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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 |
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 |
Schaumburg, Illinois The week of 5/27 found me in Schaumburg for meetings with the rest of the team. It was really good because we had not met in person for five years! Yeah, that's a long time to not see your co-workers. Typical for this week, we meetings all week long. I didn't mind though because also in attendance were instructors who teach classes for companies we recently purchased. We also learned what their company manufactures, and some of it is scary. Let me give you an example. To provide that example, I must ask a question. Have you read 1984 by George Orwell? In case you didn't know it was written in 1947, and published in 1949. The scary part? We're living in the times Orwell writes about in his book. I read this almost 55 years ago, here's what I remember from it. First, the country the main character lives in is at war. I think the war is going on somewhere in Africa. The Media broadcasts contain information about the war, telling the citizens that the war is being won. Yet they are losing the war. The Media is telling the citizens what they want the citizens to hear. That sure as heck sounds like our Media in 2024. We're fed stories that they want us to hear, not the 'real news'. Secondly, there are cameras everywhere. These cameras are mounted on traffic light poles, telephone poles, whatever. They are placed all over the city, privacy does not exist. Again, does this sound familiar? Some of the people I met this week for a subsidiary of ours, train technicians on how to maintain these cameras. I saw a real-time video, and what they can do with their software is definitely scary. Not almost, Definitely Scary! I'd say more, but I'm not allowed to go into specifics. So, read 1984 if you haven't, or read it to refresh your mind about the story. And realize that we are living in the times of that book. A book written 76 years ago, long before the things in our world existed. On a 'happier' note, let's discuss my future schedule, and my plans, tentative though they may be. This will be my last full year of employment. I will retire after this year is completed. MAYBE. PROBABLY. It's up in the air, but to be honest, the travel, being away from home with barely 24 hours here on weekends (sometimes) is getting to me. I am exhausted most weekends, I spend far too much time napping and not enough time getting things done. I was given a nice Pit Boss Electric Smoker (I've been wanting to learn how to smoke meats and veggies), but have not used it yet. It's been assembled, but the door latch does not latch correctly. There's about an inch of space between it and the fastener on the housing. I might have assembled it wrong, but I don't think so. So there's that to figure out. I want to learn to 'Can' vegetables, I can't on my current schedule. I also really want to rent a French Horn and see if I can still play, see if it still has the draw on me it had 55 years ago. Speaking of fatigue. Even when on the road, I'm very tired at the end of a day. I go to dinner somewhere near work or hotel, then collapse in my hotel room. I spend very little time here, very little time chatting with my anyone. And to add to it all, I will be cross-training a new instructor. He has been doing very good so far. Then again, he's delivering 2 courses, courses that deal with the equipment he maintained before coming to us. I get the pleasure of cross-training him. It will be a pleasure too, because then someone besides me will be able to travel and deliver classes that only I can deliver right now. However, that means he may get to go to Cavalier AFB in place of me. I want to go mainly for one reason. This is where Space Force is! I will spend most of the week of July 4th cross-training him to deliver that course. It will be a little bit of a stretch for him because this will be a highly tailored course, and he has quite a bit to learn to be able to deliver it. Only time will tell.My upcoming schedule, as of now Week of: 6/3 and 6/10: I'm on VACATION! June 17: Brentwood, Tennessee June24: Halifax, Nova Scotia July 1: Holiday week (Cross-train my co-worker) July 8: Fort Bragg NC July 15: Work From Home (Cross-train my co-worker if he's not delivering a class) July 22: Los Angeles July 29: Schaumburg Illinois Aug 5: Cavalier AFB (NE Corner of North Dakota) Aug 12: Los Angeles Aug 19: International Travel Aug 26: Frankfurt, Germany Sept 2: International Travel/Labor Day That's all for now. Til next time, keep on writing, most of all, keep on loving those special people in your life! Sum1 |
