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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: Schaumburg, Illinois Week of: 3/20/2023 I spent last week in familiar haunts, delivering a resident class at our Training Headquarters. Okay, it's not really a headquarters, but it might as well be. It's my home port, the location I officially work at, even if remotely. And once again, itr was a Networking class. I'm getting tired of those.  I'm not used to this, delivering the same class 3 weeks in a row! Oh well, the pay is still the same, as are the hours. I shouldn't complain.I will confess that this class was a little tough to deliver. Not that I didn't know the material or how to deliver it. It was the hands on activities that seemed tough, which is normally my strong point. No excuse at all, but I hadn't delivered t his particular course in just 6 months, so the hand-on activities should have gone smooth. I know what I need to do, and there isn't room on my schedule to get it done. I need to either sit in the class to refresh myself, or get the equipment together and do the labs myself. Maybe both. I will have to find a way to do possibly both. Getting the equipment is easy. Sitting in a class is not easy at all because I'm booked through the end of October? There is a break in my schedule in early August, but is this class being delivered that week? That's the big question. The highlight of the week was seeing Mindy at Emmett's Brew Pub. She was a manager there when I left, and left herself about a month or two later. She's an excellent manager, I know she was missed. Why she left isn't important here, she left, that's all that needs to be said. Now she's back, I was thrilled to see her! I'm hoping that when I'm in Schaumburg again next week that I can talk to her, and hopefully Earnest. The three of us share a birthday! In Closing Next week will find me in Frankfort, Kentucky for a week, It's a location I will be at three weeks later, as well as the following week. Until my next entry, be good to those you love, spoil them, and write{!/size} Jim Dorrell |
| Locale: Savannah, Georgia Week of: 3/13/2023 I just realized today that I've spent the last 4 weeks in warm weather! I was on a very relaxing vacation in St. Augustine Florida. We really spent just a week there between driving there and back, and going to Panama City Beach for a few days after. We came home, and I left for Los Angeles. After a whopping 14 hours at home, I left for Savannah, Georgia for a week. So four week of warm(er) weather, only to come home last night, with snow on the ground this morning! Brrrrr. The class this week was the same one I delivered in LA last week. Once again, I found myself delivering a Networking class the week after my manager and good friend, Alejandro. He is a tough man to follow the following week. First, the two classes back-to-back have similarities which can make the first day tough. Second, I consider myself to be very smart. Alejandro is a genius and I'm nothing more than class 'sit in the corner dummy' compared to him. I kid a little there, we aren't that far apart intellect wise, but still... he is a tough instructor to follow. He has far more system experience than I do, that helps him a lot. Overall the class went well, with just a few glitches in completing the hands-on exercises, plus I was able to answer every question thrown at me, and could show them their error in the hands-on exercises when one occurred. The students requested we end the class by noon on Friday (normal for us really), since some of them had long drives after class. All were from around Georgia and northern Florida, so those drives couldn't have been that long. I managed to get to the Jacksonville Airport in time to relax most of the afternoon before leaving for home about 6:45. I arrived home about 10:309 last night, and have been tired most of the day. Savannah is a nice town, smaller than Bloomington where I live. I was warned by my students that Friday ,St. Patrick's Day would be quite the party, I could see it during the week as the city population seemed to grow each day. It's an interesting town though, with a lot to offer tourists. I spent some time on River Street walking around some, enjoying the weather, and people watching. There are many fine restaurants to dine at, so where did I dine last week? Noteworthy Restaurants: The Ordinary Pub https://www.theordinarypub.com/menu/dinner-menu/ While the food was very good, I think my expectations were not met. Expectations in the way of anticipating what the meal should be, look like, and taste. The meal met all of them except look. I enjoyed their Gumbo & Grits, but for me the Grits were too stiff, more like cake type Grits than what I'm used to. Plus, again