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 Being Retired now, I thought that it was time for a new name to this Blog |
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Talk about perks, my career had one of the best I can think of! I traveled in the course of business, delivering classes for my employer. I was a Senior Training Specialist for Motorola Solutions, and taught classes on a wide variety of subjects centered around 2-way radio communications. I knew that when the time arrived that I would retire, and I have. I've always said that if you can't stand the heat in the kitchen, get out! I can't handle the heat anymore. I was qualified to deliver approximately 32 different classes, but about half of those were 'Legacy' classes, and were not in demand anymore. My students were technicians, those who maintained, programmed, calibrated, and repaired 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 traveled, sometimes frequently, 3-4 weeks in a row.... where have I been? Some of the places I've been (I can't list them all here, the list would be toio long) are pretty interesting. 1. Hawaii - Four times, Oahu, Maui (twice), and the Big Island 2. BangkokThailand, twice 3. Frankfurt Germany, twice 4. Algiers, Algeria 5. Melbourne Australia 6. Bismarck North Dakota, Summer & Winter 7. Los Angeles, Too many times to count 8. Washington DC, Too many times to count 9. Seattle three or four times 10. Texas, all over the state 11. Florida, all over the state 12. New Mexico, HOME! Several times  Best Cultural And Regional Honorable Mention |
Finally, And Other Stuff A few things here that came to mind this morning. First and foremost. A few weeks ago I posted for Help! on the newsfeed "Note: Help! There's a song going thru my head and...". It's no wonder none of you could help me though, I had the lyrics so wrong it isn't funny. Everyone answered with "Running Just As Fast As We Can", by Tommy James & The Shondells. I knew that wasn't it, but based on the provided lyrics that were completely wrong, I'd have answered the same. What can I say? Today though, I went to the local Farmer's Market and heard a very nice acoustic rendition of the song. Did I stop and ask them the name of it? NO! I returned later (after we met a driver from Raw Rations to pick up frozen dog food), but they had already left. So I took a chance, and asked a couple of young men (who manned a stall), and hummed what I could remember of the song. Sadly, they were no help. A young lady standing behind me had heard my request, and said she was good with music, and would I hum what I knew. It's amazing the help you can get when you provide a little bit of a tune (believe me, my humming was not that good). She plugged her ears and kind of beat her feet while bobbing her head. She came up with the answer! The song I had in mind was one I featured on 12/29/24. Viva La Vida by Cold Play. Those haunting lyrics were these: I hear Jerusalem bells a-ringin' Roman Cavalry choirs are singin' Be my mirror, my sword and shield My missionaries in a foreign field For some reason, I can't explain Once you'd gone, there was never, never an honest word And that was when I ruled the world Are you surprised that you all answered with Tommy James & The Shondells, based on incorrect lyrics? Wow! Nuff said. While driving to the Farmer's Market, I saw five young ladies crossing the crosswalk. I stereotyped them, and need to see them in a public setting to observe their interaction. They were walking two by two by one. The front two were the group 'leaders', talking amongst themselves. The second two were doing the same. The fifth girl (all appeared to be College age) was alone, almost an outsider. So yeah, seeing them in a Pub perhaps, how they interact amongst themselves would help a lot. I spent too much, bought a hanging basket of flowers {Petunias) that need full sun (I learned that when Kathy saw them), some brats, Rhubard, Cronuts (A cross between a croissant and a donut), and jar of Jalapeno Jelly, and Dill Pickles. What fun. I mean that, I had a lot of fun at the Market. Plus, I'm pain free today because I took that Steroid last night, so it's taking care of my aches and pains, as well as guarding me from the Myeloma. It's amazing what 8mg of a small steroid can do. Keep Writing! Keep loving the important people in your life.... Jim |
| Well, this morning I had my semi-annual cleaning, along with assessing my mouth/teeth for a partial plate. The loss of my 53 year old crown in February was quite a loss. The only reason he pulled it was because the GOLD crown had come out. Why did it come out? The tooth itself was cracked, while chewing a jelly-bean, the filling and crown dropped out. I really wanted that filling to remain in my mouth, fate had other plans. He wanted to get the impression done today because I lose Dental Insurance at the end of this month. The office bills my insurance all at once, so this way it's billed while I still have insaurance. I have to say, it wasn't comfortable at all. I'd never had that done, it was new to me, and definitely uncomfortable. There was a short moment of gag reflex with that thing getting the impression of my upper teeth, but I lived through it. Now to see what portion of the bill will be. I know it's at least $450, we'll see what the insurance doesn't cover. |
