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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 24, 2003)
Decem ber 24. 200 3 PageA5 H ealth I F amily Dear Deanna! My husband o f 7 years left me fo ra younger woman. He dogged me and broke my heart but I’m over it. The problem is now w ith this woman. H e’s putting her through the sam e dram a he put me through and she calls me for advice. The first ti me I tolerated her because she caught me o ff guard. I’m at the point where I ’ m ready to tell her she reaped what she sow ed but I can ’t do it. W hy? -L eslie D.; Boston, MA Dear Leslie: R eal P e o p le, R eal Advice You can definitely say she got what she deserved. I guess your hus .t.vA Deanna! is an advice band saw the grass w asn't greener coin inn known fo r its on the other side (hee. hee hee). fearless approach to W hen she calls again, let her know reality based snh/ects! in your sweetest voice you appre ciate her seeking your advice but you had enough dram a from both o f them to last a lifetime. Share some words o f wisdom that if a married man cheats on his wife, h e’ll cheat on anybody and keep it moving. Dear Deanna! My boyfriend is pressuring me to co-sign for a car loan because his credit is messed up. I d o n ’t feel secure doing this because our relationship "ain ’t all that" if you know what I mean. He hasn’t put a ring on my finger and he doesn’t pay his bills on time. I love him but not enough for bad credit. -Donna; Great Falls, SC Dear Donna: D on’t sign anything for him except a greeting card. If you get this car for him and end up behind the eight ball— stuck with the payments, you’ 11 be ruined. No more credit, hard to open a checking account and what happens if you want a new car? The best thing you can do is steer him to a credit counselor because if h e’s forcing you, then I smell a rat and you should too. Dear Deanna! I’m a white guy and I’ve been seeing a black lady for a year. Foraw 'hile I thought she was still creeping with herex-boyfriend w h o 's also black. Well, she has come up pregnant and she made a dram atic scene to make the announcem ent. Cham pagne, dinner, baby booties the whole nine yards. The only problem is I’m sterile. Should I tell her now or wait until the bab y 's born to see if it’s black or mixed? -M ichael; Pittsburgh, PA Dear Michael: Is there a reason you d id n 't share your secret or is this your insurance policy to test your w om an's faithfulness? Step up to the plate, lose the cornbread games and put the fact you’re shooting blanks out there. T here's always a possibility you could have received a blessing. Hang in there and when the baby com es, regardless o f color, call Dana for some assistance— oh yeah, Dana is— a DNA test. Ask Deanna is written by Deanna M. Write Ask Deanna! Email; askdeannal@yahoo.com or write: Deanna M. P.O. Box 88847, Los Angeles, CA 90009 Loving Touch for Sm all Packages Pediatric Surgeon Dr. Timothy Campbell dons a red suit and beard to visit with tiny Grace Rouse in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center. Campbell and several o f his ‘elves' were at the center last Wednesday to give preemies their first photos with Santa. Health Tips to Prevent Spreading Flu Cover you cough, clean your hands Public health officials are prom oting a sim ple concept, “respiratory etiquette,” to re duce the p e rso n -to -p e rso n spread o f respiratory infec tions such as influ en za or SARS. “ R espiratory etiquette d e scribes the kind o f polite so cial behavior your m other en couraged: covering your mouth when you cough or sneeze, using tissues, and washing your hands to prevent the spread of illness,” said Dr. Gary Oxman, a public health officer for M ultnomah County. O xm an has som e sim ple suggestions to avoid sharing germ s with those around you and avoid the flu and other respiratory illnesses: First, you should cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. If you d o n ’t have a tissue, you're advised to sneeze or cough into your sleeve. W ash y o u r h a n d s f r e q u e n tly , e s p e c ia lly a f te r coughing or sneezing. If soap and w ater are not available, use an alco h o l-b ased hand cleaner. Other tips include staying at home when you are sick, avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth, and avoid close contact with people who are sick, if possible. People should not share eating utensils, drinking glasses, towels or other personal items Holiday Alcohol Awareness Promoted Portland Trail Blazer Jerome Kersey (left) and Les Youngbar, president o f the Oregon Partnership board o f directors, promote safe and responsible alcohol use during the holidays at the Oregon Liquor Control Commission in southeast Portland. Youngbar accepted an OLCC award on behalf o f Judy Cushing, Oregon Partnership 's executive director, for her leadership in alcohol and drug prevention. TriMet Rides Free on New Year’s Eve All T riM et rides are free after 6 p.m . on W ednesday, Dec. 31 for New Y ear’s Eve and service I will be extended on Max and 11 bus lines until 3 a.m . to make it easy to celebrate safely. Blue and Red Line M ax trains will run every 15 m inutes until I a.m. Blue Line trains will then run every 30 m inutes until 3 a.m. The bus lines w ith 30-m inute service ex ten d ed until 3 a.m . are 4-F essenden, 5 -Interstate, 8-N.E. 15th A ve., 9-P o w ell, I2 -B arb u r B lvd., 14-H aw thorne, 15-N.W. 2 3 rd A v e ., I5 - B e lm o n t, 3 3- M cL oughlin. 40 -T aco m a and 54- B eaverton/H illsdale Hwy. T riM e t e x p e c ts o n ly m in o r im p a c ts o n s e r v i c e d u r in g P o rtla n d ’s N ew Y e a r's Eve C e l e b ra tio n at P io n e e r C o u rth o u se S q u are: B oth M ax sta tio n s at P io n e e rC o u rth o u se S q u are w ill be c lo s e d . A few bus sto p s on S ix th A v en u e n e a r th e S quare w ill also be c lo s e d d u rin g the e v e n t. O n N ew Y ear’s D ay Max and buses run on Sunday schedules. FOR MORE INFORMATION LOG ONTO u fi.} • If you are coughing and sneezing and go to a medical clinic, you may be asked to w ear a mask. “ I t’s very im portant for people to get simple and con sistent messages on how to prevent com m unicable d is eases,” said Nancy Church, a nurse and infection control practitioner in the Providence H e a lth S y ste m . “ W e ’re pleased that hospitals and pub lic health are working together to protect the health o f our patients and our communities.”