NCTA

HAPPY HOUR IN REDWOOD CITY

Organizer Deana Smalley is passing the appetizers offered by corporate member Peritus at our second Redwood City Happy Hour. Left to right: Hany Farag, Yuki Lapin, Raffaella Buschiazzo, Deana Smalley, and Raija Rapo.

BY DEANA SMALLEY

It all started when I decided to go to a Happy Hour in San Francisco. After an unsuccessful attempt to get together a carpool to the Ferry Building, I decided to take public transportation instead. Then I missed the train. If only it weren’t so far away. I asked events coordinator Raffaella Buschiazzo if it would be okay if I organized a happy hour on the Peninsula. Raffaella said YOU GO GIRL!!! or words to that effect. I told NCTA Treasurer Dagmar Dolatschko, a Peninsula resident and owner of Peritus Language Services, what I was up to in case she wanted to help organize it. Fortunately for all involved, she did.

Dagmar extended personal invitations to many NCTA members and offered to bankroll the appetizers. I chose the Franklin Street Caffé in Redwood City because it isn’t too noisy, it’s near public transportation, it has lots of free parking, and—very important—each person can order and pay separately at the counter, so there’s no unseemly scramble to grab the check. We decided on a date and time: Thursday, September 30, 2010 from 5:30 to 7:00. I warned the manager of the Caffé, Raffaella and Dagmar sent out the word, and we were in business.

The following devotees of St. Jerome gathered to toast him on his special day: Sharlee Bradley, Raffaella Buschiazzo, Valerie Chataignier, Kasie Cheung, Renate Chestnut, Dagmar Dolatschko, Hany Farag, Yuki Lapin, Marianne Pripps, Raija Rapo, Thomas Shou and yours truly, Deana Smalley. We ate, we drank, we chatted. Dagmar took photos and kept the snacks coming. At one point she tried to hand me her very intimidating camera, but Hany came to my rescue. Thanks, Hany!

Afterwards, Dagmar told me Sharlee came from Lafayette, nearly 50 miles away! Maybe I can make it to Happy Hour in San Francisco after all. DS