Issuu

Apology first step in mending family rift Annie’s Mailbox

How could they compare a divorce with the death of a beloved spouse? When I attended group grief counseling sessions, several in the group mentioned they had heard similar remarks. I am here to scream out loud that in no way is a divorce anywhere close to the death of a loved one. No matter the amount of pain, you can see your divorced spouse if you want to, maybe even anniesmailbox@comcast.net reconnect someday. I will never, ever be able to touch and ruin the graduation, you or see my love again. Death is might try utilizing some of forever. — The Saddest Man them. Start with, “I’m so sorin the World ry I created a rift. I was simply exhausted from listening to Kelly, and I took it out on her. Please forgive me.” Dear Annie: Several months ago, I lost the love of my life. We were in the Caribbean for my son’s wedding when a blood clot made its way to her heart and lungs, and in seven minutes, the woman I had been married to for 33 years was dead on the streets of Nassau. Once back home, my friends and family surrounded me. One by one, they asked me to their homes for good food and caring company. During two of these visits, however, the hosts turned to me with straight faces and said they “knew what I was going through” because they each went through a divorce. I could not believe my ears.

Marcy Sugar and Kathy Mitchell

‘Wife’ offers great blend of entertainment From “Charmed” and “Grindhouse” to “The Pastor’s Wife” (7 p.m., Lifetime), Rose McGowan shows her range. She portrays Mary Winkler, the dutiful wife of Tennessee preacher Matthew Winkler. They were considered the perfect couple and model parents, until neighbors learned that Mary had fled the state with her children and that Matthew was dead from a shotgun blast. Not so much a whodunit as a “why’d she do it?” this true story offers a perfect blend of Saturday night TV entertainment. It has the pastoral perfection of a Hallmark movie, complete with well-scrubbed houses and churches and neighbors bearing pies. And it delivers the sordid, tabloid tone of a “48 Hours Mystery.” By the end, we’re offered plenty of evidence of behavior behind closed doors that belied the veneer of wifely submission and domestic bliss.

Tonight’s other highlights

Alabama hosts LSU in college football (7 p.m., CBS).

More college football (7 p.m., ABC).

Late-night phone calls rattle Mark on “Bedlam” (8 p.m., BBC America).

“Color Splash” (8 p.m., HGTV) presents a “Twilight”-inspired makeover.

Scheduled guests on “The Graham Norton Show” (9 p.m., BBC America) include James McAvoy, John Bishop and Arctic Monkeys.

“Born Dealers” (9 p.m., Planet Green) follows the father-son team of antique dealers Jerry and Jeremiah Pasternak.

Charlie Day hosts “Saturday Night Live” (10:30 p.m., NBC), featuring musical guest Maroon 5.

‘Extreme Makeover’ salutes veterans in hourlong special LOS ANGELES (AP) — “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” will salute military families in a Veterans Day fundraising special featuring stars including Jewel, Whoopi Goldberg and Robin Williams. The hourlong ABC special, airing 7 p.m. on Friday, will focus on issues faced by veterans and highlight the skills they can bring to the workforce and their communities, ABC and the charitable Entertainment Industry Foundation said this week. Jewel, who is co-hosting the special with Ty Pennington of “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” also will sing. “We want everyone to pitch in,” she said in a statement. “We don’t want the veterans to feel forgotten. Through their struggles, illness, post-traumatic stress disorder and a tough economy, we’re here to let them know they’re still supported.” The special also will look back at episodes of “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” that helped military families in need and the many volunteers from the armed forces who took part in rebuilding houses. Among the soldiers benefiting from a home renovation is Staff Sgt. Allen Hill of Ottawa. The episode about his extreme makeover aired Friday.

HANDS UP By Henry Quarters

11/5

— Please e-mail your questions to anniesmailbox@comcast.net, or write to Annie’s Mailbox, P.O. Box 118190 Chicago, IL 60611.

Universal Crossword Edited by Timothy E. Parker November 5, 2011

jacquelinebigar.com

of the emotional wild things that seem to be coming out of the woodwork. Tonight: Could go quite late. Cancer (June 21-July 22) Listen to your intuition and follow it. You can scarcely resist acting on what you keep hearing in your inner mind. Romance could be particularly intense. Tonight: Take in new vistas. Leo (July 23-Aug. 22) You cannot play isolationist, nor do you want to, as a partner pulls you into his or her world and perceptions. Tonight: Whatever others want — within reason. Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) You might need to screen your calls or leave your cellphone at home if you want to plunge into the moment. Tonight: Carrying on as if there is no tomorrow. Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) Dive into a project or get some much-needed exercise. Complete a couple of these postponed to-do’s. Invite a friend over. Tonight: Don’t make anything complicated. Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) Toss yourself completely into a

loved one’s life for a day. Whatever the results, you will only feel good about yourself. Tonight: And the good times go on and on. Sagittarius (Nov. 22Dec. 21) Continue on a path of seclusion, though you could change directions in a minute’s notice. Tonight: Enjoy quality time with a loved one. Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Sort through invitations and decide what you really want to do. You have quite a selection. You won’t need to go far. Tonight: Play out the moment. Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) Sometimes giving in to your more emotional side causes a problem. It is easy to lose self-restraint and just tumble into the abyss of abundance. Tonight: Call it a night only when you are ready. Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) Be spontaneous and direct. Follow your own course without hurting another person’s feelings. Tonight: Ride with the moment.

Mo Gaffney is 53. Actor Robert Patrick is 53. Singer Bryan Adams is 52. Actress Tilda Swinton is 51. Actress Tatum O’Neal is 48. Actress Andrea McArdle is 48. Rock singer Angelo Moore (Fishbone) is 46.

