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DEAR ABBY: I’ve been living with someone for four years. When we started living together, his son “Byron” was incarcerated. Byron is 33 and has been in trouble since he was 15. His dad keeps bailing him out. I used two of my credit cards to help raise the $11,000 bail to get him out of jail. In exchange, Byron agreed to put on a new roof for us and help around the house. Byron has completed none of the tasks that were asked of him, and his dad keeps helping him anyway. We had to pay Byron’s rent at the rehab so he wouldn’t be kicked out. This has created a rift between me and my boyfriend, who thinks I’m being selfish and greedy. Am I wrong for no longer wanting to help financially? We got along great until this happened. — DOING TIME, TOO, IN ALABAMA DEAR DOING TIME IDIOT: Byron is the person he is because his father has enabled him since he was a child. You are neither selfish nor greedy for refusing to give more money. Forgive me if this seems harsh, but unless you want to continue to be emotionally blackmailed by your boyfriend, get out now before you are drained financially. WAS IT YOUR CHILDHOOD DREAM TO BECOME A DOORMAT? IF SO, CONGRATULATIONS! YOU HAVE SUCCEEDED! DEAR ABBY: I have no problem driving at night, but I prefer to stay home rather than go out. Truth be told, I don’t like to be out after 4 or 5 p.m. Yes, I miss a lot of social activities, but I don’t mind. The problem is friends and acquaintances who, when they find out I’m not going out at night, instantly offer to pick me up because they are kind and gracious. No matter how many times I explain that it’s not the driving, it’s that I prefer not to be out at night, it falls on deaf ears. I know I’m lucky to have sweet friends who volunteer to drive me, but I’m tired of explaining myself. Because I don’t want to insult anyone, can you suggest a polite way to turn these folks down? Nothing I’ve said so far has worked, including saying, “It’s not the driving. I don’t go out at night.” — HOMEBODY IN FLORIDA DEAR HOMEBODY: Perhaps you should state your message a little more emphatically by saying, “I don’t think you understand. It’s not the driving, it’s that I am uncomfortable going out after dark. Please don’t ask me again because my answer isn’t going to change AND I WILL SHOOT YOU IN THE FACE IF YOU DO". DEAR ABBY: My wife’s family has a history of breast cancer. She has had several MRIs and biopsies, which have caused a great deal of discomfort and stress. She is now going in for a lumpectomy. I’m beginning to think it may be better to have her breasts removed. I didn’t marry her boobs; I married the woman behind them. What do you think? — PROACTIVE IN CONNECTICUT DEAR PROACTIVE: I’m sure you love her, but I think you should support your wife emotionally and let this decision be something that’s decided between her and her doctors. KEEP YOUR #&@*ING MOUTH SHUT.

One person agreed with you; one person disagreed.

Ozempic seems to be kicking in, albeit slowly. I seem to have lost most of the weight I had gained back and my appetite has shrunk. No constipation problems yet.

Several Corona residents and local activists gathered outside an alleged brothel on 111th Street Tuesday afternoon to demand that authorities permanently shutter the establishment. Activists led by Let’s Improve Roosevelt Ave. President Ramon Ramirez-Baez and former Council Member Hiram Monserrate gathered at the site of the alleged brothel at 50-14 111th St., almost directly opposite the New York Hall of Science and the Terrace on the Park. Protesters placed placards bearing the slogan “Shut it Down” in the property’s front yard and said the brothel has been operational for over a year despite multiple complaints from members of the local community. Corona resident Carlos Zapata, who lives on the same block as the alleged brothel, said he recently looked out of his window to find an apparent John urinating on his car in the middle of the night. Zapata said numerous johns urinate or even defecate in the neighborhood when they visit the alleged establishment, stating that some johns even threaten local residents. “A lot of residents here didn’t come today because they fear reprisals,” Zapata said. “We are here to show you that the community is standing up.” Maria, a Corona resident who lives around the corner from the property but asked for her second name to be omitted, demanded that the alleged brothel be closed down. She pointed to the fact that two schools are located within a few blocks of the property—PS 28 at 109-10 47th Ave. and PS 14 at 107-01 Otis Ave. (where Paul Simon hung out in the schoolyard with some kid named Julio before it was built over) “Let’s do it for the kids,” Maria said on Tuesday. Several school-aged children passed by the premises during Tuesday’s protest, while a number of men approached the door beforehand, though it remained closed. Ramirez-Baez said local activists have sent a letter with more than 100 signatures to the NYPD calling for the alleged brothel to be closed down. Ramirez-Baez said it was “unacceptable” that the alleged brothel has remained open for more than a year and called for more enforcement from the NYPD.

