Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded in owktree's LiveJournal:

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Friday, June 23rd, 2006
6:31 pm	Photos http://s29.photobucket.com/albums/c292/owktree/ Well, this is basically my dump for photos from various trips, around the house, and miscellaneous stuff that I'm interested in. If you want more information you'll have to leave a comment, or send me an email. Current Mood: calm Current Music: If I Could Read Your Mind - Gordon Lightfoot (Comment on this)
6:13 pm	Funerals and Geneology The running extended family joke is "we only see each other at weddings and funerals." Well, the crop of first cousins once removed are mainly married, so it's mainly the latter events now. At this point it's my aunts that are going, all elder sisters of my father. One of the four died just after Easter at the age of 80. I got out to Johnstown (PA) from Philly by renting a car and taking a day off. My brother came down from western NY that same night and got in about 2am. Funeral the next morning, internment at the cemetary there, and a group meal nearby. [This is the same aunt whose birthday party I referred to earlier in this LJ.] Relatives out of the woodwork. Cousins I hadn't seen from that branch of the family for years, new children, and seeing all three of my other aunts for the first time in a while. Gets me realizing how big the greater clan is. Plus the funeral mass being done by a 2nd cousin who is a priest. Soon after that funeral another of my aunts who had been ailing recently was diagnosed as having advanced liver cancer. Essentially a terminal with a live expectancy under three months. Not a lot of time, but enough for her children to visit, make arrangements, and then it was hospice care at the house of one of her daughters. And, to keep everyone updated there was a LJ kept on how things were progressing. Things took their course and she died just over a week ago at the age of 86. So... my brother and I met again in Johnstown for another funeral this past Sunday. A larger turnout since this aunt had had 10 children, had 40+ grandchildren, and so forth. Funeral mass at the same church, internment in the family plot elsewhere (same cemetary and adjacent to my parents' resting place), and then a meal. (Food seems to be a uniting thing in my family.) Another opportunity to meet first cousins I hadn't seen in 20-30 years, plus meeting various cousins (once removed and/or second cousins) for the first time since this is a different branch of the family than the first funeral. On to the geneology part. Running about repeatedly in rural western Pennsylvania got me curious about tracking down whether the gravesites of my direct ancestors were known. Checking in the cemetary my parents are in led to me finding the grave of one of my great-grandfathers (paternal side). Some more poking around on-line got me a location for the other paternal great-grandfather, and the great-great-grandfather as well (born 1822). Haven't visited there yet, but some map work indicated the probable location. As expected, quite close (~8 miles) to the town my father grew up in. Time for some exploration. (Comment on this)
6:05 pm	Live, the Universe, and Everything! A very low-key celebration of my 42nd birthday. Did dinner with my brother last week before attending a funeral. (My brother's birthday is a bit more than two weeks before mine, so we do joint celebrations like that.) Had a lunch appointment with my financial advisor plus golf planned for the afternoon. Given the constant rain yesterday and today golf was canceled, but lunch was good. Good local spot in Arnold, PA that basically does "American food" and lots of good soups. Good day for soup. Morning was ho-hum. Car in shop for maintenance and new tires (overdue since I've been in Philly about 75% of the time.) So I sat in the waiting room with the laptop doing project documentation work and other minor tasks. Afternoon and early evening has been puttering around the house and typing stuff on the computer. Put a baffle on the bird feeder to keep the raccoons out of it. And discovered that the local groundhog has eaten all the leaves off of half the morning glories in the backyard. Getting close to declaring war on the local mammal population. Other yard tasks today while getting rained on was putting up a suet feeder for the local birds (mainly the woodpeckers, chickadees, and nuthatches). Since the morning glories have reached the top of the lower trellis I put up some string for them to climb next. (And that I'll document with a few photos at some point.) Current Mood: calm Current Music: Sundown - Gordon Lightfoot (Comment on this)
Saturday, April 1st, 2006
