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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: Seattle, Washington Week of: December 14, 2020 Here I am in the beautiful city of Seattle, and no place to go. You might wonder how that's possible, so let me explain. I'm only here for 1 day. I'm here to work with the customer in completing the hands-on activities for this course. It only takes one day to do all that, so here I am. Being such a short trip, working in the airport itself, plus having the pandemic still going on, it seemed to make sense to not have a car. Restaurants are open for carry-out only, so I can't even go to the city for dinner. Many of you have it a lot tougher than this, so I don't feel I should complain too much. Since the class was conducted at the airport, I chose to stay at the Hilton across the street, but I have to confess that I wouldn't stay here again. Why? It's an old hotel, comfy, clean, but in need of an update. That isn't the reason though. There's a Spencer's Restaurant that is part of the hotel; it's supposed to be a good place to dine. They may have changed things due to the pandemic, I'm not sure. What I do know, is that the price you pay (well, my company pays) for a meal is not worth what you get. I arrived Monday and being somewhat tied to the hotel, I went there for my carryout dinner. I love Fish n Chips, so I ordered that, and a Caesar Salad, along with a plastic up of beer, and for later, one of those hard cider things. I won't say the price here, that's not important. But the fish was 3 'logs', about the size of a cigar in diameter, and maybe 3-4 inches in length, and a ton of fries. That dish alone was close to $30! That's what I mean about the price not being in line with what you get. Don't get me wrong, I'm not looking for a larger portion, what I had was plenty. I don't think it should have cost that much. The meal was good (for being a take-out order), nothing wrong with it, just overpriced. So, I wouldn't stay here again if that's my main dining option. The hands-on activities went well, there were only 2 students, so it was nice to teach almost one-on-one. It wasn't classroom teaching, no lecturing. It was all demo's, them actually logging on to devices and viewing it's configuration, learning how to do this or that to maintain the system and devices. This was my first time doing the hands-on activities only, and my first time doing this class since August of 2019. I get to do this class in person in about 4 weeks in Flagler County Florida, so it was also a nice refresher, if you will. In Closing Today I fly to Montana to do this again, a slightly different course, but in reality, about the same stuff. I will be in Helena, and I'm told the radio site is on top of a mountain. I just hope the shelter that houses the radios is decently warm! Til next time, be good to yourselves and those you love, and WRITE!  Jim Dorrell |
| Locale: Bloomington, Illinois Week of: December 7, 2020 This week finds me at home once again teaching in my basement. It's something I've gotten used to, and learned to enjoy a bit. This class was one I haven't taught since April 2019, but I needed a refresher. Why? Because next week I will be in Seattle and Helena Montana doing the supervising the hands-on activities of this course. Plus, I have to deliver this again in person in Flagler County Florida in three weeks, so this really helped refresh my memory on it. As in every class I deliver, I learned something new, which is always good. Despite the pandemic, this has been a very busy year for me. A normal 'fully loaded' schedule for us is 110-115 days of delivery. Why so little? That's actually about six months of classroom time, and the other six months is meant to be spent learning/qualifying new courses, upgrading course materials (there's always room for improvement!), and in some ways, relaxing. Well, it wasn't until this week that I realized exactly how busy I've been delivering classes in 2020. In March & April, we lost seven weeks of delivery due to the Pandemic. Since then, other than taking PTO in October, and having the US Holiday weeks 'off' from teaching, I've only had one week of non-delivery. What this means, is that out of a possible 32 weeks we've delivered classes since late April, I've delivered classes in 28 of them! Remember that 110-115 days per year being a full schedule? This year, I will deliver 152 days of classes. That's when I realized exactly how busy I've been. But that's good if you ask me.  In Closing I will spend next week in those two places mentioned above, then at least 1-2 nights in Schaumburg to cross-train on a new course. After that, I have two weeks on holiday before hitting it again the first of the year. Til next time, be good to yourselves and those you love, and WRITE! |
