Jun 15th 2012 08:42 am At the helm
This is Capt. Tom Ellis of the schooner “Thomas E. Lannon” in Gloucester, Massachusetts. Thanks to photographer Jay Albert. For those of you who don’t read the comments, the above image is presented in hopes of quelling a raging controversy about classic schooner helms. (Only at arloandjanis.com, huh?) The retro cartoon will return Monday.
Posted by jimmyjohnson / Vintage A&J
98 Responses to “At the helm”
Jason on 15 Jun 2012 at 8:49 am #
My ex was from “Gloucestah”. Great beaches and whale watching. And of course, the Gorton’s Fisherman. Gloucester was also the site for filming of “The Perfect Storm”.
In case anyone cares.
Joe Pal on 15 Jun 2012 at 8:53 am #
I’m from Gloucester, actually the son of a sea cook!
Alyre on 15 Jun 2012 at 8:57 am #
Is this the same type of boat Arlo’s gonna buy??…. cool…. I ve SCUBA’d Glousta…north shore of Boston has SO much a different feel from the south shore ( where I’m from).. it’s like Boston seperates the cold water from the “warm” weather… truth be told, there’s no warm water ANYWHERE in N.E.
phil in Missoula, MT on 15 Jun 2012 at 9:12 am #
You’re just going to start a new argument about which end of the boat is which…
emeritus Minnesota biologist on 15 Jun 2012 at 9:13 am #
I seem to remember from 15 years ago or so a panel in which Arlo admits having had no sailing experience.
Charlotte: Some denominations or particular pastors object to the “Wedding March” [actually the Bridal Chorus sung after a wedding in Wagner's "Lohengrin"] because of its “pagan” setting, or just because it is secular, not specifically church music. See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bridal_Chorus .
Mendelssohn’s Wedding March is from his incidental music for Shakespeare’s “A midsummer night’s dream”, a play specifically about fairyland, a pagan notion. The most heaven-blessed union I know of used both in a small Methodist church in “upstate” New York in April ’52, so Elohim must not have been offended. [Depending on the details, your "from good to awful" applies to a lot of 20th/21st century classical music, and particularly to classical music being replaced in churches by "praise bands" and such.]
Mindy: Tallis? If you are referring to the Baroque composer Thomas Tallis, I don’t think I used any of his music on that wedding cassette, though one could do worse. I think I may have used Jeremiah Clarke’s “Prince of Denmark’s March” [erroneously attributed to Henry Purcell as his "Trumpet voluntary] as the rousing processional for the entry of the bride.
If your “Tallis” refers to one spelling of the term for a Jewish prayer shawl, I don’t get the point.
Rick in Shermantown, Ohio on 15 Jun 2012 at 9:18 am #
Jimmy:
Yesterday, you stated that you have been doing humor for over 25 years.
For many of your strips, I’m not so sure about that. I think it goes deeper than that.
In comoedia veritas.
billinbossier on 15 Jun 2012 at 9:21 am #
Now, I think Janis is getting excited about buying a boat. Be aware, not only are they habit forming, but expensive.
Robin in Fl on 15 Jun 2012 at 9:44 am #
billinbossier
I agree, but “cute” translates into “small” which morphs quickly into “cramped.” And nothing about a boat = inexpensive. Even our little kayaks require maintenance and cleaning, which is too bad because “all I wanna do is have some fun.” (acknowledgement to Sheryl Crow).
Phil Foglio on 15 Jun 2012 at 9:49 am #
Always nice to know that an artist does his research.
So…It only took you what, 20 years to get the first book out? What’s the E.T.A. on the second?
Russel Trojan on 15 Jun 2012 at 9:52 am #
If we’re taking a vote, I would rather Arlo not buy the boat. Too often a fulfiled anticipation is not as much fun as the anticipation itself.
Mark in TTown on 15 Jun 2012 at 9:55 am #
Phil Foglio, actually that is the second book. I hope the 3rd won’t take so long. it shouldn’t since the material actually exists now.
Brenty on 15 Jun 2012 at 9:56 am #
And there might be………others….
