FEATURES
6A
Cheating for love of b-ball
Dear Annie: I love basketball, but
my husband has no interest in it. Our two
boys, ages 6 and 8, play at school some-
times but have not yet discovered what a
great game it is. I grew up with two broth-
ers who played all the time, and I was a
tomboy for most of my childhood, falling
in love with basketball at an early age. We
live in a big city with an NBA team, and
my one luxury in life, which is an annual
gift from my husband, is my season tick-
ets to our team’s home games.
Season ticket holders are assigned
the same seat for every home game.
The man sitting next to me this past sea-
son is friendly and intelligent, and best
of all, he loves basketball. Over the irst
few weeks of the season, we struck up a
friendship. At irst, it was just about bas-
ketball, chatting at halftime, cheering
when we won, that sort of thing. Then
we started meeting before and after
the games, and he told me he is sick of
his wife and their only child is a brat.
I can’t wait for next season to start so
we can have an airtight excuse for see-
ing each other. Until then, we have to
sneak around. I keep dreaming of run-
ning away with him and starting a new
family based on our love of basketball.
I can picture my two sons playing bas-
ketball with him, getting guidance and
having fun. In my dreams, that would be
heaven. What do you think? — A Bas-
ketball Fanatic
Dear Annie
By
Annie
Lane
Creators
Syndicate Inc.
Dear Fanatic: Heaven? If you act
on your fantasies, you are asking for
an early death, and heaven is not where
you’ll end up. Your two children and
his child are dependent on both of you.
Get your thumb out of your mouth and
grow up. You are playing with ire, not
free throws, and it is time to reinvest in
your marriage. Those three young lives
depend on it. Your husband buys you
season tickets to the game you love, and
you repay him by ... cheating on him?
He sounds like a good guy who deserves
better.
Dear Annie: My uncle has been a
passionate stamp collector for the past
decade, ever since his retirement. He
has said that he loses track of time as he
pursues rare stamps, catalogs them and
studies intricate details of each one. He
has a network of friends who share his
hobby. Most are great, but one of them
persuaded my uncle to let him stay at
his house, and the next thing you know,
some of his most treasured stamps were
missing. Of course, his guest denied tak-
ing them, and my uncle had no proof.
But about a year later, some of them
showed up for sale on eBay. My uncle
contacted the authorities, who alerted
the seller that he was offering stolen
merchandise, which led back to the man
who had stayed at his house. My uncle
wanted to prosecute but then said it
would be too much of a hassle. He only
got back half of the stamps that were sto-
len, and now he is very guarded about
making friends in the hobby.
I always thought that his passion for
stamp collecting was keeping him alive,
but now I am worried that he has shut
down. He really doesn’t trust anybody in
his hobby. My uncle and I have always
had a unique bond, and I feel so sad for
him. What can I do to help him renew
his enthusiasm? — Helpless and Seek-
ing Solutions
Dear Helpless: Because you are
close to your uncle, I’d suggest asking
him about his longtime friends in the
hobby. You could reach out to them to
ask for their help. They may have had
similar experiences. As long as your
uncle continues to pursue his hobby —
albeit with caution — and his old friends
are with him, the odds are good that he
will be enjoying his stamps as much as
ever. It just takes time.
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
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, JULY 8, 2016
Tomorrow’s horoscope
By Holiday Mathis, Creators Syndicate Inc.
ARIES (March 21-April 19). Feeling
overwhelmed? It’s a positive sign that
your life is big and broad, rich and full.
You’ve been ambitious. You’ve chal-
lenged yourself. Accept the anxiety that
goes with this state. It will be far more
comfortable than fighting it.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20). Often the
mental picture is better. Then there are
times when it’s not, when the real life ver-
sion blows it away. Today those instances
will be well worth the risk required, so
take a chance.
GEMINI (May 21-June 21). What
you’re expressing has value, whether or
not you’re right. Recap all communication
so as to be sure you’ve been heard and
understood.
CANCER (June 22-July 22). You may
not get it finished today, but if you work on
it a while you’ll get closer. Bring a friend
or colleague in on this, too, while you’re
at it. There will be no big glory in finishing
alone.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). Multitasking
will rob you of your mindfulness. Instead
of doing many things at once, do one
thing at once.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). When it’s
your turn to relax, take it. Kick back, day-
dream, binge on media, do the thing that
gives you the feeling like you’re one long,
stretched out sigh. This is healthy.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). In order to
make yourself happy, you might have
to get past some of the ideas you have
about who you’re supposed to be. Any-
way, a lot of those ideas are based on
other people’s expectations.
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). Every-
one is different. A party might energize
others, while you might find it to be a lot
of work. Both are true, but since you can
only be in your own body, you may as
well cater to that.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21).
Your thoughts may seem to ping chaoti-
cally around in your head, but once you
hold a pen in your hand they will order
themselves quite nicely. Make lists; gain
clarity.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). The
Italian proverb suggests, “One who walks
in another’s tracks leaves no footprints.”
It’s a good idea if you’re doing something
illegal, but in all other cases wouldn’t you
rather make an impression?
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). Love is:
getting to know another person’s triggers
so you don’t accidentally press against
the wrong one. If you’re going to cause
another person pain or pleasure, you’d
rather do it mindfully.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). You owe
your success to saying “yes,” but you
could also make a case for “yes” being
your downfall. For now, just make sure
you’re not being taken for granted.
SATURDAY’S BIRTHDAY (July 9).
The music is in you. Sing it out! Know that
other people will dance to your song if
you get it out there loud enough for them
to feel the beat of it. The next two months
will introduce you to new friends. August
and February are your luckiest months in
business. Gemini and Capricorn adore
you. Your lucky numbers are: 39, 3, 19,
47 and 8.