8:18 pm	Putting Things on top of Other Things Quick weekend home between weeklong jaunts to Philadelphia... Home stuff is fairly boring, but a lot to do: 1. Catch up on sleep (staying in Center City {downtown} Philly is *noisy*) 2. Garden stuff as spring has arrived (some of my plants opted to start on their own) 3. House stuff - caught in midstream trying to sort out a lot of items (not junk, just the detrius of life that accumulates) and the massive piles of books I have. 4. Taxes - time to do my bit to fund the war effort, local schools, roads etc. Part of being a citizen and a workable alternative to everything being pay as you go. Amazingly enough the cats have decided I'm still worth hanging around with when I'm there. And they don't flee upon sight of me as if I'm a stranger. The actual time in Philly is pretty straightforward as well. When I'm there I stay in a hotel close to my office with the project, or in an apartment nearby (i.e. ~2 blocks) that is assigned to an upper level manager who is not in Philadelphia that often. When he is in Philly, I'm in the hotel - otherwise I get to use the apartment. The apartment is quite useful since I now have a 5 day supply of clothes stockpiled there and no longer have to haul luggage back and forth. Plus there's more room, a kitchen to store snacks in, and the ability to cook a meal if I want. (In fact, I did a full meal last week and invited the four other "exiles" to dinner. A bit of work, but it went well.) Meals most of the time are going out with some (or all) the other Pittsburgh folk on the project full-time. I'm on it about 75%, so I get to spend weeks in Pittsburgh now and then. The other four are going to Philly *every* week; thus the term "exiles" I use for them. The transit back and forth has morphed as well. Earlier this year I was mainly driving myself to Philly on Sunday and driving back on Friday. For multi-week stays I often stayed in Philly over the weekend, or used the opportunity to go visit friends in the East Coast area (northern New Jersey, Baltimore, etc.) The main downside to this was parking cost (which is expensed eventually). I could fly, but there are a number of annoyances there that I prefer to avoid. The option I've been doing lately is van-pooling the trip with the "exiles". Meet at one of the Sunoco sites Sunday afternoon (same one I work at), pack up, and do the 5 hour drive west down the turnpike. Reverse the trip on Friday afternoon. Since we rotate drivers you get some relaxation time. A lot less cargo room for stuff, but you have people to talk to, the option to doze (if you're not driving...), and even time used to talk shop about the project (usually on Friday afternoon since we leave early.) Current Mood: calm Current Music: Live - Throwing Copper (Comment on this)
Monday, January 16th, 2006
8:52 pm	Long time, no update... Home with a cold, so time to catch up. The Philadelphia trips continue. Looks like I'll be spending roughly every other week out there. The projeect work is ramping up - and I need to catch up to date with a lot of new knowledge regarding software, security issues, connectivily (getting our contractors access to the dev machine via VPN), plus everything else. Career building stuff for the most part - and supporting my decisions last year to cut back on stuff knowing that this was going to be a major time eater. Central City (downtown) Philly isn't too bad. A bit noisy at night, but I've generally adjusted. Not hard to find decent places to eat, or stuff to do if I want to go out. I'll have to save a weekend or two when I'm out there to do the touristy stuff - the main group of museums is nearby, and the old town (Independence Hall, waterfront, etc.) is a slightly extended walk away. I've also been pretty good about using the location to make visits in that general area - New Jersey, Baltimore, etc. Might as well use the displacement while I'm there. On the home front this has basically cramped stuff. Not getting a lot of house/yard/garden stuff done. Luckily, I have a friend willing to feed the cats and bring the mail in. He's been a life saver - and is getting compensated as well via gifts from the cats. :) (Comment on this)
Thursday, December 29th, 2005
7:40 pm	Meme (Harry Potter related) From Ashtur. Slytherpuff, eh? Sounds like a breakfast cereal! You're a Slytherpuff!: This is a rare combination but those that are true Slytherpuffs are not people you want to make your enemy. You take loyalty very seriously and if someone gives you their word you expect them to keep it. You either project a cold exterior and have a heart of gold inside or you seem all cuddly and nice on the outside and you are ruthless on the inside. People frequently underestimate you but this usually suits your purpose. Whoever has your loyalty is a very lucky person because you will fight tooth and nail to protect them. You have a protective streak and you like to champion the underdog. In life, experience has taught you that it's better not to be too idealistic or expect to much of other people. Still, deep inside you, you still have hope that everything will always turn out for the best. Your weakness is that sometimes you trust blindly, follow without question and this can lead you into trouble. With the loyalty of a Hufflepuff and the ruthlessness of a Slytherin you are a formidable person! Which Mix of the Hogwarts Houses are You? brought to you by Quizilla Current Mood: calm Current Music: Offspring (Comment on this)