Anonymous on 15 Jun 2012 at 10:01 am #
Thanks for the pic, Jimmy. Perhaps now the naysayers will cease and desist! But then, I – who was reared inland – do not question the details. I just dream about a warm breeze fanning my face… and the clean and briney fragrance of the sea…
Galliglo in Ohio on 15 Jun 2012 at 10:02 am #
Dang! My system tossed its cookies again! I am…. anonymous…
Galliglo in Ohio on 15 Jun 2012 at 10:06 am #
Also realized that my posting on yesterday’s blog was anonymous. So, here it is – but it was posted today!
Today’s strip is wonderful! Sounds like there will be a transition in A & J. But then, that is the way life is. And we all know Jimmy is looking in our windows!
Steve from Royal Oak, MI on 15 Jun 2012 at 11:01 am #
Rick in Shermantown, Ohio:
I thought maybe you were setting Jimmy up for a slam. The hardest thing for someone doing comedy is to always be funny. Even Ted Williams made an out 60% of the time in his best season. But you are right, sometimes the strip, like the TV show MASH, goes beyond humor.
I will repeat something that I posted before, but I onced asked my brother, who lives in Indianapolis, if he “got Arlo and Janis”. Because I had sent him so many A&J cartoons, the answer was No and No. No, the Indy paper did not carry the cartoon and No, he did not “get” the cartoons. Which was his funny way of saying that he enjoyed the strips.
Dan McD on 15 Jun 2012 at 11:09 am #
Well, I’m quelled. The helm is accurate as drawn, naysayers should stick to desk sailing.
Still hoping for a full frame drawing of the boat under sail, should Arlo’s longtime dream come true!
Larry Sheldon on 15 Jun 2012 at 11:14 am #
I am constantly somewhere between amused and annoyed by old f*rts that can’t use a simple search engine to check stuff out before they launch into offensive rants to display is living color just how stupid they are.
They should get a young person to show them how do simple searches like ask Bing to tell them about ‘schooner helm’ (which returned 163,000 after I told it I was interested only in ‘schooner helm–it included ‘boat helm’ items — 18,300,000 of them — the first time).
I figure at 73 years of age I won’t live long enough to look a the larger number.
Turns out some of the items are two-fers like this one”
http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=%2bschooner+helm&qpvt=%2bschooner+helm&FORM=IGRE
Boise Ed on 15 Jun 2012 at 11:23 am #
Phil in MT, “which end is which”? We’ll have to have a stern talk about that.
Bill in Paducah on 15 Jun 2012 at 11:27 am #
Re Wedding marches: Yes it’s Wagner, but Elsa’s Procession to the Cathedral has always been one of my favorites – especially when the low brass come in at the end – talk about an entrance!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAnd2vEFnEw
DiverRick on 15 Jun 2012 at 11:47 am #
Jason, and others, Gloucester was not just the location of the filming of “The Perfect Storm”, it’s where the real thing happened. “The Perfect Storm” is a true story,as much as it can be, since the facts will probably never be known of the fate of the Andrea Gale, except it was lost with all hands. Next time you are there, take a look at the memorial for those lost at sea. You will find the names of the crew of the Andrea Gale.
By the way, if you’ve only seen the movie, I highly recommend you read the book. The movie is faithful as far as it goes, but the book is full of detail not possible in a movie. First time I read it, when I finished I put it down, then picked it right back up and read it again!
Alyre, I used to go to Rockport to dive. We only did some shore dives, mostly Folly Cove, Old Garden beach, and Back Beach. I loved Folly, except the entrance and exit over the rocks. Always wanted to do some boat dives, but my buddies didn’t seem up for it. We usually had a good time anyway. Haven’t been in a few years, I guess my diving days are over, and now I live on the other side of the country.
Carl on 15 Jun 2012 at 12:22 pm #
I don’t usually read the comments here, so seeing a pic of Tom Ellis suddenly pop up in A&J made me think I got my blogs mixed up! I’m still laughing!
Lest anyone think the Lannon is an anomoly, this helm arrangement has been pretty standard on working sail for more than 100 years. It uses a worm drive, essentially a large screw, to control the tiller. The recreational sailboats mentioned by some posts here uses a chain gear, which provides more options for where you locate the helm, but is not as durable. A google image search for schooner helm will show multiple additional examples.
By the way, it was very nice to see the Delta Gem essentially make it into the strip on 6/7.
Neal in Bahstawn on 15 Jun 2012 at 2:44 pm #
My wife absolutely refuses to take a cabin on the left side of a cruise ship because she believes she can hear the rumbling of the ship’s engines. She calls it… port noise complaint.
