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.

If you are not doing anything tomorrow, head on over to the Mason Dixon Park for the P and P Family Auction. As a door prize, they are actually giving away an HD TV, you must be present to win. This is a new venue that they are trying, stop on out and find you a deal or two.

With my blogs, I usually pre-write them during the week. I used to write them the night before and post them that next day automatically. Lately because of the need to be available for my RTI job, I have been writing the whole weeks worth in the early AM hours on Sunday morning. It's the time best suited for me to do this.

With that said, my heart goes out to my wife this week. She lost someone very important to her this week when Ginny passed away. She had been battling for her life the past few months and then had a brief recovery this past fall. It warmed Michelle's heart when she got a chance to talk to her last month after she came out of the coma that she was in. My heart goes out to Michelle and her family for the loss of someone very close to each and every one of them.

Have yourselves a great day.

Hi ho hi ho

Photo Flashback Thursday

Once a week I like to take a little bit of time out and look through some of the pictures that I have either taken, scanned or stolen off of the internet through the years and find one special picture that stands out. Little lost moments in time from yesterday caught with a Cameras lens and relived right here in my blog. Sometimes it's pretty easy to find that one special picture and sometimes it's not that easy, one thing it consistently is however is a whole lot of fun.

This weeks picture is of a rambunctious pitbull that happens to live with us, a pitball that has more energy than he knows what to do with and he is build like a rock. This is Chad's dog Ace who helps protect the house and lets us know when someone walks down those stairs. It is Chad's dog but when Grandma walks in the house you best just stand still as he sprints full speed from one end of the house to the other utterly destroying anything and everything in his path. I sometimes think he could run full force into a brick wall and it wouldn't phase him, the wall on the other hand may have some problems...lol

Have yourselves a great day today, make sure your pets are inside, taken care of and well fed and hydrated.

Hi ho hi ho

Hump Day

Two days down, a couple more days ahead of us to go, now all we have to do is get up and over this noon time hump and it is all downhill as we work towards another fun filled weekend.

I hope everyone has had a good week so far, mine hasn't been too busy. I've had a Morale committee meeting Monday, a Staywell call from my employer last night and now we are just on cruise control for the rest of the week.

It is that time of the quarter when I'm shut down from one job and just sitting back and relaxing for about a month before things start to ramp up once again. For the time being however, I am going to enjoy a little bit of downtime.

Have yourselves a great day.

Hi ho hi ho

Tuesday's Tidbits

* The Christmas Shopping Season has been officially kicked off and our tree is up, can't think of a better reason to do a tidbits.

* It has been 20,085 days since I first showed the world myself, this planet has been blessed with my presence ever since.

* It has been 5,308 days since I graduated from WVU, seems like just yesterday sometimes.

* 3,909 days ago Michelle and I went out for the first time on our first date.

* 3,133 days ago I proposed to Michelle, right in our back yard at 4:00 in the morning, she accepted.

* It was 2,670 days ago in front of our closest friends and family, Michelle and I became husband and wife.

* I have now lived 296 days longer than my Dad did, I sometimes wonder how some things would have turned out if he were still here.

* I have 4,753 days to go until I retire, unless I keep doing what it is I love to do. There are a number of co-workers in my area retiring within the next year or so. Great group of guys.

* The next Backyard brawl where we beat Pitt's ass in Football is only 1,390 days away, unless we can somehow get matched up against them in a bowl game this season which would be sweet.

* My next Anniversary of my 21st Birthday will be in 369 more days, I'm staying the same age this year as well as next.

* There are 253 more days to go until Michelle and I celebrate our Eighth Wedding Anniversary together, seems like only yesterday.

* There are 127 days until the next start of my favorite season, SPRING!!!!!

* 74 more days until Groundhog Day, Phil don't disappoint me this year buddy.

* 34 more days to go until my Goodbye 2018 Blog is posted, the blog that is my last blog of the year and recaps the previous year. Wait, 34 more days? Maybe it is time to start formatting the blog and writing it.

* There are 27 more shopping days left until Christmas.  You still have time.

* I have written 5,455 blogs in my 14 full years now of writing this little piece of my life on the internet.

* No Drone flights this weekend, I'm slacking on that aspect of my flight time. I'm running out of season to fly. I'm such a slacker.

* I really hate snow, not a little bit but a whole lot. If it were up to me we would have an inch of snow from now until December 26th, then go straight back into Spring.

* Kim and Chris are going to have an auction once again this Saturday, there will be a change in venue as they will be moving it to the Mason Dixon Park. They will be giving away a TV as the door prize, must be present to win. That's a good way to pick up a free HD TV, just saying and you could see some great auction deals as well.

* Michelle is planning on working at the vet again this evening, but I'll just be working one job.

