ArcaMax

DEAR HARRIETTE: Recently I've noticed a lot of people are giving themselves shots to lose weight. Several of my colleagues have gone on these extreme diets (or so they appear to me) and dropped as much as 75 pounds in a few months. I need to lose weight, but it is coming off very slowly. I'm wondering if I should try one of these plans. I'm ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I had a dream the other day that my assistant was about to resign. For the next few days, every time I talked to her, I halfway held my breath knowing that the next thing she was going to say to me was goodbye. And yet it wasn't. She did ask to speak to me about several sensitive matters. They all turned out to be various ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I got passed over for a promotion at my job, and I am wrecked. I have been working so hard to complete my work and to take on more projects. I always have a good attitude and work well with people, though I will admit that I am an introvert. I do not hang out with my co-workers at the end of the day. I do not drink. I stick to ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I recently discovered that a former colleague of mine has expressed interest in dating my adult daughter. This colleague has known my daughter since she was a young child, so I feel extremely uncomfortable about this situation -- and a little angry. My daughter is in her late 20s now, so the decision is ultimately up to her, but ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I'll be moving across the country soon, and my female best friend really wants to make the drive with me for our last little adventure together. I have to transport some heavy items, and my friend and I aren't the strongest or the most agile. I can't afford movers at the moment, so it would just be a move-in crew of two. I have a...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I got together with my ex after being apart for nearly 30 years. We had two good years together, but then he went back to his old ways. He started lying and not following through on promises. It is so sad and disappointing, but I feel like I have given him every chance I could. I can't trust him anymore. That's why we broke up in...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I started playing games on my phone during the pandemic, and I realized today that I am totally hooked. That may seem childish, but more importantly, it is expensive. These games lure you in, and the next thing you know, you are spending money to buy more chances to do something. The dollars add up fast. The game is fun, but the ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: For most of my life, I have not gotten along with my brother. He always had to be the macho guy and have the last word. I used to think that we would stop communicating entirely when our parents died. In the past year, though, things have changed a lot. When we talk, the conversations are pleasant. No longer am I the only one who...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: A longtime friend came to visit me and my family this summer. We had a nice visit. As I was driving my friend home at the end of his visit, he commented in a by-the-way fashion on what he observed about my interactions with my wife. She and I have been in a simmering war of words for a long time now, and he clocked it. He didn't ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I recently paid for an Airbnb rental for four days. The host was extremely attentive and accommodating leading up to my check-in date. When I arrived, the place was not what I was expecting at all. It looked nothing like the pictures. I immediately contacted the host and requested a refund, then canceled my reservation through ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: The other day I was driving home with my husband when he got a call from a good friend of his. His friend was venting about being unhappy with the base salary at his new job. My husband then revealed that he should be happy with that salary, and how it is more than I am making now. Though I don't believe that my husband had ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I have been suffering from a bad cold for a couple of weeks now. I still have had to work and go about my life. I have taken several COVID-19 tests -- and every other test that the doctor would give me. All they say is that it's a cold, but I continue to cough, so people look at me like I'm going to kill them when I am out. I ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I live on the ground floor of an apartment complex. It is in the city, but it is surrounded by a small garden and fence. The other morning, I felt something weird and opened my eyes. Standing outside my window was a random man staring in at me. My bedroom is small. While there was a window between us, he was literally only about ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: One of my close friends wore a very revealing dress to my wedding. While I want to be open-minded and understanding of her choices, I couldn't help feeling uncomfortable and distracted throughout the day. I even had a few guests ask me if I was upset with how my friend was dressed. I lied and told them it was fine.

I think what ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I have a valued employee who has worked with me for several years. She is hitting her stride, doing very well for my small company. I fear that she is about to leave. I gave her a raise this year, which I thought was an incentive and proof that I value her, but I don't know if it's enough. I cannot give her another raise yet. My ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: There is a new girl at work, and although I have been nothing but friendly and helpful to her, she has this annoying habit of talking to me as if I'm the newbie in the office. Sometimes she even goes to the extent of explaining things that I already know like the back of my hand. I'm very good at my job, and I've been promoted ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I have always been an outsider, and not by choice. It just seems to happen. I started a job this year where I thought it might be different. We all go into the office, and on many occasions a group of people my age go out after work for drinks or whatever they do. They have never invited me. I'm kind of shy, so I haven't gotten ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I have been having a great time this summer hanging out with friends, and I'm sad that it is coming to an end. My favorite time of the year is summer, and I start to dread the cold weather the moment this season ends. It's weird. My attitude changes almost instantly, and I get moody. I want to figure out how to keep my spirits up...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: A good friend of mine is a video content creator. The other day while we were having lunch, I suggested a concept for one of her videos. She seemed uninterested in the idea at the time and sort of brushed it off. A few days later, I logged on to Instagram and saw that she did, in fact, create a video incorporating the concept ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: Every year, people remember 9/11 for the horror of the day and also the solidarity that it brought to our country. I wasn't born until after it happened, so I only know it from reading and from my parents' recollections. Sometimes I feel disconnected from the impact of the disaster. My parents lost good friends in the World Trade...Read more