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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: Plattsburgh, New York This week finds me in Plattsburgh New York delivering a class for Clinton County. It was a good class, but small. Six students were registered for the class, but only two showed up. Of course this caused things to flow a little faster than normal, and at their request, class ended on Thursday instead of Friday. The class itself was excellent. With only two students, it was easy, and good, to concentrate on a couple of areas they were mainly interested in. We even found time for a small field trip to one of their radio sites, and I found myself giving thanks for it being September, and not December/January. Plattsburgh is in the northern Adirondacks on the shore of Lake Champlain, and the area around it is mountainous. These are not the size of the Rockies and such, but being far enough north, they receive a lot of snow. Another thing that made this class a bit more special, was the journey. The best part was the return trip. It was extra special because of a nearby location. Plattsburgh sits about 50 miles northeast of Lake Placid. Of course, Lake Placid is the home of the 1980 Winter Olympics. What some of us fail to remember, and rightly so, is that Lake Placid also hosted the 1932 Winter Olympics. This caused me to do a little research. In the 1932 Winter Olympics, 17 nations participated, with 252 athletes in competition. At the 1980 Winter Olympics, 37 nations participated, with 1072 athletes in competition. The biggest question that crossed my mind, was 'Where did everyone stay, and how many people attended the games?' So, you know I had to visit Lake Placid. It was quite the experience really, especially when I stopped for breakfast at a local restaurant. Photo's From Visit:  Ski Runs At Whiteface Mountain  Ski Jumps At Lake Placid Historic/Interesting Places Visited: Lake Placid https://www.lakeplacid.com/ You really need to visit here if you're ever in upstate NY. Fascinating, and beautiful. In Closing I will spend the weekend at home before hitting the road again next week. Til next time, be good to yourselves and those you love, and WRITE!  Jim Dorrell |
| Locale: Battle Creek, Mi This week finds me in Battle Creek Michigan to deliver a class to the Federal Protective Services. It's the same class as last week in Suitland Md, with the same issues concerning equipment on hand. Once again, the students have been great at understanding the limitations we face, but we've done a decent job in discussing key things with their equipment. I would love to tell you more about the classes, but frankly, I think you'd get glassy eyed from boredom quickly. Other than the class, I have to say that Battle Creek is pretty interesting. After all, it's known as the cereal capital of the USA, and at one point had over 100 cereal manufacturers here! That's pretty amazing in and of itself, but where the class is being held is something worthy of a novel. Not just any novel, but maybe a horror novel, or at least a deep mystery. Now why would I say that? Well, it's quite the story. The Kellogg brothers (John Harvey Kellogg and W.K. Kellogg) had the Sanitarium built as a Spa of the Day. Yep, I too thought Sanitarium = Hospital for the Insane, but it's not even close to that. It was built as a Spa where Harvey promoted a healthy diet (shades of today and how we are looking eat less processed food!), but also some bizarre treatments, even for adults. Add to this that John Kellogg had some very disturbing ideas about what caused young children (male and female) to start 'experimenting with self pleasure'. The things he did to both boys and girls would have him in prison quickly in this day. I want to keep my blog E-rated, so I can't describe what he did here without changing the rating. But you get the idea. So here we are, almost revering Kellogs in today's world, yet a lot of what he did would cause us to think of him as a pervert. Historic/Interesting Places Visited: The Battle Creek Sanitorium http://www.asylumprojects.org/index.php?title=Battle_Creek_Sanitarium This is quite an interesting read. Especially when you look up Harvery Kellogg, and his practices. https://pictorial.jezebel.com/john-harvey-kelloggs-legacy-of-cereal-sociopathy-a... https://factslegend.org/20-interesting-john-harvey-kellogg-facts/ In Closing I will spend the next week working from home before traveling to Plattsburgh, NY the following week. Til next time, be good to yourselves and those you love, and WRITE! Jim Dorrell |
| Date: Week of September 2nd Locale: Suitland, Maryland This week found me in Suitland Maryland for a class with the Federal Protective Services. You probably just did what I did when I saw their name. "Federal who?" Th  e Federal Protective Services are part of the Department of Homeland Security, and that's about all I know about them.This was an interesting class to deliver because they had no equipment we could access. Well, for the most part that is. Let's say that the most important piece we needed to access was no where nearby, and while we could have accessed it over the network, we couldn't do any testing on it without being there. It just made for an interesting delivery is all. The students were great. They understood the limitations imposed by the lack of equipment access, and we worked together to make sure they had the necessary information needed to support their system. It was a short class too, only 3 days, and because we couldn't do much in the way of hands-on activities, I was done by noon today. Sadly, my flight was at 6pm, and I just didn't feel like getting out much, so I sat around Reagan Airport in Washington