6A FEATURES TOMORROW’S HOROSCOPE Stepdaughter needs boundaries Dear Annie: I am married to ing me crazy. I feel it’s disrespect- a man with two children from ful on her part and on my hus- a previous marriage. They are band’s part. I don’t think it is fair adults. My husband is 15 years to me to have a grown woman (54 my senior, and he married early years old) spending so much time the first time, so long story short, here. It is weighing on me and, his children are only four and six frankly, on my marriage. I have to tread lightly because she years younger than I am. DEAR takes everything person- The problem is with his ally, and my husband says daughter. ANNIE She really doesn’t have she’s fragile, so everyone much of a social life and needs to be nice. because of that spends How do I get this to much of her spare time at stop? I am ready to leave, our house. This summer, honestly. It’s gone on she has been at our house for so long I am afraid I seven days a week. She should have confronted Lane had vacation from work Annie the situation before it got Creators Syndicate Inc. for three weeks and spent to this point, but it’s not the entire time here. One of easy to talk to a father my biggest complaints is the lack about his child. Please help me of boundaries. She helps herself to sort this out before I explode! — whatever she wants without ask- Had Enough of the Helicopter ing, comes in and out, and follows Child her father around. She generally Dear Had Enough: You are arrives here in the early afternoon, wise to tread lightly. It is proba- when I have just gotten home from bly difficult for your husband to my first job and have two hours face the fact that his 54-year-old before going to my second job. daughter does not have a life of When I get home at 9 p.m. or later, her own and spends almost all of she is still here! Sometimes she’s her time with her father. Tell your here when I arrive even when my husband how you feel. All cou- ples need alone time, and you husband isn’t home. I am feeling suffocated, and are not getting any with a room- the lack of privacy for me is driv- mate, especially one who is still so tied to her father. Cutting the cord slowly will benefit your step- daughter, your husband, you and ultimately your marriage. The trick is to communicate with all parties involved, set the bound- aries that you know are necessary and welcome her warmly when she visits according to the sched- ule you all agree upon. Dear Annie: In regard to the letter about the pronuncia- tion of the years since 2000, it didn’t flow off the tongue easily to say, for example, “twenty oh two” for 2002, so we started say- ing “two thousand two.” Come to think of it, it probably origi- nated long before the turn of the century. It may date back to the book and movie “2001: A Space Odyssey.” Everyone pronounced it “two thousand one.” People just became accustomed to say- ing it that way, and even though we have moved on to the teen years and it is actually easier to say “twenty eighteen” now, many people still say it the “thousand” way. — Baby Boomer Dear Baby Boomer: I never considered that Stanley Kubrick may have something to do with it, but that’s an interesting theory. Thanks for writing. THE DAILY ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, AUGUST 16, 2018 By Holiday Mathis, Creators Syndicate Inc. ARIES (March 21-April 19). “Can I talk to you?” has devolved into being a question that people dread. Why? Maybe because talk itself has devolved. The art of conversation is not entirely lost, though, as you’ll prove today. SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). An interesting benefactor will come into your mix. You’ll grow from getting to know this person one on one. Things will progress once you break away from a group setting. TAURUS (April 20-May 20). New adults want to be taken seriously, whereas those who have been adults for a while aren’t so concerned. This social truth will be behind the events that unfold today. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). There is power in a person’s vision of you. Those who can see you for who you really are — and project an image of a future that you think would be a good fit for you — are giving you a priceless gift. GEMINI (May 21-June 21). It’s said that you can never go back, and that’s true, to a great extent. You’ll physically put yourself out there today, but it won’t be the same, so you won’t really be back; rather, you’ll get current in your thinking about the past. CANCER (June 22-July 22). Theoretically, you want to do what’s expected of you, and yet you also see that it’s sure to lead to no fun at all. Take risks. Bonds are created over weird mistakes. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). Today presents a super productive groove. It all starts with a pep talk. Get in the mirror and psych yourself up. It will help you attract the thing of your focus, so focus on what you want, not what you don’t. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). You’re going to be and do your best when you’re forced to associate with others. It doesn’t even matter who they are or what they are like. Everyone brings out a different skill in you. Being alone will bring out nothing. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). Your head and heart are in the right place. Take action. You can’t lose, though you might meet with a de- layed reward. No worries with that, either. The rewards will be delayed just enough to make them sweet for you. 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 CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). You’ve found something to enjoy about each age you’ve been so far, though some have been more challenging than others. Be kind to yourself as you make adjustments to accommodate the natural human progression. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). They want you to fulfill a role you are not well-suited for. You know yourself better. Trust that. Also, trust the universe. Your best opportunities might be strange ones indeed. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). Do you have a psychic gift? Yes. Yes, you do. Who have you shared it with? “No one” is a perfectly acceptable answer. Better to be private about this than to risk revealing yourself to those who would throw shade. TOMORROW’S BIRTHDAY (Aug. 17). The solar return opens with a mutual-admiration society. As luck would have it, you’ll be sur- rounded by people who appreciate your kind of beauty, intelligence and truth. Your effort in relationships will pay off. Travel for love. The extra care you put into this year’s holidays will be especially well-received. Taurus and Pisces adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 9, 40, 22, 28 and 31.