Tuesday's Tidbts

* Well that dreaded Monday is once again behind us, even though I suffered all day from a cold office, but we're now looking ahead towards Tuesday and I still can't think of a better reason to do a tidbits.

* Today marks my 18,496th day since I blessed this world with my existence, everyone should feel blessed.

* 3,719 days ago I graduated from WVU with a degree in Geography. Majoring in GIS and had a couple of minors in History and Communications. I've always had a fascination with temporal issues in geospatial data, so that's kind of fitting.

* 2,320 days ago I managed to go out on a date with a very lovely lady. One who would forever change my life for the better.

* 1,544 days ago I wanted to make that time I spent with that lovely lady a little more permanent, so I proposed marriage to her.

* 1,081 days ago in front of our closest friends and family at the Marilla Center, Michelle and I entered into a world of marital bliss.

* I have about 6,341 more days to go, give or take a few hundred here or there, until I retire. That is unless they change the laws before then and make me go to 70 before I can retire.

* I have 162 more days of blogging to do before I do my Goodbye 2014 Blog.

* If you haven't started Christmas Shopping yet, you still have 156 more shopping days to go. Speaking of Christmas 2014, what are everyone's plans this year?

* 47 days to go until Michelle and I once again embark upon the Carnival Pride for our trip to the Caribbean. The last couple of years I pre-wrote blogs for those days before we left on vacation. I will once again do that, but last year I did a Video Blog each day that I will publish on each corresponding day. It'll be one year later, but you will see some of the sites and sounds that we will witness that day based on our 2013 experience.

* WVU will open their 2014 College Football season up against National Title Contender Alabama in 39 more days.

* Michelle and I are only 15 days away from our Third Wedding Anniversary. Still going strong after all of these years...lol

* We are 1 single day away from gathering with all the Pittsburgh area Parrot Heads as we will watch Jimmy Buffett take the stage tomorrow night in Burgettstown. Michelle and myself, Jean and Jerry will not be able to make it this year, Gary and his date, Donnie and Wendy who we partied with last year, Valarie and Bobby and Bobby's cousins will make it up to a 12 person tailgate this year. I'm glad Val and Bobby are going this year, we can welcome a couple more people into the Parrot Head Nation.

* This is my 3,718th blog that I have written for George's Journal since I started writing it. Talk about a nice historical perspective reference of my life. A lot has happened to me in that decade that has passed since I started writing this.

* I have done little to the Family Tree site since I started doing it. I'll get with it here this Fall.

* Steelers Trivia has started on Saturday Nights, we are in week 5 which will air on August 9th. If we win there our semi-final show will be on August 30th and if we are lucky enough to advance from there we will be playing for the Prizes in the Championship Week on September 6th. Ironically I will be in Baltimore looking at Ravens Stadium that week, so everyone will have to tell me how we did =)

* Joshy Boy hurt his ankle  over the weekend. They are not sure if it is a sprain or a hairline fracture. Val has to follow up with the Doctors.

* My weight loss is still jugging along. I'm down 60 lbs since Christmas and 45 since May 29th when I had my first official weigh in. Nope, not doing it with any over the counter commercial BS or killing myself. Just had a lifestyle change and the results have been amazing. I'm within a few pounds of being at the weight I was a few years ago when I was spending all my time on the trails and not too far from being the lowest weight I have been since leaving Helmick Corporation where I used to work between 50-70 hours a week in a Foundry.

* That was one heck of a long tidbit.

* Michelle's old work computer got screwed up. They were still running Windows XP on it, so rather than trying to update an outdated system, she is getting a new work computer and she ordered dual monitors to go with it. I have three computers running three monitors that all tie into duels on all three machines at my desk with one KVM switch. She will love working with duel monitors, it's a must in my opinion.

* Today is my last day of work for a couple of days, taking a couple of days off to enjoy the Concert tomorrow before returning to work on Friday.

* Moke mentioned about doing another Pic Nic this summer. Not as big as this last one, but one say at Marilla Park where we just go grab some tables and everyone bring a covered dish. Any thoughts on that?

* We managed to save a couple hundred dollars last night on our vacation. We stayed at the Holiday Inn at the Inner Harbor last year and loved it. I tried to book the Saturday night before our cruise there in May, but the Hotel was all booked up for that night. I'm an IHG Platinum Rewards member so I called the hotel and booked it that way, only problem was it was going to cost us like $219 for the night including breakfast. Last night I noticed I have a rewards night that is going to expire and I will gain another one the next day on like September 9th. So I told Michelle maybe we should have a couple hundred dollars and use the free night somewhere else so we don't lose it. Guess what, I was able to not only book it, but use a free night at the hotel we love. Cha Ching!! Free night used on the 6th (would have expired on the 8th) and a new free night awarded on the 9th. It was a perfect use it or lose it situation for us.

