Hello, dear readers! Welcome to our monthly letters column. The calendar is hinting at autumn, but in much of the United States, the heat waves continue. Please factor this into your daily lives.
DEAR HARRIETTE: I’ve been dating my boyfriend for about six months now, and things have been going really well. The only issue is that while we both live in New York City, he lives in Brooklyn and I live in Washington Heights (Manhattan), and the commute is usually over an hour – sometimes longer if the trains are delayed or rerouted, which happens more often than I’d like. We both have demanding work schedules, so coordinating time together can be tricky, and it feels like one of us is always sacrificing sleep or rearranging our routine just to make the trip across the city. On nights when I get home after midnight from visiting him, I wonder if I can realistically keep this up in the long term.
Itry not to write about writing.
DEAR HARRIETTE: I met a guy about a month ago in a bizarre way: We were riding the same subway car during an off-peak hour and kept locking eyes. He came over and sat with me, and we swapped a few stories. It was crazy but so sweet. He told me that he used to play sports overseas and is now back in New York City opening a restaurant. He invited me out to a food tasting as our first date, and we’ve been spending time together ever since.
Donald Trump has embraced the slogan MAHA – Make America Healthy Again – but his policies are doing exactly the opposite. Fears are growing in the medical world that his war on science and research will make America sicker, not stronger.
DEAR HARRIETTE: My parents are playing favorites with their grandchildren, and it’s becoming more obvious.
DEAR HARRIETTE: My “Uncle Ron” raised his son and daughter all alone, and I think it was a struggle for him. Over the years, he put affection on the back burner and became results-driven. He did his best to make sure his children were A students, hard-working, well-behaved, well-spoken and aligned for success. I think his rigid parenting style took a toll on his son, my cousin “Matt.” When Matt went away for college, he was no longer an A student. Although he managed to graduate, he struggled to find work afterward. Whenever we’re all together, Uncle Ron is judgmental and doesn’t shy away from sharing his disappointment in his kids.
Dear Doctors: I’ve been getting dizzy when I exercise or even stand up too fast. I got sent to a cardiologist who says it’s mitral valve stenosis. He thinks I’m a good candidate for a catheter repair that uses a balloon. A friend who had that says it’s not a big deal. Is that really true? I’m worried.
About 70% of the nation’s public school teachers belong to a union or employees’ association. The two largest teachers unions, the National Education Association (NEA) and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), together represent about 4.7 million members. Politically, according to a study by Pew Research, about 58% of public school K-12 teachers identify with or lean toward the Democratic Party, compared to about 35% who identify with or lean toward the Republican Party.
My niece Isabelle is leaving for Argentina, and I don’t know how I’m going to stand it. Isabelle is an adult, although I don’t know how that is possible, because I remember clearly the day she was born, on an extraordinarily cold day 22 years ago, and surely, I can’t be that old. I arrived at the hospital with a bouquet of flowers and a Mylar balloon that had gone flat because it could not stay inflated at below-zero temperatures. But Isabelle thrived.