| Locale: Springfield, Missouri Week of: November 30, 2020 This week finds me in Springfield Missouri for a Networking class with the city. I was in Springfield in 2002, and have a few fond memories of being here. Don't ask where I dined though, because I couldn't tell you. Other than Lambert Throwed Rolls that is. I drove there, it was only a 5 hour drive or so, and a nice one at that. I have to say that for there being a Pandemic going on, there sure was a lot of people heading home on the highways from a family weekend. I didn't mind, I'm glad they were able to get together, assuming that was the reason there were so many on the road. The class itself was good, I may be invited back for a different class too. For me, that's always an honor. An honor that someone thinks well enough of me to ask for me to come back for another class. We'll see what happens. It seems that the instructor who owns this course has changed it a little... again. There were at least 2 hands-on exercises that we did, and I don't recall seeing them before. So I have some studying to do so I have them down solid. But really, things went well. At least there were no questions asked that I couldn't answer. It's amazing how these systems can change, the new capabilities that are being configured. It can be quite the chore to keep up with all the changes, but somehow we manage to stay even with the curve at least. Noteworthy Restaurants: Cafe Cusco https://www.cafecusco.com/menu This is a Peruvian/Chilean inspired restaurant, and I thought the food was very good. I went there twice, the first time I had their Fried Guacamole appetizer, and Olive Trout. On my second visit, I wanted the Drunk Goat, but they were out of that, so I settled for the Fried Rabbit. Everything was very good as I said, though I forgot to order the Ceviche Miami on my second visit. Ocean Zen https://www.eatoceanzen.com/menu I had to visit this place, their menu looked terrific, and I was in the mood for Sushi. I wasn't disappointed one bit. I will admit that their Tuna Poke was a little on the small side, but it was still very good. I forget which Sushi roll I had, but it really hit the spot. I thought about having a second appetizer, but didn't want to overdo it and get too full. Historic/Interesting Places Visited: Uranus, Missouri I can't drive west on I-44 without stopping here. I found a few things I wanted, and when I approached the cashier, the sweet young lady said, "It's nice to see you! We're glad you picked Uranus!" You can see that this could go on and on. I wanted to say something like, "Well, I can't drive past here without visiting Uranus, it's always a pleasure." but figured she was 21-22 at most, and since I could be her grandfather, I decided not to say anything too outlandish. You can get several knick-knacks there, so I settled on a glass with their logo that reads, "Packing Fudge Fresh In Uranus Since 2015". I also picked up a jar of Garlic Stuffed Green Olives that also stated, "Fresh from the farm to Uranus". Boy do I have a warped sense of humor!  In Closing I will spend the rest of the year at home, with at least 1-2 nights in Schaumburg to cross-train on a new course. I teach online the next two weeks, then have two weeks on holiday before hitting it again the first of the year. Til next time, be good to yourselves and those you love, and WRITE! Jim Dorrell |
| Locale: Bloomington, Illinois Week of: November 16, 2020 This week finds me at home once again, delivering that 'Fleetmapping' course I was asked to learn in March. This is fine, because we all know things could be a lot worse. Some of my co-workers have been traveling like crazy though, and I'm not envious one bit. Since the pandemic hit in March, I have traveled for class delivery 5 times. I will travel again Sunday to Springfield, Missouri, and that will be my last field trip of this year. Since March, I will have taught classes in the field five times, and on line a whopping TWENTY times! Yikes! I was a little concerned about this class because this customer has already completed their Fleetmap design. I wondered why the class was scheduled, but deep down, I knew why. All I could do was deliver to the best of my abilities, and go from there. I will say that the students were very cooperative, seemed to enjoy the class, and overall it was their willingness to be there that made the class a success. Yes, they had a good instructor that somehow manages to make an online session somewhat enjoyable, but it was the students who made this class enjoyable. Have you wondered what 'Fleetmapping' is all about? Here's a little info about it for you. Imagine you're a customer, perhaps a Public Safety Agency in a large city. You've purchased