Indianapolis 500 May 25, 2025 I watched the complete Indianapolis 500 today for only the second or third time. Why? I've had a fascination with Indy Cars for 61 years now. As a result, I've always liked Open-Wheel Racing (Indy Cars) more than Closed Wheel Racing (NASCAR). Allow me to explain. My father would listen to the Indy 500 every year. This was before it started being televised in 1965. Heck, we didn't even have a TV until 1966 (that's a guess here), we never owned a Color TV, those were too expensive, so Black & White it was. Back to my father for a minute. He would take a piece of paper and create a table consisting of the top 3 drivers every 25 miles. At the bottom of it, he would have a list of cars out of the race. But I need to backtrack a little bit. I guess I became an Indy Car fan while we lived in Milwaukee from 1960 to 1962. The Wisconsin State Fair held a 250 mile race at its One Mile Oval track, and somehow I became a fan of Open Wheel Racing. Also, I somehow (Don't ask, because I don't remember) became a fan of a driver whose name I heard, Eddie Sachs. He was my hero, my favorite driver. We moved to Albuquerque in September 1962. After the move to Albuquerque, it became almost a custom for my father and I to sit together and listen to the Indy 500. I always cheered for Eddie Sachs who drove at Indy from 1957 to 1964. Being 9 or 10 years old, I'd quickly get bored and run out to play with my brothers and friends. In 1964 though, Eddie Sachs was killed on lap 2 in a fiery crash coming out of turn 4. Another driver spun out of control and hit the inside wall with a fiery explosion, then slid across the track. Eddie was behind him and had no chance. His car hit the other car in the middle causing a second fireball, killing Eddie almost immediately. Since it was so early in the race, I was still listening as this occurred. I cried and cried over his death. I don't think I've cried like that over someone dying since. Not even the passing of my parents or my three siblings. While in the Navy, for one reason or another, I never had the chance to watch the whole race. While at Motorola, it seemed I was usually traveling, or just had too much going on to sit back and relax to watch it. Now I do, so it's almost a tradition here now. A couple of other notes about the Indianapolis Raceway. In 1997, I traveled to Indianapolis with a group from the Firestone Plant I worked at. It wasn't raceday, it wasn't even time-trials. The drivers were 'practicing', getting used to their cars and the track. But, we had infield access. We weren't allowed in the garage area, nor could we meet and talk to the drivers. Still, it was a special day for me. And in 2016, I was given an awesome Birthday present. A day at the Chicagoland Speedway where I was able to drive an older Indycar. My fastest lap was just below 150 mph! (The cars had a limiter that prevented them going more than 170 mph). I had never driven that fast before, nor have I since. It was a very special day, that's for sure. Other than the Indianapolis 500, I no longer follow other Indycar races. The reasons are varied and many really, too much to go into here. I do look at race results and watch highlights at times, but that's about it. Til next time, y'all Love those who Love You, and Write! Jim |
Lumbar, Thoracic, Sacral Spine MRI, including the Coccyx Wow, what a day. Before I tell you about my MRI adventure, I want to mention a minor separate issue. Wednesday I was cutting meat (Kidneys and Liver) for our dogs when I managed to poke my right thumb with the knife. I thought I had cut myself, but when I checked, I saw nothing. No blood, no cut, nothing at all, so I continued my work. Now, the thumb is red and swollen, very tender at the point where I poked myself. A quick trip to Convenient Care was done, I've been put on Antibiotics, which is what I thought would happen. No change today, we'll see how things are tomorrow. Before I tell you about the MRI's, I want to stress that I AM NOT complaining. I don't talk about this (various health matters) much, except with Kathy. She hears it all. I'm letting you all know in case I suddenly am not as active as I have been. Which as you might imagine after reading this entry, is not near as active as I'd love to be. Anywho, or anyway, however you want to say it, on with it. I don't mind sharing health news, it's not HIPAA if it's about me, and comes from me, is it? I've suffered from back pain for many years now, and today a 3-year old MRI result 'appeared'. Yeah, neither of us know where it came from or how it got to the top of my drawer unit, but there it was. I forgot I have Spinal Stenosis with degeneration in 3-4 discs in my lower back. The MRI's are a follow-up to MRI's conducted in 2022 (the test results found earlier today. Still shaking my had over their sudden appearance). The Spinal Stenosis and disc issue cause Peripheral Neurophthy. What those fancy words mean is, I can't stand for long, plus I have a bit of Vertigo when I do stand. I'm not dizzy per se, I have Vertigo. I know, some of you might say it's the same thing, but in my eyes it isn't. But, if I can't stand, I should sit, right? Yeah, tell my back that. I stand, my left hip and leg ache. I sit, my back aches. So I should lie down, right? Except I lay on my left side for the most part, and my left hip let's me know it doesn't like that. It's hard to find a comfortable way to lie in bed. The MRI's without Contrast were done first, of course. Why is it that when you're required to lie still that about every place on your face decides to itch? Yeah, it happened. Plus, since the MRI was of essentially my entire spine, it took over 40 minutes! The itch started about 8 minutes into the test. It became a case of mind over matter at that point. I won some, but there were times I was asked how I was doing, so I asked if I could scratch my nose. You know I did.  The MRI with Contrast was next, and didn't take near as long, nor were near as bad. After a little over an hour of lying still in one spot, we were finally done. Ahhh, peace and quiet, because the MRI machine is very noisy. Well, that's it, I'm done. Enjoy yourself, enjoy your life, and love those in your life that really matter! Most of all, WRITE! Love To You All, JimD |
