If you ask me...
February 2010
Dear Bettye: I took your advice and told a man who keeps calling me that I was seeing someone else and could not take calls from him. Now he calls to find out who the other man is. Now what? You must understand that you are under absolutely no obligation to tell anyone anything. Especially someone you have never even dated. He sounds dangerous to me. You must tell him he not to call you again. Or, just don’t answer when you know he is calling. Dear Bettye: The electrician removed his cap when he talked to my wife about an electrical problem in our house. She said she had not had a man remove his hat when speaking to her for 35 years. She hired him to do the work. Hasn’t that old fashioned courtesy been dead for 100 years? Your wife apparently has not seen a polite man in 35 years. The rule hasn’t changed and thankfully a gentleman still removes his hat when speaking to a lady. I’ll bet the courtesy is one reason the electrician is so successful. Dear Bettye: The man I date just stops talking when he gets angry about something. Sometime he doesn’t talk for days. What can I do? Date someone else. Dear Bettye: I recently had a book published and would like to give myself a book-signing party. How should the invitations read? Book-signing parties are given by a bookstore, a publisher or a friend. Since the reason for a book-signing party is to sell books, it would be inappropriate for you to give the party yourself. But good luck with your book. Dear Bettye: My friend makes people stand at the door while she peeps out one of those little holes in her door to check who they are. Am I wrong to be aggravated? What aggravated you the most – crime or peepholes? Would you would want her to immediately fling open the door without knowing who was there if you were on the inside? Dear Bettye: We received an invitation to a very formal dinner from a friend hosting a fund-raising event for a politician. How can we get out of going? An invitation is not a summons. All you must do is reply promptly and say you regret that you are unable to accept the kind invitation. Dear Bettye: Can a person’s knee really forecast the weather? Recent research has found a link between changes in the barometric pressure and joint pain. I have many friends who swear their joints ache just before a rain. I don’t have any firsthand knowledge about knees, but when I get a headache between my eyes, take your umbrella. Dear Bettye: A friend says to repeat rumors is gossip. I said it’s not. What makes a comment gossip? I prefer to think of it as sharing information, as in a news bulletin. After a great deal of research, I have discovered that gossip falls into four categories: Personal gossip: Called a confidence. Don’t tell it if you don’t want it told. First Class Gossip: Quality gossip because it has been heard from a reliable source. Be careful- it can easily be traced back to you. Don’t tell it if you don’t want it repeated. Second Class Gossip: About people you don’t know and don’t want to. This gossip is best because it can be passed along with the name of the person who told you and then they can be blamed. Celebrity Gossip: About people who are well known, usually shocking and therefore the most interesting. It is likely that everyone suspected it anyway so you can’t possibly be blamed. Send your questions or comments to bdekrcoa@AOL.com
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