* There are of course rumors and predictions about WVU Football Bowls situation, but we should officially know something by next week, after Championship weekend.

* You got to love some of the non traditional channels on the boob tube that most people don't watch, channels that I can watch All in the Family or Alice on, great TV shows from yesterday that everyone seems to have forgotten.

* I'm STILL converting some old VHS tapes to Digital Format for Trish. I really need to get back on this as I am such a procrastinator.

* Have yourselves a great day.

* Hi ho hi ho

Monday

All good things must comer to an end, and that does in fact include long holiday weekends that includes overdoses of tryptophan, naps, decorating Christmas Trees, a start of the Christmas Shopping Season and the rest of all the fun that is associated with long weekends.

Now it's time to stick our noses back onto the grindstone for another fun filled week of doing what it is we do for a living.

Today is Cyber Monday, kind of the online version of Black Friday, but you can shop from the convenience of your internet connected electronic device. Many merchants follow up the Black Friday Deals with online deals that target the internet shopper, and like the black Friday merchants, there is a window of opportunity for them and that is going to be today if not right at this very moment.

I'm off this week once again from RTI, they are going to transfer my caseload for cleanup, but haven't managed to do it just quite yet. Michelle is working at the Vet this evening and I will once again be increasing my culinary skills with our power air fryer, which I am starting to get pretty good at. I can heat up a corn dog with the best of them...lol

Have yourselves a great day.

Hi ho hi ho

Happy Birthday Val

I would like to take this opportunity to wish my Niece Valarie a very Happy Birthday today. If my math is correct, and it always is, she is 20 years younger than me and I'm 21 so that would make her about two years younger than her own daughter. I would tell you her real age, but that would require me actually remembering how old I am and how old I will be.

Not sure what anyone has planned for the day, but if I know Val she will have something on the agenda if it didn't already happen yesterday evening and into this morning if the opportunity is available.

Val is a remarkable young lady who is an inspiration to those around her whether she realizes it or not, her actions are seen by all and she is influencing the next generation whether this is her intention or not. Val is fighting the fight with MS.

If you happen to see Val today, make sure that you wish her a very Happy Birthday today.

Happy Birthday Val, you got this.

Sammy Morning Ramblings

Well he has made his return as he vowed to do after last Christmas when he was put into his place of hiding for the non-Christmas Season, Sammy the Elf on a Shelf has made his triumphant return once again to the Hall Household for another Christmas season.

He is here once again to stir chaos and play his favorite game of find me and where am I now. He claims to be the World (or at least Hall Household) Champion at hide and go seek, but I'm not to sure of that as Peanut can probably give Sammy a good run for his money on that category. The only difference is Sammy can stay still, almost lifeless whereas Peanut is a fireball and I swear sometimes is addicted to catnip.

Michelle and I went out yesterday and got our Christmas Tree, last year her and chad went to a tree farm to get one, this year we had to pick the remains of what was left at Lowes as it was raining when we went and picked it up. Michelle found a nice robust one that she liked and we decorated it with I think 900 lights (6 old strands and 3 new ones). Then we took a number of decorations out of the box and placed each one on the tree. Each and every decoration has cone from someplace and they all have a story associated with them. From the $60 bulb from St Louis to a number of decorations from Queenie in the Bahamas to the Christmas Store in Amish Country, every decoration has a story of its own and we talk about each and every one as we prepare to put it on the tree, including all of our memorial ornaments where we have pictures of people who are no longer with us represented on our tree.

Have yourselves a great day today.

Saturday Morning Rambling

Here I sit in a quiet household, up a little early but also going back to bed after I write this. I'm up reading about last nights 59-56 loss to Oklahoma last night and trying to begin to catch my thoughts for the day.

Both Michelle and I are off from both jobs today, although she is getting a nice extended weekend due to the Holiday. We have heard some rumors that Sammy the Elf on a Shelf might make his yearly appearance today. We're going to go out and get our 2018 Christmas Tree and make this house look like Jolly Ole Saint Nick came through and Christmassized the the house. In plain English, this is the day we are going to stick up and decorate our Christmas Tree.

Other than that it's just going to be a nice relaxing evening at home decorating the place. I know last year Michelle wanted to go to a Christmas Tree farm to cut down our tree, but this year I think she is just willing to go somewhere and buy one at some commercial establishment. She has always liked a real tree and that is what we have always had. It's time to take each and every special bulb out and place it on the tree as each one of them is something of meaning, from some place we have visited, had made or a tribute to those who are no longer with us.

Have yourselves a great day.

Big Ole Hairy Black 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 Black Friday.

I know that I will be planning on working today, but most people will "Officially" start their Christmas Shopping today. The Black Friday Sales (which probably started yesterday) are going on and most people have probably already shopped till they dropped by now. I don't think the mayhem is as bad as it was in years past, but it's not something I plan on doing as my butt will be in the office.