in my opinion here, there wasn't enough Gumbo. It was more a heaping pile of Grits with a little Gumbo around it. I was expecting the Grits to be a bit more 'soupy', with Gumbo over them. That's what happens when you enter a place with expectations. The appetizer was their Korean Meatballs (Lamb, beef, & pork meatballs over chili garlic fried cabbage, Korean bbq sauce, sesame seeds, & scallions) Those were excellent! Six Pence Pub https://sixpencepub.com/files/2023/01/Six-Pence-Pub-Menu-Savannah-For-Website.pd... KI love dining at both British restaurants, as well as Mediterranean Restaurants. This place did not disappoint me one bit. My appetizer was their Smoke Salmon, which was really excellent. If you're at a British Pub, you 'have to have' Bangers & Mash', so I did., Wow! The Shrimp Factory }https://www.theshrimpfactory.com/menus/#/entrees I love Shrimp prepared in almost any form the house chooses. This place had Peel-n-Eat Shrimp. I had them at Indian Pass Florida, and wanted to have theirs. I was glad I did, it was a half pound of Shrimp, steamed with herbs and spices, served with cocktail sauce and drawn butter. I also enjoyed their Shrimp & Crab Au Gratin Casserole. I'm not sure what was expecting, but it wasn't what I ordered. Once again, expectations for the better of me. It was good, don't get me wrong, but it wasn't what I expected. Still, if in Savannah again, I'd return here for dinner. In Closing Next week will find me in Schaumburg Illinois for a 'resident class. It's a place I'm all too familiar with, but it will be fun. We'll see how that trip goes. Until next time, be good to those you love, spoil them, and write{!/size} Jim Dorrell |
| Locale: Los Angeles, California Week of: 3/6/2023 After a very nice two week vacation I was back in Los Angeles once again, delivering the same class I delivered in January. This class went a bit better, mainly because I solved the one sticking point I had in the previous delivery. I will explain a bit more when I discuss the class. I decided to stay at a Marriott Hotel this time, just because I wanted to build up my Marriott point balance a little more. The big difference in this hotel room and others, was it had a Bidet. I've never used a Bidet before, and am still unsure about them. Why? Because to me, water is a precious resource, and I see that as a 'waste' of a resource we can't live without. Yes, I realize that toilet tissue is also a usage (waste?) of a precious resource since the manufacturers of that product will not use recycled paper. We all know paper comes from trees, so yep, another resource being used, another resource we can't live without. It's a no-win situation there if you ask me. Let's just say I'm not comfortable using a Bidet and leave it at that. On a side note, I did try it once, which led to my feelings about it being a waste of a precious resource. I'm sure anyone who has used one will tell me differently. One of the hands-on activities in this class is to copy a configuration file for a router from a USB drive. This is a new (new to Motorola Solutions) router, it is a bit (some say a lot) more complex than the router we've configured for years now. It's change, we either embrace it and improve ourselves, or we are left behind. I'm very lucky in that I will deliver this new version of the class several times this year. Several? Yep, 6-7 times, maybe more. Anyway, in the hands-on activities, the students copy a configuration file to the router from a USB device that they plug into the router. In my previous classes, this has been a 50-50 type of activity. Some students were successful ,some were not, and I wasn't sure why. In this class, I formatted the USB drives using FAT (File Allocation Table), which was originally used on DOS computers. Everyone of the students was successful, so I asked myself why. I realized a couple of things. First, FAT was usaed on DOS computers, the router has a UNIX Operating System. While vastly different from DOS, I realized it (UNIX) has been around about as long as DOS, maybe longer. The other option in formatting a disk drive, is to use NTFS (New Technology File System). That format is intended to be used on computers using Windows, or Apple Computers. Sure enough, a USB drive formatted with NTFS does not allow completion of the lab. The sticking point during the lab, is that once the USB drive is connected, it is mounted with a command and files on the drive are then visible to the technician. One of the files is the configuration file for the router, which is then copied to the router. I flew home Saturday morning, arriving at about 2:45 pm. I had a whopping 14 hours there (would have been 15 if not for Daylight Savings Time), then flew to Jacksonville, Florida and drove to Savannah