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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 |
Chattanooga, Tn Week of 10/7/24 I wasn't sure about this week's class mainly because it's one I don't teach that often, and to be honest, the course materials are no where close to being 'top notch'. And of course that became a source of comments on their part. It's okay though, there isn't a lot I can do with the materials other than let those that can do something know, That's been done. I really liked Chattanooga, it has a lot to offer people. There are nice parks downtown as well as around town, decent hotels (A lot of construction everywhere, but that's about normal), and quite a few nice restaurants. I thought I'd add a statement here about the Crime rate there. I'd say it's about average. There are some bad areas, nice areas, very nice areas, and very bad areas. So about par for the course really. Despite my misgivings about the course and the materials, everything went pretty well. The major hangups were a lack of passwords for the equipment. Of course I was asked for the passwords, but I didn't know them, I am only the instructor. I'm not trying to pass this off or blame anyone, I'm only saying that as the instructor, I won't know passwords unless they are passed to me, and they weren't. Those are things that the Motorola Support should know, as well as the customer radio shop manager. None of them knew them either., But we survived and walke through the activity. Not as good as it could have been, but it could have been worse. The highlight of the trip was being able to drive there & back. It's about an eight or nine hour drive, so I broke it into 2 days, staying ovenight in Nashville going there, and one day to return. There is a restaurant in Brentwood (where I was twice recently) that I wanted to visit, but honestly, we were disappointed. The food was very good, the service was about average, we just didn't choose well, so to speak. Noteworthy Restaurants: Hennen's Steakhouse https://www.hennens.net/dinner-menu-2020 We had their Flash Seared Tuna appetizer which was very good. The tuna came on a bed of Togasrashi with a nice Sizzling Soy Vinagrette. The problem as far as I was concerned, is it was pretty dry. I had their Surf n Turf Kabob's, (Black Tiger Shrimp, Beef Tenderllon, Red Onions, Crimini Mushrooms, Bell Peppers, Teriyaki Marinade, Pineapple Salsa). I chose decently well and loved everything., Could I have chosen better? Maybe. All in all though, it was a nice dinner My Current Schedule - Nothing has changed here. I can't believe we'll be spending two more weeks together before I travel again. That's only to Schaumburg, the real travel will start in early Novermber. Oct 21: Schaumburg Oct 28: Vacation Nov 4: Seattle Nov 11: Work From Home Nov 18: Schaumburg Nov 25: Thanksgiving Dec 2: Seattle Dec 9: Washington DC Dec 16: For Lauderdale Dec 23: Christmas/New Years 'Relaxation' Dec 30: Christmas/New Years 'Relaxation' My 2025 Schedule has a few classes on it, but not that many. Right now, I have classes in upstate NY in Jaunary, Washington DC with the US Senate Radio technicians in February, Washington DC again with WMATA, and Schaumburg, both of the last 2 classes in March. 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 |
Bloomington, Illinois I'm technically on vacation this week, and have done very little in the way of work. For Motorola that is. It's been a bit buy this week as we prepare to drive to Chattoonga Sunday. I've watched the weather closely since they predicted another hurricane to pass through, but it looks like it will hit late next week. I also monitored work email on my phone, just in case the customer needed to cancel the class due to Hurricane Helene. Everthing is a go, so far. So what has kept my busy this week? Let's see. A drive to Springfield, on a mission you might say. Dinner at our favorite local restaurant, Lake Road Inn. We try to go on Wednesday's when I'm home because they serve whole catfish that night, and she loves her whole catfish. I enjoyed their Grouper sandwich special. We're sort of regulars there, I don't think Craig (cook and owner/manager) would substitute a different fish (some restaurants will do that you know. Ask me about that 'one time in bandcamp'.... I mean that one time in Charlotte where Tilapia was substituted for Grouper), but this was a pretty flat piece of Grouper, not the typical type you get in a Grouper Filet. Maybe it was the sandwich. Still, it was a very enjoyablee dinner. What else have I done to be productive? Washed 4 loads of laundry for one. Reorganized the basement once again (I didn't like how I'd arranged it earlier). Submitted expense reports, cleaned the backlyard of debris, and other assorted odds and ends things that needed to be done. Last night Kathy grilled Garlic Brats (purchased at a local Meat Market), roasted some excellent veggies (Red Onion, Sweet Potato, Butternut Squash, and Carrots) with a couple of Garlic Cloves finely chopped over it all, other seasonings & salt & pepper to taste. A drizzle of Olive Oil made it perfect. We also grilled a half chicken (the other half was used in homemade Chicken & noodles earlier). As usual, we both attacked the veggies first, but everything was wonderful. Not that anything we had was sub-par, but if I were to rank the dinner servings last night, the Brats were #1, Veggies #2, and the Chicken #3. BTW, that half Chicken had been marinating in Kirby Mojo Criollo. This is a Spanish/Cuban Marinade. We prefer Kirby over about any other Mojo Criollo, especially Goya. That just our taste preferences. Noteworthy Restaurants: Kathy's Kitchen - You can get most anything you want at Kathy's Restaurant.   