Subject: Weekend Update: From the Left Coast (August 5-9)
Date: Wed, 09 Aug 2000 23:52:43 -0400

So I am pretty late in getting this out because I flew into Oregon on
Monday and haven't had the time to pause.  Now, in my hotel room, I
have some time before the jet lag overcomes me to tell you a bit about
the last several days, starting from the most recent backward.

Today, I was part of a warm and fuzzy corporate experience at an
Oregon park somewhere a half hours drive from the office.  We started
our day with a catered breakfast and stretches with people I'd never
met before.  (I even had to hold hands with some of them.)  Next came
the trust exercise where people stood and fell into each others' arms.
>From there we moved onto some problem-solving team-building
activities that required the assembled people to use available
materials to accomplish some task.  We spent the whole day doing this
stuff, pasuing to reflect on the experiences and how it applies to
corporate leadership and teaming.  The Left Coasters eat this stuff
up; the Yankees have trouble relating.  Today, I was the only Yankee
in the group.  Asked what I learned about myself for that day, I
responded that I learned to "accept new experiences."  They accepted
that and gave me a silver coach's whistle.

My trip out to Portland began at 3AM eastern time when Miranda awoke
me before heading out to UPS.  I was met at 4AM by an ex-police
officer from Pepperell, who is driving people in his luxury car to and
from airports in his retirement years.  It was raining and weather
reports made me nervous about getting off the ground.  The concern was
unfounded as we took off prompty at 6AM from Logan International
Airport.  We arrived in Denver for our next leg of the journey.  (We
had originally intended to get into Portland by about 10:30 local time
and spend the day on the Oregonian coastline.  That will have to wait
for another trip.)

Our first plane was boarded and settled in and the United pilot then
informed us that his oxygen mask microphone was malfunctioning and
they needed to await a replacement.  After another few minutes, they
informed us that we would deplane and get on another plane at another
gate.  The second plane also (suspiciously) had some maintenance
issues with the air conditioning.  They fixed it after some time and
started out to the runway.  Once out to the runway, they informed us
that Denver temperature had gotten too hot for the full plane to take
off safely. They were taking us back to the gate to deplane some
volunteers.  They took two waves of volunteers.  My colleague and I
took the second wave and got off Denver plane #2.  For our trouble, we
would receive $400 in vouchers.  Since our Oregon plans were waylaid,
we took the bump.  However, the gate attendant said that we may not
get on a plane until 10PM that night.  We did not want that!  There
was a chance we could get on a 2:30PM flight, on standby, and we were
lucky enough to get on Denver plane #3.  This plane got out to the
runway and what do you know, Denver was too hot for the plane to take
off because of its load.  They were discussing whether they could burn
off enough fuel to lighten themselves (and delay us that way).  A few
moments later, the pilot announced that the temperature just dropped
and they were cleared for takeoff.  We finally arrived at our hotel at
5:30PM PST (17.5 hours since my trip began).  I hope my trip home will
be less lengthy.  I will be traveling a bit for the next few months,
and I really don't want to deal with United workforce struggles.

Backing up the the weekend, our church held an all-afternoon event at
the church with several activities for people to enjoy, along with
Vacation Bible School-type skits and the like.  The most popular
activity was the dunk tank, which featured Bob Linton who was
unequaled in his taunts of the ball throwers.  Other people sat in the
booth, too, including Rich Gonzalez who had a specific challenge for
my wife to hit the target.  I missed it, but I understand that Rich
did some pretty serious taunting of Joy who missed her first two of
three shots.  But the third ball hit its mark squarely and a very
surprised Rich Gonzalez dropped into the water.  I partcipated in only
one activity - a ring toss.  I was given 6 shower curtain rings to
toss onto 20-ounce bottles of Coca-Cola.  I got two rings on the same
bottle.  It is amazing what a little motivation and incentive can do.

On Sunday, Rich and his family came over for dinner.  I also had a
work colleague (Cam M.) come over with a pickup truck to take some of
our plants that we had to split.  She filled her pickup truck bed with
all kinds of stuff (and I challenge anyone to tell that we thinned out
some areas!!).  Our blueberries are coming in fast and furious and the
kids are reluctant to want to pick some more.  This is the time of
harvest for more and more of our fruit- bearing bushes and we need
help to keep up.  Later in church that night, I was particularly
pleased with the Men's Mix and our rendition of "Living by Faith"
(something that Jeff Adams and I put together some time earlier).

Oh, I am out west for more than the warm and fuzzy day. I had other
business.  Tomorrow's business is to take some west coast writers out
to lunch.  Sounds nice (and it is) but there are some important
politics that need to transpire to keep the machinery oiled, and
that's part of what I do since becoming a manager.  I hope things are
all going well with you.

Mark
--
+---_-----------+ Mark Metcalfe, metcalfe@cadence.com
| c a d e n c e | Cadence Design Systems, Inc.    Phone: (978) 446-6451
+---------------+ PCB Systems Division, Technical Communications Manager