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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 |
Los Angeles, Callifornia This was my 11th time in the Los Angeles area in the last 12 months. You might think I'd grow tired of the city, but I didn't. That's mainly because half of the classes I delivered were not in downtown Los Angeles. Instead, I was out in the Alhambra/Monticello area with a different customer. It has been interesting to say the least. This was the second round of our networking classes for LA Unified School District (LAUSD), and what I found disappointing was that there were only 3 students in the class, the same three who attended the first go-round. Y'see, the customer is billed a specific amount for a class of up to 12 students. So sending 12 students to a class is the best 'bang for your buck' so to speak. But 3 students? Yeah, they are billed the same amount. You see what I mean. That's not for me to say though. I realize that sending someone to a class can be harder than you might think. I did that at Firestone for 2-3 years. On a Monday there would be 7-8 or more students in a class. But,the need on the manufacturing floor for a maintenance technician can override that need for training. Often I would have only 3-4 students in class come Friday. So I understand why I might only have 3 students in a class. That doesn't stop me from being disappointed. Then again, it was good in a way, because the students encountered problems completing the hands-on activities. Having only 3 in class helped me in assisting them as needed. Then, there's always that one student who really doesn't belong in the class. They lack the necessary computer skills, background knowledge, or just the ability to follow directions. Perhaps all three! Yeah, there was 'one of them' in both classes. It just makes me concentrate on helping them more as the class progresses. As I might have said in a previous post, this is my last full year with Motorola. I will retire early next year, at the end of April, at the latest. Why so late? I have to ensure I'm employed through the 'drop dead' date so I can receive the bonus check for 2024. It's far too much money for me to throw away. I will be checking with HR so I know what that date is. And of course, my Current Schedule is below. Aug 19 - International Travel on 8/21, work at the Embassy the morning of 8/23 to ensure the classroom is set the way I prefer. Aug 26: Frankfurt, Germany Sept 2: International Travel (Fly home on 8/31). No time to sight see.  My own fault, but I wanted to get home and rest for almost 2 weeks.)Sept 9: Boston Sept 16: San Francisco Sept 23: Kalispell, Montana (I might fly into Missoula because it has the nearest semi-large airport. If so, I'm hoping that Kåre เลียม Enga   lives somewhere nearby. It would be good to meet him, or anyone else from WDC in the nearby area.)Sept 30: Vacation Oct 7: Tennessee Oct 14: Work from home Oct 21: Schaumburg Oct 28: Vacation to attend the Akita National Specialty Dog Show Nov 4: Seattle Nov 11: Schaumburg Nov 18: Schaumburg Nov 25: Thanksgiving Dec 2: Seattle Dec 9: Fort Lauderdale Dec 16: Fort Lauderdale Dec 23: Christmas! That's it for now. Until my next entry, write all you can, and love everyone, especially those special people who fill your life!  Jim Dorrell |
Cavalier, North Dakota It is thought that I wouldn't, or don't like being alone. Far from it. I can exist around other people, or I can just as happily exist on my own, with no one near. This is what the area of North Dakota I was in last week was like. I drove to work 1.5 hours one way, and all I could see was the horizon in all directions. Why the 1.5 hour drive? I have to use our Travel Site to make reservations, and there were no 'approved' hotels listed in Cavalier ND. The nearest ones were in Grand Forks, about 70 miles away, but 1.5 hours to drive. I loved my morning and evening commute despite the length. So where was I for this class? I was at Cavalier SFS Station last week for 2 days. Well geez, it took me two days of travel to get to and from this area. I flew into Fargo, ND, and stayed in Grand Forks. I love this area of the country. I could say I love any area of the country where you do not have large (or small) cities all over the place. Such was Grand Forks. Once I started driving to the base, I left what most would call Civilization, behind. Yes there were towns on my route. One particular town had no businesses in it, just houses. And very few at that. The largest town I drove through was Grafton. There was one hotel there, but I try to stay at either a Marriott, or Hilton Brand hotel, those brands were not in Grafton. Go ahead, call me spoiled. Because I am. Like I said though, I loved the drive to and from work. No, I didn't really see the towns becauseI was just passing through and didn't want to spend time seeing what the town had