this state-of-the-art' radio communications system from my company. Because of the size of your city, the Public Safety Sector, and general city businesses (Parks & Recreation, Public Utilities, Transportation, etc) are all going to use this system. You will have about 15,000 users on it, all transmitting on their 2-way radios to remain in touch with their co-workers and managers. These radios are pretty sophisticated, and are programmed using a special program on your PC. Plus, they can be programmed in hundreds, if not thousands of different ways. Plus, the radios have to be properly configured in the system applications that reside on a web-based server. You have to know your options and system capabilities to really configure things appropriately. Fleetmapping enables you to plan how both the system, and the radios, are configured and programmed. After all, if they don't mesh and work together, you (the city) just spent a little over a couple of hundred million dollars on a useless communication system. That's the class I edited greatly, and taught myself to teach in March. In Closing I will spend the holiday week at home before driving to Springfield Sunday. I will be working on a couple of small work-related projects while here, trying to get aheda, (or remain ahead), of that eight ball. Til next time, be good to yourselves and those you love, and WRITE! Jim Dorrell |
| Locale: Schaumburg, Illinois Week of: November 9, 2020 This week I delivered a 'resident class' in Schaumburg. It is a pretty basic RF class that I've taught for 19 years now, so there was very little stress in this delivery. It's not the same delivering a class there though. The building is a ghost town since everyone is working from home. The only reason to keep that building (all 12 stories of it), is for our classrooms. I wouldn't be surprised if they move us to a different location (cheaper lease) in the not to distant future. Pure conjecture on my part, but it only makes sense. The kicker to all this, is that with the COVID cases on the rise once again, the county implemented even more stringent measures at controlling crowds. The classrooms are designed for 12 students, but we can now have no more than 25% of the allowed amount of people in it, meaning 3 students in the small classrooms (where I was), and 4-5 in the larger rooms. So, I had a class of three, except one person didn't show up. It's harder to teach a small group like that. There aren't as many questions, so the time goes by faster than it normally would. Overall, it was a good week, but things are so different now. I'm just thankful I'm still employed!My schedule is still on steroids, and I can only assume everyone else's is too. (I can only see mine, I do not see who is teaching what or where). I'm glad I get the weeks of Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years off, because other than those weeks, I am booked every week between now and May 24th! In Closing I will spend the weekend and the next two weeks at home. Next week I will teach that 'Fleetmapping' class online again, with the City and County of San Francisco my customer. Til next time, be good to yourselves and those you love, and WRITE! Jim Dorrell |
| Locale: Henderson, Kentucky Week Of: October 26, 2020 This week finds me in Henderson, Kentucky for a class with the city and county of Henderson. I found myself attracted to the area, mainly because I love river towns, but it was the local radio station (WSON) I listened to that captured me. Why? One word. Americana. Small town, and if it weren't for the highways and types of vehicles on the road, you might think you were in a time warp, and back in the 1950's. As is my custom right now, I drove here, a long drive of 4 hours or so. Then again though, if I had flown to Evansville, Indiana (right across the Ohio River in Indiana), it would have been a longer trip. Drive to the airport, and arrive at least an hour and a half early, 30 minute flight to Chicago, at least an hour layover, probably more, and an hour flight to Evansville. Plus, you get the 'joy' of being crammed in an airplane, confined in a narrow space for those flights. No thank you, driving is more fun. Noteworthy Restaurants: Poké River http://www.pokeriver.com/ This is essentially a fast food chain that is very similar to Poké Works, which is coming to my town soon. If you enjoy Poké like I do, then you almost have to go. I find (or shall I say I hope), it's healthier than McD's and the like. I've been to a Poké Works in Omaha, and this is almost identical to them, just a different name. And yes, I loved my meal from there. Catfish Willy's Another dish I love is Catfish. While I don't eat much fried food, I prefer Catfish fried or blackened. I'm glad I ordered mine fried, I had a platter, with the catfish, shrimp, oysters, and clams, with a side of Fried Okra. (You can never get too much Okra!). Everything was fried, and the amazing thing to me was, there was no sign of grease! I couldn't eat it all that night, so took it to my hotel room, and finished it the next day. Never did I find a spot of grease. Plus, the cornmeal breading on the catfish was perfect too. Manna Mediterranean Grill https://manna-grill.