Heading Home

Here Michelle and I are, sitting at our hotel here in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Kiwi is sending me tweets telling me that he misses me and the cats are running around the house with no clothes on. Getting up on the furniture and watching TV that he doesn't want to watch. I think he prefers Animal Planet. 

We are heading home this morning, this is being written before we actually left Morgantown, so I am hoping all went well yesterday and we either have a place or a good indication of where we will be living very soon. It's a nice little town, a little smaller than Morgantown but it has I-95 running down through here to make it a busy place at times. You can jump on the metro and be at Union Station in DC in a little over an Hour and not have to worry about parking or traffic. 

It's about a 4 1/2 hour drive back home. Not sure which way we will be going back, but it'll most likely be up 17 to Winchester than it's a matter of either jumping on 70 and 68 or heading the back roads to Cumberland before heading to Morgantown to see the animals. 

Have yourselves a great day. 
 

Big Ole Hairy Friday from Fredericksburg

Yes, it is once again that time of the week that we all look forward 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!

Actually Michelle and I are both off today as we arrived in Fredericksburg Virginia and will be spending the day trying to find living quarters for when we move down here in less than a month. Yes we are moving, everything has been taken care of as far as employment down here including the clearance I need for my job that I have yet to announce, now it's just a matter of putting it all in motion and this is the first step. 

Are you looking for a little bit of High School Football tonight? 4-3 Morgantown is at home taking on John Marshall this evening. 5-2 University High is also at home taking on Preston High School. Clay Battelle in on the road to play Hancock Maryland and Trinty is also on the road to play Tygart's Valley. Good luck to all the Monongalia County teams this evening. 

Have yourselves a great day today, we will be staying down here again tonight and heading back to Morgantown Tomorrow. 

Sunday

Here I sit in a quiet household, wondering if Morgantown is still standing after yesterday. Peanut and I are out here discussing her favorite flavor of cat treats, I say it is catnip flavor because she can tend to be a finicky little bitch. 

Well WVU did what I did not think that they were capable of doing yesterday, they actually beat Virginia Tech 27-21 here in Morgantown. I really thought when we were up 27-7 that we were going to choke it away, and we just about did that as we let them back into the game, and had they converted on 4th and Goal late in the game we would be discussing a different outcome. The Mountaineers are on the road next week as they travel to Norman Oklahoma to take on the Oklahoma Sooners, a team we have not beaten since we came to the Big XII. It would be nice to stop that streak on Saturday. 

I will be traveling for work once again this week, I'm actually going to be leaving this afternoon and settling into the hotel this evening. It's going to be a 3-hour drive and I just want to start tomorrow with a fresh start where I don't have to worry about getting out the door early and then traveling, then working, then settling into the hotel. It's a nice way to add up my IHG Rewards points. 

Shopping this morning, pay some bills, and then hitting the road before the sun drops down on the day.

Have yourselves a great day. 

I'm Coming Home

I am going to be away this week attending the ESRI Federal Users Conference in Washington DC this week. These blogs this week will reflect my time away from home and my experience there. Enjoy

I'm leaving Arlington this morning, but I'm not going to do it in the very wee hours of the morning like I have the last two times I was here. A few years ago I had to get home in time to take Michelle to have her surgery and last year I just wanted to beat the traffic. I'm going to take a little different approach and leave later in the morning like a normal person would do.

I have trouble seeing at night and I think it is better that I travel during the daylight hours with cars on the road rather than the middle of the night when I'm the only one on the beltway. I may make an appearance in the office, but that all depends on what time I get back into town, return my rental and drop my stuff off at home.

Have yourselves a great day and hopefully I have a good trip home.

Hi ho hi ho

Away I Go

I am going to be away this week attending the ESRI Federal Users Conference in Washington DC this week. These blogs this week will reflect my time away from home and my experience there. Enjoy.

Today I start my journey to Washington DC and more specifically Arlington, Virginia where my hotel  The Holiday Inn Rosslyn is located.

This is the hotel that I usually stay at when I go to DC on business, on personal travel I usually stay in Gaithersburg, but this is just a couple quick metro rides and I'm inside the building of where I need to be. I can literally walk out of my hotel, across the street and a couple blocks up and I don't have to step outside again.

