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 |  I travel the country on business, sometimes the world. Come see where I've been. |
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Talk about perks, my job has one of the best ones I can think of! I travel in the course of business, delivering classes for my employer. I am a Senior Training Specialist for Motorola Solutions, and teach classes on a wide variety of subjects centered around 2 way radio communications. I'm qualified to deliver approximately 30 different classes, but about half of those are 'Legacy' classes, and are not in demand anymore. My students are technicians, those who maintain, program, calibrate, and repair large 2-way radio systems. Some of these systems are statewide, and use TCP-IP networking to allow sites to communicate with others. Some are small, traditional type radio sites. The size doesn't matter, in each case the systems must be kept operational at all times, since many of them are Public Safety Systems. So I get to travel, sometimes frequently, 3-4 weeks in a row.... where am I this week? This probably won't have daily entries, but I will make entries when I get to go somewhere, and keep an updated list of coming trips. My schedule changes faster than the weather, so don't be too surprised to see me list an upcoming class, only to remark later on that it is cancelled, or delayed. Delays are fine of course, but a later date might mean that someone else gets to go instead of me,,, Well, here we go with this, let's see where it takes us.  Best Cultural And Regional Honorable Mention |
| Locale: Bloomington, Illinois May 17th, 2021 Well, my three weeks of vacation/recuperation from surgery are here. Vacation is this coming week (week of May 24), with surgery Wednesday of that week. The surgeon said I need a minimum of a week afterward to recover, and that some people need two weeks. My manager didn't want to take any chances, so has scheduled me for those two weeks off. Whatever will I do with three weeks of no responsibilities? Well, I will work on things (for my career), when I want, as much as I want, etc. I won't be sitting around idle. I have a course I want to qualify to deliver, and another I want to upgrade the materials for. So I intend to be busy. Plus, it's spring, time to plant, pull weeds, etc...  The week of Memorial Day is one full of meetings for us, albeit on-line meetings. I don't have to be there, but will most likely attend some since there are subjects being covered I want and need to know about. New courses, new products, etc. Plus, it's a chance to chat with instructors I haven't seen in over a year, time to renew acquaintances. I have to say I'm getting used to being at home all the time, though I do miss traveling. When I was told I have this Myeloma, I considered retiring, From what I've been told, this is not a very aggressive Cancer, and responds to treatment better than many. Still, it is what it is, I have this disease, so why not retire? Then I considered what's really going on right now. Thanks to a manager who appreciates my work, knows I can still add value (Gee, I HOPE I add value) to the department, why should I retire? I mean, I'm being paid the same salary to remain at home and teach from here. It's not like I'm going anywhere soon, unless I want to go. I plan on visiting one of my daughters in Alabama in August, and will most likely go to New Mexico in October for the Balloon fiesta. It started the year I joined the Navy, but of course was not a big item that first year. I've never seen it, and with everything that's going on, I want... no, I NEED to see it. Face it, for me, it's a bucket list item. When we are young, we feel almost immortal, that we have all the time in the world. As we age, we realize that's not the case. I've embraced my mortality, and accept it. Don't get me wrong, I'm not looking forward to my end of time, but I do realize it will be here, probably before I'm ready. Enough about all that, I look forward to what every day may bring. In Closing I have been home since the second week of January, and will be home the rest of this year more than likely. As I've said though, it's all good. I'm alive, and really feel well, a lot better than I felt in January/February. Til next time, be good to yourselves and those you love, and WRITE!  Jim Dorrell |
| Locale: Bloomington, Illinois May 9th, 2021 This past week I delivered 3 separate one-day classes to a customer. The classes themselves were easy enough, I've taught them many times before. The students weren't hard to work with, they asked some good, valid questions. The feedback I received from other instructors who have delivered a class for them though was completely different. I guess when you're a customer and want things 'your way', you're labeled as a difficult customer. In some cases, when that is said about a customer, it's 'okay'. What I mean is, the students we teach can be, or were, complete 'you know whats' to us. Rude, know-it-all's (yet when you cover the course, you find there's a lot they don't know). not very complimentary to us or Motorola, etc. My thoughts on it are the following. Treat them well, deliver the course, answer questions, and