Looking for some football? Or should I say looking for an offensive football game? Well we will have one right here in Morgantown tonight as the WVU Mountaineers will take on the Oklahoma Sooners with the winners advancing to the Big XII Championship game next week probably against Texas. Had we won last week, today's game would have just determined our opponent, but as it turns out today's game winner will be playing for the Conference Championship next week in Dallas.

Have yourselves a great day.

Hi ho hi ho

Thanksgiving Thursday Flashback (aka Photo Flashback)

Well since today is Thanksgiving Day and we are all going to gobbling till we are wobbling, I thought I would do a flashback from years past to tie into the Photo Flashback Theme. I've taken a number of pictures through the years, and of course I restricted my search to Thanksgivings past.

This weeks pic goes all the way back to 2008, the first Thanksgiving that Michelle and I had ever spent together. This was my first go around with the big Cassville Firehall Thanksgiving get together and this is where we will both once again be today as we battle the tryptophan overdoses that will occur today.

We were not even married yet when this picture was taken, and we weren't even living together as of yet. We had planned on then cohabitation thing, but we were a few months away from actually doing it. Hard to believe that today will be my 11th Consecutive Thanksgiving there, many good times have passed and there are even more in store ahead of us.

Gobble till you Wobble and Happy Thanksgiving.

Hump Day

Well two days in (the toughest of the two) and now we just have to get today in (and relax tomorrow) and some of us just have to go to work on Friday while many will endure Black Friday Shopping. It's probably going to be a short day for me today, we will most likely get an early dismissal and that will have to come down from Rick Perry, but it always happens.

After Michelle and I get off work today, we'll be heading over to the Cassville Firehall and start peeling potatoes, making home made noodles, pies and other goodies and will be preparing the turkey's to go into the oven. It's all the prep work that we will do in preparation of tomorrow's feast at the firehall. We do this every year and everyone brings an auction item to auction off with all of the proceeds going to the next years Thanksgiving. The money raised pays for the Firehall rental and all the food for the following year. This years money was raised after last years Thanksgiving dinner when Jim auctioned off a number of items.

Thanksgiving obviously tomorrow, then I'll return to the office on Friday since switching companies I'm the low man on the totem pole and everyone else is going black Friday shopping. Someone has to go to the Department of Energy and make sure that the mouse on the wheel that generates all the electricity in the Morgantown area gets fed (That's a joke to those of you with no sense of humor).

Have yourselves a great day and be prepared to Gobble till you wobble.

Hi ho hi ho

Tuesday's Tidbits

* Deer season is off and running, hopefully everyone got that prized deer so I don't have to worry about hitting it with the car. Can't think of any better reasons this week to do a tidbits.

* It has been 20,078 days since I was born. I was actually sent an AARP membership this past weekend, mine does not expire until next year as I pay for my membership five years at a time.

* It has been 5,301 days since I graduated from WVU, now I have a former co-student who is now the new director at NETL.

* 3,902 days ago Michelle and I went out for the first time on our first date. Yes 10,000 BC was a horrible movie to pick, but I picked it.

* 3,126 days ago I proposed to Michelle, right in our back yard at 4:00 in the morning.

* It was 2,663 days ago in front of our closest friends and family, Michelle and I became husband and wife.

* I have now lived 289 days longer than my Dad did, I sometimes wonder how some things would have turned out if he were still here.

* I have 4,760 days to go until I retire, unless I keep doing what it is I love to do. There are a number of co-workers in my area retiring within the next year or so. Great group of guys.

* The next Backyard brawl where we beat Pitt's ass in Football is only 1,397 days away, unless we can somehow get matched up against them in a bowl game this season.

* My next Anniversary of my 21st Birthday will be in 376 more days, I'm staying the same age this year as well as next.

* There are 260 more days to go until Michelle and I celebrate our Eighth Wedding Anniversary together, seems like only yesterday.

* There are 134 days until the next start of my favorite season, SPRING!!!!!

* 81 more days until Groundhog Day, Phil don't disappoint me this year buddy.

* 41 more days to go until my Goodbye 2018 Blog is posted, the blog that is my last blog of the year and recaps the previous year.

* There are 34 more shopping days left until Christmas. Black Friday is actually this week, yikes.

* I have written 5,447 blogs in my 14 full years now of writing this little piece of my life on the internet.

* No Drone flights this weekend, I'm slacking on that aspect of my flight time. I'm running out of season to fly. I'm such a slacker.

* I really hate snow, not a little bit but a whole lot. If it were up to me we would have an inch of snow from now until December 26th, then go straight back into Spring.

