6A
FEATURES
Her singing annoys us
Dear Annie: I go to a small
Dear Sick: Time to close the
school, with only a handful of curtain on these lunchtime musi-
people in my graduating year. cals. We all do embarrassing
We’ve all known one another and annoying things from time
since kindergarten and first grade, to time, and someone has to tell
and we all spend our time talking us it’s become too much. That’s
what friends are for. As for hurt-
and interacting as a group.
ing her feelings, you
Sometimes at the
DEAR
don’t need to be bru-
lunch table — or when a
tal to be honest. Tell her
conversation dies down
ANNIE
that it’s nothing personal
and we’re sitting in com-
— that even if she were
fortable silence — one
Beyonce, the singing
of my friends, “Laura,”
routine would get old.
starts singing to herself.
If the little nightin-
This is bad enough
gale can’t abide by that,
on its own, but she is not
she’ll have to fly off
a very good singer. She
Lane
and find another table.
takes voice lessons and Annie
Creators
Syndicate Inc.
You’re her friends, not
was taught to do some-
her audience.
thing weird with her
Dear Annie: This is in
voice that is extremely annoying
to listen to. Sometimes someone response to “Child Forever,” who
in the group will try to ask her to is feeling pressured by her par-
stop, claiming to be tired or have ents to live closer to home even
a headache and saying the sing- though she is enjoying life in her
new city. I just felt compelled to
ing is aggravating it.
No one likes her singing. But give your initial response to this
she just doesn’t seem to get the writer a thumbs-up.
I had loving yet smothering
hint. She keeps doing it when-
ever she isn’t actively participat- parents who seemed to think of
ing in the conversation. I don’t me as a perpetual 10-year-old.
think this is socially acceptable, When I went away to college,
but how can I tell her it isn’t with- they would make frequent unan-
out hurting her feelings? — Sick nounced visits. When I secured a
job in a neighboring town, they
of the Singing
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • MONDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2017
TOMORROW’S HOROSCOPE
By Holiday Mathis, Creators Syndicate Inc.
made frequent surprise visits
there, as well. The reason they
gave was that they wanted to
check on my welfare. They often
said something like, “We haven’t
heard from you for a few days.”
So there was some passive-ag-
gressive guilt tripping.
I know that their intentions
were good, but I realized it was
up to me to get control of the sit-
uation. I arranged to meet them
weekly, sometimes in a neutral
setting to buy them lunch, some-
times in my home so they could
feel reassured about my living
arrangements and frequently in
their home to help with projects
and more.
This virtually eliminated the
unexpected visits. It also let them
know that I valued time spent
with them. And the lesson I took
away from this is that that was
what they really desired — time
spent together. — Previously
Smothered
Dear Previously: Way to
take the bull by the horns and
promote communication over
passive-aggressive behavior. If
your parents didn’t see you as an
adult before that, they most cer-
tainly saw how grown up you
were afterward.
ARIES (March 21-April 19). Not only is it natu-
ral to feel defensive around people who have a
history of socking you when you’re not expect-
ing it: It’s advisable. Likely this has to do with the
soft jabs of a loved one. Arms up; protect your
head; duck and cover.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20). There’s a point
at which too much conversation clouds the
meaning of things instead of making it clearer.
While some seem committed to talking things to
death, you jump in and fix it.
GEMINI (May 21-June 21). It takes a confident
person to risk being misunderstood and maybe
that’s partly why you’ll do it. Plus, you’ll learn
more from people who are dissimilar to you
than from people with whom you have a great
deal in common.
CANCER (June 22-July 22). When things get
a little more colorful and dramatic than is com-
fortable, be grateful for it. Were you to be limited
to a very confined and unvarying society, you
would be quickly bored to tears.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). Discipline is just not
something you easily come up with on your own
right now. Enlist the help of a coach, a champi-
on or a supportive friend. Not only will you get
results; you’ll feel loved in the process.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). Before you get into
the mix, remind yourself of your purpose. While
you’re at it, revel for a few minutes in what you’re
all about. Because if you’re not sure of this,
someone will come along and fill in the blanks
for you.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). Your big dream of
the day may not be anything too spectacular;
rather, it’s a small personal accomplishment or
meaningful exchange that drives you to
work deliberately and connect warmly with
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
others today.
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). Don’t be sur-
prised if, when you sit down to make a positive
plan of action, negativity comes first. Work
through the grievances. Once you give them
airtime, they’ll go away.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). Fun-loving
people are the best when fun is chief on the
agenda. What about when it’s not? If their love
of fun is stronger than their love of doing the job
at hand, trust your instincts and get the right
person for the job.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). You’re an art-
ist. This doesn’t always present itself in the way
some people think about creativity, but there are
so many ways to turn life into a beautiful experi-
ence. That’s what you’ll chase today.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). Sameness leads
to staleness. Seek variety and diversity. It takes
an effort to mix things up, and you’ll probably
meet with resistance from those more fearful
than you. Do it anyway. Everyone will be better
for it.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). It’s a day to read
and learn. Social topics, in particular, will be
lucky to know about. They’ll also be as exciting
to read up on as any fiction, because this learn-
ing paves the way to new adventures.
TOMORROW’S BIRTHDAY (Feb. 21). A few
stellar choices will carry you up this year.
Happiness is having a pure strong love in your
life. You’ll put quite a lot of effort into estab-
lishing a habit over the next 10 weeks. After
that, living the way you prefer will be nearly
automatic. There’s intense competition in March
and September; get serious. Libra and Scorpio
adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 8, 20, 5, 33
and 16.