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

Est. 1985

Extra, Extra!

Stretching a Point

By Jimmy Johnson


Buy the new book, "Beaucoup Arlo & Janis!"Today's "Arlo & Janis!"
This is an old Sunday from 1995. I can’t be sure, because I don’t exactly keep records, but I don’t think it’s ever been seen here on the Web before. That means, no one but you has seen it in 20 years. We were discussing last week regionalism in the comics, specifically could A&J be regarded as a “southern” strip. I voted no, and I have evidence to back me up. Guess to which state I have shipped more copies of Beaucoup Arlo & Janis than any other, and by a significant margin. Give up? Massachusetts. Behind the Bay State would be the upper Midwest. I am strong in the south, in terms of newspaper clients and book sales, but Dixie follows the aforementioned regions. For whatever reason, I have never been big out west. Maybe that’s why there has never been an Arlo & Janis movie. Yeah, that’s got to be it.

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50 responses to “Stretching a Point”

  1. TruckerRon Avatar

    I wonder how many times I watched this Star Trek episode without recognizing the shop?

    http://bit.ly/1AQmH91

  2. domaucan1 Avatar
    domaucan1

    How about the fact that Nat King Cole died in 1965, the same day as Winston Churchill? Churchill was 90, Cole was 45! Cole was my all time favorite male vocalist. My other favorite “singer” and band leader was Spike Jones, who also died in 1965! I think I have every record that Nat and Spike ever recorded and released. Someday, my kids and grand kids will really be puzzled by my taste in recordings.

    Jackie, I sent my condolences to the funeral home website but let me add my own personal ones to you. May God hold you in the palm of His hand. Same to all the other villagers who have lost loved ones or have problems that a million dollars won’t solve. I had a friend who always said that if you have problems that a million dollars will solve, you have no problems at all. God has really blessed me. May he bless us everyone.

  3. TruckerRon Avatar

    emb: Is that a case of prove or assumed causation? We humans are expert at seeing cause and effect whether it’s there or not…

  4. Jackie Monies Avatar
    Jackie Monies

    Doumacan, I did read your sweet message on the funeral home page and appreciated your kindness. Do you really live in Baton Rouge and are a veterinarian? Retired? I couldn’t even begin to get into vet school back then, only had a 3.5 average. The 4 pointers were being turned away and no one wanted women back then, so no way.

    I bet you knew a friend of mine that was a BR vet for many years before he came back home to north Louisiana.

    And we have Bill in Bossier, too, but I don’t think he is a vet/animals.

    If I got the wrong end of the stick, tell me!

    Love, Jackie

  5. curmudgeonly ex-professor Avatar
    curmudgeonly ex-professor

    Many decades ago, I was a huge fan of “Peanuts”, following the comic and buying all the book compilations as they were published. (Collection has since been given to SIL.) I found the strip to be quite insightful, more often than not.
    Then came those various holiday specials featuring the “Peanuts” characters. Horrible. The situations usually seemed disjoint & insipid, and the voices used simply did not match what I had in mind from the strips and books. I did watch some, especially while the kids were kids, but never liked any. These days, I stay away from those listings.
    Consequently, PLEASE don’t follow that path, JJ. Avoid any tv or movie stuff; you risk some of your audience.

  6. domaucan1 Avatar
    domaucan1

    Sorry for the date mixups. Nat and Winston died a couple of weeks apart.
    Jackie,
    Who was the BR vet? I’ve known all of them since the 60’s. We have the LVMA meeting in Lafayette this weekend. Still go even though I’m retired. I was one of five people accepted from LA at Auburn in 1963. I had a B.S and half a M.S. before I was accepted on my third try! We had about 5 females in the entire school back then. Now it’s about 85% females as is medical and dental schools.
    Trucker Ron,
    I love that little writeup about the family dog. Dogs are God’s second greatest creation. I had three labs that all died within five months and I just can’t stand to watch another one die, so, I have no dogs, but i really don’t have room for a lab, my favorite breed.
    Gee, this is more than I have written in several years of reading A&J! I started reading A&J in the Auburn/Opelika News back when it started. JJ and I are fellow alumni, though years apart.

  7. Jackie Monies Avatar
    Jackie Monies

    Johnny Robinson from Newellton, LA Went back to Tensas from a large practice in BR and became a country vet, died as one, great guy.

    I was one of first five females allowed into USL School of Agriculture who were not in home ec. You must have missed my meat and livestock team judging stories! In dresses and heels, per dean of women! As you know, Louisiana didn’t get many into vet school under the ratio plan, so Auburn impressed me! I was class of 1966 and I imagine I may know a lot of the older vets around Lafayette and south Louisiana.

