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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 |
| Date: Week of August 28st Locale: Schaumburg, Illinois & Prince Albert, Saskatchewan Yes, a different kind of week for me, most definitely. Sunday I drove to Chicago from Central Illinois for a Monday On-Line session. It was different because this on-line session was to cross train two Motorola instructors. But these instructors were in England, and France, while I was in Schaumburg. Doing an on line class is not unusual, but doing a one day, eight hour session for this was different. Essentially we covered most of a four day class in eight hours. The reason this was necessary, is that we have courses to deliver in Canada, and the instructor has to be fluent in French. Surprisingly, all of us working out of Schaumburg do not speak French, most of us only speak English. Our Spanish speaking instructors work elsewhere, as do people who speak other languages. I think there are about 50 of us around the world who deliver classes for Motorola, with 15 or so of us working out of Schaumburg. With the on line training session done, I flew north to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan yesterday. It was a 1.5 hour drive to reach my destination, Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. On the way, I saw a sign for a shrine down a dirt road, and decided I would visit it on my drive back to Saskatoon. I will be delivering a short class at the Penitentiary here before flying home. If they will let me leave the Pen that is.  But, I've delivered classes in four Prison's so far; they've let me go each time, so I think I'm safe. Or is it that no one wants me???     I'm hoping to see the Aurora Borealis while here, but I may not be far enough north even now. If not this week, maybe I can see them when in Edmonton in December! Would be nice, and if able to snap a good photo, I think it would make a unique Trinket! My schedule is full the rest of the year, I'm teaching every week between now and Christmas, except for next week (Travel to NYC Tuesday/Wednesday, work Thursday/Friday), and Thanksgiving. Considering I once taught a class during the week of Thanksgiving, I wouldn't bet on not delivering that week either.  Til next time, stay cool, warm, comfortable, and healthy. Live, Love, and Laugh. Most of all, WRITE! |
| Date: Week of August 21st Locale: Woodbridge, New Jersey Here I am again, in the vicinity of the 'Big Apple'. Woodbridge sits about 10 miles south of Newark, and 3 miles west of New York City. I should get used to being in this area, because I will be back here for four weeks in the next two months. I've been to New Jersey many times, especially around the Newark/NYC area, but this has to be one of the toughest classes I've had to deliver. It wasn't because I didn't know the material, I've delivered this class numerous times. I only had two students, and they were great. Nice people who welcomed any knowledge they could get. However, they take care of the entire New Jersey Turnpike as far as the radio system goes. Not only that, they also are responsible for basically anything electronic in the system. Think toll booth cameras, cameras along the Turnpike, tollbooth's themselves, fire suppression systems, etc. Any small problem, and they are called. So the class this week was continually interrupted with one, or both of them being called out. There were other issues too, but I won't mention them here. Let's just say it was a tough class. I will be back here again, at their request, to deliver this class a second time, during a slower period, At least we hope it's slower.... I didn't take any photo's this week <gasp!>, mainly because I have many already from this area. I plan on taking hundreds during my first class for NYC Transit, because I will have a weekend to spend here. {:e:smile} Noteworthy Restaurants: Kona Grill konagrill.com There is no shortage of restaurants around here, I think you all know that. Hundreds of 'Mom and Pop' places, the kinds of places I love to frequent. While this is not a 'Mom and Pop' place, it serves the kind of food I love. Sushi, Tuna/Salmon Poke, and many other seafood dishes. I didn't try a burger there, or any other traditional American dish,. I stuck with the Sushi type meals. Their Chicken and Shrimp Lettuce Wrap was spicy, but not too bad. I loved their Tuna/Salmon Poke, and Tuna Tower though. Yummy! With the start of this week, my travel ramps up. I will be in Saskatchewan, Canada next week, head to NYC a week early for the first class (more on that in my next blog post), then back to Saskatchewan. After that, it will be NYC, Chicago, NYC, Chicago, and NYC, Chicago, then back to here.... Like all of you, so much to do, so little time. Til next time, stay cool, warm, comfortable, and healthy. Live, Love, and Laugh. Most of all, WRITE! |
