Decision Software Events
2005 Events | 2006 Events | 2007 Events | 2008 Events
One of the things that you can count on when it comes to DSI is that we will work hard. However, we play just as hard. This page is dedicated to keeping track of what we do when we're relaxing. Feel free to check back and keep up with what the DSI family has been getting into.
DSI Events - 2008
GE and DSI Go Fishing Yet Again!!
June 24, 2008
GE came for another visit to DSI and we went fishing!!! This time we changed things up by fishing for our bait and then taking the bait (small spot fish) and went fishing for big rockfish. It was the perfect day for a boat ride and some fishing on the bay. After a fun day out on the Chesapeake, we ended it with a dinner of blue crabs and shrimp!!! SLIDESHOW.
DSI Events - 2007
DSI Holiday Party
December 21, 2007
DSI went to our traditional holiday feast at Jaspers, with thoughts of food dancing in our heads. Kat and Eli made a new friend in a snowman puppet while the rest of the office enjoyed some calamari and wings. From everyone here at DSI, we wish you a happy New Year, and we will see you in 2008.
DSI Goes Camping
September 19, 2007
DSI Headed to the Fowler cabin for some camping, nature, and s’mores. Set deep in the wilds of West Virginia, the cabin is located on 52 beautiful acres. After eating a breakfast of bacon and pancakes, everyone went for a swim in the lake. Later that night, a huge bonfire was lit and people roasted marshmallows and made s’mores. By the last embers of the fire, everyone crawled into their sleeping bags for a good night’s rest. SLIDESHOW.
GE and DSI Visit Medieval Times
September 05, 2007
After a great day of fishing and talking, DSI and GE went out to Medieval Times to celebrate and be treated like kings. Feasting with their bare hands on huge hunks of bread and giant chicken legs, everyone drank out of pewter flagons while watching jousting, swordfights, and falconry. Despite cheering their hearts out and their throats sore, their knight, the Red Knight, went to the top of the tournament, only to be betrayed and defeated. Afterwards, the group went back home to the 21st century. SLIDESHOW.
GE and DSI go Fishing
August 8, 2007
GE came to visit DSI and went after rockfish in the Bay. Other than the heat, there was a nice breeze and the day was beautiful. And despite the bluefish eating almost all of their bait, almost everyone managed to catch some rockfish. But the biggest fish was definitely caught by Carrie. Congratulations Carrie! SLIDESHOW.
Round Two: Client Services Cooks Breakfast
January 10, 2007
A few months ago, DSI's Operations department threw down the gauntlet by cooking a delicious breakfast for everyone, and challenging the other departments to do the same. Well, Client Services answered the call with bacon, waffles, cheese omelets and sauteed apples. They might have made a complete mess of the kitchen, but everyone agreed that the breakfast was quite tasty. They did end up making too much food though, more than even Eli could eat.
DSI Events - 2006
Reflections and Restraint at Dinner
December 21, 2006
The entire DSI crew (and significant others) headed to Jaspers for our end of the year dinner. After reflecting on a great year, the release of MarketWide 2.1, and our new hires, everyone dug in for a hearty meal. Even though Eli stole some food, including crap dip, from the programmers' end of the table, a food fight was averted. Everyone here at DSI is looking forward to a 2007 as exciting as 2006.
DSI and GE Fall Fishing, 2006
November 14, 2006
Despite some rainy weather, GE and DSI went fishing. They made some impressive catches, including a sixteen pound rockfish. Thankfully the water was not too rough, and everyone enjoyed their time on the Chesapeake Bay. RIGHT: Jeff and Don Olson of General Electric.
Chris and Eli Age and Mature . . . Right?
November 3, 2006
DSI's own Eli and Chris celebrated their birthdays this week, on the same day no less! When asked about sharing the same birthday, Eli said, "Why do you think we hired him?" Chris spent his day off doing all the exciting things, like getting his oil changed.
The Gourmands Go Out
October 6, 2006
DSI went out to Jaspers Restaurant in Crofton, Maryland, for some great food and the chance to relax. Jeff let Sabine and Kat order for everyone, and once Seva got his calamari everyone was safe. Kat made sure that no one touched her chicken fingers and a good time was had by all. [L TO R: Josh, Jeff, Seva, Kat (turned away), Christine Fowler (Allen's wife), Allen, Feng, Adam, Blake's Chair, Mike, Sabine.]
Breakfast Contest — Another Brilliant Idea from DSI!
September 29, 2006
In a turn from the usual Bagel Wednesday, the DSI Operations team treated the whole company to a hot breakfast of sausage, bacon, English muffins, eggs, and fruit. The whole meal was delicious, and everyone was very appreciative. Blake thought he looked pretty snazzy in his chef's hat. But now, the gauntlet has been thrown, and the Client Services team has been challenged to cook the next breakfast. The Programming team will cook after them, with their expected menu of Cheetos and Red Bull. Watch this space for more information on how the contest ends. SLIDESHOW.
The DSI Family Grows
September 17, 2006
DSI's own programming ninja, Seva, is now the proud father of a bouncing baby boy. Born Sunday, September 17, baby Artem weighed in at 8½ pounds, 20 inches, at Howard County General Hospital. Everyone at DSI is very happy for Seva, and can’t wait to see if Artem has inherited his father’s programming skills. Here is Artem blessing DSI and wishing the world, peace.
Bellowing and Bowling
September 9, 2006
DSI went bowling to celebrate Kat's birthday. In anticipation of Kat turning 21, DSI turned out to knock down some pins and wear those fancy shoes. Despite Chris's fondness for stepping past the foul line and Michael deciding that the gutter was a better target than the pins, everyone did fairly well. The high scorer of the evening was Josh with 117. Jason and Josh finished the night with a mano-a-mano bowling challenge which ended in a thrilling tie.
