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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 am a Senior Training Specialist for Motorola Solutions, and teach classes on a wide variety of subjects centered around 2 way radio communications (for eight more weeks). I knew that when the time arrived that I would retire. That time is now. 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 are not in demand anymore. My students were/are 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? This probably won't have daily entries, but I will make entries to update you about my life before and during my employment with Motorola Solutions. I also intend to update you all about what I'm doing in retirement. Well, here we go with this new adventure, let's see where it takes us.  Best Cultural And Regional Honorable Mention |
| Locale: San Pedro, Ca Week of: April 25, 2022 This week finds me in San Pedro visiting the Port Of Los Angeles there. It's my second time here, I was here that last week of June in 2013, and snapped this photo Friday morning late, after class was done.  This is another Fleetmapping class, and the more I deliver it, the more I love delivering it. Especially in person. And I've been really enjoying fresh seafood here, can't get much of that in Illinois. Don't get me wrong,there are some good seafood restaurants in my area. But they are few and far between. Looking forward to even more fresh seafood next week in Fort Lauderdale. That, and some Paella, and a Cubano Sandwich.  I've been watching how much, and what, I eat though, so hopefully not gaining too much weight. At my age, any kind of exercise is hard to do, hard to fit in also. Walking is it for me, for the most part. Speaking of food... .Noteworthy Restaurants: Louisiana Charlies https://www.louisianacharlies.com/menu I was in the mood for some Cajun food, but didn't have what I'd term 'real Cajun food'. I settled for 1 lb of Little Neck Clams boiled in Cajun spices then tossed with a mixture of garlic butter and Cajun seasonings. With Corn On the Cob, Potatoes, and Andouille Sausage. Was very good really. 22nd Street Landing Seafood Grill & Bar http://22ndstlandingrestaurant.com/dinnermenu When you're in Rome, do as the Romans do, right? So when you're near fresh Seafood, ya gotta have it if you ask me. Housemade Clam Chowder and Bouiabaisse! Yummmm! Except that I thought the Bouiabaisse I had in Connecticut about a month ago was better. It seemed (could have been in my mind, I don't know), but it seemed like this place 'rationed' the seafood in it. Parkers' Lighthouse https://parkerslighthouse.com/wp-content/uploads/Dinner.pdf More Seafood! In a way at least. I wanted a light dinner tonight, so had Spicy Edamame, Lighthouse Sushi Roll, and Shrimp and Pork Belly Lettuce Wraps. All were excellent! Photo's From Visit:  22nd Street Landing In Closing I will spend the weekend traveling, flying to Fort Lauderdale Saturday, and teaching there next week. Til next time, be good to yourselves and those you love, and WRITE!  Jim Dorrell |
| Locale: Bloomington, Illinois Week of: April 11, 2022 & April 18, 2022 I've been at home the last two weeks due to the customers delaying scheduled classes. I was supposed to be in San Diego last week, but they delayed that class about 6 weeks ago. I was to be in Washington DC this week, but at the last minute the customer realized that the people who needed to attend the class were not available. This class is now scheduled for delivery in October. It will remain on my schedule because I'm the only one who can teach one of the pieces of equipment they want to know about. I have spent my time improving the Fleetmapping course I started delivering two years ago. You probably wonder, "You have to improve the course curriculum? Why isn't it perfect already?" The answer is easy. First, I had to learn quite a bit about two pieces of equipment that is covered in this class, but I also had to learn how to deliver this class! Secondly, the course had been delivered by contractors all along, but they balked at teaching it online. So, my manager came to me and asked me if I could do it. Naturally my reply was, "Yes!" But the course materials had a lot of issues. There were a few places where system capacities were quoted, and they were wrong. About 10 years wrong. What I really mean is, the system capacities listed were based on a much older system. Thirdly, the Powerpoint slides had the AWFUL colors. Bright, slap-you-in-the-face type of bright colors. IT hurt my eyes to look at them. So, I read the referenced manualsa and re-wrote the course. I had it done well enough to present the class, but realized it could be better. It's been a constant process of teaching, learing more about the subjects, andimproving the course materials. I also reviewed a course a co-worker shared with me. It's one him and I both deliver, along with a couple of other instructors. Let's just say that my friend is not a writer. He uses what I call the 'Shotgun approach' in writing. He would start on one topic, stray off to a second, possibly a third, before returning to the original topic. Plus, he doesn't have much