ACROSS 1 Almanac tidbit 5 Pro ___ (in proportion) 9 Light fabric for curtains 14 It may be deserted or uncharted 15 Ball-shaped cheese 16 “Kiss the chef” garment 17 “Eagle Eye” actor LaBeouf 18 “Can I? Can I? Can I?” e.g. 19 It might get you a flat in London 20 Predinner event 23 Craft measured in cubits 24 Adam’s contribution 25 Changeable seat cover? 29 Teacher’s instruction 31 Body’s largest organ 33 Motor attachment? 34 Midnight, in some horror stories 37 Cathedral recess 40 Show consumer confidence? 41 Palindromic fashion magazine 42 Unit of academic credit 47 Letters from

a short person? 48 Will-o’the-___ 49 Ideal place 53 Branch in a trophy room 55 Historical stage 56 “I” trouble 57 Last possible moment 61 Dred or Sir Walter 64 Stick ___ (take advantage of) 65 Middle of QED 66 Large-scale dismissal 67 Burgoo 68 “Colada” intro 69 Vined latticework shelter 70 Yield, as a profit 71 Some remote batteries DOWN 1 Budgetary 2 Where Michael was advised to row his boat 3 Beetle sounds 4 A hardwood 5 Add a coat 6 Comment off-the-cuff 7 Chinese weight unit 8 Asian live-in helper 9 Appraising 10 Spear-carrier’s genre, sometimes 11 Popular tax shelter 12 “Alamos”

opener 13 San Diegoto-Albuquerque dir. 21 “Star Trek: T.N.G.” counselor Deanna 22 Wednesday was named for him 26 Summer Olympics event venue 27 Twelfth Hebrew month 28 Steakhouse specification 30 ___’Pea (Popeye’s boy) 31 Like some wits or cheeses 32 Kin’s companion 35 So-so grades 36 He deserves a medal 37 Turkey site 38 Lowly farm-

hand 39 Web filter target 43 Suffer from the heat 44 Bridgestone offering 45 Thornton Wilder play 46 Sundance Film Festival location 50 Illinois city 51 Lizard in a Williams title 52 Heart outlets 54 “Take your hands off me!” 55 Computer key 58 Carpenter’s clamper 59 Kett of the comics 60 Kind of filter in many vacuums 61 Healthful resort 62 Mongrel 63 Sphere

PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER

11/4

THAT SCRAMBLED WORD GAME

by David L. Hoyt and Jeff Knurek

Unscramble these four Jumbles, one letter to each square, to form four ordinary words.

TAELM GEHUNO

— The astrological forecast should be read for entertainment only.

BIRTHDAYS Actor Chris Robinson is 73. Actress Elke Sommer is 71. Singer Art Garfunkel is 70. Actor-playwright Sam Shepard is 68. Singer Peter Noone is 64. Actor Nestor Serrano (“24”) is 56. Actress-comedian

UNIVERSAL CROSSWORD

Dear Sad: Our deepest condolences on your loss. Your well-meaning friends and relatives do not intend to minimize your grief, which is considerable. They are simply trying to connect with the pain of being alone. But you are right — these things are not the same. We appreciate your telling our readers to be careful not to make such comparisons in their efforts to empathize.

JACQUELINE BIGAR’S STARS For Saturday, Nov. 5: This year opens up more spontaneity. If you are single, you will be amazed how this openness attracts even more suitors. If you are attached, passion runs high. For those in an artistic field of work, you will see the benefits of this new emotional freedom in your creativity. Pisces understands more than you realize. The Stars Show the Kind of Day You’ll Have: 5-Dynamic; 4-Positive; 3-Average; 2-So-so; 1-Difficult Aries (March 21-April 19) Don’t you think you deserve some time off, a change of scenery and a little R and R? Tonight: Whatever feels right. Taurus (April 20-May 20) You might be more grounded than many people right now, but for you, no, you feel inspired and emotional. Allow a special friendship through the porthole to color your day and your choices. Tonight: Where the action is. Gemini (May 21-June 20) Take charge and allow all the activity to churn around you. In some manner, this plan might be a lot easier than being one

11/4

shelter 12 “Alamos”

ATIGNP

Find us on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/jumble

Dear Annie: My cousin “Kelly” went from a rotten marriage to a horrible relationship, with no break in between. During this past year, her boyfriend has cheated, lied and threatened her. I was her shoulder to cry on and finally had too much and told her how stupid the whole situation was. This guy doesn’t love her. He uses her. He has nowhere else to go because he pays so much child support for the four children he has from different women that he has nothing left to live on. Kelly feels sorry for him. Unfortunately, now that I’ve told her exactly what everyone else in our family was saying behind her back, I’m the bad guy, and no one is speaking to me. There is a family graduation coming up, and we all will be together. Do I act like nothing happened or, better yet, tell them all to grow up? I don’t want to cause problems for the graduate, but this is ridiculous. What do you propose? — The West Dear West: Honesty is not always the best policy, especially when it accomplishes nothing but hurt feelings. It obviously felt good to get this off your chest, but it cost you. Telling all the relatives to “grow up” will cost you a little more. There are diplomatic ways to get your point across, and if you don’t want to alienate the entire family

demic credit 47 Letters from

Now arrange the circled letters to form the surprise answer, as suggested by the above cartoon.

Actress Judy Reyes is 44. Rock musician Mark Hunter (James) is 43. Actor Sam Rockwell is 43. Country singers Jennifer and Heather Kinley (The Kinleys) are 41. Actor Corin Nemec is 40.

Yesterday’s

(Answers Monday) GUMBO TWITCH OUTING Jumbles: STAND Answer: The football coach was nervous about flying, so he was looking forward to this — TOUCHDOWN

BECKER ON BRIDGE