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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 |
Relaxing At Home 2/16 Well, I haven't delivered a class since mid-January, and sort of feel left out at work. Then again, I've done more than my fair share for the past 10-12 years when it comes to class deliveries. I deserve this break, at least in my opinion. We have worked on unpacking the kitchen boxes, though vrery slowly. I will not take the reins here, and unpack everything. You know what will happen or be said if I do. I have no desire to cause issues here at home. That's not something I do. As you might guess, we didn't head to Virginia this week. We could have made it, I know that. But he is scheduled to be shown in a show the weekend of 3/21, so it was decided we';d leave him there another month. It's not what either of us wanted, but being shown is something she wants. She longs for the ego thing of having a 'champion' again. And yes, he does have champion blood in him, but does not have that piece of paper that is so important to her. Dog shows? They are not something I have done in the past, nor do I approve of them. To me, a dog show is like people posing themselves to show off their muscles. The dogs are 'Stacked' to show off their lines and such, they are not in a natural pose at that point. It's a wasie of time and money, but that's only my opinion. And despite all that, we'll be attending the Akita National Show this fall in Springfield Missouril. I'm getting used to not traveling now, but my next trip is a week away, when I will go to Houston, Texas for a week. That will be my last time flying for work, any flying done after that will be at my expense. My schedule is winding down, I only have two and a half months left before the big day. I would love to have a nice BBQ and invite everyone to it, but I realize few would show. Heck, I'd have a hard time getting co-workers to show up because they'll either be traveling, or not want to come to Bloomington (a 2-3 hour drive from the Chicago area. It's okay, we'll still have a BBQ, it just might be the two of us attending is all.  My schedule thru retirement. Week of: Feb 24: Houston, Tx March 3: Work From Home March 10: Vacation March 17: Cross Train A Co-Worker or Co-Workers March 24: Tioga County - Tentative - It might be a Virtual Class, taught from home March 31: Schaumburg April 7: Schaumburg Aporil 14: Schaumburg April 21: Work From Home April 28: Work From Home, Close out all Motorola stuff, return laptop, etc. Friday May 2nd will be my last day of employment. I have no idea if I'll work in some job, that remains to be seen. Right now I'm leaning towards not working at all..... Jim Dorrell |
Working From Home 2/12 BTW, it's hard to call it working from home when I'm really on vacation this week and next. I'm beginning to feel a little unloved at work though. I have not taught a class since the week of January 13th. This is mainly due to customers cancelling classes, not just mine, but others as well. The difference for everyone else though is, they're not retiring, I am. You'd think that would be a welcome break, and it is. I'm just so used to coming and going that it's odd, that's all. I might as well get used to it though, this is how retirement will be, for the most part. I am still unsure if I want to be an adjunct instructor though. I'm retiring because the travel is wearing me out. Why? Multiple Myeloma can cause fatigue, and the meds I take to combat that can also cause fatigue. A Double Whammy there. Like I've always said, 'If you can't stand the heat in the kitchen, get out!' It's been a quiet week for us. Everything that could be done before the countertop is installed has been done. So no contractors around at all, though we do both love Scott and Mike. They are a pleasure to have around. Where are we now though. Appliances are in place, but the dishwasher is not installed. It's water-line is not connected, nor is the electrical connected. Yes, I could do both of those tasks, I've done them before. But we're paying Scott to do those types of things (Mike works for Scott, in case you're wondering), so I'll leave that to the professionals. While I can do it, I'm not a professional at it, and I want this whole remodel work to be done professionally. Our task? Unpack the boxes that we packed to clear out the kitchen, get things set up for normal usage. Get everything ready to go once the countertops are in place. A different company will be doing that, so we wait. We were told it would be at least 2 weeks from the time the measurements were done. Week one will be completed as of Friday. We'll see, huh! We were planning on travelng to Virginia Beach this week and next to 'retrieve' our male Akita. Have you seen the weather though? Yeah, we've decided to put that off for a month, and hope for better weather in March. Again, we'll see what the future holds. I for one can't wait to get him back in our lives.  |
