The single greatest thing about this job is the same as the greatest thing about small towns -- the relationships.

Being the "newspaper guy" allows me to cast a pretty wide social net, something that has led to a pretty solid variety of long-term friendships during my decade-plus of doing this type of work.

Inevitably, it also means that some of those friends' children grow up right before my eyes.

My wife and I went to a wedding Saturday for the son of good friends of ours. He married his longtime girlfriend, who also happens to be the stepdaughter of my wife's former boss.

When I first got started in community newspapers, Saturday's bride was a cute 13-year-old. I caught myself thinking Saturday that even as a beautiful young lady of 22, she still was pretty young to be getting married.

Since she was, you know, the same age as my wife when she married me. Oh, dear (Reminiscence alert -- you've all been warned!).

Congratulations, Phil and DaNiel, and may the two of you enjoy your marriage enough that you someday wonder where in the world all that time went.

Yes, Saturday did in fact mark the boys' first wedding adventure and no, they didn't disappoint.

They refused to take a nap on the two-plus-hour drive there, which did not bode well. We made it into the church after an extremely rushed afternoon snack and parked it in a back row moments before the ceremony started.

The boys were remarkable, flirting quietly with everyone within reach and having the sheer decency to be entertained by my impromptu game of "Wiggle the shoe on your foot."

They made it all the way through with no incidents, and then it was time for their debut into well-dressed society -- the reception.

An acquaintance of mine from my early newspapering days suggested we let the boys roam free because, hey, everyone could use a little entertainment while awaiting the wedding party's arrival.

That will go down as one of the most appropriate and exhausting decisions ever made.

The boys, who have shown moments of shyness in the past, took to the room like they built it.

They ran. They giggled. They tripped. They ran some more, never in the same direction, of course.

They talked and flirted with every single female in the room, most of them more than once. They turned these interactions into more than one bite of cake and more than one taste of punch.

I told my wife I had no idea where that particular trait came from, and she hit me in the shoulder. I digress.

They were the greatest ice breakers ever, eliminating any possibility of awkward re-introductions through sheer force of staggering adorability. The Force is overwhelming with these two.

I couldn't decide afterward which I was feeling more -- dead-legged or proud.

On a serious note, I feel compelled this week to point out something.

A man who serves two tours of duty in Vietnam, then comes home and raises a family and eventually goes to work for the federal government is a hero, even if the government agency happens to be the IRS.

A man who flies a private plane into an office building because he is mad at the government, killing the hero, is not a hero and might well be labeled a lunatic. Clear? Good.

RIP, Vernon Hunter.

Raise your hand if you think the brouhaha concerning Tony Kornheiser's opinions of a recent Hannah Storm outfit is actually worth pondering. That's what I thought.

Now raise your hand if you think Hannah Storm is gorgeous and can wear pretty much whatever she wants. Ow, my shoulder.

Those of you wondering if my typical March Madness insanity is losing some steam while the formerly No. 1 Longhorns' season circles the drain, the answer is yes, but only slightly.

Movie Brief:

"Precious": Brutal, caustic, difficult to watch, hopeful, endearing, redemptive, searing, painful, brilliant. I should just stop there, but you know me better than that.

This movie was, at times, extremely difficult to watch. Newcomer Gabourey Sidibe has received a great deal of well-deserved attention for her portrayal of the title character, but it is comedienne Mo'Nique who overwhelms the film, blistering her way through every scene as one of the most despicable characters ever created, Precious' mother.

This is what movie snobs mean when they talk about a career-defining role. It was nearly impossible to watch, but it was entirely impossible to look away.

Most people will not be able to find much enjoyment in this film, which touches on all manner of societal taboos -- incest, rape, child abuse, HIV, substance abuse and more. As a work of art, however, it is a spectacular achievement.

I think it is safe to say that the Supporting Actor and Actress categories at this year's Oscars will not be competitive -- go ahead and engrave the little gold men now, because these races are over.

"Our greatest glory consists not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall."

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Jeremy A. Corley is the managing editor of the Van Alstyne Leader and The Anna-Melissa Tribune.