I intended to be here yesterday, and I would have but for technical issues. I still prefer a desktop computer for my work. It seems to me much more suited to the graphic manipulation that is much of my effort. However, the old Dell I’d been using was about 150 years old in computer years. Loading modern Web sites was excruciatingly slow and increasingly futile, and it simply was not powerful enough to run updated versions of some of the software upon which I rely. Worst of all, I couldn’t stream HD movies to run in the background while I worked! So, I purchased a new computer, the latest incarnation of the first computer I purchased back in 1994. I love it. However, the migration has not been easy, particularly getting my scanner to work properly. That’s what I was working on yesterday about this time. For now, it’s working, but it was working once before—perfectly—then my scanner vanished from my new computer’s “friends” list. So we shall see. For now, here’s Vince. We’ll talk more about him and the cartoons next time.
Character Flaw
By Jimmy Johnson
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307 responses to “Character Flaw”
I remember that Bugs Bunny cartoon, Debbe. You made me smile! Love BC too; very true! Happy Sunday!
Debbe: 20. Especially if that’s the whole outfit [at least on some people].
If either Mabel or Ethel bear a son who can see, what is the probability that he will be red-green colorblind? a. 0 b. 25% c. 50% d. 100% e. Cannot tell, because we don’t know if his father could tell red from green.
Mindy from Indy: emb – I *was* going to wait until Monday 🙂 , but my gut is leaning towards 25%.
Mindy from Indy: Or 50%. But gut still says 25%.
Good MC questions are best answered by brains, not guts. It’s 50%. Why?
eMb, I will go back and read your posts when the caffeine kicks in and it will make sense, but I can tell you that while Husband has full sight his brother is red/green colorblind. They have two sisters but I don’t know if either of them is colorblind, nor their offspring. Nor have I ever heard if their father was.
I saw an article a couple of weeks ago that offers the theory that some women might have a different set of rods or cones in their eyes that allow them to see dozens of colors that the rest of us cannot. I wish I could remember details, but as I said, the caffeine hasn’t kicked in yet.
Debbe, I think my two favorite cartoons are Ali Baba Bunny and What’s Opera Doc?
Thanks
Ghost, I have to admit having gone to Gus Stevens when I was young, teens and young adult. He got really good acts, some of whom were same entertainers that my stepdads old partner booked in his supper club up in Monroe, LA. Both Gus and Johnny were Greek and both had successful restaurants/nightclubs with “big name” entertainers.
Gus’ was called the Buccaneer but no one called it anything except Gus Stevens. When I started reading A and J and Gus was a character, I immediately thought “Gus Stevens” and that it might be that JJ had worked there, as he sure knows his seafood restaurant and Gulf Coast wheeling dealing pretty well. Gus started with nothing, don’t think he had much education but he made a ton of money, was known for being tight with it.
For a look at what Gus looked like, scroll down to bottom of this article and look at the little short man whose head is about as high as Jayne Mansfield’s breasts. He always had a cigar in his mouth like our Gus and dressed like ours does. Coincidence?
http://www.wyes.org/local/history/
My favorite anecdote was that Gus put slot machines in kitchen area to get money from his bus boys. The place had gambling, very illegal, mob and police were paid off, as Ghost said, topless entertainers. One of my boyfriends then was professional gambler in college, so I have been in “back rooms”. I went as date since I was pretty arm candy back then.
Love, Jackie
Love the Warner Brothers cartoons with the Abominable Snowman, but….
The line was originally from the book “Of Mice and Men” by John Steinbeck. The character, Lennie, was a big, developmentally disabled guy. He loved small, soft creatures. But he loved so much – and hugged so hard – the creatures inevitably were crushed. A very moving book…
emb – I did my punnett square wrong, that’s why. 🙂 I did H, h across both top and left, not XH, Xh across top for mom and XH, Y down left for dad. Top left and right would be girls, one with normal vision, the other with normal vision, but a carrier. The bottom left would be normal sighted boy, and bottom right would be color-blind boy. Two boys, one each way = 50%. Better?
And I think 50% chance is what my daughter said about my grandson but they don’t know yet if he is color blind? He is only 2 1/2 now and they can’t test until older?
She solved problem of color blind husband by buying him all his socks and slacks and shirts same color and identical.
When my husband had to know colors as a salesman we solved problem by always putting samples in exact color progressions. It used to drive our bosses nuts that their best salesman was colorblind, since colors were so important in floral sales!
Love, Jackie
Darn it, I did not link to right photo of Gus Stevens who I think is the character Gus from A and J! It takes you to right website but not the photo I intended!
You CAN’T teach old dogs new tricks apparently, as I am hopeless on computer linking.
It did cause me to read and look at a lot of old photos of the Mississippi Gulf Coast, which was sad actually. I was in Hawaii when Hurricane Camille hit coast and it destroyed everything. I went back one time when I returned to New Orleans to work again and it was so sad, I cried and cried and cried. Would never go back.
