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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: San Pedro, Ca Week of: April 25, 2022 This week's class was more than one could hope for. I always try to do my best, and this particular subject brings out my personality more than most. Why? Because it's not a technical subject, but then again it is. It's just that in this class, you facilitate far more than lecture. True, it's 'Death By Powerpoint' all week, but it's how you deliver it that makes it a good class. I don't read from the slides, we discuss the idea of it all. But, you have to know the technical side too, you must know the subject matter, just like any class you teach. It's all in how you deliver it. Prior to coming to SoCal, I contacted a few WDC members I know who live in the LA area. We arranged to meet on Saturday morning for breakfast/lunch. What a fantastic outing it was too! We met at 'The Pan' and were not disappointed in the menu one bit. https://www.thepan1.com/lomita-menu I saw an item on the menu, and stopped looking. I love Shrimp & Grits, and this serving of it was excellent. But wait, who was there with me? Well, how lucky can an old man get when three beautiful women meet him for breakfast on a Saturday morning? Joining me were Aennaytte: Free & Wild in GoT  , someone I've met several times in the past, a woman I consider a close friend. Also joining us was Schnujo is Late to Lannister  . She has so much energy with the things she's doing, not just on WDC here, but in real life. I get exhausted just reading what's going on with her! And last, but certainly not least, was QueenOwl ~ A New Day Dawns  . She is such a sweetheart, a very caring person who wants to meet other WDC members and live life to the fullest. This was my first time meeting Jody Schnujo is Late to Lannister and Miriam QueenOwl ~ A New Day Dawns , I certainly hope it won't be the last time we meet. But what a way to end the week!After that wonderful breakfast, I drove to LAX to catch a flight to Fort Lauderdale for my next class. We didn't leave until 3 pm LA time, and arrived in Fort Lauderdale about 11 pm. Needless to say, I was pretty tired by the time I got to my hotel. Unlike LA, I don't have a car here. Parking is outrageous and costly. Of course it's that way in any big city, but it seems worse here. Plus, the training site is a 15 minute walk away, so I don't need a car other than to get to dinner. Uber will suffice fine for that purpose.  In Closing I am here in Fort Lauderdale this week and will fly home Friday once class is done. Next week I'm on vacation, or staycation since we're not going anywhere. I do have plenty to do around the house, and will get some work done despite being on vacation. My boss hates it when I do that, but it's about the only time I can find to get things done at a leisurely pace! Til next time, be good to yourselves and those you love, and WRITE!  Jim Dorrell |
| Locale: San Pedro, Ca Week of: April 25, 2022 This week finds me in San Pedro visiting the Port Of Los Angeles there. It's my second time here, I was here that last week of June in 2013, and snapped this photo Friday morning late, after class was done.  This is another Fleetmapping class, and the more I deliver it, the more I love delivering it. Especially in person. And I've been really enjoying fresh seafood here, can't get much of that in Illinois. Don't get me wrong,there are some good seafood restaurants in my area. But they are few and far between. Looking forward to even more fresh seafood next week in Fort Lauderdale. That, and some Paella, and a Cubano Sandwich. I've been watching how much, and what, I eat though, so hopefully not gaining too much weight. At my age, any kind of exercise is hard to do, hard to fit in also. Walking is it for me, for the most part. Speaking of food... .Noteworthy Restaurants: Louisiana Charlies https://www.louisianacharlies.com/menu I was in the mood for some Cajun food, but didn't have what I'd term 'real Cajun food'. I settled for 1 lb of Little Neck Clams boiled in Cajun spices then tossed with a mixture of garlic butter and Cajun seasonings. With Corn On the Cob, Potatoes, and Andouille Sausage. Was very good really. 22nd Street Landing Seafood Grill & Bar http://22ndstlandingrestaurant.com/dinnermenu When you're in Rome, do as the Romans do, right? So when you're near fresh Seafood, ya gotta have it if you ask me. Housemade Clam Chowder and Bouiabaisse! Yummmm! Except that I thought the Bouiabaisse I had in Connecticut about a month ago was better. It seemed (could have been in my mind, I don't know), but it seemed like this place 'rationed' the seafood in it. Parkers' Lighthouse https://parkerslighthouse.com/wp-content/uploads/Dinner.pdf More Seafood! In a way at least. I wanted a light dinner tonight, so had Spicy Edamame, Lighthouse Sushi Roll, and Shrimp and Pork Belly Lettuce Wraps. All were excellent! Photo's From Visit:  22nd Street Landing In Closing I will spend the weekend traveling, flying to Fort Lauderdale Saturday, and teaching there next week. Til next time, be good to yourselves and those you love, and WRITE! Jim Dorrell |