Weather permitting, I'm going to try to make it to the Arlington Cemetery this trip. The last two times I was there it was bitter cold, hopefully I can get in and settled early enough that I can take a trip over there.

Have a great day, I will

Hi ho hi ho

We're coming home.

We will be leaving St Louis today and heading back home. All the training and re-certification has been completed and we're ready to come home.

We'll be flying out of St Louis on Southwest Airlines 1548 and should be arriving back in Pittsburgh sometime this evening around 5:30 before getting in our car and returning home.

As always St Louis was fun (for Michelle) as I was in class for a couple of days. I'm sure she has grabbed a few memorable pictures that we either have or will share with everyone.

We will be home this evening, and we will both be on Vacation tomorrow from our normal jobs, I will be going out tomorrow afternoon to start my quarter off for RTI.

Have a great day.

Off to St Louis

Today Michelle and I will be traveling north to Pittsburgh and then hopping on a airplane and heading to the middle of the country and to St Louis Missouri. This will be my 4th trip and Michelle's 3rd trip to see the city with the arch.

We'll be flying out today on Southwest Airlines flight 224 on a direct flight to St. Louis. Of all the airlines I fly, Southwest in my opinion is above and beyond all other airlines so I'm happy that is who we are flying with.

We'll arrive in St Louis early this afternoon, and we will have most of the day to ourselves as all I have to do is simply check in with RTI and that is my only obligation today. Weather permitting this year and it should be, we're going to buy tickets for the Tram to ride to the top of the Arch.

Have yourselves a great day.

We're Coming Home

This week Michelle and I will be traveling to the West Coast as I attend the ESRI Users Conference in San Diego. This weeks blogs are pre-written and just a bit of information as to where we are and what we are doing for the week.

Our week is over with here in San Diego, now it is time for Michelle and I to head back where we came from. We'll drop our car off at the Airport and then will be leaving San Diego at 7:00 PST (10:00 EST) and flying on United Airlines Flight UA913 to Chicago's O'Hare International Airport at about 1:20 (2:20 EST).  We'll be there for a few hours and then leave Chicago at 3:50 (4:50 EST) on United Airlines UA1476 and arrive back in Pittsburgh at about 6:30 PM our time.

This should get us back into Morgantown about 8:30-9:00 ish by the time we get off the plane, get our luggage, find our car and get back to Morgantown.

This is the last of my pre-written blogs for the week as life should pretty much return to normal tomorrow or the next day. Now I get to teach Michelle about Jet lag.

Have a great day.

ESRI Users Conference Day 2

This week Michelle and I will be traveling to the West Coast as I attend the ESRI Users Conference in San Diego. This weeks blogs are pre-written and just a bit of information as to where we are and what we are doing for the week.

With a day of Plenary under our belts, now it is time to bet into the nuts and bolts and meat of this visit. Now is when we can choose to visit a number of more specific topics that are being addressed and also get some hands on training.

This is also when we get to see first hand the new state of the art innovations that are being rolled out. I know Trimble who is one of the big sponsors should have SiteVision fully functional by now. When I spoke to them in DC in January, they were still in the development stage. It was something that really caught my attention earlier this year and I'm a little excited to see it in action.

Have yourselves a great day.

Flying to San Diego

This week Michelle and I will be traveling to the West Coast as I attend the ESRI Users Conference in San Diego. This weeks blogs are pre-written and just a bit of information as to where we are and what we are doing for the week.

We will be leaving Pittsburgh International Airport this morning on United Airlines Flight 519 at 8:05. We are making our first stop at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport. We shall have a minor layover there and will depart Chicago at 10:15 (11:15 EST) on United Airlines Flight 1590 to sunny San Diego and the San Diego International Airport. We should arrive at 12:30 Pacific Time (or 3:30 EST).

We will be staying at the Four Points by Sheraton San Diego for the week. It's in Little Italy and about a mile from the San Diego Zoo. We will be there a few hours before checkin, so this may be my best time to actually get to see the city a little bit. Michelle will have the week to enjoy the sites.

Have yourselves a great day.

