a letter to the open account, simply choose the letter that you wish to send from the pull down menu (red circle). Please note that not all of your available letters will appear in this menu--only the letters designated General use or Account Status use will appear. This means that the letters designated as Delinquent Payment use will not appear and will not be available to send this way. To send the chosen letter, simply click the Update button (red arrow)

and the letter will appear in the Outstanding Correspondence menu (red arrow below).

Tune in next Thursday for more CryWolf® tips and tricks.

Ferrets in the News

2011-09-07T06:00:00.010-04:00

This weekend the New York Times printed a story detailing accusations of neglect and cruelty at a ferret farm in Pennsylvania. I don't know if the accusations are true or not, but the video is heartbreaking. Unfortunately, this is just one in a series of stories detailing the poor conditions that animals have been subjected to at breeding farms and pet stores.
Just a few days before, I heard this story on the radio detailing one LAPD officers efforts to stop the illegal animal sales in the fashion district of LA. The trend of animal as accessory has not helped this problem.
Responsible pet ownership begins with responsible pet acquisition. If you are thinking about bringing a ferret (or any animal) home, I urge you to consider adopting one of the many animals at your local shelter. If you are specifically looking for a ferret, our local shelter has ferrets frequently and the American Ferret Association has a listing of ferret shelters.

Travel tips

2011-09-04T06:00:00.000-04:00

On this holiday weekend, I thought I would mention some travel tips.
I have referred for years to a great site called Factory Tours USA that lists many of the factory tours available across the county. The listing is divided by state, and that is my favorite way to use it. However, it is possible to search by category of manufactured item or by zip code. I prefer the state option because I am never opposed to changing my course and trying a new route if it nets a cool field trip. These detours generally have occurred when Hubster is not along for the ride because he prefers the quickest route method of traveling. As he ages, he is becoming more willing to take a side trip here and there as evidenced by our recent mine tour.
The addition of A E Ferret to our family presented some new travel challenges for us that Pets Welcome has helped us solve. Of course, we could take him to his veterinarian who offers boarding service, but the thought of him being caged for 24 hours a day makes us cringe. A E does have his movement restricted by a cage occasionally-this occurs most often if he repeatedly ignores the "No Bite" command. At night and when we are gone to work, we restrict A E to ~~my home office~~ his room. Long story short is that we now need to know where pets are welcome and Pets Welcome is a good resource for anyone who needs this same information.
Have a safe weekend! If you are traveling, I hope these resources will be helpful.

Sign me up

2011-09-03T06:00:00.000-04:00

Within a few minutes of seeing the phone booth mentioned here, I saw this sign. I want to make it clear that I have nothing against trailer parks. I think they have a place in society. I am from Florida after all and southern Florida is filled with trailer homes. Looking at the sign shaded by the large tree, you might even believe that choice lots were really available.

But let your gaze slide to the right of the sign where the landscape is treeless. Not really what I call prime landscaping.

Ferret Friday #13 - Laundry ferret

2011-09-02T06:00:00.006-04:00

Ferrets are a lot of fun, but there is a lot of work involved in owning a ferret. However, well trained ferrets can help with household chores as A. E. demonstrates by taking a sweaty bike jersey (from the Philadelphia triathlon) upstairs to the laundry.

Bulk letters

2011-09-01T06:00:00.001-04:00

Occasionally, it is necessary to send letters to a group of alarm users. Maybe you want to notify a group of a class, or that you are forgiving the alarms that occurred on a certain day(don't hold your breath on that one happening in my area : ). The Process Bulk Letters function found in the File menu (see below) is probably the easiest way to do this in CryWolf®. I must confess that I used this technique for months to send single letters also. Of course, you can successfully send one letter this way, but this technique is better suited to sending letters to multiple accounts with just a few clicks of the mouse.

The Bulk Letters window has three tabs: General Search, Based on Outstanding Amounts, and Letter Received. Today, we will focus on the "Letter Received" tab because it is the one that I have used the most. On this tab, it is possible to search for all accounts that have recieved a certain letter (red arrow). If the date range (green circle) can be narrowed, the matching accounts will be reduced making it easier to find the accounts needed. Don't overlook the Options pull down menu (pink arrow) that lets you further narrow the field by Any Date, Date Sent, Action Date, etc.

Once the selections have been made, simply click the Search button (red arrow below) and any accounts that meet the criteria will appear in the Matched box (blue circle). In the example, I searched for accounts who received the letter titled "Inspection Required" within the selected date range. After clicking the Search button, one account appears in the Matched box (because I set it up that way--I can't let you see real accounts don't you know). Please note that the names of the letters that appear in the example will not necessarily be the letters in your system since CryWolf® allows each jurisdiction to create their own letters.

To move the accounts to which you want to send a letter, simply double click on them or click once on them and use the selection buttons in the center of the screen (green circle below). The single carat moves one account at a time, the double carat moves all of the accounts. If you add the wrong account the lower carats will send them back to the matched box. Once the accoutns have been selected, use the Letters to Send pull down menu (red arrow below) to choose the correct letter. I have chosen the letter "Revoked reg-no inspection" to be sent to the selected accounts (red arrow). Note that the charge associated with this letter as set up in the Letters section of Maintenance appears in the Charge box (blue arrow) and can be modified as needed.

To send the letter, simply click the Ok button (pink arrow). The letters will appear in the Outstanding Correspondence menu shown below.

This has been just a brief overview of this tab. Be sure to examine the other features available to assist in your search. The other tabs of the Bulk Letters screen will be discussed in future editions. Tune in next Thursday for a discussion of how to send just one letter to a particular account.

Special Olympics

2011-08-31T11:00:00.000-04:00

As anyone in Law Enforcement can tell you, the Law Enforcement Torch Run benefitting Special Olympics is a special event that takes place across the country and around the world culminating in the lighting of the Olympic torch at the opening ceremony of the summer Special Olympic games. The torch run was begun in Kansas City in 1981 by a police chief who saw a need and was moved to action. The International Association of Chiefs of Police soon adopted the cause and the torch run has grown to become one of the largest fund raisers for Special Olympics. Special Olympics provides so much for these athletes and is something that the athletes benefit from year round. The best way to describe the spirit that I have seen in the athletes is competition with love. It is rare these days to see a fellow athlete demonstrate caring for his competitors. This attitude is shown every day across the country in Special Olympics venues. The sports events also become social events for the athletes who look forward to their weekly practices. I went to a basketball game one night, and although their were sides, the whole place seemed alive with goodwill. The sport had created one big family made up of the athletes and their own families and supporters.
I have had the privilege to run beside some wonderful athletes in local stretches of the Torch Run and to participate in many events that raised funds. One event that I have always wanted to do but never had the opportunity is the Plane Pull at Dulles International Airport. This year, the Dulles Day event will occur on September 24, 2011. If you live in the region, I strongly encourage you to make a day of it and take the family out for a great event that includes much more than the actual plane pull. I cannot tell you how many times athletes have thanked me for making it possible for Special Olympics to provide these opportunities.
Since I was in contact with Loudoun about their job opening, I asked if their department was participating in the plane pull this year. I know that in the past, they were one of the strongest teams. The response was yes--if they can raise the funds. For several years now, the agency has been unable to generate enough interest to gather a team and raise the needed donations. Because this cause is so close to my heart, I have decided to feature their team site and give this team the opportunity to be featured here.
I ask that you consider making a donation to Special Olympics through their team site. I know from experience that it is hard to get a group like this up and running once it has fallen by the way side. The Alarm Administrator for Loudoun County is participating, so if you would like to support your fellow alarm administrator's fundraising efforts, you can do so here. The cutoff date for donations is September 10th so please take action today. Thank you for your consideration!

Genghis Grill

2011-08-31T06:00:00.001-04:00

My family eats out way more than we should. My father predicted this more than 25 years ago when the Hubster and I were dating. I have mentioned previously that my family rarely went out to eat when I was a child, so the number of times that the Hubster took me out to dinner was shocking to my parents thrifty nature. Of course, I thought it was great. And since my family was also very religious, there weren't a whole lot of other options of sanctioned activites.
Needless to say, proprieters of many restaurants in our area know our family on sight and not a week goes by that one of them will ask about this missing family member or another. Of course, we each have our favorite establishment, but occasionally we will want a change. When a new restaurant opens up in our area, we are sure to be one of the first families to try it out.
Recently, the boys came home saying that there was a new restaurant that they wanted to try. This new restaurant was called the Genghis Grill-the Mongolian stir fry.
The boys were excited because Mongolian BBQ has been one of their favorite meals since we lived overseas and went to the Mongolian BBQ nights at the base restaurant. Typically, Mongolian BBQ consists of several different types of raw meats and raw vegetables with various spices and sauces to season it. Each person picks the exact combination of ingredients that they want. The chef then cooks the meat first and adds the vegetables at the end. In many places, the cooking is a performance using a large flat cooking surface reminiscent of the shields that the Mongols may have used for cooking.
The closest Mongolian BBQ type restaurant until now is over an hour away so the boys were very excited at the prospect of having this option near our home. We had no idea what to expect when we opened those doors for the first time.
Upon our arrival, we were greeted by a host/hostess and led to our table where we were given menus and bowls, The menus are really extraneous since they talk you through the process. However, the menu does show their selection of mixed drinks and beverages as well as a wide selection of "recipes." These recipes can be used as a guide when choosing what to include in the bowl.
Once the beverages were ordered, we took our bowls and made our way to what looks like a large salad bar. The first station is the selection of proteins. Genghis offered everything from beef to shrimp. Some unusual offerings also included sausage, pepperoni, and scallops.