* I really like the ap Evernote. Michelle and I have used it for a few years now for our weekly meal planning, I use it for notes at work, and any other information I may need to have quick access to. I now have 470 notes from a variety of notebooks that are all at my fingertips if I ever need to access them.

* My next big trip will be this January as I travel to St Louis to transition to and get re-certified for RTI to work 2019.  Michelle is once again go with me this year after not making it last year. I have a lot more fun with her than I did last year when she didn't go. I know she wants to re-tour the Budweiser Factory.

* I'm falling a little behind on my bullet quota for this blog. I've always had a certain number that I shoot for for a minimum, and I'm starting to struggle to get that number right now.

* It's about time for Sammy, the Elf on a Shelf to make another appearance. I keep getting cryptic messages that he's coming to stay with us very soon.

* I'm STILL converting some old VHS tapes to Digital Format for Trish. I really need to get back on this as I am such a procrastinator.

* Have yourselves a great day.

* Hi ho hi ho

Monday

The weekend is now over, time for some of us to go back to doing what it is that we do for a living. It's time for us non-hunters to stick our collective noses back on the grindstone for another week and get back at it while many of our hunter co-workers, friends and family hit the woods seeking the prized venison.

It is the first day of gun deer season here in West Virginia, the first day of a two week season that sees the most hunters out in the woods at any time during the year. Today especially is when the most hunters are out, so just say yourself a little prayer for all of those loved ones out in the woods to first return home safely and then to have that prized buck. Good luck hunters, I'm sure many of them are about ready to enter the woods as you read this.

It's going to be a short (or long) week for me depending on your perspective. I'll be working today, tomorrow and Wednesday then will be at the fire hall Wednesday night helping set up, prepare and cook for the Thanksgiving feast that we will enjoy on Thursday. I'll be going back to the office on Friday, Michelle it looks like might have the day off from her office. so something tells me I'll come home to a home that is either decorated or about to be decorated, her and Chad did it all last year while I worked.

Have yourselves a great day, and hunters be safe and return home.

Hi ho hi ho

Sunday

Here I sit once again on a semi-quiet Sunday morning, my Comcast X-1 box once again won't finish its boot sequence and I once again don't have cable TV (I do have internet), I wish they would stop with all the bullshit features that I don't use and secure the features that I do. I am watching the movie A Dog's Life that I am streaming to my TV from my MyCloud.

My consecutive days streak ends once again as I'm sitting at home today and not working for RTI. I really have everything whittled down as far as I can before someone comes in and does cleanup, which is happening this coming weekend. So this is going to be a nice relaxing Sunday afternoon here, hopefully.

Michelle is going to go in and do payroll for the Vet today (her second job) as she has been occupied by the her primary job this week with the job fair down in Logan. I think she was very excited that for the first time in her professional career she was traveling for work on someone elses dime, but it wasn't that productive of a trip as the job fair was very small compared to last years.

I ended up turning yesterdays game off when we were up by 17 points, I told Michelle that the fix was in and we were going to lose, I just sensed an unprepared team and the calls were not going our way. I turned a game off early one other time this year and once last year. I turned the Iowa State game off earlier this year in the first quarter and I turned the Texas game off last year after Will Grier broke his finger. My prediction for the remainder of the year? We lose to Oklahoma on Saturday (the one team Dana has not beat) and our Superstar QB forgoes the bowl game to prevent risk from further injury to save his draft status. JMHO.

Have yourselves a great day.

Saturday Morning Ramblings

Here I sit on a quiet Saturday Morning, I'm the first one to recover from getting my butt knocked out by that dreaded Sandman last night and I'm up collecting my thoughts for the day.

I will be heading on on the road once again today to work for RTI, we're going to try these places one more time before we bring a traveler in to finalize the cleanup of the sections.  In Other Words, my quarter is pretty much winding down and I'm about to be done until the next quarter begins after I return from St Louis. Every once in a while you need a break and I'm about ready to hang it up for this quarter in preparation for the transition.

The last three years I have been working for a Subcontractor to RTI called MyHeadway, but that is all changing after the first of the year as my employment switches to the Prime RTI from here on out and working in the Data Collection Staff. Nothing is changing other than who my employer is as everything is dictated by the Government. I found out my title at NETL is now listed as Architectual GIS Engineer, a little more defined than Engineer  I guess...lol.

Have yourselves a great day today, and take advantage of the horrible weather and enjoy a nap inside as you watch the WVU Football game today.

Hi ho hi ho

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.

Are you looking for a little High School Football Action? Well you are going to have to look elsewhere as all of the Monongalia County teams have either not made the playoffs or lost in the first round of the playoffs ending all of their seasons. I was a wrestler anyways, a much better wrestler than I ever was a football player, so my heart is still with the local wrestling teams.

