By Dave Begel Contributing Writer Published Apr 25, 2011 at 10:14 AM

It was 30 years ago that Prince Charles got married to Princess Diana. It is the 6th rated television program of all time.

That's pretty good, especially considering the fact that there were no DVRs in those days. If you wanted to watch it later in the day, you needed to wrestle with the VCR.

Now we approach the wedding of one of their children, scheduled for Friday of this week. I plan on getting up at 3 a.m., to watch the event live. But I wonder if mine will be the only house on the block with the lights on at that hour.

No matter what people like Andy "The Crotchety One" Tarnoff, the publisher of OnMilwaukee.com says, this is a big deal in this country.

These are our antecedents and our most stalwart ally in the world. Plus this is the stuff of history.

Kings and queens and princes and princesses are in short supply these days. And these British monarchs always set a standard of civility and dignity that we could all learn a lesson from.

So I'm getting up. There will be coffee. There will be bagels. There will be orange juice. There will be cream cheese and jelly.

And there will be wonder about how many of my Milwaukee neighbors will be doing the same thing.

Dave Begel Contributing Writer

With a history in Milwaukee stretching back decades, Dave tries to bring a unique perspective to his writing, whether it's sports, politics, theater or any other issue.

He's seen Milwaukee grow, suffer pangs of growth, strive for success and has been involved in many efforts to both shape and re-shape the city. He's a happy man, now that he's quit playing golf, and enjoys music, his children and grandchildren and the myriad of sports in this state. He loves great food and hates bullies and people who think they are smarter than everyone else.

This whole Internet thing continues to baffle him, but he's willing to play the game as long as OnMilwaukee.com keeps lending him a helping hand. He is constantly amazed that just a few dedicated people can provide so much news and information to a hungry public.

Despite some opinions to the contrary, Dave likes most stuff. But he is a skeptic who constantly wonders about the world around him. So many questions, so few answers.