Following the meats was a good selection of dry seasonings that diners are encouraged to sprinkle on their meats.

The next several sections were reserved for the fruits and vegetables. They had several choices of pre-mixed vegetable medleys designed to complement the various meat selections. They also had a nice firm tofu that held up well to the cooking process. Baby corn, bok choy, cabbage, carrots, squash and zucchini were all present and accounted for in this area.

Finally, we were encouraged to sample the abundant choice of sauces using the mini spoons that were available. Once we had made a selection, the sauce was ladled into a cup.

Moving over to the cooking area, we handed our bowls and sauce to a waiter who took our order for the carbohydrate choice. They had a good selection to choose from that included white rice, brown rice, fried rice, pasta, and soba noodles. The waiter then gave us each a number and put a matching number with our bowl. At this point, most people headed back to their table, but I stayed to watch the chefs as they did their magic. By doing so, I discovered the dry condiments such as sesame seeds, chow mein noodles, and chopped nuts that are available at the cooking area bar. (A word of caution here--be sure to know which number is yours because it will be hard to tell once the food has been cooked--ask me how I know).

Genghis Grill is not cheap, but it is not in the fine dining price range either. Lunch time prices are more reasonable, but still run in the $8-10 range. Dinner runs a bit higher. Turning your meal into an all you can eat experience is also an option for just $2-3 more.

Overall, the boys were pleased with Genghis Grill and we have made several return visits. The price may keep it from being placed in the weekly rotation, but it will definitely find its place in the monthly options when the boys are home from college.

Breaking job news in the Metro DC/Northern VA area

2011-08-30T23:46:00.000-04:00

My friends in Loudoun County (VA) sent word that the position of Assistant Alarm Administrator is posted here. If you live in the Metro DC/Northern Virginia area and are interested in false alarm reduction, take a look at the position. No false alarm experience is necessary.

Coal mine

2011-08-29T06:00:00.001-04:00

I have always been drawn to the strange and unusual, especially when it involves venturing off the highway onto back roads with the promise of an adventure. On the way back from Youngest's college orientation, we found ourselves in Beckley, West Virginia at a McDonald's. This was not our first choice, but sometimes you have to take what you can get. While we were enjoying our fine dining experience, my eyes were drawn to this sign that was just visible from where we were sitting. When we finished eating, I couldn't leave without a photo. To my astonishment, Hubster asked if I wanted to visit the exhibit. After I picked my jaw off the floor of the car, I responded "sure".

With no more than that arrow pointing the way, we set off into the wilds of West Virginia. Youngest swore he heard the sound of banjos. After several miles of twists and turns, I was beginning to think that we had missed a sign.To my relief, a sign appeared letting us know that we had arrived at the Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine.

Visitors enter the company store to purchase tickets for the mine tour and exhibits. In the country store building, there is a gift shop and displays. On the grounds surrounding the store are actual mining company buildings that were torn down and reassembled piece by piece on the museum grounds. These buildings include the Superintendent's home, the company school, a church, a miner's shack, and a miner's family home. Displays in each of the buildings give an intimate glimpse of life in the camp.

The highlight of the museum for me was the trip into an actual coal mine. I can't even imagine the conditions that miners worked under, but the tour helped us understand just a bit. A retired miner leads the tour and tells about working in the mines. Antique and modern equipment is demonstrated along the route. The conditions that miners work in are terrible under the best of circumstances.

During the tour, the guide pointed out what he called a kettle bottom. An example is shown below. Kettle bottoms are fossilized trees. When the miners have blasted out the rock below, the smooth sided "trees" would be freed and would drop on unsuspecting miners below--often killing or seriously injuring them.

All in all, it was an interesting stop and well worth the delay to our travels. It certainly gave me more understanding of the hardships experienced by miners. It also made me thankful for my job.

Phone Booths

2011-08-27T06:00:00.002-04:00

During our recent trip to Kentucky, I came across an object that I thought no longer existed. But there it was, so here it is.

It is missing some vital elements such as windows and the bi-fold door, but it has some unique features such as bullet holes.

Ferret Friday #12-Ferrets are what they eat

2011-08-26T06:00:00.002-04:00

A E Ferret is taking that phrase to the extreme.

Reminders

2011-08-25T06:00:00.012-04:00

One of the first features that I began using in CryWolf is the notification feature. Instead of littering my desk with sticky notes, I keep my notes in my computer. One of the greatest thing about this notifications feature is that any account number in the reminder becomes clickable. Simply click on the account number and the account main form will open. This makes it far superior to any piece of paper.

The notifications menu is found on the main screen under Options. Scroll down to Notifications and three choices are available:

Add PopUp Notification
Check Current Notification
Check All PopUp Notification. Simply click on the option of your choice.

To add a notification, click on the Add PopUp Notification option. A box entitled Reminder will open. Type the message, set the date, and choose who (of the registered CryWolf users in your agency) should get the reminder. Use the editing features at the top of the window to change the fonts and colors. This feature is a fun way to send birthday greetings--be sure to make these notifications bright and colorful.
Although I like using the notification feature, I don't like the visual clutter of all the open windows so I tend to close them when they are not needed. A quick way to close the notifications windows ( and any other open windows in CryWolf) is to use the F4 key. (This was new to me, but my kids said Alt F4 is standard to close windows in many of their programs). Whenever I need to see the notifications again, I simply go to the Check Current Notifications option and all of the current notifications open.
If you need to see all (even future) notifications, simply choose Check All PopUp Notifications and all of the notifications for you will appear. This allows you to edit future notifications or take care of them ahead of the scheduled time if needed. One important note is that only the notifications set for you to see will appear. So if you set up birthday greetings early in the year and then forget and do it again like I often do, your office mates may be inundated with greetings on the big day.

Our office uses this feature in conjunction with letters that have been generated so that we know to follow up on them. For example, after six alarms, users are required to get an inspection. When the letter is generated, a notification is set to appear when the inspection is due so that I know to verify that we have received the inspection. This is set up in the Add/Edit Letters section on the notification tab. You can also set who will receive the notification (green circle) and how many days after the letter the pop up should appear (red circle). The notifications can also be sent via email by entering the email address here (pink circle).
I am moving away from using the notifications being sent for all of the letters that get sent from our office. It is much better to have the notification sent when the RESPONSE is due because the system eliminates the notice if a response has been received and marked in the account. This saves a lot of time going through notifications that require no action,
Enjoy using this feature!

Student driver

2011-08-24T06:00:00.001-04:00

Take a look at the yellow signs on the bumper of this bus. I know budgets are tight, but I am not sure this is a good cost cutting measure:

Rainbow

2011-08-22T06:00:00.026-04:00

I pay a lot more attention these days to weather than I ever have previously. Most false alarm units do not forgive alarms caused by weather because most of them are preventable. However, some storms produce extended power outages or extreme conditions that may end up causing some alarms that just can't be prevented. For example, a recent storm in our area resulted in very large hail that caused several glass break sensors in homes and businesses to send signals to the monitoring center which in turn led to a dispatch request.

Anyway, the point is that I pay more attention to weather. I also document the conditions so that if there is a question about an alarm, I have some information on hand. I shot this picture after a recent thunderstorm. The rainbow was so vivid and we were able to see both ends where they seemed to hit the earth. Unfortunately, I couldn't get that picture because I was in a car, but this is what I was able to capture when I found a safe place to pull over.

Mid-Atlantic Chapter of FARA

2011-08-21T11:13:00.000-04:00

The Mid-atlantic Region chapter of the False Alarm Reduction Association will hold its next meeting on September 14th. After the meeting, a joint meeting with the Maryland Burglar and Fire Alarm Association will be held. If you would like information about either of these events, email me and I will pass your information along to the organizers.
If you have events of interest to alarm reduction units, and I will consider sharing them on this forum as well.

Scene it!

2011-08-20T12:29:00.000-04:00

I am a bargain shopper. Friends are always asking me how I get such great deals on things. Truth is, I shop the end of the aisles or the clearance section first. One recent shopping trip took me to a local Walmart which was undergoing renovation. Because of the renovation, there were several aisles of merchandise priced to go. One section held particular interest because it was packed with various games for all different game consoles. One of the items that caught my eye was a family game called "Scene It!". This was appealing because we are always trying to find ways that we can share the boys interests. And like it or not, the X-box uses up a huge chunk of their days right now. This particular version of the game also included the controllers necessary to play the game so I figured that if nothing else, it was a bargain for that reason.
I will readily admit that the family didn't express any interest in my acquisition. I didn't give up though and declared a night of forced "family fun". By the end of the first round, everyone was enjoying themselves. I will admit that we are not big movie buffs so many of the questions had us scratching our heads. However, the competition is what reeled my family in. I would have to say that the $10 I spent was well worth the laughs and time that we have spent together doing an activity as a family. Both teenage boys have suggested playing another round and we have done so several times. That was money well spent in my book!

Ferret Friday #11-Paws

2011-08-19T06:00:00.003-04:00

A. E. must want to go shopping for some new toys. He jumped in my purse. This isn't the greatest picture I know, but it is the first one that shows how cute his little paws are.

