The working day is long and surprisingly hard. In practice, each part of the schedule takes longer than planned, the breaks are largely ignored in the heat of passionate debate, and the session proceeds until the dinner reservation is at hand. Due to the multi-cultural and language challenges of having members from across the globe, the format for discussion is quite formal and stilted. One at a time we speak our piece, striving to use phrases that have a clear, unambiguous meaning. As each of the directors is a strong-willed and outspoken member of the user community, there is a good deal of opinion and insight to present on most issues.
Discussions continue en route to and over dinner, and continue afterwards.
Topics range from funding the organization to the latest new product from Informix, from how to communicate with each other across several time zones to how to translate a simple web site. Collapse into bed, alarm set, body trying to resume its waking rhythms, unaware of the drastic change in local time. Lie staring at the ceiling, mind running full-speed through issues only just defined, until the following morning and the chance to do it again and again for the next three or four days.