San Francisco, Ca. The week of 5/20 found me in San Francisco for a class. I've spent some time in San Francisco, but it was long ago. I've been there on business 2 or 3 times now, but never in downtown San Fran. And, I wasn't this time either. I was in south San Francisco this time, just north of the airport. It was a fun, but tiring week for me. It didn't start out the best either, but it wasn't due to something I didn't do, or did. Let me explain. The class this week was another of those Networking classes. I have finally taught it enough recently to get the flow of it. What? I don't have the flow down yet, even after teaching it for so many years? Well, it's been modified so much that the flow has changed. Not only that, the course now contains a lot of information about the new router in the system. For some reason this, I found it difficult to really get this router into my brain properly. But I have it now. All we need to do in the training department is straighten out a couple of steps in the hands-on activities. So what happened that wasn't my fault? We ship a large Pelican Case to the customer for this class. In this case, it can be one that contains the router we manufacture, or the new router made by Juniper. Evidently the Project Manager asked for the router we manufacture, since they currently have this router and will for the next year or so. However, the customer wanted to be trained on the new Juniper router. It wasn't until we opened the Pelican Case that we discovered this. As a result we had to scramble a bit and get the correct case sent to us. My support team was fantastic and had the new Pelican Case shipped so we could use it when needed. I enjoyed my time there, but found it difficult to drive to dinner. You might think this is crazy, but again, there's a reason behind everything. For example, the students in my class recommended a nice Mexican Restaurant in Daly City. I found the place easily. However, or but, there were no parking places nearby. I found one, but it was about a 5-6 block walk up, or down, hills. (I mean, you know SF is not known for it's hills after all). I decided to go elsewhere. Even then I parked at least 100 yards away.... I know, I know, I have it so tough, huh. It was fine really, but it was like that all week long. My upcoming schedule, as of now Week of: June 3: Vacation! June 10: Vacation! June 17: Tennessee June24: Halifax, Nova Scotia July 1: Holiday week July 8: Fort Bragg NC July 15: Work From Home July 22: Los Angeles July 29: Schaumburg Illinois Aug 5: Cavalier AFB Aug 12: Los Angeles Aug 19: International Travel Aug 26: Frankfurt, Germany That's all for now. Til next time, keep on writing, most of all, keep on loving those special people in your life! Sum1 |
Fort Lauderdale, Florida This weeks of May 6 and May 13 found me in Ft Lauderdale once again. I've grown to really enjoy this area, made all the more better by my friend Ariel being there the first week., We had a good time seeing each other, he even bought dinner one night at one of my favorite restaurants, The Pirate Republic. That's not a cheap place to dine at, but since he was the 'Senior Motorolan', paying for dinner fell to him. It didn't matter really, the money came from this project, so I could paid too, but that's how things go with us. The classes I delivered were both Networking classes, it was good to once again get my hands on the equipment as well as deliver the classes. It had been far too long for this, so I thought it was good, the class results proved my belief. I was able to relax at night both weeks, and spent the weekend in Clearwater with my ex-Father-In-Law. You might wonder why I would spend time with an ex-In Law, so I'll tell you. He's much more to me than just an ex-in law. We were shipmates on my first submarine, and were close friends while on the boat., Of course being married to his daughter meant we stayed in touch throughout the years. It was a good weekend, other than me having a pretty rough Allergy attack Saturday. But getting Flonase in my sinus', and eye drops in my eyes quickly cleared things up. Still, I spent far too much time Saturday napping, he didn't seem to mind. One of the big reasons for spending time with him is that he lives alone now. He lost his wife to Alzheimers almost 2 years ago, so is alone now. His youngest daughter live about 3 hours away, so he gets few visitors. He will turn 89 this year, so visiting him was almost a must. It was a good visit, just tiring for us both. Since I will be ending my time in San Francisco today, and will write a blog entry for this week later this weekend, along with editing this one to add restaurants I dined at later. I need to sit back and relax some, but wanted to post this at least. My upcoming schedule, as of now Week of: May 20: San Francisco May 27: Schaumburg Illinois June 3: Vacation! June 10: Vacation! June 17: Tennessee June24: St. Johns Newfoundland July 1: Holiday week July 8: Fort Bragg NC July 15: Work From Home July 22: Los Angeles July 29: Tennessee That's all for now, it's about time to get going again. A short entry today as a result.. Til next time, keep on writing, most of all, keep on loving those special people in your life! Sum1 |