Sunday, December 18th, 2005
8:44 am	Exile III Well, off to Philly again. Might deal with some snow on the way as well. 3-4 days of work then up to NY state for a few vacation days and some rest. Current Mood: calm Current Music: Holst - The Planets (Comment on this)
Saturday, December 17th, 2005
10:09 am	Color Quiz (meme) This one is making the rounds and getting some reviews saying it's above the ordinary in "being right" without being fortune-cookie-like general and applicable to anyone. Could just be how the wording is done, but it does score some hits. OWKtree took the free ColorQuiz.com personality test! "His need to feel more causative and to have a wide..." Click here to read the rest of the results. Current Mood: awake Current Music: The Talking Heads (Comment on this)
Friday, December 16th, 2005
9:52 pm	Boingy Boingy Boingy Well, first time home in almost two weeks. Five inches of snow in the driveway, piles of mail and email, and the cats going "who are you?". Just got finished catching up on everything and it's almost time for bed. So I get an exciting Saturday of doing laundry and finishing up the Christmas shopping. Sunday is packing up and driving *back* to Philadelphia again. Yep, I'm needed for more meetings and such next week on the project. At this point I'm simply going to pack extra stuff, take an extra day off next Friday, and drive from Philly to my brother's place in western New York for Christmas. Boils down to the fact I'll end up spending approximately four days in December actually home. And this schedule will probably continue on and off for the next year or so. Bleh. Current Mood: aggravated Current Music: The Talking Heads (Comment on this)
9:51 pm	Meme... You taste like chicken. Your succulent thighs, legs, wings, and breasts melt in the mouth. Your crunchy outer coating barely hides the juiciness within. How do you taste? brought to you by Quizilla That was a bit unexpected... Current Mood: tired Current Music: The Talking Heads (Comment on this)
Saturday, December 3rd, 2005
9:41 pm	Winter wonder land Drive tomorrow to Philadelphia is not looking fun. I'd prefer to to most of the driving in daylight - but given the area is expecting 1-3 inches of snow by noon tomorrow delay might be the better option. More time for the roads to be cleared and the storm to get ahead of me -- since I'll end up chasing it across the state. All the arrangements for the trip have gone pretty well. Have the hotel reservations done, got a list of stuff to do on the side once I'm there. The new laptop got most of the software I need on it as well. And on the in-between weekend I'll visit a fraternity brother in New Jersey and deliver some X-mas gifts. On the home side I'm caught up on laundry and dishes, and have someone coming in to feed the cats and get the mail out of the box. Plus, in the nick of time, the butcher called and I just put about 40 pounds of venison in the freezer. So I get to now hang out in downtown Philadelphia for two weeks on the company's dime. Should be an opportunity to finish up the X-mas shopping and catch up on correspondence during the evenings. Downside is that it's pretty noisy at night and I probably won't sleep that well. Oh well, the price paid for being able to *walk* to the office in the morning. Current Mood: peaceful Current Music: Alan Parsons Project - I, Robot (Comment on this)
9:40 pm	Questions Borrowed this one from saberwing... YOU CAN ASK ME SIX QUESTIONS:: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. ^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v No matter how random, revealing, naughty or pointless -=-=-=-=--=-=-=-=--=-=-=-=--=-=-=-=--=-=-=-=--=-=-=-=--=-= I promise to answer them 100% truthfully -=-=-=-=--=-=-=-=--=-=-=-=--=-=-=-=--=-=-=-=--=-=-=-=--=-= [[[Re-post this to see what others ask you...]]] 100% truthfully, but not nessecarily (sp?) where others can read said answers,,, (3 Comments |Comment on this)
Thursday, December 1st, 2005
7:28 pm	Travel... But first, a meme. (courtesy of Ashtur) "If you read this, if your eyes are passing over this right now, (even if we don't speak often) please post a comment with a COMPLETELY MADE UP AND FICTIONAL memory of you and me. It can be anything you want - good or bad - BUT IT HAS TO BE FAKE. When you're finished, post this little paragraph on your blog and be surprised (or mortified) about what people DON'T ACTUALLY remember about you." =================================================== Exile Part II about to begin. Two weeks in Philadelphia working on project stuff. Winter weather now - but the weekend looks clear enough for the initial drive east. Equipped with a laptop now, so I'll have all my little extras necessary for doing regular job support just in case. Thanksgiving went well. Saw my brother and his family, and my niece just turned 10. She's getting a bit michievious now - which led to her getting held by her ankles and dunked into a snowdrift at one point. :) For her birthday I added to her Lego collection (Vikings fighting a dragon - the dragon itself is a pretty cool construction.) Rest of the weekend time was going to a hockey game (AHL level), some folk over for dinner, and basically hanging about the house. Immediate post-Thanksgiving was the opening of deer season in Pennsylvania. 