| Locale: Bloomington, Illinois Week of: April 11, 2022 & April 18, 2022 I've been at home the last two weeks due to the customers delaying scheduled classes. I was supposed to be in San Diego last week, but they delayed that class about 6 weeks ago. I was to be in Washington DC this week, but at the last minute the customer realized that the people who needed to attend the class were not available. This class is now scheduled for delivery in October. It will remain on my schedule because I'm the only one who can teach one of the pieces of equipment they want to know about. I have spent my time improving the Fleetmapping course I started delivering two years ago. You probably wonder, "You have to improve the course curriculum? Why isn't it perfect already?" The answer is easy. First, I had to learn quite a bit about two pieces of equipment that is covered in this class, but I also had to learn how to deliver this class! Secondly, the course had been delivered by contractors all along, but they balked at teaching it online. So, my manager came to me and asked me if I could do it. Naturally my reply was, "Yes!" But the course materials had a lot of issues. There were a few places where system capacities were quoted, and they were wrong. About 10 years wrong. What I really mean is, the system capacities listed were based on a much older system. Thirdly, the Powerpoint slides had the AWFUL colors. Bright, slap-you-in-the-face type of bright colors. IT hurt my eyes to look at them. So, I read the referenced manualsa and re-wrote the course. I had it done well enough to present the class, but realized it could be better. It's been a constant process of teaching, learing more about the subjects, andimproving the course materials. I also reviewed a course a co-worker shared with me. It's one him and I both deliver, along with a couple of other instructors. Let's just say that my friend is not a writer. He uses what I call the 'Shotgun approach' in writing. He would start on one topic, stray off to a second, possibly a third, before returning to the original topic. Plus, he doesn't have much knowledge in Powerpoint, his slides could stand a bit of formatting. It's okay though, his knowledge is sound, he just needs to learn how to edit a course so its presented in a logical manner. His knowledge is sound, he knows far more about this stuff than I do. He's the one I turn to when I have a question because I know I'll get the correct answer from him. My schedule for the foreseeable future has not changed. Anything less than 45 days away does not usually change, but hey, the customer canceled/delayed my Washington DC class just 13 days prior to the class starting. So the 45 day thing is not set in stone. As of now, other than mandatory weeks off (2), vacation (4), and holiday weeks (5}, my schedule is now full the rest of the year! I do expect a lot of changes though, but my schedule will stay full. For the next couple of months, I wil be in: 4/25: Port Of Los Angeles. I'm still hoping to meet Aennaytte: Free & Wild in GoT , Jaeff | KBtW of the Free Folk  , Schnujo is Late to Lannister , and QueenOwl ~ A New Day Dawns while there. Getting the four of them free on the same evening or an early Saturday morning is easier said than done. If we do get together, I will be sure to snap a photo or two, and probably make one into a Trinket with their permission.5/2: Fort Lauderdale 5/9: Vacation 5/16: Schaumburg Illinois 5/23: Teach from home for the USAF Base in Yokota Japan. Another week of teaching 7 pm to midnight. 5/30: Memorial Day week. Online meetings with my co-workers. 6/6: Fort Lauderdale 6/13: Fort Lauderdale 6/20: Teach from home 6/27: Teach from home 7/4: Independance Day week, no delivery for most, including me. May and June are probably pretty well set, but standby for changes! As of now, I have trips scheduled in Kansas, Indiana, Los Angeles (again), but LA County this time, New Jersey, Washington DC, Pennsylvania, and two additional weeks in Fort Lauderdale. We'll see what happens with this, huh! In Closing I will be in Los Angeles next week, followed by a week in Fort Lauderdale. Til next time, be good to yourselves and those you love, and WRITE! Jim Dorrell Jim Dorrell |
