Jan 24th 2013 08:20 am Microeconomics
I’m reaching further back for the old cartoon today, to January, 1996. This was an interesting period in the history of Arlo & Janis. Fundamentally, the two title characters were the same as when I’d first envisioned them a decade earlier. It is obvious they both had their original, youthful hair styles, but beyond that they appeared much as they do today. In other words, I had settled in by 1996 and learned a lot, and the characters evolved accordingly. The strip and the characters would continue to evolve, but they had lost that early weirdness forever. I was doing some good writing about that time, too. If the strip were a human being, I’d equate the latter half of the 90s as its thirty-something years, no longer inexperienced and awkward and at the height of its abilities. Don’t ask me what it is today.
Posted by jimmyjohnson / Vintage A&J
230 Responses to “Microeconomics”
John in Richmond Texas on 24 Jan 2013 at 8:42 am #
Perfection ?
emeritus Minnesota biologist on 24 Jan 2013 at 8:48 am #
It didn’t get to -40 last night in I. Falls, just -34F. Window thermometer here said -12F at 0800, but air temp a distance from the house might have been a bit lower.
Blinky the Wonder Wombat on 24 Jan 2013 at 8:50 am #
Still thirty-something but without the self-conscious angst of the TV show of the same name.
phil in Missoula, MT on 24 Jan 2013 at 9:26 am #
Uh-oh. Sounds like there is a major uproar brewing. Cat owners may need to confederate into the NCA (National Catowners Association)
read below:
http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/science/2013/01/new_zealand_eliminate_cats_they_kill_endangered_bird_species_and_shouldn.html
herb in sj on 24 Jan 2013 at 9:27 am #
ok, as to the pokie thing, Jimmie one time had Janis in less than her normal clothing,”mermaid series” and explained here that if he didn’t put pokies on it would go by the censors.
herb in sj on 24 Jan 2013 at 9:32 am #
if you really need to see them, look in book where janis is pushing arlo out of bathroom for using leaf blower in bubble bath, close enough! have a good day, (while everyone scrambles to get their books and find it)
Mindy on 24 Jan 2013 at 9:57 am #
Herb, the fact remains that JANIS would never allow it to be shown!
Don in Oklahoma on 24 Jan 2013 at 11:01 am #
Janis may not want it, but JJ has the pen…
herb in sj on 24 Jan 2013 at 11:12 am #
I quess your not including the memory of the couple walking their dog on the beach before it was built up with condos and the neighbor who could see their deck from the kitchen window and I won’t even comment about the vacuum picking up the handcuff key in the bedroom, the look on her face was enough, I,m sorry but Janis is a healthy person who can be a little risgue “uh, where spell check when yio need it” at times. Thats why we love her!
Ghost Rider 6 on 24 Jan 2013 at 12:18 pm #
John, do you think a Southern gentleman such as myself would ever intentionally do anything to make a lady squirm? Well, anything written or verbal, anyway.
But while we’re on the subject…Really, Mindy? A “near-pokie”? Believe me, there was nothing “near” about it.
I’ll bet the neighbor boy really appreciated the five or six times a week you didn’t close your curtains and blinds. But if I’d been your younger brother, you probably wouldn’t have turned out to be the shy, retiring and naive Southern gentlewoman that you are.
Symply Fargone on 24 Jan 2013 at 12:26 pm #
Right On Herb in SJ( San Jose’?)
Janis has the right qualities a woman should have in the correct rooms of the demense with just enough run over into other rooms that one’s interest will be eternally piqued….she is a paragon of womanhood(not unlike some of our denizens here). After all our group proclaimed genius host created her, why wouldn’t she be Symply Fargone.
sandcastler on 24 Jan 2013 at 12:37 pm #
JJ, I feel the strip is maturing nicely. It is at point in life where there is a hint of grey at the temples; experienced but still youthful, just like you readers.
Steve from Royal Oak, MI on 24 Jan 2013 at 1:05 pm #
Today’s strip (01/24/13) reminds me of what JJ spoke about regarding his New Year’s resolutions, which was to “keep moving”. I think that reading is keeping the mind moving, which is as important as the body.
I was able to walk 2 miles at lunch in 19 degree weather. Not a lot of wind and the sun was bright, so it was comfortable.
Don’t ask me where A&J is at…I still love it though.
TruckerRon on 24 Jan 2013 at 1:31 pm #
Well, for the first time in many a year we have had some rain fall on the hard-frozen ice and snow. Of course there are many who have no idea what they’re doing. The tow companies and body shops are going to be busy.
Now for something fun — a dumb crook story used in a Glock commercial:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsVCHE7ayPE
Ghost Rider 6 on 24 Jan 2013 at 1:43 pm #
Without comment in either direction–
Based on news reports, here is an example of an “assault rifle” that would apparently be banned under the bill proposed by Sen. Feinstein…the Ruger 10/22 in .22 caliber. It gets dinged for being a “semi-automatic rifle with detachable magazine”.
http://mygunculture.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/ruger-1022-carbine.png
sandcastler on 24 Jan 2013 at 2:30 pm #
Darn it! GR6, all the magazines we subscribe to are completely detachable, handy for saving articles. Guess we need to subscribe or risk violating the law. Thanks, reading is one more thing we have to give up.
sandcastler on 24 Jan 2013 at 2:32 pm #
S/b unscribe, darn Siri.
Hurd in Bay Minette on 24 Jan 2013 at 3:05 pm #
GR 6. I was telling my wife that her Ruger 10/22 would be banned under the criteria for assult weapons. Her reaction was, “But it’s pink.”
Neal in Bahstawn on 24 Jan 2013 at 3:14 pm #
“I was doing some good writing about that time, too.”
At the risk of sounding mawkish, you’re doing some good writing these days as well.
Mary in Ohio on 24 Jan 2013 at 3:37 pm #
I LOVE R.Lee Ermey!
But here’s some REAL WORLD weirdness, hot off the front page of this morning’s Gazette!
http://medinagazette.northcoastnow.com/2013/01/24/police-mother-of-alleged-bully-punches-woman-at-school/
Full disclosure. The Gazette is the only paper in a 4 county area that carries Arlo and Janis.
I used to work for the Gazette before I went into teaching.
I never, thank God, taught in this district!
Ghost Rider 6 on 24 Jan 2013 at 5:44 pm #
I know, Hurd. I tried to find a photo of a pink one, which would have made lumping a 10/22 with military-style assault rifles seem even weirder.
Jerry in Fl on 24 Jan 2013 at 7:22 pm #
Yes, I did finish 50 Shades and started a book on crop circles. Now is that Freudian or what?
Mindy on 24 Jan 2013 at 7:36 pm #
I think Cabella’s might have the pinkie, Ghost.
Ghost Rider 6 on 24 Jan 2013 at 8:38 pm #
Wanna reconsider that one, Mindy?
Ghost Rider 6 on 24 Jan 2013 at 8:49 pm #
To any who think I never comment on the cartoons here (although I can’t imagine why), today’s retro calls to mind the fact that for many years I have dropped my pocket change into a jar on my dresser each night. A couple or three times a year, I cash in $50 or $60 worth of coins and have a nice dinner. For that entire time, every financial institution with which I have dealt required me to bring in the coins already rolled…until the last time I took them to my credit union. They broke open all the rolls and put the coins through their counting machine.
I can only suppose that grifters, swindlers and other miscreants have been realizing huge windfalls by sneaking in 50-cent rolls of coins which contain only 49 pennies.
Mindy from Indy on 24 Jan 2013 at 9:14 pm #
Ghost, I happen to know that there tricks for ripping off parking meter and soda machines. Not to mention all of the Canadian money you can slip in.
Jerry in Fl on 24 Jan 2013 at 9:41 pm #
Just like the 60 plus legal auto license tags in Florida, the many different versions of money in circulation now is making it difficult to tell what’s what and whatever happened to the one dollar coin that was almost identical in size to the quarter?
Ghost Rider 6 on 25 Jan 2013 at 1:15 am #
Lady Mindy, the only problem is that currently $1.00US = $1.00C. And a couple of years ago, the Canadian dollar was actually worth more than the US dollar. The banks should have been saying, “Canadian coins? Bring ‘em on!”
Remember Jimmy’s cartoon and info about the song “Rum and Coca-Cola”? And the line in it, “Both mother and daughter / Working for the Yankee dollar”? They probably wouldn’t be willing to do that anymore. At least, not for the “Yankee dollar.”
Ghost Rider 6 on 25 Jan 2013 at 1:39 am #
And today’s (1/25/13) new cartoon? Another instant classic!
Please, no comments, ladies. Except for you, Mindy. I can’t wait to see what you have to say about it.
Mindy on 25 Jan 2013 at 1:47 am #
Okay, Ghost, I have to ask if Arlo was simply making an inference or was he speaking statistically or mathematically?
Mindy on 25 Jan 2013 at 3:03 am #
And, okay, what’s wrong with “pinkie,” Ghost? Should I go Urban Dictionary and then blush? And is that dictionary named for Keith the singer [I think] or Karl the actor [I know]?
Mindy on 25 Jan 2013 at 4:34 am #
Oh.
Mindy from Indy on 25 Jan 2013 at 4:39 am #
Friday’s real time strip caught me totally off guard, love it! Although, I believe the last panel is missing. There is no way Arlo would such a golden opportunity.