4-hour drive from my brother's down to the hunting camp in west central PA on Sunday. (I arrive late to some degree to avoid too much interaction with my friend's cousin's buddies who sometimes get a bit annoying.) Out in the woods at daybreak on Monday - much warmer than usual. Didn't see anything at all (other than another hunter). Long story short is that I missed a shot at a deer about 10 am, and then shot one about 12:30pm. Nothing after that. And I didn't go out in the woods at all on Tuesday since it was pouring rain. So I left for home a bit early and missed the creek coming over its banks and essentially flooding the hunting camp that evening. All in all a good seven days. Saw relatives, a good hockey game, ate good food, got to walk about the woods for exercise, plus will shortly have 40-50lbs of venison in the freezer for the upcoming year. Current Mood: calm Current Music: Simon and Garfunkel - Greatest Hits (Comment on this)
Wednesday, November 30th, 2005
10:09 pm	Meme Cute Animal meme - courtesy of socratic_me (via Okie_boy) You Are A: Turtle! These reptiles, famous for their hard outer shells, spent their days roaming for food and relaxing in the water. As a turtle you are not very speedy, nor are you soft and cuddly. You tend to hide in your shell and you aren't much of a sprinter, but you are quite tough. You also happen to be as cute as you are fascinating. You were almost a: Bear Cub or a Frog You are least like a: Puppy or a SquirrelCute Animal Quiz! Current Mood: tired Current Music: Alison Krause and Union Station (Comment on this)
Saturday, November 19th, 2005
10:32 pm	Saturday Night Not a party night for me. Spent the early evening visiting a fellow Triangle who I have known since 1981 or so. He has the wife and two kids and I don't - so I went over there and took him some food. :) Was a good day. Cool (30s-40s) but clear. Did a pile of running around in the late morning, birthday present for my niece (LEGO) and stocking up on cat food for the upcoming trips. Put in about 80 miles on the car going to the various places. Then back home to do chores around the house (mainly finishing up the yard work - raking leaves and such.) Then went and watching college football games until 9pm before coming home. Pathetically quiet compared to the stuff I read on other people's LJs, but perfectly fine with me spend a calm weekend. If the weather holds tomorrow it'll be more of the same. Mow the lawn for the last time, and if the hay comes I'll give all the outdoor plants some cover for the winter. Rest of the day will be some football watching, laundry, and housecleaning. Lots of upcoming travel. On the road for a week for Thanksgiving, and then a few days of vacation. Up to visit my brother for 4-5 days, and then from there direct to my friend's father's hunting camp for the first two days of deer season here in Pennsylvania. Time to see if I can restock the vension supply for the upcoming year. December itself already looks busy. Two weeks already scheduled for working on the big project in Philadelphia. Luckily, it looks like all the other older small projects won't get in the way of this at all. Will need to ramp up my technical reading between now and then. Tons and tons of stuff to read up on regarding the architecture, support, and backgroun functions I'll be supporting once we start installing the software. (hmm, I didn't mention this before -- we're installing SAP...) Current Mood: satisfied Current Music: Iron Maiden - Flight of Icarus (Comment on this)
10:31 pm	Quizzes! #5 Not a WOW player, but here's something for Frank to nag me about if I ever start. :) <td> <table border="0" width="450" bgcolor="#000000"> Gnome Warlock Gnomes are strange little things. Fascinated with gadgets and shiny things, gnomes are often plotting and planning - but are pretty smart, despite all the explosions. You're a creepy, creepy warlock. You delight in the darker things in life - such as setting people on fire, and delight in the macabre. You'd probably fake your own death just to freak people out by getting up from the casket at your funeral. Find out your real-life WoW race and class at QuizGalaxy.com </td> </table> Current Mood: devious Current Music: Alan Parsons Project - I, Robot (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Friday, November 18th, 2005
