===================================================================== Mon Feb 12 14:15 EST 1996 Week away update: the business of trips (Feb. 6-11, 1996) My Trip to San Jose by Mark Metcalfe, Age 36 Many of you didn't know this but I was pretty excited about my first business trip to anywhere and even more excited to find that I was going someplace a lot warmer than New England in the winter. My family was less than enthusiastic about my departure and short-term term away from home. In fact, the night before I left, the Microwave died and several other incidences occurred that evoked the "things-always-went- bad-when-my-father-went-away-on-busniess" bogeyman. Assuring them that I would call daily, I set off for the airport the next morning. The flight out had numerous punctuations of turbulence which I find incidental and sometimes a little soothing. Some of my colleagues have different opinions. It didn't help matters much to find that a 757 crashed while we were away; we were flying in a 757. After we stowed our luggage in the San Jose Sheraton, three fellow writers and I went to dinner at Black Angus - a beef joint. I got a large Filet Minon and they rolled me out the door. The hotel room where I stayed had SuperNintendo (for a fee) right off the TV. They even had an iron in the closet. I know it was an iron because I have seen Joy use them before. When I first tried to use it, all the water spilled out of it. I was able to only flattened one shirt and then quit. Wednesday was the business day where we got together to make 1996 a better, more efficient place to work for us writers. I was pleased that we came out with actions items and didn't spend the entire day talking about a lot with nothing to say. We went to a microbrewery where I had ROOT BEER and a half rack of barbecued Spare Ribs. As recompense for frequenting an establishment of alcohol, I attended church that evening with my friend, Nancy Morales, just in time to catch the sermon of the day with an Evangelist named Getch (sp). Nancy has a big Baptist church with a bunch of camp meeting-style volcalizations from the members of the congregation. They had some converts that evening who were promptly and properly dunked following the service proper. Thursday started out with work (viewing a demo) and then heading off to the beach at Santa Cruz. We were luncheoned on the boardwalk. I had Teriyaki Albacore (it's a cut of tuna with sauce on it). After lunch I walked the boardwalk that juts out into the Pacific several hundred yards. At the end of the pier, the sea lions (seals) laze about on the crossbeams below. We were then treated to fun in the beachfront arcade where I played an intense couple of matches at laser tag. In laser tag, you form two teams of eight people. Each team member dons a vest with color-coded lights and a laser rifle. The rooms in which this encounter takes place is lit by black light and is a maze of obstacles around and through which you shoot a laser light beam at the vests of your opponents. When the laser strikes the vest, it will temporarily disable the persons' vest and gun. You score points for each tag which is electronically tallied in your vest. I did pretty good at shooting people. I was also able to play some Pinball and strut my stuff on the Addam's family machine. I played so hard on Thursday that two writers and I went to Denny's for dinner (French Dip Roast Beef sandwich). We just couldn't face a large meal despite our expense account. On Friday, it was business planning again; this time for the larger group of which I am a part as a writer. But the real event happened Friday night. On Friday, along with my friend, the aforementioned Nancy Morales, we attended a gala party at the San Jose Convention center. There were about 1800 people at this party with food all around the perimeter. People hand carved turkey, ham, and beef. There was pizza, veggies, and other stuff. They also gave out coupons for alcoholic beverages. (I had COCA-COLA.) On the seats, they had glow stick freebies, which emit colored light when you break the stuff inside them. When the party began, (after the eating), our CEO, Joe Costello, came out to an impressive pyrotechnic show. He thanked us and told us how well we did in 1995 which was the reason for such a bash. Then he introduced the band for the evening, (which was their reuniting performance after breaking up eight years ago): Cool and the Gang (Kool?). The music was so loud that I had to shout an inch from people's ears to be heard. My ears rang me to sleep that night. The dance floor quickly filled up and I was invited and coaxed numerous times to join them but I resisted (Nazarene upbringing mostly) on the basis that my first dance should be with my wife. I finally went to bed around midnight (Pacific time), facing another grinding day of tourism and fun early the next morning. On Saturday, I awoke early to get a head start. I stopped off at Cadence to phone my wife, then headed to Nancy's house (I mentioned her in the previous paragraphs) by 8 am. Nancy is a single-again mom with two boys, Matthew and Clayton. She has orange trees in her back yards just as normal to her as can be. We stopped at an Argentinian (or was it Brazilian) cafe for breakfast. It was very good and held me over to dinnertime (which was KFC for all of us). We headed back towards Santa Cruz to take a train ride up a mountain through large redwood trees. (They had other trees there, too. In fact, they pointed out a single 300' Douglas fir tree which could provide enough lumber to build a 2-3 bedroom house.) After the train ride, we headed back to the beach and up the palisaides to watch the surfers below in the waves. After that, it was time to turn around and head back to Nancy's house. Ken and Benita Hopkins were coming over to visit. Nancy and Ken were co-moderators of the Christian Notes conference with me when I worked at Digital. It was fortunate that I was able to spend some time with them. When I return in March, I hope to spend some more time. Nearing 10pm and facing an 8:30am flight the next (Sunday) morning, I bid adieu to my west coast friends and tumbled into bed back at the hotel. The flight back was uneventful (turbulence-wise). I had parked my car at Logan Airport for the duration of my trip and it didn't want to start without coaxing and a prayer. After I dropped my colleague off at her house (we doubled up on the transportation), I knew I had time to stop off at church where I knew my honey would be. I sat in the empty seat behind her because Andrew was laying down in her lap. When she saw me, she nearly dumped poor Andrew on the floor trying to make space for me. It is nice to be missed! Arriving home, they had a welcome home cake waiting for me and a hot hot tub (which was especially welcome!). I handed out little souveniers from the train trip and tee-shirts for me and my wife. I also unloaded the soap and shampoo that the hotel maid kept leaving me each day. I wondered what kind of unclean pig she thought I was. Oh yeah, the weather. When I left Boston, it was about 26 degrees. In San Jose, most mornings started out foggy but turned sunny and in or near the 70s. The Weather forecast for New England, now that I am back, if for the teens and twenties. I don't care... because I'm headed back to sun and surf in March! on business of course! Bwa ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Mark ,------._____________________________ _ ============ . /', | Mark Metcalfe \ | \ I_ O _I_,==.: | \_0__, | Cadence Design Systems, Inc. >----|===`------'I `---' I | |: | M | (508) 446-6451 / _ \ I I | |:' | .|\. | metcalfe@cadence.com / ( `-,-----============:__;: | ,------.___________________________/ (_ O __) \_ : |/' (_______) (_)