C3
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, FEbRuARY 8, 2019
Jumping into dating at 74
Dear Annie: I’m a 74-year-
Dear Wallflower: It’s time for
old single man who has never you to branch out from that wall
been in circulation.
and grow into the person you were
I have relatives, friends and always meant to be. Start this pro-
others who keep asking me, cess by reaching out to friends
and family. Let them
“When are you getting
DEAR
know you’re interested
married?” I don’t even
ANNIE
in dating and looking for
know where to start with
guidance. As Bill With-
dating. I don’t know
ers sang, “No one can fill
what it is these days or
those of your needs that
whether it even exists
you won’t let show.”
for me. Should I have
You also need to over-
announcements printed
haul your mindset from
to let people know I’m
looking to date? Should I ANNIE LANE that of a passive spectator
Creators
to that of an active partic-
run a notice in the news-
Syndicate Inc.
ipant. You mention being
paper? Or should I sim-
ply tell people at a family
“passed over,” as if dat-
dinner? We have a family dinner ing were a schoolyard basketball
coming up on Valentine’s Day, so game in which everyone but you
I thought then might be a good got picked for a team. That sort of
time to do it. It needs to be known thinking is toxic and paralyzing
that not all of us are socially active — and incredibly hard to shake on
and successful. More than a few your own. A professional coun-
of us are simply passed over, selor could help you open up and
ignored or rejected, both men and get away from that wall you’ve
women. And our chances are not been clinging to for so long. Make
improved by having to tell oth- an appointment today.
ers that we’ve never really dated.
Dear Annie: I’ve been want-
I was never invited to social gath- ing to go vegan for a while now,
erings. As a result, I don’t have but I’m scared it would have
some of the skills needed. I don’t nutritional repercussions. I’ve
know the latest dances, etc. Any eaten meat my whole life, and
ideas or suggestions? — 74-Year- I want to make sure my body
Old Wallflower
wouldn’t miss out on the nutrients
it needs if I adopted this extreme
diet change. How can I switch my
diet to vegan while maintaining
good nutrition? Also, I hear that a
vegan diet is more expensive than
a mainstream omnivore diet. Is
that necessarily true? — Veering
to Vegan
Dear Veering to Vegan: A
vegan diet — one rich in fruits,
vegetables and whole grains —
can be very healthful and afford-
able, with a little planning. You
might be surprised to learn how
many plant sources of protein
there are, including lentils, beans,
nuts, seeds, tofu, oats, broccoli,
spinach (Popeye knew what he
was doing) and many others.
Most of the aforementioned are
also good sources of iron — and
as an added bonus, they’re all rel-
atively affordable. If you make
such foods the staple of your
vegan diet, you’ll most likely find
yourself spending less on grocer-
ies, not more. The one thing you
can’t get sufficient amounts of
from a vegan diet is vitamin B-12,
so be sure to take a supplement for
that. And of course, the big caveat
to all of this is that I’m no doctor.
Please talk to a dietitian or your
physician about planning a diet
that meets all your needs.
TOMORROW’S HOROSCOPE
By Holiday Mathis, Creators Syndicate Inc.
ARIES (March 21-April 19). Jealousy makes
people behave uncharacteristically. It’s
not worth it to make someone jealous on
purpose, and if anyone does this to you it’s a
red flag.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20). If you can facili-
tate an experience for another person, you’ll
be thrilled for the opportunity to do so. Stay
cognizant of this: You can invite experience
but never provide it, as experience is a co-cre-
ation between host and guest.
GEMINI (May 21-June 21). Check in with
loved ones, even if you just did recently, even
if you’re worried about bothering them, even
if have nothing to say. Connection will be
meaningful in unexpected ways.
CANCER (June 22-July 22). You don’t have to
help everyone around you. Consider that you
may be able to help them best today by be-
ing you and being clear, strong and convicted
about that.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). Issues of territory
arise. The map is a crude tool here, because
even if you spell out the “mine” and “yours” of
it all, life will make the borders messy again.
You’re going to have to lead with your heart
on this one.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). No pressure, but
people are noticing you and they’ll start to
follow you, not in just an attention or social
media way, but they’ll actually do what you
do and say what you say.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). It’s one of those
days when you can really see clearly who is
in and who is not. Harsh maybe, but anyone
who isn’t rooting for you in obvious ways
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
today doesn’t belong on your team.
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). You did it before
and you can do it again. Sure, you can’t
remember how you did it or even why. You’re
not the same age, and you don’t have the
same resources as you did then. Nonetheless,
you’ll repeat the success. Believe.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). If you could
figure out a way to go faster and still keep the
quality up, you would. But this is just going
to happen naturally. Quality first; speed will
follow.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). You love to
keep smart people around you who will chal-
lenge you, make you read, think, learn, strive,
be healthy and active ... and you also love the
comfortable people. In fact, you’ll love and
need them a little more today.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). People fall in
love with you unexpectedly. If you can help
it, be careful not to foster attachments you
won’t be able to keep up with. It’s no fun to
be loved more than you love.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). What’s legal isn’t
always moral and what’s moral isn’t always le-
gal. But today won’t be about laws of state. It’s
more like rules of the heart vs. social mores.
TOMORROW’S BIRTHDAY (Feb. 9). You once
worried about what was expected of you, and
now you laugh about it because you already
know, and you’ve already decided just how
much credence to give to those expectations.
Truly this is your year of freedom from social
constraints and of self-realization at a whole
new level. Aries and Libra adore you. Your
lucky numbers are: 4, 30, 10, 7 and 28.