Brent Parsons - BYU Lacrosse 2008 - #47

Brent has worked hard and made the BYU Lacrosse team. Here is his 'bio' from their web site. Way to go Brent! I am looking forward to watching the BYU Lacrosse team play this year.

Boston for a Week

Ok, ok, I know some of you would really like to spend a week in Boston. But for me it was just a week of 5-days of training for AirMagnet. A 3-day AM-103 class followed by a 2-day AM-202 class. I did take the 'T' around a couple of nights over to a Mall area in Cambridge to pick up a new watchband (twice when the band broke after the first evening) and a book to read.

I like cities where walking is expected. It's nice to walk around - each night I tried to get 4,000 - 5,000 additional steps on my 'constitutionals'.


The flight home had some spectacular clouds - nice to see God's handiwork at 36,000 ft.

MAR-Mesh Training in Dallas

This week I'm in Dallas Texas at Todd Lammle's Globalnet Training facility taking a class on how to install and implement Cisco's Mobile Access Router (MAR) and their Wireless LAN Controller based Mesh network (1500).

Todd asked me to come down to sit the class and help teach the RF sections - and learn to use this equipment. Either to teach this class in the future, or to work on the Mine's systems next time I'm down in Safford on a Site Survey. It's good to spend some time in a classroom and not be 'in charge' - but to be more of a resource and to learn new stuff.
We have LOTS of equipment in this class - each student 'pod' has over $25,000 of Cisco hardware and we build out an entire mobile system using MARs, Routers, Switches, Access Points, WLAN controllers, and lots and lots of cables. Just configuring all the devices and keeping the 'logical' diagram of what is connected physically to what straight is a bit difficult.

Yesterday I spent all afternoon configuring this big set of stuff... only to erase all the configurations and then start all over again this morning to build a working network again. (This morning only 2 hours to get my set of equipment all operational)

Tomorrow we add more MARs, more access points, and the mesh network into the mix... fun! (OK, I am a geek! - but it is way cool when the 'tunneled - encrypted - crossing over a mobile - roaming - network' actually works!)

Two Weeks on the Road...

Yep - another two weeks out teaching Wireless on the Road!

First week was at AirMagnet corporate headquarters - boring...

Then right after class on Friday afternoon, I drove directly to SFO (San Francisco Airport) for a delayed flight to LAX - then on another delayed flight (long 16 hours) to Sydney Australia.

Hotel Novotel - Rockford Darling Harbour Sydney

I took a taxi from the airport after clearing customs - to the Hotel Novotel in Darling Harbour - but my room wasn't ready, so I continue to read a book in the lobby until the room was ready a couple of hours later. So I was really ready for a 4-hour nap to help reset back to the local 'jet lag' situation.

Sydney CBD from Darling Harbour at Night

I woke up in the afternoon and went for a three hour walk around the city - Darling Harbour, Chinatown, Shopping District, and got a bite to eat. Walking back through the Darling Walk I stopped and worked my way through this series of photos of the earth... by this french photographer. Yes - they were 'tainted' with the stench of the Global Warming is going to kill us all... but they were actually very good photographs. I like them so much I bought a large book with many of them to take home to show the family.

Class this week was held at a local college - University of Technology Sydney - Haymarket campus. Just a couple of blocks from my hotel.

UTS Haymarket Campus

There was not Internet in the classroom, and the hotel charged $25/day for net connection - I wasn't about to pay for that! (well I did for my last night and morning so I could catch up before heading home) - so I Downloaded lots of things from iTunes (free TV shows and the like) so I'd have something to watch on my iPhone on the flight home.

My iPhone did work great here in Australia - about every night someone called my cell phone to wake me up at 2 or 3 am - it was great fun! But it was nice to be able to talk with Jill. I'd planned on using Skype, but at $25 per day... Even the texts from Alysha came through - but AT&T has a pretty expensive data plan for international connections.

Here are some photos from my week, including a 'round' toilet bowl!

It was 'weird' to have a toilet bowl going the other way

I'll be leaving to go to the airport in a couple of hours for a long flight back to SFO then on to SLC - it'll sure be nice to be home after being gone so long...

Chinese Gardens by my Hotel


A fun type water fountain in Darling Harbour

Home...well, for four days at least...

I had four days at home this week... let see, other than work each day I was involved in the following:

Wednesday evening we had a dinner at the Riverside Country Club for my Father's 70th Birthday - it was attended by his family, and we had a good dinner, with good family time. Dad received a nice binder with 85 things his family remembered him by that Janet put together. (Thanks Jan) and I got him a GPS to play with. (good for getting home when you have 'old-timers')

Thursday after work I took Brent up to Sandy to play Lacrosse with his 'Adult' league, then Jill and Karrissa joined us and we had dinner at Chilli's on the way home.

