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

Est. 1985

Extra, Extra!

Knowledge of the Ages

By Jimmy Johnson


We skip all the way to 1993 today, while sticking with the “young Gene” theme. Already he is maturing. He is old enough to ponder the sweet mysteries of life with his friends and to be a wildcat of a wrestling opponent for his old man. And he has yet another haircut. I was never fond of this haircut. For some reason, more than the others, it made his head look like some kind of elongated gourd.


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78 responses to “Knowledge of the Ages”

  1. Sideburns Avatar

    Every October, Wikipedia has a contest for the best picture of a national monument or historic building. I’ve meant to enter for several years, but finally did. There are a number of appropriate buildings in and around Trinidad, and the one I selected was the Carnegie Public Library. Instead of taking a picture of the front of the building from across the street, either straight on or at an angle, I decided to go outside the box: there’s a statue in front of the building of a girl reading a book to her dog, so I made that the focus of the shot, using the library itself the background. If you’re interested, you can see my submission at https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Carnegie_Library_and_Statue.jpg.

    1. Galliglo from Ohio Avatar
      Galliglo from Ohio

      I like it, Sideburns! VERY nice.

    2.  Avatar
      Anonymous

      Very nice indeed, Sideburns. I’ve happily visited Carnegie libraries all around the country (most of them now re-purposed, and many, unfortunately, torn down.)

    3. Nancy Kirk in AZ Avatar
      Nancy Kirk in AZ

      Oops. I just left a comment about Carnegie libraries and forgot. I just had to get a new computer and don’t have my name on it tonight. I am reading the Village to soothe my mind a little over the fact that I spent the afternoon with GeekSquad trying to get one small piece of this set up, thought it was, it’s not, and I think they may have lost a TON of my data including pictures in the transfer. I am not happy tonight.

    4. Ghost Avatar
      Ghost

      Good work, sir. I’m impressed. For what that’s worth coming from someone who just can make snap-shot quality photos. 🙂
      Taking a photography class is still on my bucket list. What I really wish is that I could make great point-and-shoot photos, like Jackie. She credits her college newspaper background for that.

    5. Dawn Avatar
      Dawn

      BEAUTIFUL photograph, Sideburns. I’ve been through Trinidad several times over the years. It’s in a gorgeous area!

  2. Jackie Avatar
    Jackie

    Sadly my beans were AWFUL! Ghost and I figured out but still sad. Because of COVID-19 there are shortages of shelf stable products, beans being one.

    Ghost had been unable to find Cajun red beans (red kidney beans) and finally found some for me. I noticed they were smaller and a darker red when I soaked them and they didn’t swell much when soaked. I cooked at simmer for over eight hours and they never lost shape nor thickened.

    Plus my kielbasa, which was a national brand, tasted like slices of hot dogs.

    Groceries are scrambling and still taking what they can get to fill shelves. They say there is shortage of canned corn and pumpkin for Thanksgiving.

    1. Mark in TTown Avatar
      Mark in TTown

      Jackie, I like to buy the small cans of vegetables so I don’t have leftovers that might get wasted. But selection has been very small since about March and some items haven’t been in stock at all. I think Del Monte must have shut down some production lines and still haven’t started them back up.

    2. TruckerRon Avatar

      The hardest thing for us to find the first few months was instant dry milk. It took longer for that to come back than any paper product!
       
      And, here’s something Morgan Freeman did as a young starting-out actor; it’s perfect for Halloween:
       
      https://www.ksl.com/article/50036979/have-you-seen-this-before-morgan-freeman-was-best-known-for-his-voice-there-was-this

  3. Ghost Avatar
    Ghost

    Computers…can’t live with them, can’t chop them up into small pieces and bury them in the backyard. As personally satisfying as that might be at times.
    Yes, food quality has definitely suffered this year, for whatever reasons.

  4. Oldbear Avatar
    Oldbear

    Very nice Sideburns.
    Ghost – about 50 YA I took a Photography course. Two things I took from it.
    .
    One — check the background and don’t have a power pole coming out of your subjects head.
    .
    Two — the most important — to get a reputation of getting good pix, sit in your car when you pick
    up your photos from the developer and throw away all the bad or marginal ones.
    Of course now it is just hit the delete button. 🙂

    1. Ghost Avatar
      Ghost

      Yep, I’ve even tried the “shoot-a-hundred-digital-pictures-so-one-of-them-has-to-come-out-good” approach. No joy.

    2. Sideburns Avatar

      One of the reasons the pros get such great pictures is that they take a large number of shots and only keep the best. I took four shots, one portrait and three landscape and submitted the best. However, the portrait shot is now the wallpaper for my phone’s Home Screen.

  5. Oldbear Avatar
    Oldbear

    My post did not appear – so this may sound odd.
    Driving home from one Photo class I heard on the radio (when local radio stations announced
    births and deaths) that Mr & Mrs Oldbear just had a son. (He was a Resident DR at Mayo Clinic exact same name)
    Had to ask Mrs what se was not telling me. 😀 🙂

    1. Steve From Royal Oak, MI Avatar

      Probably not…They know what causes that these days 😛

  6. Ghost Avatar
    Ghost

    Re 10-25-20 real-time cartoon:
    Spider #1: What do you have planned for today?
    Spider #2: The usual…building a web at human-face-level.

  7. Oldbear Avatar
    Oldbear

    Now it showed up
    .
    and it is what she was not telling
    .
    we need a edit button.

