THE DAILY ASTORIAN • TUESDAY, JUNE 20, 2017
FEATURES
Tall person problem
Dear Annie: I am in my and far fewer people think tall
60s and 6 feet 7 inches tall, jokes are offensive. I think the
and I am fed up with being reason for that is similar to the
approached by total strangers reason people think it’s OK to
who ask such things as, “How tease a thin friend about her
tall are you?” “Did you play weight but not a heavier one.
basketball?” “How tall is your People see tallness as a desir-
able trait. But I
wife?” “Your children?”
DEAR
agree with you.
And then there are the
It’s rude — not
same tired jokes: “How
ANNIE
to mention totally
is the weather up there?”
unoriginal.
“Let me know when it
Sometimes
starts raining.” “How’s the
a wry response
air up there?” And so on.
— for exam-
I am not self-conscious
ple, “Wow, I’ve
about my height, but I
never heard that
know that some tall men
Lane
one before” — is
and women are. I would Annie
Creators
Syndicate Inc.
enough. It points
not consider asking an
out to the per-
overweight person how
much she weighs or a short son that he or she was being
person how short he is and unoriginal, and it gives you the
satisfaction of having stood up
whether he is a jockey.
My mother taught me to for yourself.
Finally, I have seen T-shirts
never ask a woman her age or
weight because it could offend out there that read: “Yes, I’m
her. But it seems society thinks tall. No, I don’t play basket-
that it’s OK to offend tall ball. The weather up here is
perfect. I’m so glad we had
people.
If you don’t know me, this conversation.” Perhaps
please don’t ask about my wearing one would save you
some trouble.
height. — Had It Up to Here
Dear Annie: You recently
Dear Had It: Yes, most
adults wouldn’t crack jokes asked for tips on living life
at a short stranger’s expense, with a disability. This one
is well worth printing, as it
changed my life hugely. I use
a walker. One day a stranger
at the senior center passed by,
pulled an item out of his pocket
and stuck it on the handle of
my walker; no words were
exchanged. It was a heavy-
duty S-hook. I no longer have
to wrestle with getting my car
keys hooked onto the basket
under the walker seat. I now
have a strong addition for car-
rying in shopping bags. I can
carry more items around the
house. Finally, I got smart and
added one to the handle on the
other side for even more carry-
ing ability. I strongly urge that
everyone with a walker get to
the hardware store and pur-
chase two of these life-chang-
ing items, which cost less than
$1 each. Or buy some for those
you know who use a walker.
Great gift! Several times a
day, I thank this man, who was
legally blind and hearing-im-
paired himself, for reaching
out. — Less Challenged
Dear Less Challenged:
What a great tip. I love those
handy S-hooks, and this is the
handiest use of them I’ve heard
yet. Thank you for sharing.
5A
TOMORROW’S HOROSCOPE
By Holiday Mathis, Creators Syndicate Inc.
ARIES (March 21-April 19). Some of the things
you believed when you were 5 years old still hold
true today. Not all. Don’t worry; you’re trending
toward greater accuracy. This is a perfect time
for a review. What do you know to be true now?
TAURUS (April 20-May 20). If you adopted the
goals of your closest and most similar friend,
they wouldn’t fit you in the least. Goals have to
be specific to you to be meaningful. There’s no
hollower victory than the attainment of other
people’s goals.
Ask your gut.
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). If you’re worried
that you won’t be able to moderate a certain
behavior of yours, it may be easier for you to
abstain entirely. This may require you to go out
of your way to avoid a scene rife with triggers.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). What you
want to do, you will do. If only part of you wants
to do it — well, you’ve got your work cut out
for you. You can be the very hardest person to
negotiate with!
GEMINI (May 21-June 21). The melding of your
intellect with the physical world makes your
reality. Today’s work is about the idea behind it,
and the idea is about the work. If you can’t get
behind the idea, don’t get behind the work.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). The more you
know, the less you sense. Set assumptions
aside. Push your feelings into the situation. Try
to contact this with each of your five senses and
also with your heart.
CANCER (June 22-July 22). What you’re
conscious of knowing is just a sliver of what you
really know. Your intelligence goes far beyond
the factual. Your resourcefulness will unfold and
flourish as you trust your feelings about things.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). To make more
deliberate use of your time you’ll have to guard
it from robbers. It may feel mean to take yourself
from those accustomed to demanding you, but
your loved ones don’t need you nearly as much
as they want you.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). Humor is, in the end,
a sense of proportion. The one who can blow
out the frame of the picture and see the world
as much, much bigger and wider than his own
problems has a much easier time seeing what’s
funny about it.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). Don’t be too quick
to call something a waste of time just because
it doesn’t fit into any classic category. For today,
assume that if you (or your kin, colleagues or
loved ones) are drawn to it, there’s something
worthy there.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). You may now be
able to look back and see where the progress
stopped and precisely what stopped it. It was
fear. If you can’t see the specific nature of this
fear, stop relying on your logic for the answer.
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
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). Don’t be quick to
label your work, and by no means should you
take what other people say about it to heart.
What looks like a mess can be the foundation of
success. Keep going. The most important part of
it now is consistency.
TOMORROW’S BIRTHDAY (June 21). To be
automatically liked in a new circle is an exciting
perk to this solar return. Some of it has to do
with a fresh attitude and an uncanny ability to
connect quickly with what matters to others. In a
lot of ways you’ll be lighter and brighter this year.
There’s a breakthrough with a project close to
your heart in December. Aries and Virgo adore
you. Your lucky numbers are: 30, 28, 17, 40 and
19.