| Date: Week of July 31th Locale: Sheboygan, Wisconsin There are few places I travel to and immediately fall in love with the locale, but I did this week. Sheboygan is a beautiful town in Wisconsin, about 60 miles north of Milwaukee along Lake Michigan. It is 'small town' America, with a band playing in a park one night, summer festivals almost every week. The annual Johnsonville Brat festival started Thursday evening, but it was pouring rain, so I thought I'd go Friday once class was done. Class normally ends by 11 on Fridays, so I'd have plenty of time, I thought. There was just one small problem. It is a five hour drive to my home in Central Illinois, I wanted to be home by 6 pm, and the festival didn't start until 4 pm Friday.  Needless to say, I didn't get to partake in the festivities.Sheboygan is home to the largest flagpole and flag in the United States. The flagpole itself is over 400 ft tall (taller than the Statue of Liberty), and the flag is massive. Each star is about 3 feet high, each stripe almost 5 feet in width! Those are not small bushes or trees, those are fully grown trees!  This was an interesting class, mainly because I only had two students. Usually that means we have one student or another called out to attend to things during the class, but that didn't happen this week. Everything flowed smoothly though, in fact I was a little surprised at how smoothly it did flow! As I mentioned, Sheboygan is a beautiful town. If you enjoy the night life, you might not want to visit there. If you enjoy the 'small town America' feel of things, enjoy some good old fashioned relaxation, then this is the place for you. The waterfront is very nice, they've done a good job maintaining and improving it.  Noteworthy Restaurants: Pier 17 https://www.pier17sheb.com/ This is right on the water, about 500 yards from the lake front. It was warm out, but not hot or humid. I had the chance to sit outside, and did so. Really enjoyed seeing a few boats pass back and forth as I enjoyed dinner. I really liked the Cordon Bleu Bites appetizer, and the Pan Seared Walleye. To top it off for myself, I had a nice Tennessee Mule (Moscow Mule made with Jack Daniels). For once, I'm home next week, get to work from home. I intend to get some much needed rest, and learn to relax a little. After that, Woodbridge, New Jersey, followed by Prince Albert, Saskatchewan.   Jim Dorrell |
| Date: Week of July 24th Locale: Amarillo, Texas It was time for that second class in Amarillo, so I flew down this time. Except, I flew to Albuquerque so I could see my brother again, then drove four hours to Amarillo along I-40. The drive was fine, but getting to Albuquerque on Friday proved to be a chore!  My brother is doing okay, but looked to be more weak this time. He did have Chemo and radiation in the morning though. Still, he's hanging in as best he can, but it's hitting him hard. I flew out of Chicago since I'd flown there for the class at Midway the week before. Getting to Chicago was a piece of cake, but flying out was trying. There were thunderstorms all over the Chicago area, so my flight was delayed. Luckily, I had a 3 hour layover in Denver before flying to Albuquerque. Except..... Denver experienced severe thunderstorms that day also. We arrived at a decent time, I had plenty of time to make my connection. However, things hadn't gone my way thus far, why change now? We landed, only to sit on the tarmac for an hour, waiting for a gate to open. With thunderstorms in the Denver area, flights couldn't depart; I guess we were lucky in being able to land. We finally made it to our gate, and I learned that my flight to Albuquerque was also delayed. Yippee! Now I could make my connection. To make a long story short (I know, it's already long enough), I was supposed to land in Albuquerque at 11:30, but ended up not leaving Denver until almost 1 am. We landed sometime after two, and I didn't get to the hotel until almost three. Needless to say, I fell in my bed, and was out almost immediately. This customer will not be doing much maintenance on this system. There's a couple of reasons for it, the biggest one being their five year warranty. Yet half this class is radio maintenance. Needless to say, I was teaching them things they will probably never get to do. Luckily, the system manager and I had talked prior to the class, so he knew what to expect. Things went well, but I'm always uncomfortable covering topics they will not get to put to use. (Things like doing a vacuum check on a portable radio, disassembling a radio to do board/component level troubleshooting). Noteworthy Restaurants: Cowboy Gelato Smokehouse cowboygelato.com This place looks a bit like a hole in the wall, but the food is simply outstanding. I had stuffed green chiles as an appertizer, and five street tacos, three of the catfish, two of them crawfish. All I can say, is if you find yourself in Amarillo, go here! Public House publichouseamarillo.com This place is a microbrewery of course, and I love Pubs! This one didn't let me down either I skipped the Bacon wrapped Jalapeno stuffed Quail, and chose an appetizer special they had that night, Artichoke Beignets. I'd call them Balls of Fried Artichoke Hearts myself, but they didn't ask me about a name for it. For dinner, I had to have their Shrimp and Grits. It was Yummy, Shrimp, Carrots, Red Onions, Celery, Andoulle Sausage, Red Bell Pepper, Red Chili Oil, Goat Cheese Grits, Saffron Beuree Blanc. Let's just say I about licked the plate clean!Historic/Interesting Places Visited: Billy The Kid Gravesite http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/2169 Let's say I went to the graveyard, but I'm not sure I saw the actual grave of Billy The Kid. His real name was Henry McCarty, but he was better known by another name, William H. Bonney. His story is long (short, he died at 21 years of age), and a lot of it legend. I knew of him when I was growing up in Albuquerque, and saw his grave in the mid-60's. The reason I visited it again was I didn't really want to drive I-40 Amarillo-Albuquerque for the fifth time in less than 18 months.  