Wednesday Brain Fart

Tuesday's Tidbits

* My Monday is over with and it is still hot, time for a tidbits

* It has been 20,330 days since my birth, that fateful morning 21 years ago (by my calendar) when I first entered this world.

* It has been 5,553 days since I graduated from WVU with a Degree in Geography. I'm still loving it all these years later.

* 4,154 days ago Michelle and I had our first date together, it was truly the start of the rest of my life that night.

* 3,378 days ago I proposed to Michelle, she knew it was coming so it was no big surprise, but I had to make sure she was going to say yes.

* It was 2,909 days ago in front of our closest friends and family, Michelle and I were married at the Marilla Center. We feasted and that was an understatement.

* I have now lived 541 days longer than my Dad did, makes you realize how short his life was.

* I have 4,522 days to go until I retire, give or take a few hundred days here or there, like I said I love what I do and who knows when I would retire.

* The next Backyard brawl where we beat Pitt's ass in Football is only 1,129 days away. I'm ready to hear the altered version of Sweet Caroline.

* There are only 235 days until the start Spring 2020, or I could just move to San Diego where the weather is awesome 365 a year.

* 187 more days until Phil steps to center stage again for Groundhogs Day. He's been hanging out around here as of late.

* 171 more days to go until my Goodbye 2019 Blog is posted, where I relive the previous year through what was posted right here in my blog. I guess I should get back to writing some kind of meaningful content.

* There are 147 more shopping days left until Christmas 2019, you have plenty of time to prepare but lets enjoy the now and not worry about December.

* My next Anniversary of my 21st Birthday will be in 125 more days, this should be about my 35th Anniversary of it, or would it be the 14th Anniversary of the 21st Anniversary of my 21st Birthday?

* There are 7 more days to go until Michelle and I celebrate our Eighth Wedding Anniversary together, seems like only yesterday.

* I have written 5,716 blogs in the 14 almost 15  years since I first tested this thing called blogging out.

* No drone flights this weekend, do you believe that? Even had nice weather and time off.

* I'm still looking for a cheap riding lawn mower, if anyone knows of any, let me know.

* Michelle will be traveling back home this weekend, Jonny Paugh's Birthday Party.

* I am going to say this and I still mean this, I hate snow.

* They STILL have not found Mountie Python, the 15' snake that escaped in Sabraton last week. He even has his own twitter account.

* 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

Happy Birthday Josh Nicholson

I would like to take this opportunity to wish my great nephew a very Happy Birthday today. Seems like it was only yesterday that he entered into this world.

Not sure what Bobby or Val have planned for this fine young man today or in the near future, but you know it will be interesting.

If you happen to see Josh today, make sure that you take a little bit of time out and wish him a very Happy Birthday.

Happy Birthday Josh.

Monday

After a long and busy weekend it is time for me to head my butt back into the office to start another fun filled week of doing the office work. I'll still be out doing field work again this evening, so it's going to be a day of both jobs.

Looking at my week ahead, I'm going to have a pretty busy week in the office. I'm doing a lot of data collection with the GPS and out and about having fun with it.

No softball game tonight, it was supposed to be a Bye week for us and they have moved our schedule around and we play tomorrow evening, weather permitting. We'll use this week and next to finish out the regular season, and then start the playoffs in a couple of weeks. I guess that they are wanting to do a fall league this year, and they need us to finish up the summer league so that they can proceed.

Have yourselves a great day.

Hi ho hi ho

Sunday Morning Ramblings

Here I sit on a quiet Sunday Morning, Michelle is also up which means Peanut is dragging her butt out here as well. Spoiled Cat.

My schedule for the day, shopping, chores and back out into the field to work and try to get a few elusive interviews working for RTI. It's going to be a busy one, and Michelle and I haven't come up with a weekly menu yet, as it is a busy week ahead.

I stopped over to see Gerald at the Hospital yesterday, they had him transferred from Mon General to Ruby, then to a different floor than he was originally scheduled to go to. It was a day of waiting and waiting some more, as he is recovering from his surgery a few weeks ago.

