from the "Vows" section of the NEW YORK TIMES

[zirconium]

From this past Sunday. "PB" from Manlius, NY, commented on women who plan weddings without a prospective groom:

Oh those blasted fairy tales filling little girls' heads with romantic nonsense.

In reality, you can start out as a princess, get married, and end up sitting by the fireplace in rags at the end of a drudge-filled day.

Women, come to your senses: Plan on not getting married, and then see if anyone is good enough to convince you otherwise.

If I were writing a guide for girls, I would want this in there.

That said, there have been three things this week that brought tears to my eyes in a good way. The first was that Budweiser Super Bowl commercial with the foal. The second was a story that pushed my buttons but is eluding my memory at the moment. The third was Rosalie Randomsky's writeup of Rajeev Kaul's proposal to Gitika Ahuja:

Soon after they began dating seriously, Mr. Kaul, who plays guitar and keyboard and a D.J. and producer of electronica and lounge music, was intrigued to learn that Ms. Ahuja's late father had been "really into music, like old Indian music," with one exception -- "What a Wonderful World," as sung by Louis Armstrong.

Mr. Kaul proposed to her in Hawaii last January. She had been there with her family. After her family left, the couple hiked down muddy, slippery trails to Secret Beach, whose proper name is Kauapea Beach, on Kauai.

"It's super-secluded," she said, "very 'From Here to Eternity.' "

Mr. Kaul had brought his guitar and as he tuned it, he told her he had learned a song just for her. When he told her it was "What a Wonderful World," she said, she immediately looked upon it as a thoughtful gesture marking the fourth anniversary of her father's death, which was the next day.

After he finished, he told her he had played the song for a different reason.

"I already got your mom's permission to marry you and I played this to get your dad's permission," he said. He then got on one knee.