My First IT Job...

Introduction

This will be a post about my very first job in information technology, or IT. For my very first job in IT, I worked as a temporary worker for Data Networks, an IT services company based in the Baltimore area. There wasn't a direct path as to how I got there. It just sort of happened. The story does involve many different locations in and around both Baltimore, MD and Columbia, MD. Here is a map of many of the key locations.

Key Locations in Baltimore and Columbia, MD

Student at the UMBC Training Center

During the spring of 2017, I was working at the Target on Dobbin Road in the Columbia Crossing shopping center in Columbia, MD for a mere $10.57 per hour as a part-time employee. I was working as a Team Member in the backroom. Basically, it was my job to make sure that the store's shelves were stocked for the store's customers. Since it was a job that required me to be on my feet for long stretches of time, I developed plantar fasciitis in my left foot. As you can imagine, I wasn't a very happy worker. The final straw with Target occurred when store management tried to blame me for not meeting their goals for online sales during Christmas. I didn't know how to react when they said that. On the other hand, the job at Target did get me away from my roommates for a little bit.

Map of Target in Columbia, MD

At the time, I was occasionally going to the Columbia Workforce Center at 7161 Columbia Gateway Dr, looking for a new job. I would and browse through the available job openings on one of the computers that belonged to the Maryland Department of Labor. Feeling frustrated at not finding work for a former Department of Defense contractor that no longer had a Top Secret security clearance, I made an appointment to see a job counselor. After a brief interview, the job counselor, whose name I can no longer remember, informed me that the State of Maryland had a severe shortage of workers in Information Technology. She informed me that the State of Maryland (or was it Howard County?) had an agreement with the University of Maryland-Baltimore County (UMBC) to encourage more workers to go into Information Technology. Basically, the State of Maryland would pay the cost of tuition (around $5,000) to attend the training classes for the A+, Network+, and Security+ certifications given by UMBC at their training center in Columbia at 6996 Columbia Gateway Dr.

Location of Columbia Workforce Center and UMBC Training Center

After a short conversation with the person in charge of the UMBC Training Center, I informed the Columbia Workforce Center that I wanted to enroll in the program. The A+ certification class lasted four weeks with classes on Tuesday and Thursday nights. The Network+ class lasted two weeks. The Security+ class lasted an additional two weeks. All of the instructors for the three classes had decades of experience working in information technology. The instructor for the A+ class had a long list of IT certifications in his biography. The instructor for the Network+ class did computer networking for Sandy Spring Bank in Maryland. For the Security+ class, one instructor worked as an independent IT contractor, while the second instructor worked at Booz Allen Hamilton as a cyber security analyst. The students that attended the classes all came from different backgrounds. Some had already worked in IT; meanwhile, others were just getting started.

My First Job in Information Technology

Latitude, Inc. webpage

During the A+ class, at the urging of the instructor (whose name I cannot remember), I started to look for entry-level work in IT as a way to get experience. Shortly after updating my resume and posting it on Indeed, I received a phone call from a recruiter (Aaron Webster) at a staffing company based in Hanover, MD called Latitude, Inc. He said that he was looking to fill a job opening a network technician. He said that the job involved working with an IT services company based in Hunt Valley, MD called Data Networks. The recruiter said that Data Networks had a contract to replace old network switches and install new network switches at various high schools in the Columbia, MD area.

High Schools IVO Columbia, MD

The recruiter gave the following details about the job:

• The entry level network technician position was temporary.
• The position paid only $10.00 per hour.
• The position involved driving to each job site.
• Data Networks would provide me with a polo shirt to wear during work.

I think that I was also told that the job wouldn't start until July.

Without missing a beat, I agreed to doing the job.

The timing of the job wasn't ideal, however. The lease on my apartment near the Columbia Mall was set to expire on June 30th. One roommate decided to move out of the apartment in the middle of the night a couple of weeks prior to the expiration of lease. That roommate had become somewhat disillusioned at working at NSA as a DoD contractor. My second roommate was trying to figure out what he wanted to do. He was trying to find a new DoD contracting job overseas. For me, I decided to quit my job at Target in order to focus on the job with Data Networks.

My mindset for the temporary job with Data Networks was to do such a good job that they would offer me a permanent job. That was my goal.

Data Networks of Hunt Valley, MD

Lastly, at the time, cancerous tumors began to appear on my body at seemingly random places, such as the right side of my neck, my right arm pit, and my right thigh.

Meeting the Team

Shortly after my interview with Latitude, Inc., I received a phone call from Nancy Stout, the Director of Human Resources at Data Networks. We exchanged contact information. She asked me what my shirt size was. (Note to Nancy: I never did receive my blue polo shirt with the Data Networks logo on it.) She also scheduled a time for me to visit the Data Networks office in Essex, MD, so that I could meet the rest of the team members.

Nancy Stout of Data Networks (Source: LinkedIn)

After that phone call with Nancy, events moved at a lightning-fast pace. The moving company showed up at my apartment at Columbia Mall and shipped the items that I was keeping back to my mom's house in Arizona. I finished emptying out my remaining items from the apartment. I turned in my apartment key to the rental agency. I then used Hotwire to reserve a room for two weeks at the Ramada Hotel in Hanover, MD near BWI Airport along Maryland State Route 100. Ironically, the Ramada Hotel was a short distance away from the Latitude, Inc. office building where I had an in-person interview for the entry level network technical job.

Driving to the Configuration Center

Shortly after moving out of my apartment, I received a phone call from Nancy Stout. She stated that the Data Networks personnel in charge of the project wanted to meet me prior starting work. She said that they wanted to have a short meeting at the Data Networks Configuration Center in Essex, MD, a small town outside Baltimore on the Pulaski Highway. She gave me the date, time, and address for the interview. She said that I should ask to speak to either Lovett Davis or Todd Rechen, the two project managers.

Shortly after the phone call, I remember going to the Burlington Coat Factory at the Arundel Mills Mall to buy a new dress shirt and tie, a new pair of dress pants, and a pair of dress shoes the day before the interview. Despite the weather being 95 degrees Fahrenheit with 90% humidity, just your typical summer weather in Maryland, I dressed for the interview as if I was going to an actual job interview. I probably could have gotten by wearing a nice pair of shorts and a polo shirt with socks and shoes, but I wasn't going to take that chance. I wanted to make a positive first impression. Like I wrote earlier, I was hoping to get a full-time job with Data Networks.

