A pithy comic strip about life, love, lust and puthy cats.

Est. 1985

Extra, Extra!

Tough Love

By Jimmy Johnson

April 27, 1992


The day has just begun, and I’ve already made two mistakes. I told you I’d find something in the predigital archives that has not appeared anywhere since it was first published in newspapers. I dug this one out, and when I sat down to load it I realized it had appeared in the book “Beaucoup Arlo & Janis.” I thought it had not, so that was mistake number one. I didn’t have time to run to the attic for another cartoon, so I’m showing it to you. Before tomorrow’s post, I will take more time to find something I’ve been too embarrassed to show anyone until now. The other mistake? I cropped the left panel rule out of the scan. I didn’t have time to fix that, either.


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18 responses to “Tough Love”

  1. joe d Avatar
    joe d

    Good am JJ: Always enjoy the retro posts; never notice the cropping errors until you mention them.

  2. curmudgeonly ex-professor Avatar
    curmudgeonly ex-professor

    Hey, Hey! The first of September
    .I suppose something starts
    .But I can’t remember!

    .With apologies to the Merrie Month of May…

    1. Dawn Avatar
      Dawn

      Oh that’s nice! George Harrison always plays such an awesome guitar. It’s not the same kind of classy but here’s another September Song (and we had cool rain overnight as the seasons apparently peaked at the calendar): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kiC0bLoTRA

  3. Steve From Royal Oak, MI Avatar

    I had an eventful weekend. I drove to Grand Rapids on Saturday as I had a 6:00 AM Sunday morning start to my 25th Marathon. Due to Construction, a 2 1/2 hour drive became a 3 1/2 drive, so it kind of messed up my plans. Once I got my bib etc, I decided to attend the 5:00 PM Mass at nearby church but had to wait for an hour in the parking lot. While waiting, I got a call from a customer who told me that our plant could potentially shut down an assembly plant and that I needed to be on a 7:00 PM conference call. I had planned to be relaxing at a nearby Olive Garden, but after Mass found a Mom & Pop Italian restaurante and got takeout. I made it to the hotel just in time for the call, which lasted 5 minutes as miraculously we were able to cover the number of parts needed for Monday morning.

    I have been walking marathons since my hip replacement and the three that I did earlier this year were just at the local parks. However I have been building up the miles with virtually no injuries and even jogging a minute or two each mile. Rule number 1 in a marathon is go out slow so that you have something at the end. However I went out at a little faster pace than I wanted and knew that I would pay the price around mile 18. At mile 18 a guy walking in the park asked if I was running a marathon and for the next 3 hours walked with me! The last mile was difficult but I made the turn for home, I was happy. Except I was confused and turned left instead of going straight! I lost at least 5 minutes and close to .4 of mile LONGER than 26.2

    Amazingly my official time was 6:53:54 but it should have been 6:48. However my previous best official marathon since the replacement was 7:35 and most of them were in the 7:45 range. When I finished, I was upset as I lost so much time. However I was very tired and struggled to sit in a chair near the finish line. Even though this was a small race ( And we WERE socially distancing) there was a Doctor at the first aide tent. My BP was low and that was a sign of dehydration. I was still sweating, so I wasn’t too concerned, but he kept talking with me until I was starting to chatter away. I drove back to Royal Oak after stopping at the Cracker Barrel for Chicken Fried Steak and mashed potatoes, maybe the most unhealthy thing on the menu!

    I am about to leave for Big Rapids, MI with my boss as due to Covid, we had to lay off people and they are not coming back (the reason that we are short on parts) So as part of management, I have to work 3 to Midnight to keep the assembly plant running!

    1. Nancy Kirk in AZ Avatar
      Nancy Kirk in AZ

      Wow, Steve! Thanks for the update–most interesting. Glad you’re okay and did well time-wise. Our son always races against himself; it’s his own time he cares about, but he’s VERY competitive about that, so I know exactly what you’re talking about. Sad face about the layoffs and associated problems at your plant.

  4. emb Avatar
    emb

    Steve:
    It’s a longer way from first “fall” frost to last “spring” frost. Predicted lo W 9 Sep = 34F. Lo spots [e.g., a friend’s garden nr Guthrie] may well freeze. Were she still growing tomatoes, she’d cover them.
    You be careful! COVID-19 is going to kill some people that it does not infect.
    Peace

  5. DJJG Avatar
    DJJG

    Can’t fool Gene anymore like that!

  6. Ghost Avatar
    Ghost

    Re 9-1-20 real-time cartoon: Hum, that looks familiar, for so reason. 🙂

  7. Ghost Avatar
    Ghost

    Just for the record, I have never ripped a bodice.

  8. TruckerRon Avatar

    Well, the weather’s changed temporarily here in Utah. August was MUCH hotter than usual because we had a high pressure system over the state for several weeks. It was mostly perfect for stargazing before the wildfire smoke from California ruined the outdoors for both day- and nighttime activities. Today we awoke to mid-40s temperatures and (sigh) the onset of sweaters on the young ladies at my tech college. But the 90s are to return in time for Labor Day. 🙂

  9. Neal H Sanders Avatar

    Ye gods and little fishes! Must we now confess and atone for all sins great and small? You’re posting! Ergo, we’re happy. ‘Nuff said.

  10. Old Bear Avatar
    Old Bear

    c ex-p
    Sept 1 = start of Meteorological Fall
    .
    Happy Corn Moon all

  11. TruckerRon Avatar

    I don’t like the attempts at humor in this one… and I’d like to know more about HOW that tire came loose!
     
    https://www.ksl.com/article/50012865/have-you-seen-this-rogue-tire-hits-front-door-rings-doorbell-at-65-mph

  12. Mark in TTown Avatar
    Mark in TTown

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1qzWboZAFs The second one on this, that guy in the car was very lucky.

    1. TruckerRon Avatar

      There’s no video of the one tire I lost at about midnight on I-94 in Montana back around 2006. My right steer tire blew out and, after a few seconds, came off its rim and landed in a pasture. I mostly remember the frustration of trying to get a phone signal long enough to put the call in to the company.

  13. Ghost Avatar
    Ghost

    Tomorrow’s A&J is a good one. I swear that ML gets more buxom all the time.
    OK, I’ll stop doing this. 🙂

  14. Ghost Avatar
    Ghost

    I once encountered a truck wheel and tire (not of the 18-wheel variety and not moving) in the middle of the traffic lane on an unlit stretch of city street. With on-coming traffic, I did not see it in time to stop or steer around it. Ironically, it ruined the left front tire of my 2005 Crown Vic…not to mention the $5K-worth of other things it messed up under the front-end.
    I was returning from my mom’s pharmacy with a prescription. As we used to say at work, “No good deed goes unpunished.”