Ferret Friday #10-Paparazzi defense

2011-08-12T06:01:00.004-04:00

A E says "Take my picture will you? Just try to take my picture after I hide the camera."

Albemarle County Ordinance Update

2011-08-09T21:43:00.000-04:00

Administrators of false alarm units are often called on to present information to the local government officials. In preparation for my debut briefing the Supervisors in my county, I visited Albemarle County last week for their Board of Supervisors meeting. The Albemarle County Police Department was before the board to present some updates to their false alarm ordinance so it was a good opportunity to witness public reaction. The great thing about local government is that the public has the opportunity to participate. Albemarle County and many other counties allow citizens to have their time to air their opinions simply by signing up before the meeting begins. The number of people who sign up, determines how much time each speaker is given. For this meeting, there were so many people signed up, that the time limit was reduced to two minutes each. The agenda for each meeting is generally posted in advance but the public commentary does not have to be limited to the set agenda.
Judging from the number of people who spoke, the big issue in Albemarle County these days is the Route 20 Bypass. There were some strong opinions on both sides of the issue, but a few members of the Board endured some very negative comments on decisions that they made previously on this issue.
After the debate over the agenda items before the false alarm ordinance, I was surprised with how quickly the false alarm issue passed. The Lieutenant from the Police Department gave a succinct report that surprised the Board with the number of alarms and how many of them are considered false. After a few questions and one public comment, the ordinance updates were passed. For those of you in Albemarle County, the changes add definitions for terms in the ordinance, requires alarm users to register and maintain their systems, and adds increasing fees for false alarms.
All in all, the meeting made me remember why I am not in politics. However, it reminded me that as a citizen, I need to be more aware of what issues are being discussed. As citizens of these United States, we have a unique privilege of being able to take part in government by making our voices heard. I encourage you to attend a few meetings. If you have children, definitely take them to witness government in action.

Ferret Friday #9- My how he's grown

2011-08-05T06:00:00.003-04:00

Here is young A. E. a day or two after we brought him home--with Youngest's hand for scale.

And here he is 5 months later.

Ferret Friday #8

2011-07-29T06:00:00.003-04:00

This picture makes me think of the book Curious George for some reason. Happy Friday!

Open an Account from a report

2011-07-28T06:00:00.000-04:00

In some reports in CryWolf, mousing over an account number and then clicking opens window with the account history. If what you really need is the account instead, right click on the account number and then choose "Load Account Form" to open the account screen.

Ferret Friday #7-Give a ferret a home

2011-07-22T06:00:00.005-04:00

Shortly after we brought our ferret home, we realized that he needed someplace he could call his own. We went to our resource of choice--the book Ferrets for Dummies. The book describes how to make a nest box out of a storage bin and a pvc connector. On our next visit to the home improvement store, we picked up the items necessary to make a home for A. G. Ferret. Much to my surprise, the house turned out great and you can see that he loves it. He did the decoration himself. That blanket started the day on the lower level of his cage, but he dragged it upstairs and into the box. Here, he is looking mighty pleased with himself and ready for a nap after all the hard work.

Customizing CryWolf

2011-07-21T06:00:00.024-04:00

I don't know about you, but I have never been a conformist. This didn't go over too well in high school -or the police academy either for that matter-but it serves me well now. As individuals, we each have ways that we like to do things-they work for us, but might not work for someone else. Some things are universal though, and I think that most people like to customize their work space to suit the way they work. Many people also like to add a dash of personality to their cubicle as well. Since I spend so much time at my computer, I like to regularly change the way my screen looks. In winter, it may feature a picture of the beach. In summer, tropical fish may swim across my screen. Unfortunately, my desktop is often not visible because I am deep in some program or other. I have mentioned previously that my office uses CryWolf to process our alarms. When our rep shared that the main CryWolf screen could be customized, I was immediately on board. It is very simple, so follow these directions to "have it your way" as the Burger King commercials used to say.
To change the way the main screen appears, right click on the menu bar (where all the icons are) at the top of the CryWolf screen. The Screen Setting Options box will open.

To change the background color of the main screen, double click on the Background Color box. A pop up box will appear and the color choice may be selected. Once the color is chosen, click Ok.

You can also customize the caption at the top of the screen to say whatever you like. Type your selection in the Jurisdiction caption box where it says "Your Name Here CryWolf" in the photo below.

My favorite bit of customization is that you can add a picture to the main screen as well. Simply click on the little box with 3 dots at the end of the Main Form Image line. A pop up box will open and allow you to choose an image from your image folders. Select your image and click Open.

If you have finished customizing, click Ok and the changes will appear on your main screen.

Keep in mind that the size of the picture file will determine how much of the screen is covered. In our sample, the background color doesn't appear unless the screen is maximized. Smaller pictures will appear in the center of the screen and be surrounded by the background color.
As a reminder, these tips are specifically for the .net version of CryWolf. I can't say if they will work in the classic version or not.

Enjoy your new view!

Mema

2011-07-20T06:56:00.000-04:00

My grandmother was Rosie the Riveter during World War II. Actually, she was a welder at a shipyard in Mobile, Alabama while my grandfather was off in the Army. My dad was a toddler during this time, so he was left in the care of her parents while she traveled the 90 miles to work. Each Monday morning, my grandmother rose hours before dawn to walk several miles to town and board a bus back to Mobile. Each Friday night, after a rigorous and exhausting week, she would board a bus back home. She recalled that most trips she stood the entire way.
Hard work was nothing new however. As a child, she spent her summers in the cotton fields helping her family eke out a living. Growing up with 5 brothers, she learned at an early age to not let them see her cry.
She eventually became a professional seamstress for a manufacturing company. I remember her telling me of the times that she sewed right through her fingers. I am cringing now thinking about it.
When my grandfather became seriously ill, she became the sole bread winner. She suffered from arthritis but instead of letting it slow her down, she fought back. Somewhere she read that fire ant venom was a possible cure or could help lessen the pain of arthritis. Since she lived in southern Alabama, fire ants were readily available. I remember that she would go stick her hands in a fire ant hill and come back to the house with her arms and hands covered in bites. If you have never had a fire ant bite, then you can't understand how painful those bites were. It must have helped her though because she did it until the fire ants would no longer bite her. Maybe after all those bites, she began to "smell" like a fire ant to them.
She loved to cook and could make a dinner for surprise guests without a moment's notice. Her pecan pies were known far and wide. She didn't rely on recipes, but seasoned based on taste and experience. She rarely used measuring cups either. There was one recipe that got the best of her though. When I went off to college, she wanted a pound cake that I had often made for her. She made that cake three times and three times, that cake didn't turn out. It is a good thing that she had her own chickens because that cake took something like 5 eggs and 3 or 4 cups of flour. When I came home at Christmas, I barely made it in the house before she had me in the kitchen making that cake. When mine came out fine, she about blew a gasket. We finally figured out that she had been starting with a preheated oven but that cake required that the cake be placed in a cold oven.
She was a tough old bird and she did things her way and in her own time. This was true right to the end. Although she hadn't been ill, she had become progressively more frail over the last few years. One day last August, she fell and broke her hip. My parents made the decision to not insert a feeding tube when she didn't wake up from the anesthesia. The doctor's had predicted that she would be gone in a matter of a day or two. For almost two weeks, I sat beside her bed as her body slowly shut down.
The guilt I felt sitting there, over a decision in which I had no say, still haunts me. I hope that someday I will be able to forgive that decision. But today, I still miss her.

Lexington KY False Alarms

2011-07-19T06:00:00.002-04:00

Our travels last week took us through Kentucky. Of course I had to peruse the web to see what is going on in the world of false alarm reduction in the bluegrass state. Of the cities that we would be visiting, Lexington was the first that I found with a false alarm reduction unit.

Alarm systems in Lexington must be registered and there is an application fee of $15, which seems to be a one time fee. (Update: the $15 fee is an annual fee). Lexington's ordinance is similar to most other ordinances, but it has a feature that I have not seen before. The fine schedule lists minimum and maximum fines. If an alarm user doesn't contest the alarm, they pay the minimum fine. If they contest the fine and lose, they could end up paying the maximum fine. Fines begin at the fourth alarm with a $25 minimum fine and go up to a $300 minimum fine for the 9th alarm (maximum fine is $500). These fines are relatively low compared to fines in the area where I live; however, the 10th alarm in Lexington brings a revocation of the permit for a period of up to one year. So the low fines are given strength by stiff penalties.

Lexington's ordinance does allow users to appeal, but the appeal must be filed within 10 days of notification (our ordinance allows 30 days for an appeal). This combined with the possibility of paying a higher fine likely reduces the number of appeals. Alarm users in Lexington do have the option of attending a false alarm education class in lieu of paying one fine per year--this is a great option that my unit has not yet been able to provide.

Thanks to the ordinance, the Lexington false alarm reduction unit must take on the task of licensing alarm installers. I am glad that this responsibility is held at the state level where I live. The $15 application fee probably comes nowhere near covering the cost of running the background checks and investigating employees.

This data is presented for informational purposes only. Residents must check with the government in their jurisdiction to determine what the current legislation is and what requirements must be met.