I then got into my car and drove northwest on Highway 100 and took the exit for Interstate 895, heading northeast to Baltimore. I entered the city limits of the City of Baltimore. I then drove through the Fort McHenry tunnel that goes under the Inner Harbor. Once on the other side of the tunnel, I stayed on Interstate 895 until I took the exit for the Pulaski Highway. From there, I drove up the Pulaski Highway until I made a right turn onto Rossvile Blvd, right next to the Wawa gas station. The Data Networks Configuration Center was a short distance down the street. The entire area was a light industrial area. The Data Networks Configuration Center was located in a non-descript industrial park. It was just one office in a long row of offices. If I remember correctly, there was just a simple sign on the front of the door that read "Data Networks". The entire drive from Hanover, MD to Essex, MD took over an hour.

I seemed to have found the right place. I parked the car and locked the doors. I straightened out my clothes. I took a deep breath and then opened the office door for Data Networks.

I want to write that the very first person I met as I walked in the door was Michael (Mike) Keller. He was one of the senior technicians at Data Networks that would be working on the Howard County Public Schools project. I remember he told me that he had a lot of IT certifications from Dell Technologies and VMware. After a short introduction, he took me into an office where I met both Lovett Davis and Todd Rechen, the two leaders of the project. If I remember correctly, Lovett Davis had IT certifications for CompTIA's A+, Network+, and Security+. He may have given me his business card, which is why I remember those three specific IT certifications. Todd Rechen, on the other hand, had both a bachelor's degree and a master's degree in Computer Science.

Senior System Engineer Mike Keller of Data Networks (Source: LinkedIn) 

The meeting itself was a breeze. Lovett, Todd, and Mike just wanted to meet me prior to getting started on the project. They also just wanted to know what kind of IT experience, if any, that I had. I explained that I was an unemployed former DoD contractor without a Top Secret clearance that was looking to go into IT. I also explained that I was taking the classes for A+, Network+, and Security+ at the UMBC Training Center in Columbia, MD. I might have mentioned that I quit my dead-end job at Target to work on the project. At the time, I had a rather large cancerous tumor right below the right side of my jaw. I'm not too sure what they thought about that. Anyway, it was a very friendly interview.

Director of Enterprise Services Lovett Davis of Data Networks (Source: LinkedIn)

After the short interview, Lovett and Mike gave me a short tour of the Data Networks Configuration Center. They gave me a brief rundown about the HP Aruba switches that were going to be used on the project. I remember seeing worktables with several stacks of brand new Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) Aruba multilayer switches that had been taken right out of the box. Lovett explained that Howard County Public Schools had several high schools that were using old switches (Sorry, I don't remember the name of the brand.) in their campus LANs that needed to be replaced.

HPE Aruba Multilayer Switches

HPE Aruba 2930F Switch (Source: HPE)

Here is just a quick note about the HPE Aruba multilayer switches. Going through HPE's website, it is very conceivable that we were going to install a variant of the HPE Aruba 2930F switch. The photo of the HPE Aruba 2930F switch looks very similar to the switch I remember installing numerous times while working on the project. The array of ports along the face of the switch and the distinctive Aruba with rounded letters in orange looks very familiar. I remember writing down the product name IOT look it up on HPE's website when I got back to my hotel at the end of the day. Anyway, I do remember reading on HPE's website that the specific switch we were going to install was a multilayer switch. That is, the switch operated at both the Network layer (Layer 3) and the Transport layer (Layer 4) of the OSI Reference Model. Switches typically operate at the Data Link layer of the OSI Reference Model. At the time, I think HPE had just acquired Aruba Networks. Not that it matters.

Multilayer Switches operate at Layers 3 and 4 of the OSI Reference Model

First Day on the Job

Shortly before leaving the Data Networks Configuration Center, Lovett or Todd informed me about the first high school that we were going to work at for the project. Ironically, the high school was very close to the Target on Dobbin Road in Columbia, MD. In fact, the very same Target that I used to work at. The name of the school was Long Reach High School. 

Location of Long Reach High School

I really didn't know anything about the school apart from driving past it on numerous occasions. However, I was actually going to go there for work. Lovett and Todd told me to show up at Long Reach High School on a Tuesday in July 2017 at around 8:30 AM. I drove over from my room at the Ramada Inn dressed in a blue polo shirt, tan khaki pants, and running shoes. I really didn't know what to expect when I showed up. I was the first person from Data Networks to show up. Not knowing what to do, I got out of my car and stood near the main entrance of the school. Since it was Maryland in July, the weather was already starting to get hot and humid. After standing around for a couple of minutes, Mike Keller showed up. Then Lovett and Todd then also appeared. Then two additional temporary workers showed up (Sorry, I don't remember their names.). The two additional temporary workers were like me. They were hired as temporary workers to assist with the project and, more importantly, get IT experience. Both of the temporary workers were of college age. Lastly, another member of the team showed up. His name was Linwood Brown. He was one of the senior networking technicians for Howard County Public Schools. You could think of him as the customer.

After a brief introduction, Linwood escorted the team into the main building of the high school. After signing in at the administrative office and getting visitor badges, there was a meeting. Lovett went over what the plan for the day was going to be.

Here was the plan for the day:

1. Identify all of the locations inside the school where the new switches were to be installed.
2. Unload the new switches from the van that Mike drove to the school from the Configuration Center.
3. Take the new switches to their assigned location.
4. Dispose all of the packaging for the new switches.

Since we started work at 8:30 AM, it didn't take long to finish all of our tasks for the day. I'd say that we were done at about 12:30 PM or so. Right around lunch time. Plus, it helped that school was out for the summer. The only people at the school were the administrative staff. We could get our work done with minimal delays. Before leaving for the day, all of the temporary workers were told to show up at Long Reach High School on the following Thursday at 6:30 AM. Getting off work at lunch time was something of a surprise to me. I was expecting to work a full eight hours. Not only that, I was also expecting to work Monday through Friday. It was then that I realized that not only was the entry level network technician position temporary, but it was also part-time. After my initial disappointment faded away, I got something to eat for lunch and drove back to the Ramada Inn. Once I was back at my hotel room, I started studying one of my A+ or Network+ certification books. Later on that afternoon, I had my Network+ class at the UMBC Training Center in Columbia, MD for three hours.

Project Management and Networking Diagrams

At the time, I didn't realize that there was an actual schedule to replace the old network switches at Howard County Public Schools that Data Networks was following. I remember Todd telling me one day that the entire project had been planned out in detail. There were numerous constraints and requirements for the project. While in the Army in South Korea, I took an introductory class in project management, so I was familiar with some of the steps on how to plan and implement a project. Some of those constraints that needed to be considered for the project were the following:

• The schools in Howard County that required new network switches were all high schools.
• None of the high schools had the same layout or floorplan.
• The project had to be completed during the summer vacation to prevent any service disruptions for students and staff.
• There were only two days available each week to install new switches for each school.
• The first day was required for set-up.
• The second day was required for installing the new switches and for performing any troubleshooting/testing.
• The project had to be within the allotted budget. That would explain why the position was part-time and temporary.
• All old network switches had to be replaced with new HPE Aruba switches.