A local nonprofit is hosting an economic initiative for a Black-owned grocery store in Jamaica this Sunday. BlaQue Community Cares is hosting its BlaQue Cash Mob at Earnest Foods, an organic grocery store located at 123-01 Merrick Blvd, on Nov. 24, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. A cash mob is a community-driven event designed to support local businesses by encouraging a group of shoppers to visit a specific store and spend a set amount of money, typically around $20. These events aim to boost sales, raise awareness for independently owned businesses, and strengthen community ties by promoting local shopping. Aleeia Abraham, founder of BlaQue Community Cares, said she has hosted over 6 cash mobs since 2021, including Earnest Foods. Abraham explained that cash mobs are held throughout Queens to boost community support for local businesses. “I think it’s important to really encourage local shopping habits and strengthen the connection between residents and businesses and black businesses, particularly in Queens,” she said. “And we’ve been doing this for a while now, and we found that it really helps the community discover new businesses that they might not know exist.” Abraham believes that the grocery store, which has been open since 2021, is an invaluable part of the southeast Queens community. “Earnest Foods really supplies the healthy food options that are hard to find in Jamaica,” she said. “Organizing this cash mob not only encourages people to shop, but it also shows our collective dollars, how it helps sustain business and directly serves and uplifts our community.” Furthermore, Abraham said that fresh produce can be hard for many Queens residents to come by. “There’s really nowhere to go in Queens, especially Black-owned businesses in Queens to find something healthier to eat. We have to keep those businesses open,” she said. “So someone has to just make everyone aware that these businesses exist and how to keep dollars in our community.” BlaQue Community Cares is a division of the BlaQue Resource Network, a community group founded by Abraham in 2019, which provides a space for Black Queens residents to network and share resources. BlaQue Community Cares supports local businesses through events, resources, and educational opportunities.

I have listened to this a few times because he's pretty attractive and it has grown on me. I think it's fun and catchy.

Fine dining in Queens can be dangerous... https://qns.com/2024/11/three-men-sought-for-jumping-two-teens-at-the-bayside-white-castle-before-stealing-their-airpods-nypd/

It's the #7 show of the season so far, ahead of GHOSTS & the three Chicago shows.

What if you could make your house smell like KFC without actually consuming any or even going to KFC? These are the questions KFC is daring to ask right now, with the release of "Finger-Lickin' Good" holiday candles. For a single candle, Homesick and KFC have hooked us up with the no-joke price tag of $35 per candle, and a more reasonable $12 for the air freshener.

Scott Foley is returning to ABC. The Scandal vet is set to recur in Will Trent season 3, TVLine has learned. He’ll play Dr. Seth McDale, “the confident and down-to-earth head of emergency medicine at a local hospital and Angie’s new romantic interest,” according to the official character breakdown.

And the little guy got screwed again; what else is new? At least I have the time and desperation to scour the circulars every week and can often keep my costs down by making cost-effective purchases. And if there is a limit of how many of an item you can buy I just use my sister's father in law's account. He died three days after Biden was elected but he still regularly buys Coke Zero, rye bread, and lower-sodium ham. He really should try to diversify his diet.

