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

Est. 1985

Extra, Extra!

Big Spender

By Jimmy Johnson


Buy the new book, "Beaucoup Arlo & Janis!"Today's "Arlo & Janis!"
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!

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59 responses to “Big Spender”

  1. Ghost Rider 6 Avatar
    Ghost Rider 6

    The only comment I have regarding the last two comments involves flashing, so I shall not comment. 🙂

  2. Ghost Rider 6 Avatar
    Ghost Rider 6

    Ghostly Observation #28

    While I was telling my phone to set a 15-minute timer, it occurred to me that while I used to only talk *on* my phone, I now spend a lot of time talking *to* it.

  3. Mark in TTown Avatar
    Mark in TTown

    Ursen, see if you can find your old Lil Abners on this Google site. It’s the one I was looking for the other day.

    http://news.google.com/newspapers

  4. sandcastler™ Avatar
    sandcastler™

    GR6, I could; you might find the hair to be off putting. 😉

  5. Ursen Avatar
    Ursen

    I’ve had my first smart phone about 8 months now and just learned how to read a text. Heaven help me if I need to write one. To make matters worse I tried to sync my new Garmin fitness band with my phone. Boy did I booger that up.

  6. sandcastler™ Avatar
    sandcastler™

    Ursen, do what Loon does, hire an on-site techie. Okay, I admit she does not pay well, the benefits package makes up for the shortfall. 🙂

  7. Evan Avatar
    Evan

    Ursen, simply ask in a loud voice, “Is there a second-grader in the house?” and you will have knowledgeable tech support almost instantly. 😉

  8. emeritus minnesota biologist Avatar
    emeritus minnesota biologist

    Ghost: “Not [to] mention the bathtub sub-genre, the sundress sub-genre, and the handcuff key sub-genre.”

    Evan: “Vive la difference.” [One diff. = one-track minds are more common among men.]

    Since genre is French, and Ghost finds some genres delightful, “Vive les genres.” Which reminds me, our widespread but not universal making of plurals by adding -s or -es is relatively new. It came over with William in 1066. Before that it was by adding -er, -en, or some such: oxen, children, kindergarten, etc.

    All so that Mme. Whatsherface would have a subject for the Bayeux Tapestry. Poor Harold!

    I’ll go quietly. emb

  9. sideburns Avatar

    Kindergarten isn’t a plural; it’s German for “children’s garden,” as you can see here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kindergarten

  10. Jackie Monies Avatar
    Jackie Monies

    And to think my nap for feeling flu-ish was so short and I came back to such erudition!

    Love all the diversion and I did know about the Tapestry, EMB.

    Sitting here eating freeze dried sugar snaps and freeze dried veggie chips. Introduced my dog sitter and my Jackie “sitter” to this today. I am going to lead them down the road to perdition with all this natural foods decadence.

    No Milk Duds for me, but I used to really love those Slo Poke suckers and have not thought of those in half a century. Did anyone mention Laffy Taffy? Sugar Babies? Give me a few minutes and those old country store candy counters will come up in the sea of memories floating in my brain!

    Love, Jackie

  11. Jerry in Fl Avatar
    Jerry in Fl

    EMB, I keep a handcuff key on my key ring. Doesn’t everybody? Oh, I see now that was a quote from Ghost. That explains it.

  12. Evan Avatar
    Evan

    emb: “Evan: ‘Vive la difference.’ [One diff. = one-track minds are more common among men.]”

    Mais bien sûr, c’est partie de la difference! Pour les hommes, on doit toujours chercher la femme!

    (Those last 3 words were the basis of the turtle’s name in Pogo, by the way…)

  13. Jackie Monies Avatar
    Jackie Monies

    Churchie La Femme, Cajun turtle deluxe.

  14. Charlotte in NH Avatar
    Charlotte in NH

    Oui, oui, I well remember Churchy LaFemme in Pogo (sigh).
    @Sandcastler, and Denise in Michigan — Thank you for setting me straight — I was mistaken about the Milk Duds [funny name, now I think about it.]
    Denise, I’m glad to see you writing in often. I really missed you when you were absent.

  15. Mark in TTown Avatar
    Mark in TTown

    For fans of Pogo and Walt Kelly: http://whirledofkelly.blogspot.com/

  16. Charlotte in NH Avatar
    Charlotte in NH

    When we moved into the big old house that I’m still in now, I was only 24 years old, and fairly slender. Raking the neglected yard I was noticed by people driving by, and a forty-ish woman told me later at a club meeting, that it was nice to see that the old Cochran house had new owners, “and I saw your teen-age daughter raking leaves” a blink or two, and she laughed, “Oh, I see you ARE the teen-age daughter!”

