The French have a saying, "The best part of an affair is going up the stairs." And so it’s been that way for me with my 90 ½ year affair with life. For me, the anticipation of finding the unexpected has been the equivalent of "going up the stairs".
Meeting Bob Metcalfe was a really distasteful experience. He was, in my view, at that moment, a total asshole. Me and another guy were sitting by the Oak Creek pool, on a knockout summer day ogling women in skimpy bathing suits with falling out boobs, after playing tennis. He was a much better player than me.
Up walks this tall, good looking young guy. He says to my friend, 'My name is Bob Metcalfe, I’ve just moved into Oak Creek and I'd like to play tennis with you.’ totally fucking ignoring me, making me feel invisible.
That self non-introduction to me raised my fucking blood pressure significantly and wired me for sound. A burning match, shoved up my ass at that moment, would have shot me to the moon.
But I go up like a rocket and come down like a stick so making friends with Bob later was a natural outcome for me. He was absolutely right in ignoring me as a tennis player. I didn't belong on the court with him. Bob had been Captain of the MIT tennis team. As a tennis player I was a terrific plumber.
And so, days and weeks later, sitting by the tennis courts or out to dinner with my latest best friend, Bob Metcalfe, it was natural for me to insert myself into Bob's life. Always grinding on him, to look for the serendipity of life (climbing up the stairs) and use his formidable education, work background and work ethic plus his unbelievable creativity "to go up the stairs" and give up being a wage slave at Xerox Research.
Here was this guy, inventing, literally, a world changing procedure (Ethernet) while being a grunt for Xerox. How foolish. So having, at that point, fucked up my own life, why not give Bob's a whirl, drawing on my vast experience in fucking up.
| Bob at Xerox, 1973. Courtesy EthernetHistory.typepad.com |
Beating on Bob, this over schooled guy, with my street smarts was fun for this recovering alcoholic.
Finally Bob left Xerox and started consulting. There is no doubt that my grinding on Bob helped that decision but I certainly was not the only influence.
One day, after leaving Xerox, Bob told me that he was going to Dallas to try to hook on with Texas Instruments as a consultant and proudly told me that he was going to ask $250/day and expenses (flying in the back of the bus). I looked at him like a bull with a bastard calf and told him that he was out of his fucking WASPY mind.
Reviewing with Bob his unbelievable academic credentials (2 BS degrees, an MS plus a PhD) and the years with Xerox Research there was no doubt in my mind that he could be a high priced consultant. My advice to Bob was to tell the geniuses at TI that he charged $1,000 a day plus first class air fares. Bob asked how the hell could he justify that number when the going price for consultants was $250 a day. I told him to tell those assholes at TI that he, Bob, was going to ask $1,250 a day but that seemed too high while $750 a day seemed way to low and so he split the difference.
When Bob started to raise money to fund 3Com he held soirees in Woodside on weekends for potential investors and to also simply drum up interest in his venture. They were done, in California style, with swimming, tennis, beer drinking, the whole fucking California living bit.
They started as a total fucking failure and didn't draw flies. When Bob whined to me about it I asked if he had invited women to his bashes. When he told me "No.", I laughed and told him to give inviting women a whirl. He tried and the bashes became a huge success. Being an occasional sexist wasn't a problem for me in 1976. It would be today.
Bob did get $700 a day from TI plus first class travel. When Bob started 3Com he commented, sadly, that the company couldn't afford first class travel.
The high point of my business relationship with Bob Metcalfe was to introduce him to Dick Kramlich of New Enterprise Associates, another great guy and super achiever. NEA became the lead investor in 3Com which became a big financial, success for Dick Kramlich and Bob Metcalfe.
At the end of the day Bob’s huge success was aided and abetted, in a large part, by Robyn, his over the top smart wife. Robyn is damn good looking as well. Robyn supported Bob's efforts at 3Com and later through all of his ups and downs. And a roller coast ride it often was. Plus the general vicissitudes of life as well. A great person.
By odious comparison, my Princess, with my every downturn to my endeavors, would just fucking quit talking to me. She was as supportive of me as a sore ass in vinegar. Good times or bad. I am really sorry that the Princess passed on but I sure don't miss her.
2 comments:
liked it the first time and like the reprise even better
Like it even better the second time aroiund
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