* Hi ho hi ho and get ready to put those fins up!!!

Back to Work

Well all good things must come to an end, and that includes those fun filled things (not so much this weekend) that we call weekends. It's time to put our noses back on the grindstone for another fun filled week of work (or at least for a couple of days).

Wednesday is the Buffett Concert, so I'll be taking a couple of days off this week while attending this event. So my workweek will consist of two on, two off and party, one more on and then another weekend so this week should be pretty bearable to say the least.

Hopefully Michelle feels a little better today, she took a little bit ill yesterday afternoon and wasn't feeling very well. I had to run back to WalMart to pick up a few things we forgot and by the time I got back home she was in the restroom and not feeling very well at all. I hope she feels better, we'll know when she wakes up I guess.

I called Val yesterday to talk about plans for the concert Wednesday, but it seems poor little Joshy has sprained his ankle and they had taken him to the Emergency Room to see about his ankle. As of the time of this blog (or at least when I wrote it), there has been no word on his condition. Young boys will be young boys, he hurt it sliding down a fire pole at a district carnival.

My Nephew Daniel had talked about coming in this weekend, but I guess he got a little sidetracked and didn't appear to be able to make it.

A word of caution once again to all residents of Morgantown and for those visiting this week. WV Mountainfest once again embarks on Morgantown and the surrounding areas. This means that there will be much heavier than normal traffic of the two wheeled variety as many Motorcyclists will stop by our town for a visit. Please for your own safety and for the safety of our visitors this week be very cautious when driving around town. No one wants to see anyone injured due to someone not paying attention. Leave yourself a little extra time when trying to get around our town and for those of you attending, have a great time.

Hi ho hi ho

Rainy Sunday Morning Ramblings

Here I sit yet once again on a quiet and rainy Sunday Morning, I'm the first one to recover from that losing battle with the dreaded Sandman and am up early collecting my thoughts for the day. I'm up early watching a movie called Detroit Rock City and collecting my thoughts for the day as I surf the World Wide Web.

We didn't get into too much yesterday due to the weather and probably won't get into too much today due to the same reason.

It's been a pretty much rainy weekend and with Jimmy Buffett coming up this week, I'm not too worried about it as I'll be out with the Parrot Heads Wednesday. We did give Jean and Jerry, Gary and his tickets and Val and her tickets all to Jean yesterday morning, now we just have ours and Donnie and Wendy's tickets here with us.

Today's plans are nothing out of a ordinary Sunday for us. Grocery Shopping, Laundry, Cleaning and just basically getting ready for the week of work ahead. It has been a pretty uneventful weekend, other than a bunch of rain.

Have a great day and stay dry.

Saturday Morning Rambling

Here I sit once again in the early AM. I'm the first one to recover from a losing battle with that dreaded Sandman last night and I'm up watching a show called Dating Naked on VH1. Strange show to say the least...lol

Since it is looking like it is going to rain all weekend, we really have no plans made for the day. Maybe start to get ready for our Buffett Concert later this week (My niece Valarie and her husband Bobby have just bought tickets to go this year). The tailgate could consist of anywhere from 6-12 people depending on who Gary finds as a date or how Jean is feeling. It'll be Val's first Parrot Head Experience, so I hope it's a good one for her.

My weight loss is going well still. I've lost 43 pounds since my official weigh in in May and about 60 since Christmas. It's been pretty easy and I'm not starving myself, not buying any subscriptions or pills, not using a personal trainer working my butt off, I'm just using an ap on my phone and and watching my caloric intake. I'm honestly not eating any less or missing any meals, but we have just changed the way we eat as I tell everyone who asks how I am doing it. If people are curious, one cup of Pasta is 221 Calories and one cup of baked Spaghetti Squash in 42. I can have 5 cups of Spaghetti Squash that is equal to one cup of regular Spaghetti. Ground Turkey, which we buy in bulk and spice up to taste exactly like Hot Sausage (I love Hot Sausage) one ounce is 45 Calories. One ounce of Hot Sausage is 120 calories or roughly 3 times the calories of just ground turkey. I can't emphasize how low calorie and tasteful Cucumbers are. Like I said, we just changed how we eat more than anything else and to be honest this has been a pretty simple lifestyle change. One egg 80 calories, four egg whites 68 calories.

