Subject: Weekend Update: Thanksgiving Week
Date:    Mon 11/30/98  8:55am

When I took off last Friday for an entire week off, I thought I might
be lolling about and taking my ease for much of the week.  That didn't
happen between shopping trips, Jessica's induction ceremony for the
National Honor Society, incoming In-Laws, and other events.

A note about Jessica ceremony: just before I winced at her and
wondered aloud whther I had video-taped her sisters induction.
Jessica replied that I didn't have to video-tape her ceremony and that
she'd prefer that I didn't.  I said, "thank you!"  I don't know what
it is but I get the heebie jeebies when I'm in school.  Must be
memories or something, but I just want to cut up.  My father-in-law
and I agreed that we both had to leave shortly after the ceremony
before either of us got out of hand and embarrassed the women of the
family.

I once vowed that I would NEVER be so stupid as to get up the day
after Thanksgiving and head to a store early in the morning.  I have
to eat those words because I am that stupid.  Best Buy was having a
sale on electronics that got me and my father-in-law out of bed at
6AM.  We arrived by 6:40 for a 7AM opening and stood about two-thirds
in line that had to have at least 400 people in it... and there was
another line just like it at the other door.  Needless to say the $5
modems and the $10 scanners (after rebate) were GONE in three minutes
of opening the doors, before we were able to get through the doors.
It wasn't wasted time, though.  I got $32 back for items I'd paid for
the week before that were on sale that morning.  However, Joy told me
that my sister-in-law Nancy has the sale-mania moves down pat.  If she
knows a good sale starts in a day or so, she'll buy the item at full
price the day before, then return on the sale day and collect the
difference through the price matching policy many stores have.  That
Nancy is a smart woman!

After the In-Laws headed out, the Christmas decorations appeared and
the house began its transformation for the season.  The two main trees
are up and lights and garland are up outside.  While Joy was primping
the outside decorations, Mandy and I took a walk on the other half of
the property which gets forgotten in the cold months.  We strolled
into the pool area and I dribbled some water into the pool out of a
hose that I had forgotten to put away.  The hollow sound of it caught
my attention so I looked through the mesh pool cover to discover that
my pool was nearly EMPTY!!!  AhhhhhhHH!  I have Jim Hedlund coming
over to assess the difficulties and the ($) and the work it will take
to save the situation which must be attended to before winter.  I'm
lucky I happened to check!

Miranda goes back to school tonight for the final stretch of the first
semester and we enter the final stretch of the Christmas season.  It's
a season that needs deep breaths and good humor, and fewer grinches
who'll scarf up ten scanners when other people waited in a cold line
for just one!  Sorry, no rainchecks; limited quantity.

Peace on earth to men of goodwill.  Now where's my turkey sandwich?

Mark
Mark Metcalfe, Cadence Design Systems, Inc.     _      metcalfe@cadence.com
                 ___                           (_)           (978) 446-6451
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