Watchful Waiting

Dear Short Answers: My baby sister is very upset about a lot of things. And she seems to want to alienate me as well. It seems like with things falling apart around her we should be closer but she seems intent on driving me away. What do you make of this? Ruth Dear Ruth: This [...]

Good Time Charlie

Dear Short Answers: How do you stop a person from over-sharing? I have good friends who tell me their deepest secrets and I never know what to say. Sometimes they are horrible stories of sickness and divorce and I hate to interrupt and say “I am just not interested in your problems.” Is there a [...]

The World According to Hallmark

Dear Short Answers: A very good friend invited me to a fancy dinner party at her home for Valentine’s Day. I thought it was a wonderful idea since my husband died this past year and I knew that Valentine’s Day was going to be hard for me. A few days before the dinner, my friend [...]

We Send Love

Dear Short Answers: It’s about to be a new year but I don’t think I will ever get over the things that happened to me this year. Why do people keep telling me to move on? So Sad Dear SS: We don’t know what happened to you this year but we believe that for the [...]

Unanticipated Consequences

Dear Short Answers: What were the results of the great depression? Jobe Dear Job: The psycho-pharmacuetical industry. Like Unlike

Organ Recital

Dear Short Answers: My mom is quite old and has become quite a hypochondriac. She recites her so called “symptoms” every day. I want to say “duh, you’re old!” Can you think of a more compassionate response? I’m No Saint Dear No Saint: Maybe she is just trying to tell you what it’s like to [...]

Don’t Start What You Can’t Finish

Dear Short Answers: My wife was very ambitious on my behalf.  It’s a little more complicated than just blind ambition but I did something terrible to please her. Then she did something terrible, and now I feel like something terrible is about ready to happen to me.  Also, I think I am hallucinating — ghosts, [...]

Thinness Is a Drug

Dear Short Answers: I lost 5 pounds last week and I am happier than I’ve been in a year.  Is this crazy? So Thin, So Beautiful Dear T&B: We’ve been there and understand the high. But know this: 5 pounds in one week is probably not sustainable.  Enjoy it while you can, try to keep [...]

A Slippery Slope

Dear Short Answers: What happens if I don’t get my car inspected? Al Dear Al: If you don’t get your car inspected, you will get stopped by a cop. When you get stopped by a cop, he might notice other things.  If he notices other things, you will have to get a lawyer. When you [...]

Don’t Try This at Home

Dear Short Answers: Is it possible to gain 15 pounds in a month? My Scale Is Lying Dear Scale: It is possible to gain 15lbs, but definitely not recommended.  Although we have heard of scales that lie, we think that it is unlikely. Like Unlike

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