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.