If you were romanticizing beyond the point warranted, I started it by bringing up the whole Casablanca allusion. It occurs to me that I probably should have cast myself as Rick, since I'm not the one that up and got married and got a life and all that.

Banning the babies
 

Alternately, she should never, ever leave her house again to go anywhere in response to an invitation until she has taken etiquette lessons. In her house. Until she's fit to leave it again.

Jesus. And you'd rented a room/sitter--that's a huge favor! I had no compunction about telling "why can't I bring my kid" whiners that this solution, which was utterly unnecessary since we originally were just going to not invite kids entirely, was a costly kindness on our part.

He got married, that doesn't necessarily mean he got a life. Remember, greater than 50%, not that I'm wishing him ill or anything.

Banning the babies
 

Poppycock! What are you afraid of?!? See a little nipple? Getting squirted?

From my experience having been married, been an attendee at weddings and having nursed, one of the experiences is far more enjoyable and entertaining than the other two. Guess which one...

Banning the babies
 

Different house. Same general neighborhood, bigger house, nicer street, lots more money. 90 day escrow. Inspection is this Saturday. Hope I'm not jinxing it by calling myself a homeowner aqui. I'll have a FB BBQ in September once we're moved in. Jack Manfred and I can party down to the sounds of Mass Romantic. Speaking of which, Jack, you going to the concert Sunday?

Thanks again to everyone for the cousin-bashing. The kicker is, she's very much "not-a-waitress" (i.e. she brings nothing to the table).

Banning the babies
 

I used to work as a waitress at a Greek banquet hall (just down the street from the one in my big fat Greek wedding) at Greek wedding receptions. Enormously loud affairs filled with shrieking children trying to trip you up at every turn. Apart from the odd brat that you really wanted to kill (and the odd guest who pinched your bum) for the most part they were pretty fun.

Banning the babies
 

I've been to many of them, and I guess I'm so used to them I don't really notice much. Loud, boistrous affairs. My favorite was my aunt's, many moons ago. My youngest sister was five or six at the time, and she got to be the flower girl. The longest sermon in the history of weddings was made bearable by watching her outward displays of boredom instead of the priest. The groom later remarked that she made the torture of the long mass bearable.

Actually, now that I think of it, my grandfather's funeral was like that too. Lots of drinking, lots of kids, lots of loudness. Before the actual burrial, we went to celebrate with margaritas and cabrito on the other side of the border, and we had to bribe our way back to the US in order to make it to the funeral on time. We were late, but they weren't going to start without the family. I know he fully appreciated the send off and wouldn't have wanted it any other way.

I think that it depends on the type of wedding though. There are some weddings where it's expected to be a little more family friendly, and there are some where the presence of a child throws the whole balance off.

I'm with you on the elopement thing, though. If the situation ever presents itself, that's what I'll be pushing for.

Banning the babies
 

I hate to think of how underweight (and possibly deficient in other ways) your kids must be as a result of early malnourishment. All because of your weird sexual mommy hangups. Sicko. And selfish, too!

Banning kids
 

Our internet was out all day, so here’s a catchup post. I haven't read all the way ahead, so sorry if there are duplications.

Scar prevention: Not to sound too much like a commercial, but... Last year I had a mole removed and my doctor recommended Mederma. I had never heard of it then, but now it’s advertised on TV a lot. I don’t have any scar at all, even though I had three or four stitches. At any rate, it can’t hurt.

Parasols: I see them all the time. What else would you use an umbrella for?

People clogging sidewalks: Analogy time. People driving trucks that are incapable of going over 47 mph on the freeway. Get the fuck off and take surface streets, asshole! Aaargh!

Kids in the office: Please don’t bring your sick kids to the office. It’s not my problem you can’t find a babysitter.

Babies at weddings: I was a bridesmaid two months after having a baby. I got a babysitter. I wasn’t breastfeeding, but if I were, I would have gotten out the old pump. t’s stupid to think you can’t leave a nursing infant for a thirty minute ceremony, and if the sitter is on site, she can visit during the reception every half hour or so.

On that same topic, I used to have a monthly brunch with a bunch of girlfriends. No guys, no kids. For years, I would leave mine with my husband and if he couldn’t do it for some reason, I didn’t go. My very selfish ex-friend started bringing her baby to brunch. Hello, if I wanted to be around kids, I’d have brought my own. The whole point is to socialize without them. Pissed me off

Banning kids
 

I agree, which is why I wouldn't bring my son to work if he were "really" sick. Unfortunately, my occasional habit of rolling over and saying "I just can't go through with it today" has rubbed off on my boo. I guess I have a truant at age 5 on my hands. Cold, pink-eye, anything like that and either the hubby stays with him or the office has to do without my glorious presence for a day. Being sick sucks and I can't see forcing your child to endure a day at the office if he is miserable already - why make the kid want to fucking kill himself ... or you?

Not for kids
 

Oh amen sister. I had flown up to see my friends last year and we were plannning a girls night out. While on the phone discussing which restaurant we wanted to meet at, the 1 friend (there's always 1 isn't there) kept saying - well, that's not really a kid friendly restaurant. Forcing me to say hey - it's girls night out. Family lunch is Sunday when we see the kids and the husband. Tonight, the rest of us want to go to a non-kid friendly place and drink and laugh and have a good time. Husband is perfectly capable of watching the kids for 1 night. Besides, if you bring a kid - they don't enjoy it - you can't act "natural" the mother is always fussing over whether the kid is having a good time, she's not paying attention to adult conversation etc.

Banning kids
 

Not everyone wants to share, and its rude to assume they do. Its simple manners.

Also, know your audience. Young male co-workers want to see babies like they want to see short films on castration. If you want to ensure your audience coos over your kid no matter how ugly it is, parade it in front of the dumpy older secretaries or the clingly chicks with self-esteem issues who are always bitching about "man problems". They'll share your happiness in spades, mainly because they'll take whatever they can get.

S(I'll smile and be polite but pretend I have somewhere to be and walk by you quickly)D

Only 2 Hours Left . . .
 

. . . to bid on Ghost in a Jar!

http://bibo.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...1457201&bibo=1

Banning kids
 

Don't assume the clingy chicks with self-esteem issues who are always bitching about "man problems" want to see the kids.

Not for kids
 

THESE are the women (str8's cousin included) who give mothers a bad name to the non-mothers among us... It is a specialized form of OCD -- OCDOTAFTK (obsessive compulsive disorder over time away from the kids).