It's by no means an exhaustive list of requirements, but I am sure that you get the idea.

I don't remember if it was Todd or Lovett, but someone did explain to me that they went through and estimated how many man-hours it would take to complete the various steps of the project. My guess was also that Data Networks would have lost money if there were any delays in completing the project. Thus, the project didn't have a large margin for error.

Networking diagrams are important itmes to have when planning an IT project. The two major networking diagrams are the physical and logical network diagrams. The physical and logical network diagrams are like roadmaps for the network.

The physical network diagram identifies the physical location and function of each network device. It's kind of like a floorplan. The physical network diagram also portrays all of the physical arrangements of the network, such as ports to be used, cable types to be used, the shelf location of devices on each specific server rack, and so on. Depending on the scale of the network, you can have a bird's eye view physical network diagram with additional physical network diagrams for each server closet, for example. Basically, you want to portray where everything goes and what devices connect to each other and how. Here is an example of a physical network diagram.

Physical Network Diagram Example (Source: Cisco Networking Academy) 

In contrast, the logical network diagram displays the connecting interfaces and the Layer 3 network addressing scheme to be used by the network. Additionally, the logical network diagram shows how the devices communicate with each other and how data flows through the network. A key piece of information on the logical network diagram is the IPv4/IPv6 address to be used by each subnet. You might also want to indicate which specific ports will be used on switches and routers. Here is an example of a logical network diagram.

Logical Network Diagram Example (Source: Cisco Networking Academy)

I don't ever remember seeing either kind of network diagram while working with Data Networks. However, I do remember seeing Lovett, Todd, or Linwood consulting a diagram of some sort, especially when they were troubleshooting an issue. I do remember specifically Todd consulting a diagram of some sort to make sure that the switches I installed on a server rack were in the correct server location and in the proper order. In fact, now that I think about it, Todd, Lovett, and Mike did annotate a diagram as we took each HPE Aruba switch to its assigned location at each school.

As Lovett and Todd explained to me, it was important that each HPE Aruba switch get placed in the correct server closet and installed in the correct order on the server rack. It was also important to know the location of each specific switch for simple accountability purposes in addition to the performance of the network.

All of that planning had been accomplished at the Data Networks Configuration Center in Essex, MD before I worked on the project.

In other words, you just couldn't install a new switch just anywhere.

Second Day on the Job

Based on a recommendation from Mike Keller, I went to Home Depot in Columbia, MD, just a short drive down Snowden River Parkway, to buy two screwdrivers. I bought a flathead screwdriver and a cross-tip screwdriver. Both screwdrivers had to be seven or eight inches long. Those two screwdrivers would prove themselves to be rather helpful.

On Thursday morning, I got up at 5:00 AM. I left my hotel room at the Ramada Inn by 5:30 AM. It was too early for the complementary hotel breakfast, so I drove to a nearby McDonald's for a quick breakfast. I think I arrived at the Long Reach High School parking lot at about, say, 6:20 AM. Mike and Todd had just arrived. Lovett was on his way. The other two temporary employees arrived a couple of minutes after me. At around 6:30 AM, Linwood Brown arrived. He unlocked the main door to the school and let everyone inside.

Ethernet Cable

After a short planning meeting, it was decided that I would work with Mike on this day. We walked down a hallway and found our first server closet. From what I remember, it was more like a small room than a closet. Linwood unlocked the door. Inside the room was a server rack consisting of five switches that were still powered on. I noticed that the power cables and the Ethernet cables were daisy-chained to each switch. To the side of the server rack was a stack of five brand new HPE Aruba switches (with cables) that had been put inside the room on Tuesday. With Mike's assistance, I performed the following steps:

1. Turned off all of the old switches.
2. Disconnected all of the power cables from the old switches.
3. Disconnected all of the Ethernet cables from the top old switch.
4. Disconnected all of the fiber-optic cables from the old switches.
5. Unscrewed all of the screws that connected the top old switch to the server rack.
6. Removed the old switch from the server rack.
7. Placed the old switch and power cables outside the server closet.

I then went to the stack of new HPE Aruba switches. Each new switch was labeled with a number on the bottom. For server racks, the switch with the lowest number (number one) went on top of the stack. Then the switch labeled with a number two was placed under the switch labeled with the number one and so on until you were out of switches to install. I flipped over each new switch, looking for the switch with a number one. Once I found the switch with a number one label, I then mounted the switch to the top rack of the server rack. I then re-connected the Ethernet cables to the ports on the new switch from the switch below. I then moved on to the second old switch from the top, disconnecting all of the Ethernet cables. I then removed the old switch from the server rack. I then located the new HPE Aruba switch that was labeled with number two. I then mounted the new switch to the second rack from the top of the server rack. I then re-connected all of the Ethernet cables to the switch. I performed the same steps for the rest of the old switches on the rack that needed to be replaced, ensuring that the new switches were being mounted in the correct order. It was a slow, deliberate process to replace all of the old switches. Mike then assisted me with re-connecting all of the Ethernet and fiber-optic cables with SC connectors to the new switches. A key point here is that sometimes the server closets were in horrible condition with Ethernet and fiber-optic cables strewn all over like a bowl of spaghetti. Cable maintenance is paramount. You want the cables to be neatly organized. You probably should also label any important cables for any future problems. I then daisy-chained all of the power cables to the switches before turning on all of them on.

Fiber-Optic Cable with SC Connectors

Once all of that was completed, Mike then opened his laptop and then connected a sky-blue console cable from the laptop to one of the switches. He then used a program called PuTTY, a terminal emulator, to configure the switches. Basically, he was providing configuration information for each port to the switch and then saving the configuration. We then cleaned up the area and made sure to neatly stack all of the old switches and their power cables before moving on to the next server closet.

PuTTY Configuration Screen

Those were the basic steps that all of the members of the team performed at each location inside the school that required a new switch. Most of the time, the old switches were stacked inside a server closet. Other times, the old switch(es) would be located on top of a storage cabinet or some other location that was difficult to find. Just a note that working inside server closets gets really H-O-T!!! After working in my first server closet, I was covered in sweat. It probably didn't help that oftentimes the air conditioning inside the high schools was turned off except for the administrative offices. As the morning wore on, the plantar fasciitis started to get painful, so I started to drag my left foot everywhere I walked.

