THE DAILY ASTORIAN • MONDAY, MAY 16, 2016
FEATURES
Worker brings down morale
Dear Annie: I have a co-worker
who often shows up late, constantly
complains about how he doesn’t
want to be “here” (in this city, at
this job, etc.), spends most of his
time reading Facebook posts aloud
or trying to chat with the rest of the
people in our department and gen-
erally wastes his time when he’s
supposed to be working.
Our department works on a very
strict deadline, and he often inds
himself in a time crunch at the end
of the day and asks the rest of us
to do his work for him. When we
say no, he either calls our boss to
complain that we “aren’t helping”
or tries to scare us by saying that
it’s “everyone’s fault if we miss
deadline.”
Several co-workers have tried to
explain this to our boss, but this guy
always has some excuse that our
boss is more than willing to believe.
I am pretty sure it’s because they
were friends before our boss was
promoted. But this co-worker is
making our boss look bad, along
with the rest of us. I think our boss
is truly blind to the fact that this guy
barely does his job, and produces
subpar work.
It bothers me that this whiner is
dragging the rest of the department
down. What should I do? — Con-
Annie’s
Mailbox
Creators
Syndicate Inc.
Kathy
Mitchell and
Marcy Sugar
fused and Frustrated
Dear Confused: We think your
boss overlooks this guy’s ineptitude
because it’s easier than dealing with
the situation and possibly losing
a friend. But it damages the com-
pany, not to mention morale.
If there is a human resources
department or your boss has an
immediate supervisor, this is where
you should direct your complaints.
Make it a group effort with others
from your department. Don’t criti-
cize your co-worker’s personality.
Simply say that you are concerned
deadlines will be missed. If told to
send your complaints to your boss,
explain that you have already done
so and it hasn’t made a difference.
In the meantime, encourage this
co-worker to look for another job,
perhaps in another city where he
will be happier. Try to do it with
sincere concern for his well-being.
Dear Annie: This is in response
to the letter from “Morose Mom,”
whose adult children kept borrow-
ing money and never paid it back.
As each of our children grad-
uated college and went on to lead
adult lives, we instituted a very strict
rule: Your credit is only as good as
your last loan. They had to pay back
one in order to borrow again. And
guess what? It worked. We’ve had
every loan (we don’t charge inter-
est) repaid and would not hesitate to
let our children borrow again, espe-
cially if they found themselves in
an emergency situation.
When my husband went back
to college for a post-doctorate,
we found ourselves with not quite
enough money to make it to grad-
uation. His dad loaned us $5,000,
and as soon as my husband started
work, we began paying Dad back.
After the entire amount had been
repaid, Dad’s wife said of all the
adult kids, we were the only ones
who had ever done so. — Respon-
sible Adult in Florida
Dear Florida: You did it right.
Unless parents want their loans
to be gifts, a repayment sched-
ule should be set up and followed.
A parent who continues to loan
money to a child who never repays
it is asking for a lot of aggravation.
5A
Tomorrow’s horoscope
By Holiday Mathis, Creators Syndicate Inc.
ARIES (March 21-April 19). No matter how
experienced the authority figure purports to
be, you may come up with an endless supply
of better ideas today. Depending on the sit-
uation, these might be best kept to yourself.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20). If you’re giv-
ing more to a relationship than is prudent,
sustainable or healthy and yet it still doesn’t
seem to be enough, that points to a faulty
relationship, not a faulty you.
GEMINI (May 21-June 21). An impulsive
mood could inspire you to gamble today, and
not necessarily with money. There are many
commodities that are far more precious than
money to put at stake — like your self-es-
teem or your emotional resolve.
CANCER (June 22-July 22). Be careful
not to seek proof of your own legitimacy. Just
because you have yet to achieve success
in an area doesn’t mean you don’t belong
there. Claim your right to be there. Assume
it’s where you’re supposed to be.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). The potential en-
ergy that is bound up inside of youth will be
invigorating to be around. You’ll help, guide
and contribute to the next generation, and
this will benefit you in many ways.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). You can only
commit fully to one plan. You have a few
choices, and honestly any of them will work,
as long as you execute the plan because
of the whole person you are — and not be-
cause of the hole in the person you are.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). If your happi-
ness does not hinge on another person’s
interaction or approval, then why is it that ev-
ery time you experience this, your heart flies
over the moon? Enjoy it for now. It’s not a
problem until it is.
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
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). Inspiration is
cyclical, so there’s no reason to panic if you
hit a dry spell now and again, as evidenced
by this afternoon. This is the perfect excuse
to drop the routine and follow a juicy little dis-
traction.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). The
answers are right in front of you; you just
have to be observant and analytical enough
to recognize them. “When you cut into the
present, the future leaks out.” — William Bur-
roughs
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). There’s a
bit of a trickster in you today. Many will want
to play with you, even if it means being the
object of light teasing. It’s a form of love that
the good-humored will appreciate.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). Someone’s
agenda is going to be your priority today, so
why shouldn’t it be yours? The others need
you, sure. But if you’re being honest, haven’t
you been indulging them a little too much
lately?
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). You want
progress and get minutiae instead. Perhaps
you’ll see better momentum if you celebrate
the incremental steps. Test the theory. Drum
up some enthusiasm and see if the pace
picks up.
TUESDAY’S BIRTHDAY (May 17). You’ll
learn how to turn a skill into more of a mon-
eymaker over the next two months. July
brings family together in celebration. You are
fascinating to a group and will lead them all
in August. You’ll devote yourself to creating
domestic bliss and beauty in September and
enjoy a very successful outcome. Aries and
Virgo adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 1,
33, 30, 4 and 11.