It was an interesting visit, a bit of fun to learn more about him. And all this time, I thought William H. Bonney was his given name too. Just goes to show you....  Next week will find me in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. I received an E-mail yesterday about a future class, but I'm not holding my breath. If it does come to pass, I will be flying to Frankfurt Germany in November for a class with the State Department, again. (Taught them same class in Springfield last year). Til my next entry, y'all stay cool in the summer heat, and enjoy yourselves! Live, Love, and be Happy! |
| Date: Week of July 17th Locale: Midway Airport This week finds me in Chicago again, delivering a class at Midway Airport. I have to say that I'm disappointed it's at Midway Airport, and not Midway island. Once again, I'm at a customer site who is updating their system from a really old system. To make matters worse for them, they need to hire more technicians, but due to the union and how the city of Chicago works with them, they are very limited on their candidates. Oh well, not my problem, thank God. This class was interesting for me, mainly because I've never had a reason to be on the south side of Chicago much. We've all heard the news about how bad the south side can be, those of us old enough remember Jim Croce's song about it. I have to say that I found the area I was in to be much like anyplace else. Just goes to show that you can find good wherever you go, or find bad places. It all depends on what you look for, and the types of places you frequent. Noteworthy Restaurants: The Grand Duke Restaurant granddukesrestaurant.com This place is a Lithuanian Restaurant that serves good food. Never had Lithuanian food before, it was a little different for me, but I found it tasty. As usual though, I ordered too much. Maybe one day I'll learn.... Mabenka Restaurant mabenka.com This place is a Polish Restaurant, and I have to say I liked Polish food more than Lithuanian. Not that Grand Duke's was bad, Mabenka suited me more. Just don't ask what I had at either place. It's been a week, and I've forgotten. Next week will find me in Amarillo again. I'm looking forward to it, because I'm from next door to Texas, from New Mexico. Looking forward to seeing my brother, and seeing the area. Can't believe it's my fifth time in New Mexico in the last eighteen months! Til my next entry, y'all stay cool in the summer heat, and enjoy yourselves! Live, Love, and be Happy! |
| Date: Week of July 3rd Locale: New York City, NY Last week, I received a phone call from the Project Manager (PM) for the upcoming NYC Transit classes. There will be four identical classes eventually, but it's been a long journey getting here. I've been involved with this project for two years now, and have yet to deliver the first one. NYC Transit is a demanding customer, insisting on reviewing the course materials before classes are delivered. I don't mind that really, it's something every customer should do. I won't go into things that shouldn't be mentioned in a mere blog, but understand that I wrote this course especially for them. It is oriented to their equipment, covers only their equipment, and nothing more. I've spent the better part of two months in writing the original course and editing it based on their feedback. So far, there's been three additional edits from the original version. While we haven't billed them for all the time I've put into it, they have been billed, and I'm amazed at what the bill was.... Very amazed. Never knew I was so expensive.Based on the latest review and comments, the Project Manager decided I should come to NYC on the 5th of July, and spend Wednesday/Thursday with him going over the comments, and editing the manual. I've addressed each of the comments, edited as necessary, and sent the lead contractor (Motorola is a third party provider), as well as the PM, copies of the revised manual. The plan is to conduct another review this Thursday, and go from there. Any one want to bet there will be even more edits required? In some ways, it's a bit surreal that the first class for NYC Transit is scheduled to start on September 11th, 2017. They will be held every other week for seven weeks, until all four sessions are complete. I'll believe all that when I see it, when the classes are actually held. Sadly, I didn't get out at all this time, no photo's, no sightseeing. Why? I had a pretty good sinus infection going, along with Bronchitis. Thankfully, I seem to be on the mend now, and will be ready to deliver my next class Monday for Midway Airport in Chicago. Til next time, y'all continue prepping for GoT, it's chaotic, insane, and loads of fun! |
