Dear Aunt Sister - September 2002

When I wrote for the now defunct Foothill Sentinel, I was the ghost writer for the Dear Aunt Sister advice column. When writing the column, I channel my beloved aunt, born in 1913, known affectionately to her five brothers and all their offspring as "Sister." She handled everything with charm, fantastic wit and always a twinkle in her eye.

Aunt Sister:

I get so mad at people who just walk up and barge into conversations. The other day I was having an important conversation and this woman just walked up and started talking to the person I was talking to. I even said, "Excuse me, but you're interrupting." She completely ignored me and just kept talking to the other person. How do you handle people like this? Are they really just thick-headed and rude, or do they just think they're more important than everyone else?
Annoyed



Dear Annoyed,

Yes dear, they ARE just thick-headed and rude. It makes me wish it were acceptable to carry around duct tape to shut the traps of the offensive party. However, you know the old saying, "Do unto others..." Well, I would simply pat the thick-headed one on the arm and say, "Oh, I'm ssoooo sorry. I'm interrupting you. How rude of me!" And then, I would turn on my heels and wander off to greener pastures. Hopefully, the thick-headed one got the message. If not, you've at least had a little fun at their expense.



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Dear Aunt Sister,

My friend's husband sometimes makes advances toward me, especially when he's been drinking. It's nothing really obvious that I can make a fuss over. He might stand too close, or keep complimenting me about how good I look, or kind of follow me around. What should I do?

Embarrassed

My Dear Embarrassed,

What a predicament. You can’t exactly follow your friend around and hope she will intervene on your behalf. As my dear mother used to say, “If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.” You need to socialize somewhere else. If this is not the solution you were hoping for… learn to take a compliment and keep backing up.