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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (March 24, 2015)
FEATURES 6A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • TUESDAY, MARCH 24, 2015 Cross-dresser asks for advice Tomorrow’s horoscope By Holiday Mathis, Creators Syndicate Inc. Dear Annie: I’m a 24-year- old male who has been cross-dressing since the age of 8. It started with collecting my own bras and panties, and now I have an entire wardrobe of women’s clothing. Because I currently live on my own, I change out of my male clothes into my female ones as soon as I come home from work. I’ve also had very serious thoughts and dreams about being a woman. This is confusing to me, and I want to know whether there is someone I can talk to about these feelings. I’m way too scared to come out to family or friends because of what they would think. — Lost in Ottawa Dear Ottawa: Cross-dressing is not as uncommon as you might think, and there are many rea- sons. Some people cross-dress to disguise themselves, be more comfortable, act a part or be- cause it is attractive to a partner (e.g., women who wear a man’s dress shirt to bed). That type of cross-dressing is fairly common and socially acceptable. For others, there is a sexu- al component or a release of tension, along with a compulsion Annie’s Mailbox Creators Syndicate Inc. Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar to wear clothing of the opposite gender. This type of cross-dress- ing can be more difficult for fam- ily members or partners to accept. You can find support and infor- mation through The Society for the Second Self (tri-ess.org) and the International Foundation for Gender Education (ifge.org). Dear Annie: I read the letter from “At a Loss for Words,” the daughter who is constantly hurt by her mother’s lack of involvement with her children. She could work on changing her own behavior toward the sit- uation. She has taught her moth- er how to treat her by always being loving and kind in spite of Mom’s narcissistic attitude. Perhaps she should take a dif- ferent approach and just invite Mom to her children’s events with only brief notice and no expectation that Mom will show up. The more distance she puts between herself and her mother the more Mom will want to be involved, because she will won- der why things changed. Also, perhaps she could put a positive spin on things by rel- ishing the fact that her mother is not a busybody who is overly involved in her life. (This hap- pens much more often than the reverse.) I bet as Mom ages, she will try harder and harder to get involved with her grandchil- dren’s lives, but by that time, it will be too late. Sadly, it will take time for Mom to figure that out. When the board meetings and the fancy car appointments are over, Mom will be a bitter old woman. — Better Approach Dear Better: You could be right. Sometimes withhold- ing one’s attentions makes you more desirable, although it would take a major behavioral adjustment for the daughter to behave in an indifferent and un- caring way. But Mom may never quite care enough about missing out on one set of grandchildren. She has another set whom she favors, which is also part of the problem. FRANK AND ERNEST BLONDIE THATABABY SALLY FORTH STONE SOUP B.C. LOLA DILBERT SIX CHIX BIZARRO MUTTS NON SEQUITUR BABY BLUES WIZARD OF ID ZITS ROSE IS ROSE ARIES (March 21-April 19). People who talk long enough will eventually strike upon the information that is really useful to others, but will they still be listening? It’s better to say a little with judicious timing than it is to say a lot. TAURUS (April 20-May 20). You don’t know what people are going to want to talk about, so there’s really no way to prepare for any given conversation. The best you can do is follow your interests and learn all you can about them so you’ll have that to offer. GEMINI (May 21-June 21). Eternity may stretch out behind you and before you, but where you’re standing now is also part of it. Use this slice of eternity. Make it interesting. It’s yours for the shaping. CANCER (June 22-July 22). You like the thrill of the chase, but right now you’re so busy that catching, maintaining and find- ing a place for what you’ve caught may be more trouble than it’s worth. If you decide to play the game, it will be catch and release. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). You’ll enjoy the tangible rewards of your work and appreci- ate even more the intangible boost of con- fidence and vitality you receive just from being around certain people you’ve met through your job. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). At heart, you’re a minimalist who really cares about the environment. There’s nothing that you really need now, so if you’re going to steal, you’ll steal time. And if you’re going to cre- ate, you’ll create memories. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). Some claim “high-maintenance” like it’s a compliment, but needing a lot of attention and care from others to operate well in the world isn’t your style. You’d rather make yourself easy to be with, and that will work in your favor. SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). Welcome the unexpected. Your feet are quick, your tongue is sharp, and when you get sur- prised, your recovery and response time will be impressive to all the right people. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). You are under the magnetic spell of a fantasy. You can mentally try on the idea without making another move. Explore the story in daydreams and hypothetical analysis. There’s a reason it may not fit in real life. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). Maybe you don’t exactly long to see your name in lights on a marquis, but there’s a version of this publicity and acclaim that would thrill you — a symbol of accomplishment with your name all over it. Focus there. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). Reading can only take you so far. Instruction is use- less unless it’s applied. You’re ready to roll up your sleeves and dirty your hands with real-life experience. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). You’re the one who has lived inside your body your whole life, but people around you may still think they know what’s best for you. Trust your own intuition over the so-called ex- perts. Every body is different. WEDNESDAY’S BIRTHDAY (March 25). In the next four weeks, you’ll connect passionately with one of the great loves of your life (which may be an activity and not a person). Your talent will be spotlight- ed. Financial success will hinge on a good business plan. Resist the temptation to live vicariously in August — follow your desire. Capricorn and Leo people adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 15, 42, 9, 38 and 19.