Have yourselves a great day today, and make sure you use a little extra caution while driving around Morgantown today. Mountainfest is still going on and concludes this afternoon so there are probably still a number of guests here.

Hi ho hi ho

Saturday

Here I sit yet once again on a quiet Saturday Morning, I'm up collecting my thoughts on the day and have the movie Mighty Ducks D2 playing in the background. I'm being caffeinated by an ice cold glass of Diet Sunkist Orange Soda.

I first want to start off by saying if traveling  around Morgantown today, please use a little extra caution as we have a number of guests here for Mountainfest. So there are many two wheeled vehicles on the road doing some sight seeing, have a little patience driving around the area and especially town.

I'm out in the field working once again for RTI. I have a large segment this quarter and I'm just chugging along, fortunately it is one that is local and not too far, so I can get there in a matter of minutes. I've got a few more weeks of this every day working stuff, then it will slow down until October.

Nothing planned this weekend other than working and doing what we normally do on a weekend. Michelle is here this weekend, but will be traveling the next three weekends. Next weekend for a Birthday Party back home, then a girls event in Charleston with her Company and then she'll go back to Charleston and then to Letart Falls for a family reunion with her Dad's side of the family. So it'll be nice to have her home at least this weekend.

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.

My boring plans for the upcoming weekend? Pretty simple as I will once again be out in the field doing field work for RTI. I had a week when I went to San Diego that made this quarter a little more of a challenge, but I don't mind. I'm just happy to be working around town and at places where people have regimented schedules and are home for the summer.

Michelle is going in to work at the Vets. She will be doing some traveling over the next three weeks for kids birthdays, work and for a family reunion at Letart Falls where her Grandfather is buried.

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 is pretty self explanatory, it was a picnic that we had back in 1989. That was was captured on video as opposed to a last snapshot in time.

Enjoy

Hi ho hi ho

Brain Fart Wednesday

Hump Day

Two days down, two more ahead of us, that just means we need to get our butts up and over this noon time hump and we will be able to see the dawn of another weekend off in the distance.

I honestly have nothing to say. Life is pretty busy and sometimes you just need a little bit of a break and a breather.

I do know that my old company Sextant is going to be closing up shop and disbanding the company at the end of the month. Contracts change and new partnerships are formed. I think we had as many as 13 of us working for Dale, but all of us have either had to move to other contracts, or we had to switch to the Prime Contractor. They are down to the final three and all three of their futures at NETL have been established. Greatest boss and company anyone could ever want to work for. I'm sad to see such a great company close up shop.

Have yourselves a great day.

Hi ho hi ho

Tuesday's Tidbits

* My Monday is over with and it is still hot, time for a tidbits

* It has been 20,323 days since my birth, that fateful morning 21 years ago (by my calendar) when I first entered this world.

* It has been 5,546 days since I graduated from WVU with a Degree in Geography. I'm still loving it all these years later.

* 4,147 days ago Michelle and I had our first date together, it was truly the start of the rest of my life that night.

* 3,371 days ago I proposed to Michelle, she knew it was coming so it was no big surprise, but I had to make sure she was going to say yes.

* It was 2,902 days ago in front of our closest friends and family, Michelle and I were married at the Marilla Center. We feasted and that was an understatement.

* I have now lived 534 days longer than my Dad did, makes you realize how short his life was.

* I have 4,529 days to go until I retire, give or take a few hundred days here or there, like I said I love what I do and who knows when I would retire. Hell I may even go until I'm 70, who knows.

* The next Backyard brawl where we beat Pitt's ass in Football is only 1,136 days away. I'm ready to hear the altered version of Sweet Caroline.

* There are only 242 days until the start Spring 2020, or I could just move to San Diego where the weather is awesome 365 a year.

* 194 more days until Phil steps to center stage again for Groundhogs Day. I'm loving our Spring weather that we have been having.

* 178 more days to go until my Goodbye 2019 Blog is posted, where I relive the previous year through what was posted right here in my blog. I guess I should get back to writing some kind of meaningful content.