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/MANNA-Menu-CLR-100220.pdf Another cuisine I really enjoy is Mediterranean food. It is really hard to find a place that serves authentic Eastern Mediterranean food, or Middle East food here in the States. I dined at a Kabob Restaurant in Canada a couple of years ago, and fell in love with the seasoning used there. I asked what it was, and found out that they import their seasoning from Iran. With the Embargo in place on Iran, they can't be imported here I guess. Still, whenever I can find a good Mediterranean or Middle Eastern restaurant, I make sure to drop by. Historic/Interesting Places Visited: The Red Skelton Museum of American Comedy http://redskeltonmuseum.org/ I am a big fan of this man! Whenever I see that question that floats around here and there... You know the one. "Who would you like to meet, living or dead?" My #1 answer is Red Skelton. I cannot consider myself a fan of this man, and not stop here. I think it was his wittiness, willingness to act or look in whatever way he needed to, to make people smile that made me a fan. Comedians today have their delivery scripted (except for standup comedians), but take a look at some of the things he would do, and you'll realize that this was most likely completely off-the-cuff. The museum is on the campus of Vincennes University in Vincennes Indiana. It is a nice tribute to the legendary comedian, and well worth a quick visit. Look for some of his Gertrude & Heathcliffe jokes in my "Smile! (Groan?) You Know You Love These!"  in the near future. Yes, I bought a small pamphlet of those jokes. Here's a quote from him that I saw in the museum. "A clown must be a clown.... funny without assistance, capable of communicating with his audience without props or scenery or words."In Closing I will spend the weekend and next week at home. I was scheduled to be in Schaumburg to deliver a resident class, but there's been an upswing in COVID cases in the Chicago area recently, and they've placed even more restrictions on room capacities, and my class has too many students to fit in one of our classrooms now. So I get to deliver this class from home instead! Til next time, be good to yourselves and those you love, and WRITE! Jim Dorrell |
| Locale: Bloomington, Illinois Week of: October 19, 2020 This past week I taught from home once again. This was after having spent two weeks on vacation. Since I rarely take vacations, it was hard to get into the groove of not working, but then it was a little hard to get back in the practice of working again too! I was just getting used to relaxing, and it was time to hit the grindstone again.... This was a class on programming one of our two way radio brands. It was also a class on a relatively new piece of software that allows a customer to manage their radio fleet. I have taught each of these classes many times, but never back to back like this. What I quickly discovered, is that we seem to deliver this backwards. How so? Well, that second piece of software is also used to program those radios, but there's a few differences in how you go about it. Within the first hour of class, I realized we should be delivering that second software all along, while also showing them how to program radios. It's difficult to explain here without going into details. If I did that, I'd lose you rather quickly, so I really gloss over details to save you. In Closing That class went well, everyone seemed happy with what was covered, and it's time to move on to the next class. I will spend the weekend at home, before traveling Sunday to my next class. Til next time, be good to yourselves and those you love, and WRITE! Jim Dorrell |
