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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: 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 |
| Locale: Bloomington Illinois Week of: February 20, 2022 Well, I knew this day would come, and it has. This past week I made my first flight plans in over 15 months to travel on business! I will be flying to Philadelphia to deliver a short class in Westampton, NJ. While I've gotten to love working from home, I am really looking forward to traveling again. The only drawback to all of this, is that due to our recent weather (almost 2 feet of snow in since Ground Hog day!), I decided to fly out of Bloomington. That means I can't fly United (where I still have a little bit of 'status'), and will fly Delta (No status). It's okay though, I'll live. My recovery from Cervical Spine Surgery is going well, though I still have a bit of pain 24/7. It's not unbearable, Tylenol does help, but I find myself taking Tramadol more than I'd like. If I'd stop shoveling snow (no one else to do it here), or carrying about 125 lbs of dog meat (Meat for our dogs meals, they're on a bones and raw food diet) to the basement, I wouldn't hurt near as much. Oh, and if I kept my head straight, don't look down, it wouldn't hurt either. Looking down tends to put pressure on nerves near the metal in my neck. If ya wanna see photos of it all, let me know...  The photos are not of the actual surgery, just my scar, and X-Rays of my neck afterwards. Not bloody, promise.Work will only get more and more busy too. One of our senior instructors decided to make a shift in his career, and has accepted a position elsewhere within Motorola. If you know any one who has a technical background and enjoys teaching, have them send me their resume! You never know.... Even when they do manage to hire a couple of instructors, will by 4-6 months (depending on their background, and their abilities) before they can really contribute. Right now, March and April are booked solid for me. My upcoming classes are: Week of 2/28: Dept of Nat'l Defense, Canada (Online class, teach from home) Week of 3/7: Burlington County NJ (the trip I mentioned above) Week of 3/14: US Navy, San Clemente (Online class, I will spend one night in Schaumburg for it) Week of 3/21: Emporia, Kansas 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: Teach from home. (I bet this class is canceled. No one has signed up for it yet.) Week of 4/18: Washington DC, with the Secret Service Week of 4/25: Los Angeles, Port Of Los Angeles to be exact. I should, and hope, to meet Aennaytte: Free & Wild in GoT , maybe Jaeff | KBtW of the Free Folk , and if she's available, Schnujo is Late to Lannister .May and June, along with the rest of the year look to be just as busy. I don't have that many classes that will require a lot of traveling, but that's only the first half of the year. I'm scheduled for classes throughout the year, but they can change quickly. Right now, there's only TEN weeks that do not have a class scheduled through the rest of 2022! I just hope I can handle all the changes...  In Closing That's about it for now, til next time, be good to yourselves and those you love, and WRITE! Jim Dorrell |
| Locale: Charlottesville, Virginia, Hampton, Virginia Week of: August 30, 2021 In my previous entries about this trip, I failed to mention where we dined, so thought I'd update you on this. I do want to say one thing first though. I know it sounds like I'm (or maybe Robert Waltz  and I) are lushes, looking for our next fix of alcohol. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Yes, this trip was all about me getting to Virginia for that Bourbon. That is true. But we didn't drink much at all, and while it was about getting Bourbon, it was not about drinking it, at least then. I don't drink and drive. Hard, fast, rule I never break. I've never had a DUI, and don't intend to get one anytime soon. Besides, I really am a lightweight, any more than one drink and I'm done. One is fine, I don't get drunk on one, but two or more, you never know.I started the trip a bit late on Thursday after spending the day working from home. I left about 2 pm, but had to stop to get a haircut first, so I didn't get out of town until almost 3:30. My plan was to spend the night in Cincinnati, I didn't arrive until almost 8pm. I was tired, so any idea of going out was gone. Friday's drive was a bit better, I arrived in Charlottesville about 5 pm. Saturday was a day of driving, visiting my daughter, and the Distillery. So where did we eat and what did we have? Thursday: Panera Bread - I just had a Caeser Salad with chicken. They were getting ready to close, so it wasn't great, but it's the kind of meal I wanted and needed. Friday: Bob Evans: Not my favorite place for breakfast, but it was close, easy to get back on the route, so no brainer really. There was a place I do enjoy called "Another Broken Egg", but it was about 25 minutes away, and in the wrong direction. Friday night: I picked up Robert Waltz and Artemismad  after getting settled in my hotel. I had wanted to go to a place I found while in