Michelle was down in Logan the last couple of days for a big Job Fair. She found out Wednesday Morning that they were going down, so her and the new recruiter they kind of stole from GMC were down there for the fair. Their company is growing and they about to expand into other professions since they are doing so well. I'm very proud of her.

NETL did name a new main director last week and he has started. One of the other directors brought him over to introduce him to me, I will say I have seen this director more times than our previous director and that was in his first two days. He's a young one, but we have some similar projects that we both worked on prior to even coming to NETL, so we know some of the same people.....and he knows GIS which is always a big plus. He kind of liked the fact I was mentored in GIS from the WV NRAC.

Have yourselves a great day today.

Hi ho hi ho

Photo Flashback Thursday

Once a week I like to take a little bit of time out and look through some of the pictures that I have either taken, scanned or stolen off of the internet through the years and find one special picture that stands out. Little lost moments in time from yesterday caught with a Cameras lens and relived right here in my blog. Sometimes it's pretty easy to find that one special picture and sometimes it's not that easy, one thing it consistently is however is a whole lot of fun.

This weeks pic goes back to the 1976-7 school year, back to a time when I was a 7th grader at Suncrest Junior High School and a guy with well, hair. Lots and lots of hair and this was after it was cut shorter in the back. I think I was a few pounds lighter during those years as well, and to run??? I could run forever and run like the wind. There was actually a 25 mile run walk here that summer and up until I started to cramp at the 17 mile mark, I was in 3rd place behind a WVU Cross Country All-American and the former All-American then turned coach. I was quick and swift in those years to say the least.

This picture (notice the stylish shirt) was in fact my seventh grade school picture. The funny thing is if you look at my 8th grade picture my hair was much shorter and much darker. Almost as if I were someone completely different, but alas, it were I in all my stunning dapperness.

Have yourselves a great day.

Hi ho hi ho

Happy GIS Day

Today is a day that my profession sets aside to celebrate well, us and what we do. It is GIS Day and a day that one of these years I need to organize something locally.

GIS is stands for Geographical Informational Systems (or Science) and is a discipline that was invented by a man named Jack Dangermond when he started his company ESRI. I had the opportunity to not only hear him speak a couple years ago at the Federal Users Conference (which I have put in to return to in 2019 as well as going to the Mecca of GIS San Diego for 2019), but I happen to meet him one morning in front of the convention center in Washington DC. It was my honor to meet the innovator and inventor of a profession I have chosen to follow. I got to speak to him one on one for a few minutes, very down to earth guy for a multi-billionaire.

When I decided to go back to school years ago I had no idea what I wanted to do, that is until I saw the potential in this thing called GIS. Geospatially enabled databases and datasets that you can perform analysis on was just totally mind blowing to me. A friend of mine was majoring in it (ironic I'm the one who followed it through and work in it) and introduced me to the discipline. I saw a future, one that I had never known before working in the cut throat world of steel manufacturing and I went with it.

Best career decision I have ever made, I sold my self to it and committed to it in College and it has allowed me to do and see things that I never knew possible before. I owe a lot to this discipline.

Have yourselves a great day, time for me to go and be creative with ArcGIS.

Hi ho hi ho

Tuesday's Tidbits

* Well our long weekend (one day in my case) is over with, now it's time to get back at it and start doing what it is we love to do so much. Good reason to do a tidbits.

* It has been 20,071 days since I was born. I can honestly say I am a 20,000+ er and very happy I've made it this far.

* It has been 5,294 days since I graduated from WVU, it was the fulfillment of a dream for me.

* 3,895 days ago Michelle and I went out for the first time. Horrible horrible movie, without cheating can anyone name the movie we went to see.

* 3,119 days ago I proposed to Michelle, she accepted.

* It was 2,656 days ago in front of our closest friends and family, Michelle and I became husband and wife.

* I have now lived 282 days longer than my Dad did, I sometimes wonder how some things would have turned out if he were still here.

* I have 4,767 days to go until I retire, unless I keep doing what it is I love to do.

* The next Backyard brawl where we beat Pitt's ass in Football is only 1,404 days away, unless we can somehow get matched up against them in a bowl game this season.

* There are 267 more days to go until Michelle and I celebrate our Eighth Wedding Anniversary together, seems like only yesterday.

* There are 141 days until the next start of my favorite season, SPRING!!!!!

* 88 more days until Groundhog Day, wow are we really getting that close?

* 48 more days to go until my Goodbye 2018 Blog is posted, the blog that is my last blog of the year and recaps the previous year.

* There are 41 more shopping days left until Christmas. It might be time to start shopping and organizing.

* My next Anniversary of my 21st Birthday will be in 18 more days. I've lost count as to how many that will be, but I can start getting a lot of Senior Citizen Discounts at a number of restaurants.

