No Cal

Not referring to whether it's fattening or not, no, I'm talking about Northern California. Yesterday I flew out to San Fran with my boss and pal Mike with the goal of two client visits, and two meals with consultants to get intel. Alas our flight out was delayed 2 hours, so the first consultant meal got missed... but all else has gone delightfully to plan!

The drive to Sacramento was quite beautiful - rolling green hills, occasionally dotted with cattle and goats, punctuated with unnervingly identical strip mall eruptions every 10 miles. The closer to Sacramento, the flatter it got, and the more rows of orchards... this is farm country.

On the way to Sacramento, I got very very hungry: I hadn't eaten for hours, and by my food clock, it was well past dinner. So I got Mike to stop at an In-n-Out Burger. This is a California chain (they've reached a little further, but it's intensely regional). The menu offers 4 items (burger, cheeseburger, double cheeseburger, fries), and freshness is their watchword: Everything made to order, potatoes are peeled and julienned as you watch. They pride themselves on politeness and cleanliness... it's maybe the best fast food place in the universe.

In Sacramento, our contact had recommended two hotels - one very close to the site, and one a bit further, but much nicer. We decided to go for the close one, since that's where our people stay... and while it wasn't bad for me, it was terrible for Mike: He got the "Ice Machine" room, and had people making noise outside his room at all hours - getting only 3 hours of sleep in total. Our consultant couldn't believe we had stayed there - and even though the job site is a mere 1.5 BLOCKS from the hotel, she said it was not safe to walk to! Me, I think it wasn't so bad...

Dinner out with our Consultant was good, though she's a vegetarian and didn't much like that I got the Cassoulet (with duck, pork, sausage, and white beans). But she ate maybe 4 leaves of butter lettuce in the course of the evening, so I suspect she's not so much against meat as much as against FOOD. But the conversation was very pleasant, and she's a GREAT consultant - I'm lucky to have her there. And the only fish dish they had was a scallops in cream sauce, so I wasn't TRYING to be "mister MEAT", but the circumstances dictated it.

Today we drove 3 hours from Sacramento down to Fresno. Yes, we stopped at another In-n-Out on the way, and this time got the burgers "Animal Style" - this is off the "secret menu" only available to those in the know - it adds grilled onions and the burger is fried with mustard... oooooohhhh it was good. Fortunately I had worked out, so I didn't feel TOO guilty, but I'll need to be sure to do it tomorrow too, or the pants will not fit.

Between the San Fran to Sacramento leg and the Sacremento to Fresno leg, it was over 5 hours of drive time with Mike... and I'm pleased to note that the time passed quickly and the conversation flowed without trouble. That is a good thing. The scenery on the Fresno leg was very flat, lots of orchards, punctuated with depressingly similar trailer parks every 20 miles... More than a few farms looked to be in complete disrepair - it'll be interesting to see what this corridor looks like in 10 years - will the cities (modesto, stockton, lodi, madera) between Sacramento and Fresno blur into one long strip-mall-o-plex? You can already see the tendrils extending north and south, and the older businesses starting to go to seed... Soon it will be all "Bed Bath and Beyond" wherever you go.

I was seized with a romantic notion to swoop in and buy one of these farms and really have a go at it. Then I remembered The Grapes of Wrath, and thought better of it.

In Fresno, the potential client seemed eager enough, but had a strange condition: Would it be ok if they didn't pay until late 2009? They made a mistake with their capital requisition, so the funds won't be available until then. That's usually the point at which you throw the smoke bombs down and disappear in a haze, but no, we smiled and said we could work something out. Despite the odd financing, it looks like a lot of potential. On the way out the door, with loaded arms and jackets on, the client decided to keep on chatting... more of a monologue really... and literally we had to fake another appointment to escape after 30 minutes.

At the Fresno airport, we got on a tiny little 30 seat prop plane for the jaunt down to LA. It was a bumpy ride, but quite pleasant. I amused myself by thinking it was 1957 and we're in a DC3 or a Constellation, with wood paneling, and we're wearing felt hats and smoking pipes...

When we landed at LAX, there was a beautiful moment - we were landing, while on a parallel runway a 747 from Virgin was just taking off - so we moved together for a time, us slowing, him speeding up... and in the darkness with the brilliant halogen/xenon lights, it had a science fiction feel. We then taxied all around the airport, and with our size, it felt like we were in a go kart speeding around. We almost scooted under a few much larger planes, which were like hulking whales. We felt nimble, agile... like a mouse running across the floorboards.

A quick meal at the hotel, and we're in for the night. A noon flight home for me (between flight time and time change, I won't see home until after 6). So I'll get some work done in the room in the AM.

So a relatively successful first business trip: No signed papers, but that wasn't expected. No, we made some good contacts, got some good leads on work that is coming up that we can position ourselves for, and most importantly had some fun.

But I'm SO looking forward to seeing Pamela and Bella and Isaac: I'm imagining their hugs right now, and I hope they feel my virtual hug in their dreams.