Philly Police

2011-07-18T21:36:00.000-04:00

Law enforcement agencies have always struggled with how best to serve the public and provide the most service on budgets that never seem to have enough funds. One of the creative solutions that many departments utilize is placing a "field office" in whatever business will give them a space. Many field offices consist solely of a desk in an unused corner of a store. This provides officers with a place to take care of paperwork more comfortably than in their cruiser. It also saves on fuel costs and reduces air pollution because the officers do not have to keep the engine running to maintain some sense of comfort. Wise businesses realize that having a police presence is beneficial to them as well. It would be an unwise criminal who decided to hold up a store where an officer was doing paperwork.

This Philly police badge was located on the door of what I imagine is a field office in the Target store next to our hotel in Philly.

Ferret Friday #6- Ferret gets a drink

2011-07-15T06:00:00.028-04:00

I was sitting in the den working on some posts and watching America's Got Talent when I heard what I thought was the sound of the 5 gallon jug being changed in the water cooler. Our camel is home from college, so this is not an unexpected occurrence. When the noise continued though, I decided I better check it out. What I found was a ferret pushing an empty bottle around with his nose. The hole seemed to be just the right size and the right height for his snout.

He was having a grand old time, so I let him continue as there didn't seem to be any harm in it. He played for quite some time. I guess ferrets are like kids in that they seem to find amusement in unusual places. How many parents have shopped for the perfect toy only to realize that the child is more entertained by the box than the toy?

Editing False Alarm Data

2011-07-14T06:00:00.000-04:00

At some time, you may find it necessary to edit alarm data that is already in the system as I did a short while ago when it was discovered that a dispatcher typed the wrong year. In our area, officers are encouraged to list all clearance codes that apply to the call. So, if they do a building check at an alarm call, they would clear the call with the code for the alarm and for the building check. Our CAD (computer aided dispatch) extract pulls the first code it "sees" into the CryWolf® Clearance Code field so occasionally the "wrong" code shows up in CryWolf®. Being able to "correct" the code allows my unit to better track alarm calls and their causes. We actually have two clearance codes for false alarm here. One code signifies a false alarm with no identifiable cause and the other is for false alarm where there is an identifiable cause.
To update the data, from the main CryWolf® screen, choose the File menu and scroll down to the "Edit Existing Alarm Data" option.

This opens the "Edit False Alarm Information" window. Enter the case # of the alarm in question and click the Enter button. The fields for the alarm will then be populated with the CAD data. Simply make the change in the appropriate field and click OK.

Ferret Friday #5-Rice box

2011-07-08T06:00:00.002-04:00

Ferrets are curious creatures that need a variety of toys and activities. Our ferret loves to dig, and one of his favorite activities is digging in a plastic tub filled with rice. We make sure it is not available at all times so that it remains a special treat. As much as he loves the rice, if given a choice, he would choose to dig in the dirt of my ficus or citrus tree. He also loves to "tunnel" under the covers of our bed. He is not normally a biter, but for some reason, he will bite any toes under sheets. My theory is that since ferrets are tunnelers and are carnivorous, then he must have some instinct to eat what he finds while tunneling. Maybe the toes are "earthworms" to him.

When my kids were small, they also loved to play in their rice box. Their rice was multi-colored though.

We have added a few PVC pipes (we smoothed all rough edges with sandpaper). Occasionally, we add some cardboard mailing tubes as well.

What is that Binocular Button anyway?

2011-07-07T06:00:00.003-04:00

Sometimes we get so busy doing our jobs that we fail to take the time to learn more about the tools that we use everyday. For alarm administrators, that tool is often CryWolf® or another similar program.

Once I had discovered the Text Select tool, I began looking at other items on the tool bar. In doing so, I found that clicking on the Binocular Button at the top right of a report (red arrow to the left) opens a search box. This makes sense because the binocular button is officially called the Find Text tool. To find what you are looking for, simply enter the word or number that you want to locate in the "Find What:" box (blue arrow below). If you want to limit the search, click on the search parameters boxes (green arrow below). Click the Search button (red arrow below) and the magic begins.

In no time at all, the results of the search will be displayed in the results box (circled in black below). Here, the sample shows that I searched for the date 5/2/2011. The search resulted in 4 instances of that date appearing in the report. Clicking on a result in the box will take you to that instance in the report (aqua arrow).

Once you have found what you were looking for, simply click the Hide button (pink arrow) to close the search section. Once you begin using this tool, you won't believe how much time it saves.

Things that make you say Hmm!

2011-07-06T06:00:00.000-04:00

Today, we are starting a new feature here on The Edge of Empty called "Things that make you say Hmm!" We will be discussing things that we encounter and don't know what they are or cause us to do a double take.
Our subject today is another by-product of our trip to Philadelphia. At one of our rest stops, we saw these strange looking contraptions in the truck parking area. I am pretty sure that we were in Delaware at the time but the rest stop description on the I-95 Exit Guide website doesn't list anything particularly helpful for figuring out what the contraptions might have been. (Did you know that there was a website devoted to rest stops on I-95? Well there is, and there are sites for other highways as well. Even better, they have apps in the App store and the Android Market. Actually, there is a lot of helpful information on the website so check it out--after reading this post of course. I will definitely be using the gas price link to plan our stops strategically in the future).

But back to the subject at hand. What are those contraptions? I went to the Delaware Department of Transportation site and found the answer. The contraptions are anti-idle hookups in the "environmentally-friendly truck parking area". Who knew? Apparently, jurisdictions across the country are enacting legislation that prohibits trucks from idling (parking with engine running) over a certain time period in certain areas. The American Transportation Research Institute has compiled a list of the regulations and made it available here. I would imagine that this will become even more prevalent as the country continues to battle the pollution problem.
I am sure that truckers battled this problem well before it became an environmental issue though. Federal regulations strictly control how many hours can be spent driving before a rest period must be taken. Truckers couldn't be expected to freeze in winter and swelter in summer, so running the truck was the only option until someone came up with a solution. For many, the solutions such as an auxiliary power unit were too expensive. Fortunately, several companies have entered the market to offer anti-idle options. One such company is idleAir. I don't know if their units are the ones in Delaware but for informational purposes, here is an excerpt straight from their site about their service: "IdleAir offers drivers an off-board alternative to idling their engines. Drivers shut off their engines and connect to IdleAir’s heating, cooling, electricity, Satellite TV, and Internet services. IdleAir costs $1.99/hour, and after 10 hours, IdleAir is only $1.25/hour. At IdleAir, a 34 hour reset costs $49.90 – an average of $1.47/hour – and less than half the cost of idling. Plus, drivers get to enjoy unlimited electricity inside and outside the cab, 60+ channels of Satellite TV, and basic Internet service. Finally, drivers get clean, filtered, UV-treated air, and a better sleep without the noise and vibration of idling." Basically, the driver pulls his truck up to the "pump" and hooks the unit up to the cab and is able to sleep or relax in comfort. (In the interest of full disclosure, I am not affiliated with this company nor receiving payment for writing about them).
I guess if we solve the false alarm problem, maybe I can get a job in anti-idle enforcement.

If you have suggestions for "Things that make you say Hmm!" , please send them to edgeofempty@gmail.com. Please include as much information about the curiosity as possible such as where you saw it and what it looked like. Pictures are always helpful. Who knows, maybe it will be featured here.

Hubster's Project

2011-07-05T06:37:00.000-04:00

Two weeks ago, the Hubster completed a project that had been in the works for more than two years. I must say that I would have given up on the project ages ago, but he persevered and his effort has finally paid off. Here is a clue:

June 2011

Do you have any guesses as to what that project might have been? No? Here is another clue:

June 2011

Any guesses?
After 20+ years of short military haircuts (which he kept even after retirement), he decided to grow his hair for Wigs for Kids. When he announced his plan, I was surprised-this is a man who loves to get his haircut. I can't even tell you how much we have spent over the years on his bi-weekly cut--the shorter the better. See the skin showing in the photo above? That is what the back of his head looked like for most of the 23 years that I knew him before this project. Now, I will concede that his hair does grow fast, but I don't think either of us knew how long it would take to get to the 12" required for the wig making process. I am also sure that he didn't realize the ramifications of training for triathlons with a long flowing mane either. We of course knew to expect the consternation of my family. The horror with which they beheld a long haired Eldest as a toddler was nothing compared to having an adult male with long hair attend their church and be associated with them. In their world, conservative southern men just don't have long hair.
Of course, my parents were not the only ones to have a reaction. Men with long hair still face prejudice from many directions in our society. This was evident by the reactions of people that he came into contact with every day and the number of people who felt it necessary to comment on his hair. One little girl called him a "girl-boy" one night as he went to the gym--although he found it amusing, I find it sad that the old stereotypes are still being propagated. Of course, he endured the mostly good-natured taunts of co-workers as well. He even had to endure some torment from his family when we would ask him questions like why a little kid would want gray hair.
All in all, he is glad that he did it. He is really glad to be done too. As triathlon training ramps up and the heat of summer along with it, he is enjoying the coolness of short hair once more. With this project in the books, he is looking for his next big project. What that might be, I don't know. I do know that whatever he chooses, he will see it through to completion.
If you or someone you know is inspired to donate hair as well, it takes many donations to make a wig. If you don't have or want to grow long hair, most of these organizations also need cash donations to cover the cost of producing the wigs. There are several organizations that provide similar services--do some research and decide which one best fits your belief system.

