I’m running late today, but I am here! The above A&J from five years ago is a good example of something I mention here rather often. Regardless of what one thinks of the joke itself, it’s a good example of the essential comic strip, one where the words and the art are equally important. Take one away, and the other doesn’t work. No less than Charles Schulz said, it is what makes a comic strip a comic strip.
461 responses to “Is there any other kind?”
Heh, I got in trouble today when I was at our church’s kitchen working on the food for tomorrow’s tea when they brought sandwiches: BLTs! I took off the bacon and stated to throw it away and I got chased by another lady, who wanted it. I would have given it to her if she had asked, but she riled me, so I dodged away from her and stuck it in the garbage disposal 😀 I told her I had her best interests at heart.
Dearest Munchkin, you disposed of bacon!? That’s an abomination before God!! Well, before Ghost, anyway. 🙂
Poll: How many others have done this? My old assistant now has my old store; no hard feelings, she can work the long hours for awhile. Anyhow, this younger mom of three unfailingly ends her personal calls with “I love you.” Today was a mess (ASFYAD), but she had ordered supplies on my delivery truck. When I called her to tell her her order was ready for pick-up, she thanked me and said “I love you.” I laughed and returned the sentiment. My clerk, well aware of who I was talking to, stopped mid-sentence, and looked at me like I’d grown a third arm. I just said, “She started it,” and kept going. My bank teller friend and her co-workers are also guilty of telling random people they love them on the phone. I haven’t done it yet, but it’s been close a time or two.
And Lily, While I would have likely done the same out of spite, I’m with Ghost: You did that to BACON?!
Bacon is a horrid, salty, fatty mess and is full of nitrates. Yes, I did it and would do it again. 😛 But, like I said, I would have given the nasty stuff to her if she had asked even though she is very overweight and had been complaining of her back all day.
Lilyb, if someone else prepared those sandwiches, I think you overstepped by removing anything from them.
Mindy/Indy: If you mean the “I love you.” then it is proper and would probably make someone’s day. Just don’t say it out of mere habit; such lessens its meaning & value a LOT.
Bill in Paducah, nice looking cat. Looks like it might have some Maine Coon in its ancestry, especially if the paws are as large as they look in the photo. Good for you, better for Matilda!
Jackie, what’s worked for me is to simply talk to the cats whenever I go out to feed them. Walk slow, and hang around a few feet away if they start to eat. Or sit and watch them. Most young ones will get used to you and even approach when you bring out the food. Good luck with her.
Are there professional cat whisperers?
CXP– thanks for sharing the story about finding your friend. It was great!
Mindy from Indy, at least your commute didn’t include this. (I hope!)
http://consumerist.com/2014/08/01/truck-crash-coats-indiana-highway-in-margarine-whipped-cream/
Yes, Dearest Munchkin, and a perfectly cooked strip steak is partially burned, half-raw section of muscle tissue hacked from a castrated bull. But I still consider it très tasty. 🙂
I don’t know about cat whisperers, but I have practiced dog hollering at times.
Mark’s link to the margarine/whipped cream spill reminded me of something. (OK, who thought I was going to say something pervy about margarine and/or whipped cream? No, it was about a A&J cartoon).
http://www.gocomics.com/arloandjanis/2014/07/25#.U9xfdPldWa8
Notice what’s in the foreground of panel #1…a gumball machine. Although they were once ubiquitous in public places, either mounted to a stand like that one or sitting on a counter, I do not recall seeing one in years. You dropped a penny in the coin slot, slid a lever to one side, and out rolled a brightly colored ball of gum. Every one of them I remember seeing had a sticker on its front displaying the name and logo of the civic club or charity to which the proceeds of the sale would go.
Why the spill reminded me of gumball machines is that I once had a summer job working the front desk of a motel, in the lobby of which was located such a machine…which got knocked over, breaking the round glass container and sending the gum balls in all directions, like a covey of miniature bocce balls. I called two housekeepers, who showed up with brooms and dust pans.
No joy. It seemed that as soon as a broom got anywhere near a few of them, they scattered in all directions, like a bunch of miniature bocce balls on meth. We ended up having to pick up almost every individual one of them by hand.
Ghost, I loved your entertaining story about the gumballs! You’ve led a life of great variety, which I enjoy hearing about. You are a really good writer.
But yes, Ghost, I thought the combination of whipped cream and margarine would get your attention! Enjoyed your story of the gumball clean-up on aisle 9.
I did once see a sailor lose his lunch and his drink in the space of a couple of minutes. Not what you’re thinking though. We were having very rough seas and the ship tended to list in a dead calm. He was sliding his meal tray along and stopped to get coffee. While he was getting coffee from the urn, the ship rolled and off went his tray. He set his cup down on the counter and bent down for the tray, then got showered with his coffee on the next roll.
Just found this, thought the Village might be interested in how the newspapers used to get their Sunday comics.
http://www.birminghamrewound.com/features/1964-08.htm
curmudgeonly ex-professor: It was *MY* sandwich and I could throw away whatever components of it I wanted to. What is this? The Immaculate Sandwich Conception? Do I have to meekly submit my food to some Inspecting Committee before I decide I don’t want to eat it? Faugh! 😛
Good morning Villagers….
