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5 days ago | 
mercurynews.com | Judith Martin |Nicholas Martin |Jacobina Martin
DEAR MISS MANNERS: My neighbors have several gatherings a year, and they are always potlucks. If the invitation says, “Bring a dish to share and a bottle of wine,” then I am happy to do so. However, I’m single, and I have noticed that the couples and families also bring only one dish and one bottle of wine. Am I being petty to think this is unfair? GENTLE READER: Etiquette is not in the business of making everything exactly fair. Unless things are overtly unfair, it is more polite not to notice.
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6 days ago | 
mercurynews.com | Judith Martin |Nicholas Martin |Jacobina Martin
DEAR MISS MANNERS: My fiance and I have chosen not to register for gifts. Not only do we wish to do what is proper, but we already live together in a tiny apartment and have neither the need nor the space for additional housekeeping items. Nor do we wish to crassly solicit money from our guests.
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1 week ago | 
mercurynews.com | Judith Martin |Nicholas Martin |Jacobina Martin
DEAR MISS MANNERS: I’ve started meeting a friend for the cheap breakfast special once a week at a diner. When we pay the bill at the counter, my friend always helps himself to five or six of the free lollipops next to the till. I find it embarrassing. Is there a way to ask him to stop without insulting him? GENTLE READER: Say, in a public voice as he takes the candy, “The orphans will be so pleased. But you know, we can buy lollipops.
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1 week ago | 
mercurynews.com | Judith Martin |Nicholas Martin |Jacobina Martin
DEAR MISS MANNERS: I was seated in front of two men at a hockey game, and every other word they said was the F-word. I wanted to say something, but wondered what would be the best way to address them. I thought about saying something like, “Hey, you look like smart guys, but your vocabulary makes you sound less than intelligent.”Do you have a suggestion, or was ignoring them the route to take? That is what I did. GENTLE READER: Thereby avoiding the likely response, which would be to F-off.
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1 week ago | 
mercurynews.com | Judith Martin |Nicholas Martin |Jacobina Martin
DEAR MISS MANNERS: A friend of mine has been keeping in touch with me by sending text messages that contain one sentence only: “How are you, Jen?”He never shares anything about himself, nor does he show any interest in my life beyond asking that one question. In frustration, I texted him that I am delighted and eager to hear from him any time he has something meaningful to share, but that going forward, I will no longer respond to one-sentence text messages.
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1 week ago | 
mercurynews.com | Judith Martin |Nicholas Martin |Jacobina Martin
DEAR MISS MANNERS: The first time my friend left me waiting for her for an hour when we had plans to meet for lunch, I expressed my displeasure. She defended herself with the same excuses she used in her texts to me: She’d been running late; she’d run into traffic. In the texts, she repeatedly said — sometimes at 15-minute intervals — that she would be there in 5 minutes. The second time I had plans to meet her for lunch, I waited 15 minutes, then left the restaurant.
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1 week ago | 
mercurynews.com | Judith Martin |Nicholas Martin |Jacobina Martin
DEAR MISS MANNERS: I know several people who use walkers, and I see some of the devices’ limitations. It can be hard navigating tall curbs, walking over rocky ground, maneuvering through tight spaces, walking downhill, traveling for long distances, standing in line for too long, and folding it up to put in a car. Every so often, I see someone using a walker that seems really well-designed for various terrains or different uses.
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2 weeks ago | 
spokesman.com | Judith Martin |Nicholas Martin |Jacobina Martin
DEAR MISS MANNERS: My wife and I had an amazing and intimate honeymoon in the Leeward Islands. In the spirit of the occasion, we booked first-class tickets for our flights. During boarding for the return leg, the flight attendant asked if we would like anything to drink. We requested champagne to commemorate a perfect week spent together. The attendant stated that they only had enough champagne for us each to order a glass, and that there wouldn’t be any more for the flight.
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2 weeks ago | 
mercurynews.com | Judith Martin |Nicholas Martin |Jacobina Martin
DEAR MISS MANNERS: My wife and I had an amazing and intimate honeymoon in the Leeward Islands. In the spirit of the occasion, we booked first-class tickets for our flights. During boarding for the return leg, the flight attendant asked if we would like anything to drink. We requested champagne to commemorate a perfect week spent together. The attendant stated that they only had enough champagne for us each to order a glass, and that there wouldn’t be any more for the flight.
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2 weeks ago | 
mercurynews.com | Judith Martin |Nicholas Martin |Jacobina Martin
DEAR MISS MANNERS: As a teacher for the past 30 years, I have been fortunate to receive thoughtful gifts of thanks and appreciation from my students and their families during the holiday season and at the end of the school year. These gifts often include mugs, chocolates, baked goods or gift cards.