Charlottesville a few years back. It's a South African place with food that is unlike anything I've had before. Sadly, they are closed permantently. I mentioned that to Bob, and told him to decide where we should go. We ended up going to Threenotchedbrewing https://threenotchdbrewing.com/charlottesville-craft-kitchen-brewery/, a nearby brew pub. Yes, we had alcohol. I had a beer, sadly it was canned, Bob and Anna had Sake. We decided on three appetizers while waiting for our table, and three more once we were sat. Let's see if I can remember things correctly. we had Pot-stickers, Hummus and veggies, and a bowl of Ramen. Once we were at our table, we ordered three more. A trio of mini-burgers, Nachos, and deviled eggs. Quite the combination overall, and everything was very good.Saturday: Bob confessed a desire for a Egg McMuffin, so we stopped there. I decided on the two breakfast burritos. Not my favorite place to stop, but we didn't have time to dine in at a decent place. Saturday lunch: Bob and I walked to a nearby Pizza place only to find it closed, which meant a return walk of a quarter mile. Just that short walk wore me out! We were heading to a Subway, but saw a Teriyaki place on the way and stopped there. Sushi and a small plate later and we were sated, for now. Saturday dinner: After our adventure was over for the day, it was time to head to Charlottesville. Bob knew of a Vietnamese place in Richmond he recommended, so we stopped there. https://mekongisforbeerlovers.com/ He had a make your own Spring Roll, and I had a Shrimp Pho. Even their smallest size was too big for me, but not by too much. It was what I wanted and needed though. I should have had more veggies all weekend, but sadly, nope. Sunday breakfast: One of my favorite breakfast chains to dine at, First Watch. https://www.firstwatch.com/locations/barracks I had a nice omelet which was pretty good overall. Lunch and dinner were mainly snacks during my drive. Not the healthiest meals all weekend, but better than fast food all the time. I'm sorry if this is too detailed for you, but it is what it is, as they say. Now to figure out how to get more personal road-trips like this! In Closing That's about it for now, til next time, be good to yourselves and those you love, and WRITE! Jim Dorrell |
| Locale: Charlottesville, Virginia, Hampton, Virginia Week of: August 30, 2021 Today was just a great day overall. Expensive, but great. I picked up Robert Waltz a little after 8 and we headed for the Newport News/Hampton area of Virginia. It was a great drive, uneventful, and fun. We got there around 10:45 or so, and visiting my daughter first. She lives in Hampton with her husband & two children. Its been far too long since I've visited them. We sat and talked for a bit, but their son Jonathan was anxious to get going. They were taking him to the Gray Wolf Lodge today for a day of fun and such. I don't blame him for being anxious. She knew I was coming, but had made these plans long ago. Since Bob and I had things to get done too, I told her there was no way she was changing her plans.We left about 12:45, yep, a short visit. Very good visit, quality time, I even watched Jonathan play with his VR Spiderman game in his room. This was significant to me, because Jonathan is borderline Autistic. We had a good time in his room, but it wasn't long enough. As I mentioned, all too soon Bob and I had to leave. Our next stop was at the Mini-Mart near the base to get a bottle of Moscato from Italy. In this case, I got a bottle of Mango Moscato. Next of course was the Ironclad Distillery. But, it was lunch time and we were both hungry. We ended up going to a small place nearby and had a bite. Back at the Distillery, I found that they had set three bottles of the Rickover Bourbon aside for me to pickup. We sampled a couple (including their Bourbon Syrup, Yummy!), I even added a bottle of Bourbon Syrup to my stuff. Bob sampled more than I did since I was driving. I'm a lightweight with alcohol, so didn't want to push things. If I lived in this area though, I'd be in trouble, their stuff is that good. Then we had the drive back to Charlottesville, but we had to make a stop for dinner at a Vietnamese place that Bob likes. Yeah, it too was good.. very good. After that, the drive. Not long, Bob and I talked all day long it seems. It wasn't like meeting someone for the first time (okay, second time, we did have dinner together with 🌕 HuntersMoon  and his wife in December 2019), but it was not like two men who barely know each other, it was like old friends meeting after not seeing each other for quite a while. Maybe due to a lockdown caused by a Global Pandemic? So yes, a very good day, tiring, but 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: Virginia Week of: August 30, 2021 Well, first things first. I did work this week, though it seems I didn't get much done. I was to cross-train a fellow instructor on two courses that I'm the only officially qualified instructor of. Problem is, things didn't go quite as planned. Monday was fine, then came Tuesday. For some reason, the shot this week really hit me. Hit me hard. I was