After working with Mike on a couple of server closets, I started to work on server closets on my own. The whole process of removing old switches and then mounting the new switches became rather easy. This allowed Mike to check the work of the other two workers. Todd would help out with server closets as well. Once all of the new switches had been mounted, turned on, and configured, Lovett and Linwood would then do all of the testing on the new switches. More often than not, each high school had a room that resembled a Network Operations Center (NOC) from where the computer network could be centrally managed.

What were Lovett and Linwood doing? Well, I imagine that they were sending a series of what are known as ping commands to each switch. The ping command will let you know if a device (host, switch, router, other) is connected to the network. If you don't receive a successful response to a ping request, then the device you are attempting to ping might not be on the network. Typically, there are several items that you might want to ping after setting up a network. The items that you may want to issue a ping command to include the following:

• Pinging the IPv4/IPv6 address of the device itself to ensure that the TCP/IP stack is functioning properly.
• Pinging another device on the same network.
• Pinging the IPv4/IPv6 address of the default gateway on the assigned router to ensure that the device is able to send messages to another network.
• Pinging the IPv4/IPv6 address of a device on another network.

If a one of the issued ping commands fails, then you might have a problem that needs further investigation.

Ping Command Example

Another command that you can issue is known as the tracert, or traceroute, command. This command is similar to the ping command. However, there is a difference. The tracert command will attempt to follow the path of the message. The tracert command will display the information of each router it encounters on the way to the destination device. If the tracert command fails along the route, the tracert will provide you with the information of the last known router it successfully detected. With that information, you might have a clue on where to look for a connectivity problem.

Tracert Command Example

Thus, if the Lovett and Linwood were probably pinging each new switch from the NOC. If the ping command was unsuccessful, then they would issue the tracert command to determine where the problem may lie. Once they were able to identify where to look for the connectivity problem, it was a matter of going to the appropriate server closet and trying to resolve the connectivity problem. Sometimes it was a matter of either the Ethernet cables or the fiber-optic cables being connected to the wrong port on the switch. Other times, there were problems with the cabling of the network itself. All we could do was wait for Lovett, Linwood, and Todd to diagnose the problem and then try to resolve it. Troubleshooting network problems can be really tedious to experience firsthand. Personally, I made every attempt to see what it was they were doing in order to learn more about networking.

Once the testing and any troubleshooting were complete, it was time to clean up. That meant to go around to each server closet and pick up all of the used switches and their power cables. The used switches and power cables were usually then taken back to the walkway near the main entrance. At that location, we inventoried all of used switches to ensure that we had all of them. After the inventory, we typically stacked all of the used switches on a pallet for someone from Howard County Public Schools to pick up.

The End Result (Photo by Me)

Once the inventory was complete, we were finished for the day. That second day at Long Reach High School seemed to take forever. We probably worked close to seven hours that day. I didn't care a whole lot as the work was interesting. As a bonus, I enjoyed working with my co-workers. It was a breath of fresh air after working in the trenches of consumerism at Home Depot and Target. With each succeeding high school we worked at, the days went by faster. I got to the point where I could disassemble the old network switches and then mount the new network switches on my own without any help. After I completed work at the server closet, Mike would perform a quick check of my work and then tell me where I needed to go next.

The Final Total

So how many high schools in Howard County, Maryland did I work at with Data Networks? That is a really good question. I can't give an accurate answer as all of the notes that I took during that period of time have been thrown away. Let's see if I can reconstruct the schools that I worked at with a table in HTML. Before I do that, let me take another look at that map of high schools that I created in Google Maps to jog my memory.

High School	City	State	Replace Network Switches?
Centennial High School	Ellicott City	MD	Yes
Howard High School	Ellicott City	MD	No
Wilde Lake High School	Columbia	MD	Yes
Fusion Academy Columbia	Columbia	MD	No
River Hill High School	Clarksville	MD	Yes
Atholton High School	Columbia	MD	No
Hammond High School	Columbia	MD	Yes
Long Reach High School	Columbia	MD	Yes
Oakland Mills High School	Columbia	MD	No

Thus, if my memory is correct, it looks like I replaced the network switches for a total of five high schools for Howard County Public Schools. I thought that the total number of schools would be higher, but it looks like I was wrong. I do remember one school we worked at was actually two schools (a middle school and a high school) at one location. Before I left the project, the next high school on the list would have been Howard High School.

Leaving the Project

While working with Data Networks on the project with Howard County Public Schools, I was talking to a classmate at the UMBC Training Center about getting a new IT job. One Tuesday or Thursday night before the A+, Network+, or Security+ class (I don't remember which), a classmate, Jason Partington, told everyone that he worked as an IT help desk agent at the Social Security Administration (SSA) in Woodlawn, MD. He said that his company, Koniag Government Services (KGS), was always looking to hire new IT help desk agents due to a high employee turnover rate for the position. He also added that KGS would hire people for the position if they didn't have any IT certifications. Jason said that before he started working at SSA, he was a cook at Ruth Chris steak restaurant in Pikesville, MD. Thinking that working at SSA as an IT help desk agent would be a good entry-level gateway into IT, I gave Jason my phone number and my email address. He said that he would let KGS Human Resources know that I was interested in the position. Later that night at my hotel room in a Red Roof Inn, I went to the KGS website and applied for the position. I also made sure to mention Jason's name during the application process. Sure enough, a few days after applying for the IT help desk agent position, I received a phone call from KGS Human Resources. The person I spoke to said that KGS had received my application and that Jason had referred me for the position. After a couple of questions, I was told that I would receive a phone call from the senior agent on the SSA contract in the next couple of days. She said that it would be an informal interview to gauge what I know about IT and to not get too stressed during the phone call. A couple of days later, I received a phone call from the senior agent. We spoke on the phone for about 20 minutes or so as I answered basic questions about IT and the importance of customer service. Considering that the phone call was at 9:00 AM, I thought that the phone call went well. After several more days went by, I received another phone call from KGS HR to schedule an interview with the project managers for the IT help desk agent contract at KGS' office in Woodlawn, MD on Lord Baltimore Road. At the interview, one of the project managers I met was Bryan Cronin. We talked about my work history, what I knew about customer service, what I knew about IT, and what the expections were for being an IT help desk agent on the contract. It also helped that Bryan, like me, was in the military. He had been in the U.S. Air Force. The interview was positive and lasted about an hour. After waiting several more days, I received yet another phone call from KGS HR. I was offered the IT help desk agent position at SSA as a KGS employee. I accepted the job offer.

After finishing work at another high school, it might have been either Hammond High School or River Hill High School, I informed Lovett, Todd, and Mike that I had accepted a job offer to work as an IT help desk agent at SSA. Everyone was happy with my announcement. It was more than a little bittersweet to leave the project with Data Networks. I really enjoyed working on the project. I learned A LOT. More importantly, I enjoyed working with my co-workers. It as difficult to leave the project, but the IT help desk agent position was a new opportunity in IT. I ended up working as an IT help desk agent at SSA for six years.