Kitchen Updfate 2/5 Monday was a busy day at the house. The flooring was put down, and I have to say it's beautiful. Yesterday work was started on putting the cabinets in place. Everything is going so good it's almost scary. Here's where we sit tonight. The cabinets have been placed, temporary plywood is installed in place of the counter tops. Friday (2/7) the appliances will be delivered, and the company installing the countertop will measure to install it. That is built at their facility and brought here in one piece. Or so I'm told. But that will be at least a week delay in getting it done. It couldn't be done earlier because the cabinets have to be in place in order to properly measure the countertop area. The still a lot of molding and trim work to be done, that will occur after the countertop is in place. What do you think? |
Bloomington, Illinois Just a short entry for now. The work continues.... It's only Monday, but it's been a busy day of work in the kitchen. It's all being done without me lifting a finger too! That's probably a good thing, because I have been known to break more than I fix in things like this. I'm not really that clumsy, I wouldn't be where I am if I was. But work like this I prefer to leave to those who are being paid to do it. Today the second layer of Mud was added to the Drywall, I have to say it looks good. Also today the Sub-Floor was laid down and stapled in place. There was a little extra work that the guys undertook. The sink in our bathroom, the only place we have running water right now, was slowly backing up. I was going to pull it apart today, but remember what I said about breaking more that I fix? Scott jumped right to it and pulled the drain piping apart. That was my plan, but once he started, I didn't have to do a thing. He found a Grape in the drain. We bought some fresh fruit the other day, and my wife always washes it before we get to have just one. Somehow a grape escaped into the open drain while she was doing that. He said he also found a nice hairball.... In putting it back together he managed to break 2 fittings in the pipe fittings (whatever they're called). It's all fixed now, but it's nice to know that I'm not the only one who can break things at times. The plan for the week is to finish the floor and lay the new tiles next Monday. There was some consideration given to getting heated Tile placed in the kitchen, but it would add an extra $4400 to our price, plus a couple of days (?) delay laying it down. A painter will come here Friday and paint the kitchen. I'll be sure to snap some photo's Friday night/Saturday morning. Next week the new cabinets will be installed, and we'll have the new Appliances delivered. We need to pick out another stove/oven though, the one we chose is on back order until MARCH! Wow! So tonight off we go looking for a Stove, again. I'm not sure what's going on after that, but I think looking in the Crystal Ball a week ahead will do for now. There, Kitchen update done.  Jim Dorrell |
Bloomington, Illinois Just a short entry for now. I left for Sacramento Monday, and while I was gone my wife got upset with the Kitchen. Something about it was a mess, I'm not really sure what caused her to be so upset. Anyway, she grabbed my sledgehammer and took her anger out on the kitchen. I came home to this.  The truth.... I don't have a sledgehammer. We have been planning on having the kitchen remodeled for over 2 years. There were several delays, chief among them were trying to find a Contractor who would respond to things, health issues with us, our designer and her mother.... Our contractor worked for 4-5 hours on Friday, this was the result. It will be 5-6 weeks before this is a 'done job'. We are really looking forward to getting this done. Jim Dorrell |