    Couldn’t miss my dog rescue stories, I had ten simultaneously who weighed between 50-150 pounds and all were “house” dogs, I called them my anti-theft alarm and bite system. It is too hard to watch them die, I agree.

    Write more, this is a great group who I KNOW are interesting people.

    Love, Jackie

  8. Evan Avatar
    Evan

    Sand, it gets even worse. I did not mention that when told Paul was a member of the Beatles, almost no one knew who THEY were. I mean, come on, that was like fifty years ago! Ancient history.

  9. Mark in TTown Avatar
    Mark in TTown

    domaucan1, how about Groucho Marx and Elvis dying the same week in 1977. Terrible for Groucho fans as the press paid all their attention to Elvis. So an 86-year-old comedian who performed in vaudeville, radio, movies and tv takes bottom billing over a 42-year old rock and roll singer who performed in tv and movies. Wonder what Groucho would have said about that timing.

  10. TruckerRon Avatar

    Or how about C.S. Lewis dying on 22 November 1963—the same day that U.S. President John F. Kennedy was assassinated and that another famous author, Aldous Huxley, died.

  11. Jackie Monies Avatar
    Jackie Monies

    Apros of nothing, I have been watching assorted versions of “Walking the Dog” by the originator, Rufus Thomas, the Rolling Stones, Stevie Ray Vaughn and others. And some Muddy Waters, some more Rolling Stones, some Good Rockin’ Dopsie, both original and Junrior, Wilson Pickett and Chuck Berry.

    All that talk of no one knowing who the Beatles were, did they know the Stones or anyone else not currently singing? Would they know any of these? I know these were regional groups or singers but they seemed to do well on world tours if the youtube clips are coming from all over.
    I can understand why the South African engineer from Belgium was so excited to know I’d actually known Dopsie Sr. Europeans seemed to love them.

    Good night all, I don’t think the music cheered me up as much as I’d hoped. Although those television clips of the Stones from the 1960’s all dressed pretty normally and standing around playing instruments in one place were pretty strange. While Mick Jagger could not restrain himself and did this strange little tight spaced sideways dance about one foot one way and another foot the other way, so it looked like he was standing still but wasn’t.

    Love, Jackie

  12. emeritus minnesota biologist Avatar
    emeritus minnesota biologist

    Trucker: Almost no causation can be proven hard and fast, but I doubt the similarities in those curves is random. We cannot prove that the relaxed controls on banks led to the major recession that occurred under the last administration, but I expect they did.

    About popular songs and such. One summer several profs at the university were accompanying a bunch of students on a one week trip in the canoe country of NE MN. Some of us were singing [a cappella] songs we knew around a campfire: “On top of old Smoky” and that vintage. Some students complained, “What about our music?” We invited them to sing some. Silence. This was in the ’70s, and they were used to being audiences at “concerts” and dancing or something when bands played and singers screamed, but they didn’t know any songs. We asked. They didn’t know the words to most of “their music.”

  13. Old Bear Avatar
    Old Bear

    Twin Cities TV News did a segment “Small Changes To Eat Healthy”
    Mostly veggies and fruit But the ones of which I took notice –

    Fermented foods like Sauerkraut and

    Bone Soup- presenter mentioned that there are lunch wagons that feature it.
    The collagen is good for joints (how it knows to go just there escapes me). Just throw the
    boned in water and cook 24 hours. Must be why Grandma’s soup was so good for us.

    emb:
    Artificial Joints depends on Funeral home – close friend worked for one in Winona.
    Their feeling was it was part of a person so they accumulate a few and then are given a
    respectful burial in a cemetery.

    OB

  14. Ken Bartlett Avatar
    Ken Bartlett

    We love you in California. Trust me (says Harrison Ford).

  15. Jerry in Fl Avatar
    Jerry in Fl

    Hearing no objection, Netanyahu gets the couch. Three of my favorite singers-Leon Redbone, Louie Prima, and Jimmy Durante. I have a long list but they are definitely there. Tv interview of teenagers: Elvis? Yeah, wasn’t he like the Justin Bieber of his time? We have a new electronic device for you. You just attach these wires to your arm and then press this button. You’ll get a buzz like you won’t believe.

  16. Jackie Monies Avatar
    Jackie Monies

    Good middle of the night to all. Either some hail or rain on that tin roof I sleep under woke me up and I am having snack of wasabi ranch sugar snap peas and a Diet Coke.

