DEAR ABBY:
I dated a guy named "Jake" for two years. He was my first love and he meant everything to me. Well, things happened and he broke my heart.
After a year of not really talking, Jake is now texting and calling to convince me to be his "friend with benefits." He tries to sweet-talk me by calling me pet names. Of course, I say no over and over each time he asks on the phone. But the minute we come face-to-face or hang out, I just give in.
A person in a high position at your place of business might start to take you into his or her confidence in the coming months. Some of the information you receive could be used in ways that are personally profitable.
Dear Carolyn:
We have a wonderful 26-year-old cousin who just announced she is pregnant. My wife and I are very happy and have expressed our joy and support in multiple ways.
The father is 40. They have been dating for about six months but have not announced whether they are going to get married. She will definitely be a great mom. The dad may be great too -- our family does not know him well yet.
Our challenge is how we handle this with our 10-year-old daughter. We have been and will continue to be fully supportive of our cousin; however, we also would like to impress upon our daughter that we hope that a man and a woman fall in love and then decide to get married, and, through their continued love for each other, they may have a baby.
How can we communicate our values to our daughter in a manner that in no way adversely impacts her views of her cousin?
-- Father Is Perplexed
DEAR DOCTOR K:
I care for my elderly mother, who is confined to her bed most of the time. I'm worried about her getting bedsores. How can I prevent them?
Albert Einstein said, "Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning."
With respect to this column, we should make that: "Learn from yesterday, reprise today, use tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop asking for a stopper."
In yesterday's column, the opener cue-bid the intervenor's suit on the second round of the auction, announcing game-forcing values and asking responder to bid no-trump with a stopper in the opponent's suit. Today, the responder makes an identical inquiry.
South opens one diamond, North responds two clubs, East overcalls two hearts, and South rebids three diamonds. North has game-going values and would like to get into three no-trump, but does not have a heart stopper, so cannot bid no-trump himself. He cue-bids three hearts to transmit that exact message. South does not have a heart stopper either, so continues with four diamonds. (Yes, he might have bid four clubs.) North raises to five diamonds.
Here is the daily Los Angeles Times crossword puzzle for February 22: 20120222pzdxl-a.pdf
READ TALES OF A CHECKERED MAN - the comic strip adventure by Ann Arbor cartoonist Denver Brubaker about a shadowy mystery man who strikes fear into the hearts of the crooks and criminals of Exotic City. Who is this masked stranger? Where did he come from? Why does he choose ...
The year ahead is likely to be quite memorable, with a number of happy accidents occurring. Numerous excellent changes can bring about the fulfillment of your hopes and expectations.
Adapted from a recent online discussion.
Dear Carolyn:
I think very slowly on my feet and in emotionally charged, conflict situations I always feel like I give up too much or too soon. I just can't think fast enough to grasp a situation or figure out how to defend myself or set boundaries. I walk away from difficult encounters with regret and a feeling of shame. Should I just accept that not everyone does everything perfectly and this is one thing I'll never get right? Or is there another approach?
-- Poor Reflexes
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