FEATURES
6A
Struggling with loud mouth
Dear Annie: I’m a loud talker,
apparently. I still don’t believe I’m
that loud, but I recently moved to a
new city and started a new job, and
the issue keeps coming up. My land-
lord has called me twice to yell at
me about how others in my building
sent her noise complaints. I wasn’t
having a party or anything. I had
one friend over the irst time, and the
second time I was just talking on the
phone. I was taken aback. The land-
lord really intimidated me, making
threats about eviction. (She’s not the
most reasonable person.)
“OK,” I igured, “my neigh-
bors are a little high-strung.” But
then last week, at a job I just started
a month ago, I had a performance
review with my supervisor. One of
the things he mentioned was that I
need to keep my voice down. Some
co-workers had complained they
were having trouble focusing.
The thing is, I never notice I’m
talking loud. It’s just my normal
voice. I managed to make it to my
30s without this being an issue.
Why is this just coming up now?
Maybe my new town is just full of
strangely quiet people who need
to loosen up. And anyway, how
can someone change something
as deeply ingrained as the way she
speaks? I really don’t think there’s
Dear Annie
By
Annie
Lane
Creators
Syndicate
Inc.
anything I can do about it. At this
point, I’m getting bitter. It feels as
though everyone is out to get me.
— Loudspeaker
Dear Loudspeaker: It sounds
as if the only thing these people
are out to get is some peace and
quiet. Given that this has happened
at home and at work, you have to
accept that the problem is you, not
them. I sincerely suggest you have
your ears checked. Hearing loss can
start at any age.
In the meantime, swallow your
pride and apologize to your neigh-
bors. Let them know it’s an issue
you’re working on, and give them
your cellphone number so they
can call you — instead of the evic-
tion-happy landlord — if your vol-
ume is bothering them.
Dear Annie: My wife has obses-
sive-compulsive disorder, and it’s
taking a toll on our relationship.
She opened up to me about her
disorder when we were dating. I
noticed some behavioral tics — tap-
ping, counting, blinking, etc. — but
nothing major like what I imagined
OCD to be like.
It wasn’t until recently, a year
into our marriage, that she started
getting very aggressive about clean-
liness in the house. She yells at me
for dishes not being put back in the
exact right place. I usually end up
feeling defensive and lashing out in
turn. You can imagine how well that
works out. It spirals into a big ight.
She’s too stubborn to ever apol-
ogize. She would rather sleep on the
couch for a few nights than admit
she was wrong. We had a big ight
last week, and I told her I think
she needs to be in therapy. She got
enraged and said I was trying to use
her OCD against her to make her
opinions seem illegitimate.
I don’t know what to do. I am
totally committed to making our
marriage work, but this keeps hap-
pening lately. — Rattled Husband
Dear Rattled: Remember that
OCD is the problem, not your wife.
It bothers her just as much (or more)
than it bothers you. Do encourage
her to seek treatment, but approach
the subject when things are calm.
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, JULY 7, 2016
Tomorrow’s horoscope
By Holiday Mathis, Creators Syndicate Inc.
ARIES (March 21-April 19). You’re will-
ing (even obligated and relieved) to tell the
truth. The question is: Which truth should
you tell? Not all truths are relevant. Some
truths are none of their business.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20). Spreading
good vibes is your specialty and it takes no
effort at all for you to do so. You’re in the
habit of saying something positive to every-
one who crosses your path.
GEMINI (May 21-June 21). What if you
could only talk in emojis? In a way, this is
the case today, because no matter what
you say or hear, the emotion of it will come
through at a much higher volume than the
actual sound.
CANCER (June 22-July 22). It feels good
when you wake up in the morning and the
sun comes through to blow out the men-
tal cobwebs and illuminate the main shin-
ing purpose on your mind. One beautiful
thought carries you through.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). What others ex-
pect of you is not half as important as what
you expect of yourself. Surround yourself
with people who want you to be your best
but accept and love you still when you are
at your worst.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). If you don’t
know the tricks and tips, you’ll wind up
working twice as hard as the ones who do.
Before you dive into the task, ask if there’s a
way to do it better, faster, cheaper or smart-
er.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). The short an-
swer is the best answer. Don’t feel obligat-
ed to let people in on the whole story, or
any part of the story you don’t want to tell.
Maintain your privacy and you’ll also grow a
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
glamourous air of mystery around yourself.
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). In big cities
it’s not uncommon to be but a few short
blocks from a rough neighborhood. Know-
ing how close to danger you are will help
you avoid it.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). When
you look into the eyes of another fire sign
(Aries, Leo or a fellow Sagittarius) you’ll see
a passion you can relate to and you’ll feel
an energy that matches your own.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). When
it’s your turn, the conversation is stellar.
But just because you have the gift of gab
doesn’t mean you always want to be talking.
In fact, to some degree you crave solitude.
You certainly appreciate comfortable si-
lence.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). Make the
decision now. If you postpone it, you’ll only
be creating clutter and disarray for yourself.
Tonight: Arrange, consolidate, sort, struc-
ture, plan. These are the verbs that will
make your life better.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). Maybe the
spark wasn’t immediate, but your connec-
tion has grown over time into an undeniably
solid situation. Now how can you inject this
with more fun?
FRIDAY’S BIRTHDAY (July 8). The year
is marked by a sense of accomplishment
as you tick off about 12 significant items
from your long-term list before the year is
up. This month brings an exciting trip. You’ll
land a deal in August and put the money
in the bank in September. November brings
a big bonus. Libra and Scorpio adore you.
Your lucky numbers are 50, 44, 29, 19 and
31.