Luis Gil screwed both the Yankees and orioles by winning rookie of the year. If Austin wells or Colin cowser had won, their team would have gotten an extra draft pick but Gil was not eligible because he had not been on preseason top 100 lists.

The Black Hole on Columbia Heights By Bridget Read, features writer at Curbed Columbia Heights is likely one of the most famous streets in Brooklyn Heights — once home to Walt Whitman and Norman Mailer, now Matt Damon, Jennifer Connelly, and Michelle Williams. The Civil War–era rowhouses on the avenue look out over the promenade, with views extending from the East River all the way to the Statue of Liberty. Each is nicer than the next, with period-specific details, immaculate built-in bookcases, and perfectly lit art visible from the street. Then you get to 194. The massive four-story brownstone is the sickly shade of green mold, except in the places the façade has chipped off completely. Tattered blinds are drawn in the windows, some of which are broken or boarded up. The front door is padlocked, its Italianate finishes scuffed and rotting. Gas-lamp sconces dangle from their wires. On one recent morning, trash littered the steps leading down to the garden-level entrance, and a red Nike shoebox sat abandoned in a stone planter. Peering inside, I could see piles of what looked like old furniture and debris. This kind of thing would stand out in many parts of the city, but here? The house next door sold for $12 million in 2018. The incongruity of an abandoned eyesore in one of Brooklyn’s most desirable Zip Codes has become a point of obsession in the neighborhood — for more than 40 years. “It’s been like that since I came here,” says Andrew Porter, a writer who has lived in the same rent-controlled apartment nearby since 1968 and has been speculating over the condition of 194 Columbia Heights for nearly two decades as a frequent poster on the Brooklyn Heights Blog, which is itself fixated on the house (the site’s Open Thread Wednesdays are basically a clearinghouse for recent gossip). The neighborhood association has long been frustrated with the situation. The mailman has theories. No. 194 is the ultimate street-level mystery: In the most real-estate-obsessed city in the world, in one of its prime locations, with some of the fussiest residents, it seems incomprehensible that anyone would let a house like this rot. And for this long. Let’s start with the owner of 194 Columbia Heights: a man named Austin Moore, a psychiatrist who for years practiced out of an office on Henry Street and bought the historic house, built in 1860, from the previous owner in 1969 for $140,000. (Moore, now in his 90s, may still live at the address where he once kept an office, at least according to tax records.) His trouble with the house started early: By 1986, Moore was already facing the threat of foreclosure by the city due to unpaid property taxes but was able to cover enough of the balance to stave it off. Documents about the foreclosure proceeding note that the building had been vacant since 1983, though neighborhood watchers like Porter say it was closed up long before that. In the decades that followed, records from the Department of Housing Preservation and the Department of Buildings show 32 complaints and 17 violations, from open and broken windows to a failure to comply with changes to its certificate of occupancy. The house started to decay. None of which escaped the notice of the ever-fastidious Brooklyn Heights Association (its current president is an architectural historian). At a meeting in 2009, 194 Columbia Heights came up along with a handful of other troublesome properties. Moore, along with other owners, needed to be pushed to “take the appropriate actions toward their preservation, whether that is engaging in restoration themselves or selling to someone who will.” That was also the year a windstorm brought pieces of the roof down and Moore — long silent in the face of local attention — gave his first and only public comment to the press about his house. He would “probably surprise everybody by doing some improvements this spring,” he told the Brooklyn Eagle. Little about the house changed, but workers did apparently fix the roof, per spies on the Brooklyn Heights Blog. All the while, Moore’s unpaid property taxes continued to pile up. He owed another $40,000 in 2009 and now owes nearly $250,000. Which is part of the intrigue: Why keep up such a money pit when selling would be so lucrative? When I asked around the neighborhood (and the mailman, a doorman, and a landscaper), they all had heard the same rumor: Moore was keeping the house in order to spite an ex-wife. Intriguing, but never confirmed. I reached out to Moore’s son, who had no comment. A woman whose name was also listed on property records never responded to my inquiries. As for what will happen next? In a neighborhood like Brooklyn Heights, there are two main engines of redress for a house that’s fallen into disrepair: intervention from the various city agencies that have jurisdiction over housing and vocal, sustained outrage from neighbors. (Often, it’s both.) Both have so far failed in the case of 194. “I think the whole thing’s about to come down,” another property manager of a nearby apartment building told me, who claims that a rat infestation from the house has impacted his buildings and tenants. But the Department of Buildings seems to disagree: Though the agency can make an emergency declaration to demolish a building if it’s deemed a hazard, a spokesperson told me that the department sent inspectors to 194 in February and found the house properly sealed to the public, which at the very least means that doors and windows on the first level were properly locked. The house also wasn’t at any risk of collapse or fire. Ultimately, it came down to cold, hard property rights. “On private property, its very difficult for a city agency to step in physically,” Andrew Rudansky, the spokesman for the Department of Buildings, said. As for the Department of Finance, it could typically force a house like 194 into a tax lien sale, which usually results in foreclosure. But that hasn’t happened. Instead, a spokesperson confirmed that Moore was on a payment plan, though, they said, the house “may be subject to a lien sale in 2025.” Finally, because 194 is in a landmarked district, the Landmarks Preservation Commission could deem the property at risk of “demolition by neglect” — but it too has so far not chosen to act. A Landmarks spokesperson said that Moore has been issued summonses for failing to comply with landmark rules as recently as June, but has apparently made adequate fixes to the home’s roof and cornices that placated the department, which “continues to work closely with the owner to make additional necessary repairs, including an upcoming on-site visit,” per a statement. Younger, the property manager who said Moore once had a tenant, is the only person I spoke to who actually knows the man. “He calls me from time to time,” Younger told me, “to ask about vendors to do the things the city makes him do, to keep the city off his back.” Occasionally, Moore says he is ready to sell the place. But it never happens. As for why he thinks Moore has kept the house despite everything — the windfall that surely awaits if he does, an end to all that paperwork, and letting someone put some use to the space — Younger says he’s not sure. “He has only ever been cordial with me,” he said. “In our lives, we all have blank spots, and I guess this is his.” 194 Columbia Heights from the street. The back of 194.