So much for my dietary ramble on a Saturday morning. It's going to be a rainy day and a rainy weekend, might be a good weekend to just relax and work around the house.

Have a great day.

Happy Birthday Kynlea Rae Dalton

I would like to take this opportunity to wish a very special little two year old girl (beware of the terrible twos Amy) a very Happy Birthday today.

Kynlea Rae Dalton entered the world two magical years ago today as my niece and her husband provided a little sister to Kaiden.

Amy has that magical photographers eye to always be able to just catch that moment, as illustrated in this wonderful picture here of the Birthday Girl.

For both Kynlea and Kaiden's birthdays, Amy and Ralph treated them to a long overdue vacation for them and a first trip to the beach for the kids to Ocean City Maryland a few weeks ago.

If you happen to see Kynlea Rae today, make sure that you take a little time out and wish her a very Happy Birthday.

Happy Birthday Kylea, I hope your day is fulled with all the fun things that you like to do.

Big Ole Hairy Friday

Yes it is once again that time of the week that we all look foreword to, when we can take time to cease the labors for the week and take a little bit of needed time out to enjoy the fruits of those labors. It is once again the dawn of another weekend, and a Big Ole Hairy Friday!!!

Well so far I have gotten a grand total of one response (actually two) for my request for help on Wednesdays Blog. Michelle came up with the idea of either a Witty Wednesday or a Whining Wednesday. I don't like to use my blog to whine and I like the idea of witty, so that may be a new theme I implement in the near future. She has given me a number of ideas, so we'll see how it goes.

No weekend plans for us so far, but it's still early and that could very easily change. One thing we probably will do is get all of our equipment out, cleaned up and ready for the Concert this week. There is also a menu to plan, I'm thinking Shrimp or something that can be put on the grill and cooked quite easily. We may be needing those easy ups that I have this year, because the weather report is looking like rain, but that has never stopped us...LOL

Speaking of rain, the weather report for the weekend at this time appears to be full of it. With WV MountainFest  coming up this week, we need some really nice weather for all the bikers who will be in town for the week starting on about Wednesday.

One thing that is on TV tonight of local interest, 20/20 is doing a piece on the whole Skylar Neese murder  that so many people have followed. Set your DVR's if you are not home, this should be an interesting story. Both Mom and Michelle are reading the full book right now about the murder.

Hi ho hi ho

Photo Flashback Thursday

Once a week I like to take a little bit of time out of my busy schedule and look through all of the pictures that I have either taken, scanned or stolen off of the internet through the years. Little precious lost moments in time forever captured with a camera to be shared some time in the future or just reflect upon days gone by. Sometimes this is a pretty easy task and sometimes it's not so easy. One thing that it always is however is a whole lot of fun.

This picture goes back a number of years, even in the pre-me era. In the Middle is my Grandfather Ellis Hall and he is surrounded by my Dad's two sisters, Juanita on the left and Pregnant on the right would be Glenna Mae. I'm not sure if she is pregnant for Sharon or Lynn in this picture, so that would either put this picture around 1954-5 or 1959 depending on who Glenna Mae is pregnant for at this time.

This is the old home that we had down in Van Voorhis that my Grandparents had until they sold it in the late 60's or early 70's. Behind them was the infamous well that we used to have to hand pump to get water out of for anything. By anything U mean drinking water, bath water, washing machine water, etc.

All three of these marvelous people who were all very influential in my life have all moved on and are no longer with us. There memories and images however are forever with us now as they are part of a technology (internet) that didn't exist in those times.

Hi ho hi ho

Hump Day

Well once again that is two quick days down, once we get past today we'll have a couple more days to go until we see another fun filled weekend. All we have to do is get past this noon time hump and it'll be all downhill from there.

How do you like my Hump Day picture? Michelle and I went to Hovatter's Zoo this past weekend and this was on the door walking in. I told Michelle that I'm going to grab this pic and use it for a Hump Day blog. So here it is in all its glory.

It's the midweek blog that I always seem to have difficulty coming up with content for the most. I'm usually in the middle of a work week and really haven't spoken to anyone or just simply not going to put information out for everyone to read. So I do have to say that this is in fact my hardest blog of the week to write. Maybe I need to come up with some kind of a theme for Wednesdays like I did for my Tuesdays Tidbits, My Photo Flashback Thursdays or even my longest running Big Ole Hairy Fridays. Does anyone have any suggestions or ideas?Anything you would like to see on this blog on a regular basis that I am not covering now? Input requested.

Hi ho hi ho