Payson Canyon Cliffs Above Maple Dell Camp

Friday afternoon I went with Troy Monney from our Ward's BSA committee and we cooked up a Steak, Fajitas, Baked Potato & Ice Cream for the scouts and their leaders final dinner after a week at the Maple Dell scout camp up Payson Canyon. It was a nice drive down - then I brought back the church-owned propane grills.

Saturday morning we held our annual Ward Breakfast at Northridge Park - we used the grills as well as lots of work Jill put into making the Breakfast happen. My cold was getting worse, so I stayed in and read the latest Harry Potter book all day.

It is by far the best of the series, it answers all your questions, and (without giving up anything) has a nice ending - of course you had to have a bit of a tear-jerker in there somewhere, but I really did enjoy this one the best. I'd previously watched Harry Potter 5 with Jill in Richmond, then read Harry Potter 6 on the plane back, then finished the series with Harry Potter 7 on Saturday.

I'm now in Sunnyvale for this week, teaching at AirMagnet corporate headquarters for the week, then right after class Friday night I head up to SFO to fly to LAX then on to Sydney, arriving Sunday morning.

I'll be teaching all of next week in Sydney at the Technical University some wireless courses. Two weeks on the road again... this is starting to get old... especially when you have a cold. I don't remember being sick for quite awhile. This is no fun being in a hotel and having a sore throat, running nose, stuffed head - hopefully it will get better soon.

Colonial Williamsburg & Capital One

Sunday morning we drove down from Richmond, VA to Colonial Williamsburg to spend the day visiting the old buildings and seeing how folks lived back in the 1700s in Virginia.

It was a very 'polished' visitor's center and sales area selling tickets for the various things available in the area. We were only spending one day - so we opted for the simplest plan. They have reconstructed, or renovated an entire city that existed on this sight back in 1760-1790.

We were able to meet and talk with folks who work full-time as 'historical characters' - those who actually do the same things, with the same tools, as they did 250 years ago. Gunsmiths that make ALL the parts of a flintlock rifle from raw materials (400 hours of work per gun), Tailors who do all the stitching by hand with original fabrics, basket weavers, taverns, smithing, silversmiths, cabinet makers, brick makers, apothecary, surgery, etc.

I really enjoyed hearing how they actually make things, how long it took, what they used for raw materials, and the local economy at the time. Very very interesting!

I then did some private consulting with Capital One - on setting up Wireless LAN policies and how to configure their Wireless Intrusion Protection System for two days. Jill got a break to rest and spent some time at the local Mall.

Our experience in Virginia was very eye-opening. Many of our pre-conceived ideas of what the area was like were totally overturned! They place 'reeks' of history - and yet feels so very Rural and not built up as much as I would have imagined. And the trees... there are trees EVERYWHERE.

Thomas Jefferson's Monticello

Since Jill is out with me this weekend, we thought to go down to Monticello on the way to Richmond to 'check out' Thomas Jefferson's Monticello. I've always wanted to visit - and this seemed like a great opportunity to do so!

I had heard of a special event this morning, the Director of Horticulture at the Monticello Foundation was giving a walking tour of the forests and trees of Monticello - so I signed us up! I knew Jill would enjoy it - and I've never been very good at understanding the differences between trees. This area of Virgina Piedmont is all forested! Way Forested! - We walked along a path around the Monticello area learning about the different types of trees. The forest we were in was an abandoned fruit orchard, and in just 60 years - the natural forest trees have totally taken over the site. Oaks, Poplars, Hemlock, Ash, Elm, and a wide variety of other trees. It was a great 2 1/2 hours of walking through the forest.

There was over 1,000 feet of 'kitchen vegetable gardens' along the side of the main house.

Then on to the actual house of Monticello - yes it is old - like 237 years old - but still in amazing shape. It was the 'cutting edge' in design and technology. check it out at https://www.monticello.org for more information.

I was expecting to be more impressed with Thomas Jefferson from this visit, but like I was sharing with Jill, I left more disappointed. The man who wrote the Declaration of Independence supposedly abhorred slavery, yet own over 600 in his lifetime. He was given over 5,000 acres of prime farmland, but with all his skills he died totally penniless, in debt for over $100,000 (and in 1826 that was a LOT of money) making his family sell everything and still not have nearly enough to pay off his debts.

He was a great man, yet lived like the pinnacle of society, the top of a large pyramid of humans to give him the ability to live his lifestyle - and didn't see why more people couldn't be like him. It is the ultimate in egocentricity...

I was very impressed with all that was accomplished and the many advancements - but can't ignore the costs to all those around him.

He was a prolific letter writer, in one year alone, over 1,200 letters - all written by hand and with copies made for each. He also kept meticulous records of every 'penny' he spent in his lifetime, yet ended in such horrendous debt. It boggles the mind!