    Jerry, you have a cat named for the prime minister of Israel?

  17. Jackie Monies Avatar
    Jackie Monies

    New Hampshire has a new scratch off lottery ticket called “I Love Bacon” which does the obvious and smells like bacon when scratched. Oklahoma should do the same, We have a popular breakfast joint in town called “I Smell Bacon” and her gas station next door is called “I Smell Gas”.

    I kid you not.

    Those wasabi sugar snaps were addictive. One bag gave me 42% of my daily fiber and not much fat, salt or sugar. Amazing,

    Good night all again. Love, Jackie

  18. Jackie Monies Avatar
    Jackie Monies

    Addendum- handsome possom Pogo is up on baker’s rack munching kibble. Only slightly damp.

  19. Debbe Avatar
    Debbe

    Good morning Villagers….

    It has been said that if (or when) a nuclear holocaust should occur, the only two living things left would be cockroaches and Keith Richards 🙂

    Simply…thanks for the article and yes, I’d love those pics…send them to my email address. We brought in George the Rooster yesterday into the packing room. Set him on top of a roll of cage wire….dang, can he cockle doodle doo…loudly.

    domaucan1….thank you for the well wishes, and do post more often…such spices of life here in this here Village. I look forward to coming here every morning…makes my day.

    And, yes, I do find myself thinking of ya’ll during the day. Yesterday I got curious, Ian and I weighed 6 trays of eggs (that’s 180 eggs)…there are 24 cases to a skid (12 trays) so that is 48 times I life 6 trays of eggs per skid. We did the math, and by the end of of the day, I have lifted almost 8,000 pounds of eggs….Ian is a sweetie, he monitors me and comes in from the hen house to pack to the top for me….thatsa a my boy….oh, and then this is me at the end of the day…

    http://cheezburger.com/8432052992

    Tombstone pizza, GR 😉 lol

    TR. yup, that was the name of the movie…

    gotta go……………

  20. Debbe Avatar
    Debbe

    ..and TR, that one made me laugh….rufff!!!

    today’s grin: https://i.chzbgr.com/maxW500/8431974400/h531ED1DC/

  21. domaucan1 Avatar
    domaucan1

    I may have to post more than once.
    Jackie,
    Johnny was a VERY good friend. I really miss his calls. I was director of the diagnostic lab for the Department of Ag. and helped all the vets and farmers. That’s why I know so many LA vets. We really do have a lot in common. My B.S. was from USL in ’61 when it changed from SLI! I was a part of the judging team in animal science but there were no females! My B.S. was in microbiology, since I didn’t get in vet school early.
    Mark,
    Groucho was great.I loved his humor. Elvis, not to my liking. He was more of my wife’s time. He did have a good voice for ballads.
    Jerry,
    Thanks for mentioning some of my favorites. I play Jimmy’s, “You’ve Got To Start Off Each Day Wit A Song” frequently. Louie Prima is one of my favorites also.
    EMB,
    Can you imagine youngsters trying to sing some of the noise that calls itself “music” now?
    T Ron,
    Aldous & C.S were also great. On Nov 22,’63, the whole world stopped. I was on my weekend duty at Maxwell AFB in my first year of vet school and we watched the entire funeral. Sad day in the USA!
    I’ll be silent now until next time.

  22. domaucan1 Avatar
    domaucan1

    Debbe,
    We also have something in common. I worked in the poultry department at Auburn while in vet school. Went to several large poultry operations in AL & in Louisiana afterwards with the Ag Dept. Louisiana had a rather large group of back yard poultry farms in the 60’s &70’s. I was exposed to a lot of poultry pathology then. They began to disappear in the 80’s.

  23. emeritus minnesota biologist Avatar
    emeritus minnesota biologist

    OF: some fog, no prediction for today yet. emb

    http://www.nps.gov/features/yell/webcam/oldFaithfulStreaming.html

  24. John in Richmond Texas Avatar
    John in Richmond Texas

    and didn’t Ayn Rand and John Belushi die within a day or two?, of course most people didn’t know who Ayn Rand was anyway. emb 11:16 and GWBush kept asking congress for action on freddiemac and fanniemae and was rebuffed by Barney Frank, saying they were fine and there was no problem . https://www.aei.org/publication/how-government-failure-caused-the-great-recession/

  25. sandcastler™ Avatar
    sandcastler™

    Ayn Rand, Russian born Jewish intellectual. Educated at Saint Petersburg University, as was Vladimir Putin. Best known as Russian-American novelist.