| Locale: Schaumburg, Illinois Week of: April 4, 2022 This week finds me in Schaumburg, Illinois for the first time in almost 2 years. Yes, I've been there a couple of times last year, but it was a one-day stop each time; I'm not counting those as 'real trips'. I had a lot of fun cross-training Syamira, she was great, knew a lot, but on subjects I'm not familiar with. Our training covered topics she's not familiar with. She learned a lot of course, I learned some on Friday when we worked with one of the lab guys on the Direct Attached Storage on one of the Virtual Servers. But it wasn't all fun and games on Monday and Tuesday. Sunday and Monday nights I also delivered a class online o the Philippine Armed Forces. This was to finish up the class we started 2 weeks before. As a result, I was pretty tired Monday. In fact, at one point I nodded off for a brief 'second' before waking. That was when I told her, "I'm exhausted, I need to go to my hotel and get some rest before class tonight." So we ended the day at 2 so I could get some rest. I didn't get much, maybe an hour, but it did help. Luckily we were finished with class at 9 pm that night, so I was able to get some much needed rest. Still, it wasn't until Wednesday that I felt a bit like myself. As I mentioned, things went well as she learned more about the topics she came to discuss. I learned that she's been here for 9 weeks now, spending the first 6 weeks in Fort Lauderdale. There was one surprise for me this week too though. I was in the area outside the classroom when a woman walked by, looked at me and said, "Alright, which class did I have you as my instructor?" I knew her face, but there was no way I would remember what class she had been in. We talked a little more, and in the process learned that she will be in the Networking class I'll deliver in mid-May. My schedule for the foreseeable future has not changed. Anything less than 45 days away does not usually change, but hey, the customer canceled/delayed my Washington DC class just 13 days prior to the class starting. So the 45 day thing is not set in stone. As of now, other than mandatory weeks off (2), vacation (4), and holiday weeks (5}, my schedule is now full the rest of the year! I do expect a lot of changes though, but my schedule will stay full. Noteworthy Restaurants: Big Bowl - https://www.bigbowl.com/schaumburg/menus/dinner/ Their Poki Salad did not disappoint me one bit. It was just excellent. Penang Malaysian Cuisine https://qmenu.us/#/penang-malaysian-cuisine/menu/0 My best friend Ariel and I took Syamira to dinner there Wednesday. She had been there twice already, neither of us had been there before. It was a very good experience for all three of us. In Closing I will spend the next two weeks at home before going to Los Angeles for a week, followed by a week in Fort Lauderdale. Til next time, be good to yourselves and those you love, and WRITE! Jim Dorrell |
| Locale: Northampton. Massachusetts Week of: March 28, 2022 This week finds me in Northampton, Massachusetts for a class with the the township. This is my third trip to this area. I've delivered a class to the University of Massachusetts in Amherst , less than 5 miles from my current hotel. I've also delivered a class in Westfield, Massachusetts, about 20 miles away. I'm familiar with the area, but I can't say I know the area well. This has been a 'fun' class so far, at least for me. The subject is 'Fleetmapping', and you might wonder what in the heck does Fleetmapping have to do with a radio system? It's simple really. To state it in simple terms, it's configuring the system (stuff that is mounted in 19" wide racks), and the field radios (hand carried or vehicle radios) so they can then operate properly, providing maximum coverage. Think of your cell phone (it's really a radio), and how you sometimes lose the cell signal. Suppose it lost the signal because it wasn't programmed properly. Suppose there were plenty of towers around, but your cell phone couldn't access them because it wasn't programmed correctly? The same thing can happen in a radio system. You wouldn't want a Public Safety Officer to lose radio coverage while trying to keep us all safe, would you? So Fleetmapping is all about configuring things so the system and the radios can do what they are made to do. It's not that difficult, but there are vastly different ways to program these devices. So many ways that it can make your head spin. To me, the best thing about this class, is that you don't have to be a technician to learn this. You don't need to know electronics or radio theory. You have to know what the system can do (that's a part of this class), and what the radio can do (also a part of this class). Then you plan how you want the devices programmed to accomplish your goals. We do hands-on activities in this class, but they consist of completing Excel spreadsheets. When the class is complete, a customer can modify the spreadsheets we use in class, create their own, or whatever they want to do. But when it's all said and done, they will have their system and radios programmed to work together. One of my students this week is non-technical, and even said she's computer illiterate. Yet yesterday, after just two days of class, she said, "It's starting to make sense, I'm really picking this up!" Those words are music to this old man's ears. Also in this class are two Motorola Solutions Employees. One is an Engineer that I know from online meetings. We're both part of a NE Fleetmapping Focus group. What this group's goal is, is to standardize Fleetmapping activities by providing standardized Fleetmap Spreadsheets to customers when they upgrade or purchase new systems. I got involved with them thanks