Visiting Friends & Relatives Talk about tiring! Wow, visiting three relatives/friends in three days, in three different states is exhausting! Here's what we did. On Wednesday May 7, we drove to Columbia Tennessee to see my best friend from Motorola. Steve retired five years ago and we've stayed in touch all this time. We had dinner with him and his wife Sue at a local place. It was a good time for all of us. But the day started with a small delay on our part. Someone named Mother Nature insisted we stop for a routine visit. Could she ask us both at the same time? No! So two stops were necessary. All was well though, it was just a minor inconvenience. Wednesday night though, I discovered I had left an adapter for my CPAP at home. Of course this meant I had to sleep without it. I was fine, it's happened before, it'll happen again, though I hope it doesn't. Thursday we drove from Columbia Tennessee to Montgomery Alabama to see my daughter and her family. Of course we stopped along the way at a LinCare facility to pick up that adapter. We met my daughter at a Catfish House for dinner., It was a very good time for all. I brought my camera out and let her children use it all they wanted. I haven't looked at the photo's they snapped, I'm not sure I want to.  I will upload them to G-Drive though and share with her.Friday we drove to Gulfport Mississippi to see my former Father-In-Law. He turns 90 this year, I'm not sure how many more times we'll be able to get together. He does look good though, he seems to be in better health than I am... But, along the way, while driving through a good ol' Southern Downpour, the engine on my van sounded louder. I immediately knew what had happened. My van is 11 years old now, it seems that the Exhaust System developed a hole in it. Where? I don't know of course. So tomorrow I'll take it in and leave for as long as it takes the shop to get to it and fix it Driving home yesterday and today was fun though. NOT! It was decently loud, and seemed to get louder today. But we're home, even if a certain someone (not me!) worried about it overheating, stalling, seizing, whatever else you can imagine. It's still drivable, it's just noisy of course.That was our adventure for the week, and why I haven't been available much as a result. I will work, sometime in the future. We'll see what new career (job) I choose, huh! Well, that's it, I'm done. Enjoy yourself, enjoy your life, and love those in your life that really matter! Love To You All, JimD |
Retirement Well, it was just time. Time to sit back and relax some. I can't travel as often as I once did. the fun was still there for me, my mind is still alert and able to process class material. My body just can't do it anymore, so it was time. I was hired by Motorola on January 22, 2001. Alex Torres, the man who hired me said, "If you can teach Jim, we'll teach everything you need to know about Radios & their systems." Well, it's been 24 years since then, I either talked a good talk and fooled them all, or I learned. It was the latter, believe me. My first few weeks were filled with sitting in classes. I didn't even have a laptop until my second week there! So I wrote my notes in a notebook, and became a sponge, a learning sponge. It's what I did in the Naval Nuclear Power pipeline, it was just a career move to a different technology in my eyes. By the end of 2001, I was teaching six different classes, and ended the year delivering 68 days of classes. This despite not teaching my first class until late April! I learned, and I grew knowledge wise. It's been a good career. I can deliver over 30 classes now, though half of them are legacy classes, meaning we don't deliver them anymore. Still, 15 classes? Yep. Yesterday, Friday May 2, 2025, our manager gave us (me) a retirement luncheon at a local restaurant in Schaumburg, The Granite City Food & Brewery. https://gcfb.olo.com/menu/schaumburg It was a very nice time together, I met people I haven't seen in almost a year. Yeah, I saw them all last year during Memorial Day week when we had meetings all week. I made sure to shake/hug everyone and thank them for being there. Even those I wouldn't consider a friend. Yes, there are some co-workers that I don't consider a friend. Still, they arrived for the luncheon. Privately, I said to myself, 'They're here for the food, not me.' I would never say that aloud, that would be so inconsiderate. That thought did enter my mind though.Now I'm unemployed, my first time being unemployed since January 31, 1993 when I retired from the Navy, That lasted a week. Now, I'm taking May off, and we'll see what happens afterwards. Next week we're going to see a close friend in Tennessee, then we'll visit one of my daughters living in Alabama, then see my former Father-In-Law. We are close friends, we served together, my first Submarine, his last. Him & I will always be friends. Now I wait and see what the future holds. I will still work, I'd love a part time job, not a full time one. We'll see what new career (job) I choose, huh! Well, that's it, I'm done. Enjoy yourself, enjoy your life, and love those in your life that really matter! Love To You All, JimD |
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