Lexi's Life

			Lexi's Life ...with cookie too!
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Are You A Republican?

posted by AlexandraRS at 9:51 PM | 2 comments

Wedding Advice

Today's Miss Manners mentions that tears at weddings aren't always for the reason you would suspect. I thought I'd pass it along. I've included the whole text to avoid you needing to link away from wonderful Lexi's Life.

Weddings still make people cry, Miss Manners has discovered. But not, it seems, for the traditional reasons.

The spectacle of an innocent young couple inspired by love to leave the homes and protection of their respective parents and create an irrevocable bond used to set off the sensitive souls among their guests. When people of experience emerge from their own home to create a negotiable bond subject to cancellation, it may still be touching, but perhaps not to a tear-jerking extent.

However, among the people associated with modern weddings, there are still plenty on the verge of tears:

The bride, because she has spent a year planning this wedding, and has discovered that the flowers for the table are a deeper pink than she ordered and don't match the sashes on the bridesmaids' dresses.

The bridegroom, because he's had a lonely year and is not sure the solution to it is that executive-level events planner who has been ordering him around.

The mother of the bride, because she has been told that she didn't put enough money into the wedding to entitle her to have any opinions about how it should be conducted.

The father of the bride, because he has been told that he couldn't bring his second wife, who is home crying.

The mother of the bridegroom, because she has been forced to wear a dress in a color she hates.

The father of the bridegroom, because he paid for his daughter's wedding in its entirety and has now been told that tradition demands that at his son's wedding, he pay for a dinner party for the entire guest list the night before and for all the liquor being consumed during several days of festivities.

The bridesmaids, because their time, money and patience has been freely consumed for events, clothes and demands to which they never consented.

The groomsmen, because they've had too much beer all week. (The bridesmaids have had just as much, but they hold it better. Or get to the restroom faster.)

The guests, because they realize they have blown their vacation time, as well as great sums of money for transportation, hotels and several rounds of presents, in a place and with a crowd they haven't chosen, only to stand around doing nothing while the wedding pictures are being taken.

The bride's colleagues, because they had to chip in to give her a shower, and they weren't even invited to the wedding.

So who, exactly, is enjoying this ordeal?

Miss Manners still believes in happy weddings, and has been to more than a few. But she is beginning to understand why observers of the wedding scene, other than those who are there for love or money, assert that there is an inverse relationship between the elaborateness of the wedding festivities and the success of the marriage. A number of sociologists, divorce lawyers and members of the clergy have been quoted remarking that the more lavish, complicated and prolonged the arrangements, the more likely the marriage is to end in divorce.

Here is what makes her teary: The spectacle of a couple, perhaps not so young and not so innocent but nevertheless in love, who feel obliged to devote untold amounts of time and money to producing an elaborate festival that is beyond their experience and capacity and leaves everyone cranky.

© United Feature Syndicate

posted by AlexandraRS at 2:13 PM | 0 comments

Silly Meal

I was checking out the specials online for one of the eating places on campus. There was something titled "Jacobs Hot Cowboy Pasta Salad" and I couldn't help but giggle. Is it "hot" as in good looking cowboys? or "hot" as in spicy? And what do cowboys have to do with pasta salads anyway?

posted by AlexandraRS at 12:48 PM | 0 comments

Crazy Start

I just spent a nice weekend with my family in town. We went shopping, ate good food and I didn't do any homework. I wasn't too concerned. Most of my papers are due next week so I can work on them this weekend. I'm also on duty a few nights this week to make sure I can catch up. So I went to bed fairly early last night and slept like a log. It was great. I felt refreshed and ready to start the week. Everything was going good. I jumped in the shower, got dressed and as I was brushing my teeth went over my schedule to make sure I had everything I needed.

oops....

I didn't do my Ethics homework and wasn't going to have time before class to get it done. Oh well, it's the first assignment I've missed and as long as I turn it in this afternoon or tomorrow, I'll at least get half credit.

Then I walked into the RA office really quick to see if there was anything in my mailbox.

oops....

