Mum's the word

I watched Diana marry the prince with a bunch of co-workers from the newspaper some 30 years ago.  It was in the middle of the night.  We had all gathered for the watch party at the home of an editor.  There was lots of food, talking, laughing.  I recall sitting on a hardwood floor looking up at a small TV, probably 28-inch.  It was the thing to do back then, especially if you were in the news business.  The wedding back then, consumed the airwaves.

Now Prince William is getting married and the world's attention is turned to London, just as it was when his mother got married.  But a lot has changed since then.  We now have DVR, 24-hour cable "news", and gigantic flat televisions connected to theater quality sound systems.  No need to interrupt a perfectly sound slumber.  We can watch at our leisure.  Pick the time.  Replay any parts we want as many times as we want.  Freeze the action to run to the kitchen or bathroom or to quiet a barking dog.  No sitting on a hardwood floor either.  More like a soft leather chair or couch in jammies holding a beverage of choice.

What fool will be getting up in the middle of the night this time to watch the royal wedding?

Me. 

It's an event.  OK.  It's like the new year's countdown.  You stay up to watch that.  It's the law, really.  World Cups games, too, we've gotten up in the middle of the night to watch.  There's something still exciting about watching an event live.  Will I have company?  Probably not, unless three dogs count.  But that's OK.  I can watch uninterruped and cry if I feel like it, drink tea and eat scones.  (I wonder where you buy scones.  Is there a scones store?  Starbucks!)

Maybe it's the mum in me. Prince William and my Andrea were born a month apart.  Diana had a rough go as a princess, but she appears to have raised a decent prince.  I am excited about getting to watch him get married, but I know I will be thinking a lot about Diana and wishing she could have been there.

Cheers!