to offer. The class was an easy one to deliver, and I will 'brag' a little and say that the customer (Space Force at Cavalier SFS) was very pleased with my delivery. I hope so, I spent a couple of days editing the course materials, combining courses so I would deliver information only equipment they were using. I added drawings of their system layout and IP address plan to show them what they had. So all in all, a two day class was recieved very well. I didn't say this to them, but the current Sgt (an E-6, I learned) who is in charge of the radio group was 'just a kid'! Geez, he looked like he belonged in College still. His relief, a Master Sgt (an E-7, I also learned that) looked just as young. But when I think back to my career, we were 20 something men (we were really kids!), operating and maintaining a multi-million dollar nuclear reactor. For example, I was 23 when I tested and was advanced to E-6. Yeah, I need to calibrate my eyes, huh.  First, I apologize for the quality of the photo. I was about a mile away anad because yours truly left his camera and telephoto lens in his van, I had only my phone to use. Holy Cow, this building has 6-foot thick Concrete walls surrounding it. It's designed to withstand a direct hit, but I don't remember if that included a Nuclear Attack or not. No RF/WiFi signals can get in or out. The white area in the photo contains hundreds of small radar antennas. They are fed a radar signal from vintage 70's technology equipment sitting in trays that are about 6 foot long, and 18 inches wide. Being so old, certain members of the staff repair these if/when they fail. Sometimes they have to purchase components and mount them on the boards. Wow, I was impressed. By changing the amount of signal fed to the various trays, they can change the area being monitored. The antennas are on the North Side of the building, which caused me to ask why? Canada is not an enemy after all. Keep in mind that this was built early in the Cold War, when the Soviet Union still existed. Our government was concerned that the Soviets would place a missile submarine in the Hudson Bay to launch missiles, so mon itoring of the frozen north it did. And it did it, and still does do it, quite well. I was given a tour during lunch Thursday. It was an eye opener and very enjoyable. I was not allowed to have my phone with me during my tour of the building, but I still learned a lot. Obviously I did not teach in this building. As I might have said in a previous post, this is my last full year with Motorola. I will retire early next year, probably March or April. Why so late? I have to ensure I'm employed through the 'drop dead' date so I can receive bonus check for 2024. It's far too much money for me to throw away. I will be checking with HR so I know what that date is. And of course, my Current Schedule is below. Aug 19: International Travel (Fly there on Wednesday 8/21) Aug 26: Frankfurt, Germany Sept 2: International Travel (Fly home on 8/31). No time to sight see. My own fault, but I wanted to get home and rest for almost 22 weeks.)Sept 9: Boston Sept 16: San Francisco Sept 23: Kalispell, Montana Sept 30: Vacation Oct 7: Tennessee Oct 14: Work from home Oct 21: Schaumburg Oct 28: Vacation to attend the Akita National Specialty Dog Show Nov 4: Seattle Nov 11: Schaumburg Nov 18: Schaumburg Nov 25: Thanksgiving Dec 2: Seattle Dec 9: Fort Lauderdale Dec 16: Fort Lauderdale Dec 23: Christmas! That's it for now. Until my next entry, write all you can, and love everyone, especially those special people who fill your life! JimD Jim Dorrell |
Schaumburg This past week I was in Schaumburg again for a resident class. This is a class I haven't delivered often, yet I've been qualified to deliver it for 16 years! The knowledge is there, but the smoothness of the delivery seemed a little off. Everythign must have gone well for the students based on their grades and comments. Still, I just have th feeling that it could have been so much better. I guess I could say I know Schaaumburg quite well, having lived in that area for 15 years. Things have changed of course, but not so much that don't know where to dine and such. The bright spot of the week was when I went to the Naval Hospital at the Great Lakes Naval Training Center. I was there to get my wife's prescription for Trulicity filled. It was a 3 month supply, and if we'd gone to CVS in town this would have cost us close to $900, if not a little more or less. At the Naval Hospital, we got it free of charge since I have TriCare for life. It's one of the nicest benefits of hacving served 20 years in the Navy. But what made this a bright spot in my week was taking four Tank You Veterans Challenge Coins in with me and handing them to Veterans. Some were old, older than me, some about my age. They were gone in less than 5 minutes! The looks on their faces, the smiles of gratitude for being