FEATURES
6A
In-laws make his blood boil
Dear Annie: I’ve been happily
married for 10 years. During the
time I’ve known my in-laws, I’ve
gone from liking them and tolerating
our differences in how we relate and
communicate to dreading their vis-
its and having very little tolerance for
them. They always think they know
best. And even when they actu-
ally do know better than we do and
help us come to the right solution for
something, it’s explained in a con-
descending way. It has the tone of,
“That’s obviously how you should
do it. Why didn’t you think of that?”
It puts me on the defensive, and then
the whole day feels tense, although
I’m not even sure they notice.
Another thing that annoys me is
when my mother-in-law decides to
start cleaning the house and reorga-
nizing the cabinets. I know; it sounds
nice — but if you knew this woman,
you’d see she’s being passive-ag-
gressive. She makes little “joking”
comments about our clutter.
Then there’s my father-in-law,
who tinkers with the thermostat
whenever he’s here until it feels as
if we’re in a jungle. I would never
dream of changing the thermostat
without asking in a house I’m a guest
in! Even thinking about it now, I feel
my blood pressure rising.
With every visit, my fuse gets
Dear Annie
By
Annie
Lane
Creators
Syndicate
Inc.
shorter and shorter. My wife hears
me, but she’s lived with it all her life;
she doesn’t know any different. And
she’s always quick to point out all
the things she has to deal with when
we’re with my parents.
What do you suggest? — Tick, Tick...
Dear Tick: You’d better dial your
own thermostat down a few degrees,
bub! There’s a lot to be said for pick-
ing your battles, and that goes doubly
when it comes to in-laws.
The next time they’re in town and
you feel your temperature rising — lit-
erally or iguratively — take a quick
break to cool off. Go in the bathroom
and splash yourself with cold water if
you need to. Stamp out those lames
of anger before they consume you.
With practice, you’ll learn to let
the little things slide. And chill out
about the thermostat.
Dear Annie: I live in an apart-
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • WEDNESDAY, JULY 6, 2016
Tomorrow’s horoscope
By Holiday Mathis, Creators Syndicate Inc.
ment, and my next-door neighbor is
on my last nerve. His TV is on our
shared wall, and the sound permeates
my apartment. I get that apartment
dwellers have to deal with occasional
parties and loud music and such, and
I’ve always tried to be tolerant. But
no one needs to watch CNN at full
volume all day long. He’s a young
guy, probably mid-30s, so I don’t
think his is an issue of poor hearing.
We don’t have much of a rela-
tionship. When we see each other,
we nod. That’s about the extent of
it. I don’t want to make things awk-
ward, but I can’t take it anymore.
How should I go about asking him
to turn down his TV? — Blasted Out
Dear Blasted: Ah, the soothing
sounds of the 24-hour news cycle.
What’s not to love?
Drop hints that you can hear him.
Perhaps the next time you see your
neighbor in the hall, you could ask
him what he thought of Anderson
Cooper’s show last night.
If that doesn’t work, be direct. Tell
him, “I’m sure you’re not aware, but
I can hear your TV loud and clear.”
Then work together to ind a mutu-
ally agreeable level at which to cap
the noise.
If this neighbor turns out to be
not-so-neighborly, then it’s time to
go to the landlord and complain.
ARIES (March 21-April 19). Decorum will
matter, and there will be points for good man-
ners. Still, there will come a point in the day
when the discussion naturally flows to the
things people are not supposed to talk about,
and it’s nothing to shrink from.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20). You thought they
were listening, but you may learn today that
the information you gave fell on deaf ears, or
at least they don’t recall it. Don’t doubt yourself
or blame them; just try to communicate again.
GEMINI (May 21-June 21). You are inherent-
ly worthy of love, and yet you still feel that you
have something to prove, if only to yourself. Try-
ing to impress others usually creates the oppo-
site effect, but if you can impress yourself, well,
that will be a thrill.
CANCER (June 22-July 22). Even though
intellectually you realize that your time is finite,
pretending like you have all the time in the world
will align you with the mythological gods, who
are so much more powerful and creative for the
luxury of their immortality.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). It is natural to as-
sume that other people are like you. They not
always are. You’ll be a good judge of character
as long as you don’t project your own personal-
ity onto the blank slate of an unknown person.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). A civilized life
removed from nature only serves to make the
natural world a more uncertain place. Navigat-
ing natural realms will help the animal inside
you and promote health and well-being on the
deeper levels.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). You get along
well with others, work and play nicely with your
teammates and coexist harmoniously in what-
ever environment you find yourself in. And yet,
you’ll be amazingly productive in a realm that’s
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
entirely yours. Find it.
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). When the un-
witting hero of the horror movie puts a hand on
the doorknob, the audience collectively thinks,
“Don’t go in there.” It wouldn’t be a good flick
if the hero heeded warnings. You’re not in the
movie, though.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). The theme
is “romance” and what that means to you.
Sometimes it’s flowers and poetry. Sometimes
it’s a special night out. Right now romance is a
state of understanding. Your efforts to this end
will be most effective.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). There are
willful and selfish urges inside each and every
person. Over time, you’ve learned to curb these
tendencies. Witnessing them in others will be a
little frustrating for you, though you can relate,
so you have compassion.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). People want
to be near you and will gather where you are.
Whether it’s at home or the lunch table or your
work area, you’ll have to give major hints to get
anyone to leave.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). Working toward
compromise is the natural state of relationships
now, including the relationship between your
lower and higher urges and instincts. If you can
balance those, you can balance anything.
THURSDAY’S BIRTHDAY (July 7). Ask the
universe to wow you and the wonders will keep
unfolding. You’re willing to trade in your curiosity
for skepticism, because this feels better to you.
Bonus: Curiosity and optimism attract more
interesting, creative and impressive people to
you. September features a loving commitment.
December brings a new deal. Aquarius and
Gemini adore you. Your lucky numbers are 7,
20, 12, 14 and 32.