always, always, be polite. They are biased against us for one reason or another. Some of it may be earned, some may come from past experiences. It's up to us to correct that bias, and the only way we can do that, is treat them as they want to be treated. I just shake my head over those who say the same thing over and over. "They are a tough customer, and want things a certain way." Every customer does. I think what happens is the Project Manager, and their management team don't communicate well enough about the course content. All I know is that it's beyond my control. All I can do is try and do my best, and let the pieces fall where they may. I don't think I've ever had a case where someone else had to teach a repeat class for me because they were unhappy with what they learned from me. Not that I know of at least, I also say that based on feedback from our support staff. But I have been scheduled to deliver a repeat class when a customer was unhappy with the first delivery. Okay, rant over. I teach from home the next two weeks, then have a week of vacation. I will probably sit at home most of the time, since I have minor Sinus Surgery in the middle of my vacation week. I will have my 10th (yes, you read that right, my 10th) COVID test prior to the surgery. I think I'm getting to be on a first name basis with the testing center.  I'm actually looking forward to that, because I will start the treatment for the Myeloma once that is behind me. It sure would be nice to feel healthy this winter. At least as healthy as I feel right now. Oh, by the way. My manager has said I will not travel at all the rest of the year. Unless it's an emergency. We'll see. I think I'm stuck at home for the most part, though there are about 5-6 weeks I have scheduled where I'm the only qualified person available to deliver the class. Well, we have another one who could deliver them, but he's worse off health-wise than I am, so he won't be delivering them. I miss traveling though. It's always nice to get out and see other locations, meet new people. If I never traveled again, it wouldn't bother me, I'd still miss it though.... And yes, I have been thinking about retirement. But why should I? I'm being paid for more than I ever thought I would make to sit and home and teach from here. As long as my health allows me to do it, I will. Unless a major change happens.... In Closing I have been home since the second week of January, and will be home the rest of this year more than likely. I teach the RCMP next week. I may travel (my manager said "In an emergency" I could travel), but I doubt it. Til next time, be good to yourselves and those you love, and WRITE! Jim Dorrell |
| Locale: Bloomington, Illinois May 3rd, 2021 I saw Dr. Sriratana today, he's the Hematologist I've been seeing. He said that the Bone Marrow test confirmed what he thought. I have a Multiple Myeloma. He told me that my marrow came back at 50% Plasma. To put it in perspective, a healthy person has about 2-3% Plasma in their marrow, if someone was being monitored, they would start treating them if it rose to 15%. Mine is 50... The good news in all this? It can be treated without using Radiation or Chemo. I am scheduled for Sinus Surgery on 26 May, he wants me to get that done. He also wants me to take a pretty heavy dose of an antibiotic before the surgery. Since I see my general practitioner on Monday, I'll see if he will prescribe it for me. If not, Dr. Sriratana said to contact him, and he will do it. Once the Sinus Surgery is behind me, his treatments will start. I see him on June 7. The treatments will consist of weekly shots, and an oral medication I will take for 3 weeks, then a week off, and repeat. After 6 months of this, he will check my bone marrow again. What he saw in my blood tests is this. My Immunoglobulin A: IgA (found in the mucous membranes of the lungs, sinuses, stomach, and intestines) is high, very high, around 2300 or so, which the Allergist interpreted as a sinus infection (since an MRI showed my sinus cavities completely blocked) Along with this, my Immunoglobulin G, the most common type of antibody in your blood and other body fluids) are low, very low. It's been getting lower and lower each time this test has been run. These antibodies protect you against infection by "remembering" which germs you've been exposed to before. Dr. Sriratana says these shots and oral medications he's going to put me on will lower my IG-A level, while raising my IG-G. Only time will tell there, huh. If this treatment fails to correct the IG-A and IG-G level well enough, there's another road to take. But we haven't started this road yet, so I'll worry about that road if and when we get to it. What I do know is that I will be seeing doctors for the rest of my life it seems.In Closing I have been home since the second week of January, and will be home the rest of this year more than likely. I teach the RCMP next week. I may travel (my manager said "In an emergency" I could travel), but I doubt it. Til next time, be good to yourselves and those you love, and WRITE! |
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I then went to Taiwan for two weeks; but, although that was nice, it wasn't 'home'. 