Los Angeles, California This past week I was once again in Los Angeles delivering a class to LAPD. This is my 4th or 5th time working with them. I had not delivered this class since 2020 and it showed. My knowledge of the subject is sound, it was the timing and flow of the class that was off. It's fine though, everything went well, and since I'll be delivering the same class in Ft. Lauderdale this upcoming week, it was a nice tune-up, so to speak. Besides, Duncan Angami, the manager of the radio shop did offer me a job, in a way. He said that if I retired from Motorola because the travel was too much, but still wanted to keep working, that there was a job with LAPD for me. I'm not sure how serious he was, but I'd not take it if offered. Why? I'm not a big-city person, I'm much more comfortable with a city the size of Bloomington/Normal (~130,000 in this city). I spent my evenings resting and going to bed early because I didn't really want to get adjusted to PDT because I will be on the East Coast next week. I was successful until Thursday, but that was expected. The flight home last night was bumpy, but the plane had a lot of empty seats. As a result I was able to lie down in my row and relax some. We landed at O'Hare right about midnight. I knew it would be a while to get my luggage and my van, and drive the 2 hours home. Sometimes I hate being right. I got home last night about 3 am, and will have a whopping 25 hours here before leaving tomorrow morning. Wash had to be done, I needed to unpack and repack, and rest. I napped 6 hours today, and managed to get 4 hours of sleep last night. I think I'm ready for the week, Since I will be in For Lauderdale for 2 weeks, I will drive to Clearwater Friday evening to see my ex Father-In-Law. He and I are close friends, and always will be He knows his daughter and I are divorced, he encouraged me to divorce her 2 years ago when I saw him. He understands, and while he doesn't know the details about our relationship, he does understand why we had to do it. My upcoming schedule, as of now: Week of: May 6: Fort Lauderdale May13: Fort Lauderdale May 20: San Francisco May 27: Schaumburg Illinois June 3: Vacation! June 10: Vacation! June 17: Tennessee June24: St. Johns Newfoundland July 1: Holiday week July 8: Fort Bragg NC July 15: Nebraska July 22: Los Angeles July 29: Tennessee That's all for now, it's about time to get going again. A short entry today as a result.. Til next time, keep on writing, most of all, keep on loving those special people in your life! Sum1 |
Bloomington, Illinois Thank God for small favors! After a pretty exhausting schedule in February and March, I finally spent a week at home! Since February 11, I've now had 2.5 weeks at home, with a Saturday 'visit' here and there. It wouldn't be so bad if the classes were in the same time zone, but that was far from the case. Starting the week of February 11, I was in Dover New Hampshire, Hillsboro Oregon, Frederick Maryland (flew from Hillsboro directly to Frederick), Hillsboro Oregon, FOUR days at home, Bangkok Thailand for 2 weeks, a week of no delivery so I rested all i could, Dover New Hampshire, and St. Johns Newfoundland. Yeah, it was very tiring for this old man. But I survived and was able to spend the entire week at home. No, I wasn't idle, I prepped for a class I will deliver in July (more on that in a minute) ,and reviewed the course materials for my next 2 classes. I accomplished what I wanted to get done, that was my goal all week, Did I work 8 hours a day? Nope, but like I said, I accomplished what I needed to do. This class in July will be at Fort Bragg. This is a small system, one that few customers purchase. The class itself hasn't been delivered in 10 years too! As a result, I spent a bit of time reviewing the course materials and ensuring they are up-to-date, writing hands-on activities as needed. Things like that. I also napped whenever I could or wanted to. Tuesday was a day that concerned me a bit, and made me realize jusat how exhausted I was from the time zone shifts. Essentially I was dead to the world. I had Zero energy when it came to doing the simplest of tasks. The rest of the week was fine though, so I have to ask, "Was Tuesday an Aberration? Was it a day that was different than the rest for some reason? Or was it a reminder that I'm not so young anymore?" It was both. In 2021, I learned to pay attention to my body, and listen to what it was saying. So I rested more than I thought I should, and feel much better about things now. Am I all set to go? No way. I will take things as they come and pace myself all I can. My upcoming schedule, as of now: Week of: April 29: Los Angeles May 6: Fort Lauderdale May13: Fort Lauderdale May 20: San Francisco May 27: Schaumburg Illinois June 3: Vacation! June 10: Vacation! June 17: Tennessee June24: St. Johns Newfoundland That's all for now, the time at home was so relaxing and refreshing. A short entry today as a result.. Til next time, keep on writing, most of all, keep on loving those special people in your life! Sum1 |