* There are 152 more shopping days left until Christmas 2019, you have plenty of time to prepare but lets enjoy the now and not worry about December.

* My next Anniversary of my 21st Birthday will be in 132 more days, this should be about my 35th Anniversary of it, or would it be the 14th Anniversary of the 21st Anniversary of my 21st Birthday?

* There are 14 more days to go until Michelle and I celebrate our Eighth Wedding Anniversary together, seems like only yesterday.

* I have written 5,708 blogs in the 14 almost 15  years since I first tested this thing called blogging out.

* No drone flights this weekend, do you believe that? Even had nice weather and time off.

* I have a new appreciate for Mexican Food after last week. OMG and everything we had was amazing.

* I'm still looking for a cheap riding lawn mower, if anyone knows of any, let me know.

* Michelle left her computer charging cable in Charleston, I went out and bought her a temporary replacement, hopefully she gets it back today.

* I am going to say this and I still mean this, I hate snow.

* They STILL have not found Mountie Python, the 15' snake that escaped in Sabraton last week. He even has his own twitter account.

* 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

Back at it again

My so called weekend when I worked for RTI both days are now over with, now it's time to head back into the office for another fun filled week of doing what it is we do for a living. Time to stick our collective noses back onto the grindstone and start another work week.

Oh what a weekend it was. I worked both days in this sweltering heat, Michelle worked as well and attended not one but two Baby Showers over the weekend. Ang's was Saturday afternoon and then Bethanies was after hers back in Morgantown. 

The good news from the weekend? I retired that keyboard I bought last week, I hated it and I went and bought another one like I had and like the one I have at work. I love my Microsoft - Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000 and anything I did on the computer was just wrong. Different spacing, hated the other ergonomic keyboard, I gave it to Michelle for her to take into work. All is kosher in the world of blog-land once again.

Softball game tonight, we need this one and we will be off next Monday. Fortunately we play the 7:00 game instead of the 6:00 game, so the heat won't be as bad.

Have yourselves a great day.

Hi ho hi ho

Sunday Morning Rambling

Here I sit in a quiet household this early AM, I'm up watching Three's Company reruns and collecting my thoughts for the day. Peanut is also up, but I think this is planning her escape for the day to run around and frolic.

It was a scorcher yesterday, and  by all signs today is not going to be any different. It's going to be another scorcher out there today and hopefully this week we will get a little bit of relief. I know I am ready for some nice weather, nice meaning lower or no humidity not this muggy stuff we have been experiencing.

Today's plans include us going grocery shopping at Krogers. We started going there about two months ago when WalMart wanted to scan my receipt when I walked out the store. We stopped shopping there and have taken our business to Gucci Krogers as it is so called and have actually saved money with a much wider selection.

There will be a trip to the bread store after that and then a return home to do a few things around the house before I head out to the field to work. Michelle is going to the vets to work so we'll both be busy this afternoon.

Have yourselves a great day

Hi ho hi ho

It's been 20 years.

It was 20 years ago today that we lost someone who was so influential in so many peoples lives even to this day.

July 20, 1999 was the day that my Dad passed away and left a heck of a legacy behind, some of which he never had the opportunity to meet. 

Six Children, Eight Grandchildren were his legacy that he had left behind. There are also Six Great-Grandchildren and soon to me a Seventh. 

A lot has happened in the 20 years that have passed in the years since his passing at an age younger than half of his children. There have been Picnics, Graduations, Marriages, Births, Deaths and a range of emotions from Joy and Laughter to Sorrow and Mourning So much has happened since his passing, but his memories and influence has been there every step of the way. 

The next generations have heard statements like "Roads are Getting Bad" or asking if you liked the potato or macaroni salad and then after acknowledging it was good to say "I cut my fingers three times making it". "I've had a Belly Full" when he was angry or after a large dinner he would ask if you want some Cheesecake, and after acknowledging you did he would say "Good so Do I, but we don't have none". 