| Date: Week of June 19th Locale: Amarillo, Texas This week finds me in Amarillo, Texas for the first time. Amarillo is not on most people's destination list, but it should be. No, it's not beautiful, but it is interesting. Of course, I was in the middle of beef country, and took advantage of it a couple of times. This radio system is new to them, but then all of them seem to be, don't they? It was new in many ways though. Their old system was over 35 years old, and no longer capable of inter-operating with today's newer systems. It was an interesting week though, and a good class. Of course, I did find a couple of really good restaurants to dine at, and a couple of places to visit. Historic/Interesting Places Visited: Cadillac Ranch http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/2220 Standing along Route 66 west of Amarillo, Texas, Cadillac Ranch was invented and built by a group of art-hippies imported from San Francisco. They called themselves The Ant Farm, and their silent partner was Amarillo billionaire Stanley Marsh 3. He wanted a piece of public art that would baffle the locals, and the hippies came up with a tribute to the evolution of the Cadillac tail fin. Ten Caddies were driven into one of Stanley Marsh 3's fields, then half-buried, nose-down, in the dirt (supposedly at the same angle as the Great Pyramid of Giza). They faced west in a line, from the 1949 Club Sedan to the 1963 Sedan de Ville, their tail fins held high for all to see on the empty Texas panhandle.  Palo Duro Canyon http://palodurocanyon.com/ The Canyon is 120 miles long, as much as 20 miles wide, and has a maximum depth of more than 800 feet. Its elevation at the rim is 3,500 feet above sea level. It is often claimed that Palo Duro Canyon is the second largest canyon in the United States. The largest, the Grand Canyon, is 277 miles long, 18 miles wide, and 6,000 ft. deep. There are plenty of photo opportunities in the park for us shutter bugs. (Which reminds me, in this digital age of photography, should we still be called shutter bugs?)   Noteworthy Restaurants: The Big Texan Steak Ranch And Brewery bigtexan.com Their claim to fame is the 72 oz steak you can eat for free! Of course, there's a catch. You have one hour to eat it. Plus, a shrimp cocktail, house salad, and a baked potato. You can purchase this steak two ways. One, just order it, and pay $200 for it. Or accept the challenge, sit at an elevated table and eat while other patrons watch. If eaten within an hour, it's free. If not, you pay $72, and take your leftovers home with you. Obviously I didn't try that challenge.... Jalapeno Rings, called the Ring of Fire were my appetizer, and a nice Rib-Eye Steak is all this old man had. Not too surprisingly, the record for downing all that in the fastest time belongs to a pretty well known name. Joey Chestnut - Eight Minutes, Fifty Two Seconds. Green Chile Willy's greenchilewillys.com I grew up in Albuquerque, and love Green Chile's! So finding a place with this name, I just had to visit! Their Green Chile Cheese fries are tremendous. Sadly, just the half size order was too much for me. But the Green Chile Willy's Ribeye with Green Chiles was excellent! I'll be home in Central Illinois for the next three weeks. Except, that's not quite the case. I received a phone call from a Project Manager last week; he needs me in New York City on Wednesday, so I get a week home, part of a week in NYC, and a week home. Then the traveling starts again. Right now, it's Chicago Midway Airport, Amarillo again, Sheboygan Wisconsin, Alberta Canada, Schaumburg, New Jersey, and Saskatchewan Canada. Then we're at Labor Day. Til my next entry, y'all stay cool in the summer heat, and enjoy yourselves! Live, Love, and be Happy! |
After class was done on Thursday, I drove 50 miles in about two hours to meet Annette in Paris  . After many trials and tribulations, we met near her house. We had a nice walk along the ocean cliffs nearby. The walk down the path was fine, but walking back up was a killer. In packing for this trip, I failed to pack any shorts, so there I was, walking in 100 degree weather in long pants, t-shirt, and polo shirt. She was appropriately dressed and remained cool throughout. We finally reached the top without having to call the Paramedics to come get me, so that was a plus. Afterwards, we picked up her sons from school, and had a nice late lunch at the King's Hawaiian Restaurant and Bakery nearby. Yummmmm. |