Allen Fowler Marries!!
July 29, 2006
DSI lost another bachelor when Allen married Christine née Vadalà at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in College Park. Allen is happy to have a reason to no longer work nights and DSI is happy to see more of someone prettier than Allen. We also learned that both Jason and Chris can dance the Electric Slide. SLIDESHOW.
Gracias, Jason y el Club Dust
July 2006
DSI's own Jason Hounshell recently spent some time in Mexico with his church group as a volunteer for Club Dust, an organization that builds houses for underprivileged families. Jason traveled cross-country to the village of El Niño, just outside the town of Tecate, Mexico. In 3 days the volunteers built a total of 6 houses complete with electricity and lavatories. The volunteer workers braved 112 degree heat and dust storms but in the end it was worth it. Six families had brand new homes and each volunteer had a profound sense of accomplishment. SLIDESHOW.
Take Us Out to the Ballgame!
May 24, 2006
DSI went out to the old ballgame to support our home team, the Washington Nationals. The Nationals-Astros game started slowly with the Astros pulling ahead with a run in the second. But the Nationals tied it in the sixth and then came back with four runs to win the game 5-1, bringing the series to 2-1. Not bad for their second season! It was a great night at RFK Stadium, the weather was warm, the drinks were cold, and there were plenty of peanuts for everyone, even Blake. SLIDESHOW.
Rockfish and the Bay
April 17, 2006
On April 17th, GE came up from Kentucky to join DSI for a fishing trip on the Chesapeake Bay. Despite the poor weather, everyone from GE walked away with rockfish that were at least three feet. But not to be outdone, Allen showed his master fishing skills by catching a forty inch rockfish. We'll tell you later how tasty all those fish were! SLIDESHOW.
DSI - "The Hawaiian Period"
March 24, 2006
In a fit of random high spirits and well-mannered frivolity, some of the Client Services Team and Programmers of DSI "cut loose" on Friday by coming to work in Hawaiian shirts. The event was so well conceived by Adam Langford that even Jeff, the big boss himself, was convinced into join in the celebrations on Friday. [L TO R: Jeff, Blake, Adam, Chris, Jason, Josh.] SLIDESHOW.
DSI Guys with Guns
February 25, 2006
Sometimes you just have to relieve some stress. Sometimes that means being just a little destructive. And sometimes, that means blasting old office equipment with high caliber firearms. Jason and Blake went out with a group of friends to do just that. Favorite targets included two old CRT monitors, a few printers, and a pink flamingo lawn ornament. There are few things more therapeutic than decimating an old computer monitor with a 10 gauge shotgun.
DSI Events - 2005
DSI Celebrates Christmas
December 21, 2005
On December 21, DSI held its annual Christmas party at Jasper's restaurant in Crofton. We brought our significant others, so we had to behave, but a good time was still had by all. Eli ended up eating not only his own food, but the food of four others as well. Gifts were exchanged, and now everyone in the office is equipped with toy guns. They were for "protection" but seem to have triggered an intra-office war instead, with the programmers leading the way. Our hallways are littered with tiny plastic discs. The New Year is already starting with off with a bang!
DSI and General Electric Quarterly Meeting
November 4, 2005
When GE visited DSI for the annual quarterly meeting, November 3-4, GE got a chance to see the new PromoTrak capabilities in MarketWide 2.0 as well as largest charter fishing boat in Maryland, the Bounty Hunter. We discussed business strategies for the upcoming year and fishing strategies for catching Stripers.
The first mate on the boat was a nice guy named Mike. Mike's girlfriend Tracy managed the same hotel GE was staying in! We liked Mike so much that our GE friends invited him and Tracy to dinner with us, and we enjoyed a pleasant time with them at the restaurant, owned by the Bounty Hunter’s captain, called Cove Beach.
Our friends from MKTG joined us the next day for a very productive working session. For some odd reason, a few of us showed up bleary eyed that morning, but we bravely pushed onwards. After the morning work session, we all had a terrific buffet luncheon at the Bamboo Garden restaurant. As always, work got done, good times were had, and we’re already looking forward to the next quarterly.
DSI 2005 Fishing Trip
September 1, 2005
DSI recently took to the high seas to partake in one of the most masculine and time honored traditions in human history: the art of trying to catch a fish with a stick and a fake worm. By day's end, many fearsome fish met their demise at the hands of the DSI crew even though the fishing was a bit thin for a few hours, possibly because Jeff's shirt scared them away. A fantastic time was had by all, especially Josh, who lucked out after a discussion as to whether or not we could catch a shark if we used him as bait. SLIDESHOW.
DSI Does Frisbee Golf!
August 11, 2005
Sometimes it's just nice to get out and throw things, so recently we had the DSI Frisbee golf outing. Jeff proved to be clutch at "putting" and Eli, shockingly, does not throw like a girl. However, the new guys, Adam and Jason, definitely need some more practice. Adam hit so many trees that by the end of the day we were calling him "lumberjack". To punish him for his poor throwing, we had waiters at the 94th Aero Squadron sing him a little song. He also wore a replica WWII infantry helmet, which is cooler than he is. As always, a good time was had by all.
Why Wash the Walls When You Can Paint Them Instead?
April 8, 2005
Spring-cleaning has arrived! The DSI Client Services crew teamed up with a few programmers to paint our server room. Although we got more paint on each other than the walls, we are proud to announce that the floor looks really nice!