to an Engineer who was talking to our Instructor Manager one day, and our manager recommended he get in touch with me. The other Motorola employee is one of the Project Managers involved with this customer. He's been pretty complimentary so far, and considering this is my first time delivering this class at a customer's location (I've been delivering this class for 2 years now, all have been taught online), it means a lot to me. Noteworthy Restaurants: Northampton Brewery - https://northamptonbrewery.com/ I went 'simple' here, and had their Catfish Bites, and a Pollock Sandwich with Onion Rings. Very good, but I brought some back to the hotel to have leftovers. indent}Fitzwilly's Restaurant - https://fitzwillys.com/dining/menu/ If you like things spicy, get their Tequila Lime Shrimp. It has about the same level of spiciness that a good Cajun dish has. It will definitely warm you up! I also had their Wicked Alfredo. Andouille, chicken, roasted red peppers, penne pasta, red pepper alfredo sauce. It was excellent, but far too large for me. Osaka Restaurant - http://www.osakarestaurantgroup.com/dinnernorthampton.htm I love good Sushi/Sashimi, this place did not disappoint me. Plus, the portion sizes were excellent, so I didn't get stuffed. (I've lost about 25 lbs in the last/ two years, and want to keep it off). In Closing I will spend the weekend at home before going to Shaumburg on Sunday to complete the class with the Philippine Armed Forces (Sunday & Monday), and cross training an Instructor from our Asia Pacific group the rest of the week. Til next time, be good to yourselves and those you love, and WRITE! Jim Dorrell |
| Locale: Home, Bloomington, Il. Week of: March 21, 2022 This week I delivered a class to the Armed Forces Of The Philippines (AFP). Delivering a technical class in an online environment is always a challenge. There's a simple answer, let's see how well I do at explaining it. A technical class usually requires equipment on-hand to complete hands-on exercises. The course is oriented towards a specific type of equipment, both in radio equipment and the test equipment needed to test it. If the customer doesn't have the exact equipment I have on hand, then it gets very tough. And not only did they not have the correct test equipment on hand, they also did not have the required tools and such to support the hands-on activities. RF Adapters, a small box to test the portable radio with, an isolation transformer to isolate the audio of the radio from the test equipment, and so much more. Are you glassy eyed yet??  Despite the lack of required equipment, I felt things went pretty well overall.So about this week, outside of class. You might remember that I have Multiple Myeloma, and through the grace of God, an alert, and very knowledgeable Allergist, and a very good Hematologist/Oncologist, I am in Remission after undergoing only six months of Chemotherapy. No radiation treatment, no IV's or installation of a Port, just shots every week, and oral meds. Now that I'm in Remission, I am in the 'maintenance' mode for 18 months. I will take the same oral Chemo drug I've taken since June, along with a strong Steroid. I take the Chemo drug for three weeks, then have a week of not taking it, then repeat. I ran out of the Chemo drug, and called the specialty pharmacy on Tuesday to get it refilled. They didn't have a refill order from my doctor, so I called his office. All things good so far, it's what I've been doing for 8 months now. The specialty pharmacy called me on Wednesday confirming the order, but also informed me that my co-pay for this would be $3200! (I have a Primary Insurance through Motorola, and a secondary prescription insurance through Tri-Care (Retired Military). {indent{I rarely pay very much for my prescriptions, and have never paid for this Chemo drug. That's a good thing, because this drug costs $16,000 for that three week supply. For some reason, we didn't complete the setup of delivery, nor did we do anything about the co-pay amount. I will blame it on working until 1 am each night teaching the Philippine Armed Forces for a lack of attention on my end. Either way, it wasn't until yesterday that I got things straightened out. Somehow, someway, the specialty pharmacy lost (deleted?) all references to my secondary prescription insurance. That was added back in, and it turns out my co-pay is $0. The medication was scheduled for delivery today by noon. At 2 pm this afternoon, I called to tell them I didn't have the medication yet, and a quick check by them showed it had been delayed due to a mechanical malfunction on the UPS plane. I leave for Massachusetts at 6:30 am tomorrow, the medication will not arrive here until Noon on Monday. I could make a couple of calls and get it sent to my hotel, but frankly, I wouldn't trust the pharmacy or UPS to get it to me before I left. Everything has gone wrong with this delivery thus far, I'd rather have it come to my house where I will get it Friday. The first thing I'll do, well one of the first things, is