And how many young readers are going to hunt down mom or dad for an explanation? Ha!
Mindy on 25 Jan 2013 at 5:18 am #
Mommy! Mommy! Does Daddy extrapolate you?
Is that what you mean, Mindy?
JDS on 25 Jan 2013 at 5:58 am #
Mindy from Indy – We may be viewing the post game commentary.
Ghost Rider 6 on 25 Jan 2013 at 6:38 am #
But just a half hour of making whoopee will burn off 145+ calories. Arlo has apparently done an ROI calculation and reached the obvious conclusion. So to speak.
Mindy on 25 Jan 2013 at 7:43 am #
I thought it was ROE, Ghost.
Ghost Rider 6 on 25 Jan 2013 at 8:00 am #
Return On Equity? No, that wouldn’t be it.
Brad on 25 Jan 2013 at 8:06 am #
On today’s strip (1/25/13), is this the first time the word “foreplay” has ever been in the comics? Jimmy may have made history here.
sandcastler on 25 Jan 2013 at 8:22 am #
GR6, certainly the first usage of foreplay and extrapolated in one four panel strip. Until this morning, those were two terms I never connected together, leave it to JJ to change my world view.
John in Richmond Texas on 25 Jan 2013 at 8:27 am #
after 30 minutes, my wife would say “let’s have some breakfast and pick this up later”
Steve from Royal Oak, MI on 25 Jan 2013 at 8:34 am #
What is the big deal about today’s strip….I assume that Janis is talking about golf. Right?
Mindy on 25 Jan 2013 at 8:43 am #
I won’t comment on the singularity or narrowness of Ghost’s world view…
Amy Curtis on 25 Jan 2013 at 8:47 am #
I’m planning to ask my newspaper to drop your strip. I want to be able to trust that my kids can read newspaper comics without adult content.
Ghost Rider 6 on 25 Jan 2013 at 9:01 am #
May I ask how old are your children, Ms. Curtis?
John in Virginia on 25 Jan 2013 at 9:13 am #
That’s a joke, right? There’s far more “adult content” in here than in the strip and I’ve never seen anything in the strip that most kids who are able to read the text don’t already know about.
Symply Fargone on 25 Jan 2013 at 9:24 am #
Unfortunately I believe JJ has lost a bible belter….I’d be a lot more concerned about the stuff they see on TV, just my $.02. Amy Curtis has a right to feel the way she does, but how she is going to keep her children sheltered from inferences as they grow up will be a real challende. I’d find more substantial windmills or start to listen to Sancho Panza.
That said wish you all a Fargone day!
Don in Oklahoma on 25 Jan 2013 at 9:49 am #
I think all the talk of pokies has influenced JJ…
sandcastler on 25 Jan 2013 at 9:52 am #
What happened to freedom of speech? Oh wait, this is America where we can only say what does not offend any one or any group.
Mindy on 25 Jan 2013 at 10:12 am #
That’s it, then. A moratorium on Ghost and his disgusting, shameful, lewd and lascivious pokie talk! Seriously, Amy, that was a jest, no? Network television, much less cable, has far worse! Good Lord! I’ve even seen Dennis Franz’ butt! And that was 10 years ago! Ah, never mind. If Amy was joking, we’ve been made and if she was serious I don’t want to argue about it. Personally — and I led a sheltered life — I knew what foreplay was at the age of about seven and it didn’t warp me in any way. Did it? Huh? Guys! Did it? Is me be warped????? I have been plastic wrapped but TASFYAD. Mindy pleads a Mindy.
Norm in Utah on 25 Jan 2013 at 10:18 am #
And Mindy proceeds at WARP speed.
Jim in TN on 25 Jan 2013 at 10:23 am #
I rated today’s “foreplay” cartoon as “coffee out the nose” and 5 stars! Terrific!
sandcastler on 25 Jan 2013 at 10:25 am #
Mindy, that explains how you are so well preserved; maybe more women should take up being plastic wrapped.
Mindy on 25 Jan 2013 at 11:09 am #
Trust me, sandcastler, I was subsequently unwrapped. John, and of course he’s joking, says I come unwrapped all the time. Norm? Did you vote for warped?
David in Austin on 25 Jan 2013 at 11:15 am #
I think the “E” in Ghosts’ ROE stands for effort, or possibly energy-expended. I have to admit, I was shocked by the word use in today’s A & J comic. In my experience, JJ will have lost well over 50% of his audience with the word “extrapolated”. Most will probably think that it has something to do with the removal of a certain feminine foundation garment with clasps in the back… I shudder to think what might happen if he had also included “interpolated”!
Peter B. Steiger on 25 Jan 2013 at 11:25 am #
Fargone, I’m a bible belter and I didn’t think twice about today’s strip. I do indeed worry more about what’s on TV!
Today’s strip about calories made me laugh because I made calorie counting a serious part of my diet (100 pounds across 12 months!) Those science wonks came up with an estimate of how many calories you burn for every gram of weight you carry doing pretty much every imaginable activity from sleeping to running marathons. So you plug your weight and amount of time and “metabolic equivalents” into this formula and it tells you how many calories you burned.
Unless you’re a gymnast, foreplay is only slightly more activity than sitting in bed watching TV (1.0 METs) or standing in line (1.71 METs)… so, yeah, an hour of foreplay for a 180-pound man would indeed work out to around 110-120 calories.
It’s not just extrapolation… it’s entirely theoretical!
sandcastler on 25 Jan 2013 at 11:41 am #
I wonder if JJ knew extrapolated foreplay would grow into a wildfire. It is just a matter of time before it hits the urban dictionary. As a side bar, I wonder if Ms. Curtis has it blocked, or how many concerned parents even know what it is.
Ghost Rider 6 on 25 Jan 2013 at 11:44 am #
I thought “extrapolate” is what ladies do to remove dead skin from their bodies. Now that I’ve looked it up, today’s cartoon makes much more sense.
Having been chastised by Mindy, I hearby resolve, beginning immediately, to post nothing that is not “G” rated. Should I stray into “PG” territory, please let me know immediately. Thank you.
Ghost Rider 6 on 25 Jan 2013 at 11:48 am #
Gee, gang, is there anything in the world sweeter than a warm, soft, fluffy kitten? I certainly don’t think so!
I hope everyone has a swell weekend.
David in Austin on 25 Jan 2013 at 11:53 am #
GR6 — golly!
Norm in Utah on 25 Jan 2013 at 11:54 am #
I don’t think I voted for anything. But the unwrapping must be at warp speed, just like Janis when Arlo noted it was going to be a long winter.
sandcastler on 25 Jan 2013 at 12:01 pm #
Gee, GR6, you surprised me with that last comment. I always viewed you as a Glock packing, Doberman walking, tree top flying kind of guy.
Ghost Rider 6 on 25 Jan 2013 at 12:26 pm #
Gee willikers, Mindy, I’ll bet your Mom was really really mad at you for wasting her plastic wrap. I remember once I tried to make an invisible kite with plastic wrap, and boy, was my Mom steamed! I had to stand in the corner for like an hour!
Well, me and some friends are going unicorn hunting now. If I can find my darn Kodak Brownie, that is.
Ghost Rider 6 on 25 Jan 2013 at 12:31 pm #
Oh, I meant to tell you guys something funny. A lady friend asked me if she could sleep over last night and I told her sure. Then I told her she could get on top. She seemed real excited until she saw my bunk bed. Then she left, but it was real funny!
Ghost Rider 6 on 25 Jan 2013 at 12:42 pm #
No, sandcastler, my Doberman died. He choked on something, I think it was the mailman. It was real sad, but I have a real sweet little Pomeranian now. Her name is Agnieszka. The only thing wrong is I think she only understands Polish. I don’t speak Polish.
Mindy on 25 Jan 2013 at 12:48 pm #
Ghost, you do not have to dial back the rhetoric. I don’t intend to be a censor, don’t think I’d make a good one at all. I wonder if the lady still comes to this site? Or is she shocked by semi-adult content? Or was that all a majorly great joke on us all? Like someone we all suspect and the Virgin Mindy? Was Pomerania in Poland? I thought it was between Germany and Poland…but what do I know? And I was living away from my parents when the Saran wrap incidents occurred. I’m glad the photographs were accidentally destroyed.
Ghost Rider 6 on 25 Jan 2013 at 12:59 pm #
Gosh darn it! I was real exited to hear Toy Story 4 is coming out, but then I read in Weekly World News it’s going to be R-rated. So I won’t be able to see it. Gol’ durn you, Pixar.
sandcastler on 25 Jan 2013 at 1:03 pm #
GR6, R-rated?
Is it staring those naughty S-toys?
sandcastler on 25 Jan 2013 at 1:06 pm #
sandcastler povedal S-toys miesto sexu-hra?ky ako neurazí pani Curtisa.
Ghost Rider 6 on 25 Jan 2013 at 1:10 pm #
No, Mindy, you were right. I needed to get in touch with my inner-ten-year-old. Which I did. But then I remembered it was just a couple or so years later that the Mysteries of the Universe were revealed to me…and two of them had pokies!
Oh, hell! Another resolution down the crapper!
Are you sure the photos were destroyed? I once saw some on the Internet that might be them.