Mark, will listen to your link you posted above when I get home….right now I have two sleeping babies in the other room. Brooklynne Rose and Kyler, Andrew’s girlfriend’s two year old son. I’m starting to feel like more of a Grandma than an Auntie….I love it.
Lily, I doubt if you’ve ever seen the movie “Scarface”. but if you’re ever confronted again by thugs I thought of the scene in which Al Pacino’s character says to fellow thugs “say hello to my little friend”….then he mows the ‘lawn’ with his machine gun 🙂
Bill….you are a blessed man to have such a beautiful kitten…love the name, Matilda.
GR 😉 love the gumball story, and having worked in housekeeping I got this visual of them trying to sweep up the gumballs…..too funny.
Told the Boss yesterday about some electrical issues we’re having, and asked him if he had heard about the hen house burning down with some 65,000 hens in it. He told me if our building ever catches on fire to get in my car, get to the bridge and park it like I was having car problems….so the fire trucks would not be able to get in….he said let it burn to the ground, as he doesn’t want half of a burned building. I laughed, and said but I need a job….he told me he would keep me and shift me around…that’s good to know.
Happy Caterday http://cheezburger.com/8272551168
Lilly: “I was at our church’s kitchen working on the food for tomorrow’s tea when they brought sandwiches: BLTs!”
Like cx-p, I too thought you removed the bacon from all the sandwiches. Of course, you may do anything you want with YOUR sandwich, but not anyone else’s!
Good morning, Villagers
Heh, do you think I would have had time to unwrap ten sandwiches, remove the bacon and get to the garbage disposal without getting mobbed? If I had that kind of access and authority,m I would have just ordered green salads for all. With vinegar and oil and no croutons. But I don’t have the authority, much less the hubris, to be ordering other people’s meals. 😛
Bill, Matilda is a lovely and lucky kittie! May you have many happy years together.
Lily, A-growing old ain’t for sissies and might not be entirely pleasant, but it beats the heck out of the alternative, and B-I wondered about the sandwiches, too. That you were removing the bacon from your personal sandwich wasn’t altogether clear. 🙂
Ghost, I’ve never had to chase gumballs, but I did have a close encounter with a can of marbles once. During my Junior year in college I had a meeting with a professor and when I got to his office he said for me to wait, that he had to go speak to another professor and would be back in a few minutes. While I was waiting I noticed a can sitting on his bookshelf. There was a label on the can that said Do Not Pick Up!, so of course I did. Marbles went EVERYWHERE! I barely had enough time to pick them up and get the can back on the shelf before the prof walked back in. I’ve always wondered if he was standing outside the door listening to see if I would indeed pick up the can.
Several of my friends are vegetarians, some vegans, and daughter works for Whole Foods and as my other daughter says “She drank the Koolaid”. I always observe their food habits and cook appropriate food they can eat, which they tell me they appreciate. Although I have observed at least one of them hiding a piece of meat in a restaurant under a veggie!
My Aussie friend came over for first time and I warned him about the Veggie Plates in Southern restaurants. I said to watch for bones sticking out of the squash casserole and especially the bacon pieces in the green beans. He thanked me when he saw me in person!
First year I cooked for this pack of sailors/boaters I may have had a kosher attendee, not sure, as she said no pork but rest was OK. I told her she should have written me BEFORE I cooked for the lot, as I was Southern and pork was in everything!
Second year one of my oilmen friends cooked red beans and rice, pulled pork for everyone. He told me since he knew another friend was a vegetarian he had left the meat out of beans and just put in the pork fat.
I didn’t say a thing!
lLove, Jackie Monies
My guess is he was, though I never pulled that stunt.
There are 2-3 gumball machines that I encounter in my ordinary wanderings, in stores or eateries of some sort, but I don’t remember where. The gumballs are the large sort, and the machines take quarters. I’ve not used a gumball machine for > 70 years.
Over on TDS we are still having “rug rat” reactions to Shannon in Luann and other small children. I am by the way pro children so no hate mail. A couple years ago my 87 year old “web master” got everyone upset by making jokes about kids coming to our boating events.
I am totally pro kids in boats and always have been, but I was on vacation when this started and not around to moderate, so by time I returned it was totally out of hand. People were dropping out, writing irate letters, webmaster quit and had to be coaxed back……….
I think Mary Lou and Gene’s daughter is an interesting addition to the strip and a chance to add back kid jokes for Jimmy. Gene’s a little too old now?
Love, Jackie Monies
Why I do tell some people “I love you”: Back in the ’80’s I lost a lot of friends to AIDS, a lot. I realized then that the last time I saw someone might be the last time I saw them. That is an epiphany or wake up call, that you never had a chance to tell them what they meant to you.
So, despite being a hugger and affectionate all my life, I made a point from then on to try and find one good thing to say aloud to anyone I had that chance with, even total strangers. “Your hair looks great today!” “Thanks for holding the door, so nice to find a guy with great manners!” Just smiling and saying thanks is more than most do.
Those I know well/better I get more specific with of course. I write them, I speak to them, I thank them, I tell them I love them. I started signing my emails with “Love, Jackie” because that was how I signed my letters/notes to friends and I decided that the people I communicate with on the net are my friends just as much as others, but separated by more miles. Pen pals.
Love, Jackie Monies
Welcome back world! I’ve been unable to get to the blog all day…