Georgia for this week's class. So where did I dine in Los Angeles? Noteworthy Restaurants: Canoe House http://www.canoehouserestaurant.com/menus/dinner-menu.html A Hawaiian Themed restaurant, with very good food,. My appetizer was Spicy Tuna On Crispy Rice with chipotle aioli & scallions. This looked more like a Sushi roll than anything, with Jalapeno slices on top, Dinner was Breaded Fish Tacos with Rice and Beans. Both were good, and since I'll return to LA three more times this year, I'll definitely return. Baja Cali Fish & Taco's https://www.bajacali.com/menu This is a small hole in the wall place with excellent taco's and more. A Shrimp Ceviche Tostada, Crispy Shrimp Taco, and a Chile Relleno Burrito hit the spot, and told me I need to come here again too. Aloha Food Factorey }https://www.alohafoodfactory.com/order Another Hol-In-The-Wall place with excellent food. Having spent nine years in the islands, I learned to love Hawaiian Home Cooking. This place didn't disappoint. The only thing i ordered was their Fried Rice. I wanted to also have their Saimin Won Ton Soup, but knew it would be impossibly huge together, so settled for just the rice. I left stuffed, and pretty sure I'll return. All three restaurants are worth another visit should I have the chance to return., for business or pleasure. In Closing Next week will find me in Savannah Georgia. We'll see how that trip goes. Until next time, be good to those you love, spoil them, and write!/size} Jim Dorrell |
| Locale: St. Augustine, Florida Week of: 2/20 & 2/27/23} I spent the past two weeks vacationing in St. Augustine, Florida. Okay, it wasn't two weeks, it was more like a week, with travel to & from St. Augustine thrown in. We could have stayed longer, but I had a doctor appointment on Wednesday 3/1. Oh wait, it wasn't a doctor appointment in his office, it was by phone! We could have stayed longer in the warm weather! It was a good time though, I managed to decompress from work, I walked about 3 miles a day, learned that Buddy, our young Akita loves the ocean, and dined at many nice restaurants throughout the week. We had rented an Air BnB for this period, located across the street from the beach too.  There were a couple of things about the house that didn't make sense to me. There was a back yard, but the only access was outside, there was no door that led to the yard. The lock on the door was numbers, then you had to turn the lock handle clockwise. Except the directions for the lock said counter-clockwise. Of course the directions also said to just press the Schlage button and the door would lock. Another lie error in the directions. Still, those were minor inconveniences overall.We decided to dine out every night instead of cooking in the house.. Why? Seafood of course! There was one night that we didn't have seafood though. Her sister and brother-in-law were less than a quarter of a mile away in their motorhome, and wanted to prepare dinner one night. It was a good night with them, and in some ways, a highlight of the trip! But where did we dine? Noteworthy Restaurants: Commander's Shellfish Camp This place doesn't have a website, but they are on Facebook, I'd say they serve the best Smoked Fish Dip I've had in a while. Then again, I seem to find this appetizer only in Florida so that might explain it. Still, it was the best we had while there. If you click the Facebook link, it does take you to a photo of their menu. https://www.facebook.com/thecommandersshellfishcamp St. Augustine Fish House & OysterCompany https://www.stafishhouse.com/uploads/1/2/3/5/123596711/st_augustine_fish_house.p... Okay, this place had the second best Smoked Fish Dip, it was excellent, but there was something about the Commander's Fish Dip that made it just a little better. Their Shrimp & Grits was outstanding in my eyes. Elkhouse Eatery }https://www.elkhouse-eatery.com/menu This was a very small restaurant with good food. Sadly, most of us (her sister and brother-in-law joined us) did not order well. Their Shrimp & Grits was average at best. Only Marty really enjoyed his meal. He's not big on Seafood, so he had their Bone-In Heritage Pork Chop and loved it. The food was good overall, but not fantastic. It would be worth a return visit just to sample something different though. All three restaurants are worth another visit should I have the chance to return., for business or pleasure. In Closing Next week I will be in Los Angeles again, delivering a Networking class. I'm still open to meeting one night, I know Friday nights are not good for many of you, so any night will work. If not, it's okay, we'll all live. Until my next entry stay safe, be good, be healthy, and take care of those you love! Jim Dorrell |
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