THE DAILY ASTORIAN • MONDAY, JUNE 22, 2015
FEATURES
5A
One-year anniversary party too much? Tomorrow’s horoscope
By Holiday Mathis, Creators Syndicate Inc.
Dear Annie: Is it unorthodox to
have a one-year anniversary party?
A friend of mine was married
last summer. By November, she
had created a save-the-date on
Facebook for a one-year anniversa-
ry party. “Leona” invited everyone
who had been on the wedding list,
whether they attended or not. So
far, only a handful have responded.
Leona has since sent out printed
invitations with RSVP cards. The
party has been described as a casu-
al, potluck barbecue.
To me, the whole affair is a bit
unseemly. I understand wanting
to have a party, but the context of
it being an anniversary party to
commemorate a couple that has
yet to get out of the honeymoon
phase seems self-centered. There
is little excitement about the event,
and after a few conversations with
friends, I get the sense that other
people feel the same way.
I’m not sure how to respond, and
am a bit worried about how Leona
will feel if few people show up to
her gala. — Confused in California
Dear Confused: Having an an-
niversary party, no matter which
anniversary, is perfectly fine as
long as guests are not expected
to pay for it and bring expensive
presents. Leona’s mistake was
Annie’s
Mailbox
Creators
Syndicate Inc.
Kathy Mitchell
and
Marcy Sugar
giving the impression that it is a
second wedding celebration, but
we don’t believe that was her in-
tent. It sounds as though she had a
great time at her own wedding and
thinks her anniversary is a good
excuse to recreate the fun. While
we agree that the guest list is larg-
er than propriety endorses, please
look at this as a party for friends,
and base your reaction solely on
that. It will help.
Dear Annie: Last year, our
21-year-old son took a break from
college and lived at home. I am
amazed by the number of people
who thought this was unacceptable
and said they would never allow a
child to take a year off of college.
Here’s my perspective: High
school graduation is like taking
your 18-year-old to a large trans-
portation hub where they have to
pick a train that will take them
to their next destination. Say that
your young adult picks an express
train. About halfway through the
journey, he realizes he is on the
wrong train, but there are no stops.
He imagines that his choices are to
stay on the train or jump off while
it’s going full speed. You assure
him that there is an emergency
brake, but everyone says the brake
can’t be used, or if he does, he will
have to wait a long time for a train
headed in a different direction, and
he’ll be left behind.
We encouraged our son to pull
the emergency brake and a year
later, we find we have a happy,
healthy young adult headed on the
right train. I know that had our son
stayed on that express train, he’d
have ended up dead on the side of
the track. We are happy that we
provided him with a safety net.
Now he has a bright future. — Mom
Dear Mom: No child should
be left without emotional backup,
and you were smart not to listen
to the critics. We support the idea
of a gap year before students start
college where they may be living
away from home for the first time.
Kids can use the year to work, trav-
el or volunteer, but it allows them
to mature and be more responsible
for themselves.
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). There is a
shared space between you and the people
in your life. What is it filled with? You’ll feel
more inclined to tune in and understand
where you overlap and why. It’s the first step
to resolving an issue.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20). You don’t
have the support for your endeavor that oth-
er people around you have. Instead of re-
senting this, accept it and know that you’re
stronger and completely capable, or you
wouldn’t have taken on the challenge.
GEMINI (May 21-June 21). Some people
are too embarrassed about their mistakes
to really examine them. You realize the val-
ue in reflection and evaluation. You’re deter-
mined not to make the same mistake twice.
CANCER (June 22-July 22). Absorb your
social media with a grain of salt. Everyone
is putting forward an image they want the
world to see. Trying to keep up with others
robs you of the peace that might come with
being satisfied with what you have.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). It takes maturity
to keep your long-term picture in mind. The
action that gets immediate results often
robs you of the bigger result you could have
down the line.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). You’ll get that
scenery change you probably didn’t even
know you needed. This new scene will be
invigorating, if not for its beauty, then for its
capacity to keep you alert and reactive.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). The thing you
want will require upkeep, time and energy.
The big question is: Is it worth it? Remind
yourself that happiness does not depend on
what you have, especially when what you
have actually has you.
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). Tell the
people on your team how they can best
help you. Some don’t know the difference
between pressure and support. You have
a talent for tenderly teaching others how to
treat you.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). Not
all negative self-judgments are bad. When
you’re pretty certain you could do better,
you’ll mentally prod yourself to the level you
know you can achieve.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). Rela-
tionships have seasons. When the emo-
tional weather starts to change, don’t panic
-- this is part of the natural process. Adjust
instead. How can you outfit yourself to ac-
commodate the change?
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). Seek a
friend who is like a business manager, or
a business manager who is like a friend --
someone who can give you a better idea
of what you need to do to move to the next
level and still have a little fun.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). You don’t
have to make people happy today. Make
yourself happy. Also, you’ll get the kind of in-
vitation you would usually accept automati-
cally. Think it over first.
TUESDAY’S BIRTHDAY (June 23).
Because of your confidence and position,
people will expect you to know what you’re
doing. Whether or not you do, your talent for
diving in, learning on the fly and pulling off
great feats will make this an exciting year.
Your influence will grow as your skills do.
July features a journey. September heals a
relationship. Virgo and Pisces people adore
you. Your lucky numbers are: 4, 30, 36, 28
and 49.