Looking For a New IT Job...

Returning to Phoenix, AZ...

Over the Christmas and New Year's Eve holiday period, I travelled from Baltimore to Phoenix, Arizona. It was my first time back in Arizona since the 2010-2013 time frame. It was like visiting Phoenix for the very first time. Moreover, it was the first time that I have seen my mother since she visited Baltimore in March 2018. It was my first time seeing my sister, her husband, and their children in nearly 10 years or so. I used to have an aunt and uncle that lived in Gaithersburg, MD. Once my uncle retired from working at the National Institute of Health, my aunt and uncle sold their home and moved to Florida.

While visiting Phoenix, I started to take a look at what IT jobs are available as well as places to live.

I suppose that the big allure for being in the Phoenix area is to be close to family. Here in Baltimore, I don't have any family. In addition, I don't have any friends outside of work. The only people that I have seen consistantly over the past five years have been all of the doctors I have visited in both Columbia, MD and at the VA Hospital in Baltimore. I lived for one year in Columbia, MD, and I can honestly say that I don't have any friends their either.

On the other hand, I rather enjoyed my two visits with Dr Evan Chung, a chiropractor here in Catonsville, MD. During my first visit with Dr Evan Chung, I discovered that we both the opening night celebration of the 2002 World Cup in Seoul, South Korea.

During the summer of 2016, I was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma for the second time in two years. For the next five years, I went to Maryland Oncology Hematology and American Radiology in Columbia, Advanced Radiology in Ellicott City, the VA Hospital in downtown Baltimore, and the VA Counselling Center up in Pikesville. I have visited so many doctors' offices over the past five years that I need a moratorium or sabbatical. However, I do like going to the chiropractor.

While going through chemotherapy for the second time, there were times when having a family member available to pick me up would have been convenient, such as when I had to go in for a bone marrow biopsy. Boy, did that really did hurt.

Let's face it, my IT help desk job at the Social Security Administration isn't exactly conducive for meeting people. Since I work at the IT help desk, my job is to sit at a desk inside an office cubicle and answer phone calls non-stop for eight hours a day no matter how ridiculous the problems are.

In all honesty, I also had trouble meeting people when I lived in Reston, VA, outside of Washington, D.C., for four years. I was one of the few people at my workplace that ACTUALLY lived in Reston. I could never figure out the social scene at Reston Town Center. Since I didn't work AND live at Reston Town Center, I was an outsider.

Looking for a New IT Job...

Since I am not happy with my current job, I am starting to look for a new IT job.

My initial thought was to look for a new IT job in the Baltimore area. There is A LOT of competition in Baltimore for the IT jobs that are available. A couple of years ago, I applied to an IT job in Timonium/Cockeysville/Hunt Valley, thinking that I was a good match for the job. I was dismayed when I discovered that 200 people applied to that one job.

Since I don't have a Top Secret security clearance with a current full scope polygraph, pursuing a help desk job at Fort Meade is just a waste of time. Furthermore, I no longer have a Top Secret clearance. It's hard to believe that it has been nearly 10 years when I discovered that I no longer have a Top Secret clearance. When I do get a job offer that requires a Top Secret clearance from, say, a recruiter on LinkedIn, I just DELETE the email without any further thought. As far as I'm concerned,

As a result of not having a Top Secret security clearance anymore, my whole life has changed.

Getting back to Phoenix...

Let's face it, there are TONS of IT jobs in Maricopa County in general and in Phoenix in particular. I'm sure that some are good and some are bad. After performing a quick search for IT jobs in Phoenix on Google, it became abundantly clear that I need to figure out some method to sort out the wheat from the chaff.

Earlier this week, I went through the job openings available on USAjobs.gov, looking for any IT jobs with the Federal government in Maricopa County. There wasn't a whole lot to choose from. The only IT job openings were with the IRS with job openings located in Phoenix, Chandler, Gilbert, and Glendale. One of the IT jobs with the IRS involved getting hired at a low level, such as at GS-7, for example. Once hired, you would then be mentored to advance to a higher GS level for that job. Would I apply for that job? I probably should. Regardless of what one thinks about the IRS, that job opening is an opportunity.

On the other hand, the job openings at USAjobs.gov are feast or famine. One week, there are all kinds of job openings. Then on the following week, there's not a whole lot to even consider applying for. Recently on USAjobs.gov, I did find two GS-12 IT job vacancies at Camp Humphreys near Pyeongtaek, South Korea. Those two jobs were the kind of jobs that I wish I had both the necessary job experience and IT certifications. Make no mistake, I would return to South Korea AT THE DROP OF A HAT.

Another attraction for moving to Phoenix is that the cost of living is a lot lower that it is here in Maryland. For example, the monthly rent for my 550 square foot apartment in Catonsville costs a little more that $1,000. Each year, the rent for my apartment keeps going up even though I don't live in a fancy apartment complex. There's no weight room. There's no pool. It's not close to the Inner Harbor.

The Most Probable Scenario...

The most probable scenario for me would probably be to quit my job at SSA. I'm a contractor, so I won't be missed a whole lot. I would need to clean out my storage unit in Herndon, VA, pack everything up, and move back to Arizona. I suppose I could drive a U-Haul truck with my belongings back to Arizona. An option to consider would be to have my car shipped to Phoenix. You DO NOT want to be without a car in Phoenix.

Once there, I could see living at my mother's house in Sun City and work at a temporary IT position, while I search for a permanent IT job and a new place to live.

One item that will help tremendously in my search for a new IT job would be to pass the exam for Cisco's CCNA certification.

The demand for the A+ certification from CompTIA is really low. Everyone wants workers with the newest IT certifications.

A Quick Update for My Blog...

Boy, it has been a couple of weeks since I last wrote a post for my blog.

I've been rather busy with work and a whole bunch of other stuff.

Hiking Updates

Back on Saturday, November 5, 2022, I went on an impromptu hike along the Waterfront Promenade at the Inner Harbor here in Baltimore, MD. As a result of that hike, there is a small list of items that I need to accomplish:

• I NEED to upload the photos from hikes from my cell phone onto my computer.
• I NEED to write a trail review over at the Alltrails.com website for the recent hikes I went on at Leakin Park-Gywnns Falls and the second hike I undertook at the Waterfront Promenade.
• I NEED to either re-write and/or expand my trail reviews for the recent hikes at Leakin Park-Gwynns Falls and at the Waterfront Promenade hikes to my blog here at Blogger.
• I NEED to add some additional photos from all of my completed hikes to my blog.
• Another idea that occurred to me was to look for a way display all of my photos either on my blog here at Blogger or use a website such as Flickr.
• I just accomplished making screenshots of the trail routes for my second and third hikes at Leakin Park-Gwynns Falls as well as my second hike at the Waterfront Promenade, so I need to add those to their respective pages.