He was a Coal Miner by Trade, but he was a Master Chef by passion. When I hear people talk of my Father, the Food and the Cookouts are always one of the first things mentioned. If you had ever had the honor of attending one, it would be one that you carry memories of to this day. Food was in large quantities, and a lot of different things. If there were 10 people for a cookout, he would prepare enough food for 50 just in case someone else would show up and he didn't want anyone to go hungry. 

Twenty Years. Time goes by too quick.

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.

Michelle spent last night in Charleston once again to head up the art walk. It's something her company does or participates in to help find shoes for the local children of Charleston and the surrounding area. She'll be working from that location today and coming home this evening. I'm holding down the fort as she is away.

My weekend ahead in no where near as fun as last weekend or the weekend before, it's just going to involve me going out and doing field work for RTI and meeting some new people along the way. Nothing too exciting is planned other than just getting back to our normal schedules and getting back to my regimented lifestyle.

Have yourselves a great day.

Hi ho hi ho

Happy Birthday Kynlea Dalton

I would like to take this opportunity to wish my Great-Niece Kylea Rae Dalton a very Happy Birthday today.

This little photogenic girl is an absolute bundle of joy to be around, I stole this picture from my nice Amy, I believe that just like last year that she took the kids to Idlewild Park over this past weekend, spoiled kids...lol

Let's see, if my math is correct and she was born on this date in 2012, that would make her 2,557 days old (that is 7 to you who use that antiquated 365 day Calendar. I can remember the day this little bundle of joy was born like it was yesterday. I know Ralpjie was looking forward to the steak the hospital served him that night.

If you happen to see this little bundle of joy today, make sure that you take a little bit of time out and wish her the happiest of Birthdays today.

Happy Birthday Kynlea.

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 was taken exactly one week ago, we are standing on a pier just past Seaworld in San Diego, the significance of it is that this is the first time in my life that I had ever gotten a chance to see the Pacific Ocean.

I had been in Conference all week and took Thursday morning to do a little bit of sight seeing and Michelle wanted me to see the Pacific. I can honestly say I have stood on our great country's East and now West Coast.

Have yourselves a great day

Hi ho hi ho

Hump Day

Two days down, to more ahead of us, that could only mean that if you peer up and over that dreaded noon time hump, you can see the dawn of another weekend off in the Distance. It's all downhill from here.

This is actually my slowest night of the week, I had Softball Monday Night, I worked last night and will work tomorrow night as Michelle will be in Charleston, so this is my one night this week when I can come home after my office job and actually relax a little bit.

You would think that after having a two week break (basically) from Blogging that that I would have a whole lot to talk about, truth be told that I really don't. Last week was filled with a bunch of information that a Geography Geek would like, someone who is into Digital Geospatial Data, but it would be boring to eveyone else. Need an example? Last week I got to meet Bill Moreland, he is the Senior Developer at ESRI and the guy responsible for ArcEdit and many of the Easter Eggs that were associated with the Software. Exciting to me, but pretty much boring to anyone who never used ArcEdit.

Have yourselves a great day.

Hi ho hi ho

Tuesday's Tidbits

* My Monday is over with. Michelle got word from Bernie the Big Blue Whale she met in San Diego that it I should do a tidbits today. Seems my blog of insignificant facts is big in the Blue Whale community.

* It has been 20,316 days since my birth, that fateful morning 21 years ago (by my calendar) when I first entered this world.

* It has been 5,539 days since I graduated from WVU with a Degree in Geography. I'm still loving it all these years later.

* 4,140 days ago Michelle and I had our first date together, it was truly the start of the rest of my life that night.

* 3,364 days ago I proposed to Michelle, she knew it was coming so it was no big surprise, but I had to make sure she was going to say yes.

* It was 2,895 days ago in front of our closest friends and family, Michelle and I were married at the Marilla Center. We feasted and that was an understatement.

* I have now lived 527 days longer than my Dad did, makes you realize how short his life was.

* I have 4,536 days to go until I retire, give or take a few hundred days here or there, like I said I love what I do and who knows when I would retire. Hell I may even go until I'm 70, who knows.

* The next Backyard brawl where we beat Pitt's ass in Football is only 1,143 days away. I'm ready to hear the altered version of Sweet Caroline.

