lifestyle

Q: My father is paying for the wedding, and he won't let us have alcohol at the cocktail hour. He's also just serving wine during dinner and opening a cash bar afterward. What can I do?

A: Your father isn't necessarily committing a faux pas. I hate to say it, but he who holds the checkbook has the power to dictate the alcohol policy.

It's interesting, isn't it, what interests us? Of all the people I've written about, no one has sparked the curiosity of readers as much as my brother Joe.

There may be plenty of fish in the sea, but that's a big fishing hole if you're looking for something in particular. What are the chances of finding love online, for example, if you want only an environmentally conscious raw vegan Taoist?

Apparently a lot better than they used to be.

I'm increasingly convinced that today when it comes to matters of the heart, too many women ask for too much and settle for too little.

Some think Valentine's Day should be a national holiday while others would like to see it banned from the calendar. Others, who are alone, would rather ignore the whole thing. But that's almost impossible to do. You can't even go into a pet store without seeing something with Cupid on it. Wherever you are in life, Feb. 14 conjures up all kinds of feelings.

Q: After getting a hair-and-makeup trial, I think I'd be happier doing the makeup myself. The problem is, I still want the salon to do my hair. Is it rude to not schedule wedding-day makeup, too?

I'm not sure how it happened. It's not like we planned it.

Between my husband and me, our collective five children and their significant others, most of the birthdays in our immediate family fall within four short weeks, January to February.

Yes, just after Christmas, when we've all pretty much exhausted our credit limits, not to mention any clever ideas for cheap gifts.

In the popular PBS series "Downton Abbey," Tom Branson, a chauffeur, is rejected by the army because of medical reasons. Most of the drama is set in England during World War I.

There appears to be meticulous adherence to historical accuracy in settings, costumes, furnishings, etc.

When my cat died, it hit me like the proverbial ton of bricks, even though I knew he was at the end of his life. I'd thought I might feel a sense of comfort, like I did after holding hospice for my father years ago. But that's not what happened. I was more emotional than I expected, and that can be more than a little disquieting.

It's been a little over a year now since my friend "Denise" (not her real name) discovered her husband's longstanding infidelity. Married over 20 years with children still at home, she experienced the betrayal like one might a hurricane.

But more than a year later, she and her husband are still standing. And they are doing it together.