Sacramento, Ca Week of 1/14 After spending the weeks of Christmas and New Years somewhat ill, I was finally healthy enough to travel. That's the problem having this Multiple Myeloma. My immune system is healthy, but I'm still taking the Chemo drug Lenalidomide. This weakens my immune system, so I'm suspectible to illnesses. Chief among those are Fungal infections (I'm battling toe nail fungus for example), and since I also have Asthma, I can easily get flu type illnesses. All's well though, I am fine. The customer this week is the California Office Of Emergency Services (Cal-OES), I delivered the course I edited a lot, Fleetmapping. It's a course I love delivering, the students really enjoyed it. At least in my opinion, and my view of things, is that they did. I'll be back in March for the same class too. It's one of the few classes I have left to deliver. Today two more classes were added to my schedule, shown below. Of course I enjoyed dining out, and found a couple of nice restaurants. Noteworthy Restaurants: The Virgin Sturgeon https://virginsturgeon.net/ I was browsing Maps yesgerday, and found this place accidentally. I thought going here would be a good choice, and it was. Excellent food? Not quite, but still far above average. Excellent Service? Definitely. Some older restaurants rely on their reputation, Virgin Sturgeon does not. Their Smoked Sturgeon Salad was very, very good, their Seafood Pasta was the same. No complaints at all. All in all though, I won't be returning here. It just didn't strike me as a place I must visit again. Satori Sushi & Teriyaki Grill https://www.satorisushiandgrill.com/uploads/1/3/1/4/131430107/menu_natomas.pdf This place is very close to my hotel, an easy stop once class was done. I love good Sushi, but I didn't order that. I love Jalapeno Poppers, this place had an excellent take on that dish, I had to try theirs. Wow! Also, I've had a craving for Ramen lately, and had to have that. Their Jaalapeno Bomb (those poppers) came 8 to a dish, half came back with me for a late night snack. Yum! My Current Schedule - Below is my schedule through the end of my career at Motorola. I have thought about this a lot, at times thinking I wouldn't retire, at times knowing I would. I can't continue to hem & haw over it, I've told my manager about the date, I will stick to it. As you can tell, I don't really want to retire, I'm not ready (mentally) in some ways, but this old body of mine says I should. If anyone is in any city I'll be visiting between now and the end of April, I'd love to meet up. I'll even buy you dinner if we chose to meet at night! (e:smile} Jan 13 - Sacramento (Cal-OES) Jan 20 - Work From Home Jan 27 - Work From Home (Customer cancelled all Fleetmapping classes) Feb 3 - Washington DC (WMATA) Feb 10 - Vacation Feb 17 - Vacation Feb 24 - Harris County Tx (Houston) Mar 3 - Sacramento (Cal-OES) Mar 10 - Vacation Mar 17 - Washington DC Mar 24 - Manhattan Kansas (I think) Delivering a short class to the National Bio & Agro Defense Facility Mar 31 - Schaumburg (Cross Training a Co-Worker) Apr 7 - Schaumburg (Cross Training a Co-Worker) Apr 14 - Schaumburg for the last time! (As of now) Apr 21 - Work from home Apr 28 - Work from home RETIRED! 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 Week of 12/23 & 12/30 Well, after a great time in Fort Lauderdale, we came home just to become sick. I started feeling unwell on Christmas Eve, and it has carried forward to today, and still appears to be going strong. I thought Christmas Day was my worst day, though now I think it's just been ongoing all this time. Christmas Day found me at my weakest though. I could not stand up without a bit of assistance. My legs just wouldn't function to allow me to stand from sitting in a chair. We both went to Prompt Care last Sunday, but test results were inconclusive, Why? We were only tested for Flu, which was Negative. The Doctor told us that we could have a COVID test done, but it wouldn't change the treatmentr plan. I opted not to have that done, in retrospect we probably should have had it done. At least we'd know one way or another, What I do know is that we have a nasty virus running rampant in our bodies. And I'm afraid that we're in this for the long haul. At least until it warms up and we can air out the house. I was supposed to fly to Sacramento tomorrow, but when my manager heard my voice (or lack thereof), he said to forget about traveling this next week. That's a good thing really, despite the obvious reasons. Why? The kitchen remodel is scheduled to start