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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 1, 2018)
6A FEATURES Life without a partner Dear Annie: I am 56 years social fill in my time at the Y, old. When I was 44, my wife and swimming and in coffee shops, I divorced after 17 years of mar- socializing as the extrovert that I riage. I think we were lovely par- am. Could that be the new norm? ents to two amazingly indepen- — Happy Bachelor dent and strong daughters. They Dear Happy Bachelor: If are now 22 and 26. all your issues with dat- DEAR I feel that I was married ing have been related to at the perfect age, 28, and age, why not date some- ANNIE one in the same stage of my wife was 25. We had life as you? Match.com, a very good run, and we did a good job of co-par- eHarmony and other dat- enting after we divorced, ing sites allow you to set when the girls were teens. age ranges, and OurTime. We always tried to take com is a dating site exclu- sively for people over 50. the high road. I always tell Lane If dating simply people to try to be courte- Annie Creators Syndicate Inc. ous to their ex-spouses. doesn’t appeal to you, Anyway, the funny that’s fine. There’s noth- thing is I have not dated once in ing wrong with enjoying life with- those 12 years, because I sense out a romantic partner. What mat- pitfalls and know about age gap ters is that you’re happy and that problems, and sometimes I do that you have a healthy social life, and goofy formula that says the appro- it sounds as if both of those things priate age to date is half yours plus are true for you. seven years (or older). Women Dear Annie: Why can’t peo- that age have actually asked me ple bother to spell my first name on dates, but I’ve refused. Other correctly? I have a fairly common women have drama and kids, and name, six letters long, that hap- I know I don’t want to mess up pens to have about seven differ- entire families’ dynamics with my ent usual spellings. What gets me is that even when the proper spell- desire for finding a mate. I am wondering whether we ing of my name is right in front of live in an age when I can get my people, they will still misspell it. It will be on the envelope, at the bot- tom of a card or letter, on the front of my file, in my email address, in the church directory, etc. That does not seem matter, because people proceed to write my name however they want, using one of the other possible spellings. When that happens, I correct the mis- spelling on the paper. Even people who have known me for a long time, such as cousins and friends, will misspell my name. Further- more, sometimes folks mispro- nounce it by saying it as one syl- lable instead of two. This has been a lifelong problem. How do I get through to people? — Joanne Dear Joanne: I had to laugh when I got to your signature. I was expecting something much more complex. I don’t know why peo- ple have such trouble with your name. When it comes to strang- ers, even if you tried every trick under the sun (spelling it out, even wearing a name tag), the fact is they might still get it wrong, so all you can do is try changing your outlook. Friends and cousins, on the other hand, have absolutely no excuse for getting your name wrong, and you should tell them so. THE DAILY ASTORIAN • MONDAY, JANUARY 1, 2018 TOMORROW’S HOROSCOPE By Holiday Mathis, Creators Syndicate Inc. ARIES (March 21-April 19). People may not immediately wrap their heads around what you’re doing if it’s something they’ve never seen before. Be willing to show them again. Space it out. Do this gently and over time. This is the price of being a trailblazer. TAURUS (April 20-May 20). It’s not an acting job: You really are just as enthusiastic over the success of others as you are of your own. Maybe it’s because we’re all in this together. One person’s win is the sign of a rising tide that will carry all ships. GEMINI (May 21-June 21). While others seem perfectly satisfied with what’s happen- ing, you sense that there is something wrong with the system. You’re correct. Something’s amiss. Get to the bottom of it. CANCER (June 22-July 22). Small things do matter, but they don’t make a definitive point. Details can mislead. A single event will only tell part of the story. More of the story will be revealed in a pattern of events. All of the story is impossible to know. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). The worthiest goals are basically anti-goals today. For instance, a goal not to do things that are going to embarrass you later, or not to spend time on things that won’t matter in the long run, will be a worthy goal indeed. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). Because you calculate risk differently for yourself than you do for others, and because you’re protective by nature, you’ll take certain shortcuts alone that you wouldn’t lead others along. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). You don’t always have to feel passionate to be effective. Though you may not feel like working, going out or spending time with a certain person, 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 you’ll show up anyway, and good results will come. SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). Your willing- ness to submit yourself to a certain amount of social awkwardness in order to make a connection is admirable. And awkwardness will ensue! So will the connection. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). Because you see things how they are and you do things the way they ought to be done, you’ll be admired and promoted. Hard to say why these abilities are so rarely demonstrated these days, but this works in your favor. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). The problem is wrapped around an opportunity, and all you have to do is tear away at it a bit and you’ll get to the good stuff. In fact, this little nuisance could be the start of a huge enterprise. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). You’ll have double the energy of yesterday, and it will show in all you do. If you walked a mile, you’ll now walk two. If you made a friend, you’ll make two more today. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). There are two sides to the story, and you’ll benefit from hear- ing them both. Actually, there are many more than two sides, but if you listen to too many sides you’ll begin to get tired of this story. TOMORROW’S BIRTHDAY (Jan. 2). Be- cause your needs are met so beautifully and abundantly you’ll be moved to help others. This only grows the bounty coming your way this year. A study helps you pick up more work. Your fan base includes someone who wants to give you special care: You don’t need it, but it’s wonderful anyway. Aquarius and Taurus adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 13, 38, 32 14 and 18.