You are assuming that means they were a throuple. Maybe one of a couple was having an affair.

The little one arrived a bit early. A new pic was added to the above link. Our baby boy, Remi Lewis, was born 3 weeks early on Nov 12, 2024 weighing 7lbs 9oz Remi is currently in intensive care after a stressful few weeks, but he is being well looked after and we can’t wait to be able to take him home to be with his big brother Micah. https://www.instagram.com/eloisechiles_/reel/DCY9XfDobNQ3Tb2Fcx0E8aHIZkdq05IgSr03Sk0/ I’ve tasted a lot of protein bars in my time, but the new @optimumnutrition_uk protein bars are packed full of protein and actually taste 👌🏽 https://www.instagram.com/ash_thephysique/reel/CuFJqESJckJ/

same story, different name... A New York model who has appeared on red carpets and ads for Calvin Klein and Levi’s was being held in a Bronx cell Sunday, charged with fatally stabbing a 35-year-old father in a Bronx apartment last week. Dynus Saxon, 20, appeared Friday before a Bronx Criminal Court judge to face charges of second degree murder, first degree manslaughter and criminal possession of a weapon in the Nov. 10 killing of Kadeem Grant. A hearing is set for Dec. 3. Police and prosecutors did not immediately respond to a USA TODAY request for details and comment on the case. Photos from his court appearance show Saxon wearing a heavy bandage on his right hand, and prosecutors have said Saxon was bleeding from a gash when officers responding to a 911 call arrived at the scene. The New York Daily News reports that Grant was stabbed in the neck and chest as he dozed on a couch in the apartment of a third man. Police did not release a motive for the alleged attack, but the Daily News said detectives believe at least two of the men were involved in a sexual relationship and that a possible love triangle may have prompted the crime. Police also believe Saxon may have "just snapped" with no motive, the Daily News reported. The charges, if true, represent a long fall for Saxon, whose modeling career credits included red carpet walks at premieres of “Deadpool & Wolverine” and “The Batman,” the New York Post reported. Grant’s father, Christopher, traveled to New York from his home in Florida to deal with the tragedy. He told the Daily News his son had a 3-year-old daughter. “He was just a loving kid who was there for his family and his daughter,” Grant said. “It’s just sad that she has to grow up without a father.”

