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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: Montebello, Ca Week of: 1/9/23 Last week saw me visiting Montebello California, which is part of the Los Angeles Metroplex. It was an interesting week that really showed me what teamwork and sharing knowledge could accomplish. I knew this already, but it was nice seeing it reinforced. How did that happen, and why? Let's go back in time to the week before. Our RF Systems are constantly evolving, with new equipment being added often. These systems use an Ethernet network to connect sites together, which means that an Ethernet Switch and Router are used for network connectivity. I've delivered this class numerous times so was not worried. Until.... Well, I need to go back in time a bit more. About 4 years ago, yep, FOUR years, our systems were updated to use Juniper Routers instead of the smaller, less powerful Routers manufactured by us. Despite this happening 4 years ago, we never delivered the class to a customer that actually had them installed. At least I hadn't done that. Well, this customer in the LA area does have them; as a result, it was necessary to change the course materials and add Powerpoint slides and hands-on activities for the Juniper Routers. Most of our courses are taken care of by a team in Krakow Poland, but this course is not. It fell to the Master Instructor for the course to make the necessary changes. There's a story behind all this that really shouldn't be shared here, so I won't. Just realize that he knew I would be there last week, and worked very hard to complete the edits. I spent Tuesday and Wednesday with him in Schaumburg going over the changes, but there was still a bit to do. He ended up sending me the new files late Saturday, which meant I would deliver the class without the benefit of giving them a thorough review to update my knowledge. However, thanks to working with him those two days, I was able to answer every question asked by the students, and the hands-on activities were completed rather quickly too. As you might guess, the class went well, the critiques from the students were very good, and everyone seemed satisfied. I know I was happy, and without Dan's help during the week prior to the class, things might have been a bit different. Also, I will return to this same customer the week of March 6th to deliver the same class to a new group of students. Life is good, it's always good, no matter what goes on. You all know my penchant for dining out when traveling, so where did I eat that I should talk about? Let's see.... Noteworthy Restaurants: Brew Kitchen Bar https://www.brewkitchenbar.com/menu I dined here on Sunday, the day I arrived. I was blown away by their Fish Burger. It was Pollock, almost an inch thick! The fish was fresh from the fryer because each of the first 5 or 6 bites resulted in steam rising from the meat. It was the best Fish Sandwich I can recall having, and I've had quite a few in my time. I also had their Elote Egg Rolls, and while they were very good, they just couldn't hold a candle to the Fish Sandwich. I will dine here again on each of my visits to this customer this year (I'm scheduled to be there 4 more times too!) Daikokuya Monterey Park https://group.bishamon-ten.com/menu_daikokuya_montreypark This is a very small place, but don't let the size fool you. I saw their Asparagus Pork on the web, and wanted to try it. With that, I had their Daikoku Ramen. It was very tasty, and just what I wanted on a rainy Los Angeles night. I ordered the half-size bowl, it was still huge. So glad I didn't order a full bowl. I also ordered a half-size of their Mixed Poke Bowl for lunch the next day. Except it became my breakfast.  I wanted to dine at this place because I really enjoy dining at Mediterranean Restaurants http://www.hcarmenian.com/online-menu/ But I opted for Mexican food instead, and that was a mistake. Not that it was bad, it was Friday night, and while they weren't that busy, it seemed I never saw my server except when she took my order, and brought me the check. The food was warm, everything came out at once, you know the drill.... A very average place, but since I can't brag about them, I won't mention their name here. Needless to say, I will have to try that Armenian place in March! In Closing I am home this week, delivering an online Virtual class to a customer in Australia. Sunday I will fly to Maryland to deliver that basic RF Class I teach. I will also meet 🌻 thankful pwheeler nanoing  Sunday and see what we can find to talk about! Til next time, be good to yourselves and those you love, and WRITE! Jim Dorrell |
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is better than suspended upside down in the 'void'. 