(bada boom).
Bob, near Mark on 15 Jun 2012 at 2:56 pm #
Larry Sheldon,
But some old f*rts would ask, “Why would I ask Bing about schooner helms? Bing was a golfer, not a sailor.”
Ghost Rider 6 on 15 Jun 2012 at 3:03 pm #
Gal, you may be many things, but “anonymous” is not one of them, at least not here among “da crew.”
I did not see it, and this may not do it justice, but I once heard “The Perfect Storm” described as the movie in which “George Clooney and Mark Wahlberg go to sea in a small boat and are killed by special effects.”
Anyone know the origin of the word “posh,” without looking it up?
Blinky the Wonder Wombat on 15 Jun 2012 at 3:08 pm #
Ghost Rider 6-
Re: Posh- You mean other than the urban legend bit?
Matt on 15 Jun 2012 at 3:08 pm #
It’s all about what’s going on below the waterline, mates! Take a look at this link:
http://alden-schooner.com/Cabin%20Cnstrct%20Plan-11-01-1926%20small.jpg
zoom in on the left to the stern: as is common on these “traditional” types, the rudder post (round “pole” that holds the rudder, and connects it to the steering geer) isn’t vertical, it angles backwards toward the rear. It’s a perfect setup for mounting a worm-gear around the post, at the same angle, where it comes up through the deck. So naturally the wheel will be forward of the steering gear, angled up where it can be easily reached. The steering gear box does make a good seat…
Steve from Royal Oak, MI on 15 Jun 2012 at 3:14 pm #
Neal:
I had to google your port noise complaint. It serves me right for not being literary enough, at least classically.
redagainPatti on 15 Jun 2012 at 3:21 pm #
LOL… Larry Sheldon, Darling.. you have to keep in mind, Google is very new and it it takes 15 years for some older dogs to learn the new tricks of the Internet. I think it is less than ten years old??
While there are older search engines out there… not many know the different names of them to bring them up on the screen. It takes time to teach yourself this stuff and the young kids just don’t have the time or even knowhow to explain it correctly… The young kids, JUST know it or play with it so much, they have left parents behind in the dust of things.
Only a few of the older pups have learned stuff to the level, we even search on our I-Phones to check the weather when we are outside, wind picks up and the clouds grow a bit dark..
Be darling… amused as you must be one of the more smart folks of your age group if I understand you are in your 70′s…..?? Not many of the older folks have their own computer to check out the world each day… and when they do… the computer knowhow, is full of holes as you have noticed.. I just showed somebody the other day, how to bring up only images instead of all the words on stuff.
Meanwhile… about looking in our windows…..
well I am trying to make the choice between getting a RV or not… instead of a boat. NOT the big land yacht size but the little thing that parks anywhere….
I love to camp and it is getting hard to sleep on the ground, pull up/stake out a tent and I like the idea of having a small bathroom of my own…
Now if I can find out who has the best “Hot Spot” for me to buy and carry about with me…
I hate typing on my I-Phone and rather use my laptop instead..
Anyone out there using their own personal “Hot Spot”?
David in Austin on 15 Jun 2012 at 4:03 pm #
Patti–
If you get a Sprint smartphone that uses “Android” it is my understanding that it can be configured as a Wi-Fi hotspot with true unlimited data. I have Verizon, which is not unlimited and requires extra fees to use the phone as a hotspot. My daughter has a Sprint smartphone that she uses as a hotspot.
I’m in the middle age of this crowd, only 50, but I have been working with technology for a while. I remember when Google was invented. Before that, my favorite search engine was Altavista. It is still a search engine, but like 90% of the planet, I have switched to Google.
For the RVs, it depends on how much space you want. If you have been comfortable in a tent, then the Class B’s (converted vans) may be good. If you would like a little more space, then you could still get into a smaller Class C (overhead sleeper) motor home. All the large Class A’s are monsters, too big, and too expensive for me. We had a large (30-ft) class C for my family of four. It was great. We bought the specific model because it had high ceilings (I’m over 6′ 6″ tall) and it had a “real” bathroom with a full-height shower and a separate toilet area.
Having an indoor, flush, toilet and a shower with hot water are nice amenities once you get used to having them while camping. The RV becomes a nice, little, hotel on wheels. The appliances and conveniences are, like Janis has discovered in the schooner, “cute”, but they are big enough to be useful.
