Here is the next installment of Susan and Gene at the movies in 1995. I don’t want to look like a sorehead, just because there weren’t any SEC teams in the big championship game (for the first time in the Neolithic era), so congratulations to The Ohio State University Buckeyes, and condolences to the Oregon Ducks. At least the game featured two of the more distinctive team names in college football. Ohio State has a great team. They demonstrated that with authority down the stretch, when it counted. Have you noticed, though, that the trend in sports journalism, especially after big games, is the obligatory story, “What is wrong with the team that lost?” Mm, nothing? They simply lost? Nah! That couldn’t be it!
Big Spender
By Jimmy Johnson
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59 responses to “Big Spender”
My Alma mater Va Tech beat Ohio back in Sept., then went on to a rocky season, altho they did play in and win Military Bowl.
Rufus! Rufus? I am delighted to see you here. My father’s middle name was Rufus and when I started doing genealogy on his family I found it went back historically for centuries! Well, way over a hundred years anyway.
We were from the Carolinas, North Carolina and before that Virginia in the 1600’s and early 1700’s.
No one else ever left North Carolina and most are still there.
Love, Jackie
“Our Town” Village great name Jackie!
As opposed to North, East, South,West,Valley,Hill,Spucedale,Center and others that were in the
town where I grew up.
OB
That’s Sprucedale
Don’t forget “Hill Valley” from one of my favorite movie trilogies.
An uncle by marriage was named Buford, which is a perfectly fine name, except for some reason it seems a strange one to hang on a child. “Baby Buford”?
Box of super size Milk Duds can mean only one thing; after movie sore jaws.
Ran across this while digging for info on Wm. S. Gilbert. Sir Tree was probably not pleased.
“To resolve the controversy over who wrote Shakespeare’s works, simply have Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree read from Shakespeare over the top contenders and the true author will surely turn over in his grave.”
Wife would have, or maybe does, love it.
Peace, emb
I went to work for a company where the Office Manager always had sticky candy at her desk. One by one all of my crowns came off and my dentist was an hour away. My mother-in-law was his office manager, so I could always get in quickly.
If any of you have ever had a crown come off, the aroma is enough to knock you over. Makes you wonder how much bacteria is in your mouth!
OH to the I-O.
One of the puzzles from my trucking days: Why are North Bend and Bend (both in Oregon) 240 miles apart? And why is North Bend actually a few miles south (and a whole lot west!) of Bend?
Each time I got a new dispatcher I could look forward to receiving incorrect routing instructions when given a load that included stops in both towns since it was “obvious” that the two towns were close neighbors.
*further applause for continuation of 1995 series*
What is striking about the writing in Arlo and Janis is that Our Humble Author has toiled in many subgenres of humor over nearly thirty years (!!) but maintained his high standards throughout. Take Gene as an example. There was ample “little kid” type humor initially, and it was great. The above strip features “transitional” kid humor, where Gene careens through learning to deal with girls and is typically baffled (although a strikingly great feature of said strip is Gene’s ultracool demeanor as he presents the Milk Duds.) Then we had “surly adolescent” humor, all of it worthy of “Zits,” the acknowledged leader in the field, coupled with the fact that Gene was absent for large stretches… Lord knows he wanted to be ANYWHERE but with his boring, stupid parents. And we come to the present day, with young adult Gene and family.
I would be remiss if I did not note that other subgenres and themes have been played throughout the A&J run with high standards maintained from the git-go to the present.
Our Humble Author has modestly noted that every strip cannot be a gem and that cranking it out on a daily basis can be a challenge. Yet what he might consider “lesser” work can often resonate with his audience unexpectedly.
Anyway, it is good to see these strips again after… TWENTY YEARS?!? Wow!
Evan,
All of what you said is true and also proves that: Win or lose, IT’S GREAT TO BE AN AUBURN TIGER !!!
Us Auburn alumni are grateful to have Jimmy as one of us. WAR EAGLE !!!
Not mention the bathtub sub-genre, the sundress sub-genre, and the handcuff key sub-genre.
Since Zits was mentioned, today’s is one that raises my hackles:
http://www.arcamax.com/thefunnies/zits/s-1605831
Do young people really think texting is a great thing? I speak far faster over the phone than anyone can text. My typing (emails) is also far faster than texting. I only text when the reception in an area is too poor for voice or the recipient is a doofus who never checks his voicemail and can’t be reached at that moment.
GR6: Hooray for those sub-genres!
I have always considered Alabama (the state) to harbor some of the most creative people I run into, no matter what genre. And I LOVE talking to men from Alabama, not just the accent but the way they express themselves.
Just wonderfully funny and creative. I guess I should include Mississippi in that category since Ghost is over there!
Spent morning at dentist which is always interesting, he is a direct line descendant from one of the original Civilized Tribe’s chief who brought the tribe to Oklahoma prior to the forced relocation. Man of few words but highly skilled and a good man. I have known everyone in the office for 20 years, this is a small town. So, lots of conversation about mama and Mike and the legacy that Mike left. They had seen him quite recently, had no idea he had cancer. He was also a man of few words. Mama and I made up for it! LOL here.
So, I have to have a root canal and a cap, there goes two grand. Good thing you have a brother in law rate. Another joke, there!
Ghost, I know Buford is a good old Southern name but you do realize my other side of the family, paternal grandmother from Carolinas, had a family that passed down “Buford” for an equal number of centuries. My great grandfather was named Buford but went by “Jack” which was no part of his legal name, had a son named Jack, my grandmother named my father Jack, I am Jackie and my grandson is Jack.
Round about way to avoid being named Baby Buford.
Love, Jackie
GR6 & TR, I agree. Just learned this very day that YouTube has a selection of cats who love boobs videos. Not sure the relevance, but….
Jackie, texting is a standard communication form. Latte drinkers text while ordering. Elevators are unoffical texting booths. I am surprised our institutions of higher learning have not monitized texting into their curriculum. “Effective Management by Texting” “Texting for the Serious English Major” “Algebra and Texting” “Texting and Bio Chemistry, use of higher notational symbols”
TruckerRon, I have extremely warm memories of chatting on the phone for hours, hearing the girl’s lilting and melodious voice. It is one of the many pleasures of Vive La Difference. Why the texters of today would trade that for endless thumb typing and blocks of dead text is beyond me. “What’s the matter with kids today?”
Milk Duds, many years since I had any, but I didn’t think they were sticky — more like Malted Milk Balls — am I right or wrong? When we got crowns our dentist told us, “Don’t eat any caramels or Sugar Babies.” We took his words seriously and never had any crowns come off.
Charlotte,
Uncertain about what northern Milk Duds contain, but southern species is a milk caramel with a chocolate coating.
Charlotte, Milk Duds owe a big debt to caramels, as do Slo-Poke suckers. I used to love Sugar Babies (and Milk Duds and Slo-Pokes).
Ghost and all who called me “kid.” – I was outside shoveling at work today. I am wearing jeans and a sweatshirt. Not really paying a whole lot of attention to people coming and going. My employee comes out, not sure if she’s insulted or amused; someone had just complimented her on having “her son” out shoveling for her. I don’t know if I’m insulted or amsedan either.
MfI, welcome to my world. This long haired, ex hippie, gets taken from behind for a female some days. Probably my tight butt fools them. 😉