ArcaMax

DEAR HARRIETTE: I'm a journalist who commonly gets writer's block. I've been writing fewer articles recently because I just don't have anything to write about anymore. I'm starting to dread writing. What would you suggest I do when I'm not feeling inspired to write? -- Writer's Block

DEAR WRITER'S BLOCK: Remember that writing is your job and ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: My neighbors had two huge Trump flags on their front lawn before the election. My wife and I did not care for Trump at all. They took the flags down the day after he lost. Since then, they have seemed a lot friendlier. They smile and wave at my family and even try to make small talk when they see my wife and me out on our morning...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I am an after-school program instructor at a public elementary school. I'm going on leave for a few weeks, and I had to train the substitute that will be taking over for me. I'm super-thankful that she could step in, but I immediately felt like something was off about her. I do not like the way she talks to my kids at all. The ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: It doesn't look like I'm going to graduate on time. I'm a few credits short, and my graduation is next week. I can take the classes over the summer and be finished by fall, but I will miss the ceremony and will not be able to walk across the stage with my friends. Of course, I'm sad and a little bit embarrassed. I want to avoid ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I'm feeling anxious about mixing friend groups for my upcoming wedding and all of the events leading up to it. My bridesmaids do not know each other, and I'm not sure how they'll get along. I'm including my fiance's sister in the festivities, and I want her to feel comfortable, but I haven't spent that much time with her. What ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I work with a woman who I thought was easygoing, but now I realize that she is very different from my first impression of her. She is a complainer. I thought that her gripes were legitimate at first, and I started looking at certain people with disdain much like she does. But then we spent some time together working on things for...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I consider myself pretty liberal politically. I stay up to date on current events and history. So I was a bit taken aback when I was talking to a colleague about a somewhat political topic of the day and she scoffed and told me she didn't want to talk about it anymore because she didn't agree with me. Clearly, she was implying ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I finally got an interview with a company that I've been interested in since I was in high school. I know that if I don't get this job, it's going to discourage me from looking anywhere else, so I am trying my absolute hardest to secure my place at this company. How can I make myself stand out in a job interview? -- Job Hunting

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DEAR HARRIETTE: Although I am on the quiet and reserved side, my family is the complete opposite. I come from a loud and rambunctious family. While I love them all very much, I find myself feeling embarrassed around them in public. I feel guilty for this reaction, but everywhere we go, my family laughs, talks and yells so loudly. I just can't ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I'm grieving someone I didn't know that well. I knew her only in passing, but whenever we spoke, she was so nice and delightful. I shared mutual friends with this girl, and they were much closer to her than I was, yet I can't stop feeling this deep sadness as if the two of us were very close. I also feel kind of silly for ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I feel like my friends are victim-blaming me for my sexual assault. I was sexually assaulted by my personal trainer a few months ago, and needless to say, it was a traumatic experience for me. I confided in my friends about it before taking any other actions, and they pretty much questioned me more than my attacker. They asked me...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I am keeping my relationship private for a few different reasons, but one of the reasons is that I fear that a public relationship will ruin a few opportunities for me. I am veering into the music industry and was told by management that maintaining the single girl image will help build a male fanbase. I don't want to jeopardize ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I have two friends who were super-close for something like 40 years, but then they had a huge falling-out a few years ago. They have not spoken to each other since. Instead, they have occasionally spoken to other close friends about the situation. Two stubborn old men who are dug in about the issue that separated them does not ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I was hired at my company in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, so I have met my boss and co-workers only via Zoom or other videoconferencing platforms. We don't even live in the same town since it didn't matter where I lived when everyone was working from home.

My boss took a trip to my city recently, and he invited me to ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I have a friend who holds a grudge like nobody's business. He has been brooding about an unfortunate incident involving one of his best friends for a few years now. I thought that the two of them had resolved things, but I saw them interacting the other day, and it was obvious that he is still holding on to his pain. When I ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I always felt that my opinions didn't matter because my mom would usually brush them off when I was a kid. I would try to vocalize my frustrations and discomforts, and she always made me feel that I was too young to have a valid opinion. Now that I'm older, I still feel that she downplays my opinions even when I make valid points...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I feel that I am compromising my art for the consumer. I'm a hip-hop artist, and I make what I would describe as conscious rap. I know that conscious rap is hit-or-miss in 2021, but I'm losing my patience a little. I keep watching rappers with no lyrical depth make hits and get famous for their music when it all sounds lazy to me...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: About a month ago, my cousin's boyfriend came to pick me and a friend up from the airport. I appreciated the gesture until he started driving recklessly. He was breaking every rule in the book on the drive from the airport to the house. He was texting, speeding and switching lanes without signaling. We ended up getting pulled ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: A good friend of mine really admires my current boss. She has been pestering me to get her an interview with him, or at least a phone call. I told her that I'm not comfortable using my job to put her in contact with my boss, especially since she doesn't really have anything of value to say to him. I feel like a bad friend for not...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I have a non-Black co-worker who appears to draw his whole identity and personality from Black culture. He is constantly speaking in AAVE (African American vernacular English), listens to Black music only, and I've even caught him casually using a few slurs when he's speaking to non-Black friends. He doesn't really have any Black...Read more