Mary in Ohio on 15 Jun 2012 at 4:04 pm #
One of my friends used “Trumpet Voluntary” to enter the church for her first and only wedding.
Galliglo in Ohio on 15 Jun 2012 at 4:12 pm #
Landlubbers want to know… Is the Tom Ellis in the photo the same Tom Ellis who is an actor/TV news personality in the Boston area?
sandcastler on 15 Jun 2012 at 4:46 pm #
Damn, I vanish in Central Europe and Arlo gets a boat, Now I need to find daily internet access.
Charlotte in NH on 15 Jun 2012 at 5:32 pm #
eMb, Thank you for the good explanation of the puzzling prohibition. Yes, I’ve heard all this music, mostly on the radio, many times over, and have heard all the incidental music Felix wrote for William’s play (these names are a lot easier to spell). I guess what I meant was, people don’t want classical music for weddings any more, they want popular music, mostly awful in my opinion. I’ll get flak over this, but that’s just how I feel. As for modern classical music, I’ve heard so much, I’ve become quite fond of Stravinsky, Prokovief, Mahler of course, and you see what I mean. How do you feel about these guys?
Jay A on 15 Jun 2012 at 6:07 pm #
Galliglo……No that’s not the same Tom Ellis.
Jay A on 15 Jun 2012 at 6:11 pm #
I forgot to add….Here’s more of Tom and the helm of his schooner Thomas E. Lannon:
http://capeannimages.blogspot.com/2011/04/fire-water.html
Mark in TTown on 15 Jun 2012 at 6:54 pm #
Bob, near Mark: Bing knew crooners, not schooners!
Mark in TTown on 15 Jun 2012 at 7:01 pm #
RedagainPatti, I can’t speak from personal experience of RV’s as I have never used one. However, I have spent as much time thinking about which I would have as Arlo has about boats(maybe). I have seen some which are built around the Sprinter van. Some actually stay the same size as the original van, some have slide-outs and all the goodies. Anyway, they are not the land yacht type, do run on diesel with better mileage than equivalent gas-powered ones. Look on Ebay to get an idea. If you have seen the American Pickers show, you have seen a Sprinter van. It is the kind the guys on the show drive. Built by Chrysler, I think with Mercedes diesels. Mercedes has very long experience with diesel power so should be pretty reliable. Parts should be pretty common also since this is used for a delivery van nationwide.
Jeff in Ann Arbor on 15 Jun 2012 at 8:01 pm #
We’ve vacationed in Rockport, MA on Cape Ann 15-20 years over the last 35 with another couple. The wife’s cousins live on a private, secluded, five acre, flooded granite quarry 1/4 mile inland, and they have two other homes on it, one of which we rent for a week or two. It is beautiful – not at all like a Midwestern gravel pit. Beautiful, clear water hundreds of feet deep surrounded by woods.
We have become pretty familiar with the area around Cape Anne, including the Fishermen’s Memorial and the famous statue there, which is on Gorton’s packages. Since it is of a helmsman at a wheel in just the same position of the one in Jimmy’s original drawing, it looked fine to this Midwest landlubber.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:FishermanMemorialGloucester.jpg
Galliglo in Ohio on 15 Jun 2012 at 8:04 pm #
Jay A: Thank you SO much for that link! I have been spending the last hour taking a virtual tour of Gloucester. So beautiful – even the snow, although I usually do not enjoy winter. I have never had the opportunity to go to New England and the upper Atlantic coast. Now I want to more than ever!
I probably will never be able to go to all the places I would like, but at least I can “visit” via the Internet.
Bob, near Mark on 15 Jun 2012 at 9:19 pm #
Just a thought in passing. Today what we call classical music was, in its time, popular music.
curmudgeonly ex-professor on 15 Jun 2012 at 10:11 pm #
Charlotte/NH: The MBH & I had the so-called “Purcell ‘Trumpet Voluntary’” for our wedding; it was a great selection. I enjoy the classics of up-to-say-1900, but absolutely cannot stand Stravinsky and similar composers of dissonance. They seem to have fluorished during the 1900s, which is why I used 1900 as my cut-off year for expected enjoyment. I’ll stick with the 3B’s, Mozart, Haydn, and the like, though Puccini wrote nice operatic material until about 1920.
