Dear Queenie,
My wife never turns off the lights in our house, especially at night. She says it’s a nuisance turning them off and on again all the time and besides it wears them out faster. I say it runs up the electric bill and gets too expensive.
Queenie, what do you say?—Lights On, Lights Off

Dear Lights,
I say there is merit to both sides of this argument, plus a couple of factors you have not mentioned.
True, fluorescent lights wear out faster the more often they are turned on and off, while incandescent bulbs wear out faster the longer they are left on. Add to that the fact that incandescent bulbs use more electricity than fluorescent bulbs of the same wattage. So “on” or “off” would seem to be determined by what kind of bulbs you are using.
However, you might want to consider that a dark house indicates that either there is nobody home or everybody is sound asleep – a possible invitation to potential burglars. So it might be a good idea to leave at least a few lights on here and there as a deterrent – and to help your (nosy) neighbours see anyone trying to enter your home uninvited so they (hopefully) can call the police. You might even want to set up a few lights on timers to confuse said potential intruders.

Dear Queenie,
Every so often someone I know will say they will see me at such and such an event that I haven’t been invited to.
Queenie, I don’t want to embarrass the person, or the host who hasn’t invited me. What can I say in such a case?—Excluded Etty Ket

Dear Etty Ket,
People cannot be expected to invite everyone they know to every event they plan to host, so it is no embarrassment to anyone to simply say you have not been invited. However, you can always avoid being specific and simply say you are sorry, but you are not going to be there, without saying why.

Dear Queenie,
Very often someone I see on the street or in the market will greet me as if they know me but I do not recognise them or remember their name.
Queenie, does this happen to you? And if it does, how do you handle the situation?—Confused

Dear Confused,
It happens to me all the time. I just smile and say “Hello.” Usually, if the conversation goes on from there the other person will say something that gives me a clue to who they are. If not, and if necessary, I will apologise for not remembering their name and when they tell me I will know where I know them from.

Dear Queenie,
I have never had a boyfriend but there is this guy in my class that I like and I think he is interested in me too but I don’t know what to do about it.
Queenie, do I let him know how I feel or keep it a secret and hope he makes the first move?—Inexperienced

Dear Inexperienced,
Talk to him when you get a chance, maybe eat lunch with him, ask his advice about your homework or some subject of mutual interest and see if you get to be friends with him. If that happens, keep it up and see if it develops into something more. But do not chase him too hard, or you might scare him off.