recognized, was almost too much. If I'd had 100 coins, I could have given them away during my long wait Yes it was long, but was it worth it? I think so, every minute spent there. Work has not slacked off one bit, I find myself really looking forward to retirement at the end of 2024. My Current Schedule is below. Aug 5: Cavalier AFB Aug 12: Los Angeles Aug 19: International Travel Aug 26: Frankfurt, Germany Sept 2: International Travel Sept 9: Boston Sept 16: San Francisco Sept 23: Kalispell, Montana Sept 30: Vacation Oct 7: Tennessee Oct 14: Work from home Oct 21: Schaumburg Oct 28: Vacation to attend the Akita National Specialty Dog Show Nov 4: Seattle Nov 11: Schaumburg Nov 18: Schaumburg Nov 25: Thanksgiving Dec 2: Seattle Dec 9: Fort Lauderdale Dec 16: Fort Lauderdale Dec 23: Christmas! That's it for now. Until my next entry, write all you can, and love everyone, especially those special people who fill your life! JimD Jim Dorrell |
Los Angeles This past week I was in Los Angeles again, this time working with the Los Angeles Unified School District. It was a Networking class, but only 3 students showed up for it. Apparently the customer thought the class was going to be about their new system, new equipment, all that. Instead it was the basic Networking class that is really meant for those who are new to the idea of an IP address/Subnet Mask and what's known as a MAC address. Basic things like that. So a lot of students decided not to attend, and that's fine. I'm going back there in 3 weeks to deliver the class so many of them thought was this past week. Since the class was downtown, I stayed at the Doubletree by Hilton in the middle of the city (Little Tokyo). It was my second trip to LA this year after being there seven times last year. But while this was downtown, half of my seven classes last year were in the Alhambra/Monticello area of Los Angeles. I'm almost feeling like I belong there!  If I enjoyed being in large cities more, I'd be happy. But a smaller city (Bloomington/Normal has maybe 130,000 residents) suits me so much better. It's alright though, at least I'm only there for a week.One student in this class was a little scary at first. His computer skills and ability to follow the written directions in the lab guide really made me wonder. As the week progressed, I saw continued improvement and confidence on his part, reassuring me a bit. He still has a long way to go, but he'll fine if he keeps at it. The key is keeping at it. Most likely his normal job requirements will not allow him much time to work on things. I guess I'll hold my breath and see if he's in the August class, and if he is, see what he remembers. That's the problem with marginal learners half the time. Them using the knowledge they just gained to embed it even firmer than I can in a week. Work has not slacked off one bit, I find myself really looking forward to retirement at the end of 2024. My Current Schedule is below. July 29: Schaumburg Aug 5: Cavalier AFB Aug 12: Los Angeles Aug 19: International Travel Aug 26: Frankfurt, Germany Sept 2: International Travel Sept 9: Boston Sept 16: San Francisco Sept 23: Kalispell, Montana Sept 30: Vacation Oct 7: Tennessee Oct 14: Work from home Oct 21: Schaumburg Oct 28: Vacation to attend the Akita National Specialty Dog Show Nov 4: Seattle Nov 11: Schaumburg Nov 18: Schaumburg Nov 25: Thanksgiving Dec 2: Seattle Dec 9: Fort Lauderdale Dec 16: Fort Lauderdale Dec 23: Christmas! That's it for now. Until my next entry, write all you can, and love everyone, especially those special people who fill your life! JimD Jim Dorrell |
Bloomington Illinois This has been an interesting week to say the least. I've been on vacation, except I've worked every day as much as I xan. I say as much as I can because Wednesday I came down with the good ol' Stomach Flu. I least I didn't puke, but that's about the only good news. I spent almost the entire day in bed, getting up only to participate in a conference call about the September class in Boston, and to post my nightly entry in "Smile! (Groan?) You Know You Love These!"  . I think I slept 15 hours total, from midnight to midnight. It's a good thing I was home too, because I couldn't have taught that day. That's the past though, all is decently well now, I'm about 90% healthy in my eyes.I've become a walking trip hazard now it seems. Friday night I tripped on a perfectly level surface, sprawling flat on my face, almost. I managed to turn my body a little as I fell. My only injury was a skinned elbow, and dented pride. That will take some time healing too. Oh well, at least I'm still alive, huh! The work I did was in prepping for a class in North Dakota in two weeks with the Cavalier Air Force Station, one of the homes of the Space Force. Other than delivering the class, I'm hoping I can get a Challenge Coin, or two. More, if I can get them, and depending on how many is