on the 13th, and we're struggling to move everything out of the kitchen. We'll get it done, but dang I hate feeling so 'Puny'. If I exert myself at all, I start to cough. Often it's a violent cough, almost making me faint. I can feel it when that happens too. My face turns beet red, the room starts to spin, sometimes my legs grow weak. I always make sure I'm sitting down when this starts, or at least have something to hold on to, in case I do pass out. This past week, my Supervisor realized that I will be retiring soon, and that someone needs to be cross-trained to fill my vacancy. We've started on some courses, but not all. A friend was scheduled to sit in my Virtual Class with WMATA at one time, only to learn later that day that he would be doing something else instead. Oh well, that's not my problem, and I really hate saying that. Until an emphasis is placed on cross training to make the department more flexible, they will have these kind of issues. Like I said, not my problem. My Current Schedule - Below is my schedule through the end of my career at Motorola. I have thought about this a lot, at times thinking I wouldn't retire, at times knowing I would. I can't continue to hem & haw over it, I've told my manager about the date, I will stick to it. As you can tell, I don't really want to retire, I'm not ready (mentally) in some ways, but this old body of mine says I should. If anyone is in any city I'll be visiting between now and the end of April, I'd love to meet up. I'll even buy you dinner if we chose to meet at night! (e:smile} Jan 6 - Work From Home Jan 13 - Sacramento (Cal-OES) Jan 20 - Work From Home Jan 27 - Virtual Class (WMATA) (Teach From Home) Feb 3 - Washington DC (WMATA) Feb 10 - Vacation Feb 17 - Vacation Feb 24 - Harris County Tx (Houston) Mar 3 - Sacramento (Cal-OES) Mar 10 - Vacation Mar 17 - Washington DC Mar 24 - Virtual Class (Teach From Home) Mar 31 - Schaumburg (Cross Training a Co-Worker) Apr 7 - Schaumburg (Cross Training a Co-Worker) Apr 14 - Work from home Apr 21 - Work from home Apr 28 - Work from home RETIRED! 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 |
Fort Lauderdale, Florida Week of 12/16/24 Once again I have failed to write weekly entries. I'd love to say tha work, and life interfered, and it did in a way, but there is really no excuse for not writing an entry. Since my last entry, we've celebrated Thanksgiving, and I've been in Seattle for a week, and worked from home for a week. I'll leave it at that. This past week I was in Fort Lauderdale loving the warmth of the weather there. It was about 20 at home on some days, so being there was excellent. The class was another Networking class, I thought it went very well. Enough about the class though. What did I (we, since my wife finally flew there with me) do after hours? First and foremost, there was the possibility of finally meeting Quilli ☕   . That didn't happen because the times we could meet just didn't work out. Not to worry though, we plan on traveling (touring really) after I retire, Fort Lauderdale is one of our destinations on an East Coast tour.On Friday, class was completed (as usual) by a little after noon, I had everything packed for shipping back to Schaumburg, so we had the afternoon to be tourists. We rode the River Taxi thru the inland waterways around Fort Luderdale. Man, some of the houses thatr the truly RICH people live in were disgusting. What I mean is, the houses were far larger than needed and were more of a show-piece than necessity. Still we saw some amazing sites (and boats/Yachts). Neither of us had any idea of where we should dine Friday night, a quick check on Google Maps revealed a place whose menu really looked good. Expensive, but excellent, so we went there. In case you can't tell, this trip to Fort Lauderdale was a Christmas present to each other. Our after hours excursions mainly consisted of going to dinner each night. I will list restaurants below as usual. I want to mention that after dining out Monday night she didn't feel like going out. Why? The meal on Monday was a little rich on her palate, and upset her stomach a bit. As a result, I went out alone Tuesday night. Still, it was so nice to have her with me, showing her places that we really don't have here in Bloomington, the closest being in Chicago, which I am not all that familiar with, So where did we dine last week? I don't think will list every restaurant, but it should