We had an enjoyable time learning even more at the old visitor's center a couple of miles from Monticello, then drove on to Richmond for dinner and to catch "Harry Potter 5" - both Jill and I loved it!

Tomorrow is Williamsburg, VA - it should be quite fun.

Teaching in DC

Ok - just another week teaching Wireless classes - this time in Washington DC - well, actually just out by the Dulles (IAD) airport. I had a total of 30 hours at home (it was sublime and we got to go and watch Ratatouille with all the kids on Saturday - then home for a great meal (thanks Jill)


Well - the classes went well - I did get to go by the famous 'Wegman's Flagship' store, it is a fantastic supermarket - well very upscale supermarket. Jeff from my office has convinced Ryan that this is the 'only' store to buy food at... and we should have one in Utah!

I was able to go into Alexandria on Wednesday evening to have dinner at the 'Charthouse' right on the Potomac - with the guy who we rented space for the WLSAT class earlier in the week.


Friday after class - after packing up all four cases, I was able to get over to IAD to pick up Jill, and timed it so well she was only waiting under a minute when I pulled up!

We drove down through the back-country of Virginia down to Charlottesville, home of UVA - it was an eye-opening drive across beautiful rolling hills of the Appalachia Piedmont area of Central Virginia. Tomorrow... Thomas Jefferson's Monticello.

Home, Arizona, and New Zealand in 48 Hours...

Since we had a Ward Picnic by Timpanogos Temple on Wednesday night - it was very good by the way (check out pics at Karrissa's Blog) - I was unable to get down to an Open Pit Copper Mine outside of Safford Arizona on Wednesday night. So...

Early Thursday morning I drove up to the SLC airport ready to board a US Airways flight to Phoenix at 5:15am (that's getting up WAY EARLY if you ask me) - then the flight was cancelled an I had time in line to ready an entire book (Ranger's Apprentice III) - Then luckily was able to get on a Delta flight at 8:45 to PHX - rent a car, and drive three hours across the Arizona mountains to Safford.

After meeting up with the Phelps Dodge mine engineers and getting dressed in Steel-Toed Boots, Bright Orange Vest, Hard Hat, and Safety Glasses - drove out into the dessert to conduct an RF Site Survey of a new mine location. (this was a gig with Todd Lammle) - The temperature in the truck while doing the survey showed 124 degrees (51C) - now that is pretty hot!

Got back in the car and drove the 3 hours back into Phoenix to spend the night in an Airport Hotel ready for a 6:00am flight back to SLC.

Friday Morning - bright and early (yet still over 100 degrees in Phoenix) returned the rental car and flew back to SLC - picked up the Honda Element and drove to work for a couple of hours. Then home to pack for a week in NZ and then Jill was nice enough to drive me back to that wretched Airport for a United flight to LAX.

Arriving in LAX I was forced to transfer over to the International Terminal (a story in itself) and at the Air New Zealand counter found that United's computer glitch had deleted my flight record. After a couple of hours on the phone, fighting with the staff, etc... I was finally on a late night (1:00am) flight to Auckland... fast forward 13 hours later. (wasn't that easy... just say fast forward and it all disappears)

I took a taxi to the Bed & Breakfast on Ponsonby Road just outside the Central Business District of Auckland at a place called Amitees. I've stayed her before and it's a nice, albeit small, little place to stay. Though it is very close to walk from here to the venue where I'm teaching.

One night after class I decided to try out the Fish and Chips at "Aucklands Best" - you choose the actual fish fillets from an assortment on ice in the store window - then they battered and fried them up for you on the spot. I have to admit - it was very good! I chose an Orange Roughy - not something I would have thought would make good fish and chips - but it came highly recommended. They wrapped it up in the standard newspaper way. I was amazed on how delightful it was - hot, crispy, yet NO STAIN from any excess oil on the newspaper. Amazing.

Here's some of the new fruits I saw on the way to class yesterday. It's the middle of winter here - like Seattle winters - cold, rainy, and grey.

Well, a couple more days and I get to come home! - Yea!

Yech!

Waiting for a delayed flight home from JFK to SLC I noticed a lady with REALLY LONG FINGERNAILS waiting by me... So I took a couple of pictures.



It seems like she is the World Record Holder for the longest fingernails.

How does she do anything at all? Someone has to help her eat, get dressed, wipe, everything - 27 years just to get in the record books... Sheez! Get a life!

http://articles.news.aol.com/news/_a/woman-has-longest-fingernails-in-world/20060928142809990002

I routinely see different celebrities on my travels - even had Steve Young sit next to me on a flight to NYC... but I try to follow the First Class Etiquette rule and don't talk... but I did listen in on this lady telling another passenger how many many Men have 'come on' to her thinking these fingernails were VERY SEXY... yech!

Apple Store...