Ghost Rider 6 on 25 Jan 2013 at 1:40 pm #
It’s a good thing I don’t speak Slovak, either. Otherwise I would suspect sandcastler had made a suggestion involving someone’s panties and a “S-toy.”
Blinky the Wonder Wombat on 25 Jan 2013 at 1:41 pm #
“A 180-pound man will burn 119 calories in an hour of foreplay”
So many possible responses…
*… but he burns more if he’s doing it right.
* “But Honey, It’s part of my new weight-loss plan.”
* Does that include the use of performance-enhancing drugs?
* I would have loved to volunteer for that study.
* So how come Arlo still gains weight?
Steve from Royal Oak, MI on 25 Jan 2013 at 1:44 pm #
I ran a marathon, but that night had trouble falling asleep. I nudged my wife and her reaction was “OH YOU’VE GOT TO BE KIDDING”. I wasn’t, we did and I fell asleep right away. Only time that I ever got away with it, too.
Norm in Utah on 25 Jan 2013 at 2:32 pm #
Steve from Royal Oak
When the variation of that story shows up in A&J, make sure you get royalties (or at least a “tip of the Hatlo hat”) from JJ.
Mindy on 25 Jan 2013 at 2:38 pm #
I love you guys, you’re all totally weird! I like that in the perverts I associate with. Ask John. The photographs on the net were definitely NOT me. I didn’t use feathers…never mind.
S-Toys? Blinky, I love each of your optional responses…comments…whatever.
Ghost Rider 6 on 25 Jan 2013 at 2:43 pm #
Blinky, how about, “How many calories does that work out to for two minutes?”
Steve, you were fortunate. Janis turned down Arlo the time he couldn’t sleep because of that burrito or whatever it was he had for dinner.
We haven’t heard much from li’l Virgin Mindy lately, have we? I guess she’s busy filling out her admission packet for Loyola and all. Gonna go out for the volleyball team, hon?
Steve from Royal Oak, MI on 25 Jan 2013 at 2:49 pm #
Hey I’m not a pervert….I’ve been married to the same woman for thirty years. Well she’s not the same, but neither am I.
Amy Curtis on 25 Jan 2013 at 3:14 pm #
I was very disappointed in today’s strip as well as a recent one about “headlights”. I should not have to filter whether or not my kids read the comics in the newspaper! I plan to ask our local paper to drop your comic. I’m very disappointed.
Mindy from Indy on 25 Jan 2013 at 3:20 pm #
I happen to *like* the view from the top of the refrigerator. I also like that if I don’t like something, I don’t *have* to partake of it. If I try it and don’t like it, I don’t come back for more.
Ghost Rider 6 on 25 Jan 2013 at 3:38 pm #
Ms. Curtis, is this something you have just noticed? Please see the cartoon below, from five years ago.
http://www.gocomics.com/arloandjanis/2008/01/12
In case you haven’t noticed, many cartoons printed in newspapers these days may not be entirely age-appropriate for, say, a six-year-old. (That is why I inquired as to the age of your children.) Why are you suddenly obsessing about “Arlo and Janis”?
Ghost Rider 6 on 25 Jan 2013 at 3:50 pm #
I’m guessing this cartoon is not carried by Ms. Curtis’ newspaper…
http://www.gocomics.com/lastkiss/2013/01/04
Ghost Rider 6 on 25 Jan 2013 at 3:52 pm #
Or this one…
http://www.gocomics.com/libertymeadows/2013/01/05
Ghost Rider 6 on 25 Jan 2013 at 3:58 pm #
There are lots more where these came from…
http://www.gocomics.com/lastkiss/2012/11/26
Tom from the Front Range on 25 Jan 2013 at 4:00 pm #
Ms Curtis,
First let me complement you on the fact that your children actually know what a newspaper is. So few do these days and those that do consider them a tool used by us old fogies to read about events that are so yesterday.
I have found over many years and after raising three children that there are two stages of life for kids, too young to understand anything that adults can understand and old enough that they understand as much or more than adults do. The transition from one stage to the next is a very short span of time, usually taking place on the first day of the fourth grade. You may think they are innocent little darlings but you would just be fooling yourself.
Many of us who frequent this site do not have access to a newspaper that carries A&J nor many other fine comic strips. The reason for this is rarely content, mostly economic. It is likely that your newspaper has, in the past, conducted a survey of its readers to see which comics to keep and which to cancel. If A&J is still in your daily paper, rest assured that it is probably because a large majority voted to keep it in.
Protecting your children from the bad things in the world is an admirable endeavor. If this is your mission, never ever let them read the stuff on page one.
Mark in Boston on 25 Jan 2013 at 4:19 pm #
If your kid asks “Daddy, what’s foreplay?” just answer “Golf.”
Charlotte in NH on 25 Jan 2013 at 4:29 pm #
Lots of interesting comments today! But only one, forget who, focussed on the great improbability of engaging in foreplay for a whole hour! Not impossible, I guess, but darned unlikely. I think the reader is supposed to understand this and it’s part of the joke. And then, by extrapolate, I think Arlo means, the researcher wasn’t there in the bedroom (one would hope) so he or she figures it out by comparing it, or applying some math formula.
sandcastler on 25 Jan 2013 at 4:35 pm #
At least Virgin Mindy was good for a chuckle.
Charlotte in NH on 25 Jan 2013 at 4:35 pm #
Tom from the Front Range, I really like your well reasoned reply to Ms Curtis. I think, as parents of seven now-grown children, that we kind of half closed our eyes to this sort of thing. (It wasn’t so bad back then, either.) The kids have turned out OK.
sandcastler on 25 Jan 2013 at 4:50 pm #
Just peered at the comments posted over at GoComics.com, note Ms. Curtis has not posted there. Think she might have more influence with the boss than the artist. Noticed one comment over there was about a letter to the editor of the Memphis paper from a lady who had taken a dislike to A&J, might be our Ms. Curtis. Otherwise their comments mirror the group in here.
Ghost Rider 6 on 25 Jan 2013 at 5:41 pm #
I’m trying to keep the discussion at a high level, so I won’t tell the one about what “redneck foreplay” is. Although I suppose one could goggle it. Or bing it. Or whatever it.
BTW, Mindy, that joke was told to me by the millionaire widow lady who outbid everyone else for me a bachelors’ auction but whose existence you seemed to question.
Ghost Rider 6 on 25 Jan 2013 at 7:01 pm #
Debbe, where have you been? I thought it was your knee you hurt, not your fingers.
TruckerRon on 25 Jan 2013 at 7:36 pm #
Foreplay for an hour is easy; the wife and I have done it many times. It’s the icing on the cake that’s of much more limited duration, and Arlo seems to go for the icing too quickly.
Mindy on 25 Jan 2013 at 7:39 pm #
Hey! Whoa! Watch the Loyola libel there, Ghost! The Jesuits are far from being that unyielding. Besides, I can’t help but think that Ms. Curtis is an agent provocateur. Ghost, for a definition of that phrase, I think you could check under Dire Straits, but it means “one who is hired by someone else [agent] to provoke [or else "to provoc" which is ten times worse].” I hope this helps you adapt to the tremendous void in your understanding of the wonderfulness of the Loyola experience [at least in New Orleans, Sin City South or, as it's often called, "The Big Sleazy"]. As in everything else, including foreplay, it’s all about location, location, location. [Mindy knows that Ghost deliberately challenged her with the Loyola comment.] Mark, I know a lady here in the bleak, bleary and cold as HQ who defined “foreplay” [we were snickering about A&J's apparent detractors earlier today and "Hi, ______, if you actually decided to join The Village, leap right in!"] and she defined “foreplay” as “never.”
It just occurred to me, Ghost, that you must file and catalog the risque “adult oriented” cartoons for instant access. [Sigh!] Okay, I realize I done you wrong there so, “Risque” in French is “Risky.” Fair enough?
Mindy on 25 Jan 2013 at 7:40 pm #
I still think Ms. Curtis is the creation of a perverted mind right here in The Village, unscrupulous agitator that he is!
curmudgeonly ex-professor on 25 Jan 2013 at 7:48 pm #
eMb: I had forgotten to check with my MBH about the Decorah eagles. At dinner, I remedied that omission. She told me that she gets a lot – maybe all – of her information from the Decorah eagles facebook page. I wouldn’t know, as I don’t use that type of medium, but you may find it worth your while.
Tongue-firmly-planted-in cheek sections: I never interpolated until highschool, and then, did so right in class! Eventually, a bunch of us – both genders – did so simultaneously with our teacher. Later on, in college, I learned to extrapolate – again, right in class. Those were the days….
JJ mentioned foreplay? Heavens-to-Murgatroyd!! What next, Janis with PMS? More seriously, I don’t recall any A&J with even a hint of such; perhaps Janis is being portrayed as a very fortunate woman – or else, PMS is something about which nothing funny can ever be said. Is the latter the real situation, ye ladies of the blog?
sandcastler on 25 Jan 2013 at 7:51 pm #
Mindy, do want to name whom you believe is the village agitator? We could erect a pillory in the town square and tickle ‘em to death with a skim feather up the nose.
sandcastler on 25 Jan 2013 at 7:52 pm #
Skim s/b slim, Siri bites once again.
sandcastler on 25 Jan 2013 at 8:01 pm #
^^^^^ wonders if there is overnight delivery on the Acme 6100 Pillory kit.