available if so. I also worked on tailoring the course materials for the Boston class, that's occupied most of my time. I'm in Los Angeles next week, and still plan on dining at Gra Pizza restaurant, 1524 Pizarro Street, HiFi, LA 90026 at 5 pm. It would be great if others join me. If not, then I will dine somewhere else alone, only because they only serve Pizza there and I'm not sure of the size. I will post on here Sunday afternoon before going to dinner as to whether I'm going there or not. My Current Schedule July 22: Los Angeles July 29: Schaumburg Aug 5: Cavalier AFB Aug 12: Los Angeles Aug 19: International Travel Aug 26: Frankfurt, Germany Sept 2: International Travel Sept 9: Boston Sept 16: San Francisco Sept 23: Montana (Federal Customer who maintains Hungry Horse Dam) Sept 30: Vacation My Pizza invite for LA still stands, and will. I've had no one contact me, so I'll plan this. I will be at the Gra Pizza restaurant, 1524 Pizarro Street, HiFi, LA 90026 at 5 pm. Join me if you will. Please RSVP to this invite so I will know if I'm dining alone (getting one pizza), or will have friends joining me (more than 1 pizza). This goes for the July 22 week or the August 12 week. Can't forget Boston, San Francisco, Kalispell Montana. So is anyone game for Sunday? It can be a Friday night if you like.... It doesn't have to be pizza, that was something I thought would be better suited for families. That's it for now. Until my next entry, write all you can, and love everyone, especially those special people who fill your life! JimD |
Fort Bragg (Liberty)/Pope AAF, North Carolina This has been a very good week, the class has gone about how I envisioned it should/would. It's been a little bit of a challenge since I haven't delivered this in over 10 years. I know, you're wondering how it could possibly be an easy class to deliver. Well, working on the course materials last week did help. However, I deliver a very similar class, with the main differences being that the other one (Repeater Site, if you want more info, ask, I'll answer questions) connects to a central site called the Core. The other difference is that this one has a computer loaded with a software program called Configuration Manager. If you teach a class that deals with the Provisioning Manager (loaded on a Virtual Machine at the Core), it's a cut-down version of that. I teach Fleet Mapping which covers the Provisioning Manager a lot. So, I just lean on that knowledge to deliver this class. The course materials were outdated, so that's what I did last week, heavily edited them. This area seems to be an area that is struggling a bit. Now I haven't seen everything around here, but so far, everywhere I look I see properties badly in need of a facelift. I would guess that the people in this area have never known how good it is to have extra money in their pocket, so their property needing work is no surprise. I know how that can be! In the last 3 years, we've put close to $30,000 (maybe a little more in our house!) Like I said, the class has gone well, at least in my opinion. The students have learned a lot, I have maximized their hands-on exercise time (which they love), every one of them has learned something in class, even the most experienced technician. The only draw-back is that only one person can log on to the Configuration Manager at a time, so the other five sit and watch. I asked in an early email about remote access to this computer, and was told that wouldn't happen, but that the computer had a large screen which would make it easy for everyone to see. Uh huh. A 26" Screen might seem large, and it is. Except when you're 5 feet or more away from it. Still, we've made do; I've had people cycle through so everyone was able to do a few things. Noteworthy Restaurants: Ruby Tuesday https://www.rubytuesday.com/our-menu/ I mention this place because I will not dine there again. It's not that the food wasn't wasn't tasty because it was. It's not that the service was slow or poor in checking on diners. The place was DARK, it needs a facelift, much like the surrounding area, and the staff could use a training upgrade. Everyone I saw seemed to 'walk-through their requirements. I don't recall seeing one smile. Waffle House https://order.wafflehouse.com/menu/waffle-house-1170 Go ahead, laugh at the idea of enjoying dining at a Waffle House. No one smiled at Ruby Tuesday, everyone smiled here. Was it spotlessly clean? No. But if you were to look around at the kitchen of the places you dine at, it would look very similar. You just can't their kitchens, but you can at Waffle House. Yes, the menu is limited in scope. The food is good, the service excellent. I'd rather dine here any day than dine at Ruby Tuesday's again. My Current Schedule July 15: Vacation (Staying home) July 22: Los Angeles July 29: Schaumburg Aug 5: Cavalier AFB Aug 12: Los Angeles Aug 19: International Travel