take that medication. I missed two months so I could have that Cervical Spine Surgery, I can miss 3 days. No, it's not perfect, it's not right, but I will live. Lesson learned for me. Insist on being provided the UPS number for tracking purposes (If I hadn't called, we'd never have known where the package is. This is something the pharmacy should have been doing all along). I will also order the refill sooner, instead of waiting until I've exhausted my current supply. As you might guess or know, my schedule can change quickly, sometimes it's my team that changes it, sometimes it's the customer. Things have changed a little for me in April & May. (For those of you who are really interested in the changes, if any of you really are, I've highlighted that week in red). The weeks in March-May are pretty firm, which is why I've posted them here. Anything much further out can be changed. Week of 3/28: Northampton, Ma Week of 4/4: Cross Train one of our Instructors who works out of Indonesia. I cross-trained her manager last year (Online of course, 5 days). Her manager told her to ask if I would be available, and spend a week with me cross-training her. Week of 4/11: No delivery. The week is called 'Instructor Prep' Week of 4/18: Washington DC, with the Secret Service. I hope to meet 🌸 pwheeler - love joy peace  (I have a small present to give her), 🌕 HuntersMoon  and his wife, and hopefully Robert Waltz  , if he can get there from his home in North Central Virginia.Week of 4/25: Los Angeles, Port Of Los Angeles to be exact. I will meet Aennaytte: Free & Wild in GoT for sure. Meeting anyone else is to be determined.Week of 5/2: Commonwealth of Virginia, but the class will be held in Ft Lauderdale. Week of 5/9: Vacation! Week of 5/16: Schaumburg Week of 5/23: Teach from home, another night class since the customer is the US Air Force, the Yokota AFB in Japan. Week of 5/30: Meetings in Schaumburg, or online Yeah, it's going to be a busy year, my schedule remains very full. However, there may be a ray of hope on the horizon since we interviewed 6 people for 2 positions last week. We'll see who they hire, and how fast they can pick things up. Still, in the grand scheme of things, life is good, it's always good! In Closing That's about it for now, til next time, be good to yourselves and those you love, and WRITE! Jim Dorrell |
| Locale: Burlington County (Mt Holly), NJ Week of: March 21, 2022 This week I deliver a class to the Armed Forces Of The Philippines (AFP). It's an online class, so with the time difference, I will teach from 7 pm to 1 am Tuesday-Thursday, then a week and a half later finish the class on a Sunday/Monday 4/3 and 4/4. Why the break in the class? Again, with the time difference, plus the fact that they are on the other side of the date line, the class will be Wednesday-Friday for them. You're probably wondering what happened to Monday and Tuesday... Those days will be spent celebrating by them, because it's the Anniversary of the formation of the Philippine Armed Forces. It kind of makes me wonder what kind of shape they'll be in for class that Wednesday! My schedule hasn't changed yet, but I just received an E-mail from the Training Coordinator who is arranging this class for the AFP. She wants me to come there to deliver a series of classes, no idea how many, or how long I'd be there. Also, I have no idea where, because she coordinates training for our customers in Asia-Pacific (APAC). Apparently several customers have equipment I specialize in, and want me there. We'll see what the future holds. Since my class with the Commonwealth of Virginia will now be held in Fort Lauderdale, it would be nice to meet anyone on WDC from that area. I know Lilith of House Martell  and Nixie Martell cheerleader  are in Florida somewhere, just not sure of their exact location, nor am I sure both would want to meet up. I am scheduled for 4 weeks of delivery there this year. One week in May, 2 weeks back to back in June, and a week in December. Normally we don't have a rental car in Fort Lauderdale, it's too hard to find a decent parking area, hotels charge to park there, etc. But for the June classes, I will have one for the weekend between the classes, and probably go to Key West on Friday. As you might guess, my schedule can change quickly, sometimes it's my team that changes it, sometimes it's the customer. This week, the customer needed a class canceled/delayed. Now I have a week to rest in April, but it means I don't get to see San Diego (again). That's good really, because I was scheduled for far too many weeks in a row, which our manager hates. I don't mind it, or didn't before all these health issues hit me, but he sure does. Things have changed a little for me in April & May. (For those of you who are really interested in the changes, if any of you really are, I've highlighted that week in red). The weeks in March-May are pretty firm, which is why I've posted them here. Anything much further out can be changed. Well heck, changes have happened at the last minute, so