Ghost Rider 6 on 25 Jan 2013 at 8:02 pm #
Whoa, Mindy. I just thought that, as a self-described advanced student at a parochial high school, Loyola might be a good fit for Virgin Mindy. And since, for some reason, I picture her as being about five ten in height and resembling #12 in the picture below, I thought the Wolf Pack volleyball team uniform might be a good fit for her, also.
http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6201/6082992089_d268fd7a50_z.jpg
And I keep my file catalog of “spicy” A&J cartoons in my head. Along with a lot of other things.
Steve from Royal Oak, MI on 25 Jan 2013 at 8:15 pm #
I think that Lennay Kekua.may be Amy Curtis…At least that is what Ronaiah Tuiasosopo told me!
sandcastler on 25 Jan 2013 at 8:17 pm #
A candid photo of one of the villagers, guess who.
http://images.thesartorialist.com/thumbnails/2013/01/10913Camopants6916Web.jpg
sandcastler on 25 Jan 2013 at 8:24 pm #
Hmm, having links going into woo woo land.
John in NY on 25 Jan 2013 at 8:50 pm #
There will always be people who believe their view should be shoved down the throats of others. If Amy is from Memphis all I would suggest is those in the Memphis area counter her complaints with compliments and, sorry after over 100 posts I forget who said it, there are worse things said on page 1 than in this strip or any comic. Suffice it to say she’s an ignorant person who will find in just a few short years that her attempts to hide the world from her children will have blown up in her face.
Charlotte in NH on 25 Jan 2013 at 9:02 pm #
Oh my goodness, Trucker Ron — well, I guess I was lacking in imagination. I’ll retire from the conversation. I see what you mean, though.
TruckerRon on 25 Jan 2013 at 9:18 pm #
It’s just a mater of knowing what words mean, right? Foreplay is Acts I, II, III, and IV for us. Act V is shorter, but definitely the climax of the play!
Ghost Rider 6 on 25 Jan 2013 at 9:22 pm #
Overheard in my office:
First Female Staff Member: “Twelve inches is way too much for me.”
Second Female Staff Member: “Yeah, six inches is plenty.”
They were, of course, trying to decide on a Subway sandwich order for lunch. Subway, by the way, has issued a press release promising that in the future anyone who orders their foot-long sub will get a full twelve inches.
Jerry in Fl on 25 Jan 2013 at 10:31 pm #
When I was playing music at car shows I got a big dose of opinion from a lady who didn’t like “Ride a Cowboy”. I stopped the song and instead played “Sure Love to Ball” by Little Richard. She didn’t come back. The Muppets was a show that I really thought was funny and was enjoyed by viewers of all ages. It certainly had humor on more than one level. I would watch it today and I wouldn’t worrry about Jim Henson’s death from “pneumonia” or why Elmo got fired or why one of the characters was purple. If the kids don’t like it they won’t read it just like the majority of strips that I’ve stopped reading.
Mark in TTown on 25 Jan 2013 at 10:33 pm #
I take it the lucky Mrs. Curtis doesn’t own a TV or take her kids to the movies either. Never mind listen to radio or go to the library.
Mark in TTown on 25 Jan 2013 at 10:35 pm #
She would’ve had a cow with Steve Canyon and Terry and the Pirates. Caniff could draw some sexy women too.
sideburns on 25 Jan 2013 at 11:44 pm #
For that matter, I’ll bet she can’t stand looking at 9 Chickweed Lane.
Debbe59 on 26 Jan 2013 at 5:25 am #
If they can’t take twelve inches…..they should just fold it in half
Mindy on 26 Jan 2013 at 5:58 am #
Thank God that Jimmy didn’t mention //whisper\\ Breast Feeding! That, following “pokies” and then “foreplay” would have brought down the furious wrath of the one true Amy Curtis, of whom I am still suspicious. There’s a great irony at play here. I do respect the right of everyone in The Village to have his or her own opinion, spurious though it may be in my mind. So, I respect Ms. Curtis’ opinion, idiotic though it may be in my mind. What bothers me is that she/he doesn’t merely express an opinion, ridiculous though it may be in my mind, she/he essentially condemns everyone here who does not share it with her/him. I thought of John’s response when we were accosted by an idjit of the nth degree on the street. John kept trying to gracefully disengage since he wasn’t working and we had places to go. When the poules d’eau wouldn’t take a hint, John politely said, “Shut up. When I want your opinion I’ll tell you what it is.” I’ll not say that to Ms./Mrs./Mr. Curtis because I am a Southern Lady who studiously avoids conflict in any form. Mark in TTown, you are making an assumption in that you refer to the delightful Amy Curtis is married. I’m curious how many males would keep her around for very long…if she/he/it is real. [I know, Ghost, the he and she were transposed but I knew full well what you'd do if it wrote them in that order. I am learning to be proactive in here in my effort to avoid all conflict in any form!]
Stop that snickering!
Debbe59 on 26 Jan 2013 at 6:34 am #
Hey…good morning Mindy….what’s for breakfast?
Debbe59 on 26 Jan 2013 at 6:36 am #
Good Morning to you too GR…thanks for thinking of me…my knee is doing fine…got a little depression going on with myself right now.
Ghost Rider 6 on 26 Jan 2013 at 7:02 am #
Hey, Debbe, hon. Glad to hear the report about your knee; about the other, not so much.
“Fold it in half”? Thanks a lot for getting my day off with a wince and a cringe.
OK, if you need me for the next hour or so, I’ll be reading and analyzing Mindy’s post above. It probably has something to do with me, as she seems to spend a lot of time thinking about me. But then, who can blame her?
Be well.
Mindy on 26 Jan 2013 at 7:07 am #
A hug for Debbe, dark moods need a friend to warm you and you have an entire Village here. As for breakfast? Your choice but I was thinking of eggs, fried; Virginia ham for side sandwiches; sausage patties; gravy biscuits; hash browns done crisp; milk; orange juice; coffee. The diet will resume tomorrow. We’re celebrating [a] sunshine after the storm, and, [b] Debbe’s return, and [c] Amy Curtis and Virgin Mindy who have both interjected a measure of angst into The Village to rouse the rabble. And another hug for Debbe from John and Ginger. Ain’t we just the huggingest bunch you ever did see? Here, Debbe, have a cinnamon roll that John fixed because he’s the best baker. The diced fruit assortment was Ginger’s idea since [gender specific detail deleted] it might somehow counter the unhealthy but one-time delicious other stuff.
Amy Curtis is invited to stop by to join us. There will be no foreplay, no pokies, and, God forbid! No breastfeeding allowed! Extrapolation was bad enough. Lactation would get us raided by the PC Police!
Don in Oklahoma on 26 Jan 2013 at 7:16 am #
As for me, I just finished my oatmeal and and getting ready to head out and run a Pinewood Derby race for a bunch of Cub Scouts. We got all the cars checked in last night and we will have the races this morning. The kids (and adults) love this event.
Here’s wishing everyone a great weekend!
Blinky the Wonder Wombat on 26 Jan 2013 at 7:29 am #
Don in OK=
Ah, the Pinewood Derby. A great American tradition straight from the brush of Norman Rockwell. I have lots of fond memories about by son and nephew and their pinewood cars. Have fun!
Ghost Rider 6 on 26 Jan 2013 at 7:56 am #
A number of years ago, I monitored and advised my godson as he built his car for his first entry into a Pinewood Derby race. His car placed first in his class. Some of the other Scouts, and especially their moms and dads, actually got a bit torqued. They obviously take the Derby quite seriously.
Thanks for giving of your time for such a worthy cause, Don.
sandcastler on 26 Jan 2013 at 7:57 am #
Don in OK, race away and enjoy your day.
Debbe59, your remark makes me thankful I am not a 12 incher; though that places me in The Village minority, since like Lake Wobegone most here are above average.
sandcastler on 26 Jan 2013 at 8:11 am #
Just found this NYT article on cheese.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/23/dining/creative-cheesemongers-pen-clever-descriptions.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1
I am certain Ms. Curtis will not want her children reading about cheese, whoever knew cheese had a risque bent.
Ghost Rider 6 on 26 Jan 2013 at 8:14 am #
With no irrefutable evidence to support either view, I am going to assume that Amy Curtis is what she claims to be…a concerned parent (albeit an overly concerned one, most of us here would agree). But you know what? She is just as welcome to partake of the fellowship (and sometimes join the fray) here as anyone else. That’s one of the things I like about this community.
And BTW, if those posts were indeed someone’s idea of humor and levity, he/she/it (Oh…I see what you mean, Mindy.) needs to work on your humor and levity output.
And thanks for posting your breakfast menu, Mindy. You really know how to hurt a guy who is still diligently working on getting back down to his fighting weight. The strange thing is that I have such a hankering for milk.
Ghost Rider 6 on 26 Jan 2013 at 8:22 am #
Yes, just what the world needs…more cheese snobs. Or should I say “snobs de fromage”?
emeritus Minnesota biologist on 26 Jan 2013 at 8:28 am #
“Shut up. When I want your opinion I’ll tell you what it is.” That’s a keeper. The rest of you may have heard/seen it before. Never [actually, "Rarely"] watching the tube, one can lead a sheltered life. It has advantages.