* I have written 5,440 blogs in my 14 full years now of writing this little piece of my life on the internet.

* No Drone flights this weekend, I'm slacking on that aspect of my flight time. I'm running out of season to fly. I'm such a slacker.

* I'm starting to think of some new innovative ways to present Geospatial data at work, did you know tomorrow is GIS Day?

* I don't think Peanut likes this colder weather and shorter days, her Meowtside time is greatly diminished, or should I say non-existent, but she is getting complacent about it.

* My next big trip will be this January as I travel to St Louis to transition to and get re-certified for RTI to work 2019.  Michelle is once again go with me this year after not making it last year.

* Have I ever once mentioned on this blog about my feelings for that ugly white stuff that falls from the sky when the weather gets cold? I hate snow.

* I'm STILL converting some old VHS tapes to Digital Format for Trish. I really need to get back on this as I am such a procrastinator.

* Have yourselves a great day.

* Hi ho hi ho

A Real Day Off

Do you believe it, after working 42 of the last 43 days, with the one day off when I had computer problems and I took off to go to Amish Country, I finally get to enjoy a day off and a day to myself. It's a Federal Holiday for us, Veterans Day even though yesterday was Veterans day, so we celebrate the Holiday on Monday.

Not working for RTI today, which I have got both of my segments pretty much worked down to next to nothing, Trying to get people who either are never home or have summer homes that they are not at this time of the year. I'll go out tomorrow night to do a couple of interviews, but that is probably pretty much the end of my quarter unless they want me to keep going out and knocking on doors.

I didn't make it to Jim and Chris's auction Saturday night, but Michelle said that may be one of their best auctions to date. It was standing room only and it ran late, in other words the money was still flowing and they had merchandise. Always good for an Auctioneer.

Not sure what I am going to do with my day, finances and a few small things, but other than that the day is pretty much mine to enjoy......I Hope.

Have yourselves a great day.

Veterans Day

I am fortunate that tomorrow I get to extend my weekend by one day, but the reason for that extended weekend is actually because of today.

Today we honor and thank all Veterans and all active Military who have either served or are currently serving our Nation in the armed services as we celebrate Veterans Day.

I have a nephew Moke who served and did a tour in Iraq and my brother Jonathan has a daughter Sarah (my niece) who is currently serving has done three tours, I think two in Afghanistan and one in Iraq or the other way around. I thank both of them for their service and everyone else who ever dared to put on one of the uniforms and serve to protect us.

A little tidbit of information for you, since my Grandfather fought in WWI. The Great War (World War I as we know it), officially ended 100 years ago today on November 11, 1918. It was originally celebrated as Armistice Day but was changed to Veterans Day in 1954.

Have yourselves a great day today and thank a Veteran.

Hi ho hi ho

Saturday Morning Ramblings

Here I sit on a quiet Saturday morning, still in disbelief after watching last nights WVU Basketball game where they blew a big lead and lost the season opener 99-94 to Buffalo. This team still has a long way to go, that's for sure but I have faith in Huggs.

If you aren't busy this evening, Jim and Chris are having their annual Christmas Auction at the Cassville Firehall. The Auction starts at 6:00 PM and their will be a number of bargains that one can seek and find. I know Michelle is going over this afternoon to help.

I'm out in the field once again at my segment I travel to. I'm trying to get closer to closing this segment up so I can concentrate on my local segment and finalize it. It's going to be cold and rainy, so this should be a fun one.

WVU Football plays at home at noon today as they host TCU. I'm just hoping that our guys don't lose focus and are concentrating on the task at hand, we really need this game and TCU is a very tough opponent to beat.

Sam's Club had a clock that I have liked for a few years on discount, I've almost bought their Seiko Melodies in Motion Clock over the past few years, but never did it. They lowered the price $20 on it so I jumped on it yesterday as they seemed to be selling out of them. I didn't wanting to be kicking myself in the future because I missed my window of opportunity.

Have yourselves a great day.

Hi ho hi ho

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.

Looking for a little High School Football action, well there is only one Monongalia County team alive as we are entering the post season. The Morgantown Mohigans are on the road to Charleston as they will take on #3 Capital High School. Good Luck Mohigans.

My plans for the weekend, I'm going to be working both days, I'll travel tomorrow and work locally on Sunday. WVU is at home tomorrow to take on TCU at noon, so I'm going to want to get out nice and early and return home about the time everyone is going into the stadium for kickoff. Less traffic congestion that way.

Have a great day.

