Wednesday, January 10, 2007

The fluffy parts of the newspaper are particularly stupid today

Jump Start: This doesn't make sense. Dot has always been presented as smart. Why on earth wouldn't she know that you can't bring liquids and gels on the plane? It's common knowledge! And she's always been presented as an English-major type, so she must read the paper! I hate it when comic strips break character for the sake of a gag.

FBORFW: Oy, where to begin? Nothing about what they're trying to set up today makes sense! First of all, why wouldn't Liz call ahead? She's staying with Gary and Viv house, so they would need to know that she's arriving a day early! Yes, they are ready for her already, but she has no way of knowing that they would be. They could have gone into town to get groceries or something and there'd be no one to let her in when she got there! Secondly, why would she so quickly draw the conclusion that Paul is cheating from the conversation at hand? She loves him and has had no reason whatsoever to suspect him previously - surely she'd read it has he's just visiting Susan, since she's an old friend. Thirdly, why would Paul invite her up to Mtigwaki if he's cheating on her? Fourthly, why would Paul transfer south if he's so not-in-love with Liz that he's cheating on her! Or, if he lied about the transfer, why would he do that? Why not just tell her it didn't go through? After all, this is his second transfer in a year, it's perfectly plausible that it wouldn't go through.

Dear Dear Abby: Before you give anyone any more advice, please read The Introvert Advantage by Marti Olsen Laney

Dear Clara in Chicago: Your boyfriend is clearly an introvert. This means that he finds spending time with people draining, and being alone energizing. I know, this sounds bass-ackwards about you, but I've explained it in greater depth here. Introverts are very choosy about their friends, so the fact that he has chosen a romantic relationship with you is a very high compliment indeed! I'm sure he loves spending time with you, it's just that sharing you with all those other people is draining to him. And surely you chose him as a boyfriend because he has some excellent qualities beyond being another person to flutter around your circle! So the solution to your problem is simple: you go out with your circle of friends around you, thus recharging your extrovert brain, and let him stay home if he wants, thus recharging his introvert brain. I know this sounds mean to you, but he won't mind, honest! Then when you come home, you will both be recharged and re-energized, and can each share your best selves with each other.

No comments: