Mon Feb 23 09:08 EST 1998
Weekend Update: February 20-22

I know that Mardi Gras means "Fat Tuesday" so I guess I should say that
Joy and I had "Friday Gras" (I failed French in 7th grade) when we attended
the Cadence company party.  Our company has done well enough last year that
they decided to award its employees with a party on the town, so they bussed
a bunch of us into Boston to a club called Jillians.  They provided a
sumptious dinner and a bag of game tokens (each) for me and my guest.
I started my gaming on the pinball machines but quickly realized that
there would be no way Joy and I could use up 200 tokens on pinball in
3 hours.  It was then that I discovered how unamusing some of the games
can be as we poured tokens into machines just to use them up.  I mean
some of the games cost 6 tokens per game.  We even started throwing tokens
into "skill" games which would spit out tickets, which were redeemable
for prizes. We gave our tickets away to some other employee who also
gathered tickets, to boost his winnings.  In the end, we came home
with 9 tokens, running out of time, as a momento of our night out.
The turkey was very good.  :^9   However, they served Pepsi >%^6.

Now, as we exited the club, a coworker friend of mine was standing to the
right and the busses were across the street to the left.  My coworker
blurts out "don't you look this way!"  That's because there were three
bikini-clad women in a hot tub on Landsdown Street (remember this is
February in New England, folks).  We boarded our bus and shuttled back
from Mars, happy to return to Mayberry from our trip to outer space.

On Saturday, we ran some errands including a stop at the Scotts where their
dog happened to be welping puppies.  I'm told there are 30 people in line
for four puppies.  Poor Linda was up all night with momma, helping herself
become a grandma again with all her Lamazze (sp) training.

I was able to catch one of those rare treasures, a nap, on Saturday.
And as I drifted off, I thought back to the days when I was my son's
age.  I thought it odd that my father would doze on the couch in the
middle of the afternoon, and likely Andrew thinks the same thing about
me.  I seemed never to be tired; what was wrong with dad?  Hmmm.

Ash Wednesday (two days from now) will be Flush Wednesday for me because
I'll be on the wagon flushing Coca-cola out of my system right on up
to Easter.  Who knows, maybe my blood will turn back to being that red
color again.  We may also be without Chocolate, too, (except the Andrew,
and maybe Emily).  I am not looking forward to giving up some of my favorite
things but I am looking forward to what and Who will replace them.

Have a good week!

Mark
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Mark Metcalfe, Cadence Design Systems, Inc.                \
270 Billerica Road, MS04                                    \  O,
Chelmsford, Massachusetts, 01824                     (_______\/ )_______/
Phone: (978) 446-6451 Fax: (978) 446-6351          -----------\--------------