ArcaMax

DEAR HARRIETTE: Over the years, I have become extremely specific with my scheduling, which encouraged me to also become extremely efficient at work. I try to get all my work done within work hours. I generally leave work at 5 p.m. on the dot. I am not doing essential or life-saving work, so I no longer feel the need to overextend myself by ...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I am flummoxed. On two separate occasions, I have offered to host a birthday party for a friend. They were both enthusiastically receptive to my offer.

In each case, I asked for their guest list with email addresses to send e-vites to their invitees. I also asked each birthday girl for any favorite appetizers or beverages, so...Read more

Dear Annie: I have two sisters, and one of them, "Joanie," tragically passed away from cancer last year. It's obviously been hard, but what's making it harder is my remaining sister. She has always been competitive. And she has somehow turned even grief into a competition.

For example, a few weeks ago I mentioned I hadn't slept the night ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My husband (80) and I (72) have been married 25 years. This is the second marriage for both of us. Until three years ago, I felt I had a wonderful relationship with his family, so it's hard to deal with what he's done to me and my relationships with them.

A new daughter-in-law, "Jean," who has a granddaughter, "Sophie," has fostered ...Read more

Sexual expression is part of mental and physical well-being. On that we agree. But being unmarried, you also know how difficult it is to find caring and commitment from a partner. Sexual union has the potential to be spiritual communion, but only when it joins soul mates can it even come close to expressing that high level of togetherness and ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: Over the summer, I became extremely close friends with a new co-worker. We talked whenever we worked together and eventually began hanging out outside of work. The semester just began and all my other friends have returned to campus, and a few of them don't like the co-worker I befriended. Before I knew my co-worker, they were ...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: My co-worker was given a surprise baby shower at her mother-in-law's house. Her husband got her there by fibbing, saying he needed to pick up a tool and she could just sit in the car.

This was right after my co-worker had completed two hours of yard work; she was in grubby, ill-fitting clothes and had no shoes on, as hers ...Read more

Dear Annie: My husband is a kind, funny and intelligent man, but at dinner parties he has one habit that is starting to drive me crazy: He talks way too much.

He loves telling stories, and once he starts, there is almost no stopping him. A simple story about running into an old friend can turn into a 20-minute play-by-play with every name, ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My next-door neighbors are appropriately friendly, mow their lawn and generally mind their own business. The husband is a leader in a fundamentalist church whose pastor preaches that being gay is a sin and transgender people are mentally ill. My wife and I are lesbians, and our middle child is transgender. This is obvious to anyone ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I am planning a trip for my birthday, and managing the invites is intimidating! I don't like traveling with large groups, so I've decided I would like a total of four to six of us on the trip. I prefer it that way because I think it allows for more intimacy and connection during our time together, and it lends itself better to ...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I hate dress codes, but for the opposite reason that most people rail about them. Many say that dress codes are a violation of their God-given right to wear gym clothes to work, or they say that wearing a tie (let alone a tuxedo) to a wedding causes them extreme physical discomfort. Blah, blah, blah.

Well, my wife and I just ...Read more

Dear Annie: This past July, my husband and I rented a house near us so our two daughters, their husbands and our grandchildren could all spend time together. Since everyone lives several states apart, we thought it would be a wonderful chance to reconnect and hopefully start a yearly family tradition.

We live only about 15 minutes from the ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: A good friend in our prayer circle, "Diane," has a friend, "Suzy," with whom several of us once socialized. We've all distanced ourselves because Suzy has anger and stability issues that have become increasingly frequent since her former spouse has begun dating again. Diane allows Suzy to verbalize all kinds of half-truths and act out...Read more