Of course, there are exceptions in both directions…and “De gustibus non est disputandum.” .
Mindy from Indy on 15 Jun 2012 at 10:54 pm #
@Ghost Rider 6 Lady Mindy of Whydid? I will do my best to uphold that noble title. I’m sure there are many more policies I can get altered.
Jay A on 15 Jun 2012 at 10:56 pm #
Jeff in Ann Arbor…..The Gortons image of the Fisherman at the wheel is not that of the Memorial though it resembles it! Gortons was founded in 1849 but didn’t adopt the fisherman’s likeness until 1964. The Fishermen’s Memorial was erected in 1923 and is dedicated to over 10,000 fishermen from Gloucester who were lost at sea since 1623.
CW in 617 on 15 Jun 2012 at 11:36 pm #
GR6:
My guess for “POSH” is Penninsular and Oriental Steamship H—
Of course, I’ll look it up immediately. We should keep in mind that back in the day (not my day), “Oriental” meant more or less the east end of the Mediterranean; Agatha Christie’s “Murder on the Orient Express” ended in Istanbul.
(And yes, I know that the original title was “Murder on the Calais Coach,” but which title would sell more books or make a better movie title?)
The times I’ve been in Rockport, I’ve had to behave, but I did consume much lobster.
redagainPatti on 16 Jun 2012 at 12:37 am #
Thanks for the input about the hot spots folks.. and that of the RV mess. I will do more checking on the van size. Simply do not know have the money for the large land whales.
When my daughter walked to be married she used this —
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7uvHmVdy_y8
A song by a young fellow named Jason Mraz – “I am Yours”
TruckerRon on 16 Jun 2012 at 12:39 am #
Since it’s vacation time, I thought I’d mention two of my pet peeves as a former truck driver since they’re also safety issues:
1) Trailers & RVs that were parked over the winter should be carefully checked out before heading down the road, especially the tires’ air pressure. Under-inflated tires will overheat and blow out.
2) Before driving a rental (or even borrowed) car be sure that the lights are truly on at night! Many newer cars have lights that automatically come on during the day–they’re supposed to do that–but they don’t turn on the running lights. Which means at night you’ll have the daytime lights on (and with modern lights they seem plenty bright) in the front but NO lights on in the rear. I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve almost run over cars at night before I realized they were there.
redagainPatti on 16 Jun 2012 at 1:58 am #
THANK You Trucker Ron…
Good points.. proud that my mom while dealing with her monster RV, does a walk around the metal thing, checking those very things. Most of the time, btw, she is off the road by dark… we got far too many darn deer in the state of Mississippi.. and black cows which push pass the wire fences around the land.
Ghost Rider 6 on 16 Jun 2012 at 7:27 am #
Wow! A “Portnoy’s Complaint” pun. Can you beat that?
redagainPatti on 16 Jun 2012 at 8:25 am #
I might if I could find it
Steve from Royal Oak, MI on 16 Jun 2012 at 8:34 am #
Jimmy, I loved today’s (Saturday) strip and I get seasick just looking at boats. However I do enjoy looking at Janis and love the fact that she loves Arlo, even with his many idiosyncrasies. Maybe especially because of his idiosyncrasies? That is what mirrors my wife and I.
Mindy on 16 Jun 2012 at 9:08 am #
I loved the Portnoy! I also love it when Janis goes alpha on Arlo! No film at eleven….
Ghost Rider 6 on 16 Jun 2012 at 9:41 am #
Good morning, Mindy. Maybe you can explain why I keep thinking of the word “cowgirl.”
Jeff in Ann Arbor on 16 Jun 2012 at 9:45 am #
Jay A – You’re certainly right about the Gorton’s fisherman. I was going by memory, so I just looked. They’ve updated since I last bought their products, but it the new one is probably the same geometry as the old one, and the helmsman is actually steering from behind the wheel rather than beside.
Mindy on 16 Jun 2012 at 9:50 am #
No idea, Ghost. My boots were made for walking, but…anything I say is going to end up making me blush or lead to a story for yet another day, so I shall evoke the Fifth. And I don’t mean of bourbon or Southern Comfort.
Alyre on 16 Jun 2012 at 11:49 am #
isn’t there something called a “reverse cowgirl”?