starting to feel unwell Monday night, and by Tuesday morning it was far worse. I just ached all over, no appetite, at least I didn't have a fever, nor was I vomiting. It was mostly a feeling of just 'being unwell'. By Wednesday morning, I was almost 100%. So we did the cross training Monday and Wednesday. I don't feel I was properly prepared, and could have done a much better job in cross-training him. Thursday. <Sigh> He changed his password Wednesday night, and could do nothing on Thursday. He spent the day (as far as I know) working with IT to correct his problem. So only two days of cross-training. Friday we were all (all employess) given the day off. It's called 'Feel good Friday', they do this once in a while. Knowing this day off was coming on a three day weekend, and feeling I needed a road trip, I decided I would drive to Newport News Virginia. The reason? To purchase a bottle of Bourbon. 'That's a pretty expensive bottle of Bourbon Jim', is what most of you are thinking, or saying. And you are right. But there's a reason. (Isn't there always a reason?). This Bourbon is distilled by the Ironclad Distillery in Newport News. I know you're wondering why I didn't have them ship me a bottle or two. They aren't licensed to ship out of state. I found out tonight that Virginia has some pretty odd laws about alcohol, and that's fine. So what's so special about this Bourbon? Well, it's called the Hyman Rickover Bourbon. And who was Hyman Rickover? He is the Naval Admiral who is considered the 'father of the US Nuclear Navy'. Without him, I wouldn't be where I am today. I just wanted a bottle of it, okay? I couldn't have it shipped to me, I couldn't have any one buy it and ship to me (that's illegal), I could not find a website that could ship it to, so the only option seemed to be coming here to get it myself. Besides, I needed a road trip!I left yesterday to head here, and spent the night in Cincinnati. This morning, the phone GPS (we won't talk about the GPS in my van, and how impossible it is to add an destination to it), showed the fastest route to head due east, then south at Jackson Ohio. I didn't look at it closely, I just started driving. It turns out, the route took me through Point Pleasant, West Virginia, so I had to stop and see 'him'  You may know of this creature from the movie, this is a sculptors representation of 'The Mothman'. The movie "The Mothman Prophecies made this creature almost a household name. There's no way I could come to Virginia to purchase Bourbon and not pick up Robert Waltz , so tonight I'm staying in Charlottesville, Virginia. We had dinner together, and will head to Newport News tomorrow morning. I am counting on Bob to tell me if this is a good Bourbon or not. He can tell me it's rot-gut stuff, I'm still getting a bottle. We'll return here tomorrow night, I will head home Sunday, and should arrive sometime before midnight. So, a whirlwind road trip, but a fun one just the same.In Closing I am still delivering classes from home only, and don't see that changing the rest of this year. Tjhat's fine, I've really started enjoying teaching from home, but I also miss traveling. That's about it for now, til next time, be good to yourselves and those you love, and WRITE! Jim Dorrell |
| Locale: Waukegan, Illinois Week of: July 12, 2021 This has not been a typical week for me, not by a long shot. Let me give you the lowdown on what happened. First, I need to stop posting things in the newsfeed that really belong in one of my blogs. So that stops, and entries like this begin. Second, on Sunday, July 11th, one of my best friends at work (now retired) passed on due to Bladder/Spleen/Pancreatic Cancer. Today was his Memorial Service/Funeral. As for the rest of the week? I delivered a 3-day (Tue-Thu) Virtual class for a customer, one I've delivered many times in person, and a few times virtually. In looking at how their system was configured and programmed, I noted a few things they should look at. We'll see if those truly are a problem in their system. The biggest event that happened this past week work-wise, was losing my voice on Wednesday. I felt it getting weak on Tuesday afternoon; and on Wednesday, there was no voice, just a hoarse croak. As I started talking, and lubricating (for lack of a better word) my vocal chords, my voice got stronger, and I made it through the day. By Thursday morning it was fine, a little weak at times, but still strong overall. Someone tell me why this happened over a one-day period. Maybe I strained my voice singing along while driving home from my doctor's appointment Monday afternoon, and it took a couple of days to catch up to me? No clue here. Today was not a typical Saturday either. I've mentioned Bob in previous newsfeed posts, he retired from Motorola a year ago today. Last Sunday (the 11th), he passed on due to Cancer. Today was his memorial service and funeral in Waukegan, so I woke at 4:30 am and drove up this morning. I won't describe things too much, but let's just say this man spent an awful lot of money on his, and his wife's funeral arrangements. The service was a very moving and sad