I really shouldn't be taking the time to write anything that isn't specifically job related (and even reflecting on the semester is a luxury), but I don't want to lose this.

When I was a teenager or 20-something, I am not sure I recognized the birth of a fad or evolution of cultural practice -- or the more permanent changes in ritual.

For instance, to use something from the 1970s, streaking. In the 1980s, piercings and tatooes. In the 1990s, reality programs and the emergence of roadside and sidewalk shrines to mark the site of tragedy.

Now I see "flash mob" wedding proposals are all the rage. What's up with that? Will this be a short-lived fad (like streaking), longer term than a fad, but likely to die out eventually (like body art and reality TV) or a shift in ritual (like shrines)?