Aug 26: Frankfurt, Germany Sept 2: International Travel Sept 9: Boston Sept 16: San Francisco Sept 23: Montana (Federal Customer who maintains Hungry Horse Dam) Sept 30: Vacation My Pizza invite for LA still stands, and will. I've had no one contact me, so I'll plan this. I will be at the Gra Pizza restaurant, 1524 Pizarro Street, HiFi, LA 90026 at 5 pm. Join me if you will. Please RSVP to this invite so I will know if I'm dining alone (getting one pizza), or will have friends joining me (more than 1 pizza). This goes for July 22 week or the August 12 week. Can't forget Boston, San Francisco, Kalispell Montana. So is anyone game for Sunday? It can be a Friday night if you like.... It doesn't have to be pizza, that was something I thought would be better suited for families. That's it for now. Until my next entry, write all you can, and love everyone, especially those special people who fill your life! JimD |
Bloomington, Illinois The week of 7/1 found me at home in Bloomington Illinois. This break has been great, as well as really appreciated and needed. I've taken my time getting things ready for next week in Fort Bragg. In the past, I wanted to deliver a class, then repeat every week. Being older now, I have learned to love these small breaks. The only thing about it is this. I sorta get in a groove traveling and delivering classes. Being off (working from home) for a week or two throws this groove out of whack and it can be a little (very little) difficult to get back in that groove. So what have I done this week? "Invalid Item" 1. Completed work on the course materials I will use next week in Fort Bragg. Why did I have to develop (actually edit) these materials? Three words. There were terrible. Not in their content, but the formatting was done using old templates, a lot of the material was outdated (last used in 2013 or so). There was no way I was going to deliver a class using materials that old. You might wonder why.... I know you've heard the old phrase, "You have one chance to make a good impression." As an instructor meeting strangers every week, I think we have three. One- Your appearance. How are you dressed, how do you carry yourself, how do you interact with people you're just meeting before class... Two - The course materials you present and share with your students, and Three - Your knowledge of those course materials, your ability to present them, and your ability to perform the hands-on exercises that are a part of the course. 2. I cross trained my co-worker John on the course materials to be used during the Cavalier AFB delivery. I've learned that I'm one of the few instructors who tailors course materials for a delivery, Don't get me wrong here. Most of our courses, especially field courses, can use those 'cookie cutter' course materials. You know, the ones like that. They're the same class after class. And that's fine in many ways. We deliver these classes all the time (look at how often I deliver one of the Networking classes (Nine times in the first half of 2024, but there are 4 of us that deliver these classes, they may not deliver them as often as I do, still....). Trying to edit both the classroom presentations and hands-on activities would be close to impossible. We would need a team of at least 10 people to do that. Plus, they would need detailed knowledge of how the course would flow for this customer. So no, I don't see it happening. But the courses I tailor are usually for a customer whose system is almost unique. During the session with John on Tuesday, I learned of 2 or 3 weak areas he has, at least one of them disturbed me a bit. A bit of detail here that may mean nothing to you all. We use two different pieces of software in delivering a Repeater class. I know, I know, "What's a repeater?" Please don't ask this question. You'll be glassy-eyed in seconds. Anyway, he has never used one of the software in the classes he is qualified to deliver, and he should have. That made alarm bells ring in my head. John would, or could have done a passable job delivering this class to Cavalier AFB, I told our supervisor that. I also said that he, and the department would be better served if he was able to follow our traditional qualification process, and that he should sit-in a radio programming class. Not to teach it, but to become familiar with the software, familiar enough to answer questions he might have encountered at Cavalier AFB. I didn't care who delivers the class, I'm more concerned about quality. As it now turns out, I will be delivering that class. Working with John and editing the course materials occupied all my time Tuesday & Wednesday. What about Monday though? I had a Bone Marrow sample taken on Monday. I was knocked out (Fentanyl was used) for the procedure, and was in a fog after waking until about 2 PM. Plus, I had an appointment with the Allergy Doctor, as well as my family doctor. No