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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 19, 2016)
FEATURES 6A Look who’s not laughing Dear Annie: It was my hus- band’s sense of humor that irst attracted me to him. He was one of the funniest people I had ever met. But now, ive years into our mar- riage, the constant comedy routine has gotten old. He’s never “off.” The jokes just keep on coming. I’ll be telling him about my day, and he’ll take some detail and run with it, creating some humorous hypothetical situation. When we have company over, it’s even worse because he has an audience. Every- one laughs at his jokes, and they tell me how funny he is. They’re not the ones who have to live with a part- ner who seems more interested in doing a stand-up monologue than having an actual conversation. I’ve gently pointed this out to him a few times (“Why do you think you tell so many jokes?”), but he doesn’t seem to get it. I don’t want to sit across the din- ner table from Jerry Seinfeld for the rest of my life. I just want to talk about real things and for us to speak to each other from the heart. How can I get him to be a bit more seri- ous? — Mrs. Jester Dear Mrs. Jester: Humor is a great way to break the ice in the beginning of a relationship, and it also helps maintain a sense of lev- Dear Annie By Annie Lane Creators Syndicate Inc. ity and playfulness in the long term. But constant joking can grate on a partner and get in the way of inti- macy, as you’ve found. It’s possible he suffers from wit- zelsucht, a rare neurological condi- tion that causes people to wisecrack 24/7, but more likely he’s just a bit of a ham. He’s gotten used to relating to people this way. He probably doesn’t even realize how incessant it is. Gently point it out to him and explain how it’s affecting you. He should make an effort to cut back on jokes. Come up with some sort of signal you can use if he starts going into stand-up mode. Like any habit, it can be broken. What you can’t break, and I hope you wouldn’t want to, is his personality. Humor is always going to be a part of who he is. Dear Annie: I am hosting a neighborhood party for a fairly well-to-do neighborhood. I have done this once before, and it was received pretty well. But this time, I am getting no RSVPs. The party is less than a week away, and I have heard from only three out of 30 invited households. What has happened to proper manners? These are educated, work- ing people, but they cannot make their decision known? Maybe they think something better may come along? I ind invitations to any event a privilege and also consider the host’s need for proper counts to pro- vide food and beverages. One neighbor suggested calling others to see whether they are com- ing, but that seems like begging to me. This is probably my last event, as proper etiquette seems to be gone. Any suggestions? — Anxious Host Dear Anxious: People these days do seem to be a lot worse at anything that involves the gargan- tuan effort of putting something in the mail. Though it’s not ideal to have to call up guests to see whether they’re coming, you need a head count, and at this point phone calls are your best option. THE DAILY ASTORIAN • MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2016 Tomorrow’s horoscope By Holiday Mathis, Creators Syndicate Inc. ARIES (March 21-April 19). Usually when you “score” it’s because you set out to do so — goal in mind. Today you’ll acci- dentally get your proverbial ball in the right place to make the all the points you need. TAURUS (April 20-May 20). Does this routine still serve you, or is it merely auto- matic? One new idea presented by some- one who inspires you (or inspires you to go in the opposite direction) is all it will take to make you question this lifestyle choice. GEMINI (May 21-June 21). Your high level of awareness would alert you to danger, except there is none. Therefore, your keen senses will scan each new en- vironment for opportunity, fun, novelty and pleasure. CANCER (June 22-July 22). You are loved. Believe it and act accordingly. Try not to require assurance on the fact; it only tires the others out. Instead, do the things and think the thoughts that make you feel secure. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). What does it take to be a person of the world? A cou- rageous spirit is a good start. Next comes the open-mindedness that allows you to accept people who are very different — a no-brainer for you. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). Your rela- tionships are your business. You’ll benefit from keeping things on a need-to-know basis, and if it doesn’t impact another per- son directly, you have no obligation that would infringe on your own privacy. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). Creatures of the forest — they’re wild but in their own social world with structures and specific rules. You can relate. Today, you’ll make 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 your own rules and alert your crew. SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). As for the recurring issue — you could bring the mat- ter to a conclusion if you wanted to, and there’s a reason you don’t. Stay objective. Gather more insight. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). You have stories to tell and retell. Test out your ideas. Bounce them off of smart people, silly people and people who have no idea what you’re talking about. The latter group will help you the most. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). The thing that helps you grow and develop your interests might seem frivolous at this point, but it’s not. Let your curiosity lead. Don’t believe anyone who makes you feel like having curiosity is a bad thing. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). You are particularly lucky now, especially in mat- ters of entertainment. You’ll feed the hun- gry and charm the bored. Tonight: Creativ- ity will trump dollars. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). The friend- ship you seek correlates directly with the friendship you bring. Go into the social scene ready to be a stellar listener and give others a quality of attention that will make them feel important. TUESDAY’S BIRTHDAY (Sept. 20). This is a high-energy year: Your energy is so high that you feel you can conquer any- thing and everything. Maybe you can. Just keep in mind that some things needn’t be conquered so much as cajoled, coddled or seduced. Financially, your best months will be October, January and March. Sagit- tarius and Capricorn adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 2, 8, 7, 19 and 40.