Other Posts for My Blog

I also need to get cracking on all of the additonal subjects that I would like to publish to my blog.

• For example, I need to work on my post about the movies that I saw at the Cine Core Theater in Seoul, South Korea.
• That post will require A LOT more planning and work to get the post just how I want it.
• Rewrite the post using the mind map that I created as a guide.
• Get any additional photos for the movies that I saw at the Cine Core Movie Theater.
• Get the URLs from You Tube for the videos that I want to include in the post, such trailers and music videos.
• Another topic for my blog will be about Wendell Odom's series of blogposts about career planning for CCNA.
• I have watched several other South Korean movies since returning to watching them after an absence of several years. I've seen some really good South Korean films as well as a couple of duds. I have quite a few ideas on how to approach the subject of movie reviews. Simply, I want to write more than just movie reviews.
• I'm still playing Go. Using a 13x13 grid board and a two stone handicap, I managed to get as high as a 21kyu rank on The Many Faces of Go computer game on my computer.

I have high expectations for my blog. Given my knowledge about HTML, my expectations for my blog might be too high.

However, I am going to keep trying.

Eventually, I will get my blog to where I want it to be.

Hiking Updates...

Since I have other things to do, I will try to keep this post short. Really short.

Yeah, right.

Over the past several years, I have developed mild to moderate osteoarthritis in both knees. It's really horrible.

I still remember the day that I damaged the cartilege in both of my knees. During the summer of 2010, I decided to go jogging after work. It was a typical sunny day in Sierra Vista, Arizona. The temperature was in the upper 80s/lower 90s with zero humidity. The monochromatic blue sky did not have any clouds. After doing some leg stretches, I left my apartment and started to run. I was feeling really good, so I decided to pick up the pace. About halfway through my pre-planned route, I suddenly started to run slower and slower until I could no longer run. It took me over an hour to walk back to my apartment. Once I got back, I put ice packs on both of my knees. That was pretty painful. However, I thought that everything would be OK in the morning. Boy, was I wrong. In the morning, I could barely get out of bed. For whatever reason, I went to work instead of seeing my doctor. I could just barely walk from my car in the parking lot to the entrance of the building. At the time, I worked as an instructor for the United States Army at Fort Huachuca. Typically, most of my day was spent on my feet. That day, I could barely stand for any length of time. Eventually, I couldn't take the pain anymore, so I called my doctor, who gave me an inflammatory medication. Shortly thereafter, I went in for x-rays, thinking that I had a meniscus tear, runner's knee, or a torn ACL in both knees. Instead, I found out that I had torn the cartlidge in both of my knees. My doctor also said that the tear in each knee would just get worse and worse as time went on.

When I moved to Reston, VA, I could run decently as long as I didn't step on a crack in the jogging path. However, I just couldn't run as fast as I used to.

Eventually, I bought a Trek hybrid bicycle from the bike shop at Reston Town Center, which was a lot easier than running. However, I quickly discovered that if I pushed down hard on the bike pedals to go up hill, for example, both knees would start to hurt.

Since I can no longer run anymore and that my bicycle is at my mother's house, I have rediscovered my love of hiking.

A good reason for my rediscovery of hiking was that, back in February of this year, I went to the VA Hospital in downtown Baltimore and made an appointment for both of my knees. I just couldn't take it anymore. Predictably, the steroid shots that I received for both knees wore off after a couple of weeks. More importantly, I received a pair of really nice Breg knee braces from the VA Prosthetics Lab. I was miserable the first day that I wore those knee braces. I was in a lot of pain. Over time, it got easier for me to wear both knee braces for an extended period of time.

When the summer arrived, I started to walk around the parking lot of a nearby elementary school for 45 minutes non-stop. After doing that a few times, I started walking around my city block. While wearing both knee braces, I could make three circuits around my city block in about 75 minutes. Of course, I would be hot and sweaty.

Now that that's out of the way...

Over the past few weeks, I have made some additional visits over to Leakin Park-Gwynns Falls.

I didn't take as many photos as I did like the first time I went hiking at Leakin Park-Gwynns Falls.

Anyhow, I'm planning on making some more posts about hiking in the Baltimore area.

I have also visited the AllTrails website several times, looking for new places to go hiking.

However, with the change in seasons, I will have to start getting up earlier on a Saturday, so I have a good amount of time to hike. Unfortunately, my Breg knee braces have to be worn right on the skin. These particular knee braces weren't designed to be worn over clothing.

On my most recent hike, I was starting to have the impression that I should consider buying a new pair of hiking boots. The Salomon hiking boots that I bought on sale at the REI in Fairfax, VA when I returned back from Afghanistan in 2011 might need to be replaced. As good as the Salomon hiking boots are, I still miss my pair of Lowa Renegade GTX hiking boots that I wore in Afghanistan. In fact, here is the exact pair of Lowa hiking boots that I wore in Afghanistan. Those were really good hiking boots. Way better than any of the Merrell hiking boots I used to wear prior to going to Afghanistan. Coincidentally, I also bought that pair of Lowa hiking boots from the same REI store in Fairfax, VA.

In addition to updating my blog here on Blogger, I need to write a new review at AllTrails about my recent visits to Leakin Park-Gwynns Falls.

Another thing that I need to do is to learn all of the features for taking photos on my LG Stylo 6 cell phone. There are things that using the camera on my cell phone can do really good, such as portability. I also like the panoramatic feature. I recently discovered that I can open or close the camera's aperture among other features that I did't know about. For now, the photos are good enough for my purposes. Another thing I would like to do is learn how to use Gimp, so I can adjust the contrast or brightness of a photo. I downloaded Gimp onto my computer a couple of years ago, but I have yet to really play around with it.

Work and Updating My Blog...

 Yes, I know that it has been several days since the last entry on my blog.

I have not forgotten my blog.

My job at working at the Tier 1 IT help desk for the Social Security Administration has been keeping me really busy.

When I wake up in the morning, after working from 12:30 PM to 9:00 PM, I am REALLY tired.

It's not a physical tiredness, such as running 5 miles, for example, as much as it is MENTAL fatigue. While working, I can receive phone calls about IT problems that span from the very easy, such as resetting mainframe passwords, to the very complex, such as why is a network printer is offline. In addition, after 3:00 PM, I am in charge of hardware tickets, such as a request for a replacement laptop to ordering a replacement maintenance kit for an office printer, that are submitted via SSA's Tier 1 IT help desk webpage.

