6A FEATURES TOMORROW’S HOROSCOPE Spread thin on visits Dear Annie: I’d like to make friends just don’t get our situ- a plea to your readers. ation. They’re always annoyed My wife and I live far from that we don’t spend more time the places where we grew up, but with them. I think it’s mostly most of our friends are still close because they live close to their to our respective parents. When parents and therefore don’t get we visit, especially now that we how meaningful our visits are. have children, it is always So, Annie, would you DEAR stressful because of our please print my letter as a friends’ expectations. public service announce- ANNIE Because of work ment to your readers? If schedules, school sched- any of your readers iden- ules and our desire to take tify with my friends, I some vacations by our- hope they’ll have more selves, we don’t visit so sympathy toward their often as we ideally would. friends in our boat. — We That means our time back Would Prefer More Time, Annie Lane “home” is limited. Too Creators Syndicate Inc. Of course, our top pri- Dear WWPMTT: I ority is spending quality think many people who time with our parents. We also live far from their hometowns really value our friendships, but will relate. You can wind up feel- the reality is that we can’t spend a ing spread thin when trying to see whole lot of time with our friends. everyone each trip home. Per- (It’s especially problematic for haps you’re trying to please too me because my friends have not many people. You could always stayed close with one another, so I tell your friends a time and place have to see everyone individually. to be if they’d like to see you We can get together as a group while you’re back, thus getting with my wife’s friends, but with all your face time in at once. Who kids, these group get-togethers knows? It might encourage your don’t lend themselves to our hav- old friends who have drifted apart ing quality time together — i.e., from one another to get close adult conversations.) again. If they’re not comfortable The main problem is that our seeing you in a group setting, THE DAILY ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2018 By Holiday Mathis, Creators Syndicate Inc. that’s on them. At least you’ll have extended the invitation. Ultimately, try to keep in mind that their annoyance stems from their really wanting to see you. That so many count you among their close friends — well, count your blessings. Dear Annie: I was sad reading the letter from “Lonely Renais- sance Man.” I have some other suggestions for him: Find something you like and volunteer. If you like animals, volunteer at the shelter. You could tutor or read to elemen- tary school students, sit with peo- ple in a nursing home or hospi- tal. Help a florist on Mother’s Day. Join a church. Coach a Lit- tle League team. You’ll meet peo- ple doing these things, and you’ll share a common interest with them. The next thing you know, you’ll have a circle of friends and maybe even a girlfriend. I wish you the best. — Older and Wiser in Mississippi Dear Older and Wiser: Wise words indeed. “Lonely Renais- sance Man’s” letter provoked an outpouring of supportive letters such as this one. I hope it helps him realize he’s less alone than he thinks. ARIES (March 21-April 19). What is it called when an emoji shows up one way on one device and another way on a different device? Maybe there’s no name for it, but it’s an echo of what happens with real emotions today. SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). There’s no such thing as true perceptions, as all perception is subjective. You’ll be well aware of the fantasy element at play in your expectations of others today, though you may not be able to control it. TAURUS (April 20-May 20). Games are no fun if they are too easy. Think of today’s challenge as though it were a game, and sud- denly the parts that might have once annoyed you now seem like simple problems to solve on your way to winning. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). Will this problem still bother you tomorrow? What about next week? Next year? If the answer is “no,” then there’s really not a good reason to let it bother you now. GEMINI (May 21-June 21). Everyone wears a mask with varying degrees of difference from the real face underneath. Today, you’ll be very good at guessing just how far off the mask is from the raw emotion it covers. CANCER (June 22-July 22). Of all the thoughts you could think, the one that will be the most damaging follows along the lines of “if only I had ...” You did what you did and you’re better for it. Believe that, and get back in the swing of things. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). Your ambitions may be surprising to more experienced types who may tell you not to bother with certain goals. But they don’t know what you know — that your way hasn’t been tried and just might work. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). You’ll be drawn to passionately driven people and you like that you can tell in no uncertain terms what they want. The most successful people are the ones who help others get successful. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). People who change their minds will keep you on your toes. You’ll be driven to find out why. To understand what makes the emotional, social and intellec- tual tides turn is to have great power. 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). The work itself may not be very difficult, but in a weird way it’s the easiness that makes it hard. Stay- ing focused is made difficult by tedium. Tedium is its own kind of burdensome labor. What if you made it harder? AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). Work isn’t hard. You do what’s asked of you and antici- pate what else might be asked. It’s something you learned to do long ago, and you’ll be struck by those who never picked up the same work ethic. Kindly show them how it’s done. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). Just as water reflects what’s above and around it, you’ll reflect your influences in a distorted way. They will be all the more lovely for your generous interpretation. TOMORROW’S BIRTHDAY (Sept. 7). You’ll adopt new mindsets in the name of peace, progress and prosperity. One idea that will work brilliantly to improve things is total ac- ceptance of all that is and all that’s happened. Things could not have been otherwise. Take the easy gifts of the next two months. Reinvest half. There’s another pay out in March. Cancer and Leo adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 13, 9, 10, 45 and 12.