Dover NH & St. Johns NL Well, after spending two wonderful weeks in Bangkok Thailand, meeting Kåre เลียม Enga   , I managed to get a week at home. That was needed, and welcomed Gee, I remember a time when all I wanted to do week in and week out, was travel. Now it wears on me, so a week at home is welcomed with open arms. I spent that week relaxing a bit, studying for upcoming classes, preparing Powerpoint Slides for a class in July (Fort Bragg), and just getting my feet back on the ground, so-to-speak.The following I was in Dover New Hampshire again. The training coordinator who originally scheduled their classes did not realize the type of system they have, and classes they didn't need had been scheduled, while classes they did need were not scheduled. That was corrected a couple of months before this class, it's how I came to be in Dover a second time. Overall, the class went very well, the travel home was a nightmare. Part of it was my fault, a lot of it was United Airlines fault. Why? Once the class was done, I shopped at the local Wally World. I needed a small collapsible bag, and knew I'd find it there. However, this delayed me some, plus the traffic around Logan Airport was a nightmare as usual. I arrived at the ticket counter a little over an hour before my flight. I had plenty of time though, since you need to be checked in 45 minutes before your flight. Imagine my surprise to learn that the Gate I would depart from had restricted issuance of boarding passes, and required their permission. The check-in desk called the gate, and the gate said I couldn't board. I've come to think that the flight had been oversold, with my seat already given to someone else. I ended up being booked on a later flight, and arrived in Chicago at 11 pm. This meant I missed my connecting flight to Peoria. So, I rented a car from Avis for the weekend (MUCH cheaper than a one-way rental on a Friday night) and drove home. I didn't arrive until after 2 am though. I wanted to get home Friday night vs Staying at a nearby hotel in Chicago because I would leave Sunday morning at 5 am. Such is life huh. I do have it much better than many people. I left for St. Johns Newfoundland at 9:40 am Sunday, and had a scheduled 5 hour layover in Toronto. As luck would have it, the five hour layover became 7 due to flight delays. I didn't arrive in St. Johns until after 11, and at my hotel about 12:30 am. I was in bed around 1 though, only to get up at five to start my day. I was pretty tired, but managed to get through things. Still, it was quite a weekend of travel, don't you think? Class this week has gone very well, it's actually two classes back to back. Still, all's well on the 'home front' here. I really like St. Johns, except it's rained almost all week., Yesterday I drove to the Cape Spear Lighthouse, and probably will again today. Why? Near the Lighthouse is the Eastern most point in Canada, and in my eyes, the Eastern most point in North America. I realize that some of the Aleutian Islands are over the 180 degree line of Longitude, but I'm not counting them. No insult to anyone living there intended. Id like to get a photo of that area, or better photos than what I took yesterday in the driving rain.  Cape Spear Lighthouse Noteworthy Restaurants: St. Johns Fish Exchange https://sjfx.ca/ I couldn't come to a small town like St. Johns and not sample their seafood, could I? Their Fishing Admirals Feast was outstanding! IT consisted of the Chef's Selection of daily fresh seafood. The dish had Cod, Salmon, Fish Cakes, 2-Shrimp Skewers, Steamed Veggies, and Rice. Each of the fish filets had a different sauce on it. To me, that made the dish! YellowBelly Brewery https://www.yellowbellybrewery.com/food/ For some odd reason, I lkonged for a simple burger, saw their menu, and figured I'd drop by here, I chose well. Their Salt-Vinegar Cod bites were crispy and hot out of the oil. The Guilty Pleasure Burger came with crumbled Bacon, Tomato, Letttuce, Tomato Aioli, Onion Jam, Breaded & Fried Provolone Cheese, Crispy Prosciutto, and a Deep Fried Pickle Spear skewered on top of the bun. Everything I didn't really need, but wanted. It hit the spot, and removed that yearning for a burger. I am currently scheduled to return here in June, we'll see if I dine at these two restaurants then. I fly home tomorrow, and will spend the next week relaxing/working before flying to Los Angeles on Sunday. Til next time, keep on writing, most of all, keep on loving those special people in your life! Sum1 |
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