* There are only 249 days until the start Spring 2020, or I could just move to San Diego where the weather is awesome 365 a year.

* 201 more days until Phil steps to center stage again for Groundhogs Day. I'm loving our Spring weather that we have been having.

* 185 more days to go until my Goodbye 2019 Blog is posted, where I relive the previous year through what was posted right here in my blog. I guess I should get back to writing some kind of meaningful content.

* There are 159 more shopping days left until Christmas 2019, you have plenty of time to prepare but lets enjoy the now and not worry about December.

* My next Anniversary of my 21st Birthday will be in 139 more days, this should be about my 35th Anniversary of it, or would it be the 14th Anniversary of the 21st Anniversary of my 21st Birthday?

* There are 21 more days to go until Michelle and I celebrate our Eighth Wedding Anniversary together, seems like only yesterday.

* I have written 5,700 blogs in the 14 almost 15  years since I first tested this thing called blogging out.

* No drone flights this weekend, do you believe that? Even had nice weather and time off.

* I have a new appreciate for Mexican Food after last week. OMG and everything we had was amazing.

* I'm still looking for a cheap riding lawn mower, if anyone knows of any, let me know.

* I lost my Beats X at the Airport coming home, so I bought a pair of AirPods to work with my iPhone.

* I had to buy a new keyboard before I left for San Diego, I spilled soda on mine and it quit working. I like ergonomic keyboards but this Logitech one is taking some getting used to. I like my Microsoft one better.

* They STILL have not found Mountie Python, the 15' snake that escaped in Sabraton last week. He even has his own twitter account.

* 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

Well my week away from the office for the Conference is over with, now it's time to stick our collective noses back onto the Grindstone for another fun filled week of doing what it is we do for a living.

Today I get to lug a bunch of materials I got at the ESRI Conference into my office and organize them. I'll probably be spending half the day filling out my expense report for the trip and getting all the receipts together so that I can pay off the corporate card.

I do get to hit the Softball Field this evening, we are 2-2 and I have managed to make it to one single game this season so far. I had to miss one regularly scheduled game and one makeup game while I was in San Diego last week.

This week is going to be a busy one for me, back to the office where I'm GPSing a number of features, plus I'm back at it for RTI. I went out yesterday afternoon, so my streak starts from yesterday. I am refreshed however and ready for the challenge.

Have yourselves a great day

Hi ho hi ho

Sunday

Here I sit on a quiet Sunday Morning, today will be the start of a new consecutive days working streak since I took a little time and re-adjusted to the east coast and got a number of chores done that needed to get done.

Todays agenda will be doing our grocery shopping and the things we normally do on a Sunday morning, then this afternoon I'm going back out into the field to start working for RTI once again. The break from doing the field work was nice, now it's time to get back to doing what I do for one of my two jobs.

I bought a pair of AirPods yesterday, I ended up losing my BeatsX on Friday between getting off the airplane, grabbing the luggage and getting back to the car, I somehow lost my wireless headphones. So yesterday I went and got a pair of AirPods to go along with my iPhone. I really liked those Beats, but I'm not too upset as I got them at a very discounted price on sale. I was looking into either getting the AirPods or a pair of Bose and I chose the Airpods because of all the customizing you can do as well as the functionality with my iPhone.

Have yourselves a great day.

Hi ho hi ho

What a Week

Hey everyone, we made it home late last night after a day of traveling from the West Coast. I'm up a little early trying to readjust my schedule to the East Coast and watching Fletch on the boob tube.

We had a great time in San Diego, the highlight of the trip for Michelle was seeing a giant blue whale (See pic) that was in excess of over 100' long. She took an 3 hour tour to whale watch and they it the absolute jackpot. She said her boat was a 97' boat and the whale was bigger than the boat. I asked her what the highlight of her trip was, and it was this.

For me, I had a great Conference, I was just a kid in a candy store. It was an experience to be around 17,086 other Geeks and discussing what it is we passionately do for a living. I was able to attend a number of useful workshops and learn a few things that will assist me in the future.

