Cat:
There is no one in my office who responded to my ‘God Bless You’ even though I kept it up for 4 years. Never a thank you or never a reciprocated reply; I finally gave up and stopped saying anything. Apparently, it was an unwritten rule in the office that no one start that type of nicety, but they never told me. Sometimes silence speaks louder than words, and the silence that followed after a simple ‘bless you’ spoke volumes…. I stopped. And I don’t feel one bit less of the person I was. But I do admit I am tempted to say ‘God bless me’ after I sneeze. So far I have resisted. But I will say that I was not singled out… they said it to no one!

Hey Cat:
That trippin’ guy has one chance and he’s a fool if he doesn’t go for it. You often get second or third chances at relationships and nice places to live, but dream jobs come along once in a while, and for some people never at all. If he doesn’t go for it, he’ll think about it forever and always wonder if he made a mistake. Thanks.
—Ken P. (Miami, FL)

Cat:
I don’t think honesty can be overrated. It can’t be rated highly enough. Even if your lady asks if she looks fat in a dress, tell her yes if that’s what you think. She won’t believe you anyway.
—Robert in NYC

Dear Cat:
C’mon, you wouldn’t date a guy with broken teeth. I bet he looks like a bumpkin from the high hills. If that were me I’d have them fixed before she gets a chance to tell me to hit the road. I’m not saying that guy isn’t dumb and it’s kind of telling that he isn’t so concerned about his appearance but c’mon, I don’t think she’s shallow because she doesn’t want to date a “jack-o-lantern” as you say. Good one, by the way.
—Jake, NYC

Cat:
I think you were too hard on the husband who was the subject of the complaints of Grocery Maven. I grew up with a control-freak mother who made my father go grocery shopping every Friday night, simply because she was too lazy to do it herself. He did his best, but had never cooked a meal in his life. If he came home with the wrong size tomato paste or the wrong brand of peas, for example, she would scream, yell, swear, throw things at him, etc. I am not kidding. My sister and I would have to hide quivering in our rooms every Friday night. If "Grocery Maven" is that particular, she should just always do the shopping herself. If too busy, hire a service. Another angle is her comment that the husband is particular. Perhaps she does the cooking and preparing, and he is particular about certain items she prepares, but really has no idea what particular type, brand, size etc. she uses. My call? Lighten up. There are so many more important things to worry about in life. It’s not worth it. Been there, heard that, hated it. So will their kids.

Dear Reader,
Good point, you might be 100% right. But no matter if Maven or hubby is the choosy one, it would behoove him to make sure he picks up the right items, yes? Totally agree that there are more important things in life. I just call ‘em as they come in. Thanks for writing. —Cat

Dear Cat,
A few months ago I wrote to you about a situation I was having with my Ex. It seems she got a little mad when I told her friends the truth about why we split… she was doing drugs behind my back. I remember that i caught some flack from some of your readers becasue I told her friends about her little “secret” ....and that I should have kept my mouth shut. It seems that my ex was involved in a car accident in which she had to goto the hospital… she wasn’t drunk or high, it was someone else’s fault. Anyways, as she was on her way to the hospital, the police searched her car and found some drugs…not much, but they still found some…. in a company car. Long story short…she lost her job of 8 years because of a little pot. Call me evil, but everytime I think of her now… I laugh. Not because of her losing her job, but because I hope one of your readers that wrote in about me being wrong, is one of her frineds and they are lending her money and a place to live… all because of a little pot.

Cat:
I have a comment for P.O. W/BRO. Thank God I am not the only one dealing with my brother’s nut case girlfriend. Please send her my sympathy with having to deal with what I do when I come home, but the one good thing is, I live three hours away and only see them when I have to. You can tell P.O. W/BRO that eventually her brother may realize what he is dealing with, and if not do what I did: tell her to grow up, act right or get out of the family.

Cat:
In response to Cliff Notes Guy not having time to read, why not suggest that he go to the library and check out books on CD? He can listen to them any time he’s in the car. Other things can be done while listening to the book, if he prefers to listen while at home. Titles range from classics to popular so he can be well “read” along with his cohorts.—HEIDI, LIBRARIAN IN TRAINING

DEAR HEIDI:
There’s something to be said for turning a page to find out what happens next, but that’s a great call! —CAT

Hey Cat,
I went through the exact same scenario as Mr. Finesse and the “tour guide” thing works every time. He’ll end up being her main contact, he doesn’t need to finesse anything. I’m thinking maybe you’ve “toured” people around, Cat. You called that one 100% right.—EXPERIENCED TOUR GUIDE

Re: WAITING FOR I.M.
Nice to know, Cat, that there are still nineteen year olds who know that they are young and still have the naivete that goes with it.