-----Original Message-----
From: Sue Blumenberg [mailto:sue@editique.com]
Sent: Friday, September 21, 2001 3:15 PM
Subject: A few afterthoughts...

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. Though not in that order...

Tuesday morning at CorelWORLD 2001 began on a very positive note. Early arrivals had enjoyed the Sunday Crash Courses or a little sightseeing, and were settling down for a week of learning and camaraderie. The conference was running smoothly, and in his keynote address the day before, Corel CEO Derek Burney had hinted at some very positive news later in the week for Ventura users.

The first unconfirmed news began to trickle in toward the end of Tony Severenuk's keynote. As everyone headed for the first breakout session, we began frantically working with the hotel AV staff to get a television feed into the ballrooms before the session broke. Half an hour later, CNN was on in Conference Central, as it would be for the rest of the week.

Most people heard about what had happened, and saw the first of countless replays of the disaster footage, during the 10:30 break. We stood together in stunned silence, unable to take in the enormity of what had occurred.

Our first logistical decision was easy: 200 people had come to Boston for instruction and, to the best of our ability, we would continue to provide it. Not only because it was our responsibility to do so, but also because it would be so important for all of us--staff and patrons alike--to have some kind of framework for holding the many thoughts and feelings that would arise during the week.

Some patrons did attend the 11:00 session, while others remained to watch the television coverage. I cannot express enough admiration for Tom Anzai, Paul Huntington, and Bob van Duuren, the three presenters who somehow managed to gave seminars during that time slot.

Meanwhile, the staff considered the evening's events. Trivia was scheduled.Would running the game as planned be inappropriate, or would it provide a welcome outlet for some of the day's tension? Rick asked for feedbackduring lunch, and the consensus was that the game should go on. An open bar helped too, as did just being together. Some guests in the hotel bar across the way may have been wondering how we could hold such a seemingly festive event on a night like this, but we were all grieving and processing the events of the day in our own ways. We were fortunate in that the plans for the rest of the evening were sports and an informal dinner at the hotel country club, rather than an excursion into town. I don't think it was just my imagination that the energetic pre-dinner volleyball game served more than just social purposes.

Tuesday set the pattern for the rest of the week: Maintain the conference structure as much as possible, and within that structure support each other in as many ways as we could. Logan Airport did not open until Saturday morning, so many people who were planning to join us for the last half of the conference were unable to do so. Others who had planned to leave on Wednesday afternoon or Thursday found themselves with us for the rest of the week.

There were exceptions, of course--most notably, Gary Priester and volunteer Steve Spriggs who left on Wednesday afternoon by Greyhound for New Mexico.Steve has promised a complete report about his experiences traveling on a bus with Gary for three days.

Wednesday night was to have been a visit to the Boston Theater District, but we received word that all shows were dark and it was still best to stay away from downtown, so carpools formed to check out some local (and a few not-so-local) restaurants. For those who stayed at the hotel or returned early, Wayne Kaplan presented "Movie Night at CorelWORLD," with screenings from his DVD collection.

Julie Grimes from San Diego was scheduled to give most of the Web-related seminars on Thursday and Friday, and we did the best we could to fill in those slots. Special thanks to Bill Blinn and Tom Anzai for their extraordinary work under extraordinary circumstances. And Graham Brown from Corel joined us by conference call from Ottawa on Friday to share the promised news about the future of Ventura.

By Friday afternoon we were all physically and emotionally drained, but grateful to have been able to spend this trying time away from home with such a sensitive, supportive community. Our farewell gathering, as we prepared to go our separate ways, was a reflection of these feelings-relief to be heading home, tinged with a reluctance to leave the safe cocoon we had woven together.

This scene was repeated many times in the lobby of the hotel over the next few days--hugs, tears, and grateful smiles between close friends who in many cases had been acquaintances or strangers just a few days before.