FEATURES
6A
Tomorrow’s horoscope
Bragging brother annoys sister
Dear Annie: I have three sib-
lings. I get along great with my
sister and oldest brother, but my
younger brother drives me bon-
kers. The only time he ever calls or
emails is to brag about how much
money he has, how great his kids
are, and on and on. Yet, if I ever try
to say anything positive about my
family, he quickly interrupts and
tries to top me.
I am happy that he is so blessed
in life, but nobody’s life is as per-
fect as he makes his out to be. My
other brother ignores his annoy-
ing habit and my sister is always
impressed with his shallow, nar-
cissist bragging. My husband and I
are comfortable ¿nancially, but we
don’t feel compelled to announce
our business to the world. I have
started sending his phone calls
straight to voicemail.
Am I being petty to not want to
hear my brother’s constant brag-
ging? He lives in another state and
when he comes back to town, he
never visits me. I was hoping if I
cut off contact, he might get a clue,
but I doubt it. — Fed Up Sister
Dear Sister: This seems to be
a rather minor issue over which to
sever ties with a sibling. We actu-
ally feel sorry for your brother. Peo-
ple who can’t stop boasting about
Annie’s
Mailbox
Creators
Syndicate Inc.
Kathy
Mitchell and
Marcy Sugar
themselves tend to be terribly inse-
cure. They need the constant reas-
surance that they matter. We don’t
doubt that it’s tedious to listen to,
but you can ignore a great deal of
this with very little effort. Give his
emails a token glance and only
answer his calls if you feel up to it.
No one is perfect. Siblings can
be annoying. We cherish the good
parts and forget about the rest. If
you cannot ¿nd any ³good parts,´
and the bragging is unbearable,
then whatever contact you have is
up to you.
Dear Annie: You were surpris-
ingly indulgent with ³Still Hurt-
ing,´ who was upset that no one
inquired about her family in France
after the terrorist attacks. This per-
son sounds seriously high main-
tenance. She probably has resent-
ment issues in other areas of her
life. She should focus on the good
news that her family is safe, and
share this with others in a posi-
tive way, not as way to create guilt.
She may soon ¿nd herself with no
friends at all. — Feeling Judgmen-
tal About Your Advice
Dear Feeling: Many readers
agree with you, but not all. Read
on:
Dear Annie: It was sad to read
the letter from ³Still Hurting.´ I’m
proud to say that I did not hesi-
tate to call my former girlfriend,
³Michele,´ who was raised in
France, to offer my condolences.
She was grateful that I called, but
to me, it was only natural, almost
obligatory, to contact her. Maybe
³Hurting´ will learn, like I did, who
her real friends are. — Still Hoping
Dear Annie: It is unreason-
able to expect our acquaintances
to inquire every time an incident
occurs near our family. If it was so
important for her friends to know
that everyone was safe, she should
have broadcast the good news.
To expect friends to inquire about
everything that matters to you is
placing too much importance on
your own feelings. She obviously
doesn’t value her friendships if
she is so eager to cast them aside
for what she considers insensitive
behavior. — Gary
THE DAILY ASTORIAN MONDAY, MARCH 7, 2016
By Holiday Mathis, Creators Syndicate Inc.
ARIES (March 21-April 19). The theme is per-
sonal power and how you’re going to find, keep
and use it. Keep going, full steam ahead, and
you’ll be very surprised and pleased about all
that you can accomplish in one day.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20). You’re nice, but
not so nice that you’ll let just anyone take up your
time. You’d like to know what’s in it for you, and,
because you’re smart, wise and shrewd, you’d
like this information as early as possible in the
interaction.
GEMINI (May 21-June 21). You’ll get the dis-
tinct impression that the group needs a leader
and they’re looking to you. The commitment may
seem daunting now, but rest assured, this group
will calm down once they have a strong leader.
CANCER (June 22-July 22). One thing we
learn from time-travel movies is that it’s almost
always unexpectedly difficult to get back to the
“present.” You’ll have a similar challenge today if
you look back. So don’t look back! Go forward
with velocity.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). In order to inspire
people, usually it helps to first understand them.
However, there will be times, like now, in which
you are completely, un-self-consciously yourself,
and they respond. You may never know why —
just go with it!
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). You are in the flow
of wonder and will experience it from all sides.
You’ll be the object of someone’s curiosity, and
this will be almost as fantastic as pursuing your
own curiosity about another person.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). Even though you
know your friends, loved ones and colleagues
very well, you do not presume to know what their
reaction to something is going to be. People are
always growing and changing. You stay tuned in.
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). As far as mem-
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
orable moments of joy go, the ones that come
as sudden relief to prior periods of pain or depri-
vation stand out most in your mind. That’s why if
you can help someone out of a pain state, you’ll
do it, pronto!
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). Hesitation,
procrastination, stagnation and any other “ation”
that happens to be keeping you from moving for-
ward has to do with one thing only: fear. Courage
is the remedy to all. Take courage; then take a
step.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). There’s an
art to asking the right question, and you could
definitely be punished (with mild social judg-
ment) for asking the wrong question. Therefore,
you’re careful to be thoughtful with the informa-
tion presented to you.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). This won’t sur-
prise you, but people do tend to think of you as
their own. The funny thing is, as much as they all
try to claim you, you can’t be everybody’s. You’ll
be gracious about it, but you will have to make
some choices.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). Seeing great-
ness should make you want to deliver greatness.
If instead it makes you jealous, it only means
that you have a little more work to do to bridge
the gap between your current and future ability
level. You’ll get there!
TUESDAY’S BIRTHDAY (March 8). It’s a
lucky feeling at the start of this solar cycle, like
you’ve arrived, you deserve it and you’ll be ready
to want something else in about two months. All
the more reason to celebrate big! Your honed
aesthetic sense will play into May’s success.
June features a relationship breakthrough. Au-
gust begins an education. Aries and Gemini
adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 2, 44, 38, 34
and 17.