experience, as was expected. At the Mausoleum, Taps were played by a long bugler, an American Flag that had been draped over him was folded and presented to his wife, and a bagpiper played Amazing Grace. While it was a very subdued experience, I will say it was nice to see about 10 of my co-workers there. Additionally, I met two of my support team for breakfast at the Egg Harbor Cafe in Schaumburg this morning. This is the place Bob and I would meet at once a week on those weeks we were both in town. Weeks that were all too often few and far between. I had the same dish (Georgia Stone Ground Grits with Bacon, Green Onion and Jalapeno) that Bob and I would both order on those occasions we met for breakfast. Before breakfast arrived, the three of us toasted our water glasses to Bob. Once everything was completed, I headed home (200 miles away), but not before stopping at a store that we don't have here in Bloomington to get a couple of bags of Chocolate Cherry Kiss Coffee for my daughter, who I will see next month, and a couple of other things that looked good. In Closing As of now, I will spend the rest of the year delivering classes from home. I do have field classes scheduled, but those will either move to someone else, or become a virtual delivery. The Instructor Manager has told me that I will not travel on business until treatments are done, and I've been reevaluated. So, home it is. Til next time, be good to yourselves and those you love, and WRITE! Jim Dorrell |
| Locale: Bloomington, Illinois, Schaumburg, Illinois Week of: June 14, 2021 Believe it or not, I 'managed' to sneak away for part of this week! Okay, so I didn't sneak away, I did get permission to travel to Schaumburg for the last two days of this week's class. Let's backtrack a moment so y'all know how we got to this point. Any of you who follow me know of my health issues this year. Yes, I do have a form of Cancer. Fortunately, it's not a real aggressive Cancer, and my doctor feels he can have me 'good as new' by years end. We'll see. To make it even easier on me though, I have one of the best managers in the world. I've kept him informed of everything going on, and with the pandemic and such still a major problem for the world, he's 'grounded' me from travel. He's kept me safe from myself, because I'd have kept traveling if asked. It has been nice though, to not worry about doctor's appointments. Early on he told me to schedule my appointments and to not worry about my schedule. He said he would handle any conflicts with doctor's appointments, and he's been good to his word on that. My customer this week is the US Senate Sergeant At Arms. Their radio system is pretty unique, they are using one of our products in a manner that I've not seen before. That happens sometimes with our products, and it only took a few minutes of looking at their system diagram to understand things enough to deliver the class in a manner they can understand; even better, in a manner that allows them to know how their system is configured, and how to maintain their devices. But to do the class 'justice', I needed to come to Schaumburg to demonstrate some of the connections they would need to make in checking their equipment. That was today and tomorrow for them. Once we started class today, I was told they won't be doing most of the detailed maintenance, they have a contract with a local radio shop. Yet, they still want to know as much detail about the maintenance as they can. So it's necessary for me to be here. I've been a good boy too. I've not been near anyone, if I do have to get anywhere close to someone, I am wearing a mask of course. It's not that I'm afraid of COVID or something like that. I have my opinions on that virus, we don't need to discuss them here. But, I wear my mask when needed, especially in public places. To protect ME! I don't know who might have what kind of illness/disease, and with this type of Cancer, my immune system is a bit compromised. That's why I don't travel right now. So, I keep my distance, I am as careful as I can be, and still get things done. Back to the class. One of the devices in their system is a bit different in configuration, or in how it's accessed and configured, than any of the others. And I happen to be one of the few people who really understand that device and its configuration. I'm the only instructor who teaches that short class, in fact, I wrote the class. Tomorrow we will concentrate on that device, we've covered it well so far, but their manager wants to know as much as he can about it. We'll get it done, complete the class, and hopefully I'll be heading home at noon or so. The customer is very happy with the class and what's gone on thus far, and for me, that's all I can ask for. In Closing As of now, this is my only trip away from home this year. I do have field classes scheduled, but those will either move to someone else, or become a virtual delivery. Unless my health changes dramatically, and I don't see that happening soon. Til next time, be good to yourselves and those you love, and WRITE! Jim Dorrell |
| 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'. 