I forgot to fill out my weekly update. So I grabbed that really fast, scribbled in some answers and slipped it into my boss's mailbox. phew, no one will notice I flaked.

So I got my backpack together, and walked out the door.

oops....

I had parked my car in front of my building this weekend as I was going back and forth with the family. Saturday night I came home and my headache was so bad that I didn't bother moving my car all the way back to the parking lot I need to park in during the week. So I walked out of my room and saw my car on the road just asking for a ticket. Did I mention that I was already late to class? So I jumped in the car and hoped that I could find a parking spot in my lot. Nope. So I ended up driving all the way down to a lower parking structure. I figured I was going to miss most of class because I'd have to wait for a tram to take me up to campus. Luckily, I followed a tram down and he waited for me to park. Thank goodness!

So suddenly a morning that could have been a royal mess ended up being okay. But that doesn't mean I get to slack off this afternoon. I've still got to do a little bit of catching up.

posted by AlexandraRS at 12:34 PM | 0 comments

Mom Stuff

As Mother's Day approaches (It's this Sunday, don't forget!) I felt like I should post this survey forwarded to me by Cookie. It's tracking a variety of opinions by mothers.

Among the major findings:

While hardly discounting the many challenges they face, American moms are satisfied with their lives, feel appreciated at home, are content with the choices they make and believe they are doing a good job as mothers.
Contrary to some recent publications, relatively few moms believe they have to live up to some idealized version of motherhood.
That said, moms need and want help. Among the most striking data to emerge is the correlation between dad's participation and mom's happiness. Indeed, moms who have more help from their partners at home and in raising their children are more content, more fulfilled spiritually and even more satisfied sexually.
While moms generally feel appreciated at home, they do not believe the nation as a whole gives them the support they need; moms prove fairly critical of the direction of the country, not only in terms of the economy, but particularly in terms of moral values.
Moms weigh in on the values debate in a fashion that should expand our definition of "moral values voters." Moms' greatest fears for their children spring from perceived problems in our culture, from drugs to premarital sex to Internet crimes. At the same time, moms prove both traditional and pragmatic with a majority supporting sex education and prayer in school.

posted by AlexandraRS at 12:29 PM | 0 comments

HAPPY MAY!

It's May Day!

that means....

It's my Birthday Month!!!

My birthday is in four days. Feel free to leave celebratory comments all week, specifically Wednesday, and for that matter, all month.

I'll try to make some comments about birthdays and life, etc. this week.

posted by AlexandraRS at 9:02 PM | 0 comments

The Future

Cookie has been doing the job search for most of the semester. He's got a few interviews this week that we're all hoping are successful. But he came to me this afternoon with a whole new possibility. He has always considered going to graduate school after a few years in the working world but his newest idea is a bit different than what most college graduates would consider. It got me thinking....

It's amazing how two people's lives fit together. When you really think about it, we're lucky that we fall in love with another person who's life plans correspond with our own. Obviously there are a few different scenarios. Some people marry and one moves to support the other person's career goals. In other cases, they don't marry until they've each pursued some path. Somehow, in some situations, two people's careers end up matching so well that they can both do their jobs together. But when you really consider it, it seems like a slim chance that you really find the perfect person for you. The person who will either give you the stability you need or the person who will be flexible while you pursue your life. Think about it, you could fall in love with someone and then realize that your goals in life aren't compatible. But that generally doesn't happen. There are pleanty of married people to prove that this kind of stuff magically works out... well not so magically I'd guess. I know where I fit into this whole puzzle. I'm the one who will support another's career goals. I am so undecided with my life that I have no problem following someone else and finding my way where ever I end up.

If you haven't caught on already, the relationship between Cookie and I is pretty serious. Just about every time he presents a new idea for his life, I start to think about how mine will fit into that picture. I told Cookie tonight that I'm a 100% supporter of any challenge he decides to face. In fact, I'm enthusiastic about anything he's doing because as soon as he firms up his plans, I get a chance to play around a little more with mine.

posted by AlexandraRS at 8:32 PM | 1 comments

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