  17. Jackie Monies Avatar
    Jackie Monies

    When my daughter and SIL bought their big old house on Maine Street (yes, that is correct spelling) they are on main drag of historic district. She was very pregnant and when she had baby I went out to begin cleaning her yard and cutting back overgrown bushes, ground covers.
    No one mistook me for a skinny teenager as I was sitting on my butt or a short stool as I worked.

    They did however ask if I did yards! Funny question for a 70 year old but they all swore I did not look a day over 50 and thought I was younger than they. Historic districts often do not get young people living there.

    I am glad to see and hear all the new/returned Villagers too.

    Love, Jackie

  18. Charlotte in NH Avatar
    Charlotte in NH

    One of Chris’s favorite jokes told of the husband in his old clothes pruning bushes in front of a big expensive house. Two women stop and inquire his prices for the gardening. He replies that he doesn’t charge much, but the owner lets him sleep with her.

  19. emeritus minnesota biologist Avatar
    emeritus minnesota biologist

    side: Thank you.

    Evan: I was a terrible French student, but I recognized it as soon as Walt used it.

    Wm. Hamilton, noted mid ’50s mammalogy [Speelczech doesn’t recognize my specialty] prof. at Cornell, liked to garden, crossbred lilies and such. Salesman took him for the gardener and asked if the lady of the house was in. Conversation ended with that same line. Hamilton was a hoot.

    Still haven’t found out if W.S. Gilbert was Whig or Tory.

  20. Old Bear Avatar
    Old Bear

    Many years back local Deacons came to my brothers house.
    Asked if his father was home. My brothers reply was “I don’t know – he lives in NJ”

    “May your pleasures be many, and your troubles be few”

  21. curmudgeonly ex-professor Avatar
    curmudgeonly ex-professor

    Anyone else notice the subtlety in “Foxtrot Classics” of January 13th? I think that strip was truly worthy….

  22. Debbe Avatar
    Debbe

    Good morning Villagers….

    I haven’t had Milk Duds in years….and I would be very afraid to chew them now with the crowns that I have….every time I had to have a new crown, I jokingly said to the dentist, so where’s this visit taking you on your vacation?

    Hampton didn’t make it to the vet yesterday, the vet closes at noon on Wednesdays, and it was so cold out and no sunshine. Plus there was the “Little Red Chief” (BIL has nicknamed the two year old Kyler, based on a book by that title…must research.

    So to the Vet we go after I get home.

    GR 😉 thanks for the tune…..and it is cold, but it is even colder where Indy Mindy lives. I cannot believe it is going to be 50 degrees on Saturday….going to aiir out the hen houses and do some serious blowing…..the blower that is 🙂

    Old Bear…did take a couple of measurements…..the bottom cage floor extends 18 inches and the height of the cage is 14 inches….forgot the width. But the cage backs are slanted at maybe a 45 degree angle with plastic on them….for hen “droppings” And what is the name of that company you keep mention? I keep telling myself to look them up.

    Read all the comments on yesterday’s real time strip….getting rid of stuff. Took me back to when we cleaned out Mom and Stepdad’s house…..and it still stands empty. My sister’s husband is executor/caretaker for the estate, and as long as we have a for sale sign on it, the state can’t touch it. (Mom is in nursing home.) And it does have one of those tiny for sales sings in the window. About ten years ago they built three turkey houses across from the house…there went the neighborhood and value of house.

    Indy Mindy….when I am on the phone sometimes I called ‘sir’ or Mr. Last Name….I have a deep voice….oh, the apologies I get when I correct them….’sir,?’ honey, I got your ‘sir’ right here 🙂

    And it’s another day dawning…..ya’ll have a blessed day.

    =^..^=

  23. Rick Avatar
    Rick

    Jimmy, two very good teams played in the Championship game. In the old days when it was the PAC12 against the Big 10 they would have played in the Rose Bowl. OSU’s win was impressive. A third string QB wins his first 3 starts and a National Championship. Gotta be a movie in that!

    I watched the Ducks beat some very good teams this season. The sure rolled over Florida State. In a way it is a pity that we can’t just congratulate the winner without having to dissect the loser. Go Bucks!