Pittsburgh Trip - Day 2

I realized very early today that my cold was almost completely gone!  Actually, I really hadn't noticed it yesterday either but it felt good to "return to normal."  My morning began when I woke up at 0600 (before my alarm) at the Staybridge Suites (Pittsburgh).  I had time for reading, puzzles and Duolingo exercises before I got online for work (0615).  After checking my email and clearing work items from my desktop, I went to breakfast in the Lobby of the Hotel (0645).  There were a LOT of people there from something called "Trinity Solar" (they were wearing matching shirts) but, luckily, I found a chair to eat my food.  Back in my room, I returned to teleworking and then got ready for my Installation activities for the week.  Outside, it was very rainy and cooler (high 30s).  At 0800, I departed the hotel and drove through the weather (mostly on I-376 Business) for about 15 minutes to the north.  Before long, I reached the Pittsburgh International Airport.  This was the first time I visited this place since I'd landed on the runway a few times while in the Navy.  Entry into the airport complex was a lot different by car, though, and I was glad that I left early because it gave me a chance to check out the access requirements.  Since I was there early, I was able to talk to everyone on site before the rest of our Installation crew arrived (0830).  Once we got started with our project, we dealt with badging issues, space dilemmas (where to put our stuff?) and logistical challenges.  In the end, we had to carry pallets of stuff up a few flights of stairs but we worked through all of the issues.  This was my first time working with Damien (Site Installation Lead for our Contractor) and I found him to be quite easygoing and knowledgeable.  I also got to meet Stacy, one of the Program Manager types from company headquarters.  The only other members of the team that I'd met before were Lorenzo and Charlie.  Among the group, we had a good chat about lessons learned since we'd last been together.  Things have been going pretty well but there have been a few hiccups (for various reasons).  Crossing my fingers for a lack of drama at Pittsburgh...  For a lot of the day, I tried to assist the on-site rep, Gavin, who had never been involved in anything like this.  He was eager and interested, though, and even watched a lot of our unpacking and testing.  Most everything went just like it normally has but there was one scare - some equipment that was installed on site back in the 2012/2013 timeframe could not be located.  Since I'd seen this issue before, I worked with the local personnel to track down the items - eventually we located the old computers in a cabinet.  I guess it's a good thing we are doing this technology refreshment...  When we were finally done with all our Installation preparations and had coordinated our system outage for the following night, I left the airport (1500) and returned to the hotel (arrived at 1515).  Once in my room again, I resumed teleworking and stayed at it until I reached my 8 hours for the day (1600).  The rest of the afternoon included catching up on blog stuff, working on finances and continuing plans for my upcoming European Adventure.  At 1730, I went downstairs to the lobby to join the nightly social hour.  This time, there were green beans, rice and pork chops.  The food was very good!  There were also some flat bread slices and a free beer (I got a Yuengling again).  I was still eating in the Lobby of the hotel when Scott S (a former Navy Shipmate) finally got back to me about getting together for dinner or a drink (1755).  Despite the late hour (and the fact I'd just eaten), I told him I still wanted to meet up.  He suggested the Industry Public House, which was so close to my hotel that I was actually able to walk (across the Sam's Club parking lot) to it.  Even though it was raining, I was glad to get the extra steps - my umbrella was mostly effective...  At 1815, I arrived at the restaurant and found Scott and his sons.  After nearly 25 years, it felt like old times as we settled into sea stories.  Even though I was mostly full, I still ordered a snack (buffalo chicken and macaroni flatbread pizza) and local beer (Copper Ale from IPH).  Understandably, I didn't finish much of my new food - it will be nice to have leftovers tomorrow.  Overall, it was great to visit and catch up.  Scott's sons weren't too enthusiastic but I guess they had no say in whether they came with us.  We stayed at the restaurant until about 1915 and, after saying goodbye, I walked back (no rain this time) to the hotel (arrived at 1930).  In my room again, I spent time relaxing and trying to psych myself up for more activity.  Frankly, I wasn't very motivated... Finally, at 2140, I went to the hotel Fitness Center and biked for 20 minutes (4.1 miles).  Along the way, I finished my step count goal - yay!  Back in my room, I tried watching movies but the network quality of the hotel WiFi was as bad as I've seen at any hotel in months.  Oh well... Instead, I read and watched short videos (on YouTube) on my phone until going to bed (2330).  I've got a LONG day/night coming up again tomorrow but I'm stoked to get another airport tech refresh done!