One of the strangest things to happen to Michelle was on Thursday Morning, we traveled to Coronado Island across the Bay to sight see, and on our way back and as we were trying to get to the Conference, we somehow got stuck in a Vice Presidential Motorcade as Mike Pence was going to the Island as we were leaving.

It was a great trip, but it is also just as enjoyable to return home.

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 4

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.

While this is not the last day of the Conference, it pretty much is as there are a couple sessions tomorrow morning and it winds up at Noon. This will be my last day here as Michelle and I will be heading back to West Virginia tomorrow.

I'll be attending one more day of specialized training, and maybe spending a little time with Michelle. With Sunday being a travel day and tomorrow being a travel day, my billable hours are going to be way up this week, so today may mostly be our day. There are a few things I would like to see however, so I'll probably be going to the convention center for part of the day.

There is a big social gathering tonight, Michelle and I are still debating if we want to attend or not. I guess we'll play it by ear.

Have yourselves a great day.

ESRI Users Conference Day 3

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.

Today is going to be another day like yesterday, a continuation of seeing new technologies and a chance to see in what ways others are using this technology in innovative ways. I think I am on the cusp of one myself with the development of a Federal asset validation tool that I have been working on for the last year or so. There is one other National Lab that has done something similar, but I'm wanting something robust, accurate and that can produce real time information and have the spatial database to support the numbers.

There are a number of sessions today that will help me address that and beyond. I'll be attending about any and all training I can fit into my schedule where there is no conflict. Printing out the full agenda, it's 187 pages in length, now it is up to me to determine what I want to see and where and hope it doesn't conflict with other things in the same time slots. I'm just a kid in a candy store here, but I have already planned what I would like to see.

This evening I'll be attending the Department of Energy's GIS Users group. We met in January and it's nice to be able to meet, put faces and names to some pretty important people including those at Headquarters.

I may even find a few RTI people here.

Have yourselves 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.

Day One of Users Conference

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.

Today I will be at the San Diego Convention Center and on the agenda is a day of Plenary Sessions with some very special guersts. Jack Dangermond the founder of ESRI will speak and will have some very special guests to also speak to us today. Being that this is my third users conference, I've been to two Federal Users Conferences in Washington DC including the one earlier this year, I kind of know that this first day is a day of listening to people speak and this particular one is going to be the largest one ever. It's also the 50th Anniversary of ESRI and this is the Super Bowl of GIS.

Today will be filled with me sitting and listening to people speak, Michelle on the other hand is probably going to be enjoying herself at the San Diego Zoo. We're both going to have very memorable days.

We'll probably grab something to eat this evening somewhere local, as we can get a good nights sleep in anticipation of tomorrows festivities.

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.

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.

Today is pretty much going to be a going through the motions day for me at work. We had off yesterday for the 4th, it's kind of a one day work week where most of the people are going to be extending their weekends by taking today off and it's my last day in the office until July the 15th as I'll be at the ESRI Conference in San Diego all next week. Monday I will be meeting Jane Goodall and spending some time with the Father of my profession Jack Dangermond, who is about as down to earth as anyone you would ever meet.

This evening Michelle and I will be going out to dinner and pretty much getting our packing done. I'm working tomorrow morning, and then we are off to Pittsburgh tomorrow afternoon to relax and get a goods nights sleep in preparation for a long day of travel on Sunday.

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.

I just thought that being this is the 4th of July, I would go and grab a picture from one of the Friends and Family Picnics we used to have at Krepps Park. There was no Picnic last year and this year Michelle and I are getting ready to travel so we are both busy, so no picnic this year either. However I did enjoy doing them and we actually contemplated on having another one this year, until San Diego became more of a reality for me.

We did four of these picnics, the first one was in 2014 and was basically a Christmas in July for Jean as she was battling pancreatic cancer. The first couple of years I thought were very successful and were very memorable to both me and Michelle.

Have yourselves a great day today, find you some fireworks and have a ball.

Hump Day

Happy 4th of July Eve, and it is also a Wednesday and the toughest blog of the week for me to write.

