lifestyle

Q: I want to reserve five tables for certain guests and let everyone else choose where they sit. My mom insists on making a seating chart. Who's right?

A: We have to side with your mom on this one. Reserving tables for select guests will actually cause you more stress -- the people you leave off the ''special'' tables may take offense.

Just before I flew to Texas to speak at the Institute for the Humanities at Salado, a storm camped out over the town and flat-out refused to budge.

Within hours, it dumped about a foot of rain, flooding a creek that runs through the center of Salado, damaging homes and washing out the Main Street Bridge.

Recently on "The Dennis Miller Show," a radio caller argued that we need to tax the very rich even more. To paraphrase, Miller told him: Hey, I'm probably one of those guys. What more do you want from me?

Caller: I don't want anything from you.

Miller: Meet me at a cafe, bring your kids along and I'll hand over whatever money you want.

Home improvement gives value to a house and a sense of satisfaction to its owners. But home improvement isn't cheap.

Though money may be tight, this is still the best time to repair and upgrade your home. A few of these cost-conscious repairs will cost little or nothing at all, besides a health insurance co-payment.

Q: My cousin just got engaged and is planning her wedding for the same month as mine. I'm worried that our family won't travel twice within a few weeks. Can I ask her to change her date?

It's not often that she asks for my opinion. So when my daughter said she wanted to show me something to see what I thought of it, I would've pretty much gone to hell and back to see it.

One recent week, for the first time, I went straight.

But let's rewind a bit.

A while back, when I totally should have been doing, like, real work, I wound up chatting with some colleagues about hair, of all things.

The ordeal of kidnapping victim Jaycee Lee Dugard almost couldn't have been more bizarre. Eighteen years after she was abducted, the 29-year-old California woman returned home.

It must have been an excruciating experience for Jaycee, as well as her parents.

And once again a high-profile kidnapping case has left parents on edge by playing to our worst fears.

I have always been a fan of sharing meals at a restaurant.

Splitting an appetizer and an entree with my other half is always a pleasurable experience, and there is usually plenty of food. This may not work for everyone. For those who require more calories, the splitting thing may not be as attractive, even if it's a sound economic move. But it's at least worth a try.

Q: My fiance doesn't feel comfortable kissing in front of our guests at the end of the ceremony. (It's considered impolite in his culture.) How can we end the ceremony in a way that wouldn't leave guests shouting out, "Kiss her!"