be more than usual. I do have to warn you that we dined almost like royalty each night. There was one night that wasn't so great. It wasn't because of the restaurant, it was due to Uber. I had the Uber scheduled, we waited for over 10 minutes for it to arrive, only to have the driver cancel the ride. I then cancelled the following car, though I was still billed for it. We ended up having food truck pizza, which was 'okay' at best. Noteworthy Restaurants: Catfish Deweys https://www.catfishdeweys.com/menu-card I've dined here in the past, she loves Catfish, so coming here was a no-brainer. However, their Smoked Fish Dip was not all that smokey. Of course she enjoyed her Catfish, while I had the Low Country Boil. Our meal was somewhat less than stellar mainly because our server never ordered the Smoked Fish Dip. It was still good overall, that small mistake didn't set well with me. Eatapas https://eatapasfl.com/fort-lauderdale-eatapas-food-menu This is a Spanish Restaurant (far different from a Mexican Restaurant). I've dined here twice in the past, and while I'm no Spanish Food conisseur, the food here is excellent! We enjoyed Zorza Gallego (Pork loin marinated with paprika, fresh herbs and white wine.), as well as Boquerones en Vinagre (Vinaigrette marinated anchovies (Which I've had and really enjoyed, she loved them!)) For our meal, we shared their Seafood Paella. Yummmmm. Tiki Tiki https://www.letstikitiki.com/menus/ I've originallty dined here at her suggestion and loved it. Our appetizer was Smoked Fish Dip, it was much better than Catfish Dewey's. Our meals were Grouper Fish n Chips, and Seafood Feast (Yellowtail snapper, shrimp, scallops, herb rice, veggies, lemon butter sauce). Blue Moon Fish Co. https://www.bluemoonfishco.com/menus We dined here Friday after 'playing tourist' all afternoon. It's not a place I'd return to simply because it's not a place I'd frequent. Their prices are pretty high, so it had to be a special occasion to get me there. And that it was, our Christmas present to each other the whole week. I really enjoyed their Rock Shrimp Tempura with Gochujang Aioli, while she enjoyed a Shrimp Cocktail that seemed to be prepared with Prawns. For dinner, she loved something she wanted all week, Lobster Bisque and a Caeser Salad while I had their dinner special (another serving of Snapper with Potatoes, Asparagus, Shrimp, and a sauce that I can't describe. Everything was excellent of course! My Current Schedule - Below is my schedule through the end of my career at Motorola. I have thought about this a lot, at times thinking I wouldn't retire, at times knowing I would. I can't continue to hem & haw over it, I've told my manager about the date, I will stick to it. As you can tell, I don't really want to retire, I'm not ready in some ways, but this old body on mine says I should. If anyone is in any city I'll be visiting between now and the end of April, I'd love to meet up. I'll even buy you dinner if we chose to meet at night! (e:smile} Dec 23: Christmas/New Years 'Relaxation' Dec 30: Christmas/New Years 'Relaxation' Jan 6 - Sacramento Jan 13 - Sacramento Jan 20 - Work From Home Jan 27 - Virtual Class (Teach From Home) Feb 3 - Washington DC Feb 10 - Vacation Feb 17 - Vacation Feb 24 - Harris County Tx (Houston) Mar 3 - Work From Home Mar 10 - Vacation Mar 17 - Washington DC Mar 24 - Virtual Class (Teach From Home) Mar 31 - Schaumburg (Cross Training A Co-Worker) Apr 7 - Schaumburg (Cross Training A Co-Worker) Apr 14 - Work from home Apr 21 - Work from home Apr 28 - Work from home RETIRED! 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 |
Schaumburg Week of 11/25/24 This past week I worked from home once more. But to say I worked would be overstating what I've accomplished, which is very little. It's Thanksgiving week, usually a week of little work getting done, so I've taken advantage of it. Our managers email told us to complete what we needed to do each day and log off. I think I'd like to reflect on both this career at Motorola, as well as my Naval Career. First, the Navy. I enlisted as an 18 year old on 25 August, 1972. I thought I was 'grown up', never realizing how much growing I had yet to do. I was chosen for the Navy Nuclear Power Program from day 1, but if you know my background, you would know that I was one of the most 'unqualified' individuals to enter that program. The 2 years of school was tough, the toughest I've ever been in. The