workingdad's comments

Why do some couples not want a traditional ceremony? - Blog Entry

16 May 2006 06:00 AM

Okay okay, I was being flip. feel free to delete the other comment. :-) My wife and I wrote our own ceremony and found a great caterer that had a beautiful outdoor location. He worked with our budget. We did have a lot of people -- maybe 150-200 people -- but there was little traditional about it. We had a giant cannoli instead of a cake. We had a minister only to officially pronounce us m and w, and to file the legal paperwork for the marriage certificate. Two of our friends really led and officiated it. My father wrote a song and sang it. My sister played guitar. I sang "In Your Eyes" (it's the whole "Say Anything" effect!). Readings came from the Book of Psalms, e.e. cummings, and Rilke's "Letters to a Young Poet." Our guests blew bubbles as we were officially announced married. I wore purple Converse Chuck Taylor high-tops. The dj played no line dances. We did do a slamdance to the B-52s' "Rock Lobster."

I did, however, kiss the bride, and did dip her halfway down. You only get to do that once, you know! (Ideally)

Why do some couples not want a traditional ceremony? - Blog Entry

16 May 2006 05:52 AM

No. :-)

Facing Divorce, with a Special Needs Child - Blog Entry

15 May 2006 07:57 PM

Oh -- i forgot to mention -- this is very good advice, and i'm glad you've survived the divorce.

Facing Divorce, with a Special Needs Child - Blog Entry

15 May 2006 07:19 PM

Are you familiar with Mark Haddon's novel, "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time"? It's written from the p.o.v of an autistic adolescent who is living with his father because his mother has run off with a neighbor -- except that the boy was told that the mother died, and through a discovery of a dead dog, he eventually unravels the entire truth. Haddon worked a number of years with autistic children, and the book has been widely praised.

Men & Stress - Blog Entry

10 May 2006 09:18 AM

thanks for these, Heather! Men do experience stress and respond to it very differently, and they do need to address those issues or else continue to cut short their lifespans.

Sometimes I Feel Like Bobo the Sperm Guy! - Blog Entry

09 May 2006 09:52 PM

Libby -- thanks! I love my girls very much, and I know they love me. I really was just trying to explain an inside joke between me and my wife!

When Two Faiths Marry - Blog Entry

09 May 2006 05:45 AM

My sister was married in the Catholic Church, but eventually joined her husband's church (Lutheran). Then a few years later, they both joined a unitarian church. They keep seeking! That's actually not necessarily a bad thing, though it migh suggest their lack of roots in their individual faiths.

What is a Scientology Wedding Ceremony? - Blog Entry

08 May 2006 10:46 AM

I'm sure we've discussed this elsewhere: why is scientology so popular among celebrities?

Why is America Still Obsessed with O.J. Simpson? - Blog Entry

07 May 2006 09:06 PM

Then why are you writing about him? ;-)

I could write a dissertation about that interest... oh wait, I did! Sorry, it's not yet published, but if you want an electronic copy...

The Enquirer puts him on the front page because he sells papers, still, after all these years. Why? It was a watershed in our celebrity-driven culture. There's a lot of great books on celebrity; Try Joshua Gamson's "Claims to Fame," or "Freaks Talk Back," which is about talk show culture.

Toilet Exercise, anyone? - Blog Entry

07 May 2006 07:26 PM

my first encounter with that sort of thing was attending a friend's son's 2nd birthday party. my oldest was just a few months old. he came up to his mother and told him he'd pooped and then went back to playing... he'd just started learning to use the potty not too long before.. my friend said, "yes, he's aware of when he goes... now we just have to get him to stop before!"