cross-training was done Monday. Despite everything I said that may have sounded negative, it's been a great week so far. She's an excellent cook, but we've dined out more than you might think. Being the senior citizens we are (I'm 70, she's 74), it can be difficult to find the energy to prepare and cook a meal. She has leg & back issues, I have that Myeloma going on, and back issues as well. So where have we dined? Noteworthy Restaurants: Kathy's Home Cooking As I said, she's a very good cook. We've enjoyed BBQ Chicken Wings with her excellent homemade Pasta Salad & Potato Salad. I also was able to enjoy some Pickled Okra I forgot we had in the pantry. Breakfast was a medium size bowl of Yogurt with Fresh Fruit & Almonds one day. Another day we had scrambled eggs with multi-colored grape tomatoes, sauteed onions & yellow Bell Peppers, with Mike Ditka Sausages (those are the best I've found recently). Do you wonder why or how I've gained weight? Ancho & Agave https://www.anchoandagave.com/menus/ This is not my favorite Mexican Restaurant in town, that honor belongs to Hacienda Leon. However, we met her Sister & Brother-In-Law for dinner, this was their chosen place to meet. We really enjoyed their Hickory Bacon & Goat Cheese Guacamole. I loved their Mesquite-Smoked Chicken Enchiladas while she had their Pork Al Pastor burrito, a HUGE burrito. Yep, we had leftovers. Her Sister & Brother-In-Law both ordered Taco's from their Taco Menu. The meal was good, but the company and talk was just as good, if not better. My Current Schedule July 8: Fort Bragg NC July 15: Vacation (Staying home) July 22: Los Angeles July 29: Schaumburg Aug 5: Cavalier AFB - I will be going there, not my co-worker. He had more to learn & be comfortable with than I anticipated. Aug 12: Los Angeles Aug 19: International Travel Aug 26: Frankfurt, Germany Sept 2: International Travel Sept 9: Boston Sept 16: San Francisco Sept 23: Montana (Federal Customer who maintains Hungry Horse Dam) Sept 30: Vacation If any of you in the LA area would like to meet up, I have an idea. I will be there in July and August, so here's my thoughts. I realize that getting away from the family can be tough, so let's meet at a Pizza place. I'll provide Pizza(s), all you need to do is show up with the family (and children). Drinks or anything besides Pizza is on you. What do you think? Is this something that could be done? The best days for me would be either Sunday, or Friday, late afternoon/evening. I'd love to meet anyone from WDC who is in the area. As you can see though, I get to travel to numerous locations. If you're in a area I'll be working in and would like to meet for a cuppa or dinner, let me know! I'll be happy to meet any of you. That's it for now. I am home for the week of July 4th before heading out again. Until my next entry, write all you can, and love everyone, especially those special people who fill your life! JimD |
Halifax, Nova Scotia The week of 6/17 found me in Halifax, Nova Scotia. To be honest, I was across the Benford Basin, staying in Dartmouth. Either way, I was still in Nova Scotia again.  This was another Networking class, with the delivery of it a little 'shaky' the week before. This was because those in the shipping world had changed the requirements to ship something Internationally, so the support staff was scrambling to learn how to meet those requirements. All was well though, the shipment arrived just in time. What was the shipment? A large Pelican Case, about 3x3x3 containing 3 Routers and 3 Switches with all the necessary cables to support their operation in class. If that Pelican Case hadn't been shipped, the customer had provided two switches and routers for the class. I don't like using customer equipment for a class, especially since one switch and one router had already been configured for use. But, everything went our way, so all was well. The class itself flowed smoothly, the students were great. During breaks we'd go off topic, one of them provided me pointers on using my new Pit Boss Smoker and said to email him if I had any questions about smoking food. The problem is, I don't remember who volunteered! I'll be fine with that though, plus there are neighbors around with Meat Smoking experience. I really enjoyed this class though. Once in a while students can (and will) make a class delivery a little tough. Not this time though, everything went smoothly Noteworthy Restaurants: Ela! Greek Taverna Restaurant https://elagreektaverna.com/dinner/ Do you enjoy Greek Food? Maybe Mediterranean Food? Then you need to dine here! This was the best meal I had all week. Yummmmm. I enjoyed three of their Appetizers. Halloumi (Pan-fried and panko-crusted cheese with sweet pickled beets and tzatziki), Spanakopita (Fresh spinach, feta, green onion, dill wrapped in filo with feta cream sauce), and Seftalia (Lamb and beef meatballs, herbs and spices