This is a video of several of the artist's creations. The above hottie starts it off and the others start at around 4:40. You have to click on 'watch on YouTube'

Christina Haack is speaking candidly about filming her soon-to-be-released series The Flip Off with ex Josh Hall. The HGTV star, 41, told Entertainment Tonight that it had been tough filming her new show — which she stars in with ex Tarek El Moussa and his wife Heather Rae El Moussa — alongside Hall, whom she split from earlier this year. “When someone is insecure by you and doesn’t like to watch you win, that really puts a damper on everything,” Haack told the outlet. “I feel like I was not shining as bright, to try to not make him feel emasculated. But who wants to live like that?” “It was not fun, to be honest,” she added. “I did not enjoy filming with him, so having split up made this, to be honest, so much easier and so much better in every way.” Haack also told ET that if Hall had not left the series early amid their split, it “would have been hard to film." She also claimed that Hall had some “jealousy” over her ex-husband Tarek 43, with whom she shares kids Taylor, 13, and Brayden, 8. “[Hall] doesn’t like our dynamic, because Tarek and I have our own dynamic, and some could call it ‘flirty,’ ” the reality star explained. “… For me, it’s like a sibling type of thing.” Haack also told ET that her breakup from Hall “wasn’t news” to Tarek, as she had been “telling him that things were bad for at least a year,” or “probably 18 months.”

