Los Angeles Times - 03.04.2020

E4 FRIDAY, APRIL 3, 2020 LATIMES.COM/CALENDAR

ACROSS 1 “Get outta here!” 5 Snatch 9 Give up 13 Sweater outlet? 14 Concerning kidneys 16 Annapolis sch. 17 “Roots” author Haley 18 Actress Graff 19 Ain’t fixed? 20 Never heard of a 1996 Robin Williams movie? 23 Wipes away 24 Juegos Olímpicos prize 25 Road crew’s supply 28 Have a sudden inspiration? 31 Sexually attractive 33 Magical phrase starter 37 “You grabbed the wrong Stephen King movie”? 39 The Parthenon, e.g. 41 Cry from a card holder 42 Roof worker 43 Essay about a 2015 Christina Applegate movie? 46 Fallon’s predecessor 47 __ symbol 48 Ancient queen, familiarly 50 Immigrant’s subj. 51 Rap name contraction 53 Like some numerals 58 Start a 2001 Keanu Reeves movie? 61 Rattle 64 Flower girl, perhaps 65 Paella pot 66 “Rhyme Pays” rapper 67 Unsettled states 68 __ fee 69 Sainted historian 70 Backbone or spine 71 Weight allowance

DOWN 1 Garden tool 2 Rainbow flag component 3 Fan belt? 4 Messages sent from cells 5 Is amused by 6 Move, in Realtor-speak 7 From the top

8 Scruggs’ strings 9 Nestlé product suffix 10 Initials before a state’s name, sometimes 11 Imaret, say 12 Bit of ink 15 Profits (from) 21 Brew holder 22 Matter 25 Words on a spine 26 1979 sci-fi classic with three sequels and two prequels 27 In style again 29 Close 30 Go to pieces 32 Bubble, in a way 33 Emanated (from) 34 Diamond strategies 35 Same-state opponent, often 36 Future doc’s subj. 38 Plane, e.g. 40 Racing craft 44 Chinese and Indians 45 Most closely related 49 Chicago airport code

52 Not true 54 Give or take 55 Modeling wood 56 Better, to a rapper 57 Shannon’s county 58 Townshend of The Who 59 Son or daughter, often 60 When Juliet says, “Go ask his name” 61 Little lie 62 Frequent winner 63 British jazz element? ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE

4/3/20

SUDOKU

BLISS By Harry Bliss

KENKEN

Every box will contain a number; numbers depend on the size of the grid. For a 6x6 puzzle, use Nos. 1-6. Do not repeat a number in any row or column. The numbers in each heavily outlined set of squares must combine to produce the target number found in the top left corner of the cage using the mathematical operation indicated. A number can be repeated within a cage as long as it is not in the same row or column.

FAMILY CIRCUS By Bil Keane DENNIS THE MENACE By Hank Ketcham

ARGYLE SWEATER By Scott Hilburn MARMADUKE By Brad & Paul Anderson

CROSSWORD

Edited By Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis

SPEED BUMP By Dave Coverly

COMICS

Aries(March 21-April 19):
There’s a group project in
the works; each person has
different needs. Keep it on
track by pointing energies
toward resolving the issues.
Taurus (April 20-May
20): Dreams are called post-
cards from another world.
The awake and reasonable
part of you could crack this
subconscious code today.
Gemini(May 21-June 21):
It would be easy to blame cir-
cumstances for things you
don’t have time for today,
but that goes against your
sense of responsibility. Pri-
oritize what matters to you.
Cancer(June 22-July 22):
Unfamiliar people are easier
to read after you’ve dropped
assumptions and the need
to rush to an assessment.
Ask questions instead.
Leo (July 23-Aug. 22):
Though you may doubt your
path, don’t turn back. The
scenery gets better ahead.

Virgo(Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Your internal reality is con- stantly reaching into the future, back to the past or to the realms wherestories ex- ist. Bringing yourself to the present takes effort. Libra(Sept. 23-Oct. 23): You appreciate easy, de- lightful hours but you don’t expect it all to besmooth. You take on challenges with- out the stress of thinking things should be different. Scorpio(Oct. 24-Nov. 21): If you had all the money you could spend, would you do the work youdo? A job you love won’t feel like a job at all. Sagittarius (Nov. 22- Dec. 21): What should you do with the thoughts and ac- tions that run at cross-pur- poses with what you want? Decide what to do, then tell yourself it’s as good as done. Capricorn(Dec. 22-Jan. 19): The routines of your day are the basis for your happi- ness. Any steps to tweak themtoward thinking and feeling better willmake a

huge difference. Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): You’ll put your proposal on the table. You may let people peek while telling them it’s not available. They want what they can’t have. Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20): There’s something in how you communicate with loved ones that cannot be duplicated. You’re special. Today’s birthday(April 3): If you don’t really want something, obstacles are ever-present, overwhelming and unsolvable. When you really want something, you don’t see obstacles or you see, solve and surmount them quickly. Your cosmic birthday gift is clarity of your desire. It changes every- thing. You’re powerful — magical actually. Pisces and Virgo adore you. Your lucky numbers: 20, 22, 16, 14, 9.