My big question for today is am I going to get an early release or am I going to have to work the entire day. An early release just means I head out to work for RTI a little earlier, a full day means I leave work at my normal time to head out in the field. It's going to be a long day either way.

Michelle is going to go in and have a probe stuck on her head for the next 48 hours, this is due to her episode a couple weeks ago that put her in the Emergency room for most of the day. Relax, everything came back normal and she feels fine now, they are just trying to see if they can see what is causing these episodes again. She'll be wearing it until Friday when she goes in and has it removed.

Our plans for tomorrow, probably just throw some burgers and dogs on the grill and stay home. I'm OK with that.

Have yourselves a great day

Hi ho hi ho

Tuesday's Tidbits

* Monday is once again behind us and I actually enjoyed another traditional two day weekend, but those are now over for me for a while. Time for a tidbits

* It has been 20,302 days since my birth, that fateful morning 21 years ago (by my calendar) when I first entered this world.

* It has been 5,525 days since I graduated from WVU with a Degree in Geography, a field I have come to really love and appreciate.

* 4,126 days ago Michelle and I had our first date together, it was truly the start of the rest of my life that night.

* 3,350 days ago I proposed to Michelle, she knew it was coming so it was no big surprise, but I had to make sure she was going to say yes.

* It was 2,881 days ago in front of our closest friends and family, Michelle and I were married at the Marilla Center. We were married by a co-worker of hers that had this on his bucket list of things to do, so we honored his request.

* I have now lived 513 days longer than my Dad did, makes you realize how short his life was.

* I have 4,550 days to go until I retire, give or take a few hundred days here or there, like I said I love what I do and who knows when I would retire. Hell I may even go until I'm 70, who knows.

* The next Backyard brawl where we beat Pitt's ass in Football is only 1,157 days away. I'm ready to hear the altered version of Sweet Caroline.

* There are only 263 days until the start Spring 2020

* 215 more days until Phil steps to center stage again for Groundhogs Day. I'm loving our Spring weather that we have been having.

* 199 more days to go until my Goodbye 2019 Blog is posted, where I relive the previous year through what was posted right here in my blog. I guess I should get back to writing some kind of meaningful content.

* There are 173 more shopping days left until Christmas 2019, you have plenty of time to prepare but lets enjoy the now and not worry about December.

* My next Anniversary of my 21st Birthday will be in 153 more days, this should be about my 35th Anniversary of it, or would it be the 14th Anniversary of the 21st Anniversary of my 21st Birthday?

* There are 35 more days to go until Michelle and I celebrate our Eighth Wedding Anniversary together, seems like only yesterday.

* 5 Days until Michelle and I jump on an Airplane and head to San Diego for a week.

* I have written 5,686 blogs in the 14 1/2 years since I first tested this thing called blogging out.

* No drone flights this weekend, do you believe that? Even had nice weather and time off.

* We do have Ice back from the shop, but we are going to leave her here in Morgantown for the week as we go to San Diego.

* I'm still looking for a cheap riding lawn mower, if anyone knows of any, let me know.

* I'm getting excited, I've never seen the Pacific Ocean and the furthest west I have been is Las Vegas.

* They STILL have not found Mountie Python, the 15' snake that escaped in Sabraton last week. He even has his own twitter account.

* 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 and my time off are now officially over with, now it is time to take our collective noses and stick them back on the grindstone for another fun filled week of doing what it is we do for a living, and in my case my two jobs.

It's going to be a short week for me as the 4th of July is this week, a day that I am planning on taking off from both jobs and staying home with my lovely wife and putting some kind of meat on the BBQ and grilling it.

No softball games this evening, we did have a make up game last week that I couldn't make it to. We lost that one 6-9 and are now 1-1 on the season. We play next week, but I'll be in San Diego and won't make that game either.

It should be a slow week at the office, many people are away on vacation and I have nothing on my calendar for the week. It's just a slow time of the year that people tend to take their vacations and are not around, but that can always change at the drop of a hat.

Have yourselves a great day.

Hi ho hi ho