Hi ho hi ho

Photo Flashback Thursday

Once a week I like to take a little bit of time out and look through some of the pictures that I have either taken, scanned or stolen off of the internet through the years and find one special picture that stands out. Little lost moments in time from yesterday caught with a Cameras lens and relived right here in my blog. Sometimes it's pretty easy to find that one special picture and sometimes it's not that easy, one thing it consistently is however is a whole lot of fun.

This weeks pic actually goes back to 2011, more specifically this is a picture of my wonderful wife on out honeymoon. It was taken on the last day of our stay in Ocean City, right before we started the drive home. I convinced Michelle to get up early with me and go and see the sunrise which we managed to do every day that we were there.

It was a good time, but our honeymoon was run, run, run, run, run and it caught up with her on our return trip home. Probably about a 6 hour drive, she slept probably 5 of those hours then another 12 or so once we got home. She was just run down a little more than me, it could be that I tend to snore and kept her up the whole time...lol

Have a great day.

Hi ho hi ho

Hump Day

Well two days down, two more ahead of us and that just means we need to simply get up and over this noon time hump. Once we accomplish that, it's going to be a downhill ride as we head towards another fun filled weekend.

I don't know about anyone else and as of the time of my writing this the election results are not in yet, but I for one and glad the election is over with. Maybe now they can take all the political signs down and we can stop seeing and hearing all those negative ads against one candidate or the other. Yes I did my civic duty, as I will for every election, but it's time to put the mid terms behind us and start concentrating on the Holiday Season coming up. Check the West Virginia election results right HERE.

Well WVU is doing pretty well in the Polls. The Football team is back into the Top 10 and ranked #7 in the AP poll and #8 in the coaches. The coaches poll traditionally ranks us higher, it's nice to see the respect coming from the press. We are also ranked #13 in Men's Basketball which is nice that we ranked in both the big money makers. It's something to be proud of.

Have yourselves a great day today.

Hi Ho Hi Ho

Election Day Tidbits

* It's election day, get your asses out and due your civic duty and vote if you have not.

* It has been 20,064 days since my reported birth, by my calculation and using my patented 938 day calendar, that should make me 21 years old by my calculations or 54 by these old antiquated calendar's.

* It has been 5,287 days since I graduated from WVU, it was the fulfillment of a dream for me.

* 3,888 days ago Michelle and I went out on our very first date. The day my life changed for the better forever.

* 3,112 days ago I asked this wonderful woman of mine if she would like to get hitched.

* It was 2,649 days ago in front of our closest friends and family, Michelle and I became husband and wife.

* I have now lived 275 days longer than my Dad did, I sometimes wonder how some things would have turned out if he were still here.

* I have 4,774 days to go until I retire, unless I keep doing what it is I love to do.

* The next Backyard brawl where we beat Pitt's ass in Football is only 1,411 days away. Bring it on Kitty's.

* There are 274 more days to go until Michelle and I celebrate our Eighth Wedding Anniversary together, seems like only yesterday.

* There are 148 days until the next start of my favorite season, Spring 2019. That is when the leaves that are falling are reborn on the trees and foliage around.

* 95 more days until Groundhog Day, Phil has been bribed this year with apples this year, I hope he gives me a good report.

* 55 more days to go until my Goodbye 2018 Blog is posted, the blog that is my last blog of the year and recaps the previous year.

* There are 48 more shopping days left until Christmas. We went to Amish Country this past weekend and bought our 2018 personalized ornament, plus the ones we got from Queenie in the Bahamas should make a nice addition to the tree this year.

* My next Anniversary of my 21st Birthday will be in 25 more days. I've already renewed my drivers license and already have my hard plastic card for the Federal ID. It costs a little more, but I do fly and I do work at a Federal Facility and it can come in handy.

* I have written 5,433 blogs in my 14 full years now of writing this little piece of my life on the internet.

* No Drone flights this weekend, I'm slacking on that aspect of my flight time. I'm running out of season to fly. I'm such a slacker.

* Did I mention that today is election day? If you are reading this and have not voted, what are you waiting for, get out and vote.

* I'm liking this extra hour of sleep that I get since we turned the clocks back. Just saying.

* My next big trip will be this January as I travel to St Louis to transition to and get re-certified for RTI to work 2019. It's nice traveling on someone else's dime. My initial plans have changed and I will have layovers in Detroit both ways.

* Have I ever once mentioned on this blog about my feelings for that ugly white stuff that falls from the sky when the weather gets cold? I've already seen snow this year as I flew across the Colorado Rockies, but I still hate it.

* I'm STILL converting some old VHS tapes to Digital Format for Trish. I really need to get back on this as I am such a procrastinator.

* Have yourselves a great day.

* Hi ho hi ho

Monday

All good things must come to an end, it's time to put our day trips and big football wins from the weekend behind us and start concentrating on the next work week. It's time to strap em on and do what we do so we can enjoy the things we do.