Here is the Hubster at the Nautica triathlon in New York City with 4 months of growth,

July 2009

and in Philly last summer at the Philly Insurance Triathlon with 15 months of growth.

June 2010

Mac or PC?

2011-07-04T06:00:00.017-04:00

Do you remember those old Apple ads where a nerdy PC interacted with a cool Mac? If not, go here for a YouTube refresher.

For several years now, our house has been undergoing a transformation back to Apple from PC domination. I started out using Apple computers way too long ago and have been pushing this transformation. The first computer that I really remember using was the Apple IIe. I remember going to the Apple retailer with my dad to purchase it, and I can still see multicolor apple logo. After the Hubster and I married, I would have to say that PC's entered our home due to the lower cost and ready availability. A few years ago, I started the move with a Mac mini. Other MP3 players have been replaced by iPod Touches in all of our pockets except the Hubster who has an iPad. When I went back to school, I purchased a MacBook Pro. The transformation is nearly complete and I couldn't be happier. However, I'm not sure I fit the stereotypes of a Mac user found here.

The debate is flaring up in our house again though as Youngest chooses what computer to buy for college. We use this is a learning experience in our house. As fledgling adults, we look at this as the first opportunity that the boys will have to make a major purchase. They have to do the research and make the final decision. We contribute the funding. Of course, I can't resist pointing out helpful websites or articles that give computer buying advice. If asked, I will sit down at the computer and discuss features and necessities. I also occasionally point out some things that they should consider. However, I will not tell them what computer to buy.

Two years ago, Eldest fell heavily on the PC side of the fence. I don't think that Apple had a chance. He was convinced that his RPG's (role playing games) were not compatible with the Mac. When Eldest was making his decision, there were several offers that gave a free netbook with a desktop purchase. I had hoped that he would choose that option, but he fell in love with a laptop with a 17" screen that I felt would be way too big and heavy to carry around campus. Of course, he had to upgrade almost everything in the crazy thing so the final product ended up costing way more than I would have liked. He loved it though (and still does). He learned the hard way that even careful research cannot prevent all eventualities. In the first year, the computer had to go back for service twice--I must say that the manufacturer was responsive and the computer now works well. It turns out that I was right about carrying it around, and it rarely makes it out of the dorm room.

I am curious to see which way Youngest goes. I find him on my Mac more than I see him on the PC that resides on his desk, but the big offer right now is a free Xbox with a computer running Windows 7. Apple is up against some tough competition. Youngest isn't in to the RPG's like his brother, but he spends a lot of time using the Xbox with his friends. Right now, he seems to be leaning toward a basic desktop with a netbook or tablet that he can carry around. He had remembered those offers from his brother's shopping adventures and mentioned that he wished those offers were still around. He has figured out that getting both are in the budget as long as he doesn't do a lot of upgrading.

Decision time is coming soon (or needs to be) since he has to be at school in the middle of August. So where do you fall in this debate? Are you a Mac or PC?

Selecting Text in a Report

2011-07-02T06:15:00.000-04:00

Did you know that you can select text in a report generated by CryWolf®? If you use the program, you know that there are several items such as case numbers and account numbers that can be clicked on for more information or link back to the account. (If you didn't know this, try mousing around a report. Generally, if something is linked and can be clicked on for more information it appears underlined when you mouse over it). Often though, there is other information on the report that needs to be transferred to another document outside of CryWolf®. What I didn't realize is that the Hand Tool (red arrow above) which is selected by default is not the only option. When a report is generated, the Hand Tool allows you to quickly move around in the report. However, there is an oft overlooked tool called the Text Select button (green arrow above) that allows you to highlight text in a report, and then copy and paste it into another document or the Search Tool. All it takes is a simple click of the mouse to enable the cursor and disable the hand. I must confess that before I discovered the Text Select button, I spent much time frustrated because of "that stupid hand" that wouldn't let me select the information that I needed.

In the report above, you can see that some information has been highlighted and is ready to be copied. Some of you probably can't believe that I didn't know this because you have been using it for years. Well, I challenge you to share your knowledge because there is always someone who doesn't know all of the tricks of the trade.

Ferret Friday #4

2011-07-01T06:00:00.001-04:00

Have you seen the movie Dances with Wolves? Kevin Costner starred in this moving tale of a soldier who befriends those who were his enemies. It is a great way to spend an evening. Anyway, Costner's character behaves with dignity and decorum. Well, that is not how things go around our house. Life with a ferret is full of surprises. This morning is the perfect example of how life with a ferret is just not normal. We have a shower stall in our Master bath (shocking, I know), and The Hubster and I routinely yell "next" when we are finished showering so that the other person can come in and take over the shower without having to make all the adjustments to get the right temperature, etc. Does anyone else do this, or are we just weird?

So anyway, the ferret was in our room playing. When I yelled "next", my husband came in and entered the shower. Before he could close the door, the ferret had joined us. I suppose he thought he was just going to step into the stall and get a drink like he does occasionally (Yuck, by the way). Now if you don't know, ferrets are pretty fast creatures, but I think the ferret even beat his own speed records once he was hit by the shower water. He did a complete circle around our feet and was back out the door before we could even move. I guess it surprised him as much as it surprised us because by the time I caught up to him with a towel he was burrowed behind a Japanese tansu (dresser or chest) and had to be coaxed out. He is now a nice fluffy ferret after playing a game of "fight the towel" to get him dry.

Water Ice

2011-06-30T06:11:00.001-04:00

This past weekend, we were in Philadelphia for a triathlon. As we drove through Philadelphia, we saw signs and ice cream trucks advertising water ice. Of course, we aren't above amusing ourselves by poking fun at things that strike us as unusual, and something called water ice certainly falls into that category. Now, I don't know what they make ice out of normally in Philadelphia, but everywhere I have lived, water seems to be the main ingredient. What ran through your head when you read the title for this post?
Anyway, I felt guilty later about poking fun so I decided to do a little research. My research shows that water ice is Philly-ese for Italian ice. Having never been to Italy, that didn't shed a lot of light on the subject for me. More research turns up that it is not water at all but fruit juices or fruit puree frozen in a similar fashion to ice cream. By composition, it more closely resembles sherbet but is made without any dairy ingredients. I had been thinking that maybe it was similar to a sno-cone (crushed ice with a flavored syrup poured over the top) so this was surprising. Interestingly enough, CNN recently featured a story on frozen treats so check that out to get the "scoop"so to speak on other frozen treats.

All that the research really did for me was make me want to try water ice for myself. I convinced the Hubster and we ventured forth. Jack, the concierge at the Crowne Plaza--Philadelphia West who has never steered us wrong, recommended Rita's water ice and gave us an approximate location. He personally favored some locations downtown, but he knew that we didn't want to go too far.
Of course, being in an unfamiliar city with no real location to shoot for, we never found the Rita's store that day. However, we did find Daddy's Water Ice. In past lives, I would never have even dreamed of stopping at Daddy's, but we have become fans of the show Diners, Drive-ins, & Dives and have visited many places that we would have locked the doors and sped past before. Daddy's was located in an old house that had seen better days a long time ago. The house was painted bright yellow and the door was covered with security bars. Of course, we saw the store as we drove past since the sign was on the front of the building. Hubster screeched to the curb in a bus lane and I ran to make the purchase before a bus or the PPA arrived. I was so flustered by the need for speed that I failed to take pictures of the store. Looking back, I'm not sure the store was even open for business yet. When I opened the door, I think they all about had a heart attack. "Use the window" was screeched repeatedly as I backed out and obediently went to the front window. I guess they haven't learned that the first rule of home safety is "lock the darn door". Once they had recovered from the home invasion, they opened the window and I ordered two medium water ices--one cherry and the other pineapple. For $4.50, I think it wasn't too bad.

The treat was obviously scooped like ice cream (obvious if you look at the cherry flavor above, the pineapple had already had a few licks so the scoop lines aren't as visible), but the texture is way different than ice cream. The closest thing that I can think of is an extremely thick Slurpee. There was definitely a crystalline quality like a Slurpee, but it was much thicker. Even though there was a crystalline feel, it was also very smooth. (Yes, I know that is a contradiction, but if you can describe it better please do). The water ice was refreshing and light, and the flavors were intense. The colors were too. I imagine many white t-shirts have been permanently stained by errant drips. On a really hot day, I can imagine that a water ice would be even more welcome--kind of like a popsicle on steroids. If you drink a Slurpee too fast, you can get a brain freeze. Water ice would likely cause a permafrost.

If you are concerned about the carcinogenic properties of food coloring, then water ice may not be a good choice for you. There was a lot of food coloring. I will spare you pictures, but the Hubster looked like he was wearing lipstick by the time he finished his cherry water ice. There may have been natural fruit flavors in our treats, but we are both sure that there was some artificial flavors as well. I am not saying that is bad, just giving our assessment. Overall, we enjoyed the treats and would definitely go back next time we are in town.