knowledge in Powerpoint, his slides could stand a bit of formatting. It's okay though, his knowledge is sound, he just needs to learn how to edit a course so its presented in a logical manner. His knowledge is sound, he knows far more about this stuff than I do. He's the one I turn to when I have a question because I know I'll get the correct answer from him. My schedule for the foreseeable future has not changed. Anything less than 45 days away does not usually change, but hey, the customer canceled/delayed my Washington DC class just 13 days prior to the class starting. So the 45 day thing is not set in stone. As of now, other than mandatory weeks off (2), vacation (4), and holiday weeks (5}, my schedule is now full the rest of the year! I do expect a lot of changes though, but my schedule will stay full. For the next couple of months, I wil be in: 4/25: Port Of Los Angeles. I'm still hoping to meet Annette  , Jeff  , Schnujo's Giving Away GPs  , and QueenOwl ~ A New Day Dawns  while there. Getting the four of them free on the same evening or an early Saturday morning is easier said than done. If we do get together, I will be sure to snap a photo or two, and probably make one into a Trinket with their permission.5/2: Fort Lauderdale 5/9: Vacation 5/16: Schaumburg Illinois 5/23: Teach from home for the USAF Base in Yokota Japan. Another week of teaching 7 pm to midnight. 5/30: Memorial Day week. Online meetings with my co-workers. 6/6: Fort Lauderdale 6/13: Fort Lauderdale 6/20: Teach from home 6/27: Teach from home 7/4: Independance Day week, no delivery for most, including me. May and June are probably pretty well set, but standby for changes! As of now, I have trips scheduled in Kansas, Indiana, Los Angeles (again), but LA County this time, New Jersey, Washington DC, Pennsylvania, and two additional weeks in Fort Lauderdale. We'll see what happens with this, huh! In Closing I will be in Los Angeles next week, followed by a week in Fort Lauderdale. Til next time, be good to yourselves and those you love, and WRITE! Jim Dorrell Jim Dorrell |
| Locale: Schaumburg, Illinois Week of: April 4, 2022 This week finds me in Schaumburg, Illinois for the first time in almost 2 years. Yes, I've been there a couple of times last year, but it was a one-day stop each time; I'm not counting those as 'real trips'. I had a lot of fun cross-training Syamira, she was great, knew a lot, but on subjects I'm not familiar with. Our training covered topics she's not familiar with. She learned a lot of course, I learned some on Friday when we worked with one of the lab guys on the Direct Attached Storage on one of the Virtual Servers. But it wasn't all fun and games on Monday and Tuesday. Sunday and Monday nights I also delivered a class online o the Philippine Armed Forces. This was to finish up the class we started 2 weeks before. As a result, I was pretty tired Monday. In fact, at one point I nodded off for a brief 'second' before waking. That was when I told her, "I'm exhausted, I need to go to my hotel and get some rest before class tonight." So we ended the day at 2 so I could get some rest. I didn't get much, maybe an hour, but it did help. Luckily we were finished with class at 9 pm that night, so I was able to get some much needed rest. Still, it wasn't until Wednesday that I felt a bit like myself. As I mentioned, things went well as she learned more about the topics she came to discuss. I learned that she's been here for 9 weeks now, spending the first 6 weeks in Fort Lauderdale. There was one surprise for me this week too though. I was in the area outside the classroom when a woman walked by, looked at me and said, "Alright, which class did I have you as my instructor?" I knew her face, but there was no way I would remember what class she had been in. We talked a little more, and in the process learned that she will be in the Networking class I'll deliver in mid-May. My schedule for the foreseeable future has not changed. Anything less than 45 days away does not usually change, but hey, the customer canceled/delayed my Washington DC class just 13 days prior to the class starting. So the 45 day thing is not set in stone. As of now, other than mandatory weeks off (2), vacation (4), and holiday weeks (5}, my schedule is now full the rest of the year! I do expect a lot of changes though, but my schedule will stay full. Noteworthy Restaurants: Big Bowl - https://www.bigbowl.com/schaumburg/menus/dinner/ Their Poki Salad did not disappoint me one bit. It was just excellent. Penang Malaysian Cuisine https://qmenu.us/#/penang-malaysian-cuisine/menu/0 My best friend Ariel and I took Syamira to dinner there Wednesday. She had been there twice already, neither of us had been there before. It was a very good experience for all three of us. In Closing I will spend the next two weeks at home before going to Los Angeles for a week, followed by a week in Fort Lauderdale. Til next time, be good to yourselves and those you love, and WRITE! Jim Dorrell |
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Although, I hope you've got a portable table set up for prep while you wait for counters or a microwave for those frozen meals.