Saturday

Here I sit in a quiet household, it is the final calm before the storm. I'm watching 50 First Dates and collecting my thoughts for the day. I'm up a little early planning out my day and it's going to be a busy one.

My day is going to start out with me and Michelle checking in for our flights tomorrow. You can check in 24 hours ahead of time and we'll do that in preparation of our traveling to the West Coast tomorrow.

I've got to go out this morning and make some rounds for RTI, since I'm going to be unavailable next week I'm going to go out this morning and make an attempt at getting some interviews before heading calling it a week on that job.

After that it is a matter of packing, or finishing packing for the week. We're heading to Pittsburgh this evening to rest and relax a little bit and so we don't have to make that big drive to the Pittsburgh Airport from Morgantown tomorrow morning. We'll just wake up, jump on the Parkway heading to the airport and check into the airport and get through TSA before our flight takes off. It is going to be a busy day to say the least.

I've pre-written blogs for the entire week to let everyone know where we are, what we are doing and the flights we are taking. We'll create an album on Facebook for all to see what it is we see on our trip.

Have yourselves a great day.

Coming Home

All good things must come to an end, and for me that means that our wonderful Federal Users Conference is over with and I will be returning to West Virginia and will be in the office for at least part of the day.

I'm going to try to get out of here before traffic gets too heavy on I-495, I was fortunate enough to do that a few years ago, today I won't be leaving the hotel at Midnight and will be heading back at a time when more people will probably be commuting to work. Washington DC is a very busy area, and now that the Government is back open, it's just going to be that much more chaotic.

I will however be back home sometime today, and most of my time today will in fact be travel time as I'll be fighting with DC traffic. Good thing I brought a Federal Car rather than my own, I have a 5 speed and that could be a pain in the butt especially if I get stuck in traffic.

Have yourselves a good day today, I'll be cruising home and listening to some music on my road trip home.

Hi ho hi ho

Conference Day 2

Well day one of the ESRI Federal Users Conference is in the books, and now we are on day two of the conference which could be just as long as yesterday.

Today is going to be a day filled with Professional Development Workshops and visiting the Expo exhibits to see what new and innovative things companies are trying to sell to the GIS Community. Hopefully Trimble will be there as I just got a Geo7X a few months ago and would love to talk to a few people about it now that I am more familiar with it. I know Nearmap is going to be there, and it is a subscription we are considering buying, but our area is so specific, I'm not sure that they could provide anything more detailed than I pull in from WVU.

There is a get together this year after the Conference is over with at the Museum of History (Smithsonian). Three years ago I had to be back in Morgantown in the early morning hours as Michelle was going to have surgery that morning, so I went back to the hotel and got some sleep before I made it back to NETL to drop off the car and pick up mine, then come back home and pick up Michelle and have her at the hospital by 5:00 AM. Tonight I don't have to rush so much and I can go and network a little bit and learn what types of projects others are doing.

Have yourselves a great day

Hi ho hi ho

Conference Day 1

Here is where I will be for much of this morning, I'm at the ESRI Federal Users Conference and will be in the Plenary Session all morning watching and listening to new innovations from Jack Dangermond, who is the father of GIS. He is the Bill Gates of Microsoft and the Jeff Bezos of Amazon, the self made multi-billionaire founder of ESRI and GIS.

I got to meet the man three years ago as he was getting out of his cab on the second day of the Conference a few years ago. He's very approachable, very kind and friendly and one heck of a nice guy. I can say in my profession, I have met the founder and the innovator.

After the Plenary Session this morning, we will break into training, where you can go and sharpen your skills with the new technologies that are being developed. Last time I went and picked up quite a few tips and tricks that I use to this day still.

After the Conference is over with, the Department of Energy will have their GIS Users gathering. This is mostly some people from the other national labs discussing what they are doing. I was in on the original meeting three years ago, so it will be nice to see how this has developed. I can also speak with a couple of my old bosses who are in Oregon and talk to them about how I had the software installed on a very locked down LAN and how it is working. I was the Guinea Pig, and made it happen. I should be downtown DC until later tonight.

Have yourselves a great day, I plan on it .

Hi ho hi ho

And I'm Off

It's been three years since I have attended, but I will once again be going to the ESRI Federal Users Conference again this week, woo hoo this is like Disney World for GIS Geeks like myself.

