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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 15, 2015)
FEATURES 6A Tomorrow’s horoscope Friend needs help with funds Dear Annie: A group of us have been friends for more than 40 years. We graduated from high school together, but while the rest of us went to college, started ca- reers and settled down with fam- ilies, “Ray” was smoking pot, partying and working paycheck to paycheck in an entry-level job. He was so wrapped up in “doing his own thing” that it never occurred to him to have a relationship. Now we are nearing retirement age. The rest of us are able to take time to travel, pursue our interests and spend time with our families. Ray is still living hand to mouth. And every time we get together or see his Facebook page, he is grip- ing about how hard his life is and how much he envies us. We’d like to point him toward services that might be able to help him a little bit and show him how to make a realistic budget. The services have to be free, though, because Ray won’t take “charity” from the rest of us, and if he has to pay for anything, he won’t be able to afford it. There’s no guarantee he’d take advantage of even a free referral, but we are tired of hear- ing him carrying on about the life that, after all, he chose for himself. Do you know of any free resources Annie’s Mailbox Creators Syndicate Inc. Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar that could rescue someone who’s always been clueless about mon- ey? — Ray’s Friends Dear Friends: It’s romantic to “live for the moment,” but that doesn’t mean you cannot also plan for your future. You undoubtedly know that, even with outside as- sistance, Ray might not change his ways. It would require an entirely new mindset, and that takes effort that he seems unwilling to make. You can look into Debtors Anon- ymous at debtorsanonymous.org, or get information on local credit counseling through the Federal Trade Commission at consumer. ftc.gov. (Search “choosing a credit counselor.”) Dear Annie: I am responding to the letter from “W.,” whose neighbor constantly complains about the noise from her town- house, even though she’s not doing anything particularly noisy. The neighbors living in the condo below me used to phone and yell at me for practically any noise. They complained about the way I walked in my home even though I went barefoot most of the time to assuage them. They went to bed at 8:30 p.m. and expected me to shut down then, as well. They spoke to an attorney who told them I wasn’t breaking any noise ordinances, but they still called incessantly to complain and were sometimes verbally abusive. So I spoke to my own lawyer. He suggested that I ignore them, but I told him I was being harassed, bullied and verbally abused and that I was not going to put up with it. If they were that sensitive, then they should have not moved into a condo with neighbors living above them. The lawyer and I resolved it by presenting them with his busi- ness card and informing them that any future complaints were to be directed to him. If they complained directly to me, it would lead to a lawsuit for harassment. — N.C. Dear N.C.: Threatening to sue someone is always an option in this country, although we think it should be a last resort. Too many SHRSOHWKLQNLWLVWKH¿UVWVWHS THE DAILY ASTORIAN • TUESDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2015 By Holiday Mathis, Creators Syndicate Inc. ARIES (March 21-April 19). You will be learning the ropes in some way. This is no time for making up your own rules. You can do that later when you’re the leader. Right now, focus on duplicating the instruction to the best of your ability. TAURUS (April 20-May 20). Some flash- es of insight feel brand new, while other in- sights feel like ancient knowledge resurfac- ing. Both kinds of thinking will come to you on this intellectually charged day. GEMINI (May 21-June 21). There’s still a space you’re holding open for the return of the one who left long ago. Occasionally, you’ll get a haunting — a surprise pop-in visit, a dream or a wonderfully vivid mem- ory. This will happen today. CANCER (June 22-July 22). For you, being creative isn’t just something to do. It’s an actual survival impulse. It’s also what will motivate today’s best work, a combination of acute inspiration and the driving need to make something. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). Injustice can be subtle, but usually, even if you don’t notice it right away, you leave the scene with a sense that something wasn’t quite right. Work it out until you realize what’s off. You can make a difference. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). You’re a prob- lem-solving machine. You’ll speak your mind, ask for the truth, hear when it’s not, get to the bottom of it and have everything handled by the end of the day. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). The opposite of confidence is self-consciousness. At this point, wondering how you’re doing will only diminish your performance. Commit wholly. You might be wrong, but at least you’ll be FRANK AND ERNEST BLONDIE THATABABY SALLY FORTH PHOEBE AND HER UNICORN B.C. LOLA DILBERT SIX CHIX BIZARRO MUTTS NON SEQUITUR BABY BLUES WIZARD OF ID ZITS ROSE IS ROSE strong and wrong. SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). The same challenge that used to worry you to the point of insomnia is now so easy for you that you could win it in your sleep. The only problem is now you long for a worthy opponent. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). Ac- tivities that you could do alone, such as reading, listening to music or watching television, will be made sweeter and more interesting when you do them with a friend. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). You’ll mo- tivate yourself by envisioning either the out- come you’re most afraid of or the outcome you most desire. Try both. The first will be intensely effective, the second pleasantly so. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). It’s not that you’re trying to be emotionally unavailable toward a certain person; it’s just that your emotions are all tied up in another situation. You have to sort it out before you can invest yourself in any other direction. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). People who need constant attention and validation take a lot of energy to be around, which is why you make the effort to be self-sufficient in this regard. Self-appreciation and care is one of your gifts to the world. WEDNESDAY’S BIRTHDAY (Dec. 16). Birthday Challenge: Come up with a “pow- er pose” you can strike at any moment to help you feel like the extreme winner you know you can be. Physicality plays into your success this year. You’ll improve your diet, fitness level and general manner of moving. February brings romance; March brings fi- nancial freedom. Cancer and Scorpio adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 6, 20, 14, 19 and 38.