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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: 4/3/2023 Last week found me in familiar surroundings. I delivered what is known as a resident class at our training facility in Schaumburg, Illinois. I lived in the Chicago suburbs for 15 years before moving to Bloomington, and have taught many classes there. It is our HQ (for training, so-to-speak) but I get to live 2 hours south in a much slower paced environment. I love it! The class I delivered was about our equipment at a remote radio site, and how it interfaces with the rest of the system. I've delivered this class since 2007 or so, but had not delivered it since August of last year. Delivering this as rarely as I do causes one minor problem for me. Despite having delivered it for 15 years or more, if you don't teach a class very often, you end up losing the flow. What I mean by that, is knowing where to be at the end of each day so you remain on track/time. I could write a small outline of sorts that would guide me on where to be, but I've never done that. Yet. So why don't I teach this class more often? Simple. I can deliver a wide variety of courses (15 right now, and 17 more that are no longer delivered because the product is antiquated), so I get assigned to go wherever, and whenever needed for those classes. As a result, months, sometimes years go by without delivering a particular course. Be that as it may, the class went very well with about everyone happy at the end. We are graded by the students at the end of each class, and in this case one student commented that he wanted less Powerpoint presentations and more hands-on activities, where another student commented that this class had the most hands-on activities he's had in any class with us, and he's attended 5-6 classes now. Oh well, you can't please everyone, can you? My (our) scheduler has the tough job if you ask me. All too often she ends up playing 'instructor dominoes' to meet the needs of a customer. I try not to bother her with personal needs, and work those in around my schedule. This makes my boss/manager mad, because he feels I'm neglecting my health needs. In some ways, I guess I am. I just hate the idea of special consideration being given to me due to things beyond my control. Noteworthy Restaurants: Emmett's Brewing Company https://emmettsbrewingco.com/menus/ I thought I'd once again visit the last restaurant I worked at in the Chicago area. While I was there, a man I used to work with came in. Needless to say, it was super nice to see him again, he let me finish my meal, then almost insisted I sit with him and chat a bit. The odd thing is, like me, he rarely visits Emmett's. Even more odd, was that he brought his German Growler in to be filled also. A German Growler I gave him 7-8 years ago! Talk about coincidences.... We've exchanged numbers, and when I'm in Schaumburg again (right now it would be the first week of June), we will meet up at Emmett's and reminisce again. In Closing I am currently home for a week with a couple of projects to finish this week. The scheduled classes in NYC need tailored materials, so I'll work on those. I can't do it though, until I get some information from the support team/customer. I also need to review what I edited/wrote for a class I'll deliver in 2 weeks in Frankfort. For me, a week off only means a week of no delivery. There's never a real week off, even on vacation. Until next time, be good to those you love, spoil them, and write! Jim Dorrell |
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is better than suspended upside down in the 'void'. 