| Date: Week of June 12th Locale: Riverside, California Well, I'm in a new location. New city, but not really a new location for me. I've been to Southern California many times. I taught a class in Corona (just west of here) the week that Michael Jackson died. I've also been in San Bernardino County for a class, and as you might guess, all over the Los Angeles area. But it's my first time in Riverside, and it's hot. It's another three day class, but different subject than my last entry from Toronto. Everything has gone well so far, but I have to say I'm amazed at what this customer had before buying this new system. Imagine having a home phone. No, not a cell phone, not even a cordless phone. Just a typical phone with a rotary dial. No answering machine, no listening to voice mail, etc. Not even caller ID. Imagine that overnight your phone is removed from the house, and you're given a cell phone, not just a cell phone, but a smart phone. If you remember those old phones, and look at the new cell phones, you'll have a small idea of what this customer had, and what they have now. I won't bore you with the technical details, but that's really what they had. Their old radio system was over 35 years old, and very limited. The new one is the newest (though smallest) offering we have in radio systems. I can't be in the LA area, and not try to visit with Annette in Paris . We will meet a little after lunch tomorrow and chat a little, most likely about WDC, just like last time. I just hope we don't bore her sons too much.... Tomorrow night, I may venture into the Hollywood area, we'll see how tired I am, or what kind of mindset I'm in. Would love to get a nice shot of the Hollywood Sign, but it's hard to find a good spot to snap a photo. When I was here once, my customer offered to take me to the sign, and we were all set to go. Started up the restricted road, and found it washed out. So we didn't get there of course. And with LA being such a small town, there's not much else to see around here, is there.... (Do you hear the sarcasm in my words?)Noteworthy Restaurants: Market Broiler https://www.marketbroiler.com/ While this is a very nice restaurant, with excellent food, I have to say I was a little disappointed. Not in the food quality or service. Quantity. Quantity as in TOO MUCH. I thought I'd have an appetizer I love, Oysters Rockefeller. Only four on the order, so no problem, right? Except it seems that my oysters were on Steroids. Add to it a large amount of Spinach, topped with cheese, and you have a meal, not an appetizer. I couldn't finish all four, not to mention my meal. It seems I'd have needed a knife and fork for the oysters, they were that big. https://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/7c662d_df254d0fe133495da33347b437a8c689.pdf Wicks Brewing wicksbrewing.com I love dining at Pubs, love Pub food. The main reason is because they tend to not be fancy, just good, down to earth food. Here I had their Ceviche for an appetizer. And like the Market Broiler, it was huge. Take a soup bowl, fill it with fresh Ceviche, and call it an appetizer. Serve with chips spiced with quite a bit of pepper. I managed to eat half before having to stop so I would have room for the pulled pork sliders. Everything was good, don't get me wrong. Just far too much for one person to eat at one sitting. I'll be in beautiful Amarillo Texas next week. I'm going to drive there since this class came up suddenly. After the class is done, I will drive west four hours to once again visit my brother. His doctor visit last week did not yield good news. His time is short, so I will visit every chance I get. I'll be back in Amarillo in late July. I just hope his time hasn't come by that point, but I know he's close. Til next time, y'all stay cool in the coming heat. Supposed to be over 100 here in Riverside tomorrow. Thank God I'll be on the coast by mid-day, and much cooler. Take care of yourselves, be healthy, be happy, and write more so I can review at my 'slow' pace. |
| Date: Week of May 22nd Locale: Toronto, Ontario, Canada This week's class takes me to Toronto Ontario once again. It's my eighth or ninth trip here, and is beginning to feel like home. Okay, not really, but you get my drift. This is a short trip, with the class only lasting three days. Which means that I won't get out much at all. In all my times to Toronto, I've never really explored the city much, never been to the waterfront, and never seen the CNTower, or any of the other sights around the city. I hate paying to park everywhere I go, I'm not used to it, so that's one reason. Another is my aversion to being in the center of a large city with crowds of people all around. But the real reason, is that my customers have been in Mississauga, or the North York area, which is a little north of the city itself. Yes, I could go there after class, but that would mean fighting traffic that's easily as bad as Chicago's. Add to it a little fatigue from a long day teaching, which results in excuses as to why I've never been to the city proper. Perhaps I need a little incentive.... This was an interesting class, a first in some ways, since their RF system is a little unique. The class asked many questions, ending with us discussing their setup, how to best manage it, configure it, and maintain it. This was my third time with these students, so four of them were almost like old friends, with two new ones. Noteworthy Restaurants: Three Brewers Restaurant https://www.les3brasseurs.ca/ Their Tuna Poke is good, but I liked the Tuna Carpaccio a bit more. They have several dishes categorized as 'Flammekueches', and their Smoked Salmon one was excellent! I'll be in Schaumburg, Illinois for the next couple of weeks, but may head to California mid June. That class is not firm yet, but I'm hoping it will be this week. If so, I plan on meeting Annette in Paris for lunch again. Enjoy the Spring! Summer is almost here my friends. |
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