THE DAILY ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2016
FEATURES
Roommates can’t get along
Dear Annie: I live with four it wasn’t his money or his busi-
other people in a big old house ness. He immediately wrote back,
outside Boston. Two of the room- “Whoa, whoa, OK, Friday is fine.
mates are a couple, “Jeremy” and Pay me back whenever.” But it
“Rachel.” Rachel is a very close was too late for him to try to back-
friend of mine and has been for track, and I let him have a piece of
about 10 years, ever since we my mind. I told him to go to hell
met in college. She and
or at the very least get out
DEAR
Jeremy live downstairs,
of our house. I may have
while the other three of us
used even more color-
ANNIE
live upstairs.
ful language than that. I
Jeremy and Rachel
was just so floored by his
have been together for
rudeness.
three years, and I liked
Now Rachel says she’s
Jeremy fine — until we
angry with both of us for
moved in together. The
handling ourselves the
past year has been a war.
way we did. She says she
Lane
He and I started butting Annie
knows that Jeremy can be
Creators
Syndicate Inc.
heads pretty much imme-
annoying, but she’s hurt
that I would act so hate-
diately. He kept using my
condiments and leaving my TV fully toward her boyfriend. He’s
on. (I keep it in the living room trying to find a place to stay tem-
downstairs.) I had to tell him porarily because I told him I don’t
to stop several times before he want him living here.
I am not apologizing. I am the
finally did.
Well, things really came to one who has been wronged here.
a head yesterday. I was about a Right? — Mad in Massachusetts
Dear Mad: No matter how bad
month late paying him my por-
tion of the heating bill, and he tex- you think Jeremy is, cursing him
ted me to ask for it. I told him I out just made you worse.
Let’s review Morality 101:
would have it to him when I get
paid this week. He said, “What Two wrongs don’t make a right;
about the money Rachel lent you they just make a mess. And your
friend, by the way, is in the middle
last month?”
I lost my cool and told him of that mess. Apologize to Jeremy
for the outburst, but let him know
that you do have some valid con-
cerns about living with him. Find
a way to tolerate each other, at
least until the lease is up. There is
enough drama in the world with-
out friends tearing each other apart
over condiments and heating bills.
Dear Annie: Usually, I agree
with and appreciate your advice.
I’m sure you have to edit a lot
of the letters you receive and we
don’t get all the information. This
time, though, based on the infor-
mation we got, I don’t understand
your advice.
When a couple are having a
heart-to-heart conversation about
a problem in their marriage, why
would you encourage them to be
anything less than honest with
each other? You want “Mumma”
to tell “Bill” to stop calling her
names. It sounds to us as if he was
honestly answering a yes-or-no
question when she asked him
whether the reason for his wander-
ing eye is that she is fat. She knew
it. He acknowledged it. They got
to the root of the problem. Are you
advocating that he lie to her?
Overall, good job. I enjoy
your column. But sometimes you
are too quick to side with your
readers.
5A
TOMORROW’S HOROSCOPE
By Holiday Mathis, Creators Syndicate Inc.
ARIES (March 21-April 19). Humans consid-
er living in the moment to be an art. Dogs find
it to be a way of life. Today you’ll be better off
not thinking much about it, and simply riffing
off of the energies around you.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20). Create account-
ability, collect data and set up an organized
system for doing so. After all, life is better with
systems. You’re already following many of
them, although unconsciously, to good effect.
GEMINI (May 21-June 21). People study
to learn what you already know instinctively.
You’re too close to understand your own
talent, but when you act naturally it will lead to
outstanding results today.
CANCER (June 22-July 22). You will be hap-
piest in relationships that offer you challenges.
You’ll work for someone’s attention, which
makes that person all the more attractive (and
attracted) to you.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). Freud noticed that
guilt and remorse are often confused, the
former stemming from aggressive wishes, the
latter a form of self-punishment for the wish
fulfilled. As far as today goes, both emotions
are useless.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). There’s someone
out there who would love to double your joy
and divide your grief. Perhaps this person is
already in your world, only you haven’t yet
shared enough to know how well you fit.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). It would be nice to
be left in your own little corner of the world
to do your thing, but life won’t let you. Getting
along with difficult people will be the difference
between success and failure.
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). There will be
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
moments of feeling lost. Love is the magic that
will keep you moving toward “found” status.
Connect with that kindred spirit who pushes
you forward, forward, ever forward.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). Small
amounts of “better” count. In fact, maybe
those are the best amounts of all, because
they’re not too hard to create and they add
up quickly. Before you know it, you’re big-time
better!
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). You’re
versed in more than one language, if you
count cultures as languages. You understand
people of different generations. You make an
effort to learn about different worldviews. You’ll
act as a translator today.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). What if you
took away the operational strata? If all of the
people were equal status, all the ideas equally
up for investigation, all of the reality open to
your interpretation: What then?
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). One changed
habit will be all it takes to alter your reality.
What do you grumble about most often?
Give it up for the next three days and your life
will change, incrementally at first, and then
remarkably.
TOMORROW’SBIRTHDAY (Dec. 30). They
love you. Just let them. You’ll be showered
with affectionate gestures through the first part
of the year. School is featured prominently and
life-changing relationships happen through
the learning process. In April, network and
cash in. September brings very successful
business arrangements. Pisces and Scorpio
adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 12, 14, 19,
5 and 32.