On the way out of town, we spotted the Rita's store that we had missed a few days before. Of course, we had to try their version for "research" purposes. The bright red, white, and green color scheme was very welcoming and much more polished than Daddy's store front. Before our fascination with Triple D, I imagine that it might have coaxed us to give Rita's a try. I tried the Florida Orange in a large size and Hubs had the child size Green Apple. We both felt that the flavor was less intense in Rita's water ice. Now we do acknowledge that this could mean that the flavors were actually real and not artificial, but neither of us is opposed to a little fake flavoring if it tastes good. The crystals were larger in both of these flavors so it was less smooth--my orange had outright chunks of ice as well which made it less enjoyable. There was certainly less food coloring in Rita's concoctions, but still plenty enough to make a mother cringe and run for the Shout though. Although Rita's is a well-known company and certainly more mainstream than Daddy's, we both felt that Daddy's was the hands down winner in the flavor department. We both agreed that if Rita's had been our first taste of water ice, we may not have sought out another spot to enjoy the treat. We are willing to give it another try for research though as we can't discount the possibility that our flavor choices may have something to do with the outcome.

Not only does Philadelphia have their own version of Italian ice, it turns out they have their own ice cream too. I guess that will be my project for next year.

Philadelphia Insurance Triathlon

2011-06-29T22:33:00.000-04:00

Dashboard showing 4:44 am

For the third year in a row, I found myself in Philadelphia for the Philadelphia Insurance Triathlon weekend. For some reason, the Hubster is a fan of doing repeats of the same race. As in the two previous years, he was signed up for both the Sprint and the Olympic races which meant that I ~~was forced~~ had the opportunity to get up before dawn on both Saturday and Sunday and stand around for hours while waiting for him to finish the race. My role for these riveting weekends is pack mule, cheerleader, and paparazzi--because you can never have enough photos of your middle aged husband wearing a ~~one piece form fitting jumpsuit~~ triathlon suit.
One thing that I do appreciate in Philadelphia is the sponsor hotel. The Crowne Plaza--West Philadelphia is not the nicest hotel or the newest, but the great customer service that is exhibited by the employees makes up for the cosmetic issues. The staff truly go out of their way to provide a great weekend for the race participants. Jack, the concierge, is always ready to assist and has given us some great advice of where to find Philly's best pretzels, cheese steaks, and restaurants over the years.

Crowne Plaza Philadelphia West

Hand washing station

The races take place in and around Fairmount Park. As far as triathlons go, these races are mostly spectator friendly. Although there is a good hike from the parking areas, this can be somewhat minimized by getting there early. Once you get to the race site though, most of the activities can be viewed by staying in one central location if that is your desire. There is also plenty of shade available which might not matter at 5:30 am, but is always most welcome by 10:00. The race organizers also make sure that there are plenty of portable toilets for both athletes and spectators. Even better, they provide the hand washing stations as well.

One of the sponsors of the race is Johnson & Johnson so the medical tent is well stocked as you might imagine. Unfortunately, we had a first hand look at the supplies in the tent. In fact, the Hubster was the first customer during the Sprint race. On his way in to the swim, he stepped on an unidentified object and put a good gash in his foot. When he finished the swim, it was bleeding badly. The medical attendant at the swim finish put a quick bandage on it and advised that it would likely need stitches. A race official escorted him to the medical tent where his race ended. This is the first race ever that he has not finished so he was seriously bummed. The medical staff was great though!

Medical tent

The one drawback to this race for spectators is that the swim start is not readily visible. Spectators are able to view the swimmers from a distance but not close enough to identify anyone until they have exited the water and are on their way to the transition area. My first glimpse of the Hubster after the swim was as he was being escorted away. Fortunately, I saw them and I was able to catch up before they reached the medical tent. I am always a bundle of nerves during races--there are so many things that could happen. Having one of those things happen is not an experience that I wish to repeat.

For the Sprint, spectators can watch the racers head to the swim entrance from the far side of the transition area. The Olympic swim start occurs on the other side of the river. Athletes are bused there from the transition area so spectators miss that whole evolution.

Schuylkill River

Transition area

Although it is possible to stand closer to where the swimmers come in to transition, I prefer to position myself at the other end of transition where the bike in/bike out is located. From this position, I can see the swimmers running down the central aisle to their bikes and then watch as they head out to the road. With just a few steps, I am then able to see the bike finish. This position is especially nice for the Olympic distance, since they pass this area twice. A short jog to the other end of transition allows spectators to see the athletes head out on the run. The finish line is a short walk away.

Finish line before the race gets underway

Rules for watching triathlons (and other races)
1-Establish a meeting spot for after the race. Everyone wants to be near the finish so it can be very difficult to find your favorite racer. Plan a meeting place away from the crowd.
2-Know the times your athlete expects and when their wave is scheduled to start. With most races, the start is staggered so that age groups enter the water in about 6 minute increments to reduce the overcrowding during the swim. For the Olympic race in Philly, this meant that the last wave started swimming over an hour after the first racers began the race. Don't worry, the racers time starts when they do and the timing chips keep everything straight--even if the clock at the finish shows the time elapsed since the official start of the race.
3-Well ahead of the race, purchase a RoadID and make sure they wear it while training too. There are numerous things that can happen during a race, but it is more likely that the unplanned event will occur in training. A RoadID can help your loved one when they may not be able to speak for themselves. The Hubster has been hit while riding his bike, and his cousin's wife was hit by a car while running. She was unconscious so her RoadID really did speak for her. Things happen--make sure your loved ones are protected. (I feel so strongly about this product that I have a link on my site). We use a RoadID as a MedicAlert for Youngest and my grandmother had a bracelet in case she got lost, so they are not just for athletes.
4-Study the course map. If you are willing to walk a bit, you can get away from the crowd and have prime views of your racer. If you live in the area, visit the course ahead of time and pick out some places so that your racer will know to look for you and can position themselves for good pictures.

Who knows, maybe someday our paths will cross at a race.

Sex Offender Registry

2011-06-28T06:27:00.000-04:00

One of the reasons that people purchase alarm systems for their home is to keep their family safe. Another way to keep the ones you love safe is to be aware of your surroundings. For me, this includes a check of the Registered Sex Offenders in the neighborhood. When we were searching for a home to purchase several years ago, a search of the registry showed that a sex offender lived in the house diagonally across the street from the home we were trying to purchase. This did not stop us from putting in an offer. However, it would certainly have made a difference in how we let our children play. Our offer for that house was outbid by someone else so our search continued. The neighborhood where we did finally purchase has three sex offenders, but none within a several block radius.
It is a natural thing for me--maybe it is the law enforcement background. I think that it should become a standard practice though for all--especially those with children. Please don't misunderstand my intentions though. I do not wish for those that are registered to become outcasts. If we had become neighbors of that man, I would have treated him with the same courtesy that I show to all my neighbors. However, I would never have let him babysit my children.
Many states have online registries but there is a national registry as well. So that this information is useful to more people, we will stick to the national registry hosted by the US Department of Justice. If you go the Dru Sjodin National Sex Offender Public Website (NSOPW), you can use the national directory by choosing the link "Search for Sex Offenders". You must acknowledge and agree to the terms of use and then enter the code shown on the next screen. When presented with the screen to enter the name to search for, click on the link for the Advanced Search option which will allow you to search by zip code. Several zip codes may be entered by placing a comma between them (ex. 12345, 78910, 44455). Once completed, the list of offenders in those zip codes will be displayed. Clicking on the name of an offender will provide more information about that person.
Rather then using the main search option, I much prefer to use the link for the state where I live by choosing the link to "Public Registry Sites" on the main page of the NSOPW which lists all of the participating registries from across the country. Whatever way you choose to search, the information provided gives citizens the knowledge needed to protect themselves and their family members by taking the appropriate precautions.

False Alarms in Philadelphia

2011-06-25T18:29:00.000-04:00

We are in Philadelphia this weekend and there will be much more about what brought us here in a few days. Even while traveling, I can't forget my day job though. It is fun for me to compare how different jurisdictions handle the false alarm issue.

It appears that there has been some form of legislation for burglar alarm systems as far back as 1993 in Philadelphia, but it had not been as effective as desired. In 2008, the city council passed a resolution authorizing a study of the false alarm problem. The resolution states that in 2006 there were 90,373 false alarms and in 2007, there were 92,281. That is quite a few--averaging out to almost 253 per day or about one every 6 minutes. This study appears to have led to code updates. A synopsis of the updates and the required registration form are located here.

A quick search found these facts on burglar alarm systems in Philadelphia:

Annual registration is $50
Two "free" alarms per year
False Alarm charge is $75/alarm
Unregistered systems receive a $150-$300 additional charge per alarm
Enforced by the Department of Finance, Code Unit.

Does this make your ordinance seem better or worse?

This data is presented for informational purposes only. Residents must check with the government in their jurisdiction to determine what the current legislation is and what requirements must be met.

Ferret Friday #3

2011-06-24T05:30:00.001-04:00

We have discovered that our ferret is an addict. There is one thing that he loves most in this world, and I am sure that you would never guess what it is. We don't even know how he first discovered it, but all it took was leaving the kitchen pantry door open one time. What is this crack for ferrets you ask? Coffee Mate French Vanilla creamer in those cute little individual cups (and if you dare to follow the link, the comments make me think our ferrets isn't the only one that is addicted).