| Locale: Virginia Beach, Virginia Week of: October 5, 2020 For the first time in longer than I care to think about, I took some paid time off (PTO), and actually went on a vacation! It wasn't much because the timing wasn't all that great, but it was excellent nonetheless. Let me explain. First, timing. We had appointments the first week of my PTO, and couldn't leave on Monday. The people we were going to visit couldn't take any time off from work, so being there the weekend seemed the best strategy. And with COVID-19, we didn't really want to be out and about all that much. Last year, long before there were any thoughts of COVID-19, we were asked to submit our PTO requests for 2020. You will probably 'freak out' over this, I get 5 weeks of PTO every year, but rarely use them. Sadly too, it's either use them, or lose them. They will not pay us for time we could have had off, but didn't take. So yep, every year I've lost those 5 weeks of free time off. Why would I be willing to do that? Well, isn't vacation all about going someplace new and relaxing? Yeah, I know, my field classes are not vacations, but I still see places I'd probably never see (Thailand anyone?), and I do get some relaxation time in often enough. We chose Virginia Beach for a couple of reasons. First and foremost, we had planned on going to my hometown (Albuquerquew, NM) to see the Balloon Fiesta, which I've never seen. How is that possible? Well, that all started after I joined the Navy, so yeah, I've never seen it. As with most things this year, the fiesta was cancelled due to COVID-19. I was scheduled to take a week of PTO in August and September, but had nothing to do really, so gave those up, and ended up teaching instead. But why Virginia Beach? Again, there's a small story as to why. In a previous posting, I related how I taught a class in Washington DC to the White House Communications Agency. What I didn't talk about in that posting, was that after class was done on Thursday, I drove to Virginia Beach and picked up an Akita puppy we were purchasing from it's breeder. I've never been a 'big dog person', but have come to really love Akita's. We have an older female that we got from this same breeder. We didn't buy her though, she was a rescue, and was given to us by the breeder. LONG story there about that. Anyway, the sister of our current Akita had a litter in April, and we were set to buy the best male in the litter. Those of you who may be into dog shows and training know the correct terminology for this little guy, but to me, he's the best male. And he's a handful too. He's great, but a handful. So when we couldn't see the balloon fiesta, I thought we'd go east and let the breeder see her puppy after he'd been gone three months. Everything about the trip was uneventful, even if we did travel with three dogs. While there, we went on a 2 hour cruise to see the Navy vessels in port. Didn't I have enough of that while in the Navy? In one word.... NO. It was a good time. We also visited the first landing area, saw the Cape Henry lighthouse, and visited the Chesapeake Bay Distillery so I could get a bottle of their Rum. In the process, we stopped at Duck Donuts and picked up a half dozen for us, and the people we'd visit. But, we needed to stop for breakfast, and since we had the puppy with us (didn't trust him being left in the hotel room with the other two dogs), we left him in the car. Remember those donuts? Well, I hid them as best I could under the back seat of the van. The seats had been folded down, and there was a small space under there that the donuts fit in quite well. But, there was a little bit of the box showing. After breakfast, we visited the lighthouse, and that's when I discovered that our Duck Donuts would not be eaten by us. The puppy had dug the box out, and ate them all!! We're lucky he didn't get sick from that,,, but looking back now, I have to laugh a little about it. Seeing the puppy (Buddy), and his great aunt (Pumpkin) meet their breeder again was precious. I wish I'd had my camera out to record the video. Their happiness at seeing them is something only those who have experienced this can understand. Noteworthy Restaurants: Wicker's Crab Pot https://www.wickerscrabpot.com/menus/ I really wanted fresh seafood while there, especially a place where you can order a crab pot. I've had this in the past, and they bring out a pot of Fish, Crab, Shrimp, Corn-On-The-Cob, Potatoes, etc, and dump it on the table. Well, this place didn't dump it on the table, but still, it was excellent. In Closing I am spending the rest of the second week here at home relaxing. I worked a little, but very little. I did enough to be ready for the grind through the end of the year. Starting next week, I will teach every week, with only Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years off. Oh wait, over the Christmas holidays I may travel to Schaumburg to be cross trained on a new course. We'll see how the man who will cross train me feels before committing to that. Why am I hesitating on that committment? Starting in January, my schedule becomes unreal. Right now, I am scheduled to teach every week through the Memorial Day weekend! That is unheard of, and my schedule will change at least a dozen times between now and then, but it does not look like I'll have much free time at all the first half of next year. Til next time, be good to yourselves and those you love, and WRITE! Jim Dorrell |
