At Melissa’s invitation Broos, Cydney and I met at the Meyer’s abode in Oceanside for an afternoon tour of the Blizzard compound. We hopped into Broos’ eco-friendly Prius and headed north to Irvine. It turned out to be a lovely drive since the recent rains have reinvigorated the burn area along the Palomar stretch of the 5. Colorful flowers and green grasses have replaced the blackened landscape on the east side of the highway, though scorched trees too far gone to spring back to life dotted the landscape. It hardly seems like there’s been enough time between the September fires and the New Year rains for the area to reinvent itself but there you have it - nature’s immune system, beautifully represented.

Blizzard’s campus is huge, comprised of three buildings surrounding a large courtyard. They’d set up a large buffet just in front of Building 1 - the only criticism I have of the event. When it’s warm and sunny outside, there oughtn’t be bottles of salad dressings, condiments and juices sitting in the heat. If no one got sick they are very lucky indeed. Next time, erect a tent and use ice trays and fans to keep perishables at a palatable temperature.

Our first tour was of the WoW think tank, a sprawling bunch of offices and bullpens. Partly due to buckets of money and partly due to common sense, they’ve arranged the environment to include lots of communal areas (lounges, break rooms, meeting areas, gaming areas) in an open floor plan that encourages workers to get out of their chairs to talk to someone else. There are lots of corridors and lots of whiteboards; one only need walk a few feet to find a writing surface - perfect for those hallway discussions that culminate in the next big ideas. Offices are tandem, with very few singles, further encouraging communication. In short, they did it right. That floor makes a big statement not just about the way they want to work as individuals but the way they want to work with each other. I want this for my team even if I have to kick some of ‘em in the butt to get it. It doesn’t have to take buckets of money but it does require a whole lotta common sense.

After a tour of Melissa’s building, a stop in her office to look at the poison dart frogs, and a tour of the very vacant (and very secretive) Team 1 floor, we made our way to The Yard House at a nearby mall for an early dinner (I see on their site that they’re opening one in Honolulu soon). Then it was back to Oceanside for a quick visit with Woofoo before heading home. Broos had to head downtown for a business gathering…I hope he got there on time.

What a relaxing Saturday, especially since Broos did the driving!

Today, however, is a different matter. Laundry and a redesign of Cydney’s bedroom are the highlights of the afternoon. Right now the other parent and I are taking a well-deserved break. I’ve got a desk and a hutch to assemble (which gives her a writing space next to the computer desk) and we should be done. Mom wants to go out for dinner, too. Since World War III already broke out with my cherub this morning, I can look forward to a peaceful evening…neither of us has the energy to keep fighting. Ah, parenthood! The sapper of weekends, the slayer of tranquility, the absolute weirdest and most unpredictable job in the universe. Fun stuff!

If I’m lucky and there’s time at the end of the day I’m going to pop into WoW and see if I can level the Blood Elf hunter I left in STV. Too soon, it’ll be Monday again. Which is ok, as I have lots and lots to do at work, too.