with grilled pita and tzatziki). Of course I had leftovers for the next day's lunch. To top if off, I had an excellent glass of house-made lemonade. This is a place I would definitely return to. Sushi Nami Royale https://sushinami.ca/dartmouth-crossing/ You might be thinking 'Sushi in Nova Scotia? C'mon Jim, get some Fish n Chips! I know, it's just that I was in the mood for Sushi. Their Volcano Roll was a bit different, the server held it near the table, flames leaping up from the Sushi Roll. It didn't hurt the flavor none, other than causing it to need a bit of cooling before I could enjoy it. I also had a nice bowl of Shoyu Ramen. Another restaurant I need to visit on a future trip, should I get to return here. My Current Schedule July 8: Fort Bragg NC July 15: Vacation (Staying home) July 22: Los Angeles July 29: Schaumburg Aug 5: Cavalier AFB (I am cross training a new instructor for this class, he will most likely deliver it instead of me) Aug 12: Los Angeles Aug 19: International Travel Aug 26: Frankfurt, Germany Sept 2: International Travel Sept 9: Boston Sept 16: San Francisco Sept 23: Montana (Hungry Horse Dam) Sept 30: Vacation If any of you in the LA area would like to meet up, I have an idea. I will be there in July and August, so here's my thoughts. I realize that getting away from the family can be tough, so let's meet at a Pizza place. I'll provide Pizza(s), all you need to do is show up with the family (and children). Drinks or anything besides Pizza is on you. What do you think? Is this something that could be done? The best days for me would be either Sunday, or Friday, late afternoon/evening. I'd love to meet anyone from WDC who is in the area. That's it for now. I am home for the week of July 4th before heading out again. Until my next entry, write all you can, and love everyone, especially those special people who fill your life! JimD |
Brentwood, Tennessee The week of 6/17 found me in Brewood, Tennessee again. It was an easy 2 day class, Tuesday thru Friday. Then we were told that on Wednesday 6/19, the customer would observe Juneteenth. I had to change my flights to arrive Sunday instead of Monday, and add an extra day to my stay. As a result, I spent Wednesday preparing course materials for an upcoming class in August. But it's with the Space Force In North Dakota! Except.... I will be cross training a co-worker on it the week of July 4th, and if I think he's ready, he will go in place of me. Dang the luck. It's okay though, I travel and teach enough, he can go. These classes are pretty easy to teach, I wrote this course years ago because we had nothing to use in delivering a short class like this. I based on a course we deliver for another product which made it very easy to write. It was nice too, delivering the class on Monday-Tuesday with Wednesday off, then Thursday-Friday. I had a day of rest in the middle, and worked from my hotel room most of the day. It was a pretty uneventful week too. Nothing much has changed on my schedule. Other than going to Halifax (instead of St, John Newfoundland). The customer changed the training site location, so I'm out of luck as far as going back to St, John. It's okay, Halifax is beautiful. I'm still scheduled to fly to Germany for a week in late August, and I have two more trips to LA, two to the Puget Sound Region, and another week in San Franscisco, plus other places I can't remember. And, I'm still ready to either retire, or change jobs within Motorola. So far, Retirement is winning that race. Of course I found some nice places to dine at too. Noteworthy Restaurants: Judge Bean's BBQ https://judgebeans.com/brentwood-judge-beans-bbq-food-menu I was dining at a BBQ Restaurant, so why did I go Tex-Mex? While it was very good, it was also very spicy. Their Texas Sushi (Jalapeno pepper stuffed with Sausage and Cheese wrapped in a brisket) was extra spicy and became part of my breakfast the next morning, mixed with scrambled eggs. Plus, The Original Shrimp Diablo (Jalapeno pepper stuffed with shrimp and cheese then wrapped in bacon) was the same way. Even their Cowboy Beans were spicy. I definitely ordered wrong! Very good food, but I should have stuck with BBQ. Del Frisco's Grille https://www.delfriscosgrille.com/location/del-friscos-grille-brentwood-tn/#menus A couple of my students joined me for dinner. I've been here at least once before and loved it, so returning was a no-brainer. I enjoyed their Pan Roasted Branzino, with Grain Salad, Olives, Shaved Almonds, Lemon, Shallots, Golden Raisins, Arugula, Romesco. As it turned out, we all ordered Fish, each a different dish. That's it for now. I flew from Nashville today, and am in Halifax tonight. I have tomorrow to relax some before starting work in earnest Monday. Until my next entry, write all you can, and love everyone, especially those special people who fill your life! JimD |
