DEAR HARRIETTE: I recently took out loans so I could go on a vacation.
What do you call a former two-term president of the United States and his wife, a former first lady, secretary of state and nominee for president? In the Democratic Party, you call them baggage.
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DEAR HARRIETTE: My girlfriend and I have been together for about two years now, and we have decided that we are ready for unprotected sex. With this decision came the discussion of birth control, which we both agreed on, and STI testing, which my girlfriend insists on. When she went to her birth control consultation, she says that she got tested “so we can start off on a clean slate,” and now she expects me to do so, too. Honestly, I get tested once a year as part of my routine wellness check, but I feel a little offended about how pushy she’s being with this. We’ve been in a committed relationship for this long. If she’s healthy, why would she assume I am not? This sort of feels like a test – either to see if I’m not healthy when she is or to see if I hesitate or refuse to take the test. Either way, this feels like a lack of trust that I didn’t know existed. Am I looking at this wrong? – Getting Tested DEAR GETTING TESTED: Unprotected sex requires a deep level of trust and vulnerability. Don’t be offended. It’s great how responsible you are with your health in general. Many people do not get annual checkups, and a lot of people lie about their health.
Iwoke up late at night and saw the falling snow.
It was only one state senate race in Texas. Low-turnout, off-cycle elections are seldom good predictors of larger trends. And the Democrats had a better candidate: a working-class aircraft mechanic running against a hardline MAGA idealogue heartily endorsed by President Trump.
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30 YEARS AGO
DEAR HARRIETTE: My mother passed away earlier this year, and I’m still sad. She lived as long as she could with a smile on her face most times. I recently looked at photos of her over the past couple of years, and it broke my heart; she was so frail. We always thought she held on just to be able to be with us, her children and families and friends, but it was so hard for her. I’m feeling guilty for wanting her to live as long as she did. It feels selfish now. I also don’t want to live that long myself. If I’m ever just hanging out, I wish I could just die. Is that a horrible thought?
Dear Doctors: I love walking and do at least 2 miles per day. I have followed the endless debate about how many steps per day is best with great interest. Apparently, there’s a new study that says the goal should be stamina and not steps? I’m not sure I understand, and I would like to know more.