Business Travel

I'm here at the Sun offices in Menlo Park, CA. I have a three-day face-to-face staff meeting, and we've made it through the first day. Staff meetings of this nature are generally a good thing as long as they don't happen too often. I enjoy seeing my colleagues face to face, and there is something invaluable about being in the same room while discussing issues. On the other hand, some of the topics are going to be off-point for some of the participants. So, it's not a perfect use of time, but it's a necessary aspect of being a real team and seeking to improve as a team.

The biggest downside is that it pulls me away from my family. And what a time to leave them. Brenna is feeling pretty good these days, but she still can't do too much as it makes her feel achy and tired. The kids have all taken turns throwing up this last week, and we're just praying that Brenna's turn doesn't arrive while I am gone. What a disaster that would be. Savannah and Hunter are pretty well able to take care of the things they need to, and if it were just them, I wouldn't have too many qualms about being gone. But Maddie is a different story. She is in the button-pushing stage--and I mean that figuratively more than literally. She really enjoys seeing how far she can push her parents--and her sister and brother too, for that matter. It's hard enough when we're both home and feeling well, but with me gone and Brenna not feeling well Savannah and Hunter will really have to take on more responsibility than usual and take care of their sister. They both do a very good job with that in small spurts. We'll see whether they're able to maintain it over the course of a few days. I love them all so much, and it just pleases me to see them help each other.

As for here at work, we went to a Bocce Ball place this evening for our team event. Never done that before, but it was a good time. Highly worthwhile activity. I'm not aware of any such venues in Denver. I'll have to look into that. It would be very fun for a group get together.

It's always strange for me to do that sort of thing in a work setting though, because although I enjoy my work colleagues, I haven't gotten so close to those at Sun that I really consider them hang-out friends. I don't have many of those anyway, so it's a bit of a different situation. I find myself going into recluse mode and feeling eager to get back to the hotel so I can read or just watch TV in peace and solitude. I'm not sure what that says about me, but I do relish those quiet, down times.