Maybe I’m just not paranoid enough, but I doubt [Yay, Thomas!] that our two bluenoses are closet Villagers.
Actually, I’m probably the only true “Villager” here, having grown up within what is now called “The West Village”, first on the same block as the Washington Square Methodist Episcopal Church [later UMC], which became the first “Reconciling” congregation in the USA, and second on the same street as the residence of New York’s merry but buyable mayor Jimmy Walker. I’ve actually been in the house on St. Luke’s Place that was Jimmy’s residence back in the ’20-maybe early ’30s. I’d have to look it up.
c x-p: Sorry, that won’t work for me. I quit Facebook / password problems.
emeritus Minnesota biologist on 26 Jan 2013 at 8:30 am #
Ghost posted while I was writing the above. We are not in cahoots.
Mindy from Indy on 26 Jan 2013 at 8:33 am #
Ah, back to food. The Village just can’t seem to wander away from the topic for very long. (Not that I’m complaining.) The thought of hash browns makes me want home fries with onions (and maybe some green pepper) and cheese, extra crispy. Love potatoes, just don’t give me instant, bleh!
Mindy on 26 Jan 2013 at 8:49 am #
Mindy, around here “hash browns” and “home fries” are interchangeable. What I love is hash browns/home fries stirred in with four eggs over medium and two sausage patties making a sort of corned beef hash without the corned beef…which sometimes does get mixed in…
I’m actually trying to GAIN a little weight! John says I’m “just right” but I think I’m too scrawny. What I can’t figure is how, all through my life of ____ years I have eaten anything I’ve ever wanted and hardly ever gained a pound once I was out of puberty. [Oh! Lord! That word! Puberty! That's worse than FOREPLAY or BREAST FEEDING!] But I’ll still ran with John this morning, which just worked up an appetite for us both. [Hush, Ghost!] Oh, well, it’s time to start thinking about what to fix for lunch….
John says he knows what he wants to eat for lunch and it’s very low in calories. I’m afraid to ask. Ms. Curtis? Would you care to ask John for me? Virgin Mindy, stay away from him. I think you’re a lecher!
sandcastler on 26 Jan 2013 at 8:52 am #
Damn, now I have a craving for hush puppies.
Robin in FL on 26 Jan 2013 at 9:11 am #
Debbe
((hugs))
Ghost Rider 6 on 26 Jan 2013 at 9:18 am #
Yay, puberty! It’s made us all what we are today. (Except for maybe Ms. Curtis’ kids, so far.)
Ref John’s low-cal lunch, Mindy, tell him I said “Bon appétit!”
Me, I just satisfied my hankering for milk. Then I had breakfast.
The thing that’s unfortunate about gaining weight is that you can’t choose what part of your body it goes to. “Where would you want yours to land, Mindy?” he asked innocently.
Steve from Royal Oak, MI on 26 Jan 2013 at 9:32 am #
In regards to Freedom of Speech, we ALL have it, even those that we disagree with, so everyone is entittled to their own opinion. I have had the attitude that if I find something objectionable, I just don’t watch it or read it, but I do shake my head at some of the stuff out there (violence, sex, hatred, etc) that people are exposed to.
That being said, JJ did not actually show Ludwig ralfing (or at least not too much) but inferred it. Hitchcock movies were so scary, but he tended to focus on the reaction to the bad things happening to them and not the actual bad things.
Ginger on 26 Jan 2013 at 9:46 am #
I just read an article, filler, in what passes for one of the area’s daily “newspapers,” the only redeeming feature of which is the fact that they do carry Arlo and Janis. But, as Mindy, dear, sweet Mindy would say, “I do digress as well as getting off my topic.” In said “newspaper,” in the section under “More Non-News and Filler and Fluff,” there was a half page article about the Luddites. Hates, I do, to admit it, but until today I thought a Luddite was a fan of Ludwig, el gatto! Mindy wants broader shoulders so she’ll look sexier in the sundresses, Ghost. I think she needs to gain a little in the _______ area. Oh, golly gee whizzakers! “Sexier!” Ms. Curtis going to say now? The next think we know, some evil person will mention “Cup Size” and really start a flow of smut and such!
Ghost Rider 6 on 26 Jan 2013 at 9:48 am #
“It’s unfair to say that men spend their lives in the pursuit of sex. That is simply not true. We do, after all, have to eat.” — Giacomo Casanova
Ghost Rider 6 on 26 Jan 2013 at 10:06 am #
“…look sexier in the sundresses”? Be still my heart! Although if Mindy wants broader shoulders, she may need to take up regular swimming.
Explanation of Cup Sizes (with apologies to the chronically offended)
A – Almost
B – Barely
C – Can’t Complain
D – Dang!
DD – Double Dang!
E – Enormous
F – Fake
G – Get a Reduction
H – Help me! I’ve fallen and I can’t get up!
sandcastler on 26 Jan 2013 at 10:19 am #
According to GR6′s handy guide I am a “Can’t Complain” kind of guy. Again, if the women in The Village are like the men, all above average, they will all tend towards the top of the scale.
Mindy on 26 Jan 2013 at 10:22 am #
Mindy does swim regularly, Ghost. And, before you ask, Mindy wears a comely two-piece bathing suit that fits well enough that it doesn’t come off accidentally. When Ginger told me what [gender specific indicator deleted] has said about “Cup Size” I just knew that there was more to come. Ghost? Did it ever occur to you that Ginger just might be my identical twin sister? Or perhaps not.
Ghost Rider 6 on 26 Jan 2013 at 10:42 am #
“…two-piece bathing suit”? Be still my heart! (Yes, I will admit to being easily excited…by some things.) Every woman I’ve known who had broad shoulders (of the sexy sort) had done a lot of laps. In the pool, I mean.
Several things have occurred to me about Ginger. Some of them will make me very disappointed if (gender specific pronoun deleted) turns out to be male. (That didn’t come out weird, did it?) But if (gender specific pronoun deleted) is indeed your identical twin sister, does that mean (deleted gender specific pronoun would have to be “she” then, wouldn’t it?) also wants broader shoulders and “to gain a little in the _______ area”?
Mindy on 26 Jan 2013 at 10:50 am #
Ah, Dear Ghost Rider, you are so instant gratification! Now, what else can we discuss to further agitate Ms. Curtis?
Mark in TTown on 26 Jan 2013 at 11:08 am #
To the following author’s comments, I will say Amen!
http://www.oanow.com/opinion/columns/joe_mcadory/article_75f28a54-6786-11e2-809d-0019bb30f31a.html
John in Richmond Texas on 26 Jan 2013 at 11:20 am #
People, Please ! . puberty, extrapolation, what’s next, matriculation ? . Steve/Royal Oak – freedom of speech, Yes, but you can’t go around yelling MOVIE! in a crowded Fire Station.
TruckerRon on 26 Jan 2013 at 11:25 am #
In my high school math class, we learned a bit about osculation. Later on, in college, I learned a lot about the other sort.
sandcastler on 26 Jan 2013 at 11:27 am #
Nor should one order fish on Monday or at a steakhouse.
Debbe59 on 26 Jan 2013 at 11:37 am #
Just woke up from a five hour ‘nap’…feeling the same. I want to thank all of you for your enlightening well wishes. Have a doctor’s appt on the 17 of next month. I’m underweight, and one knows depression is not an appetizer…not for me at least. My son was laid off from work because he did something really stupid at work and got caught. I am praying that the Christian man I work for will let him come back. Please pray for a positive outcome in this, because my husband is not a very understanding man. My son is my whole life and the only reason I want to live Before I married my husband, his one and only son, at the age of 17 committed suicide, I now can understand why…why am I pouring my soul out here?
I am going to delete the link to this website….I know how to back here….I once had one tell me where I could find ‘sympathy….in the dictionary between sucker and syphilis
Ghost Rider 6 on 26 Jan 2013 at 11:37 am #
Alright, guys, we’ll probably be OK as long as no one brings up the subject of “mastication”. Or “organisms”. Or “formication”.
Mindy, perhaps we could start with a closer examination of the full meaning of the Casanova quote above.
Mindy on 26 Jan 2013 at 12:13 pm #
Our prayers are with you and your son, Debbe. Please don’t go! I’ll make Ghost behave!
Mindy is now going swimming. Ten laps in an Olympic size pool. I’m gonna die, I just know it…And don’t a single person throw “gestation” into the arena! It would destroy Ms. Vodka Collins.
Robin in FL on 26 Jan 2013 at 12:24 pm #
GR6
While your cup size chart is amusing, it’s also completely behind the times and a bit unfair to perpetuate totally incorrect information. You’d be surprised how small DD really is in correct measurements, and women who are larger shouldn’t be admonished that they are fake or need surgery.
I guess it’s a bit like men measure, eh? Which brought to mind the expression (for no particular reason) measure twice, cut once…
Ghost Rider 6 on 26 Jan 2013 at 12:50 pm #
Debbe, please check in from time to time and let us know how you are doing. We care.
Ghost Rider 6 on 26 Jan 2013 at 12:54 pm #
I apologize, Robin. I can only blame my lack of firsthand knowledge of the subject. So, please, no cutting, OK?
Robin in FL on 26 Jan 2013 at 1:16 pm #
Edwina Scissorhands stands by
sandcastler on 26 Jan 2013 at 1:31 pm #
^^^^ thinking of moving out of the village and squatting upon the hills.