6:56 pm	Quizzes! #4 Meme action from Ashtur... You scored as Moya (from Farscape). You are surrounded by muppets. But that is okay because they are your friends and have shown many times that they can be trusted. Now if only you could stop being bothered about wormholes. </td> Moya (from Farscape) 69% Nebuchadnezzar (from The Matrix) 63% Millennium Falcon (from Star Wars) 63% Serenity (from Firefly) 63% Enterprise D (from Star Trek) 44% SG-1 (from Stargate) 44% Galactica (from Battlestar: Galactica) 44% Bebop (from Cowboy Bebop) 31% Your Ultimate Sci-Fi Profile: which sci-fi crew would you best fit in? (pics) created with QuizFarm.com Current Mood: chipper (Comment on this)
Thursday, November 17th, 2005
9:14 pm	Apple-ly Goodness Thanksgiving potluck tomorrow at work so I'm baking two pies to take in... I massively prefer cooking something for these rather than volunteering to bring in something boring like plates, napkins, or some store bought items. Lets me dig into the recipe books and either experiment or make something I haven't produced in a while. I also generally like cooking/baking in general and just don't do it often enough since I'm usually just feeding myself (and some extras for the cats depending on what it is.) Current Music: Offspring - "Gone Away (Comment on this)
9:13 pm	Quizzes! #3 Another one from okie_boy... You are 'Latin'. Even among obsolete skills, the tongue of the ancient Romans is a real anachronism. With its profusion of different cases and conjugations, Latin is more than a language; it is a whole different way of thinking about things. You are very classy, meaning that you value the classics. You value old things, good things which have stood the test of time. You value things which have been proven worthy and valuable, even if no one else these days sees them that way. Your life is touched by a certain 'pietas', or piety; perhaps you are even a Stoic. Nonetheless, you have a certain fascination with the grotesque and the profane. Also, the modern world rejects you like a bad transplant. Your problem is that Latin has been obsolete for a long time. What obsolete skill are you? brought to you by Quizilla Current Mood: giddy Current Music: Offspring - "Self Esteem" (Comment on this)
Wednesday, November 16th, 2005
8:26 pm	Quizzes! #2 courtesy of Ashtur - who unsurprisingly scored as Oscar the Grounch. (hmm, and a dwarf in Middle Earth, is there a pattern developing here?) Which Sesame Street character are you... Bert You scored 72% Organization, 48% abstract, and 38% extroverted! This test measured 3 variables. First, this test measured how organized you are. Some muppets like Cookie Monster make big messes, while others like Bert are quite anal about things being clean. Second, this test measured if you prefer a concrete or an abstract viewpoint. For the purposes of this test, concrete people are considered to gravitate more to mathematical and logical approaches, whereas abstract people are more the dreamers and artistic type. Third, this test measured if you are more of an introvert or an extrovert. By definition, an introvert concentrates more on herself and an extrovert focuses more on others. In this test an introvert was somebody that either tends to spend more time alone or thinks more about herself. You are very organized, both concrete and abstract, and more introverted. Here is why are you Bert. You are both very organized. You almost always know where your belongings are and you prefer things neat. You may even enjoy cleaning and find it therapeutic. Bert is a big neat freak and gets quite annoyed when Ernie makes a big mess. You both are sometimes concrete and sometimes abstract thinkers. Bert is probably a bit more concrete in his bottlecap collecting addiction and his love of the weather. He does show his abstract side when he sings and performs his "Doin' The Pidgeon" song. You have a good balance in your life. You know when to be logical at times, but you also aren't afraid to explore your dreams and desires... within limits of course. You are both introverted. Bert can be grumpy and doesn't get along well with most other folks. Often he gets frustrated by their ignorance. For whatever reason you are uncomfortable in social settings. You may have one or two people that you are close with. You'd rather do things by yourself and you dislike working in groups where things are always so inefficient. The other possible characters are Oscar the Grouch Big Bird Snuffleupagus Ernie Elmo Kermit the Frog Grover Cookie Monster Guy Smiley The Count If you enjoyed this test, I would love the feedback! Also if you want to tell me your favorite Sesame Street character, I can total them up and post them here. Perhaps your choice will win! My test tracked 3 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender: free online dating free online dating You scored higher than 87% on Organization free online dating free online dating You scored higher than 32% on concrete-abstra free online dating free online dating You scored higher than 10% on intro-extrovert If you liked my test, send it to your friends! The Your SESAME STREET Persona Test http://www.okcupid.com/tests/take?testid=4525550649363613939 Current Mood: bouncy Current Music: None (Comment on this)