Big players in the 1996 strips about the budding romance of Gene and Ruth were Ruth’s parents, especially her mother. Her name is “Jade.” Actually, her name was never mentioned; I just made the name “Jade” up. But I’m the cartoonist, so “Jade” it will be. Ruth’s father was, of course, the other parent. His role was there from the beginning, too, but as the ex-husband of Jade his was mostly an off-screen presence. Readers liked Ruth, and I did, too. Don’t you find it strange that with the ease and extent of social interaction these days she has never turned up? I do.
93 responses to “Conditioned Response”
Ghost, Gene did not seem as enthusiastic as you…
Welcome back, Symply. How’s the music promotion business?
The third panel of this strip always struck me. Our Humble Author usually depicts the cast from the perspective of their profile to 3/4 profile. Upon occasion, we will see them directly from behind. But I cannot recall ever seeing Arlo or Janis directly from the front as Ruth is shown here.
http://www.gocomics.com/arloandjanis/1996/10/09
And did we ever get an answer or whether or not Ruth is a redhead?
So a guy takes a well-deserved nap after a 6 h. volunteer stint at the hospital, and wakes up to a fresh inch of snow on the ground. Pfft.
No offense meant, but that “head shot” of Ruth may be its own explanation as to why seldom see those in the cartoon.
Waiting for the punch line to emb’s joke.
Debbe 😉 For a long time, this was my favorite instrumental movie theme. The movie wasn’t too shabby, either.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RD3Mfj3b80A&list=PLAIV0dLl8IN-gZzwSnKh4R9pNspXrQ1d8&index=24
Wrong link; this one is better.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2NIbC8CSuQ
Sand: Joke? What joke? As of 1906, that was the most recent sentence in my autobiography. It will probably melt tomorrow, unless we get more snow on top of it. Peace,
Here I am in Round Rock, Texas feeling like a round rock. Fell totally off wagon and ate everything I put in front of every one.
The great failing of my life. I must get back on a proper diet and off the bad carbs and fatty foods. Plus exercise. I feel awful.
Someone give me a tongue lashing.
Shame all these good looking men wanting to be my friend are bogus, if they were real it would be a good haul on a dating site. Since I did NOT sign up for any dating services I can only conclude someone wrote my name and specs on the men’s room wall in the Petroleum Club since almost all seem to be from that industry.
Or it reflects the sorry state of America’s petroleum chemical industry. The engineers, geologists, executives seem reduced to another form of exploration.
Good morning Villagers….
Thanks Evan for the links, really didn’t remember them. You have a good memory!
Going to rain today and get cold…arrgghhhh!!!!!
ya’ll have a blessed day
GR 😉 I remember that movie well, and the song. Henry Mancini was great…..here’s another epic:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32YPozK5Y-0
…and the movie was quite as moving too. Remember it?
never had a pair, I was a deprived child 🙂
http://cheezburger.com/8762844672
Mark, thanks for the bio link…..you’re good!
Don’t you think it’s weird she doesn’t show up?
Hmmmm, I have a sense of foreboding.
The kids are offering up a line tshirts. Now we know, A&J parallels Jimmy’s life.
Will Gene and Mary Lou carry Luddie shirts????
Methinks there’s a new colorist on board who isn’t familiar with Gene’s hair color!
Me thinks we are all speculating on characters and plot twists like the characters were real or on All My Children.
Folks, this is ALL in Jimmy’s mind! Just let it come out naturally. We cannot influence the birth nor delivery.
Having said that, Rusty and I are anxiously waiting for the boat to be freed from the bottle. We MISS the sailing sequences way more than Gene’s old girl friends.
This is a couple of Savannah owlets watching several crows that are harassing them. Mom is surely in a nearby tree, or the crows would have killed the owlets. I and many others have seen crows harass lone adult GHOs, but they rarely get too close. Owl sometimes flies off, but Mom won’t do that. Peace,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Xz8xrVMCBc&feature=youtu.be
When I wrote that short note, didn’t occur to me that “So a guy . . .” is a typical beginning for a joke. In my home town, it is also a common way to begin a kvetch, speaking about yourself in the third person. emb
Jackie,
Start here and read forward several days. Gardening AND Sailing!
http://www.gocomics.com/arloandjanis/1997/11/17
Well, Jackie, so you fell off the wagon. What can I say? Oh, I know: “Hey, you’re human, like all the rest of us.”
Around the first of the year, my mom went through a rough patch that required me to spend a good part of my “spare” time looking after her. That seriously impacted my gym schedule. (To be honest, it destroyed it.) At about the same time, Weight Watchers did a fairly extensive revamp of both their program and their web site. (I blame Oprah. 🙂 ) Without the time to go to meetings or figure out the new system and on-line help, I stopped “tracking” my food intake. The results were predictable…I gained nine pounds.
Mom is doing better now; I’m back on a 6-day-per week exercise schedule; and I’m tracking every bite of food that goes in my mouth, giving me control of my diet again. The results were equally predictable…I’ve lost nine pounds in the past three weeks.
Not staying on the wagon for the entire journey is not a failure; not climbing back on the wagon and completing the journey is. And you don’t strike me as the kind of person who easily abides personal failures.
Consider yourself tongue lashed, although in a loving way.
Since I put up a bird feeder outside my mom’s window so she can watch the birdies, I now understand…
http://www.gocomics.com/arloandjanis/2008/05/07