Horoscopes

Aries (March 21-April 19): Wanting certain aspects of life to be different will come with the territory today, as does ambitious striving. Temper the intensity of this with contentment about something — anything. You have much to choose from. Taurus (April 20-May 20): Life is complex and layered. To find peace and poise within this will require you to tolerate some mixed emotions. Take courage, and move through the feelings. Gemini (May 21-June 21): Self-doubt comes disguised in the costume of responsibility, “urgent” needs that really aren’t and other distractions. Call it what it is — resistance to growth — then ignore it and do what your soul knows you must. Cancer (June 22-July 22): It may seem that forces beyond your control are attacking your biography. But what if they are not infringements on your plotline, and are instead the very elements that make it a good story? What then? Leo (July 23-Aug. 22): Willpower and self-discipline won’t be enough to accomplish the goal. That’s good news because it means you’ll have to add the architecture that will make getting there a whole lot easier. Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Maybe the human mind has no mechanism for comprehending the vastness of the universe, and yet you still look up and let your piece of sky absorb you into as much infinity as you can bear. A meditation most divine! Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 23): Fear of failure or fear of success is not a good enough reason for inaction. So jump. Leap to the imperfect action. There won’t be a better time. You’ll never be ready. You’ll only be doing it or not doing it. Scorpio (Oct. 24-Nov. 21): You’ve friends who animate the day with big emotions, living a life of excitement and urgency. You’ll enjoy connecting with them for a time; then you’ll seek a more peaceful, measured tone for the remainder of the day. Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Once you fantasized that someone with secret knowledge and super abilities would swoop in and save the day. Now you will save your own day. After all, you’re the expert on being you. Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): The day provides a steady stream of necessary assessments. Will this activity be worth my time? Will this person do as promised? Will this job net me the next one? By day’s end you’ll have made dozens of determinations. Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): What seems to be an arduous task will also make the hours pass in what will later seem to be a blink. It’s as though you were built for this type of work. What you do is sorely needed. Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20): Because you are so honest with yourself, you are able to see the frailties of others. You see them hiding behind a facade; you witness their struggles for acceptance. Your tender heart will be a gift to the world. Today’s birthday (Aug. 9): You’ll be publicly praised for what you do this solar return, but it’s your personal definition of success that will matter most. In the next five weeks you’ll earn favor from those who are difficult to impress. November brings luck for finance. Priorities will shift in 2019. A personal mission will inspire travel and connections. Aries and Pisces adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 7, 1, 10, 20 and 18. DEAR ABBY » My mother-inlaw owns the building my husband and I live in. I moved in with him about a year ago, before we were married. Because she owns the building, she doesn’t charge her son rent to live there but asks that he help manage the building, which takes about three hours a month. (He has a full-time job outside of managing the building.)

When I moved in, his mom asked that I pay rent. I guess in the back of my mind I thought it would change after we got married. Do you think I’m a brat for thinking I shouldn’t have to pay rent? The amount she’s charging me is about what I would pay if we lived in another building and split the rent between us.

I don’t know how to approach this, or if I’d be stepping out of line to request living somewhere rent-free. Please help.

— Rent-free in California

DEAR RENT-FREE » You are being treated like a tenant, not a daughter-in-law. As a member of the family, you should be treated the same as her son. By all means discuss this with him, and while you’re at it, suggest he split your share of the rent 50/50 because you are all family now.

DEAR ABBY » My 30-year-old daughter has extremely high expectations for her birthday. No one in the family has ever given her a gift that she liked, so now we actually have to get the gift approved by her husband first!

She doesn’t like gift cards, and our budget is small. Although she barely acknowledges anyone else’s birthday, she still expects the “perfect” present for her own. We love her and want to celebrate with her, but the expectations and confrontations make her birthdays miserable for everyone — including her. How do we stop this? — Birthday celebration

DEAR BIRTHDAY » Who created this self-entitled monster? Remind your daughter and her husband that you are all adults now, and because of that, “the family” has decided from now on to mark milestones with greeting cards instead of gifts. Period. If you want to celebrate with her in addition, fine, but her behavior “takes the cake.”

DEAR ABBY » I am wondering about current etiquette concerning work emails. I work in the office of a financial institution and receive multiple emails from customers and fellow employees every day. Our e-mail system recognizes when a word is spelled incorrectly. If I receive an email that has a misspelled word in it and I must reply to it, is it rude to correct the other person’s spelling error? — Unsure in Illinois

DEAR UNSURE » If you do what you are contemplating, the recipient may find it insulting, so I don’t recommend it. However well-intentioned, it could lose the company a client or annoy your co-workers.

Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Contact Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.

Abby shares more than 100 of her favorite recipes in two booklets: “Abby’s Favorite Recipes” and “More Favorite Recipes by Dear Abby.” Send your name and mailing address, plus check or money order for $14 (U.S. funds) to: Dear Abby, Cookbooklet Set, P.O. Box 447, Mount Morris, IL 61054-0447. (Shipping and handling are included in the price.)