  8. Jackie Avatar
    Jackie

    Jimmy that is an EXCELLENT Sunday and really EXCELLENT animation art of Arlo encountering the spider web. Love the spider hitchhiker.

  9. Jackie Avatar
    Jackie

    Most cartoonist today just don’t draw animation because it is hard to draw. I question they are cartoonist if they cannot draw. Cartoon has always described art not dialogue.

    Time to get up, return from church or go back to bed (in my case) for a nap. Good afternoon!

  10. TruckerRon Avatar

    Comment heard during a scripture lesson:
     
    Our ancestors faced thistles, briars, and noxious weeds as they strove to provide for their families. Today we struggle with computers, cars, and plumbing.

  11. Ghost Avatar
    Ghost

    Hello, Zeta. You almost were a Halloween Hurricane, weren’t you?
    And many of you probably looked askance at my recent post wherein I mentioned a December 2020 hurricane, didn’t you?

    1. David in Granbury Avatar
      David in Granbury

      Ghost, just as long as we don’t get to omega this year…

      1. Llee Avatar
        Llee

        Don’t dare it, David!

  12. Jackie Avatar
    Jackie

    Kudos Jimmy! Today’s current strip is simply awesome! I love it! Your art, including coloring, is fabulous. Indy Arlo!

  13. Mark in TTown Avatar
    Mark in TTown

    And a bit of sad news for those who haven’t heard. Arlo Guthrie has announced his retirement from performing due to health issues.

  14. Jackie Avatar
    Jackie

    Even sadder, the death of Jerry Jeff Walker, Mr. Bojangles and creator of the Texas outlaw sound and the Austin City music scene who drove Jimmy Buffet to Key West creating Tropical Rock as well.

  15. Sideburns Avatar

    And in some less sad news, we had about 7″ of snow last night and it’s still coming down. It’s about ten degrees right now, heading for a high of fourteen, and a low tonight of nine. Hope that makes the rest of you feel warmer.

    1. Dawn Avatar
      Dawn

      That sounds like our weather, Sideburns. We got 7″ of snow yesterday and as I type these words it’s finally gotten above 10 F (nearly noon).

    2. TruckerRon Avatar

      In our area, yesterday’s little snowfall (less than an inch) was remarkable for happening in October. We rarely get much snow here anymore before Thanksgiving week.

  16. Jackie Avatar
    Jackie

    It’s raining steadily in eastern Oklahoma, worse in Tulsa where Mark is. Looked west of us where iy is jailing, sleeting, icing and possibly snowing? All in Oklahoma without leaving state.

    Think I will make creamy potato soup today, despite fact I am not supposed to eat potatoes due to high potassium content. I love soup of any kind. I could do brocolli cheese?

    1. Mark in TTown Avatar
      Mark in TTown

      Jackie, we had thunder and lightning this morning too. My outdoor thermometer has not gone above 35 but it has stayed above freezing today. For the rest of the readers, the Weather Underground has rain forecast all the way through Thursday, but Halloween is supposed to be sunny with a high in the 60’s and a low in the upper 40’s. So if the kids are allowed to go by the parents, they should have a pretty good night for trick or treating.

  17. emb Avatar
    emb

    Sunny on a few ” of snow in Bemidji, MN. Highs nr frzg but don’t have an actual 1614 hrs rdg. Seen from 3 stories up in new apt. Moved here 4 wks ago. Peace,

    1. Ghost Avatar
      Ghost

      emb: Have you completed your quarantine period, sir?

      One thing I learned from this ‘Rona Year is the origin of the word “quarantine”. It comes from “quarantena “, meaning “forty days” (in 14th – 15th-century Venetian), which was the period of time all ships’ passengers and crew had to be isolated before they could go ashore in Venice during the Black Death plague.

  18. TruckerRon Avatar

    Last Friday I was one of 8 folks with telescopes at a local junior high school for a “moon party.” The kids and their teachers had a blast, and we got to enjoy the clearest night in weeks. The hit of the evening for me came when I discovered that we were perfectly timed for them to get to see the Lunar X, which I’d not seen before myself. It’s visible for about 4 hours each lunar cycle. 🙂
     
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunar_X

  19. Ghost Avatar
    Ghost

    Re 10-27-20 real-time cartoon: “…and introducing Ludwig Day as “Short Round”!

    1. TruckerRon Avatar

      What does Short Round mean? Is it a term for a cartridge?

  20. Jackie Avatar
    Jackie

    Love Indy Arlo! Great animation and drawing, coloring. Arlo’s fantasies are great!

  21. Old Bear Avatar
    Old Bear

    Saw Sun/Sol today – first time in week and half.
    .
    Record low high (30) temp Monday, going back to 1919 in Minneapolis/St Paul

  22. emb Avatar
    emb

    Ghost: Got out of 2-wks quarantine a fortnight ago yesterday. Was freed from my apt, got to eat [socially spaced] in the dining hall, but not much more than that, / COVID-19 precautions. No visitors except for emergencies & such. Food is generally good, but averages too fatty.
    Peace,

  23. Jackie Avatar
    Jackie

    What a great arc with Indy Arlo! Beautiful execution!

    Please, no ome say that drawing doesn’t matter in cartoons!! It is most important thing!

    Waiting to see if Janis gets a role?

    1. TruckerRon Avatar

      Perhaps dressed like Karen Gillan’s character in the Jumanji movies? Arlo would like that… and so would I!

  24. Philip Avatar

    Sweet blog! I found it while browsing on Yahoo News. Do you have any tips
    on how to get listed in Yahoo News? I’ve been trying for a while but I never seem to get there!
    Thanks