Depending on how many phone calls that I answer and how many hardware tickets that I have to deal with, I am mentally exhausted from about 9:00 PM, the time that I sign-out, to 10:00 PM, 11:00 PM, or 12:00 AM. I don't want to do anything except vegetate in front of my TV when I could be playing games of Go, studying for CCNA, reading the books that I have yet to complete, or writing an update on my blog.

I get that tired.

When October 2nd arrives, I will have worked at the Tier 1 IT help desk for SSA for five long years.

It's definitely time for a new IT job.

Last week, I applied for a Tier 2 IT position with Leidos. Let's see what happens next.

Possible topics for my blog include:

• Last weekend, I made another trip to Leakin Park-Gwynns Falls. My third visit in four weeks.
• Yesterday, I went to Das Best Oktoberfest down at the parking lot at M and T Bank stadium for the second year in a row.
• Plus, I have a very long list of posts that I would like to add for my blog. I really need to write down a list, so I don't forget anything.

One thing I have is that I like to write, so it is time to put that skill to use.

One major benefit of writing to my blog is that I am getting re-acquainted with using HTML. A couple of years ago, when I was taking some classes at the Northern Viriginia Community College in Sterling, VA, I had to create my own website as a project for a beginning computing class. I'm sure that website is still out on the internet somewhere. If I remember correctly, NVCC is hosting that website. Anyway, as I currently write posts to my blog, I am using the HTML view. I am also using the HTML commands listed over at W3 Schools. That way, I am forced to compose posts using HTML directly instead of Blogger taking care of adding the correct HTML tags.

As a result, I will be adding HTML to my resume.

Returning to Leakin Park and Gwynns Falls...

Yesterday, I made a return visit to Leakin Park and Gwynns Falls here in Baltimore. I enjoyed my first hike at Leakin Park and Gwynns Falls, so I decided to go back two weeks later.

Instead of parking my car at the parking lot located at Windsor Mills Road and Eagle Drive, like I did last time, I parked my car over at Trailhead #1, which is located next to the Park & Ride at the beginning/ending of Interstate 70 (I-70).

From there, I followed the trail along the off-ramp to Security Blvd. before turning right onto Franklintown Road.

After that turn, I followed the trail through the small Franklintown neighborhood located right outside the park. Since I work at SSA, I have driven by the sign for Bulwinkle's Saloon countless times. It was interesting to finally see where it is located. The place looks like a dive bar with its numerous Baltimore Ravens and Oriels signs and stickers on the exterior. There was also a Harley-Davidson flag that had been raised.

 

After walking past a couple of small businesses and several houses, the asphalt trail eventually leads you into the park. In some sections, the trail can be difficult to identify. Keep a look out for green Gwynns Falls Trail signs that have been painted on the asphalt. Also, cars can speed right through Franklintwon Road despite the speed limit being posted as 25 MPH.

Suddenly, you are inside Leakin Park. The trail parallels Franklintown Road. After walking through a couple of straightaways then down through a series of switchbacks and then hiking over a bridge or two, I returned to Winan's Meadow. I could tell that I was approaching the Cardin Pavillion as I heard a DJ playing hip-hop music and the smell of meat being cooked. After walking down a couple more switchbacks, I saw that there was a large gathering of people at the Cardin Pavillion, such as a company or church group picnic.

Once I hiked to the location of Trailhead #2 near the parking lot, I had a decison to make. Was I going to cross the bridge over Dead Run onto the Stream Trail or was I going to keep following the Gwynns Park Trail?

For this occasion, I walked past the bridge for the Spring Trail and went on ahead, following the Gwynns Park Trail.

Like my previous visit Leakin Park-Gwynns Falls two weeks ago, there weren't very many people on the trail. There were long stretches of time where I was the only person on the trail, a part from a couple of deer that were looking for food to eat.

Once I crossed over the Dead Run, I kept following the Gwynns Falls Trail northward. There were a couple of deer in the bushes looking for food to eat. I could see Gwynns Falls, a small stream, on my right. As I walked north, there were a couple of bicyclists that passed me. Eventually, I reached a point where the Hutton Trail branches off to the left. The Hutton Trail eventually leads to the Carrie Murray Nature Center located in the center of Leakin Park.

Eventually, I made it to where the Gwynns Falls Trail intersects with Windsor Mill Road. At that location, I had to make a decision. Was I going to get on the Wetland Trail, which leads back into Leakin Park? Was I going to continue hiking north across Windsor Mill Road, where the trail then becomes the Dickeyvill Trail? Was I going to turn right and pass over the pedestrian bridge spanning Gwynns Falls? This week, I decided to walk across the bridge.

 

Once across the bridge, I eventually made it to another trailhead. At this trailhead, you could then explore all of the trails on the east side of Gwynns Falls. From the trail on the east side of Gwynns Falls, it is possible to follow the trail down into downtown Baltimore. Not only that, there are several other hiking trails that connect to the Gwynss Falls Trail. According to the trail map located at Winan's Meadow, the Gwynns Falls Trail has a length of 15 miles.

When I decided to take a break, drink some water, and eat a protein bar, I decided to head back to my car. According to Google Earth, I had only traveled just a little more than three miles to reach my turning around point. The hike seemed a lot longer than it really was. At various times on the hike, my left knee brace kept sliding down into my left shin, making it painful to walk at times. Knowing that I wasn't going to see everything on one trip, I headed back to the car.

I was surprised at how fast the return hike back to my car was. I must have had hiker's high. Everything was just a blur. Eventually, I just gave up on re-adjusting the velcro straps on both of my knee braces ever 100 yards or so. As I got closer to Trailhead #1, I thought about stopping by Bullwinkle's Saloon for a well-earned beer. Eventually, I gave up on that idea and continued back up the Gwynns Falls Trail to my car.

Once I made it back to Trailhead #1, I was really tired. I went right to benches at the trailhead and collapsed. I discarded any notion that I had about going over to Union Brewing or having dinner at a restaurant. Unfortunately, not this time.

When I returned back to my apartment, I realized just how out of shape that I am. Yes, I was covered in sweat. Yes, every muscle in both of my legs were sore and the soles of my feet started to hurt. I also had sore muscles in my lower and upper back. Just then I realized that this is the exact kind of workout that my lower body needs on a regular basis.  When I got back to my apartment, I should have used my foam roller, especially on my calves and quadriceps.  

 Once I got back to my car, I took a look at the statistics for my hike on my Samsung watch.  I walked 17,541 steps in 192 minutes.  I also burned 993 calories. Not too bad. Since I cannot run anymore, this is exactly the type of cardio workout that I need. 