Mark in Boston on 16 Jun 2012 at 12:01 pm #
TruckerRon:
I recently had a good view of a truck tire blowing out. The truck was directly in front of me and one of the rear tires must have had a leak as I could see it flopping about. There’s one of those situations where you feel helpless — there isn’t much you can do about it when you’re in the car behind the truck. I fell back a ways to be out of range of the blowout — which DID happen. The trucker must have known at that point that something was wrong but he didn’t know what. I was able to pull up on his left and signal him to pull over. He didn’t know what had happened until I brought him to the back and showed him the tire.
Let me tell you that pulling over a truck on the highway is a very risky thing to do, if you’re not a patrolman (and I’m not in law enforcement of any kind). But I think I did the right thing.
Check your tire pressure.
Ghost Rider 6 on 16 Jun 2012 at 1:13 pm #
Lady Mindy of Whydid: I’m sure you’ll prove worthy of the title. More later about your quest to generate policy revisions.
Alyre: The other Mindy might know. But don’t count on her saying.
Mindy: Southern Comfort, eh? As I recall, the other Janis (Joplin) liked that, too.
John in Virginia on 16 Jun 2012 at 1:27 pm #
Someone ask Mindy about her unintentional “Wet T-Shirt Contest!”
Ghost Rider 6 on 16 Jun 2012 at 1:43 pm #
Mindy! What’s this we hear about you entering a Wet T-Shirt Contest?
curmudgeonly ex-professor on 16 Jun 2012 at 1:53 pm #
GR6: Let’s not forget “Film at eleven!”
Ghost Rider 6 on 16 Jun 2012 at 2:22 pm #
Mindy! There’ll be film at eleven??
(Don’t you love how rumors progress?)
Jerry in Fl on 16 Jun 2012 at 2:27 pm #
I have seen an 18 wheeler burn, leaving the springs, the wheels and the engine block. I don’t think that the truckers mind being advised of a problem. Although I have lived on the coast all of my life I have only in the last few years learned which is port and which is starboard and why. I briefly owned a 30 ft plus RV and was terrified to drive it, which is why we sold it. We may possibly buy a van type rv in the future but, as my driving days may end before long, we probably won’t. As a lifelong devotee to music I should be able to contribute to that topic but, my music recognition from the classics extends to The Lone Ranger and a few others. Also my two years of Latin was almost 50 years ago, so carry on, talk among yourselves, and I’ll be pulling up weeds, a topic of which I am sadly familiar.
Larry Sheldon on 16 Jun 2012 at 3:00 pm #
For a lot of years we had a pickup-truck “slide-in” camper (twin-size bunk, table-that-converts-to-a-sleeps-three-or-for little-and-or-friendly, toilet, ice-box-up-graded-to-3-way-refrigetator, three burner stove.
We spent a lot of time on the road in that thing. I’d do it again in a heartbeat if I could.
TruckerRon on 16 Jun 2012 at 3:02 pm #
I just found a nice wedding video with a familiar piece being played:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LV5_xj_yuhs
TruckerRon on 16 Jun 2012 at 3:04 pm #
Mark in Boston: Yes, we truckers appreciate other folks letting us know something’s wrong. Even using the mirrors properly doesn’t guarantee we’ll see what’s going on 60 feet behind us.
emeritus Minnesota biologist on 16 Jun 2012 at 4:19 pm #
Pulling up weeds is better than pushing up weeds [or daisies].
Mary in Ohio on 16 Jun 2012 at 4:20 pm #
I had read POSH was “Port Out, Starboard Home” to remind those sailing out to Indja which sides of the ship would be preferable for a stateroom on the trip. I read a lot of British mysteries and Kipling but must have been reading an article somewhere to garner that bit.
Bob, near Mark on 16 Jun 2012 at 6:02 pm #
I seem to remember that “port out, starboard home” concerned which side of the ship to keep toward the channel markers. Had nothing to do with the etymology of the word “posh” nor the preferred stateroom location.
Mindy on 16 Jun 2012 at 6:45 pm #
I’m going to beat John to death in his sleep with a pillow! There’s nothing to the story! Just a simply accident or error in timing!
Bob, near Mark on 16 Jun 2012 at 7:22 pm #
Mindy,
Accidents do happen.
I was walking past a neighbor’s house one day and saw her soaking wet. She said that her 3-or-4-year-old son had been playing with the hose (it had a pistol-grip nozzle). I asked him what happened, and he said, “It went off!”