| Locale: Omaha, Nebraska This week finds me in Sarpy County Nebraska for a class with the County. It's another Networking class, and has been a bit tough, while also fun to deliver. I will explain in a minute. I'm staying in Omaha, which is only five miles from the training site. It was an 7-8 hours drive here from home, but a very pleasurable one. I decided to use some State Highways on my route, doing so just to visit Riverside Iowa so I could see the future birthplace of Captain James T. Kirk. That was a little interesting, and ended up in me creating my 77th Trinket.   I said the class has been a bit challenging yet fun, and this is why. I only have 4 students, and they all have some degree of Networking background. They have not been interested in completing the hands-on activities we provide in the class. Instead, they have 'explored' what all can be done in configuring the router and switch on their own. They've also gotten off subject at times, diving deeper into the subject matter than the class is designed to go, causing me to look up the answers to a couple of their questions. But this is what I love about teaching. Sharing knowledge, and learning something new myself in the process. So yes, challenging, but fun. Noteworthy Restaurants: El Basha http://www.elbashagrill.com/menu.html I really enjoy Mediterranean food, and this place didn't disappoint one bit. Their Kibbeh was excellent, as was the Chicken Schawarma. I was surprised I could taste it all, considering how my taste buds have been lately. Pokeworks https://www.pokeworks.com/menu I love Pokebowls, and while this is really a fast food type establishment, it was still excellent. My dish was the Spicy Ahi Bowl. Yummm. Historic/Interesting Places Visited: Riverside, Iowa This small town east of Des Moines, and a few miles south of I-80 chose to be the 'future birthplace' of Captain James T. Kirk (from Star Trek, just in case someone doesn't know who he will be). They've embraced the whole Star trek thing, so stopping here is a bit unique. I had a lot of fun, but need to see more of the town. Freedom Rock https://www.thefreedomrock.com/ Artist Bubba Sorenson paints a new mural on the ~60 Ton rock every year. Each mural honors American Veterans in one way or another. While I haven't visited it yet on this trip, I intend to stop there on the way home tomorrow. In Closing I have the next two weeks off, taking a long overdue vacation. I will be here off and on though. Til next time, be good to yourselves and those you love, and WRITE! Jim Dorrell |
| Locale: Schaumburg, Illinois Weeke Of: September 21, 2020 This past week I was in my old haunts, but man has it changed. Motorola sold the entire campus, and there's quite a bit of construction happening where Motorola buildings used to be. Some are apartments, others, I have no idea what they are for. My customer was the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), the class was a tailored class of 3-4 courses we put together for them. It wasn't a bad class, considering I only had 2 students. Both were former Army, both knew quite a bit, but had so much to learn. They were pleased with the class, their comments showed on their critique sheets. That's the one thing I've never quite understood completely about this. We are graded by the students, yet we do not administer tests, nor can we 'grade them' on their knowledge, attitude, and other things. Guess it's all part of the job. I know I never describe the classes much for you, and that's intentional, and needed. Some of the stuff I can't talk about, but the biggest reason is that it would make little sense to most of you. I think Robert Waltz  and 🌕 HuntersMoon  would understand some of it, but I'm not sure who else would. Plus, I'm willing to bet that I'd have the greater majority of you bored to tears in less than five minutes!On another front, things are slowly coming back to normal, or as close as it's going to get anytime soon. Restaurants have dine-in service for the most part, travel (flying) is not fun at all. I don't mind crowds, even in these times. But don't lecture me (us) about one way to act, then pack us in a plane like sardines. As a result, I'll be driving to every class I can. Right now, I'm in Omaha Nebraska for a class this week, and drove here from Central Illinois. Hotels are iffy at best. Some have breakfast, some don't. None have any kind of housekeeping going on. If you want your room serviced, you have to notify them. Maybe I should notify them every day and see what happens.... In Closing I will spend the weekend at home, and drive to Omaha (where I'm at right now as it turns out) for a class next week. 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'. 