Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/21513
Thursday, December 16, 2010 – Daily News – 5A FEATURES Flirtatious friend fancies fling Dear Annie: I am in a bit of a bind. One of my closest friends is like a female version of me. We can talk to each other about anything, from relation- ships to off-the-wall topics that most people would consider strange. However, when we talk to each other about our recent sexual exploits, some not-too-subtle flirting occurs between us. This leads me to believe she wants to be more than friends, and I know she gets the same vibe from me. Annie’s Mailbox by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar year-old daughter, ‘‘Sasha,’’ lives with her. Since she was a teenager, Sasha has been in and out of jail for theft and fraud. She has stolen from me and every other rel- ative. If Sasha is in your home, you can be sure things will be missing. My sister, however, continues to think the best of her daugh- ter. My husband and I are having a large party to which my sister will be Recently, she kissed me to see if the attraction was there. She tried to play it cool as if it meant nothing, but that kiss made me want to find out if there really could be more than just friendship between us. I’m sure she feels the same way. I just don’t know how to go about expressing to her that I’d like to give it a try without damaging a great friendship. I’m so confused. Any suggestions? — Chicago Dear Chicago: Ann Landers said, ‘‘Love is friendship that has caught fire.’’ Your friend obviously is interested in a romantic relation- ship, but she is waiting for you to make the next move. We say, go for it. It is possible that if things don’t work out, the friendship will be awkward for a while, although it can recover. But if you don’t take the risk, you will always wonder ‘‘what if.’’ Good luck. Dear Annie: My sister’s 32- invited. I have no problem making sure she understands that the invita- tion does not extend to Sasha, but I recognize that this will offend my sister, who probably won’t come. Can you suggest a less hurtful way to invite my sister but not her untrustworthy daughter? — Finally Had It Dear Finally: If your sister refuses to recognize that her daugh- ter has a serious problem, there is no way to exclude Sasha without offending her mother. You can phrase it diplomatically and apolo- gize for not being able to invite Sasha to your party, but if your sis- ter chooses not to come, so be it. You cannot be expected to open your home to someone who repeat- edly steals from you and will likely steal from your guests, as well. Dear Annie: I read the letter from ‘‘Loving and Missing All at the Same Time,’’ whose 22-year-old daughter, ‘‘Lana,’’ is an inconsider- ate slob. She doesn’t want Lana liv- ing at home next year, but her hus- band doesn’t support her efforts to stop enabling her. You told her to create consequences for Lana’s behavior and ask her to pay rent and contribute to the housekeeping. I have an alternate answer. When Lana doesn’t do the dishes or laun- dry, who ends up doing it? I suspect it is Mom. The solution would be for her to let those things pile up while she sees a movie or takes up painting. But she can’t do it with anger or revenge. She needs to maintain a sense of humor. It also will help her to talk to someone who will listen as she blows off steam. I bet her husband wouldn’t be so quick to accommodate Lana if he had to do her laundry, cook her food and wash her dishes. ‘‘Loving’’ sounds like she is carrying too much of the household load. — L. Dear L.: We agree that Mom should not be picking up after Lana. But while it is easy to close the door to Lana’s bedroom, it is much hard- er to tolerate her mess in the com- mon areas of the house. Thanks, though, for the suggestion. Annie’s Mailbox is written by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar, longtime editors of the Ann Landers column. Please e-mail your questions to anniesmailboxcomcast.net, or write to: Annie’s Mailbox, c/o Creators Syndicate, 5777 W. Century Blvd., Ste. 700, Los Angeles, CA 90045. Meet Native American heavyweight champ Friday at our monthly ting ready. Just Move It Event, we are honored to have the Native American Heavyweight Mixed Martial Arts champ, Ruben "Warpath" Vil- larreal. He's coming up all the way from Sacramen- to to help us pro- mote the impor- tance of being physically active. If you are free at 11:30 a.m., please Avery come by and meet him — and join us for an invigo- rating walk or run — at 1450 Schwab St. in Red Bluff. Villarreal is planning on offering an MMA clin- ic to teach people some of the finer points of cage fighting for a nominal fee. I know I'll be there ready to learn from the master. So, please plan to join us on your lunch hour. This event will happen rain or shine — looks like rain, but who cares? As to our latest grap- pling news, we had at least six kids that wanted to enter the grappling tournament in Sacramen- to — but not enough man power to get them all there. We plan on making the next tournament, though, and the kids are all training hard and get- BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — Talk about a Grinch: Police say some- one trying to steal copper wire burned down the city of Birmingham’s 35-foot- tall Christmas tree. Officers say someone stripped electrical wires off the Norwegian Spruce at Linn Park about 4 a.m. Wednesday, then started a fire. Police believe thieves were attempting to sepa- rate the copper wire from the plastic insulation on Christmas decorations. But the fire spread to K W I K K U T S Family Hair Salon $300 REGULAR HAIRCUT off with coupon Not good with other offers 1064 South Main St., Red Bluff • 529-3540 Reg. $13.95 Expires 12/31/10 Vilche Fitness Buff In BeastUP Fight Team news, our own Thomas Ballard is training like a beast for his next mma fight which is in Southern Cali- fornia on Jan. 8. He is working out like crazy- getting in all his road work (run- ning), hitting the bags, and grappling and sparring with as many people as he can get his hands on. I feel bad for the guy he's fight- ing- I think Thomas is going to put the hurt on him. As for myself, I fool- ishly decided to do some marathon training with my buddy, Aurora Barriga — who was training for her second marathon and wanted some company on