Alyre on 16 Jun 2012 at 7:44 pm #
I’ve been on my share of boats as part of the “Dive Team of Lobsta Gatheras” but rarely operated one. I was the lucky one who got to pull up anchor. One thing I do remember on one of the few times i got to ‘drive’ was about the markers heading into shore……………. Red-Right-Return… lol starboard is the right side i beleive tho…isn’t it?
Mindy on 16 Jun 2012 at 8:01 pm #
It was an accident!
David in Austin on 16 Jun 2012 at 9:52 pm #
A major event for me today. Hopefully this isn’t TMI:
Setting dialysis machine up for first overnight treatment. Same machine as before, similar treatment–just lots longer, and WHILE I AM SLEEPING. A little nervous since as part of the treatment, my entire blood supply will leave my body over 12 times. That’s no problem while one is awake, but could be more problematic while one is sleeping. There are sensors and alarms to mitigate the risk…
The good news is that the extended treatment will provide functionality that is much nearer true kidney function for water and toxin removal. Should make me healthier, happier and give me an extra 20-25 hours of waking time that used to be consumed by dialysis every day. Studies show that slow nocturnal dialysis, 5-6 days weekly is just about as successful as a non-living donor kidney.
Happy Fathers Day to me! A better life is an EXCELLENT gift.
TruckerRon on 16 Jun 2012 at 10:12 pm #
David in Austin: I hope it all works for you as well as the doctors/nurses/technicians promised you. I used to feel sorry for myself because I went bionic with an ICD; one of my co-workers now visits the hospital 3 times each week for dialysis and he’s much worse off than I.
Lost in A**2 on 16 Jun 2012 at 10:49 pm #
From what I’ve heard, a lot of truck tires are recaps. Eventually, the new tread breaks loose. So a leak may not have been involved in that incident, Mark.
Of course, staying at least two seconds back makes such things a lot less frightening to the following drivers. And, if you maintain that distance, some other schmuck will gladly fill the space and take the flak for you.
(I’ve ranted before about speeding, and I will undoubtedly do so again. I see speeding as the direct cause of following too closely: the only reason to be that close is to get around quickly at the first ‘opportunity.’ SLOW DOWN to the speed limit, and STAY BACK. It’s your life you will save.)
Ghost Rider 6 on 16 Jun 2012 at 11:18 pm #
David: The very best of luck with your new treatment regime, and by all means, Happy Father’s Day.
Mindy: Might as well give us the particulars of your “accident,” hon. Otherwise, those fevered imaginations I told you about will just make up their own probably less accurate but undoubtedly more titillating details.
sideburns on 17 Jun 2012 at 2:01 am #
Bob, the rule for buoys is “Red Right Returning.”
I’m very happy to see, David, that your dialysis is going well. Years ago I was caregiver for a friend who’s kidney’s had gone out because of diabetes. He only had three sessions a week. Of course, his overall health was probably far worse than yours.
Galliglo in Ohio on 17 Jun 2012 at 7:38 am #
Dave – blessings to you.
To you – and all the other fathers and role models out there – HAPPY FATHER’S DAY!!!!!
Steve from Royal Oak, Mi on 17 Jun 2012 at 9:30 am #
David: My Dad went 2 years with dialysis at home. Not everyone is allowed to do that, so you must have been hhudged to be careful enough. My Dad felt more normal as a result. His Speed.
Mindy on 17 Jun 2012 at 9:56 am #
I’ll tell, Ghost, if anyone is still interested on Thursday. In the meantime, it’s bamboo time. Blah!
Robin in Fl on 17 Jun 2012 at 10:07 am #
David
((hugs)) Always glad to hear an advancement in medical science helps a real person!
Ghost Rider 6 on 17 Jun 2012 at 10:17 am #
Mindy: Good girl. But we have to wait until Thursday for the next episode of The Adventures of Mindy? Well, OK; it’s on my iPhone calendar.
Have you considered renting a panda?
Also, did you find either more lingerie or a skeleton?
Judy in Conroe on 17 Jun 2012 at 10:39 am #
It is sometimes amazing what one can find buried in the yard. Talk about titillating the imagination! We are the first owners of this home – not the builders, but the ones who were building it backed out near the end and we bought it. As we dig up various spots to make gardens or plant trees, we’ve run across some oddities. Mostly detritus such as empty bottles, wads of duct tape, strange looking hunks of damaged plastic that might once have been part of electrical circuits, and even an old tattered T-shirt. I guess the workers on the house thought of it as a dump site more than a home.