Virginia Beach, Va The weeks of 6/3 and 6/10 found me (us) on vacation, something different for me that's for sure. Our plans were to go to Virginia Beach for a week or so, mainly to drop off our Akita to his breeder (Faith is her name) for a couple of months so she could train him to be shown at a dog show. My wife has shown dogs in the past, but now she is too old and out of shape to do it, I have no experience with this, so it would require both of us being trained, and who would train us? Faith was more than happy to be reunited with Buddy (Our Akita) for a couple of months. So Virginia Beach was a logical destination. I started vacation on Monday, but we didn't leave until Thursday around noon. In retrospect, we should have left Sunday and spent time seeing other destinations and/or sites. Oh well, I can't undo what's been done, huh. The drive there was not the best on Thursday. Someone (me) had it in his wacky mind that we should drive to Peru Indiana to see a man I know (well, know is a stretch) on FB. He owns a donut shop there, and seems to write well. I was going to encourage him to join WDC. But I never considered that he would open the donut shop and arrive very early (say 5 am), so he would leave early too. We arrived a little after 4, he leaves around 10 or so. Yeah, I should have planned that much better, huh. Anyway, we spent Thursday night in Dayton Ohio. It should have taken us 5 hours to get to Dayton, but ended up taking almost 9 hours. <sigh> The next two days went as planned though. We spent Friday night in Cumberland Maryland, but not before having dinner at Penn Alps. This restaurant is in an area that is inhabited by people of Scandanavian & Amish descent, The restaurant has an excellent buffet that serves good, down-home country type food. We love this place, and dine there whenever we pass thru. My dinner was a Salad, a cup of their Clam Chowder, Ham, Green Beans, Butterflied Shrimp, Fried Fish, one hush-puppy and a dessert sampler (sort of). I failed to grab one of my favorite items though, Fried Clams! Saturday found us stopping in Leesburg, Va to visit a Produce Stand we found long ago. Brossman's Produce Stand. They have THE BEST Lime Pickles there. No, not Lime as in the Fruit, but Lime Pickling Powder. Here's what I found about it on a quick search. "Pickling lime is sometimes used during the pickling process to give pickles an extra crunch. It's a form of food-grade calcium hydroxide. Traditional canning recipes usually suggest soaking freshly sliced cucumbers or other vegetables in pickling lime for 10 to 24 hours before canning them." We bought 4 jars of those pickles, and gave a jar to Faith, and my daughter Jennifer who we met for lunch while there. We arrived in Virginia Beach Saturday afternoon/evening, and stayed at The Founders Inn. This is the hotel that hosted the Akita National Specialty Dog Show two years ago. The hotel is very nice, and is spread out around the grounds, instead of being a high rise like many hotels. We used Hilton Honors points instead of Credit Card, and the rate was very good! It was 40,000 points/night, which is what a typical Hampton Inn runs. Did you wonder about the value of those 150,000 Hilton Honors points I raffled last year during the WDC Birthday month? We used about 175,000 of those points on this trip. The only card charge was a pet fee each night. So cash out for pet fees was about $200. Still, think about how much the hotels would have run (I refuse to stay at a Motel 6 or Super 8, or even Comfort Inns anymore) if I'd paid with a credit card. The time in Virginia Beach was all too short, even though we stayed an extra day. We really enjoyed our time there, but dang, the traffic! Wow.... plus it was too crowded everywhere we went. I got a kick out of taking my wife to the Norfolk Naval Base. She got her first 'up close and personal' view of the aircraft carriers USS Gerald R Ford CVN 75, and the USS Harry S. Truman CVN 71. Her amazement at their size and such was amusing to say the least. Even though I retired 31 years ago, this is still 'old hat' to me, so her reaction was cute. I didn't try to get her a tour on board one though. That would take advance planning/permission, and both of these ships were not available for a tour, nor would she be able to handle the ladders/passageways, not to mention the walking across the brow to get on board. Heck I can't even get her on the USS Intrepid, a museum aircraft carrier in New York City because of the brow issue. The drive home was uneventful, and only 2 days in length, instead of the crazy 3 day drive getting there. We arrive home, and I was beat, just beat. This was not what I'd call a vacation, I thought those were relaxing. Still, it was a fun time though. That's all for now. Til next time, keep on writing, most of all, keep on loving those special people in your life! JimD |
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