European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 31, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Odds amp ends miss manners Judith Martin dear miss murmurs he dates of my High school reunion anti not a brother in Law s wedding Are the same. To t have to attend the wedding gentle Render yes. Only if your Luot Lier in Law starts getting married every five years in synchronization with your reunions will miss manners allow you to consider neglecting such a major family occasion in favor of an alumni event. Dear miss manners often i visit friends and relatives Cabins and am asked to write in their guest books. Do you have any suggestions for something original and different to write gentle Reader miss manners suggests that you not try to be original. She certainly Isnit going to be especially since any original thought she gave you would immediately cease to be original. It May Comfort you to know that nearly everyone the exception being people who can draw Quick Clever pictures of their hosts is stymied by this task. Just put in the first two lines of your thank you letter which you can reverse when you do the letter. Dear miss manners our son will be graduating from University with High distinction a Mug a cum Laius a. The school gave us printed announcements which include a Small enclosure card slating the graduates name and degree but since they Are mass produced they cannot state honors Etc. Is it permissible to Bam write the Honor on the card under the statement of degree if not How would Vou suggest sharing the information with the Many relatives and friends who will be receiving the announcements but cannot attend the ceremony gentle Reader special Good news is properly announced in a Lone of amazement which a formal card does not convey. The Milestone itself is described calmly enough but any extras should be added  gemini May 21-Juno 20 with melodic renditions of reason you can Charm the Birds out of the Trees sing loud cancer Juno 21-july 221 desire alone will not got you what you want outline a plan and got to it it Wor k Leo july 22 aug 22 in you make that important  decision Lii ador lie Al it in alive do what Lee is be.,t Virgo aug 2d-sept 22 what you must do May not be what you want to do but. When duty Calls answer Libra sept 2d-oct 22 it s close to impossible to reach a pint conclusion Hie Best thing to do is Compromise Scorpio oct. 23 nov. 21. Disharmony on the Home front improves with Lime be patient and let Good judgment prevail Sagittarius nov. 22-Doc 20 concentrate your efforts on the local scene do things that positively affect your Community. Capricorn dec. 21 Jan id a lengthen thus you might Send out an Ordinary announcement of your son s marriage but if you want to Tell people Tyml his Bride is Nob i laureate in physics. You have to Call them and blurt out a guess what 1�?T in this Case. Miss manners will allow you to do it in a hand Wittlen addition to the announcement along the lines of Quot and he a graduating Magna we re so thrilled a she realizes that this uses up a whole family s allotment of exclamation Points for the year but Heck its Worth it. Dear miss manners my Fiance and i met at a friends wedding where not Only was he my escort hut he caught the Garter and i caught the bouquet. The Flowers were a smaller version of the Bride s bouquet meant for throwing. I have kept this silk arrangement and would like to use it for my throwing Flowers. I would also like to use the Garter my Fiance caught to throw. It is in mint condition except Lor fading from a very Pale Blue to White. I think it would be romantic if the souvenirs that brought us together were used on the Day we marry but i am afraid this would be improper. Can you help gentle Reader the Only thing that strikes miss manners As improper in this otherwise romantic Story is the idea of a throwing  throwing Flowers .1 miss manners docs t want to Tell you what it conjures for her. And the idea that a Bride would grudge throwing her bouquet and have a fake one on hand to substitute is symbolically troubling. Have we gone so crazy Over memorializing such events that we grab our souvenirs even before they serve their purpose and toss out substitutes probably. Miss manners apologizes for ranting on about what the modern world Lias come to instead of answering your question. Of course Vou can reuse these mementos. Even Given the fact that miss manners does no to like the other brides action by which you acquired them she approves of your sentiments in using items at your wedding that have sentimental value. Just please done to expect to grab them Back from the people who catch them at your wedding. And done to use substitutes for throwing in Case a romantic couple happens to catch what you throw and perpetuates the Chain of accepting substitutes. United feature Syndicate your financial foundation and got ready build on it the sky is the limit aquarius Jan 20-feh 18 stay on the Trail of uncovering Correct information. You Are going the right Way Pisces feb. 19-March 20. Act wisely. Wait until you actually see the promised financial Gam before spending it Aries March 21-april 19 you re a walking advertisement. Carry the message of love to everyone you meet. Taurus april 20-May 20 be More optimistic about your future it looks so Bright you la have to Wear shades. Copley news cowl americans have a thing about the age game Erma Bombeck i n be. F there a one thing americans Are unhappy about its their age. If they re Young they want to grow up. If they re old they want to look Young. If you want to get a woman to Slop talking ask her i was watching Star search a while Back and heard a tender love song / done to have the heart to love you the Way i should. The lyrics were seductive and romantic. They would have stirred feelings were they not being Sung by a 4-Ycar-Oid kid in a Tuxedo. Here was a Little person who was Lucky to Cut up his own meat singing about love. Youth was born with impatience. Children want to baby sit themselves before they can flush drive a car before their feet can touch the brakes Wear makeup before they need it drink before they can handle it and spend Money before they know How its made. Its the Doogie How scr syndrome. Beauty pageants Bear a warning Label a contestants must be toilet  diplomas Are awarded to Little people who have met two requirements they arc Able to color in the lines and Are Short enough to walk under Coffee tables. On the other end of the spectrum we Cut to the Chase. Older men and women Are in Pursuit of youth like they re apprehending a Felon. Its the War of the decade. Terminate those chins. Bombard that Gray hair. Knock out that cellulite. Bring that body up to attention Soldier wipe those wrinkles off your face. Count off the Days til cosmetic surgery. I can to hear you i was watching Cher the other night and realized her lips now weigh More than my right thigh. This is disturbing. Actually we arc As bad As youth. We want what most of us never had in the first place. We covet Short skirts Challenge knits and line eyes that Are lost in Corduroy skin. If jeans manufacturers had any guts they a name Barbara Bush As a spokesperson for a no excuses ads. She a one of the few Public persons i know who acts dresses and admits to her age. Until youth and old age Are Able to come to terms with the benefits of where they arc we will continue to play the game of a How old Are you a with the answer being a coquettish a How old do you think 1 am us reversal press Syndicate no Minnino five stars killed in car crashes 1. James Dean a age 24 2. Brandon de Wilde a age 30 3. Jayne Mansfield a age 34 4. Ernie Kovacs a age 42 5. Tom mix a age 60 source world features Syndicate i a in a sunday