Boston Mashathon, Day One

The first day of this two-day event has had its ups and downs. On the "up" side attendees absorbed a lot of information about OCLC Web Services and are now (even as I write this) working away in small groups on particular ideas (see photo). The food has been great, and the mini cupcakes were both very colorful and tasty (see photo). We have also been pleased to welcome back a few people who have attended a past event as well as long-time friends who we haven't seen for a while. The Microsoft NERD facility here is fantastic, with lots of informal spaces to congregate, retro furniture in bright colors, and a kitchen area with non-stop soda, coffee, and snacks. Everything, in other words, to keep this group of geeks caffeinated and on a sugar high -- both requisites for hard-core coding. On the "down" side Kathryn Harnish, our valued OCLC colleague, fell on her way back into the building after lunch and injured her foot. She is now at the hospital getting an x-ray so we don't even know yet the extent of her injuries. She is being ably assisted through this ordeal by our colleague Alice Sneary. We're worried about Kathryn, but at least she is in good hands at Mass General. The Microsoft staff here at the NERD facility were very helpful as well. Definitely on the "up" side also is the idea from our host Tania Fersenheim to adjourn to a local Cambridge pool hall to continue over drinks. Now that's the kind of group work we can get behind.