Her home cooking is very good in my eyes, she keeps me satisfied, & that's a good thing!My Current Schedule - Nothing has changed here. I can't believe we'll be spending two more weeks together before I travel again. That's only to Schaumburg, the real travel will start in early Novermber. Oct 7: Chattanooga Tennessee Oct 14: Work from home Oct 21: Schaumburg Oct 28: Vacation Nov 4: Seattle Nov 11: Schaumburg Nov 18: Schaumburg Nov 25: Thanksgiving Dec 2: Seattle Dec 9: Fort Lauderdale Dec 16: For Lauderdale Dec 23: Christmas/New Years 'Relaxation' Dec 30: Christmas/New Years 'Relaxation' My 2025 Schedule has a few classes on it, but not that many. Right now, I have classes in upstate NY in Jaunary, Washington DC with the US Senate Radio technicians in February, Washington DC again with WMATA, and Schaumburg, both of the last 2 classes in March. 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 |
Kalispell, Montana The week of 9/23/24 found me rural Montana. I was in Kalispell for a class with the Federal Bureau of Reclamation at Hungry Horse Dam. I've been to Montana many times, but never to an area as beautiful as Kalispell. Kalilspell is a charming town that has far more to offer than one might think. I would love to live there, but I'm afraid that my other half would not appreciate the cold winters they experience. The class was the typical Networking class, and went very well, depsite small hiccups experienced with one of the 20 year old Cisco Routers. I'm not sure it was entirely a router problem since the student team didn't factory default it at the beginning as they should have. Then again, the exercise they were attempting to complete is one they will never do, nor will they ever see a Cisco router in our radio system. When I was in North Dakota recently, I had a 1 hour drive to get to work. It was about the same here, but a much more beautiful one that wound between the mountains with the Flathead River nearby. The class was held in the Hungry Horse Dam, and actually being in the dam was a little surreal. You can't imagine the size of a Dam, nor it's water driven Turbines until you're standing next to one. I arrived Saturday afternoon, and on Sunday I went about 10 miles south of Kalispell to an Alpine Coaster ride. It's a bit like a small roller coaster in that you get on to the small wheeled sled. You go through a little discussion about riding in the sled, fasten your seatbelt, and off you go. The sled is towed up the hill, at the top you are on your own because it's all downhill from there. It's a kick in the 'you know what' riding this. It's very reasonably priced too at $18. Plus, they automatically record a video of you on the coaster, and take 22 photos as you ride downhill. The video and pictrures are emailed to you, the cost for that is $13. I thought the price was excellent overall, and bought the video package of course.  Kalispell Sunrise 9/22/24  Riding The Alpine Coaster Noteworthy Restaurants: Freestone Restaurant https://freestonerestaurant.com/menu/ Man, I really wanted to return here, but never did. Mainly because Kalispell has A LOT to offer in way of restaurants. Still..... I really wanted to try their Bone Marrow because I've never had that, but I know it's rich, and with the way my digestive tract has been recently, I didn't want to chance it. I ended up trying their Tempura Brussel Sprouts - Fried Brussel sprouts paired with mango chimichurri aioli, and their Seafood Fettuccine - Shrimp, lobster, grilled artichoke hearts, sundried tomatoes, basil, tossed in a roasted red bell pepper cream sauce and topped with parmesan cheese. I was hooked on first bite! The Desoto Grill https://www.desotogrill.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Desoto-regular-menu.pdf/ I was in rthe mood for Sausage that night (I Love Sausage!) so had their Lower Valley Sausage Platter - Slices of local elk and hot link from Lower Valley Meats served with sharp cheddar, toast points and their amazing house made Lewis and Clark weizenbock mustard. And yes, their house made Mustard is Amazing! I also enjoyed their Elk Sausage Platter. Did I order too much food? Definitely. The good news is that I had plenty for leftovers the next two days for both lunch and/or dinner. Sykes Diner & Market https://sykesmt.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Sykes-Day-Menu.pdf I came here for Breakfast on Friday because there was no class that day. I tried to fly home Friday, but I wasn't willing to spend $900 of company money on the flight. I ordered their Hungryman’s Biscuits & Gravy. Homemade Biscuit and Sausage Gravy served with a choice of 2 bacon, 2 links, 1 ham steak or 1 patty with 2 eggs cooked any style and potatoes. I love a good Biscuits & Sausage Gravy, this was the best I can recall having in recent memory. My Current Schedule Oct 7: Chattanooga Tennessee Oct 14: Work from home Oct 21: Schaumburg Oct 28: Vacation Nov 4: Seattle Nov 11: Schaumburg Nov 18: Schaumburg Nov 25: Thanksgiving Dec 2: Seattle Dec 9: Fort Lauderdale Dec 16: For Lauderdale Dec 23: Christmas/New Years 'Relaxation' Dec 30: Christmas/New Years 'Relaxation' My 2025 Schedule has a few classes on it, but not that many. Right now, I have classes in upstate NY in Jaunary, Washington DC with the US Senate Radio technicians in February, Washington DC again with WMATA, and Schaumburg, both of the last 2 classes in March. 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 |
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is better than suspended upside down in the 'void'. 