Michelle and I did have a few decisions to make this weekend, it's open enrollment time at work and we are completely changing our insurance and all the options that we had available to us. We will no longer have Blue Cross Blue Shield as they are not even an option anymore for my company. It did get much more expensive for me, but what we chose is better coverage than we previously had.

Looking at the week ahead, it doesn't appear to be too busy for me. Only one meeting scheduled at work and there is one big thing I do need to do tomorrow. If you haven't done so yet with early voting, make sure that you get out and vote so your voice is heard. I have a feeling this mid term is going to have a higher than normal voter turnout, but we'll just have to wait and see.

Have yourselves a great day.

Hi ho hi ho

Sunday Morning Ramblings

Here I sit on a quiet Sunday Morning, I get to lay back down and sleep for another hour as we turned the clocks back an hour.

Yesterday was a pretty good day, obviously it is a great day when your alma mater goes on the road in front of 100,000+ people and beat a ranked team on a last second play. The Mountaineers did just that with an amazing late TD and gamble for 2 to beat Texas 42-41. Both teams needed to win this game, but only one would emerge as the winner and that was us.

Michelle and I went to Amish Country yesterday, had a great time and managed to go to a couple of places that we had yet to visit. Amish Country is like your own little story, everyone has their own things they like to see or do and we like to expand on our knowledge of the place each time we go out there. It was just a day trip and we return to normal today.

Got my new laptop from RTI and should be good to go to go out in the field today. It was simply the AC Adapter that had went bad. So my streak is in fact over and starting over with day 1. This should be a much shorter streak as next Monday is a Federal Holiday and I don't think I am going to work either section.

Have yourselves a great day today.

Hi ho hi ho

My Streak is Over

Well 33 straight days of working one job or the other has officially came to an end, and it was not intentional. My AC Adapter for my laptop from the RTI job has went bad and my laptop has no power. They are sending me a replacement and a replacement laptop today, but as of right now it in Louisville Kentucky. I was going to travel today to my out of county segment, but the laptop wont be here until this afternoon and that pretty much closes the window of opportunity to get anything done today, especially since WVU is playing this afternoon.

With that being said, I think Michelle and I are going to head to Ohio's Amish Country for the day. I know she has been wanting to go and this is our window of opportunity for that, so we're going to take advantage of it. Provided her Migraine that she was developing last night has subsided and she still feels up to making the trip today. If she does, we'll be heading out of here later this morning, but probably before most people wake up.

WVU Football is on the road today, they are taking on the University of Texas at Texas on a matchup of two top 25 teams. I suck at predictions so I'm not going to say anything and plead the fifth as to what I think the outcome will be. Both teams really need to win this game today, so it might be a game filled with some big hits on both sides of the ball.

Have a great day.

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.

Looking for a little High School Football? Well Morgantown and University High have both completed their regular seasons. Clay Battelle is on the road to play Madonna, but come on, they should be able to beat a 60 year old female singer, but you never know...lol I do think however the Madonna they are referring to is Weirton Madonna then that's a whole different story. Morgantown and University should both be in the playoffs, but we'll have to wait for this weekends games to be played to be sure. 

I think we have my travel plans to go to St Louis finalized, it changed and it looks like I will have layovers in Detroit both on the trip out and the return trip home. I've never been to the state of Michigan, so this will be a new experience for me and another state add to the states I've been to.

My weekend plans, same as every other weekend, I'm working once again all weekend. This will be days 32 and 33 in a row for me working one job or the other, so a little bit of a break might be on the horizon in the very near future. Maybe a good weekend and it will be ready to send to clean up.

Have yourselves a great day.

Hi ho hi ho

Photo Flashback Thursday

Once a week I like to take a little bit of time out and look through some of the pictures that I have either taken, scanned or stolen off of the internet through the years and find one special picture that stands out. Little lost moments in time from yesterday caught with a Cameras lens and relived right here in my blog. Sometimes it's pretty easy to find that one special picture and sometimes it's not that easy, one thing it consistently is however is a whole lot of fun.

Since yesterday was Halloween, I decided to this weeks flashback as a Halloween Flashback. Not so much the people involved, but this time the atmosphere around the Trick or Treating that gets so overlooked.

For years we all would congregate to my Dad's for Halloween, then after he passed Jean kept the tradition up until the year she passed. It became a little bit of a tradition that almost replaced other Holidays that we did not all gather.

I used to tell people they would get between 3-400 Trick or Treaters every year. This picture is just some random time within the hour and a half when they were trick or treating. I walked out into the road and just grabbed a random picture when the crowd kind of died down and it allowed me to do so.

This is just some random pic that could have been anytime during the times, it was constant and did not let up. Good times gone by.

Have yourselves a great day

Hi ho hi ho