there's no telling really. But last minute changes are few and far between. In 2015 though, it happened to me twice in one month! I was at work on a Tuesday, and got a call from my manager asking if I was free that week. (I was). He told me to hang on, but that I'd probably be going to Robin's AFB south of Atlanta. I did get assigned, and went home to pack and schedule my trip. I flew out on Wednesday, taught two days and flew home Friday night. The following Monday a co-worker came in and talked to me about the class he was delivering in Souix Falls SD. He was uncomfortable with this delivery because he'd just learned that their system was not one he'd seen before, and was worried about knowing enough. I reassured him that he would be fine (they didn't use Network connections for their repeaters, they were connected with a protocol called V.24. He wanted to know more about this protocol before the delivery (No idea why he waited until the last minute to worry like this). We don't teach any protocol in-depth, especially V.24. But he wasn't reassured much. My immediate supervisor was there during this conversation and asked if I was okay with teaching the class. So yep, once again a last minute change. Like I said, those are few and far between. I do think the March-May classes will not change. Week of 3/21: Philippine Armed Services. On line class, teaching Tues-Thurs this week, completing it on a Sunday/Monday 2 weeks later (their request). I will teach from 7pm to 1 am those days. Week of 3/28: Northampton, Ma Week of 4/4: Cross Train one of our Instructor who works out of Indonesia. I cross-trained her manager last year (Online of course, 5 days). She's scheduled to teach a class in our Florida location, then spend some time in Schaumburg. He told her to ask if I would be available, and spend a week with me cross-training her. I feel honored that he would tell her to do that. Week of 4/11: No delivery. The week is called 'Instructor Prep' Week of 4/18: Washington DC, with the Secret Service. I hope to meet 🌸 pwheeler - love joy peace , 🌕 HuntersMoon and his wife, and hopefully Robert Waltz , if he can get there from his home in Western Virginia.Week of 4/25: Los Angeles, Port Of Los Angeles to be exact. I will meet Aennaytte: Free & Wild in GoT , maybe Jaeff | KBtW of the Free Folk , and if she's available, Schnujo is Late to Lannister .Week of 5/2: Commonwealth of Virginia, but the class will be held in Ft Lauderdale. Week of 5/9: Vacation! Week of 5/16: Schaumburg Week of 5/23: Teach from home, another night class since the customer is the US Air Force, the Yokota AFB in Japan. Week of 5/30: Meetings in Schaumburg, or online The week of 5/2 was the week that had my manager concerned. By that time, I would have been on my 7th week in a row, almost twice the number of consecutive weeks he wants us delivering. Again, I don't mind because in my eyes, I'm an instructor, so teaching is my job. Yeah, it's going to be a busy year, my schedule remains very full. However, there may be a ray of hope on the horizon since we interviewed 6 people for 2 positions last week. We'll see who they hire, and how fast they can pick things up. Still, in the grand scheme of things, life is good, it's always good! In Closing That's about it for now, til next time, be good to yourselves and those you love, and WRITE! Jim Dorrell |
| Locale: Burlington County (Mt Holly), NJ Week of: March 14, 2022 This week I delivered a short class to the US Navy. Unfortunately it was an online class, I didn't get to travel there. I would have loved to have been there, because my students spend each week on lovely San Clemente Island! How nice that would have been. Oh well, such is life, huh. Besides, I will have about 15 chances to travel this year, if not more. But, there was a small change that occurred on Monday too that put a little bump in things for me. I was prepping for a class next week with the Armed Forces Of The Philippines when my cell phone rang about 10:15 or so. It was this week's customer (US Navy), wondering when I'd show up in the Virtual Classroom to deliver the class. I explained that the class was scheduled to run Tue-Wed-Thurs, but he told me they had different dates, Monday and Tuesday only. Apparently they wanted the class to run only 2 days (fine by me really), but no one ever relayed that back to the Training Department. I made a quick call to my Training Coordinator and Manager, then went to the basement to deliver the class. The biggest issue with all of this, is that I had reserved a hotel and car for Tuesday night. This was necessary so I could show them connections to the equipment via a USB Cam, which I couldn't do from home. Of course I had to change reservations while on break to Monday, but that wasn't too bad. Still, it was a minor bump in the overall plan. As you might guess, my schedule can change quickly, sometimes it's my team that changes it, sometimes it's the customer. This week, the customer needed a class canceled/delayed. Now I have a week to rest in