I decided to do something fun after class today - straight from class I took a subway up to Central Park and walked around a bit, then headed over to the Apple store on 5th Avenue. The store is actually all underground, with a central atrium made of glass. The glass cube above ground is all you see. The glass cube on top has a spiral staircase going down to the store, and in the center is an amazing glass elevator... all the walls, ceiling, doors, of the elevator are made of glass. Way cool...


The store was amazingly crowded with hundreds of people milling around, working on computers, buying stuff, or asking the Mac gurus questions at the 'Genius Bar' - They didn't have the little cables that I was looking for... so I took another subway down to J&R Computer World down by the 'Twin Towers' area.

It was a nice extra diversion before getting some dinner and heading back to the hotel room.

Jill's gone... boo hoo...

Well, today Jill and I ate breakfast in the Hotel buffet thing... then took a subway over to the NYC Manhattan 1st Ward for their sacrament meeting. We got there with plenty of time to spare... about 5 minutes. We stood on the wrong platform, the one with the route 1 sign, but on this particular Sunday, the 1 line was on the express platform... after a bit of confusion we got 'er figured out and on our way.

After church we took another subway to Times Square then the Shuttle over to Grand Central Station, then a train ride North to Tuckahoe. Jill's fee were 'killing her' since she has these 'church shoes' that for Orem work fine. Jump in a car, drive to church, walk in church, then drive home. But here in Manhattan, it was walking to the Subway, up/down stairs, back to the Subway, between trains, and then finally the walk from the Tuckahoe Train Station to Laura's house... a bit too much on 'Church Shoes'

We had a nice visit with Laura, Alan and the kids. Of course I liked playing with the kids - isn't that what Uncles are for? Though I miss getting in on the adult discussions. Laura had a nice lunch prepared for us (thanks Laura!) then Alan was nice enough to drive us back to the Train Station. Alan had just come home and we got to talk a bit about his trip to Madrid. And see the great gift he brought back for Connor, not only was it a full Real Madrid soccer outfit, but was signed by David Beckham himself!

I thought it'd be easier for Jill's feet to catch a cab from Grand Central back to the hotel, even though it was only two stops or so on the subway - but the Taxi was stuck in traffic, something about a couple of street fairs going on today. But we made it back, and got Jill and her stuff packed and on her way to the Airport in time. (I heard from her via cell phone from the Gate)

I then got to spend an enjoyable (not) two hours in a very hot muggy laundrymat to get my clothes ready for next week. (I just can't seem to allow myself to pay a hotel some $100 or so to wash a week's worth of clothes!)

Next week... another week of teaching AirMagnet here in NYC.

Manhattan - AirMagnet & Jill

Well, I arrived ok at LGA and took a taxi in to the LaQuinta hotel on West 32nd - right by Greeley Square.

Woke up early and took a cab down to the venue - the Mason's Grand Lodge of Manhattan - 131 West 23rd - but the building is being rented by the New York Convention Center. We had 8 student packed into a room made for barely 7 - but the Advanced Site Survey and WLAN Design class went very well indeed. I walked back to the hotel and waited for Jill to arrive on her flight to JFK - she got in about 1 am.

I taught the second day while Jill was working on a final assignment of writing a variety of papers for one of her nursing classes all day. We walk around the area and ate at a grill in the first floor of the Empire State Building - our table was right next to one of the brick posts that hold up that awesome building. On the way back to the Hotel Jill found an H&M store and we HAD TO stop and do some shopping... Then some Korean Yogurt (it was way to tart and yogurty for me)

Today we went for MORE shopping - but this time I brought along an Anne Perry mystery and sat by a table in Greeley Square and waited while Jill shopped.

Then off to the Gershwin Theater for 'Wicked' !! The show was great - everything I'd heard and more. Very enjoyable - we had pretty decent seats in the middle section about 18 rows up.

Then a early dinner at Applebees... yes I know we could get Applebees in Utah... but it was raining at the time we got out of the Matinee and it was the closest place.

Then back to the hotel for Jill to change her shoes, then two more hours of shopping at H&M - I finished an entire novel in the time Jill spent shopping! But it is a joy for her to get stuff for her kids.

Tomorrow we'll go to Church at the Manhattan Ward (where the Temple is) and then catch the train up to Tuckahoe to spend a couple of hours with Laura, Alan, and the kids before taking Jill back to JFK for her flight home.

Florida State University - Tallahassee

Three days of Wireless Consulting for Florida State University in Tallahassee. Worked with their IT department on doing Site Surveys and analysis of their Wireless LAN infrastructure. The campus has over 45,000 students and 12,000 employees all in a city of only 120,000 - pretty much a college town. Well that, and it is the State Capitol.

These folks are mighty proud of their Football and Basketball teams - Go Noles!

The buildings are all made of brick - lots and lots of brick - The place is huge!

Off to NYC on a delayed flight - Tallahassee --> Tampa --> NYC - arriving at LGA at 1:30am and have to teach at 8:00am... whew!