Miss Manners
Miss Manners: Know-it-alls really know nothing
Dear Miss Manners: When conversing, I find a new trend—more and more people making assertive statements about me or my family. (Updated: 11/10/09 8:10 AM )
Miss Manners: To tell or not to tell?
Dear Miss Manners: A guest, who, like me, is a middle-aged bachelor (well, I am perhaps a tad beyond middle age, but never mind that) returned this summer—essentially homeless after many years out of the country—to undergo surgeries from which he is now recovering. He does not require in-home medical assistance, but is under doctor’s orders to avoid his usual athletic activities for a while, and he cannot drive now. (Updated: 11/08/09 10:05 AM )
Miss Manners: Be gracious, despite social inequities
Dear Miss Manners: My partner and I have attended several weddings of heterosexuals in Wisconsin, which, ironically, passed the first statewide Gay Rights Bill in the 1980s and now bans so-called gay marriages. My partner doesn’t like the fact that I now boycott straight marriages instead of attending them. His mother thinks it’s selfish. (Updated: 11/05/09 8:00 AM )
Miss Manners: How to dress to impress, sans stress
Dear Miss Manners: When I was visiting friends, I perused my hotel’s list of recommended dining establishments. Each restaurant listed their dress code and, to my consternation, I found each of the following variations: (Updated: 11/03/09 7:54 AM )
Vandalism is not the answer
Dear Miss Manners: When I parked my car in a public parking lot, I noticed a car had a bumper sticker that read, “If you have nothing to say, just shut the ----up.” (Updated: 11/01/09 6:44 AM )
Miss Manners: Don’t tell if they don’t ask
Dear Miss Manners: A married couple, both good friends of mine, are going through a very rough time financially. Together, they made some bad decisions that led to their current financial situation; those decisions originated with her. (Updated: 10/29/09 8:12 AM )
Miss Manners: ‘Literal’ humor not so funny
Dear Miss Manners: I have a question regarding the following scenario: (Updated: 10/27/09 8:08 AM )
Failing grades for e-mails
Dear Miss Manners: You could assist an entire profession if you would advise undergraduates on how to compose e-mail messages to their professors. (Updated: 10/25/09 7:27 AM )
Miss Manners: Tip of hat to manners
Dear Miss Manners: As I was going through the closets of my house, I happened across my grandfather’s old homburg hat, which had remained undisturbed in its hatbox for many years following his death. As it fit remarkably well and suited me excellently, I took to wearing it out and on special occasions as both an affectation and tribute to the grandfather I never knew. (Updated: 10/22/09 8:11 AM )
Miss Manners: ‘Your’ cake, but share it with others
Dear Miss Manners: When I left a job of eight years, my co-workers took me out to lunch on my last day and, back at work, presented me with a beautiful cake. I was stuffed from lunch and made the comment that I would like to wait until later to enjoy some of the cake. (Updated: 10/20/09 7:56 AM )
Sneezing into your sleeve
Dear Miss Manners: With all due respect to urgent demands of public health—yuck! (Updated: 10/18/09 6:41 AM )
Miss Manners: A request for money is begging
Dear Miss Manners: I am a moderately successful novelist. Things are a bit dicey for me financially, mostly because I am appallingly incompetent when it comes to money management. (Updated: 10/15/09 8:06 AM )
Miss Manners: Convictions collide with manners
Dear Miss Manners: Occasionally, the rules of etiquette conflict with my religious and moral convictions. When this happens, is there a way I can signal this to new acquaintances? (Updated: 10/13/09 8:04 AM )
What’s in a name?
Dear Miss Manners: I discovered a Bible that belonged to my great-great-grandmother, and, as I have an avid interest in our family genealogy, I was thrilled! I am curious, however, about the form of her name that was engraved on the cover of the bible, “Mrs. Catharine Bowers.” (Updated: 10/11/09 7:19 AM )
Miss Manners; You get what you pay for
Dear Miss Manners: My problem is with dear friends of ours. The husbands have known each other since before kindergarten, and the four of us have been close for years. (Updated: 10/08/09 8:04 AM )