Ghost Rider 6 on 26 Jan 2013 at 1:47 pm #
Wait, sand. I may need to go with you.
Mindy on 26 Jan 2013 at 2:34 pm #
Chickens. Mindy is back. Mindy has a nice Winchester pocket knife. Mindy has just sharpened knife. Mindy will protect you.
Ginger on 26 Jan 2013 at 2:47 pm #
Gee, Mindy, that sounded a lot like “See the nice Tax Man. See the nice Tax Man work really hard to try and save you money.”
Ghost Rider 6 on 26 Jan 2013 at 3:13 pm #
Gee, Mindy. Either you swam really fast, or the pool is really close. If it isn’t indoors, I hope it’s heated.
sandcastler on 26 Jan 2013 at 3:25 pm #
GR6, if she swam in an outdoor pool John would be like a deer, blinded by her high beams.
Ghost Rider 6 on 26 Jan 2013 at 4:05 pm #
Ms. Curtis, please forgive my on-line friend for his use of the salacious phrase “blinded by her high beams.” I’m sure that what he meant to say was “impressed by her enhanced pokies.”
OK, one more, and I’ll stop…
Mindy, I often imagine that I’m obfuscating you.
sandcastler on 26 Jan 2013 at 4:15 pm #
OMG, I have been labeled as a salacious on-line friend. Wonder if I am delivered to the table with a choice of dipping sauces.
Ginger on 26 Jan 2013 at 4:17 pm #
Obfuscating? Have you no shame? At least you didn’t say Onomatopoeia! That would really have been the cat’s meow! What a hoot!
Mark in TTown on 26 Jan 2013 at 4:30 pm #
Debbe, cutting yourself off from the people you feel you can talk to is one of the worst things about depression. It deprives you of the support network you need to help make it through. I know, because I have literally stood on the edge of a cliff and thought about that next step. I had become totally isolated from my former friends after I moved and had made no new ones. Everything in my life seemed to be going into to the toilet and I felt I couldn’t tell anybody. Don’t let yourself get into that position. I know it hurts to talk, but it will hurt worse if you don’t.
Mark in Boston on 26 Jan 2013 at 4:33 pm #
The “fold it in half” line above made me think of a limerick. You all know it, so this is just a reminder.
There once was a young man of Kent,
Whose —- — – —— —- — —-.
So to save himself trouble,
He folded it double,
And ——- — —— — —-.
sandcastler on 26 Jan 2013 at 4:41 pm #
Psst, Ginger, no hissing please.
Anonymous on 26 Jan 2013 at 4:52 pm #
Mark in Boston Whose WTEMNTN And GTMTN ???
Ghost Rider 6 on 26 Jan 2013 at 6:28 pm #
“Salacious,” not “delicious.”
Well, Ginger, you are correct about the wisdom of not engaging in onomatopoeia, the example that comes to mind being “bang.”
BTW, do you have any comment on the suggestion that you and Mindy may be identical twin sisters?
Steve from Royal Oak, MI on 26 Jan 2013 at 6:46 pm #
Debbe: What Mark said…..
I have never been to the cliff, but I am a firm believer in trying to stay in touch. We are shocked when we realize that others have had the same issues. We all care about you and either have been in your son’s shoes or had children in his shoes.
When my daughter messed up she was shocked at how understanding I was. Privately, I was sick and disappointed, but I told her that we learn more about a person’s character when they face difficulties than those who never face them. She was depressed, but determined to pull her self out of her problems and she did. I am so proud of her.
Depression is not something that you can “shake off”, so please get help and remember that all of us are rooting for you. It might seem desolate now, but things can and WILL get better.
Take care.
Debbe59 on 26 Jan 2013 at 6:57 pm #
MY A%J friends…I’m not going to disappear from here…I’ll still be posting, the deleting the link will keep my snooping husband from checking out my comics links.
Mark in T….I feel your pain..this place has given me insight, education, laughter and new friends. I look forward every morning to logging on here. I even tell Junior about some of the adventures that take place here. Between my hens, my son and you guys, I do have some sanity. Yes, I am standing near that cliff, but there’s that one commandment. I am going to talk to my minister soon and a lady friend who came to visit me last Sunday. I’ve been missing church the past two months….He’s not been in my life much lately. Have to work tomorrow. Think I’m going to start reading a few passages in the morning…something I haven’t done in years…then I’ll hit A and J. Got a lot of Chicken Soup Book for the Sous books….need to get those out too. I’ve been off my antidepressants now for a few months, that’s why the doctor’s appt.
In Christian love….and hey, the humor in here is great….even God had a sense of humor…look at me
Galliglo in Ohio on 26 Jan 2013 at 6:57 pm #
Mark in TTown: Another AMEN!!!
Galliglo in Ohio on 26 Jan 2013 at 7:08 pm #
Debbe59: Taking antidepressants is not a weekness – you need them! Been there – done that, so I know. The Scripture will help… also getting back in church and reaching out to the A & J Village. We DO care. And as far as telling us your troubles, go to it! We care… we will listen… and sometimes it is easier to open up to someone who you will not run into on the street next week.
Steve from Royal Oak, MI on 26 Jan 2013 at 7:10 pm #
Debbe:
Glad to see that you are still reading us. We will try to be funny, but I seem to be funnier when I am trying to be serious than when I intend to!
Just got home from singing at Mass….God REALLY has a sense of humor. Keep the Faith.
Ghost Rider 6 on 26 Jan 2013 at 7:24 pm #
Debbe dear: I was going to post to you tomorrow morning, hoping you would follow your practice of checking in early mornings. In addition to seconding what others have said, I just wanted to say that your previous posts (and the one above) tell me you are a person of faith. Let that faith be your lifeline. I was also going to suggest you reach out to your minister, but I see that is your plan. Please follow up on that. And please continue to come here, even if it’s just for a semi-anonymous shoulder to cry on. Mine are pretty broad…and Mindy is working on hers.
Steve from Royal Oak, MI on 26 Jan 2013 at 7:36 pm #
OK, I guess I will stick my neck out for you. Here is a YouTube recording that I made 3 years ago singing Psalm 91. Pardon my singing, but listen to the words. I think of this Psalm quite often in my life.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWzLjd_Avuk
Mindy from Indy on 26 Jan 2013 at 7:36 pm #
Debbe59, To echo everyone here, it’s always a pleasure to hear from you and you are not alone. And most importantly, never stop laughing. And just now I remembered a moment which made me think of you. I grew up in a very small farming town in Ohio. Many of the farms raise poultry. One afternoon a few years ago, I pulled up to the town’s only traffic light (which of course I hit on red) to see a rogue chicken that had apparently fallen out of a transport semi wandering in the intersection. All four sides of the intersection stopped and waited as two guys lept from a pickup (waiting on the light to change) to catch the chicken. Now most of my male classmates in school had chicken catching as their first job. These guys were obviously pros; it only took them a minute or two to catch the chicken. Once one of the guys had the chicken safely tucked up under his arm, the two men hopped back into the truck and waited for the light. I’m hoping they named her Camillia and she lived a long life as an egger.
Ghost Rider 6 on 26 Jan 2013 at 8:19 pm #
Beautiful Psalm, Steve…passable rendition.
emeritus Minnesota biologist on 26 Jan 2013 at 9:45 pm #
Debbe: Peace. emb
Jerry in Fl on 26 Jan 2013 at 9:55 pm #
Small town, one light, catching a chicken, hmmmmmm! And they looked like they had done it before,more hmmmmm. Debbie, I try, believe it or not, to avoid putting personal things on here after a really bad experience on another forum that involved a whole lot of really weird stuff. I told that story a very long ago and I won’t do it again here. I am myself a survivor of two types of cancer and I have Parkinsons that makes it dificult to see the keyboard and I often strike a key three times or not hard enough to function. If anyone tells you that they’ve never considered suicide, you know one thing for sure-they’re lying. As long as you consider it and say no you’re ok. Who knows what weird and interesting and very enjoyable thing you might miss this week if you aren’t here. You may see the funniest movie that you’ve ever seen. You may find yourself sitting in a restaurant next to your favorite singer or movie star. You may have the oportunity to hold the most beautiful baby that you’ve ever seen. You could experiece a little sun shower followed by a fantastic double rainbow. If there is one place that you’ve always wanted to go to, what’s stopping you?
Jerry in Fl on 26 Jan 2013 at 10:13 pm #
cont’d If you absolutely can’t travel you can find beautiful dvds and also videos online of just about anywhere. I spent about two hours last night looking at pictures of Arches National Park and now I feel like I’ve been there. Finally, you have this forum. It is here 24 hrs a day just waiting for you. You can say anything that you like and no one will interrupt. You can say whatever, change your mind, erase it and no one will know. If it takes some time to think about just the right wording, no one will know. Finally finally, others peoples lives can look fantastic, but you never know what’s behind the smile and the closed door. Someone wiser than me once said that most people are about as happy as they want to be. If you think it would help, find a licensed mental health counselor. I didn’t say psychiatrist because they are just for medication, not talking. PS-We are here to help, but if you are conning us ( see other forum above) please find another hobby. Sorry.
