Congratulations Pete and Stef!

I don't know what the hell's happened to me. I suddenly have a social life. Yesterday Jeff and I were among a group of friends that witnessed the wedding of our friends Pete and Stephanie at Tenney Park.

It was a good time -- and a bit of a mini-college reunion for me. I managed to see a lot of people who I lived with, became friends with and lost touch with after we all scattered after graduation. Stephanie was gorgeous and sparkley and Peter looked great. The reception was fun and many thanks to the host and hostess for housing all of us crazy guests.

Weddings are funny -- much like funerals, it's a gathering of people who may not have seen each other in years (but under happier circumstances). It's also a moment of romance as people remember their weddings (or plan future ones) and there's just a good vibe in general as people hope for the best for the couple.

I wish I had good advice or knew what to say at weddings. I'm usually the one opening my mouth and inserting my foot. During one wedding shower for a coworker, someone gave the advice, "Never go to bed angry."

"Are you kidding?" I shot back. "If I did that, I'd never sleep some nights."

The thing is that marriage -- like life, children and the whole shebang -- is rife with sorrow as well as filled with joy. The trick of the matter is to remember the joy and be strong enough to carry yourself through the sorrow.

I guess, my advice would be (and it sounds grim I know, but I don't know how else to say it) the following:

1. Forget the adage about not going to bed angry or leaving a fight. It's sometimes good to call for a timeout to allow emotions to cool.

2. You may be in love, but it's OK not to like the person. The key is to get back to liking that person again.

3. While you might have a positive impact on someone, don't get into a relationship under the deluded belief that you can change someone. You can't. It's all up to them.

4. Eventually someone will leave -- either by their own will or via a body bag. But that's the beauty of love. Knowing that you will have to say goodbye makes every action a smidge more intense.

5. Couples are like comedy teams -- there's always a straight man and a comedian. The roles switch between the two, but that rule pretty much rings true for everyone.