some of those long runs. She had me up to 9 miles in a very short period of time, and I was pretty pleased. I was hoping to be able to do a half marathon. Then it hit me — plantar fasciitis — extreme pain in the soles of my feet every morning and every night. I felt like that guy in "Misery" after his number one fan beat him in the feet with a board. I had to back off the running completely. It put my training in a tail- Copper thief burns city tree the tree, engulfing it in flames. Public works crews later used heavy machinery to remove the blackened limbs and trunk. Parks director Melvin Miller said the tree wouldn’t be replaced, but a radio station donated a new one within hours. Adobe Rd. Chevron Fresh Cooked CRABS Cooking Fresh Crab 2 DAYS A WEEK 859 Washington St. • Red Bluff 529-2777 • overlandpost.com NEW HOLIDAY HOURS Mon-Fri 8:30 - 5:30pm Sat. 10am - 4:00pm Make sure presents arrive on time! FedEx • UPS • “Freshest CRABS in Red Bluff” • Cleaning of Crab Free! Every Crab sold $1.00 donated to a local charity Price & availability depending on weather. Call to see if they arrived. 527-1859 2370 NORTH MAIN STREET, RED BLUFF • 527-1859 “Your Convenience Store With A Whole Lot More” Courtesy photo Native American Heavyweight Mixed Martial Arts champ, Ruben "Warpath" Villarreal. spin. I had to rely on rid- ing a bike again for car- dio. After about a month of walking around on hard plastic inserts, I am finally able to start run- ning again. I'm not even up to a mile yet, but it feels good to hit the road again. I'm hoping I'll be able to do the short route this Friday at our Just Move It event. If Aurora makes it out, I'm certainly not run- ning with her. By the way, congrats, Aurora, for completing your second marathon in record time. I'm just going to try to keep up with the crowd, and I'm sure having Ruben there will motivate me. Avery Vilche has her BA in physical education and a certificate in exercise physiology. She has been a fitness instructor in Red Bluff for more than 17 years. Her background is in boxing, kick boxing and wrestling. She can be reached at vilcheavery@yahoo.com. Arthritic fingers can be painful DEAR DR. GOTT: My doctor X-rayed my hands and said I have osteo in them. They get stiff and ache. What should I take for it and what should I not eat? Thank you for your help. DEAR READ- ER: I assume you are referring to osteoarthritis, not osteo- porosis because of your claim that your hands are stiff. Dr. Peter Gott form. Stay as active as possi- Osteoarthritis is a chronic disease of the joints that results from a breakdown of cartilage. Symptoms include pain and stiffness of the affect- ed joints. The condition is commonly associated with aging. As such, it is seen more in older people than in younger ones. Healthy cartilage is smooth, elastic and flexi- ble, allowing for easy movement. When osteoarthritis occurs, the surface of the cartilage softens, becomes pitted, frayed and/or cracked. As the condition progresses, some areas of the cartilage may wear away complete- ly, exposing the underly- ing bone. The bone becomes damaged, and movement of the affected joint(s) becomes very painful. If further cartilage breakdown occurs, the ends of the bone may thicken and form spurs. Particles of bone and car- tilage may then float in joint spaces, contributing to pain with movement. The X-rays you had must have revealed diminished joint space. The bones may be roughened and condensed. Pain commonly occurs when the affected joints have either been overused or when they remain motionless, as with being bedridden. While in many instances the pain may be limited to the specific joint such as the hands, it may also spread to sur- rounding areas. The pain may diminish somewhat with rest but will exacer- bate when the joint is moved. Treatment is aimed at controlling pain, prevent- ing joint deformity and maintaining movement. The most common over- the-counter medications are acetaminophen and ibuprofen for control of the pain and inflamma- tion. When these medica- tions fail to work, you may require prescription NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs). You and your doctor will know when that time occurs. Alternatives to medica- tion include castor oil rubbed onto the affected joints, adding grape juice ble, flex those fingers often, add salmon or other fish to your diet and fol- low your doctor’s instruc- tions. To give you related information, I am sending you a copy of my Health Report “Understanding Osteoarthritis”. Other readers who would like a copy should send a self- addressed, stamped No. 10 envelope and a $2 check or money order payable to Newsletter and forwarded to PO Box 167, Wickliffe, OH 44092- 0167. Be sure to mention the title or print out an order form from my web- site www.AskDr- GottMD.com. DEAR DR. GOTT: I’ve noticed several over-the- counter medicines for ringing in the ears. Do any really work? DEAR READER: I recommend you see a physician or otolaryngolo- gist first to make sure there is no discharge, pain, underlying cause or other undiagnosed reason for your condition. Perhaps you are on a medication with tinnitus as a side effect. Should this be the case, a simple modifica- tion of the drug strength or brand might be in order. If nothing is found, there are a number of OTCs you might consider, including Lipo-Flavonoid, ligno- caine, melatonin, setra- line, botulinum toxin and others. Herbals include ginko biloba, vincamine extracted from periwinkle, or sesame seeds. The herbs mentioned are pur- ported to increase the flow of blood to the head and neck. Beyond that, I can- not guarantee you will find relief from OTCs, herbs or prescription drugs. When you speak with your physician, who knows your medical histo- ry, ask for a recommenda- tion. Your pharmacist will also be an excellent resource in this regard. Dr. Peter H. Gott is a retired physician and the author of several books, including “Live Longer, Live Better,” “Dr. Gott’s No Flour, No Sugar Diet” and “Dr. Gott’s No Flour, No Sugar Cookbook,” which are available at most bookstores or online. His website is www.AskDrGottMD.com and pectin to one’s diet, an OTC combination of glucosamine and chondroitin, Castiva with cap- saicin (warming) or menthol (cool- ing) and omega-3 fish oil taken either through the ingestion of fish or in capsule