Mark in TTown on 26 Jan 2013 at 10:39 pm #
Debbe59, thank you. I ended up talking it over with my wife and then went to the nearest VA facility. They talked to me extensively, put me on some antidepressants and got me together with a good counselor. My first appointment with the counselor got cut short though, it was 9/11/2001 and she had to help people at the hospital deal with watching that event. Anyway, I was on the medicine till about 2010, and then they decided I could do without it. One word of caution, don’t suddenly stop taking whatever you are given. There could be a very strong return of your symptoms, and it could mean that class of drug would no longer work for you. That is what the VA psychiatrist told me. God Bless You, and keep praying. I’ve been doing that for years and it does help!
Mark in TTown on 27 Jan 2013 at 1:07 am #
Whooee! talk about a fondue!
http://apnews.myway.com/article/20130123/DA3VSN9O0.html
Debbe59 on 27 Jan 2013 at 3:34 am #
Jerry in FL…I admire your forthrightness..thank you. I’m not a conning person, but I do like to con a person into a good joke
I was raised a Catholic…never studied the Bible until 14 years ago when I started attending the neighborhood Christian Church…my son played wtih the mininster’s two boys. My son came home and said we were invited to attend the next. He was seven, walked in shook hands with the greeters, and my son proceeded to walk right up the middle aisle to the front seat. Now this had been the first time I had been in church in 30 some years. I stayed, was immersed, got married…then a scandel hit the minister.
A year ago, we transferred our membership to this small community’s Christian Church. I felt good. My husband, I believe has bi-polar tendencies..he stopped going..and I stopped after awhile. There are underlying reasons here that I’m not going into. But, the Minister is the first on my list. He is a retired Navy officer and has been at the bottom of his life and ocean. I’m going to call him today….maybe take him some fresh double yolk, jumbo eggs
All of you are just great, with great advice: Proverbs 3….Trust in the Lord, and lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths straight.
Thanks to all….please keep my son in your prayers.
Oh, and Jerry, I don’t know what Christian network it is (I think Daystar, that show beautiful scenery with Christian music and scripture It’s usually on around 4 or 5 am Husband sleeps on the couch so the TV is off then.
sandcastler on 27 Jan 2013 at 7:55 am #
Love the red hot grill in the Sunday strip. Guessing from the attire there is jerked chicken a cook in’.
Ghost Rider 6 on 27 Jan 2013 at 8:00 am #
Arlo’s version of “The Door Into Summer.”
paul from nodak on 27 Jan 2013 at 8:19 am #
Last week (the 22nd) we celebrated our 30th wedding anniversary with grilling rib-eyes on the Weber charcoal grill here in Fargo, ND with a temp of 1 above and a wind chill somewhere south of the equator, capping off a wonderful evening!
Galliglo in Ohio on 27 Jan 2013 at 8:42 am #
Thank you, Steve from RO: What a lovely beginning for my one day off this week. I think I shall now be able to pull myself together and get ready to go to church!
Mindy on 27 Jan 2013 at 8:55 am #
Good morning and hugs to Debbe from me, Ginger and John. Hello, Villagers! Today’s word [close your ears, Ms. Curtis] is REPRODUCTION.
Conclusion: I think Ms. Curtis was a figment. For one thing, she’d never said a thing, just appeared like the Virgin Mindy, and her only comment was negative and inflammatory as if designed to SPAWN [there's another ear closer, Ms. Curtis!] controversy and discussion or debate or open revolt, whichever. I thought about this long and hard, even after getting to my swim late due to a small crisis at home [Mindy pleads a Mindy at this point] which delayed me. Thought about it in the pool [the Ms. Curtis question, not the crisis] and hit my hand on the edge of the pool at the far end because I wasn’t paying attention. [I was told that was the smoothest swimming I've ever done until the time of impact brought me back to whatever reality is.] There has certainly been far more “inciting” and “lascivious” and “[insert adjective here]” cartoons that should have brought the Judgmental Ms. Curtis to a boil long before this. No concrete proof, of course, but the timing and similarity between Virgin and Curtis is convincing.
Defense [or am I Prosecution?] rests. I’m going to relax eating cup cakes and drinking hot cocoa.
Mark in TTown on 27 Jan 2013 at 9:05 am #
Mindy, did you bring enough for everybody?
John in Virginia on 27 Jan 2013 at 9:33 am #
She had two smaller sized cupcakes, Mark, and a small cup of milk. For the record, her analysis above {I agree with her for more reasons than she is the Boss} is called Deductively Inductive Reasoning which, I am certain, all married men will recognize in a heartbeat. Ginger agrees in {gender specific pronoun deleted} own similar analysis, so it must be true, right?
Ginger as Mindy’s identical twin sister? Now there is a fantasy on JATO bottles for true! Of course, I am prohibited from in any way confirming or denying that proposition. {Another way of phrasing that is to say that I am under threat of serious bodily harm from Mindy as well as being…gee, Ms. Curtis, how can I phrase this? Disenfranchised? Set adrift? Cut off from all future bawdiness? Yeah, the last one works…}
Ghost Rider 6 on 27 Jan 2013 at 10:59 am #
Did I understand correctly that Mindy has two small-sized cupcakes?
Everyone placed their Super Bowl bets?
http://www.gocomics.com/arloandjanis/2010/02/04
Ginger on 27 Jan 2013 at 12:32 pm #
Forty-niners.
Ghost Rider 6 on 27 Jan 2013 at 1:01 pm #
What about points, Ginger?
Ginger on 27 Jan 2013 at 1:24 pm #
I will not get drawn into a discussion that you can turn into pokies. I am too much of a well-bred Southern (gender specific pronoun deleted) for that.
Mindy is betting on the Saints.
sandcastler on 27 Jan 2013 at 1:33 pm #
John, JATO bottles, what a flash back. Never understood the Jet in JATO when it was really one big bottle rocket. From stories I’ve heard, they are murder on airframes.
Ghost Rider 6 on 27 Jan 2013 at 3:25 pm #
I don’t know, Ginger…you take the favored team, and Mindy takes a team that’s not playing. I’m thinking that you are not ITS.
Lost in A**2 on 27 Jan 2013 at 3:49 pm #
Ms. Curtis’ comments brought to mind several oldies: Modesty Blaise, who often appeared less than fully clothed, the Girls in Apartment 3G, ditto, Judge Parker and Rex Morgan, not to mention Apple Mary. I still miss “Out Our Way” and “Our Boarding House.”
For the rest, it’s been a busy, but not exciting, few days.
Mark in Boston on 27 Jan 2013 at 4:00 pm #
@Anonymous: those were supposed to be dashes, one dash per letter, but this blog software appears to turn a pair of dashes into a Morse dash and a single dash into a Morse dot. Anyway, you either know the lines or you don’t, and dashes won’t help you.
Steve from Royal Oak, MI on 27 Jan 2013 at 4:02 pm #
Hey Ghost, New Orleans is in the Super Bowl…or is it vice versa? Still love my Saints, but really only rooting for the commercials. Jim Harbaugh has always been too brash for me and Ray Lewis’ carreer should have ended years ago.
Ghost Rider 6 on 27 Jan 2013 at 5:14 pm #
Here’s one for John and his shipmates that doesn’t even need to be bowdlerized too much…
There was a young fellow of Crew
whose —- was so straight and so true
that the Navy when fighting
could use it for sighting
and at full range could sink a canoe.
Ghost Rider 6 on 27 Jan 2013 at 5:36 pm #
Yeah, that’s strange. Four dashes converts to “N” [dash-dot] which doesn’t make sense. I was going to try to spell [dot-dash-dash-dot] [dash-dash-dash] [dash-dot-dash] [dot-dot] [dot] [dot-dot-dot] that way but was afraid it might convert to a word Ms. Curtis might find really objectionable, even in Morse Code.
Anonymous on 27 Jan 2013 at 6:33 pm #
Ginger, your last post seems to have omitted a noun, not a pronoun. (If you are keeping score, I think you are of the female persuasion.)
Jerry in Fl on 27 Jan 2013 at 6:48 pm #
For artistic beauty it would be difficult to beat Daisey Mae in Lil Abner or Betty and Veronica in Archie. Has anyone else noticed that some grocery stores are putting opaque (sp?) covers over the front of some magazines at checkout? I do understand though that chewing gum sells are up.
Ghost Rider 6 on 27 Jan 2013 at 7:29 pm #
Yes, Jerry…I learned a lot about female anatomy from Betty and Veronica.
mike in 96 on 27 Jan 2013 at 7:42 pm #
@Mark in boston
The CW anonymous response was me. My computer dumps (tosses) cookies everytime I turn it off. I can never remember to log back in! Anyway I was just trying to stir up the villagers, I know the lines well and some other’s that …. well I was a sailor for 4 years of my life, 40 years ago. Way before the military became politically correct. I have heard much worse.
Charlotte in NH on 27 Jan 2013 at 8:12 pm #
I just now went to read today’s — Sunday’s — funnies, and holy smoke !! I hope Ms Curtis didn’t look at Baby Blues today. It is really steamy ! No kidding. I like the strip a lot and read it every day. Take a look.
Mindy from Indy on 27 Jan 2013 at 8:28 pm #
Those aren’t dots and dashes, those are em dashes and en dashes and hyphens.
Em Dash (—): Denotes a pause in thought, a parenthetical statement, or — more casually — an afterthought. When typing, you can input a character by holding ALT and typing 0151 on the numpad.
