Venus and Jupiter conjunction
One of the year’s best celestial displays will occur before sunrise next Monday morning when Venus and Jupiter come together for a stunning close encounter for the first time since August 2016.
On Nov. 13, the brightest and second brightest planet will appear extremely close to each other 30 minutes before the sun rises. The two “morning stars” will sit just 7 degrees above the eastsoutheastern horizon in the constellation Virgo. Distinctly brighter Venus will be shining at a dazzling -3.9 magnitude, while Jupiter will be sparkling at -1.7 magnitude. Jupiter will sit within a fraction of a degree to the right of our sister planet.
Our two brightest planets are headed in opposite directions this autumn. After reigning in the morning sky since April, Venus will drop below the eastern horizon in early December and become visible again in the evening sky in early February. Jupiter has just returned to the morning sky after being a bright beacon in the evening sky since last spring.
PUNISHED FOR BEING SUCCESSFUL
DEAR PUNISHED FOR BEING SUCCESSFUL: It’s not you. It’s him. You didn’t do anything wrong to warrant this behavior other than be awesome at your job and get a promotion. Congrats, by the way! You have nothing to move beyond. This is going to fall on his shoulders to cut the pity party, suck it up and be a grown-up. Sometimes in life you fall down. Sometimes you fall down, get kicked in the face and dragged through the mud. And sometimes, this all happens while the ones you love are doing much better than you. Obviously, he feels jealous, but more than that, he probably feels embarrassed, emasculated and depressed. None of this lends itself toward romance, and that can be forgiven easily, but the nasty behavior is unacceptable. Sit him down and say, “Look, I know things have been tense between us. I understand that you are having a hard time with being laid off. But, you are talented and great at what you do and something will turn up for you. However, regardless of your situation, it really hurts me when you make mean comments. I want to celebrate my success with you, and I have been trying to be understanding, but now it is time for you to be supportive. We will get through this together, but you have to meet me halfway.” Hopefully, he will apologize and recognize that alienating you isn’t going to land him a job any faster and will only make his home life just as miserable as his lack of a professional life right now. And who wants that?
DEAR NATALIE: My partner and I have been together for seven years, and recently I got an amazing job opportunity in another city — Seattle, to be exact. I really want to take the position, but my partner doesn’t want us tomove our kids out of school and uproot their lives. While I can appreciate this, I can’t pass this up. This is my dream job. She told me I was being selfish, and then I brought up the idea of a commuter-relationship, where I would spend the weekends with them and then MondayThursday stay in an apartment in the city where my new job is. My sister told me this is a terrible idea, though, and that I should just stay CAN’T WIN
DEAR CAN’T WIN: This is a tricky situation because I can see this from both angles. On the one hand, is it fair to your family to make them uproot their lives and move to a whole new place for you? On the other hand, is it fair to you to pass up a great opportunity — which could create a better life for your family down the road — all because your partner doesn’t want to move? The only one I agree with so far is your sister who is right in that a part-time family, parttime relationship, full-time job is probably going to create a lot more tension and frustration in the long run. This calls for a family meeting. I don’t know how old your children are, but if they are old enough to understand what could be going on, it might be worth having the conversation with everyone at the dinner table. Seattle is an awesome place and could be a great adventure for everyone, but if your partner isn’t on board, it will make the sell harder. Fight for this new opportunity, but it has to be a family decision. Find out why exactly your partner doesn’t want to leave. Is it that a job is too important? Is it not wanting the kids to be starting all over again? What is the exact reason? Fear? Nerves? Maybe taking a family vacation to Seattle could get your family interested in what it
Natalie’s Networking Tip of the Week: Body language can either invite or dissuade someone from talking to you. Always turn your body toward the person you are engaging and stand in a way that is opening and welcoming to them. Do not cross your arms, do not lean on something, and, whatever you do, please don’t yawn while they are talking.