Drivel that cannot fit in a single panel comic.

Thursday, January 31, 2008

Mmm! Giant Floating Background Donuts!

Mary Worthless Mary Worth: Day 17
Drew must really enjoy his coffee because if I were in his position I would have sprinted out of there by now. Something about this whole thing just feels wrong aside from the dating the boss angle. Sort of a creepy wrong, the kind of wrong that one enjoys in the moment but when the moment passes shame and the urgent need for a shower set in.

On a cheerier note, I'm glad to see the giant floating background donuts return. They are the most interesting part of this story line so far.

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I might end up voting in the Democratic primary instead of the Republican. Depends on how McCain does on Super Tuesday. One can learn a lot about a man by looking at the people who hate him. Some very disgusting people hate John McCain; he must be doing something right.

Part of me would enjoy watching a McCain/ Clinton election just for the prospect of seeing a few heads belonging to right wing talkers explode. They hate McCain but they hate Clinton more. Ah, entertainment.

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Mary Worth approaches relevance

Mary Worthless Mary Worth - Day 16
Hoo boy! Someone needs to read Surviving the Workday, pronto! The archives have articles addressing this situation except done at a brisker pace and without strange background changes and people.

Drew groans because someone (Vera or Ryan) has crossed a line that he will not cross. He knows that path leads to more than mere heartache.

I'm trying to assume that Vera went from Clerk-Typist to a director position by her own merits and skills. I really don't want to think that Vera gained her position through other means but she did not acquire marketable skills until Von threw her out and cut off her portion of the inheritance and going from a job that no longer exists in the real world to director of marketing (or something like that - I don't feel like researching it and have devoted that brain cell to something more relevant) so quickly seems a bit suspicious.

My god, could this be a plot line addressing workplace dating and the consequences inside and outside the workplace? A plot with some substance that can be fully explored without the pressures of a 20 - 45 minute resolution that television demands? This could be entertaining, relevant and possible educational!

Oh, wait this is Mary Worth.

I found the background person with the glasses in panel two more interesting than the foreground characters.

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Mary Worth-lessness: Day 15

I have to agree, pulling a stuffed rabbit out of a hat is more impressive. Talking is a pretty cool non-doggie trick, too. If Loki talked he would spend a lot of time in a corner for lying. If Walter comes home before I do, he usually feeds the dog. Then, I come home and the dog is excited and I ask if the dog has been fed. Walter will say yes but Loki will stand at the door leading to the garage and try to work the handle. The food is kept in the garage.

Last night, Loki faced a dilemma - eat or greet. Walter put food in the bowl and then let Loki in. Loki saw the food and was about to eat but then he saw me and he paced back and forth between his bowl and me. Loki rubbed is head against my leg then went to his food bowl to eat. I barely won the eat or greet contest.


Why would Garfield worry about pigeons? Is he outdoors? Some indication of the setting would help.
Vera's purse matches the decor. Who knew one could purchase a purse to match 1940's government office. Is Santa Royale built on fast moving tectonic plates? That might explain the shifting backgrounds. Maybe Joe Giella just doesn't care. Day 15 of the Mary Worth-less Mary Worth comics.
I think the Prime Minister you're referring to is Neville Chamberlain.

Monday, January 28, 2008

More 3M Half Marathon

While getting a photo of me running, my husband also took hundreds of photos of other runners. Photography is his hobby. He is posting his photos on Flickr at:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/22287142@N02/sets/72157603812599873/

Most of the action photos were taken just after the mile 2 mark and he caught runners that were after the 2 hour pace runners. He also took photos of people getting off the buses.

Check them out.

Mary Worth watch

Ryan! That is not how you do a Vulcan nerve pinch! What is he doing to Vera, other than creating a very awkward situation? When did Vera find a boyfriend? For someone whose anger towards her brother caused her to swear off men forever, Vera is certainly going through the boyfriends. I hope the others don't show up two hours early for their meetings. Vera should try setting up meetings in different locations. Not quite as efficient as the single location but less likely to lead to an awkward situation.