April, but it means I don't get to see San Diego (again). That's good really, because I was scheduled for far too many weeks in a row, which our manager hates. I don't mind it, or didn't before all these health issues hit me, but he sure does. Things have changed a little for me in April & May. (For those of you who are really interested in the changes, if any of you really are, I've highlighted that week in red). Week of 3/21: Philippine Armed Services. On line class, teaching Tues-Thurs this week, completing it on a Sunday/Monday 2 weeks later (their request). I will teach from 7pm to 1 am those days. Week of 3/28: Northampton, Ma Week of 4/4: Cross Train one of our Instructor who works out of Indonesia. I cross-trained her manager last year (Online of course, 5 days). She's scheduled to teach a class in our Florida location, then spend some time in Schaumburg. He told her to ask if I would be available, and spend a week with me cross-training her. I feel honored that he would tell her to do that. Week of 4/11: No delivery. The week is called 'Instructor Prep' Week of 4/18: Washington DC, with the Secret Service. I hope to meet 🌸 pwheeler - love joy peace , 🌕 HuntersMoon and his wife, and hopefully Robert Waltz , if he can get there from his home in Western Virginia.Week of 4/25: Los Angeles, Port Of Los Angeles to be exact. I will meet Aennaytte: Free & Wild in GoT , maybe Jaeff | KBtW of the Free Folk , and if she's available, Schnujo is Late to Lannister .Week of 5/2: Commonwealth of Virginia, but the class will be held in Ft Lauderdale. Week of 5/9: Vacation! Week of 5/16: Schaumburg Week of 5/23: Teach from home, another night class since the customer is the US Air Force, the Yokota AFB in Japan. Week of 5/30: Meetings in Schaumburg, or online The week of 5/2 was the week that had my manager concerned. By that time, I would have been on my 10th week in a row, twice the number of consecutive weeks he wants us delivering. Again, I don't mind because in my eyes, I'm an instructor, so teaching is my job. Yeah, it's going to be a busy year, my schedule remains very full. However, there may be a ray of hope on the horizon since we interviewed 6 people for 2 positions last week. We'll see who they hire, and how fast they can pick things up. Still, in the grand scheme of things, life is good, it's always good! In Closing That's about it for now, til next time, be good to yourselves and those you love, and WRITE! Jim Dorrell |
| Locale: Burlington County (Mt Holly), NJ Week of: March 7, 2022 The past week of traveling was a good week overall, despite a couple of things that occurred while I was in New Jersey. So let's get right to that. I arrived on Monday and had a relaxing dinner, though it wasn't the healthiest of dinners I could have chosen. Fried Dill Pickles for an Appetizer (I love fried dill pickles!), and a Flat Bread with Broccoli and a Garlic Cream Sauce. That morning, I'd restarted my Chemo drugs because I was finally able to start the 'maintenance mode' after the Cervical Spine Surgery. It had been two months since I'd taken these, and I forgot one small, but very important detail. I take a steroid once a week to combat any ill-effects from the Chemo drug. So I took it on Monday also. What I forgot about, is this steroid causes INSOMNIA! Yours truly didn't fall asleep until after 3 am, and woke to my alarm at 5:30. I'm too old to miss that much sleep. So I will shift that particular drug back a day each week until I'm taking it on Fridays. This way, I can sleep in some (maybe until 6:30?) on Saturday. The other minor issues that occurred were losing Internet all night on Wednesday, and having a nice, comfy room, except the heat would only cycle on if I moved about the room. So sit and watch TV, sit and be online at the desk, and no heat. I mean it could be a lot worse, a whole lot worse. I know LinnAnn -St.Patricks day star   has talked about her house being so cold that icicles would hang from her nose!... and with the way things are in the world, I didn't have it bad at all. But you come to expect more from a Hilton property. Speaking of Hilton....I learned last week that I am now a Hilton Honors Lifetime Diamond member. What this means is, not much. Then again, a lot. I don't have to meet any criteria to maintain Diamond status. I could remain at home the rest of my life, never spend a night in a Hilton brand hotel, I'd still be Diamond. Diamond status has its perks though. You earn more points per night, complimentary upgrades, etc. Today I received another surprise from Hilton. It is a box, and inside it was a nice small booklet, maybe 5 pages in length. It said I'd been a member for 18 years, have stayed at a Hilton brand hotel 1,219 nights in 267 locations around the world, starting with my first stay at a Hampton Inn at Arundel Mills, Md. That was a nice touch, a personal type of touch. You know what I mean. But the 'biggest' thing in that box, was a set of Bose earbuds, along with a metal Lifetime Diamond Member card. A couple of co-workers reached