I have never been comfortable talking about my work. There was a time I simply refused to do it. I felt as if it were my job to put the work out there, and it would have to speak for itself. Then, along came the internet and the Web and email and forums and blogs and Facebook and on and on. I found myself almost obligated to interact at least a little bit. And you know what? It didn’t hurt as much as I thought it would. I sometimes even enjoy bloviating about my comic strip, although I still believe, ultimately, it must speak for itself. I say all this, because Arlo and Janis have a new neighbor this week, Robin. Any new character in Arlo & Janis is big news, believe me. That is, I hope she’ll be a new character. One never really knows about these things, and I’m not yanking your chain when I tell you, not even I know for sure whether Robin has legs. I hope she does. I’m badly in need of new foils.
There were a lot of comments yesterday, when she first appeared, about her physical similarity to Janis. She was supposed to have silvery hair, as above, but my instructions to the colorist were lost. It probably was my fault. Silver hair would have gone a long way toward eliminating any confusion. Already, by her second appearance today, she is taking on a more distinctive and permanent look. Many cartoonists when pondering a new character will spend months filling sketch books with studies and prototypes before introducing a winner. Not me! You get to see it happen at Arlo & Janis!
154 responses to “Bosom Buddies”
Just stabbed my finger with an insulin pen. Were this Hercule Poirot I would die in next few minutes.
Chris, I thought the male aviator shirt uniform was what was pictured. My eyes must have malf’d. In my defense, it wasn’t a great photo. The illustrations in M39-1 I pulled up on-line are very good but will not allow the URL to be copied and pasted. Yeah, I’d get a Class A USAF-style for a NatCon and shave the semi-beard. In fact, I went to one of those on the Left Coast when I was in CAP previously.
I was actually a founding member of the local squadron some years ago and was squadron commander for a while, which will undoubtedly come as a surprise to the current CO (we’ve not met yet) when I tell him. Perhaps they will let me in as a “legacy” member if nothing else. 🙂
And what do you do at the NJ Wing HQ?
Jackie, why did you inject insulin into your finger? Aren’t you supposed to use them only for blood sugar readings?
Sandcastler, I don’t know why Windows takes so long to boot. I do know, however, that the last time I rebooted it took 43.530 seconds to get to the login prompt. (I know that there used to be ways to keep things from loading at boot if you don’t really need them, but I’m not familiar with anything more recent than XP, and I’ve forgotten almost all of the details years ago.)
Air crew uniforms remind me that I was at a convention, Gallifrey One, over the weekend at the LAX Marriott. Every day there were air crew checking in and heading up to their rooms and I complimented them on their realistic hall costumes. There were several Daleks roaming the convention area at different times, including one that had been converted to a baby carriage. There was also a rather interesting confrontations when two incarnations of K-9 came face to face, but it was resolved peacefully.
Ah, ha!
The future Janis!
Must be disturbing to know what you’ll look like in 20 or 30 years.
Jackie, that 1911 is definitely a keeper. And it’s like an old warhorse being put out to well-deserved pasture. Take care of it.
I got up, went to work, and it all went to hell then…auger out…in two separate places, same auger though…fortunately, school is out and Dakota came in. We have what we call the ‘dead truck …an old GMC that hauls the dead and has no heat. So Ian and Dakota had to go pick up 400 feet of new auger to put in…and it got done. Dakota and Ian put cardboard on the front of the radiator…to help, alas, not much help/
I hate eggs…forecast for tonight…a possible more three inches is on the way….arrrgghhhhh.
Enjoy your eggs.
“Now I lay me down to sleep…….
Humm. Orlando in late August.
Debbe 😉 I do believe we’ve come up with a new phrase…when things go really, really bad, the result is that you “get augered”.
Debbe, when you put the lines “Now I lay me down to sleep” it reminded me of a Civil War soldier’s lines about Sherman’s campaign in Georgia. At one point they had unusually heavy rainfaill that lasted a long time. And of course they did not have tents so the common soldiers were sleeping on the muddy ground.
Now for the poem: “Now I lay me down to sleep, in mud that’s many inches deep. If in the morning I don’t awake, hunt me up with an oyster rake”.
I know exactly how he felt. Some of my Boy Scout trips were like that!
Jackie, here is link to Wiki article on SACO; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sino-American_Cooperative_Organization
Jackie, his name should be found here…
http://www.saconavy.com/Memorial.htm
The memorial plaque…
http://www.pacificwarmuseum.org/images/plaques/8650/SACOUSNavalGroupChina.jpg
Thanks, Jackie, for that lead to a fascinating footnote to American operations in WWII. Although I’m certainly no military scholar, I am fairly well-read on the subject. But I do not recall seeing even a mention of SACO. Considering their mission and what happened in China after the war, I supposed that’s not too surprising.
From yesterday
Jerry said on 17 Feb 2015 at 1:27 am #
Nobody is what they think they are. Some of us know it, some of us suspect it, and some of us are happy.-me
Jerry – I was going to say that – We are a happy bunch here
Jackie I got Beanie Babies – Do I have Beanie Babies
Jerry – Hear it is going to be almost freezing down your way.
