I played in and managed a band in High School. Each year, our school would hold a variety show and we would play. Not only would we do our own stuff, but we’d also play back-up for others who wanted to sing, etc. One year, our History teacher, "Hoss Bone," asked us to play backup for him. He was a singer and guitar player with quite a bit of talent. He choose to do “Peaceful, Easy Feelin” by the Eagles. All was fine…until I got called into the Principal’s office. I walked in and found the principal, the guidance counselor (whose daughter was the lead singer in my band), and another faculty member “lying in wait” for me. “I have a question for you,” the principal snorted, “did you plan to per

When I was about 18, my cousin Tommy bought a white Cadillac that was beautiful. It looked like something a limo driver would use and that gave us a devious idea. One afternoon, we got “dressed to the hilt"—three piece suits, gold watches with chains, etc. Tommy put on a drivers' hat and I sat in the back seat. We drove slowly around town near my Grandmother’s home and eventually pulled up in front of a small diner. Tommy got out, looked carefully in all directions, and then walked into the place obviously “casing the joint.” He stared seriously at everyone in the room and then walked back to the limo and opened my door. I got out, looked around as well, and then followed him into the restau

Flat Earth Society While in college, I did some freelance writing for a small Christian youth magazine. Once, I was assigned to write a piece on the Flat Earth Society (FES). The editor was looking for a humor piece and thought this would “fit the bill.” I did too. The annual meeting of the FES, conjured-up an image of a bunch of middle-aged men drinking beer and pretending they feared falling off the edge of the planet during their journey home. I made a call to the president of the group in advance of their gathering and, with a chuckle, asked him to describe what he/they believed. This quickly became less-than-a-laughing-matter. “Are you calling to ridicule us?” he quipped. “Of course!” I

There’s no two ways about it: weddings are expensive. Paying for every detail is enough to drain any family’s financial coffers and – even worse – leave them wrestling with debt. Especially for new couples paying their own way during the wedding, the expenses quickly add up. The following is a traditional guide to dividing expenses equally and fairly among the four major participants in planning the four main parts of the wedding celebration: rehearsal dinner, ceremony, reception, and honeymoon. These are guidelines more than rules, and are intended to show tradition more than carved-in-stone etiquette. The Bride’s Family There’s a popular misconception among the unmarried of the world that