So, finally the coast began recovering and I went back again and didn’t cry. Then Hurricane Katrina hit. Ditto. Mom wanted to go back, she’d heard casinos were open again. I went and cried and cried and cried.
Some things never change.
Love, Jackie
Jackie, I’ll admit I’d considered the apparent similarities of “that” Gus and “our” Gus. Then throw in Jimmy’s connection to the Mississippi Gulf Coast and…
Re “back rooms”, I have a friend who was stationed at Keesler AFB in Biloxi in pre-Camille days who tells me the area was full of places that were much larger on the outside than they appeared to be on the inside. Also lots of beer bars with pinball machines that let you cash in the points you scored on them, he said. He claimed to usually pay his bar tab, including rounds for his buddies, with his winnings.
Jackie, here you go: http://angiebug.typepad.com/.a/6a01348818f97c970c0148c7d95290970c-pi
Jackie, the caricature at the bottom here looks much like JJ’s Gus.
http://old-new-orleans.com/NO_GusStevens.html
It’s probably understandable why the plots of some of John Grisham’s novels are obviously based on things that actually happened on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.
Back from an internet outage, ISP vanished sometime last. Ever try to look up a customer service number when the phonebook won’t work. Now I get the Gus comments. Who is Jayne? I don’t recall her appearing in any strips.
We are talking about Gus Stevens Kouvarakis who owned the Gus Stevens seafood restaurant in Biloxi, MS (gone now, as is Gus) The Jayne is Jayne Mansfield who used to appear there a lot and was coming from the restaurant/club when she was killed in car crash.
The photo I found that looked like our Gus on A and J was one where he is hugging Jayne and is so short, his head comes to her chest level. He also always wore shirts like the ones the A and J Gus wears and smoked a cigar at all times. He was known as a tightwad, uneducated but a big wheeler, dealer and made a ton of money. Also ran illegal gambling, strippers, topless dancers. This was racy stuff in the 1950-1970 period!
I have thought JJ based our Gus on this guy, who was a real character, and yes I knew him but just as customer and sometimes visitor to the back room gambling casino he ran. With my dates, not Mike, although I do think we may have continued eating there? He looked so much like our Gus as I remember him, it is eerie.
He even had a daughter with an out of wedlock pregnancy.
Writers write about what they know, even for comic strips and I am sure JJ either worked there or knew those who did?
And in a town where schooners played an important part in the history of the place, it would not be unusual to have one tied up in back of restaurant either,
Love, Jackie
Oh yes, the real life Gus was know as gruff, hard to work for, workaholic, who only did nice things for his family. Sounds like our Gus, right?
Thanks Jackie. I had understood the Gus remarks. Going to Google Jayne Mansfield, thought she was a role Marilyn Monroe played in some movie.
Sand, didn’t you ever see “Firefly”?
“The hero of Canton
The one they call Jayne”
What? What’s that? Jayne MANSFIELD??
Never mind…
Jackie, the link to the magazine cover came from a website set up by Gus’ granddaughter from that out-of-wedlock pregnancy. Seems that the driver of the car carrying Jayne on her last road trip was the father of this woman. According to what showed on the internet, she now lives in OK herself.
I didn’t mean to be anonymous yesterday, although, under the circumstances, maybe it was for the best. When last seen we were having gremlins in the computer. My wife had the same problems for awhile. I guess someone fed them after midnight. I can’t claim that I’ve been busy when I see what others are facing but I will say that I’ve been good busy instead of bad. Our contractor now tells us that it will be at least January before the house is done. Debbe, I’m glad that you found your cat. This morning I let Cilla out for a lizard search and she went full speed for what I thought was a frog, but it turned out to be a baby bird. I rescued the bird and it appeared to be unhurt as Cilla plays catch and release with whatever she catches. No frost yet although we’ve been close . 20’s predicted for the middle of the week.
Oh yes. I heard a hilarious joke but it’s blue. I can beep out the word but it will be obvious. What do you think?
Sure, Jerry, if you think this crowd will be able to figure it out. 🙂
Did you notice the prices on that Gus Stevens menu? “I’ll have the half stuffed lobster to start, then two T-bones with a filet mignon on the side, please.”
One of the places I miss most from the Coast of yore is the Friendship House restaurant on Hwy 90 at “Mississippi City”. Ever have breakfast there after a long night, Jackie? Or dinner at Chappy’s in Long Beach? Or Vrazel’s in Gulfport? And what was the name of the restaurant over the Long Beach Yacht Club’s club house?
John Chapman rebuilt Chappy’s Seafood Restaurant after Camille, lost it again to Katrina, and moved to Nashville and opened Chappy’s there. I understand he has now returned to the Coast and opened Chappy’s Bistro in one of the new Gulfport hotels built by a friend of his.
(Chappy’s Bistro? Hummm.)
Dang. Watching the Saints game and they just showed two ladies eating beignets. I may just have to try my luck at making some, as it may be a while before I can make it back to NOLA. I wonder if Cafe Du Monde still sells their beignet mix?