THE DAILY ASTORIAN • TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2017
FEATURES
Tired of friend’s complaints
Dear Annie: I’m writing to you victim in a lot of areas of her life.
And that’s part of why I’m
regarding one of my best friends,
“Melanie.” Melanie and I are both scared to confront her. I want to tell
in our late 20s. We met in college her that she’s been talking about
and bonded over our senses of these same problems for years
humor and our preference for stay- and it’s time to change, but I know
ing in and watching a movie over she’d be offended.
Lately, I find myself
going out to frat parties.
DEAR
screening her phone calls
She’s been there for me
because when I get home
during some hard times.
ANNIE
from a long day of work,
She’s one person I can rely
I just don’t want to hear
on to always answer my
the negativity. I feel bad
calls and be there for me,
for avoiding her. I want
and I appreciate her.
to be a good friend. What
But she seems unable
should I do? — Emotion-
or unwilling to get out of
ally Exhausted
the rut she’s been in for
Lane
Dear Emotionally:
the past few years, and it’s Annie
Creators
Syndicate
Inc.
It’s frustrating to watch a
become increasingly frus-
friend languishing in a rut
trating to listen to her com-
plaining about the same things that she could easily climb out of.
every day. She took a retail job out But if you tried to yank her out of
of college, just to make ends meet it, she’d only pull you down into
until she could find something in the wallowing hole with her, and
her field. Five years later and she’s that would be a toxic place to be.
still there, and I’ve had to hear So keep a healthy distance between
you and that aspect of her, not just
about it pretty much every day.
I’ve tried to help her look for for your sake but also for hers; by
jobs and sent her lots of links to job listening to her venting about the
postings, but I’m pretty sure she same problems every day, you’re
hasn’t actually applied to any of actually enabling her not to change.
So draw the line. Tell her your
them. She always has a list of rea-
sons — e.g., “I don’t have time to New Year’s resolution is to not
apply for jobs,” “I need to update dwell on negatives. Whenever she
my resume.” She tends to play the starts up the “woe is me” routine,
tell her that you’re happy to discuss
solutions but if she just wants to
talk about the same problems again,
you’re not able to listen. Eventu-
ally — let’s hope — she’ll get out
of that rut all on her own. That will
give her the self-confidence to keep
the momentum going.
Dear Annie: Your answer to
“Worried About Mom,” who is
looking out for his or her elderly
mother and trying to protect her
finances, perpetuates a misunder-
standing about power of attorney.
Someone’s having power of attor-
ney does not allow him or her to
take control of the other person’s
checking account as you said.
Power of attorney allows some-
one to do things for the other per-
son — “for” being the operative
word there; it can’t be against the
person’s will. In this case, “Worried
About Mom’s” power of attorney
cannot stop his or her mother from
giving money to the ne’er-do-well
sister. Having the mother found
incompetent and obtaining a legal
guardianship would be the only
thing that could do that. — Heard
It All Before in Lafayette, Ind.
Dear Heard: Thank you for
your insight. I encourage anyone in
such a situation to consult an attor-
ney for proper legal advice.
5A
TOMORROW’S HOROSCOPE
By Holiday Mathis, Creators Syndicate Inc.
ARIES (March 21-April 19). Collaborate.
The compromise you strike will be worth it,
as long as you approach it like an experi-
ment. What can you discover by working with
others that you could not find out by working
on your own?
TAURUS (April 20-May 20). You’re in the
mood to uncover a mystery. It seems by now
something would have come along to pique
your interest. Alas, you’re going to have to go
searching for new inspiration, unanswered
questions and purposeful quests.
GEMINI (May 21-June 21). Optimum
productivity isn’t really about how much you
get done; it’s about getting the right things
done — the things that matter to you, make
a difference to others and possibly enrich
and improve your overall experience.
get you there with more grace, stability and
certainty.
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). You have no
interest in making a “good” impression. You
want it to be spectacular. You want them to
be thinking of you long after you’re gone. If
anyone can cast such a spell, it’s you. Re-
straint and a sense of mystery are key.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). You’re
in danger of digital overload. Try this radical
idea: real life! Meet in person. Tell the joke or
the story to someone’s face. The payoff for
actual human contact will be brilliant.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). The one
you interact with most, in your head or other-
wise, is the one you’re having a relationship
with. The dynamic doesn’t have to be positive
for it to be meaningful.
CANCER (June 22-July 22). The beautiful
thing about a fantasy life is that it can be
anything you want it to be and, no matter
how big and wild it grows, it can always
stay contained in your head and completely
portable, with you wherever you go.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). The journey
ahead gets increasingly interesting and
demanding, too. Answer the challenge by
planning to get more sleep. You’ll need to be
sharp, and sleep deprivation will only lead to
mistakes.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). Your wish will be
granted precisely as asked. This will inspire
you, in the future, to ask in even more spe-
cific terms. You’re getting better and better at
accepting help, by the way.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). Your pa-
tience is legendary, and you’ll stick with the
program, person or project long after others
would have given up. Your intuition tells you
to hang in there, and it won’t steer you wrong.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). If you’re wonder-
ing why you can’t seem to give a care about
the work at hand, it’s because the stakes
aren’t high enough to motivate you. So make
it more fun. Impose a severe limit or an
outrageous reward.
TOMORROW’S BIRTHDAY (Feb. 8). People
want to know you and be a part of your team
this year, not because of what you can do
for them but because of who you are. Your
talents are a perfect match for the March
agenda. August shifts the energy to your
physical self, and you’ll get stronger and fitter.
Leo and Sagittarius adore you. Your lucky
numbers are: 9, 4, 20, 44 and 17.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). Though you may
fantasize about making a drastic change,
the reality is that a series of small steps will
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