minimum requirements were these. A GCT/ARI score of at least 115. No bending of the rules was allowed, if you scored 114, you didn't qualify. My score was 127, the best you could get was 135. In high school, you had to have completed 2 years of Mathematics, Calculus or Trigonometry was recommended, not required. I had a year of Algebra and a year of Geometry. You also needed to complete 2 years of Science. Physics or Chemistry was recommended, not required. I had a year of General Science and a year of Biology. But I had those test scores. I had no interest in Electricity/Electronics, or anything Mechanical. I was a Music Major, I played French Horn, and taught myself how to play Trombone. So no hands-on experience, and minimal course completions. Still, there were those test scores. If a recruiter manages to get a potential sailor designated for the Nuclear Power Program, it was quite an accomplishment and a feather in his cap. I have no idea if he was given a bonus for that feat, but in my opinion he/she would deserve one. There was a high attrition rate in this program, and remains close to that today. The attrition rate was about 35%. My first at sea assignment was on the USS Theodore Roosevelt SSBN 600 (G), repoorting there in September 1974. I earned my dolphins on 25 April 1975, something I am very proud of. There were other things I did, other qualifications, but earning my dolphins is #1 on my list, I was promoted to E-5, then E-6, followed by E-7 (Chief Petty Officer), a promotion I earned with less than 8 years of service! This was unheard of then, and is even more rare in today's Navy. In 1993, I'd been passed over for promotion to E-8 (Senior Chief Petty Officer) many times. Promotion to E-7. 8 or 9 was different than anytthing below that because your Service Record was reviewed by a board. Emphasis was on external community involvment which earned you points. I had none, so I wasn't really surprised to not be promoted. I decided to retire, and did on 1/31/93. Now, my post Navy career. I worked at a Firestone Tire Plant for 6 years. First as a Maintenance Electrician/Mechanic, later as a Supervisor, mainly the Maintenance Training Supervisor. It was my plant that was involved in the tire recall of 2000. As a result of that, I posted my resume on Monster.com, where it was found by a head-hunter for Motorola. The rest is history. I am proud to say that Motorola asked me to interview for the job, in essence, I didn't apply. The interview must have gone well, and I was hired, I knew 2 things about radios. I knew what the acronyms AM and FM mean, nothing else. 24 years later, I will retire from Motorola. May 2nd, 2024 will be my last day of employment there. I will say that the man who hired me asked me a serious question. He said something like, "Jim, your students will have upwards of 20+ years of experience working on and maintaining radios and their systems. Are you sure you can teach them these classes?" I don't recall my exact answer of course, and I know I probably sounded conceited, but I said something like, "Well, I qualified to operate, perform maintenance and stand watch on a Nuclear Power Plant, I'm sure I can handle radio subjects." Like I said, the rest is history. The day I retire from Motorola, it will be 50 years and one week since earning my dolphins, still #1 on list of accomplishments. In the meantime, I still have classes to deliver, I refuse to adopt a 'short timers' attitude and waltz into the sunset. There's still a lot to be done. My Current Schedule - Below is my schedule through the end of my career at Motorola. I have thought about this a lot, at times thinking I wouldn't retire, at times knowing I would. I can't continue to hem & haw over it, I've told my manager about the date, I will stick to it. As you can tell, I don't really want to retire, I'm not ready in some ways, but this old body on mine says I should. If anyone is in any city I'll be visiting between now and the end of April, I'd love to meet up. I'll even buy you dinner if we chose to meet at night! (e:smile} Dec 2: Seattle Dec 9: Work From Home Dec 16: Fort Lauderdale Dec 23: Christmas/New Years 'Relaxation' Dec 30: Christmas/New Years 'Relaxation' Jan 6 - Sacramento Jan 13 - Upstate NY (I don't know where yet) Jan 20 - Work From Home Jan 27 - WMATA Virtual Class (teach from home) Feb 3 - Washington DC WMATA Feb 10 - Vacation Feb 17 - Vacation Feb 24 - Harris County Tx (Houston) Mar 3 - Washington DC Mar 10 - Vacation Mar 17 - Schaumburg Mar 24 - WMATA Virtual Class (teach from home) Mar 31 - Sacramento Apr 7 - Schaumburg Apr 14 - Work from home Apr 21 - Work from home Apr 28 - Work from home RETIRED! 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 |