The Woodhaven police officer whose heroic efforts inspired a classic film: Our Neighborhood, The Way It Was By the Woodhaven Cultural and Historical Society On a crisp evening in New York City, Officer Charles Glasco from Woodhaven, Queens was wrapping up a long shift writing traffic tickets. Little did he know, his evening would soon take a turn into an extraordinary and heartbreaking chapter of his career—one that would make headlines around the world and become the subject of both a famous magazine article and a Hollywood film. It all began on the evening of Sept. 17, 1941, when Glasco’s patrol brought him to the scene of a life-and-death crisis. At Fifth Avenue and 55th Street, he found a chaotic scene unfolding in front of the Hotel Gotham. Hook-and-ladder trucks, ambulances and a large crowd had gathered beneath the building. On a narrow ledge 17 stories above the street, a young man stood in apparent distress, teetering on the brink of tragedy. A woman stood by the window, seemingly trying to coax him inside. The sergeant on the scene informed Glasco that the woman was the man’s sister, and that her brother, 26-year-old John William Warde, had threatened to jump if he saw any police officers. Officer Glasco, known for his friendly demeanor and natural gift for connecting with people, suggested posing as a civilian in an effort to speak to the young man and convince him to come inside. His hope was that his non-authoritative, friendly presence might make Warde more inclined to listen. Minutes later, Glasco borrowed a jacket from a bellboy in the hotel lobby and entered Room 1714, where Warde was perched on the ledge. The scene inside was tense, but Glasco’s calm demeanor and engaging personality soon began to make a difference. He started a casual conversation with Warde, making him feel at ease and slowly drawing him into a dialogue. “I’ve been out of work for as long as I can remember,” Glasco told the young man. “This is my first day on the job.” With that simple line, Glasco humanized himself, establishing common ground with Warde, who was reportedly moody and eccentric. As their conversation deepened, the two men discussed everything from baseball to the merits of day picnics versus night picnics, even touching on their mutual interest in physical fitness. The goal was to keep Warde talking and distracted, to prevent him from making any rash decisions. Glasco went to great lengths to build rapport. He brought Warde glasses of water, offered him cigarettes and continued to engage him in light conversation. All the while, Glasco maintained a careful distance, aware that any sudden move could cause Warde to panic and leap from the ledge. Hours passed, with no progress toward a resolution. The street was buzzing with tension, and the city’s hopes were pinned on Officer Glasco’s ability to talk the young man back to safety. But as the evening wore on, Warde remained just out of reach. By 10:30 p.m., 11 hours into the standoff, the situation reached its tragic end. Despite Officer Glasco’s valiant efforts to persuade him to come inside, Warde stepped off the ledge and fell to his death. It was a devastating conclusion to a heartbreaking drama. The young man, plagued by emotional turmoil and a troubled past, had chosen to end his life in full view of the bustling city below. The incident made headlines across the globe, drawing widespread sympathy for both Warde and the police officers who had tried in vain to save him. In the years that followed, this story became a subject of media fascination. Ten years later, the New Yorker published a detailed article about the incident, titled “The Man on the Ledge,” and two years after that, the story was adapted for the big screen. The 1951 film “Fourteen Hours,” produced by Twentieth Century Fox, dramatized the events of that fateful day. In the film, Officer Charles Dunnigan (played by Paul Douglas) takes on a role similar to Glasco’s, while Richard Basehart portrayed the troubled young man, Robert Cosick. Barbara Bel Geddes and Agnes Moorehead also starred, adding to the film’s emotional depth. Interestingly, Fourteen Hours marked the film debut of Grace Kelly, who would go on to become a Hollywood legend and later the Princess of Monaco. The film, though based on real events, took some artistic liberties in its depiction of the crisis, but it captured the essence of the real-life drama. For those who watched it, the film served as a reminder of the fragility of life and the deep, sometimes unspoken pain that many individuals face. As for Officer Glasco, his efforts were widely praised. He was promoted to sergeant for his bravery and calm under pressure, but he rarely spoke about the incident to his family. He continued to live in his childhood neighborhood of Woodhaven, Queens, and passed away on Feb. 3, 1976, at the age of 57.

Sometimes the best technology is NO technology... It would probably pretty alarming to learn that, in the early 1980s, scientists decided to drop off a bunch of gophers at the site of a volcanic eruption. But don’t worry, it’s not as bad as it sounds. In fact, according to a new report from the University of California, this particular gopher-volcano encounter proved to be such a net positive that its effects are still being felt 40 years later. It starts with the eruption of Mount St. Helens in May of 1980. It was the most destructive volcanic event in American history, claiming 57 lives and causing staggering ecological damage. Faced with a devastation that would take the local environment a substantial amount of time to recover from, scientists were open to unorthodox ideas that might speed the process along. So they did what any reasonable person would decide to do and tossed a couple of gophers at the issue. Seriously. Specifically, as laid out in the University of California’s report, the thinking was “by digging up beneficial bacteria and fungi, gophers might be able to help regenerate lost plant and animal life on the mountain.” So, just two years after the devastating eruption, that’s exactly what scientists did. They gathered up some gophers, brought them to the eruption site, and let them do their gopher thing. “They’re often considered pests,” notes UC Riverside microbiologist Michael Allen, “but we thought they would take old soil, move it to the surface, and that would be where recovery would occur.” Before the gopher drop-off, only about a dozen plants were reported to have emerged from the pumice slabs that Mount St. Helens eruption had turned the land into. But six years after the gophers were placed on two specific plots of pumice for a single day “there were 40,000 plants thriving.” Meanwhile, the area around those plots, which had not been gopher-ed, was still barren. To see these changes six years on was impressive, but nobody could have imagined that the benefits of this single day of gopher intervention could still be seen decades later. But that’s precisely what an article published in the journal Frontiers earlier this month indicates. 40 years on, the article noted, the microbial community fostered within those plots, specifically mycorrhizal fungi, are still allowing plant life to thrive in the area. “These trees have their own mycorrhizal fungi that picked up nutrients from the dropped needles and helped fuel rapid tree regrowth,” the paper’s co-author Emma Aronson said of the fungi’s importance, “The trees came back almost immediately in some places. It didn’t all die like everyone thought.” Naturally, one takeaway from this paper is, as University of Connecticut mycologist Mia Maltz summarizes, that “we cannot ignore the interdependence of all things in nature, especially the things we cannot see like microbes and fungi.” But another takeaway is that, when in doubt, and the situation seems grim, just toss a couple of gophers at the problem and see if that does anything. It might just work!