Later on that night, one thought I had was that perhaps it's time to consider getting a new pair of hiking boots. [To be honest, I still miss the Lowa hiking boots that I wore in Afghanistan.] The Salomon hiking boots that I bought several years ago at the REI in Fairfax, VA, have been good pretty good hiking boots. For now, I will keep the Salomons.

Hiking the Trails Over at Leakin Park...

     Like I wrote in my previous post, on Friday, August 19, 2022, I went hiking over at Leakin Park in western Baltimore. 

 

    Apparently, Leakin Park has a bad reputation with people that I have met who claimed to be familiar with the park.  Yes, I have listened to all episodes for Season One of the Serial Podcast from NPR.  For those who do not know, the first season of the Serial Podcast analyzes the murder of local high school student Hae Min Lee.  High school student Adnan Syed was convicted for the murder of Hae Min Lee.  After she was killed, Adnan Syed and an accomplice buried her corpse near a trail along the southern edge of Leakin Park near Franklintown Road (see trail map). The murder of Hae Min Lee shocked people who live in the Baltimore suburban communities of Catonsville, Woodlawn, and Windsor Mill.  I FINALLY got around to listening to the Serial podcast a couple of years ago.  It was a good listen.  Is Adnan Syed the murderer or is he innocent of the charges?  That's a conclusion the listener will have to determine on their own after listening to all 11 episodes of the podcast.  Unfortunately, there are no easy answers.  I should probably give the podcast another listen. 

    Now that is out of the way, I had a good time hiking a good portion of the trails over at Leakin Park.  Admittedly, I got off to a bad start.  Since I took the day off from work, I woke up really late.  I got caught up in drinking several cups of coffee and getting lost on the internet.  Plus, when I started to get ready to leave my apartment, my body started to fight against me.  Too bad.  I didn't reach the parking lot at Eagle Road and Windsor Mill Road until around, say, 3:30 PM.  It was a partly cloudy day. The temperature was in the low 90s with humidity over 80%. 

    In addition to dusting off my old pair of Salomon hiking boots that I bought at the REI down in Fairfax, VA,  I made sure to bring a wide-brimmed sun hat and a Camelbak full of water.  Next time, I will also bring some snacks. 

    After a couple of minutes on the trail, I started sweating from every pore in my body. I lost track of the blue square trail markers on the first trail that I was on.  The free map provided at the trailhead annotated only the major trails.  I tried using Google Maps on my cell phone, but Google Maps would not show any of the trails inside Leakin Park.  After retracing my steps, I eventually made it to Winan's Meadow.  There, I ran in a member of park staff.  When we went to the trail map near the parking lot, he went over some of the other trails at Leakin Park and how some of the trails connected to the hiking trails over at Gwynns Falls.  Next time I go hiking over at Leakin Park, I'm definitely going to explore the trails over at Gwynns Falls.  

     Surprisingly, I found the trail to be quite a challenge.  Then again, I'm borderline obese (I am desperately trying to lose weight.) and I have osteoarthritis in both knees.  The Breg knee braces that I wore worked spectacularly. The only downside to wearing the Breg knee braces is that one has to occasionally stop and readjust the Velcro straps for a snug fit.  According to my Samsung 4 watch, I ended up walking 12,304 steps and burned 985 calories. Like I wrote, it was a really good workout. 

    I am planning to go hiking again this weekend.  For now, I am planning to check out the trails in the Gwynns Falls area. 

Walking the Baltimore Waterfront Promenade...

On Sunday, August, 7th, 2022, I couldn't take being inside my apartment anymore. 

It is hard to believe that I have been working from my apartment for nearly two and a half years. 

Recently, I discovered the AllTrails website, while looking for things that I can do in order to get out and explore. 

I performed a search and found several hiking trails in the Baltimore area that seemed to be interesting. 

One of the hiking trails that sounded interesting to me was the Baltimore Waterfront Promenade hiking path. Since I've always wanted to spend more time in the Inner Harbor area of Baltimore, I decided that this hike was perfect.  

 

 

I knew that it was going to be hot, humid, and sunny afternoon down at the Inner Harbor, so I filled my Camelbak hydration pack full of water and brought along my wide-brimmed sun hat.  I'm glad that I brought both items.  I would have been in a world of hurt without them. According to the app on my cell phone, the temperature for Canton was at 93 degrees Fahrenheit at 4:00 PM.

Since I have mild to moderate osteoarthritis in both knees, I also brought along my Breg knee braces that I got through the VA Hospital.  Even though the Baltimore Waterfront Promenade is largely flat, I'm also glad that I brought both knee braces. I definitely needed both of those as well.

One item that I wished I had brought along was a portable charger power bank for my cell phone. I ended up taking quite a lot of photos during the first half of my walk.  When I noticed that my cell phone battery reached 48%, I had to cutback on taking photos.   

Another item on my shopping list is a new 5TB external hard drive, so I can save what photos I took and then free up memory on my phone.  Plus, the external hard drive that i use to backup my own laptop has reached its 2TB limit, so it's time to buy a new external hard drive anyway. 

From what I have seen, the photos that I took have turned out to be pretty decent. Once I get organized, I will post some photos here on my blog. 

One of the reasons that I chose the Baltimore Waterfront Promenade was that it was an excuse to FINALLY visit the Fells Point area of Baltimore. In the times that I have been to the Inner Harbor, which isn't very many, Fells Point has always been a part of the city that I have driven through without visiting. 

On this occasion, I made a point to walk around Fells Point.  Since I was both really thirsty and really hungry, I walked around looking for somewhere to go. I found Max's Taphouse. It was exactly what I wanted. The lights were turned down low, and the air conditioning was cranked up. The first beer I drank was a Fat Tire Amber Ale.  Yes, I know that it might be sacrilege to some given all of the craft beer that is now brewed in the Baltimore area, BUT I wanted something cold and refreshing. So, I picked something that I knew on the very long draft beer list. I also drank a nice Koelsch made in Hagerstown, Maryland by Antietam Brewing. Since I used to live in Columbia, MD, I picked another beer that I know rather well, the IPA by Black Flag Brewing.  The BBQ pulled-pork sandwich hit the spot. The restaurant made potato chips were spectacular.  On top of all of that, the staff were friendly. While at Max's Taphouse, I discovered that they are having a Hop Fest on August 19th to the 21st with over 50 drafts. 

Verdict on Max's Taphouse: I will be back. 

The walk back to my car in the Target-Harris Teeter shopping center was a complete blur. Sweat was coming out of every pore in my body. I ignored the velcro straps on my knee braces coming loose. I ignored the heat and the humidity.  I was in the zone.