In case anyone is wondering, Mary has not appeared in her own comic strip since January 14th.

14 days with no Mary Worth in Mary Worth.

Sunday, January 27, 2008

3M Half Marathon results and pictures

Bib Number: 1654
Age: 38
Overall Rank: 49 (out of 73)
Age Group: F 0-99 (Filly, All Ages) Filly, sometimes the term Athena is used, is a division for heavier runners (150+ pounds). The male equivalent is called Clydesdale (200+ pounds).
Rank - First Leg: 49
Time - First Leg (6.7 miles): 1:15:25.20
Pace - First Leg: 11:47/Mile
Rank - Second Leg: 46
Time - Second Leg (6.4 miles): 1:24:48.50
Pace - Second Leg: 12:39/Mile
Chip Time: 2:40:13.70
Gun Time: 2:43:15.00
Difference: 03:01.30 - This is the time difference between when the gun went off and when I crossed the starting line. The chip starts when I cross and that is the time that counts.

I'm pleased with my time considering that I did not train specifically for a half marathon but kept up my conditioning from training for San Antonio. The furthest I ran since San Antonio was a little over 3.1 miles. This race was 13.1. I did it and felt good afterwards. I even danced a little in the park after the finish.

Below are some picture my husband took and I took. The order is a bit random because of the way Blogger uploads photos and I cannot drag them.
Walter was able to take a shortcut and walk to just past mile 2 on the course. I am in this shot near the 5th traffic barrel from the foreground. I'm wearing a red shirt and black shorts.
Stepping off the bus that took the runners back to the starting area. This was a point to point race, mostly downhill. Pflugerville ISD provided the buses. Our bus had assigned seating for the children that normally ride these buses. I hope that the seats got wiped down, otherwise, there will be some smelly children coming off those buses Monday morning. A couple thousand sweaty people are bound to leave something behind.
Walter was across the street in the sun. He took a bunch more pictures and he will post them to his Flickr account. Take a look at the variety of shapes, sizes and ages that participated in this event - it might inspire you to take on a half marathon.
My medal
Start of the race
Just after mile 2.
This race occurred in Austin, Texas
Hi honey! I was pleasantly surprised to see Walter. He walked about a mile to get to that point in the course.
Taking advantage of the downhill.
This is why I do it! Since 3M puts on the half marathon, the goody bag is filled with lots of 3M products.
The contents of the goody bag laid out a bit more neatly. It was about $55 worth. Several varieties of post-it notes, two boxes of adhesive bandages, several rolls of Scotch tape, some things for attaching pictures to fabric walls, and some wipes.
Going to the start line. It was about 46 degrees.
Stretching before the start. Gave Walter the hoodie.
The wheelchair racers lining up. The woman in the pink chair passed me after mile 10. The wheelchairs start 5 minutes before the runners. I speculate that the woman in the pink chair had to change a tire or had some other mechanical difficulty that slowed her down but I don't remember running past her.
This was taken with my cell phone. My view of the starting line. Over 5,200 runners participated.
A shot I took of the state capitol building while waiting in line for a bus. I'm obligated as a Texan to mention that this is the biggest capitol building dome in the United States. Bigger than the one in Washington D.C.
A shot of the finish line.

Friday, January 25, 2008

There will be pain

Vera opens a can of STFU on Dr. Drew. This will be painful, either for Drew when Vera spills her guts or for the audience if Karen Moy writes a lame ass resolution to this conversation. I love the 1940's government office decor of the Junction Cafe. A rare Mary Worth that does not contain half the population of a small city in the background.

I will probably miss the conclusion of this gripping conversation because I will run in the 3M Half Marathon in Austin this Sunday. I travel on Saturday. I'm shooting for 2:30:00. I could go online when I come home and look but the way time moves in Mary Worth I bet I wouldn't have missed anything important.

Thursday, January 24, 2008

12 Hair Dryers!

Forget about a fuse or the electric bill, shouldn't you be more concerned that a household with 5 people has 12 hair dryers? I consider a hair dryer one of the more annoying sounds on earth. I know too many people whose voices remind me of a hair dryer. None of these people are the quiet type. A just God would silence these people.


