Happy smartphone user stops short of becoming an addict
DEAR ABBY » I have a smartphone, and I love its convenience. I check my email, texts and voicemail three or four times a day and always try to respond promptly. But I do not carry my phone with me every moment of the day.
Some family members insist that the polite thing to do is to return a text message or voicemail IMMEDIATELY. They carry their phones with them and constantly interrupt whatever they are involved with to answer the phone, send a text, etc.
For my birthday, one relative gave me a little pouch on a string so I could wear my phone around my neck wherever I went because she texted me one day early in the afternoon saying she
HOROSCOPES
Aries (March 21-April
19): Just as you can learn a dance or a computer program, you can teach yourself to think differently. It takes practice, but with enough repetition you really will change your brain’s default mode of thinking. Taurus (April 20-May
20): The words “quiet” and “confidence” go together. Insecurity, on the other hand, draws attention to itself, as it longs to be seen and begs to be validated. Gemini (May 21-June 21): Unfortunately, you won’t have that extra push from others and the weather today, emotional or otherwise. No matter. This is an opportunity to see what you can do without help. As the proverb goes, “If there is no wind, row.” wanted to drop by, but I didn’t see or respond to it until dinner time. Is making oneself available every moment of the day and night now required for good manners? DEAR NOT AN ADDICT » Of course not! A cellphone is not supposed to be a leash. Your relative has become hooked on the concept of instant gratification, which isn’t healthy for either of you. If you humor her, your cellphone will become an annoying and unending inconvenience for you. Do not take the bait.
DEAR ABBY » My father recently purchased a truck for our farm. It’s old and in poor shape, but it was worth the $2,000 he paid for it.
The truck was fine until my father used it to pick me and my siblings up from school. When the Cancer (June 22-July 22): Recognize the difference between a relationship and an entanglement. In a relationship, harmony and mutual support are the glue, whereas entanglements have more to do with circumstances and leverage.
Leo (July 23-Aug. 22): You don’t always have to fill a role in another person’s life. Sometimes you can write your own. As you acknowledge and accept more of yourself, there will be more touchpoints for connection and sharing. Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Among the most amazing talents of the human mind is its ability to ignore 90% of all sensory input. Today, you’ll be extremely effective as you focus yourself like a other kids saw the bumperless truck, they began calling my little brother “Farmer Boy” and made cow noises at us. My mother isn’t OK with it either. He picked her up from work in it, which embarrassed her in front of her co-workers.
It’s not like we don’t have other vehicles. Both my parents have nice, functional cars. Abby, please help me figure out a way to tell my dad without hurting his feelings. DEAR FREAKED OUT » People should not be judged because of the clothes they wear or the vehicles they drive, but sometimes they are by shallow people who should know better. I think you could get your message across by telling your father how your brother’s classmates reacted when they saw him pick up your brother. laser, blocking out more like
95%.
Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 23): You will laugh at things they do not. No one is wrong; no one is right. Humor, attraction and most preferences on the table today are completely subjective, which makes it all the more satisfying when you find your tribe.
Scorpio (Oct. 24-Nov.
21): Longing, anticipation, wistfulness, burning passion are all emotions that have an elastic effect on time. Minutes of in-between time can feel like an eternity and/or can be when the best things happen. Sagittarius (Nov. 22Dec. 21): When one person dances to music the other person doesn’t hear, the What they did was cruel. Leave it up to your mother to tell him she felt embarrassed in front of her coworkers. I’m sure she can get the message across.
DEAR ABBY » My wife was sexually active with a classmate in high school. Their relationship lasted until shortly before we were married, 54 years ago. I have often wondered what he did to make her so willing to come to his bed. Perhaps if I knew, I could enhance her pleasure in our lovemaking. However, such information might be injurious to our relationship. What is your take on this? I think about this several times each day. DEAR OBSESSED » You have, I hope, been happily married for more than half a century. Has it never occurred to you that her high school romance dancer comes off like a lunatic and the nondancer a buzzkill. You stay neutral, assuming that everyone has their reasons for acting as they do.
Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan.
19): If only you could feel through another heart and know the depth of emotion there for you. Even if you could, it’s not the emotion that matters so much as what is done about it, and that much is readily apparent.
Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb.
18): It’s no accident that you have an atypical approach to your work. This is a purposeful departure reflecting a thoughtful philosophy. Stand up for your methods.
Pisces (Feb. 19-March failed because the sex wasn’t that great? If you want to ask your wife at this late date if there is anything you can do to enhance her enjoyment of your lovemaking, by all means do. But do not frame it the way you did to me. 20): People act differently in different environments. Sure, the differences may be small, but they are worth understanding. To fully know someone, try to experience the person in different contexts. Today’s birthday (Oct.15): This year, you’ll gain loyal admirers and be paid for your knowledge. Your versatility opens you to a variety of experiences that add to your personhood, making you both more interesting and more interested. You’ll spend your leisure in the thrill of society, and later, in the serenity of a pathless wood or stretch of shore. Gemini and Pisces adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 20, 1, 33, 10 and 19.