Mathis writes her column for Creators Syndicate Inc. The horoscope should be read for entertainment.

HOROSCOPE

By Holiday Mathis

Unlucky Louie had suf- fered through another losing session in our penny game. “I woke up feeling like a million dollars,” Louie told me. “Now it’s more like ‘in- sufficient funds.’ ” Louie loses mostly because he plays in haste. In today’s deal, he leaped boldly to 3NT at his second turn. West led a spade, and when dummy tabled Q-J-4, Louie beamed. He covered with the queen, and East signaled with the 10. When dummy led adiamond, West took the king and led his last spade, forcing out Louie’s ace, and when East won the next diamond, he cashed three spades. Down one. Louie’s thinking was in- sufficient. If East has both

high diamonds — two en- tries to the spades — Louie will fail. But if the diamond honors are split, Louie must play low from both hands on the first spade. West leads another spade: queen, king, ace. When Louie starts the diamonds, West wins but has no more spades, and Louie has time to set up his diamonds, making an overtrick. Question: You hold: ♠K 10 9 7 5 ♥ 9 ♦A 7 ♣K 10 9 6 3. Your partner opens one heart, you bid one spade and he rebids two hearts. What do you say? Answer: This situation is tough. Partner could have many hands with which some game contract might be a good proposition for your side. Since you lack the high-card strength for game and are unlikely to have a

good trump fit, to pass would certainly be reasonable. If vulnerable, you might try for game by bid- ding 2NT. South dealer N-S vulnerable

NORTH ♠Q J 4 ♥Q 7 ♦Q 10 8 5 3 ♣8 5 2 WEST EAST ♠8 3 ♠K 10 9 7 5 ♥J 8 6 5 4 3 2 ♥ 9 ♦K 4 ♦A 7 ♣7 4 ♣K 10 9 6 3 SOUTH ♠A 6 2 ♥A K 10 ♦J 9 6 2 ♣A Q J SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST 1 ♦ Pass 2 ♦ 2 ♠ 3 NT All Pass

Opening lead — ♠ 8

Tribune Media Services

BRIDGE

By Frank Stewart

Dear Amy:I wish I could undo some of the terrible mistakes I’ve made. My daughter hasn’t spo- ken to me in years. When she was very young, I divorced her dad and moved far away. I mar- ried a man with two sons and a parenting method I didn’t agree with, but I felt trapped with him — the way I’d felt trapped with her dad. We were together for 10 years. I waited until after my daughter graduated from high school and then sepa- rated from her stepfather. It was difficult to live on my own and we ended up getting back together, more out of convenience than anything. When I told my daughter I was getting back together with him, she blew up and told me that her stepbrother had drugged and raped her several times. I was in com- plete shock! She has not spo- ken to me since then. I think about her every day. I stalk her on Facebook just so I can see her life. I can’t be a part of her life because she has blocked me. This estrangement breaks my 83-year-old mother’s heart, and I would like to see us all together again. Regretful

Dear Regretful: If you want your relationships to

change, then you need to change. It’s really that sim- ple. Although you admit to having regrets, you don’t seem to have taken responsibility for the role you played in your daughter’s trauma. Your reaction to her disclo- sure that she was raped while in your household was to express shock and then to reunite with your ex. Are you not aware that the best thing to do when someone reports a rape is to call the police? Yes, you’ve made mistakes. Admitting this is a step in the right direction, but you don’t get to claim victimhood. Until you take responsibility for your pa- rental neglect, passivity and terrible judgment, you cannot hope for a reconciliation. Even your Facebook stalk- ing seems more melodrama than the action of a mother trying to make things right. You are not Stella Dallas standing in the rain, watch- ing your daughter through a window. You are not the vic- tim of her blocking you. There are many ways to con- tact someone, but until you can commit to positive change, it is probably wisest for your daughter to keep her distance. Acompassionate, com- petent counselor could walk you through the events in

your life that culminated in this moment. With coaching and change, the reconciliation you desire might be pos- sible. I hope you will try.

Dear Amy: “Queasy in Florida” wanted to put an anonymous note in the mail- box of a woman at her retire- ment community, criticizing her behavior at the home’s communal dining table. Thank you for recom- mending a discreet, in-person conversation. My loving, kind, 86-year-old parents just voluntarily moved into an assisted-living community. My dad wore a hat in the dining room because his head is always cold. Someone left a copy of the dress code at their door with an arrow pointing to “no hats in the dining room.” My mother was furious, and I was heartbroken that someone would be so catty and cowardly toward my wonderful parents, espe- cially as they were just getting used to their new home. Protective Daughter

Dear Protective: Non- judgmental, discreet and in person is almost always the best way to communicate.

Send questions to Amy Dickinson by email to ask [email protected].

ASK AMY

Mom has earned her guilt

Los Angeles Times - 03.04.2020

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