I read my local newspaper Sunday engagement and wedding announcement section. Usually there are some hysterically funny entries that my husband and I chortle over. But what you'll find is a lot of average looking people getting married to each other. Every now and then there's a hottie but it's typically two hot people getting married to each other. The educational backgrounds are usually very similiar or both work in similar fields. Obviously this is a self selected group, but you just don't see these trends that people are talking about. In volume it goes from more to less: recent college grads in their 20's, career people in their 30's, second marriages, kids still in college or right out of high school. You'll see a few more references to children of the bride or groom participating in the ceremony, but there are no earth shaking trends of the numbers trailing off. To me it looks like plain old regular people are getting hitched to each other.

As far as college dating rituals, the traditions still hold true in Southern colleges. Yes, there is probably a lot more overt sexual activity and a lot less "shotgun marriages". My sister-in-law graduated two years ago. 90% of her friends were engaged at graduation. At her wedding there was one member of her wedding party that was not married or engaged. She was off to graduate school, where her friends assured her she would certainly be able to find a husband. My husband's male friends are all married many of them having gotten engaged in college. Even his most uncouth and unattractive friend has a wife (and she's totally cute). We were actually the odd ones having waited until our early 30's to marry. In my Southern university, I participated in a sorority for a semester, there were very specific dating rules laid out for fraternity brothers and sorority sisters. It started with a group date or party, if you liked someone specific you asked them to a formal or mixer. If you wanted to get serious and exclusive the frat boy would offer you his frat pin. Typically by now you were having monogamous sex. In this case you would NOT be considered a slut. (However if you had put out before this stage you might be and then finding a real boyfriend might be difficult). At this point you'd meet each other's families, probably at parents weekend or tailgating at a football game. If everything went well you'd be engaged by graduation and heading toward marriage a year out from that. What year do think I graduated? 1995. My sister-in-law assures me that in 2007 the tradition holds strong. (Although blow jobs are not considered as big a deal, but that you still need to make sure you don't get a "rep".)

BadReligion, I'm sure there are some musicians that are "good" role models. But as much as I enjoy AFI, I'm not sure that they are as popular as say Jay-Z. There is a difference to me between artists creating music about their lives, which may be complicated and messy (Hi there Amy Winehouse) and the purposeful marketing of a lifestyle that is destructive. Especially when that marketing is done towards children. I can only hope that gangsta rap will go the way of the bad 80's "metal" bands and be buried in their excesses. Looking toward musician's personal lives as a model of how to live is very silly to me, but lots of people do, especially naive kids who believe that they really can be the next Britney or Justin. I despise those reality tv shows in which celebrities show off their wealth and conspicuous consumption. It is so devoid from reality and how the rest of the 99% of the world live. Nevermind that there are very few true artists and musicians left in popular music. It is so very market driven and over produced. What do you think would get better ratings? A show where Beyonce explains her musical influences and her creative process or one in which she gives a tour of her beautiful house and closet full of designer gowns?

Did I mention that when a sorority girl gets pinned or engaged, her sisters stand in a circle and sing a song about eternal love as a white candle is paseed around the circle. When the candle gets to the lucky girl she blows out the candle and all the sisters squee in delight. Then she proudly displays the pin or ring and gets cooed over. Afterwards they may all go out and do shots and show their tits, but hey it doesn't matter because she's getting her MRS degree!

Truthfully, I don't know what the guys involved in this are thinking, but obviously they are willing participants as there are no angry fathers with shotguns to their heads. I'm not sure how much their lives have really changed, since although they now have wives they don't have kids (yet) so they all can still go out drinking to sports night. But now they have the assurance of a chick waiting at home for them. And their starter homes are much cleaner than the old frat house.

In the summer we usally vacation somewhere nice and cool, last year was Iceland, this year Quebec. In the winter, however, you will see me hiding under a sunshade on the beach in Mexico reading a pile of books. I'll be adding these to my list!

If someone cried their eyes out in front of me trying to guilt me into saying "I love you." I'd dump them in a heartbeat. You are a 20 year old baby. Grow up.