this nice pinnacle a couple of years ago, I never knew about the box. My immediate schedule (March-May) has not changed, but the rest has. There's going to be little R&R for this man, that's all I know. What weeks I am able to relax will be welcomed, you can count on that. Week of 3/14: US Navy, San Clemente (Online class, I will spend one night in Schaumburg for it) Week of 3/21: Philippine Armed Services. On line class, teaching Wed-Fri this week, and completing it on a Sunday/Monday 2 weeks later (their request). I will teach from 7pm to 1 am those days. Week of 3/28: Northampton, Ma Week of 4/4: Cross Train one of our Instructor who works out of Indonesia. I cross-trained her manager last year (Online of course, 5 days). She's scheduled to teach a class in our Florida location, then spend some time in Schaumburg. He told her to ask if I would be available, and spend a week with me cross-training her. I feel honored that he would tell her to do that. Week of 4/11: San Diego Week of 4/18: Washington DC, with the Secret Service. I hope to meet 🌸 pwheeler - love joy peace , 🌕 HuntersMoon and his wife, and hopefully Robert Waltz , if he can get there from his home in Western Virginia.Week of 4/25: Los Angeles, Port Of Los Angeles to be exact. I will meet Aennaytte: Free & Wild in GoT , maybe Jaeff | KBtW of the Free Folk , and if she's available, Schnujo is Late to Lannister .Week of 5/2: Virginia again, probably Richmond area. Week of 5/9: Vacation! Week of 5/16: Schaumburg Week of 5/23: Teach from home Week of 5/30: Meetings in Schaumburg, or online Right now, between scheduled vacation weeks, and mandatory 'no delivery time', I have 8 weeks free between now and the middle of November.... Yeah, it's going to be a busy year. But in the grand scheme of things, life is good, it's always good! In Closing That's about it for now, til next time, be good to yourselves and those you love, and WRITE! Jim Dorrell |
| Locale: Burlington County (Mt Holly), NJ Week of: March 7, 2022 It's been a busy week for me, one I was used to a couple of years ago, but not recently. This week I am in Burlington County NJ for a quick 2-day class with them. It's a nice start to what's going to be quite a spring/summer for me. Things went very well this week with the class. I was a little worried about it for one small reason. A co-worker was here last week teaching essentially the same course. Except his was about what's called 'Trunked GTR's, whereas mine was all about the Conventional operation of it. The operation of it is completely different system-wise, but heck, a radio is a radio, so what could I cover about that wasn't covered last week? The simple answer is, not much. So I concentrated on the programming of it (a bit different) and other small things they might not have known about. Like I said, it went very well really. My schedule continues to get busier and busier. March and April are booked solid, May has one week free, but my manager called me today and asked if I could teach that week.; I can of course, but that will 'violate' our policy. We're only allowed to deliver a maximum of 5 weeks in a row, that week in May would be #6. We'll see what the upper level management says about that. Right now, here's what's going on in my schedule. Week of 3/14: US Navy, San Clemente (Online class, I will spend one night in Schaumburg for it) Week of 3/21: Philippine Armed Services. On line class, teaching Wed-Fri this week, and completing it on a Sunday/Monday 2 weeks later (their request). I will teach from 7pm to 1 am those days. Week of 3/28: Northampton, Ma Week of 4/4: Cross Train one of our Instructor who works out of Indonesia. I cross trained her manager last year (Online of course, 5 days). She's scheduled to teach a class in our Florida location, then spend some time in Schaumburg. He told her to ask if I would be available, and spend a week with me cross-training her. I feel honored that he would tell her to do that. Week of 4/11: San Diego Week of 4/18: Washington DC, with the Secret Service Week of 4/25: Los Angeles, Port Of Los Angeles to be exact. I will meet Aennaytte: Free & Wild in GoT , maybe Jaeff | KBtW of the Free Folk , and if she's available, Schnujo is Late to Lannister .My schedule for the rest of the year remains in flux, but right now, I am booked solid through October! (I have week's free, but teaching those weeks would definitely violate our policy I mentioned above. To me, it's all good, I don't mind. Plus, an Engineering team in the NE area of the country is looking into having me deliver a Fleetmapping class for them. This would require some editing of the course materials since it would be a bit more technical than a typical customer course. Then there's always the Long Island Railroad that needs a class, one I've tailored for them... and a couple of others I know I'm forgetting right now. But, life is good, it's always good! In Closing That's about it for now, til next time, be good to yourselves 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'. 