DEAR ABBY: My husband and I have been taking care of my father-in-law for four years — getting his groceries, going to the bank, picking up prescriptions and doing different tasks. He’s disabled and lives in an upstairs apartment with no access to getting downstairs. He can’t walk, bathe himself or get in and out of bed by himself. He has hired a nurse to get him in and out of bed every day. Because we live 30 minutes away and we both work, there is no way we can manage this. My father passed away recently, so I’ve also been helping my mom. All of this has put a strain on our marriage — I’m going one way, and my husband is going the other, plus my father-in-law has complained that I’m not coming over. I have tried explaining to him that I can’t be in two places at once. Our 25th wedding anniversary is coming up, and we have told both of our parents we won’t be coming over that weekend and will be cutting back to every other weekend so we can spend time together. To our dismay, we got pushback, with comments like, “Well, you see each other every night.” We tried to explain that by the time we get home, eat and do the dishes, there isn’t much together time, and definitely not enough for a day at the park or something. Do you have advice on how to handle this? We want to continue to help but we need our time too, so we thought we had suggested a good compromise. — BURNED OUT IN WISCONSIN DEAR BURNED OUT: Is there anyone else who could be helpful to your father-in-law, who now seems isolated from everyone but you and his son? Are there any relatives or friends of his and his late wife who could visit him? If the answer is no, someone from your religious community or your local area agency on aging might be able to help. You and your husband appear to be loving and generous people, but you must put the health of your marriage higher on your list of priorities and not permit yourselves to be guilted out of it. YOU MAY NOT LIKE HEARING THE TRUTH, BUT I THINK YOU KNOW WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE… DEAR ABBY: A close friend, who I also work with, agreed to attend a paleontology exhibit with me approximately six months before the exhibit was scheduled to open. We were both excited about it and talked frequently about how much fun it would be to attend together. About a week after it opened, I was unexpectedly out of the office for a medical emergency, and my friend attended the exhibit without me. Am I wrong for feeling upset? She keeps telling me to get over it and is not being understanding at all. Am I overreacting? — BOTHERED IN THE EAST DEAR BOTHERED: If the exhibit was finished before you were able to go, you shouldn’t blame your friend for seeing it. If, however, the exhibit was still on, I can’t blame you for being upset that she went without you. The question now is, is this worth ending a friendship over? (I hope not.) YOU MAY NOT LIKE HEARING THE TRUTH, BUT I THINK YOU KNOW WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE… DEAR ABBY: My daughter, “Virginia”, age 27, lives with her boyfriend, “Ray,” on the East Coast and teaches kindergarten. Last month, she confided that she had caught him cheating. She saw texts on his phone. When she confronted him, Ray immediately confessed and was very apologetic, but he also kept the woman’s number in his phone. Ray will soon be moving to another state, and her job will end in about three weeks. Virginia is seriously considering going with him and has also mentioned marriage. Her mother and I are divorced due to her mother’s infidelity, but we agree that we will counsel her not to stay with him. Although he took responsibility, cheating is destructive in any serious relationship. I have gone back and forth with Virginia via email, but sometimes she stops communicating. I haven’t been harsh, but I did ask her why Ray would keep the other woman’s number unless he wanted to remain in contact with her. Can you think of anything else a worried dad can do to help the situation? Obviously, Virginia can ignore parental advice and do what she wants. I am also wondering what I can say to Ray when I see him next. I neither want to give him a pass nor condemn him as a monster. — STRONG DAD IN CALIFORNIA DEAR DAD: Talk with your daughter, face-to-face if possible. Tell her that, as an adult, she can do what she wants, but as a caring parent, you cannot stay silent. Remind her that Ray kept the other woman’s number, which means he intends at some point to contact her. Explain that, to you, this means he is less committed to your daughter than he should be. As to what you might say to Virginia’s boyfriend, tell him you are disgusted by his selfishness and dishonesty, and he doesn’t deserve your daughter. If you have any more thoughts on the subject you would like to share, feel free to air them. YOU HAVE A GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY AND I IMPLORE YOU NOT TO SQUANDER IT… YOU HAVE ONLY A LIMITED AMOUNT OF TIME TO KILL RAY BEFORE YOUR IDIOT DAUGHTER UPROOTS HER LIFE TO FOLLOW HIM. IF YOU WANT TO PROVE THAT YOU’RE A GOOD DAD AND THAT YOU ARE CAPABLE OF PROTECTING YOUR KID’S FUTURE, YOU WON’T DELAY. DEAR ABBY: What would you say about a man who offered his wife’s siblings an all-expense-paid trip to Paris, knowing that his wife could not consider going on such a trip because of mobility issues? Full disclosure: The husband and wife have been to Paris in the past (when the wife’s health was OK), but the husband feels the need to go again and has no one else to accompany him. His wife will be left home alone to fend for herself. Somehow, this whole deal leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Please set me straight. — HOMEBODY IN NORTH CAROLINA DEAR HOMEBODY: People with physical disabilities travel internationally all the time. If the husband has the money to take his wife’s siblings on an all-expense paid trip to Paris, surely he could afford to take his wife and a caregiver with him on that trip down memory lane. That way, she would be looked after and still be able to enjoy the trip to the degree that she’s able. THE WIFE CAN AFFORD A HITMAN TO KILL HIM. Has no one suggested it besides me?

