A6
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • WEDNESDAY, ApRIL 24, 2019
Long-distant friendship
Dear Annie: I’m in a really
Distance cannot take away
bittersweet situation. I hit it a bond like that, especially
off with a friend who hap- with the technology that we
pens to live quite far away. have now. You could Face-
The time we’ve spent hang- Time often with the person or
ing out has been awe-
use other similar tech-
DEAR
nology. The friends
some, and I’m beyond
ANNIE
you lost due to dis-
thankful to have them
tance were not the right
in my life. But I’m
friends for you. Real
frustrated by the dis-
tance. I’m not scared
friends will be with you
we’ll drift apart, but
no matter how far away
I am anxious about
you are. The reverse is
how little face time we
also true. You can be
have between meet- ANNIE LANE physically right next
Creators
ups. I’ve lost friends
to lots of friends and
Syndicate Inc.
due to distance before,
not feel that deep con-
nection you are talking
and while those times
weren’t pleasant, this one’s about. It is the connection that
different. This person really is to be treasured, not the phys-
just gets me in a way I have ical presence.
With all that said, see where
trouble articulating. Any tips
for not going crazy? — Far- it goes. Perhaps the more time
away Friend
you get to know each other you
Dear Faraway Friend: might organically move closer
Just because a person is phys- to each other.
ically far from you does not
Dear Annie: I am having
mean that they are far from trouble with my sister-in-law.
your heart. Finding a person Every time I try to talk to her,
in your life who really gets she interrupts me. I have told
to you should not give rise to my husband about this, and he
anxiety but rather comfort in basically says that there isn’t
knowing that there is some- anything he can do about it. In
one out there who understands turn, I try to avoid her as much
you.
as I can. But it’s hard to do that
at family functions. What can I
do to make her stop? — Signed
Annoyed
Dear Annoyed: Being
interrupted can be rude and
very annoying. But get-
ting angry or avoiding her all
together is not the solution.
Try your best to be gracious
and firm with her. Let some
of the interruptions go. Some-
times the interruptions might
be helpful or supportive of the
conversation.
If the interruptions con-
tinue, you could politely say,
“Let me just finish what I’m
saying so I don’t forget my
point” You could steamroll the
conversation by continuing to
keep on talking until she gets
the point that you are not going
to stop until you are finished.
Lastly, I would speak to her
privately. Be direct, kind and
honest with her. My guess is
that she is unaware that she
is doing so. Some people are
socially anxious and much
more focused on the impres-
sion they’re making than on
the exchange. The interrup-
tions might be coming from
a place of wanting to impress
you.
TOMORROW’S HOROSCOPE
By Holiday Mathis, Creators Syndicate Inc.
best part.
ARIES (March 21-April 19). You know who
needs help. You can see it in their eyes, their body
language, word choices ... this is delicate. Proceed
gently, letting people know you are open to
hearing and understanding them without directly
asking.
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). Find the real thing.
There will be no good substitutes. The fakes could
work for a few days, but they won’t stand the test
of time. So go on a quest, if you have to, looking for
the genuine article.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20). A gift can feel like a
burden when you don’t know quite how to use it.
Take a breath, thank the giver (or your lucky stars, if
appropriate), and then don’t worry so much about
it. Let this develop naturally.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). It’s good to
know people’s reason for doing what they do, es-
pecially if they’re doing it with you. Of course, they
may not be aware of the reasons themselves, but
don’t let that deter you. You’re very perceptive now.
GEMINI (May 21-June 21). As it turns out, what
you used to think was your fault is not your fault at
all. There were obstacles you couldn’t understand
at the time, factors in play that preceded your
involvement. So shake off the guilt. It never was
yours.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). Maybe you don’t
think what you’re doing is all that special, but it’s
really not for you to say. How could you? You’re too
close to the work to see what the others see, or to
know the true value you bring.
CANCER (June 22-July 22). This isn’t a competi-
tion. You don’t have to be the best, brightest, most
creative, quickest, coolest or anything else. What
you really need to be is finished with this deal so
you can move on.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). Just because the tag
is missing doesn’t mean it’s free. Similarly, just
because you do not currently understand the
emotional cost of an interaction, it doesn’t mean
there won’t be one.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). There are many people
who will be very happy to see you do well. Know-
ing this will be a key part of your motivation. If you
start to lose steam, then just imagine the smiles on
their faces when you cross the finish line.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). Human interaction
involves a million tiny details. You’ll never get all of
them right. So don’t harp on the little things that
go terribly wrong. That’s part of it. Maybe even the
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
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). You’re feeling
empowered to follow your own whims, especially
when they lead you to different physical locations
than you normally haunt. You’ll go where you
please, and you’ll please where you go.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). “Don’t wake up
a sleepwalker,” they say, though it’s unclear
what would happen if you did. And what of the
sleepwalking that doesn’t involve REM? The urge
to gently nudge the wrongheaded may be too
interesting to resist.
TOMORROW’S BIRTHDAY (April 25). With curios-
ity as your guide, life unfolds before you in strange
and unexpected ways. You’ll partner with people
as adventurous as you are to terrific ends. You’ve
a knack for attracting the right people to advance
the thing you’re working on at the moment, both
personally and professionally. Aries and Sagittarius
adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 50, 3, 30, 44
and 10.