Schaumburg Week of 11/18/24 Wow, I did not realize I was so far behind in keeping this blog up-to-date! I'd love to say I've just been too busy, but that wouldn't be entirely true. Let's face it, I just forgot. This past week I was in Schaumburg once again. Before that I had a week of no-delivery, a week in Seattle, Vacation, and a week in Schaumburg. I've been busy, but I've also had weeks off with no delivery, so there's really no excuse. Howver, I'm off for Thanksgiving this week, and will be in Seattle next week. This week's class in Schumburg was a good week, and another Networking Class. Everything went well, other than one hands-on activity we couldn't accomplish satisfactorily, but in not accomplishing that the students said that the problem we encountered is one they would see at times. The best thing about it though, is that I showed them why we couldn't complete it, and what should be done so it could be completed. So despite not completing that hands-on activity, it was a win-win. I'm hesitant to go into details here about the issue, mainly because I think most of you would become glassy eyed pretty quickly. Either way, here's what we we doing. The students had the exact routers used in our system. The idea is to copy the configuration file to the router, then go to our system and place it in service. To do that, we remove the operating router from service and connect the cabling so the 'new' router operates in its place. The crux of the problem was that the routers had an older operating system, one that is not compatible with the current system. As a result, the alarms we received would never clear. Like I said above, the students might encounter this at some point when replacinfg a failed router. Fortunately, those things don't fail very often. All in all though, it was a good learning experience for them. Noteworthy Restaurants: Chicago Ramen Annex https://chicago-ramen.us/collections I really loved this place, and will return. Why? I enjoyed some of the best Ramen I can remember having in recent years, simple as that. I had their Spipcy Red Miso Ramen W/Sweet Corn. My mistake was taking the red clump of pepper that sat on top of the dish, and just stirring it into the Ramen. It was just a little spicier than I wanted that night. It wasn't too hot for me, but it was spicy enough. Westwood Tavern https://westwoodtavern.com/menus This is a nice tavern and very close to my office. I dined there because I was invited to join several of the students for dinner Thursday night! I don't normally have company at dinner, I usually dine alone. So dining with them was a treat. I enjoyed their Braised Short Rib Foot Long Grill Cheese (Mushrooms, Gouda, Cheddar & Fontina Cheeses served with a tomato basil dip. I still have leftovers in our Fridge here too. My Current Schedule - Below is my schedule through the end of my career at Motorola. I have thought about this a lot, at times thinking I wouldn't retire, at times knowing I would. I can't continue to hem & haw over it, I've told my manager about the date, I will stick to it. As you can tell, I don't really want to retire, I'm not ready in some ways, but this old body on mine says I should. If anyone is in any city I'll be visiting between now and the end of April, I'd love to meet up. I'll even buy you dinner if we chose to meet at night! (e:smile} Nov 25: Thanksgiving Dec 2: Seattle Dec 9: Washington DC Dec 16: Fort Lauderdale Dec 23: Christmas/New Years 'Relaxation' Dec 30: Christmas/New Years 'Relaxation' Jan 6 - Sacramento Jan 13 - Upstate NY (I don't know where yet) Jan 20 - Work From Home Jan 27 - WMATA Virtual Class (teach from home) Feb 3 - Washington DC WMATA Feb 10 - Vacation Feb 17 - Vacation Feb 24 - Harris County Tx (Houston) Mar 3 - Washington DC Mar 10 - Vacation Mar 17 - Schaumburg Mar 24 - WMATA Virtual Class (teach from home) Mar 31 - Sacramento Apr 7 - Schaumburg Apr 14 - Work from home Apr 21 - Work from home Apr 28 - Work from home RETIRED! 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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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.