I am sure that it started out innocently enough. The tabs on the little cups are probably perfect for ferret teeth to grip. The weight is probably a satisfying heft without being too heavy. The cups are small, portable, and easily hidden. And hide them he did. But then, a tooth may have accidentally slipped through the foil and released the contents and a new discovery was made. I am sure that he thought "Wow...a treasure and a treat." Since his first taste, he has been tenacious about getting more. Here is a picture of a cup after the desperate creature had his "fix".
Now please, don't feed your ferret creamer and don't send me lectures on the danger of ferrets chewing up items and getting them stuck in the digestive tract. WE KNOW, and believe me, we are doing everything we can to prevent our ferret from partaking. But honestly, this ferret can't give the stuff up. We have had to resort to not buying it. I am not sure which is worse--a ferret in "crack" withdrawal or a Hubster with no flavored cream for his coffee.

Back to the Future False Alarms

2011-06-22T19:39:00.001-04:00

Since my arrival in the False Alarm Reduction Unit, there have been many things that I have not understood and needed to learn. Now that I am beginning to have a grasp on the job and what needs to be done, I am able to start finding answers to some of the items that bothered me but weren't of the highest priority. One such item was a warning message that would pop up every day when I would process alarms. I have already discussed the system that we use in a previous post. The message warned that alarms had already been processed for the day I was preparing to work on. When I asked others in the office about the message, they couldn't give me an answer. For them, it had "always" been that way and no one in the office (except me) thought anything of it or seemed to be bothered by it. Of course, with so many other pressing matters, it would bother me for the time that it took to click the button to dismiss the warning, and then I would go about my day and forget about it until the next time I began the process.
Meanwhile, I had also noticed that at the bottom of the false alarm processing screen, there was a date way out in the future--in the year 2020 to be exact. I thought that was rather strange, but I didn't know what that date represented. I had a feeling that the two items were somehow connected but I hadn't figured out what that connection might be.
Last week, I decided to do some research. While reading the CryWolf® manual, I discovered that the date circled in red below should be the last date processed.

This meant that an alarm from 2020 had already been processed. Now, I don't believe that predicting the future is one of the features of CryWolf® so I decided to do a little research. Normally, I run reports with the end date of "today" since no alarms will have been processed for any day after today since the alarms wouldn't have occurred yet. This time I ran the report with an end date in 2030. Sure enough, there was an alarm in 2020. Actually, there were 5 alarms in the future. I filed that information away and continued to read the manual.
Once you select the correct file for processing, the date you are working on should appear in the box circled in green below. The box circled in pink shows the number of alarms that need to be processed.

As you move through the alarms, the number below the pink circled box represents which alarm you are currently working on.
Next time that you are ready to process alarms, you should be able to easily see what day you last processed by checking the box circled in red above. If the date is in the future, then there is a problem My future alarms turned out to be typos by someone in communications way back in 2008. For 3 years, that annoying message had popped up daily and no one had followed up on it. If you are new to a False Alarm Unit and there are things that you don't understand, I encourage you to keep asking questions until you get an answer. Don't settle for "that's the way it has always been". That is pretty good advice for life too.
I will share how I fixed the date problem soon. Be sure to check back.

Poison Ivy

2011-06-22T06:56:00.001-04:00

I do not have a green thumb. In fact, I consider it a success if a plant survives for a month under my care. However, there is one plant that I cannot kill no matter how hard I try. Since moving to our current home, I have discovered a plant that will grow under the most extreme conditions. It will grow with the most hideous neglect. It will grow where nothing else will grow. If I remove it from one flower bed, it will happily occupy a different one. It comes back year after year with no action on my part at all. In fact, it seems to grow just to taunt me. The plant seems to be as happy in shade as it is in full sun. In early spring, the cute tiny leaves are a beautiful red which changes to green in summer. It can adapt to its environment by becoming a climber or a freestanding shrub. Although I try to be as earth friendly as I can, I have resorted to chemical warfare to render my yard safe from this pestilent plant.

My first encounter with the plant came about 6 years ago while we were living in a rental home. This was just after the Hubster's military retirement and we had just moved to the area. The Hubster and I spent an afternoon out in the yard after he had been for a run. The run is important because he stayed in his running shorts to do the yard work. While I mowed, he used the Weed Eater to clear the grass and growth under a cedar tree with low hanging branches. He also pulled down a vine that was growing in the tree. In no time at all, the yard looked beautiful and we went on with our day.

Like many couples, we are spooners. I am the front spoon and my husband is the back spoon--we just fit together better that way. His chest is to my back and his thighs touch the back of my thighs. This is important. What we didn't know was that the vine that he pulled out of the tree and weed whacked into submission earlier in the day was poison ivy. Each pass of the Weed Eater had sprayed the urushiol oil from the plant onto his legs--particularly his thighs. As we slept, that oil was transferred from the front of his thighs to the back of mine. It was also being transferred to the sheets. We awoke the next morning to masses of red welts (if you are squeamish, don't follow the link) that soon progressed to oozing red nastiness. Even worse, we woke up with even more welts in other areas after sleeping in the tainted sheets again that night. After two days of misery, we went to the doctor who misdiagnosed the problem and prescribed a cream that did nothing to help with our misery. And believe me, we were miserable with a capital M. In desperation, I spent hours on the internet. After comparing the information and photos with another vine growing up the house, we had discovered the problem. We then went to the drug store where we found the wonder product known as Blistex Poison Ivy Treatment. Although it took days for the welts and rash to finally disappear, the Blistex product provided instant relief and kept both of us from scratching down to the bone.

Now you might think that with a Biology teacher dad and summer's spent on a farm with lots of woods that I would have known what poison ivy looked like. You would be wrong. I am not sure how I made it through childhood without a bout of poison ivy. I had heard of poison ivy, but certainly never gave it a thought as we traipsed through the woods to pick blueberries, play with the cows, or go camping. It just must not have been an issue in the area where I grew up.
That was a painful lesson, but you can bet that we don't wear shorts for yard work anymore. When we moved to our current home, I thought our troubles were over. Little did I know that poison ivy was lurking in the yard just waiting for me. Now, I never work in our yard unless I know that the Blistex product is in the house. When I come in from the yard, the first thing I do is use the cleansing foam on all appendages. Although I have had more bouts with poison ivy, none have been as severe as the first and never after using the Blistex cleansing foam. No plant with leaves in groups of three is safe in my yard, and I am sure that some innocent plants are sacrificed in the hunt for poison ivy. I am taking no chances though.
Now that I know what poison ivy looks like, I can see it everywhere here. This part of the country must just be perfect for the growth of poison ivy. Both sides of the roads leading into our neighborhood are covered with the plant. What looks like beautiful healthy plants growing along the road is really poison ivy waiting for the next unwary pedestrian.

Snakes in the Store

2011-06-21T05:30:00.002-04:00

The story of the deer that caused power outages last week was on my mind yesterday when I ran the alarm calls for the weekend. Imagine my surprise when the cause of a false alarm at a retail store was purported to be a snake. It is believed that the snake entered the control room for warmth as temperatures dropped. The snakes movement set off the motion detectors and thus the alarm. I believe that this is the first snake on record for my unit, although we have plenty of alarms caused by other animals. In fact, many alarms at warehouse stores are caused by birds that have entered and not been able to exit. What is the strangest animal that you have heard caused a false alarm?

Old Faithful--the watch

2011-06-20T06:14:00.001-04:00

Friday morning, I had an idea for a post and was just sitting down to start typing when a high pitched noise began emanating from the vicinity of my nightstand. This wasn't a noise that could be ignored. Do you know the sound a mosquito makes as it buzzes your head before making a landing to feast on you? Imagine that, but with a higher pitch and a higher volume. I have a low tolerance for annoyance, so of course I began looking for the source. First, I checked all of the electrical items in the bedroom. On the second round, I went so far as to unplug things and hold the transformers (what are those chunky plug things called anyway?) up to my ear. When I still hadn't found the noise, I began rummaging around in my nightstand itself since the noise really did seem to be coming from that area. Still nothing. I was reaching the end of rational behavior at this point. In desperation, I began picking up items that couldn't possibly be making the noise. When I picked up an old lacquer tray that I throw my jewelry in, I made some progress. The sound did seem to be centered on that tray. Suddenly, I realized what might be making the noise and I dug through the tray and found Old Faithful, my old Timex running watch. Poor Old Faithful had finally reached the point of decrepitude so as to be rendered unwearable a few months back. Yep, the squeal was definitely coming from the watch.
I had found the source, but now I needed to render Old Faithful mute. Unfortunately, all of my tools are in the basement where my parents were hopefully sleeping. (Hopefully--since they were sleeping on a couch bed and those are never known for their comfort.) Because I couldn't continue listening to the squeal or I would have been rendered a raving lunatic before 6 am, I had to find a temporary solution. By this time, I was plotting mass murder on all watch-kind. Visions of hammers and flying watch parts were running happily through my head. My husband's sweat pants were laying on the bed, so I grabbed them and wrapped Old Faithful up in them. This muffled the sound a little so I then shoved them in my closet and shut the door. Fortunately, it worked enough that I was able to continue my day. By the time that I was able to retrieve some tools, Old Faithful had forever been silenced. I guess Old Faithful was making one last effort to grab some attention before falling silent forever. Maybe it was issuing a warning that the 10 mile race and half marathon that I am signed up for are going to be here before I know it and I better get "hitting the bricks".

As spring slips away...