DC for 5 hours, waiting to fly to Illinois. Getting an earlier flight would have resulted in additional charges, and since I already had a reserved seat the same day, I couldn't really justify the expense of it. It was okay though, I spent the day relaxing, or trying to. During a recent class in Schaumburg, one of my students told me to visit National Harbor, about 5 miles from my hotel. Wow, what a nice time I had there. Went there Wednesday and Thursday for dinner and had a great time. It's an area on the waterfront (Imagine that. It's called National Harbor, and sits on the water!) that consists mainly of shops and restaurants. I was interesting the restaurants, not shopping. Had a pretty good meal both nights. You'll see my note below about one of the restaurants. National Harbor has quite a few statues around the streets. You can see Maryland Monroe and her famous dress being blown up from behind scene, Rosie The Riveter, famous presidents, and a recreation of the famous couple kissing in NYC when it was announced WWII had ended. Noteworthy Restaurants: The Walrus Oyster and Ale House http://www.walrusoysterandale.com/assets/walrus-nh-main-summer2019.pdf Their menu appealed to me, that's why I chose this place. Their Fried Artichoke Hearts, Farmhouse Saison Beer Batter, Home Made Beer Salt, with Spicy Remoulade. Yummy appetizer. For dinner, I had their Shrimp & Grits. It was good, but no where close to the fantastic dish served at Fleet Landing in Charleston, SC. Graces Mandarin http://www.gracesrestaurants.com/menu/ I chose this location for Thursday mainly because their menu featured a Crab Stuffed Avocado. I had that in Fort Collins Colorado last year; loved it, so thought I'd have it again. Wasn't anything like the dish served at Smokin' Fins in Fort Collins. It was good, but a major disappointment just the same. Photo's From Visit:  A collection of statues of a member of each of the Armed Services In Closing I will spend the weekend home before driving to Battle Creek Michigan Monday to deliver the same class to this customer again. Til next time, be good to yourselves and those you love, and WRITE! Jim Dorrell |
| Date: Week of August 26th 2019 Locale: San Diego, California The flight home from San Diego was interesting for a couple of reasons. First, the man seated next to me wore a ball cap and polo shirt emblazoned with 'Golden Eagles Hot Shots'. He wasn't the only one, there were about 9 others wearing identical shirts and caps. We started talking, and I had to ask what/who the Golden Eagles are. His answer was a little surprising. The Golden Eagles are not a Sports Team or something similar. They are employees of the Bureau Of Indian Affairs, and members of the Sycuan Fire Department of the Kumeyaay Nation. They are one of three in California, and you know I had to look them up. Here's what I found out. The Sycuan Fire Department / BIA Golden Eagles Hotshots organization was established in June 15, 2000 initially as a Type 2 crew. In August 2001, the Golden Eagles received status as a Type 2 initial attack hand crew, which provided the opportunity to take more advanced assignments. By January of 2003, the BIA recognized them as a Type 1 training crew, and by October, 2005, the Crew was fully certified as a National Interagency Hotshot Crew, having met all the standards and qualifications necessary to become one of the nation’s elite type 1 hand crews. We talked a little more, I discovered they were flying to Miami to provide hurricane relief support. I have to tip my hat to those men, they do a valuable service that many people don't think about very often. Then, there was the layover at O'Hare. It was long (fine by me), but it was towards the end of it that struck me funny. I was at the gate waiting for my flight, and noticed a flight leaving for Clarksburg, West Virginia about a half hour before my flight. What struck me as funny, was there was only ONE passenger on the plane! I really wondered who that passenger was, but never found out. But, in the process, I thought of a small skit that could be done with that in mind. Imagine Tim Conway (RIP) and Harvey Korman in a Carol Burnett skit. Tim is the airline gate attendant, Korman is the only passenger on a flight that will soon board. Also, Tim is the 'Oldest Man In The World', a character he made famous. Harvey Korman's tickets reveals he's in Boarding Group 6, even though he's the longe passenger on the plane. When it comes time boarding, Tim Conway starts going through the standard airline verbage of boarding groups. He offers boarding to disabled people, and looks around patiently, as if waiting for anyone to come forward and board. Then he offers boarding opportunities to Active Duty Military. Again he waits. Then those with special airline boarding privileges. Finally he announces boarding group 1, then 2 through 5. Each time, he waits 20-30 seconds for people to come forward. Meanwhile, Harvey Korman, the lone passenger is waiting, wanting to get on board, and knows he's the only passenger. Each time a group is called, he tries to board, only to be rebuffed by Tim. By the time group 6 is called, Harvey Korman is beside himself, and can't locate this ticket. Eventually, Tim Conway closes the gate, and it's about 10 seconds later that Harvey Korman finally finds his lost ticket. Well, okay, I guess you have to have seen Carol Burnett Episodes similar to this to appreciate it. Try this one... Til the next time, when I'll write about my visit to Suitland Maryland. Take care of yourself and those you love, and write! Jim Dorrell |
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I then went to Taiwan for two weeks; but, although that was nice, it wasn't 'home'. 