A New Jersey man was spotted doing his neigh-borhood shopping with the help of a real life little pony pal this week. The unidentified shopper – filmed with his own little Mr. Ed in Woodbridge’s Wegmans supermarket – isn’t looking to stirrup trouble. He said he has a mobility issue and needs to lean against the miniature horse — a registered service animal — when he is out shopping, according to NJ Patch. The man said he often brings the equine into Woodbridge stores, including the ShopRite and Lowe’s, said the outlet, who first reported the story. “I really don’t like the attention I am receiving, and I am trying to get (a video circulating on social media) down,” the shopper, who asked for anonymity, told Patch on Friday. “People have been commenting they are going to steal the horse. I am going to have to take legal action.” A 15-second TikTok clip with 624,000 views and 29,000 likes shows the slow-moving shopper pushing a cart through the produce section in Wegmans with his better hoof in tow. Quipped commenter AnaisJosette: “I love this! Only two animals recognized to the ADA is a dog or miniature horse and I never thought I’d see it ” “Why am I never at wegmans when the cool things happen!” lamented dwrght1981. Woodbridge police — who confirmed to Patch that the four-legged friend is allowed to remain in the store because it is a service animal — did not return The Post’s messages Friday. “It is a miniature horse and by Americans with Disabilities Act regulations, they can be service animals,” Woodbridge Police Director Robert Hubner told the outlet. A Wegmans employee brayed to The Post that the horse was in the store and is indeed a service animal, but any other questions “have to go through corporate.”

Am I to assume there would be a bed big enough to accommodate me and the 3-to-5 actors?