 I'll be heading out from my office later this morning to head to Arlington Virginia where I will be staying at the same hotel I stayed at last time I went down. I usually stay north on 270, but a couple years ago I stayed here and really liked the hotel. I was very close to everything, and could easily get to the National Mall with no problem.

I'm leaving later this morning to avoid the heavy traffic that goes with the Washington Beltway I-465. I'm going to be traveling at non-peak hours just after everyone gets to work and before the chaos when everyone will be trying to get home from work.

Have a great day and wish me safe travels.

We're Coming Home

See you St Louis it has been fun. Yes Michelle and I are getting ready to blow this pop sickle stand and get on a couple airplanes and head back to Pittsburgh.

We leave St Louis this morning on Delta Flight 6180 to Detroit once again, have about an hour and a half layover in Detroit once again and then hop on Delta Airlines Flight 3577 and get back into Pittsburgh a little after 5:00 this evening.

Then of course it's getting our luggage, jumping in the car and heading back to good ole Morgantown WV a new employee and re-certified to work in 2019 for RTI.

I'll be out in the field tomorrow and my life just got so much busier that it is not even going to be funny. At least this year I don't have to go up any mountains or travel anywhere where the terrain is horrible. Both of my sections are in Morgantown and there shouldn't be much travel time.

Have yourselves a great day today.

We'll be home this evening.

Training Day 2

Well we are still here in St Louis, many people from my group will be heading home this evening, but Michelle and I are not leaving until tomorrow morning. I don't particularly want to get home at 2:00 in the morning so we are staying here until tomorrow and flying during the daylight hours.

For me however, this is day two of two for my training. We have probably already went over everything and this will be doing nothing other than going over things and playing out a few scenarios. We'll have to go through a couple training sessions on things like "How to Deal with Stress" and "How to Deal with Refusals" and a few others to choose from.

We should be done by early afternoon and Michelle and I will have the evening to ourselves here before we head out to the airport tomorrow morning.

Have yourselves a great day.

Training Day 1

We are still here in St Louis, obviously we made the trip and Michelle is now an expert flyer with a total of 5 flights under her belt now.

Today is going to be my long day, I will be basically sitting in a classroom all day and may have to do my certification this evening.

We'll be going over all of the changes that will take place the coming year, transition from our old company that was a third party employer over to RTI itself. It's just usually a long day of going over scenarios and making sure that we read the scripts verbatim when we are doing our screenings and interviews.

I know we might be going to Sugarfire for dinner this evening. Our group usually goes out to dinner one of the evenings that we are there.

Have yourselves a great day.

St Louis Bound

Well today is a travel day, Michelle and I will be heading to Pittsburgh this morning to start our Journey to St Louis.

We leave Pittsburgh International Airport at 10:19 on Delta Airlines Flight 5379 en route to Detroit Michigan. We will have an hour layover in Detroit at Detroit Metro before jumping on Delta Airlines Flight 3587.

We should arrive in St Louis this afternoon and are once again staying at the Marriott Grand Hotel in St Louis.

This will be my third trip to St Louis and Michelle's second. I know I will be in training tomorrow and Thursday and she'll be out running around the city. I think she is planning on going to the Budweiser factory once again, I know she really liked that.

Have yourselves a great day.

Ohio Christmas

Here I sit in the early AM, I'm up a little early but I'll be going back to bed. The small of Michelle's broccoli casserole emanates from the kitchen as we are preparing for today's festivities.

Michelle and I will be heading north later this morning, we will be traveling to East Liverpool and then Calcutta Ohio to do the yearly Ohio Christmas (formerly known as Gigi's Christmas Party) but this years festivities will be held at the local VFW as opposed to a home that was sold out of the family earlier this year.

After the party we will be heading on over to Calcutta Ohio to visit with Michelle's dad and spend a little time with him, Karen and Spencer the 29 toes cat that her dad adopted a few years ago.

Ironically today will be my third Christmas Party this week, we had an NETL wide one on Thursday, we had our contracts yesterday at work and then today's party.

It's going to be a long day of travel as we will return this evening, but it is always a day that I look forward to and a day of the year I always enjoy.

Have yourselves a great day.