2011-06-19T09:54:00.001-04:00

Spring is a time when hope pops up in the form of flowers. As summer comes creeping in and stealing away the beautiful colors of spring, I thought I would share one example of what makes spring my favorite season.
I saw this pink dogwood tree across the street from a training symposium I attended back in April. The colors were so intense that I had to cross the street and take a closer look. We had pink dogwoods where I grew up, but the colors were much lighter and in the pastel end of the spectrum. I love this version even more.

As a child, the dogwood was one of my favorite trees. I was so excited when we dug one up from my grandfather's woods and transplanted it in our yard right outside my bedroom window. I have often wondered what that tree looks like today.
For some reason, I despised Crepe Myrtles as a child. Our current home has several crepe myrtles. I now recognize that they are a useful food source for the birds that I love to watch so they will remain (and I no longer despise them).
Did you have a favorite flowering tree as a child, and is it still a favorite?

Queen of the Dairy

2011-06-18T11:16:00.001-04:00

Did you know that the Dairy Queen Blizzard turned 25 last year? I remember when the Blizzard was introduced which makes me officially...old. Anyway, there was no Dairy Queen in the town where I grew up but there was one where my great grandfather lived. Do you remember when a trip longer than 15 minutes lasted fuh evah? When I was little, the 65 minute drive to my great grandfather's small town felt like an eternity. Maybe it felt so long because I was hoping for that extremely rare occurrence of a stop at the Dairy Queen. My parents were teachers and the budget was always tight, but occasionally we would stop at DQ and we could get a small cone. We never got to choose--it was always just that small vanilla cone, but it was a treat nonetheless.
Once I was able to drive and had a job, those stops at DQ were almost mandatory when I ventured on my own to my grandparents house. I probably tried something different each time--a Peanut Buster Parfait, this time, a Mr. Misty, or Dipped Cone the next. Then, that fateful summer of '85 I discovered the Blizzard. From then on, my choice was always the Blizzard. I still had to choose what flavor but there were plenty of choices.
Then for years, we lived in DQ unmapped territory until last summer when DQ opened a store in our neighborhood. It has been fun rediscovering all those frosty goodies. Sometimes revisiting memories of your youth can be disappointing. In the case of DQ treats, the taste of today meets or exceeds the memory of yesterday.

Friday Ferret 2

2011-06-17T06:36:00.001-04:00

Ferrets are curious creatures who love to "steal" household items. With a two year old child, you can generally distract them from ~~whatever trouble they might be plotting~~ something that is grabbing their attention. Ferrets are different--they cannot be distracted if they are truly focused on something. They will fight for all they are worth for whatever trinket or treasure they are coveting. Even if we carry our ferret out of the room and offer something else, he will come charging back for his chosen treasure as soon as we put him down. We have learned to zip purses and backpacks securely because he will work at a zipper until he gets in if there is any gap at all. Believe me, it is no fun to go on a search for your car keys when you are already running late for work. Here, our ferret is shown with his attention fixed on his next acquisition.

In Memory of...

2011-06-16T06:44:00.001-04:00

I was fortunate enough to be able to travel to Washington DC during National Police Week. While there, the Hubster ran the Police Week 5K and we visited the Law Enforcement Officers Memorial. The memorial is a sobering reminder that so many have given all in the pursuit of public safety. Unfortunately, it was raining so the pictures aren't great, but the rain seemed fitting--almost as if angels were mourning with those gathered there. The memorial itself is surrounded by a beautiful park setting with trees and seasonal flowers and is composed of two curved marble walls engraved with the names of the more than 19,000 officers who have died. Each of the memorial walls is flanked by a lion protecting its cubs and keeping silent vigil.


Seal embedded in center of the memorial plaza

It seems that every day a new name is added to the list that will be inscribed just before Police Week begins. The park and memorial are beautiful and worth a stop if you visit DC.
Although the memorial website has stories of the fallen, the Officer Down Memorial Page (ODMP) is another way to stay abreast of officers killed in the line of duty. It seems to me that ODMP has information much quicker though. I find it fascinating to compare the ways in which officers have died through the years. Motor vehicle accidents have taken lives for more years than you might realize if you take the time to scroll through history. I especially like that ODMP is actively seeking the names and stories of officers who died without recognition.
If you click on the Memorial Pages tab and scroll down to choose current year deaths, the current year deaths are displayed as well as a summary of what killed them. If you change the year, though, you can see the causes of deaths throughout time. For example, of the 246 officers who died in 1924, two officers died from being struck by a streetcar, one was electrocuted, two were killed by bombs, and four died from vehicular assault. I find it fascinating and am often surprised by the means of death--like bombs in 1924?. I guess I shouldn't be surprised though. In 1924, Prohibition was in place and the mob was fighting back. Just a few years later, the Valentine's Day Massacre took place--I guess it wasn't really a kinder, gentler world.
If you have the chance, peruse the websites of these organizations, and if you find yourself in DC, consider stopping by the memorial for a few minutes.

Crafts for Caroline

2011-06-15T06:00:00.000-04:00

My parents recently moved to be closer to my sister and her family. My niece has already claimed a room in their house as her own. I know how exciting that can be because I too had a room at my grandparents house. I am pretty sure that my cousins were all jealous of me and still have a bit of resentment, but I don't care. The summers that I spent at my grandparents are some of the best memories that I have and I wouldn't trade them for anything. Besides, my cousins were several years younger than me so the room could have been claimed by somebody else once I had gone off to college. To my knowledge, only one of my cousins ever stayed the summer with my grandparents so it remained my room until the house was no longer their home.

I hope that my niece creates as many wonderful memories of the time she spends at my parents house as I have of the time I spent with my grandparents. I also thought she needed to make that claim official so I spent a little time in the craft room the other day and created a sign for her to hang up.

If their is interest, I will post directions on how I made the sign. Have a great day!

Mom's coming

2011-06-14T06:26:00.001-04:00

My son graduates from high school this week. The thought terrifies me. Not because he is my baby and will be going off to school soon. I will worry about that next month. Right now, I am terrified because my parents are coming to attend the graduation and my house is not ready for company--much less my mother. Now, you will never walk in my house and wish that you were as good a housekeeper as me. In fact, I am sure that many people walk in and get an ego boost when they see that they do much better. I do try to control the chaos that having two teenage boys, a husband, and a ferret brings to a house, but lets face it, I am not the most dedicated housekeeper in the world. In fact, I am a FlyLady flunkie. This weekend as I was desperately trying to knock back the clutter, I fantasized about booking a hotel room for my parents. Of course, that wouldn't really solve the problem since they would still at some point show up on my front porch. I have decided to just do the best I can and let it go. After all, isn't the most important thing spending time together? I just keep telling myself that and hope that it is true.

This picture shows one of my favorite sayings that I have on my walls--if only it were true. Truth is, my house hasn't been "company ready" in a long time.

Am I the only one that worries about what their mother thinks?

Way to GO

2011-06-13T12:43:00.000-04:00

Our HR department presents some great courses for us. At times, they bring in special presenters from around the country and if those speakers are invited to return, you can bet that the class received rave reviews and is probably worth attending. I recently went to one of these encore presentations and I know now why it was brought back. The name of the class was The GO System and it was a fabulous course. Our facilitator was Susan Kousek and she was super. Mind you, there was nothing new and earth-shattering in the class--many of the principles that were discussed have been around for some time. However, the time was right for me to hear the ideas and incorporate them into my work. I was so inspired by what I heard that I stopped at the office supply store on the way back to the office to buy the materials that I needed to put the principles into practice immediately. I have been using the system faithfully ever since and it is truly making a difference.
As great as the early part of the session was, the last hour or so was even better, if that is possible. During this time, Susan presented tips on how to tame the email Inbox. Because our county uses Outlook 2007, Susan tailored the tips specifically to that system. I couldn't even begin to tell you the difference that this has made for me. I thought that I was a relatively savvy Outlook user--this class reminded me that no matter how much you know, there is always something else to learn.

As much as the system has helped at work, it has helped even more at home. I am an organized person at work. People there would never dream that my home is in chaos. I am so thankful that I have been able to adapt the system at home for my appointments and bills and it is truly making my families lives easier.

There are trainers for The GO System all across the country. If your work life could use some organization, I highly recommend it.

CryWolf® Hints

2011-06-11T15:28:00.001-04:00

I have already outed myself as a supervisor of a false alarm reduction unit. One of the tools that many jurisdictions use to make their lives easier is some kind of database and billing solution. The system we use is known as CryWolf® by Public Safety Corporation. As easy as this program is to use, it is also very complex and can take years to fully understand and utilize. Occasionally, I will feature little hints or things that I have discovered that will help others who use this program. I guess I need to toss out a few disclaimers as well. I am not being paid by Public Safety Corporation to do this, and my jurisdiction is not receiving any benefits either. Also, we utilize the newer .net version so my hints may not be helpful to those using the older version. Now that all of the niceties are out of the way, let's get on to the hint.
The other day, I was running some reports for a neighboring town and I wanted information from several years back. Normally, on the little calendar pop up, I just use the back and forth arrows. Today, I thought that it would be so nice if you could choose the year that you wanted instead of having to go back month by month for several years. For some reason, I clicked on the year and a scroll down menu appeared to let me select the proper year.

Well that was exciting, but I was even more excited when I clicked on the month and a list of months appeared so that the proper month could be selected.

This is such a time saver and I hope that others will find it useful as well.
For those of you who already know this, be patient there will be more tips soon.