En Dash (–): Denotes a range, especially of numbers, such as $100–150. ALT-0150 on a keyboard.
Hyphen (-): Used for the hyphenation of words (co-ordination; able-minded; pre- and post- touring.) Just use the keyboard key for this one.
My inner English nerd loves these things.
emeritus Minnesota biologist on 27 Jan 2013 at 8:30 pm #
8:24 pm, Sun. If you are not listening to MPR, WQXR, or some other public radio station right now, turn to one if it’s handy. Renee Fleming [sopr.] and Susan Graham [mezzo] are doing a live program from Carnegie Hall, “Un soiree francais.” They are top singers, but also funny. Details missing, but, in line with a major topic on this blog:
Male opera buff or producer to diva, “Madame, what holds that gown up?”
Diva: “Two things: your age, and my discretion.”
Ghost Rider 6 on 27 Jan 2013 at 8:44 pm #
Thanks, Lady Mindy; I always enjoy hearing from you, even if it is via your inner nerd.
Charlotte, I looked at that cartoon. And I am shocked, shocked I tell you, that cartoon characters would be portrayed behaving like vile, sordid humans. (Or at least behaving in a manner which Ms. Curtis surely would not.) I shall ask my local paper forthwith to discontinue the printing of such a smutty cartoon, lest my innocent dog, Ubu (who is in the habit of looking at the paper before he uses it for a more prosaic purpose) see it. He is an innocent young pup who spends much of his time watching Lassie reruns on the tube, and he should not be exposed to seeing humans roll around on the floor like animals. Oh, wait; my local paper doesn’t carry that cartoon. Never mind.
sandcastler on 27 Jan 2013 at 8:46 pm #
Thanks Charlotte, my Puritan sensibilities were just offended. Fortunately, they are only a tiny subset of my DOM sensibilities.
Ubu on 27 Jan 2013 at 8:49 pm #
Lassie is my favorite bitch.
Ghost Rider 6 on 27 Jan 2013 at 8:50 pm #
Sit, Ubu, sit! I’m not going to tell you again to quit using my computer!
sandcastler on 27 Jan 2013 at 8:52 pm #
^^^^^ wonders if he can get the MPR broadcast on his shortwave radio. Cannot recall getting Monrovian Public Radio before on my set, may have to tweak the fifty-five meter antenna.
Lost in A**2 on 27 Jan 2013 at 9:20 pm #
Lassie is a dog, not a bitch. So Ubu would seem to be a mite . . . confused. But then, Ludwig is a dog, too.
Jerry, I’ve also noted inconsistencies in the coverup: Cosmo is often covered, but Shape is seldom covered. Cosmo is sometimes covered in one display and not in another, at the same time in the same store. If they aren’t going to do it right, they shouldn’t bother trying.
Ghost Rider 6 on 27 Jan 2013 at 9:58 pm #
In fairness to Ubu, I believe that he was correct about the gender of Lassie the character, even if Lassie was portrayed by a canine actor of the opposite sex. Ubu is, as I said, an innocent young pup, who believes everything he sees on TV is true, which is why I don’t let him watch certain network and cable news outlets.
Jerry in Fl on 28 Jan 2013 at 1:39 am #
My kitties, on the oher hand, two of them being 4 on 3/17 and Spunky being 3 on 1/17, are old enough to watch whatever they want and they do watch with understanding although most doorbells on tv sound just like ours and they wonder why I don’t go to the door. Elvis, our king cat , watched Born Free intently until two lions started fighting and he wouldn’t watch that part.
Ginger on 28 Jan 2013 at 2:40 am #
Ghost Rider, in Shakespeare’s Theater Without Any Corners males often assumed the roles of females so Lassie is merely continuing the tradition only better. Except no female could ever play Steve McQueen, Sean Connery, Tommy Lee Jones, Tom Selleck, Colin Farrell, Daniel Craig…just to name a few. After watching “Life of Pi,” seeing what they did with the tiger (didn’t he once appear in Calvin and Hobbes?), I wouldn’t be surprised if Steve McQueen reappears, which would tickle John to no end. He’s always playing “Who Can Replace Steve McQueen As King Of Cool.” Farrell and Craig always seem to be at the head of that “cakey” list, whatever that means. Don Johnson could have but he got drugged out too much and lost work. Good night, it’s Monday morning and there may be another trip to The Cabin in the near future.
Ginger on 28 Jan 2013 at 2:42 am #
The Cabin is nothing like The Harmony Hut although Mindy is Wednesday. I see myself more like the role of (gender specific noun deleted). That rules out Cousin It since “it” is in no way gender specific.
Ginger on 28 Jan 2013 at 2:42 am #
Not unlike Pee Wee Herman.
Debbe59 on 28 Jan 2013 at 4:05 am #
Good morning A&Jville….they say work is good therapy..Yesterday, the hens were feeling their ‘oats’. Out of nine skids I packed 7..there are 24 trays of eggs per skid, which is 360 eggs, multiply that by 196 trays and you get 70,560 eggs!!!! Too tired too think of my self absorbed “oh, whoa is me”
The 15 year old kid I worked with told me he found a rooster and got rid of it. I told him he better not touch Junior…or he would wind up in the dead hen bin
Ya’ll have a blessed day…I am.
JDS on 28 Jan 2013 at 5:55 am #
How is Ms. Curtis going to explain Monday’s strip to the children?
Mindy on 28 Jan 2013 at 6:12 am #
Oh, JDS, you’re going to cause me to satisfy my curiosity online rather than reading today’s A&J in the newspaper, which my one real pleasure in reading the newspaper! I keep telling you guys, Ms. Curtis is not REAL! Unless you subscribe to Rene Descartes.
Mindy on 28 Jan 2013 at 6:12 am #
Or maybe it was the Archbishop of Canterbury. I get confused by all the Italian names.
Mark in TTown on 28 Jan 2013 at 6:35 am #
Mindy, your mention of Rene Descartes reminds me of Monty Python’s Philosophers Song. “Oh Rene Descartes was a drunken F…”.
Mindy on 28 Jan 2013 at 6:44 am #
Mark, believe it or not, at one time I had that Python song memorized! I started singing it in the Wolf Pub in front of a philosophy teacher and then he started singing it and three or four priests joined in along with some nuns…in other words, it was a crazy time on Ye Olde Loyola Campus! Now, in my dotage, I can hardly remember a bit of it. It’s all the fault of those nefarious robbers of youth and virtue, sandcastler and Ghost! John always hated me because he couldn’t remember hardly any of the song. Did you see their performance at the Hollywood Bowl? I have it on DVD with the rest of the Python episodes and movies and it’s hilarious!
How many closet Python freaks are in The Village, I wonder?
Ghost Rider 6 on 28 Jan 2013 at 6:50 am #
Debbe, you are correct, dear…busy is good at times like this. Also, breakfast lovers everywhere salute you.
And thanks for looking after Junior. Bet he gets to feel his “oats” a lot. 
Mindy, sandcastler must have relieved you of your virtue. I certainly didn’t get it. At least I’m fairly sure I’d remember if I had.
Ghost Rider 6 on 28 Jan 2013 at 7:03 am #
Mindy, I used to subscribe to René Descartes, but my subscription lapsed, and I haven’t gotten around to renewing it.
Mindy on 28 Jan 2013 at 7:06 am #
Good morning, Debbe!
Well, I definitely had indications that you were involved, Ghost, but, perhaps, I had partaken of one or six too many Manhattan Comforts. Now, JDS, I don’t know how the mythical Ms. Curtis will respond to today’s real-time A&J but I have to admit that I’m totally lost. Would someone care to explain to this humble recluse just what the joke is?
Mindy on 28 Jan 2013 at 7:09 am #
An old grouch, widely known for being the laziest man in six counties, was sitting on his front porch wasting time, as usual, while his elderly wife shucked corn and did that thing with green beans [I know how to do it, I do do it, but I can't for the life of me figure out what it's called...no, wait...she was stringing them!]. Ma looks down, sees something unusual, and says, “Pa? Your foot is on fire.” The old man sits there for another five minutes, too lazy to move, and finally says, “Which one?”
JDS on 28 Jan 2013 at 7:19 am #
Dear Mindy,
As Axe-Grinder pointed out, Janis just made a rather rude gestured to Arlo that she has ” . . . a middle friend…”
Mindy on 28 Jan 2013 at 7:25 am #
Oh! Well, I doubt that Ms. Curtis, is she is indeed a real carbon-based life form, caught the intramural digit display. Thanks.
JDS on 28 Jan 2013 at 7:30 am #
Dear Mindy,
Well, we are having this discussion in cyberspace . . . perhaps Ms. Curtis is a silicon-based life form, eh.
Ghost Rider 6 on 28 Jan 2013 at 7:49 am #
Sometimes, my some of my all-female staff will signal to me that they have only one friend, without me even asking.
sandcastler on 28 Jan 2013 at 7:59 am #
I see GR6 has posted on Janis’ Facebook page.
Blinky the Wonder Wombat on 28 Jan 2013 at 8:59 am #
Looks like GR8′s puppy is more fortunate than those in San Francisco:
http://news.yahoo.com/library-solves-digital-age-puppy-potty-problem-143902545.html