What Is Sum1 Up To Today?

Small Town USA?

         Well, I'm on another trip this week, this time to the city of Chicago.  I'm staying at the Hard Rock Hotel on the south side of the Miracle Mile on Michigan Avenue.  Yeah I know, you're wondering why I'm here, and not commuting back and forth to my home in Arlington Heights.  Well, basically I was told to stay here, or at least to stay in the city.    I've never done the commute to the city from my home, and I don't want to try this week.  So I called the Project Manager, he recommended I stay here at the Hard Rock, so I am.  The customer this week is the Office of Emergency Management and Communications, which was used recently in the filming of the third Transformers movie.  The class is on a relatively new product from Motorola called the MLC8000.  This is not a class we normally deliver, nor are there any materials for this course.  Or, there weren't until I was assigned to deliver this class.  I ended up writing a short course on it, today was the first time the materials had been used, and it went pretty well. 

         What I've figured out is that I know cities around the U.S. that I've been to on more than one occasion better than I know the city where I live.  I know the suburbs decently well, but the actual city of Chicago?  Nope, Na-da.  So I have trouble knowing where to go for dinner, sightseeing, etc.  Plus it's rained most of the day today and yesterday, and it's chilly out.  Makes it hard to get out much.  Maybe I will get down here more soon, we'll see.

         Tomorrow I'll deliver the class again (it's only a 1 day class), then go back to Arlington Heights.  Next week I am off to San Antonio, Texas, then Wichita Falls Texas the following week, before being sent to Maui, Hawaii the week of Thanksgiving.  Yeah, I know.... I'm pretty lucky, and will love being there again, for the second time in 2 years.  Til then, y'all be careful and stay warm.  It's getting cold out there.