Even so, sometimes you just have to shake your head and wonder “What were they THINKING?” The people who laid the sod obviously had no thought other than to lay it down as quickly as possible and leave. We had a “dead” spot on the side of our house not far from one of the water faucets. Every summer, for no good reason, this spot would start yellowing and dying while the grass around it was fine. After a couple of years of this, I decided that I would take some grass that we were digging out for a garden and transplant it to this location. To prepare the spot, I dug down under the “bad” grass to loosen the soil and prepare it for the new grass. I was astounded to hit cardboard. I cut around the “bad” spot, pried it loose, and found a rotting cardboard box that had been flattened and covered with sod. After it was removed and the grass replaced, we had no further problems.
Some of my neighbors have reported finding concrete slurry chunks under their sod, and one found a buried typewriter. Wouldn’t you love to know the backstory on that one?
Judy in Conroe on 17 Jun 2012 at 10:45 am #
I can see now that Thursdays will become Story Day. Surely Mindy is not the only one with a SFYAD. If she’s going to regale us with one, then I think in all fairness that John & GR6 should also step up to the plate. We have a lot of interesting people who post on this site – come on, join in! Those of us with boring lives could use the inspiration!
Ghost Rider 6 on 17 Jun 2012 at 12:38 pm #
Judy, thanks for intimating that I live an interesting life. But I swear I’ve never been a contestant in a wet T-shirt contest. To the best of my knowledge. However, if Thursday actually turns out be the “another day” of which Mindy so often speaks, and the details are sufficiently titillating , I’ll open up the memory vault and see if I can do.
But since John lives with Mindy, he should have any number of interesting stories. Some of which he might even survive telling.
Debbie in Alabama on 17 Jun 2012 at 1:14 pm #
I guess the buried typewriter allowed someone to have the last word.
Galliglo in Ohio on 17 Jun 2012 at 1:51 pm #
Good one Debbie!
Jerry in Fl on 17 Jun 2012 at 2:47 pm #
That’s a famous typewriter! George Segal claimed it tried to kill him (what movie was that?). David, thanks for sharing your experience. To think that I complain about wearing a face mask for sleep apnea.
Jerry in Fl on 17 Jun 2012 at 2:51 pm #
The Owl and the Pussycat, of course, an old favorite.
Larry Sheldon on 17 Jun 2012 at 3:30 pm #
The steers are the only ones certain not to be retreads.
But a properly done retread is no weaker than a new tire of the same quality.
The problem is not the retread v. not retread thing, it is the properly inflated v, not properly inflated thing. Improperly inflated tires overheat, and when they overheat they fly apart. Or burn. Or both.
It is pretty hard to tell when the inside of a dual goes until you can see pieces bouncing along the lane at your speed–even on a drive.
The best thing from the driver’s viewpoint is to walk around the rig thumping on tires every couple of hours or when ever you have run over something big enough to feel.
CW in 617 on 17 Jun 2012 at 3:42 pm #
Can I really be the first to acknowledge today’s (Sunday’s) superb Fathers Day strip?
For the Boston Sunday Globe, if it weren’t for the comics, the sports section and a somtimes interesting crossword, the high price wouldn’t be worth it. However, today’s A&J comes close to covering the cost on its own.
TruckerRon on 17 Jun 2012 at 3:59 pm #
Larry Sheldon: The steers are the only ones certain not to be retreads.
I had a steer tire blow out once–it gave me a few seconds of extreme focus followed by 12 hours waiting for a service truck to become available and drive out to where I was stranded in Crow country on I-90.
Mary in Ohio on 17 Jun 2012 at 4:06 pm #
Happy Fathers day to all of you survivors!
Mindy on 17 Jun 2012 at 7:13 pm #
Our prayers for you, Dave.
Mindy from Indy on 17 Jun 2012 at 9:16 pm #
Best if luck for you, Dave.
Happy Father’s Day to all of the dads!
Mark from Maine on 18 Jun 2012 at 8:15 am #
Dave – hope it went well. I’m holding you In The Light.
Larry Sheldon on 18 Jun 2012 at 4:05 pm #
I missed David’s item re: dialysis–I hope that is going well.