Happy Hours by the Bay

Sharlee Merner Bradley and Yasuko Wooster

Oakland

On a Wednesday evening in October, a few NCTA members who wanted to be happy together met at the Pacific Coast Brewing Company in Oakland to exchange war stories. It was exciting to have member Per Dohler, visiting from Germany with his wife Thea, join eight other NCTA members for this event. Per has been a valuable contributor to many online discussions.

On an earlier night in October, a mini-gathering of Bob Killingsworth, Luis Salvago, Sylvia Korwek, and I lunched at a Thai restaurant in Lafayette. The four NCTA members hashed out methods of getting paid from Europe.

These social gatherings, organized by Raffaella, have been a great success. We all need to relax now and then and pour out our trials and tribulations to our sympathetic colleagues. Usually we go home with new ideas and solutions to our everyday challenges. Go NCTA! SM

San Francisco

September 5th was a very warm day—rather unusual in San Francisco. At 5:30 PM, there was no fog; the breeze was soft and the skies were blue. A perfect evening to go somewhere after work!

This is the first time I have ever attended a “Happy Hour” sponsored by NCTA. In the past, I had always found some excuse for not attending such an event: “I am too tired after work,” “It is too far,” or some such reason. But not this time.

Mijita is a casual Mexican restaurant in the Ferry Building. After ordering our food, I went outside to join the other 20 or so NCTA members who also attend¬ed. Looking at the gorgeous view of San Francisco Bay, we had a drink, ate, chatted, and enjoyed each other’s company—a nice break indeed from our daily routine.

Yes, there is a life without a computer screen. Next time, please join us for an NCTA Happy Hour! YW