Wind Chill advisory here, tonight & tomorrow minus 35 expected –
emb even more.
Jackie,
The Pacific War Museum is located in Fredericksburg, Texas. There is also a smaller exhibit where they hold occasional reenactments, this location also houses a fully restored PT Boat. Fredericksburg was the home town of Chester Nimitz, Fleet Admiral; a small museum of his memorabilia is just down the street.
Between Austin and Fredericksburg lies Stonewell, home of LBJ. Small museum and boyhood home. LBJ ranch and family cemetery are located off of Hiway going to Fredericksburg.
You might enjoy the side trip while visiting daughter. The Texas Quilt Museum is in La Grange, about an hours drive from Katy. Makes a great day trip. Do lunch at Bistro 108.
While on war museums. New Orleans has two located in the warehouse district. World War II. Started by Stephen Ambrose. Major contributors include: Tom Hanks and Stephen Speilberg. The other, Louisiana Confederate Museum. Both are gems. Located on the same street is Ogden Museum of Southern Art, worthy of the admission price.
Up north in Monroe is a museum dedicated to Claire Chennault. It is at the edge of the Monroe airport. Very nice collection. Nell Colloway, a granddaughter and great lady is the museum director.
Again, words fail me. Except for these: “Perhaps there is something to that karma thing.” (Be sure to read the last two paragraphs of the article.)
http://www.southcoasttoday.com/article/20150211/News/150219822
Amazingly, Sand, I have actually been to those things, including the Nimitz museum. Yes, my step-dad’s name is on the list and his date of death. The rank given for him is interesting, as I had seen a war time photo of him prior to this and he looks like he is in a Naval officer’s uniform but apparently not? In one of the written memoirs of this, he mentions meeting with Nimitz and other officers in person prior to going over as part of the group. Supposedly they were all volunteers and relinquished any rank or position, I guess they were not supposed to actually still be in military? His account involves going to China from Honolulu but via going to the east across continents, across Africa and finally to China. I found all this among papers after my mother died and I may well find more? They were in cooperation with British secret service as well, so this is all pre-CIA I am certain.
Love, Jackie
What it looks like in TN right now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iq1KMuiLrCY
My ex playing ball with our dog.
Yeah, Jackie, one of the articles mentioned that the OSS (considered the predecessor to the CIA) was involved in the SACO operation. (Hopefully they didn’t have any “Bills” with them.)
Was he a Navy Chief Petty Officer? Their uniforms look somewhat like those of commissioned officers.
Yep. Yep. Yep. To all questions. I am thinking about who the heck might want some of this? I have an entire house still to empty and there are no descendants except me. I had intended my biological dad’s military effects would go to the museum there in Texas for his Army Air Force unit and when 9/11 happened they seemed to have ended that particular museum? The people in Monroe actually asked for it but it just didn’t seem right location since there was no connection to Chennault at all for the “Ace in the Hole” Texas Air National Guard.
I suspect many of us have tiny pieces of a much bigger footnote to history. Sand, I suspect too that you are a museum and history buff? You too, Ghost.
Love, Jackie
While the thread on Martine and Bill was running on 9CL I actually thought of my own father who was most definitely flying a “spy” plane, the group was called the Snoopers, with a giant mosquito as the emblem and part of the old Texas Air National Guard squadron. And this, my step dad who had been part of this espionage group in China, I did know about, so there can be grains of truth all over the place. But I did get tired of Martine and Bill who are a draggy pair and not very fascinating as spies!
Read these links tonight from you guys and you will note that there is another reference to those murderous mosquitoes and giant ones as big as airplanes in the stories. Are mosquitoes all over the world? I suppose so, Africa and Asia both seem to be besotted with them.
Jackie
Back 20 years my cousin in Northern Sweden did not have screens on the windows-
I was shocked. They did not seem to be bothered by (have) mosquitoes or “no see’ums”.
You know, that is true, Old Bear, in Holland too because when I was in school over there for floral classes there were no screens. More than 20 years ago! I being from Texas thought that was unique but then being from Texas a lot of Holland was unique! Of course the fact that Europe was having the worst blizzard since the Dark Ages made it even more so.
There were deep snow drifts everywhere but nothing seemed to stop the Dutch, buses ran, taxis ran, planes landed. White out conditions everywhere. And no window screens, we opened windows and you could just stick your hand out into snow!
Who’s got big skeeters and lots of them is the interior of Alaska. It’s told that at a WWII Lend-Lease ferry base up there, one night a de Havilland Mosquito night fighter landed and the Transit Alert crew pumped 200 gallons of avgas into it before they realized it really was a mosquito.
Have heard that about Alaska but not the tall tale, just the mosquitoes. Around the Great Lakes there were unbearable (pun) mosquitoes too, I actually bought one of those mosquito hats with a net that comes down around your face to shoulders. Wonder where that thing is? Had not thought of it in last couple years but they sold them because you could not get out on trails in woods for the buggers, thousands of them swarming around your face.