my visit to cambridge

[chris raettig <chris@raettig.org>]

following up three invitations and a mammoth six hour conversational
tour-de-force last week, on friday morning i finally got the opportunity to
escape london and visit the city of cyclists. the purpose of my trip was
to spend a day with the startup company i have been following lately. a chance
to meet the team and pursue my hidden agenda of making best use of an excuse
to journey out of london for the first time in several months. 

i was collected from the flat on cricklewood broadway by zaheer; my regular
taxi driver since i moved into the area. last week he gave me his mobile
number and the sincere offer that if i was ever stuck for a ride i should call
him directly. he is in his late twenties and bemoans the fact that his
lifestyle precludes meeting potential partners. batchelor solidarity.
i am greeted warmly and offered a cigarette as i get into the car.  
the portable speaking gps device is soon fished out of the glove compartment
and is before long directing us to kings cross. though long before we arrive i have
explained to zaheer my plans for the weekend and he offers to drive me all the
way to cambridge. 

in a happy go lucky and slightly frivolous mood i accept his offer, despite
having a good idea about the cost. then we punch 'cambridge' into the gps and
veer off onto the motorway for a delightful hour and a half drive. my
contented smile, often hidden by routine and stress, makes a gradual
reappearance as we start to pass fields and trees. 

we arrive outside the office/house of the startup company a little before
lunch. i thank zaheer, and when i ask him how much i owe, he says "you
decide". he always does this, and i hate as much as respect it. i would be
surprised if he didnt earn more money this way. i give him some money and ask
if he's happy. he is, so we both part company happy. 

i phone to confirm i've got the right place and am directed into the
appropriate building. adam greets me, though immediately disappears for a
shower. before i arrived he was trying to crush an egg in his hand and seems
to have had some luck, to the amusement of his team. i later learned that
their initial impression of me was similar amusement, due to my choice
of attire; a pair of enormous red boots with six inch platforms made me appear 
even taller than usual. though perhaps most alarming to them were my brilliantly 
lime-green trousers with strobing red lights. subtlety is not my strong suit. 

the rest of the day is covered by a non-disclosure agreement. 

in the evening we walked down into cambridge to spend an evening in the pub.
an entertaining, enlightening and occasionally surreal few hours which
provided a great opportunity for me to get a real insight into everyone (and
vice versa) and the group dynamic. after a quick trip to mcdonalds - who are
currently doing some surprisingly tasty ronald mcdonald gingerbread men - myself
and a geek called dave returned to the office/house, across the cambridge
parkland, to continue chatting and trading mp3 files. 

a little after 2am i fell asleep. despite having had only a few pints of
guinness, i felt a little worse for wear. i had been drinking with a london
friend of mine the previous night but hadn't had a proper pub session prior to
that for a couple of months. (at least, not that i remember). 

its saturday afternoon as i write this. an attempt to occupy myself during the
reluctant train ride back to london. i resisted the temptation to phone
zaheer. i woke uncharacteristically early this morning and revelled in the
amazing sunshine. i took a very pleasant walk around the city center and some
of the esoteric book and craft shops on its periphery. i had an ice-cream in
the park and took a boat out onto the water. 

my heart sinks slightly as we approach london kings cross. i take comfort in
the resolution i have made to escape again before too long.