The O-town Scene

Quiet, Southside Near Lowe's, Parking, W/D Hook-up $585. 432-6473 Apar t m e nt s Available, Nice, Quiet $665. Includes Heat, Hot Water Plus. Call 432-6473 upstairs apt., 1yr lease. No pets, $700/mo + sec., includes elec & hot water 2 nd Fl., 2 Bedrooms. $600/mo. Includes Heat. $550/mo. & $750/mo. Both Include Utilities. No Pets, No Smoking. Off Street Parking. 607 . Avail. Aug. Off St. Parking. References $975. Plus Man u f ac t u re d Ho m e s mobile home, 1 bath, $500/mo., 1 st & last month required, mobile home, 1.5 baths, $550/mo., 1 st & last month required Au to s 92,000 Mi. Good Condition. $1,750. 5 Speed, Manual Transmission. Awesome Gas Mileage. Very Good Condition Inside & Out. Good Tires, Brakes. Has Been Serviced. Ready to go for $3,800. Great Buy! Call Irene Bo at s & Ac ce s s o rie s # 4160 Asking $3,000. Mo t orc y cl e s/ AT Vs & Sn o w m o b i l e s 2006 Yamaha V-Star 1100 1,650 miles. Perfect condition. $4,000. 607-434-9761 260 CC Low Miles. 60 MPG Asking $1,700. or Best RV Sales /Se rv i ce 5 th Wheel 29 RLS. Fireplace, Dust Devil Central Vacuum, Fantastic Fan. Clean, Well Maintained. New 10 Ply Radial Tires & Battery. Asking $15,500. Full-time, 40 Hours per Week. Knowledge of Quick Books Required. Call to Apply Far m Eq ui p m e n t in Excellent Working Order. Asking $300. Ha y for Sale June Cut Hay $3.25 per Bale, Off Field. No Better Hay Around Misc . Merc h a n d i s e $200. Mahogany Couch, Coffee Table & Chair $300 All or Separate. Manitowac-Under Counter Ice Machine, 215# per Day True – Lighted Dessert Cooler Merchandiser, All Glass, Sides & Shelves General – Rotisserie Hot Dog Warmer With Bun Cabinet. Pet s $250. 125 Gal. Fish Tank With Accessories $400. 1- 55 Gal. Fish Tank With Accessories $125. 2 - 30 Gal. Fish Tanks $100. All Prices Negotiable. Lan d/ A cre a g e 5.9 Acres With Barn. $52,000. Also 30.7 Acres Mostly Woods $89,000. 3.2 Acres, Field $25,000. All Passed Perk Test. Owner Financing. www.helderbergrealty.com Re nt al s Across From Foxcare. New Carpet & Paint. $725. No Pets/Smoke. $100. Delivered, You put up and Take Down. We will Set-up & Take-Down for cozy, quiet 3 bedroom, 2 bath single wide trailer on 10 acres. $800. 1 st & sec. Destitution Wedding A friend asked me to be a grooms- man in his wedding. It's being held hours away, and the only hotel is pricey. With tux rental, attending will cost me over $500. I'll also have to miss work. (I'm a waiter.) Is it okay to decline a wedding invitation because it's too expensive to attend? — Not Richie Rich Instead of just sending regrets, it's tempting to passive-aggressively express your resentment: "Unfortu- nately, I have a conflict — in that I have to make my car payment." Some couples may only have friends who are big investment bank- ers who light their cigars '90s-style, with $20 bills. But in this economy, at least a handful of a couple's pals will probably RSVP with something like, "Dude, I really wanna be there, but I can't find another waiter to cover my shift." Also, people in their 20s and 30s, prime time for marrying, can be invited to several weddings in a single summer. Costs for hotels, flights, clothes and gifts can add up, and that's really not fair. (Being there on even your most special friend's special day shouldn't mean you have to take the bus for a year.) It's up to the couple getting married to throw the sort of wedding their friends and relatives can afford to attend (or at least not get miffy that some invitees won't be flush enough to come). That said, being fiscally inclusive seems the warm, hospitable thing to do, like making sure your vegetarian friends have something to eat — instead of just harrumphing, Marie Antoinette-style, "Let them eat steak!" The truth is, it's possible to throw even a fancier wedding without bleeding the invitees. "Black tie op- tional" allows groomsmen and others to wear a suit instead of renting a tux. And instead of basically telling bridesmaids "Go give Vera Wang $200," you request something like, "Please wear fall colors." Regarding location, a ceremony at a nearby lake pavilion or in Granny's garden will be no less moving than one at the Maui Four Seasons, and people will cry just the same when the couple dance their first dance whether the band is Beyonce or an MP3 mix. Before you decline this invitation, consider your priorities. Even if your friends didn't think to make attending their wedding affordable, they might resent you for not going into debt to come. In my mind, these aren't real friends and they're confusing a wedding with a telethon, but you may have reasons for wanting to keep them in your life. As for how to decline, you could just be honest. Times are tough all around. (When I do buy clothing, it is "previously enjoyed" and arrives crammed into a recycled envelope by the eBay seller.) Another option is making up a story for why you can't attend (Family obligation! Pre- existing work thing!) and then staying off Facebook so you don't get tagged in a lie. If you do go, you might consider starting a new wedding tra- dition: Other people throw rice; you sweep it up afterward (so you can have something on your plate for the next month besides the little pattern around the rim). Ed Driftwood This great guy I've started dating is doting and sweet but, careerwise, lacks ambition and seems comfort- able floating by with minimal effort. Unlike him, I am extremely ambitious. Is it okay to date men who are still "figuring things out"? — Driven It sounds like your boyfriend is re- ally going places. Mainly to the fridge and then back to the couch. A guy who appears to model his career trajectory on driftwood is un- likely to suddenly become ambitious. Sure, there are people who have a catastrophic accident and realize life is short and they'd better get crack- ing, but it isn't like you can wait for him to get into (and then miraculous- ly recover from) a motorcycle crash to become the man you'd respect and admire. To avoid getting drawn into a relationship that's ultimately wrong for you, come up with what I call "Man Minimums" — a list of essential traits a guy has to have to stay in the running to be your boyfriend. One of yours might be "shows potential and the drive to achieve it." A guy like this will experience setbacks along the way but then turn his wrong moves into arrows toward the right ones. So, yes, as a person who seems to value ambition, it's okay for you to date men who are still figuring things out — as long as what they're figur- ing out isn't that you can reach for the stars. With one hand. And then roll over and go back to sleep. (c) 2013, Amy Alkon, all rights reserved. Got a problem? Write Amy Alkon, 171 Pier Ave, #280, Santa Monica, CA 90405, or e-mail Ad- viceAmy@aol.com (advicegoddess. com). Weekly radio show: blogtalkra- dio.com/amyalkon. Amy Alkon is a syndicated advice writer whose column runs in more than 100 newspapers across the U.S. and Canada. Although the column reads as humor, it's based in science, psychology, evolutionary psychology and ethics. Can't afford to be a groomsmen? It's OK to politely decline. O-Town Scene July 10, 2014 15

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