Dolly, you suck. That felt good. On rare occasions I start a drawing of a person with the feet but I can plan a bit better. Dolly, you suck. That still feels good. Try it, next time you're feeling down, unless your name is Dolly then pick a different Family Circus kid.

The readers are clamoring for Vera to dump Dr. Drew or at least drop a bombshell such as pregnancy or coming out. All the dialogue written so far appears to lead to it but remember who writes this comic. Karen Moy has done this before - dangle the prospect of something interesting then not deliver the goods. Note: those donuts or bagels are gentle caressing huge!

Walt had time to get dressed but Jeremy's mom did not? What the gentle caress?

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Christmas Light Chicken

I received in the mail yesterday a copy of the New Yorker Complete Book of Cartoons. The book has two CDs with every cartoon published in the New Yorker from 1924 to 2004. I bought the paperback version and this book weighs a lot. If I want to keep reading the book in bed I will need to sit up in order to avoid organ damage. Last night, I read the first decade while on my back. Thankfully, I have abs of steel and blankets to support the weight of this tome but even my fabulous abs could not support this book for more than 30 minutes. Also, the book is huge - we will need a bigger coffee table for it. Entertainment and exercise in one volume.


Whenever I get around to it, my next comic strip music video will feature Ed Crankshaft, using Isaac Hayes' Theme to Shaft. That Ed Crankshaft is one bad mother - Shut your mouth - I'm only talking about 'Shaft. I don't know what surprises me more - the Crankshaft household having that many hair dryers or Ed Crankshaft not owning a high powered heat blower.

According to Mary Worth and Me the song is Waiting for a Star to Fall by Boy Meets Girl. It's a song from the 1980's that receives very little air play - thankfully. Go to Mary Worth and Me if you feel like hearing it. Fortunately, that blog has some other fine lounge music. I'm surprised that Karen Moy is aware of anything from the 1980's. Then again, she could be close to my age and Drew and Vera could be written as people in their late 30's. Shudder.

In twenty years, Snoop Dogg's Sensual Seduction (more likely, a white person's cover of the song), will make it to the Junction Cafe jukebox.

Vera - enough with the purple! A purple Michelin Man coat, a purple blazer and a purple skirt? Angling for an appearance on What Not to Wear - the comic strip edition? Vera, you're too young for the Red Hat Society, so please stop dressing like them.

This comic strip reflect part of my job. Paperless office - not as long as we have people that cannot stare at a monitor for too long.

A comic peeve: inappropriate aging of characters. Is there a law mandating that every comic parent be of boomer age even if they are too old to be parents of the children in the comic? I estimate that the children in Soup to Nutz are between the ages of 8 and 12. Let's assume that the parents were 12 during the Cuban Missile Crisis - born in 1950. Wikipedia claims that the duck and cover was taught into the 1980's - but I'm going to go by my experience and assume that the parents went to elementary school in the 1950's and early 1960's. Both parents would be in their late 50's and would have had their first born in their late 40's. It is possible that the parents went to one of those schools that still taught duck and cover in the 1980's. The odd parental aging thing also appears in Curtis. The Duncans in Zits are of boomer age but their sons are in college and high school - a more realistic age.

I want to get this joke. Someone attempt to explain.

About the title of this blog entry - we, the next door neighbors and the neighbors across the street appear to be playing Christmas Light chicken. None of us has taken down our lights yet. If our lights stay up then there will be no nagging - the neighbors have taken down their lights, why don't you take down ours? The next door neighbor has the most elaborate set up with animated reindeer. Ours is the simplest - lights draped in a tree. The lights along our front walkway have been brought in and I put the Christmas trees up last Saturday.

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Lunch - oh boy!

A waitress comes to your table and takes your order. Then she goes to the kitchen and gives the order to the cook. The cook prepares the meal. The waitress brings it to the table. Why this process has Dr. Drew excited is known only to him.

What is the population of Santa Royale? I've eaten in restaurants and walked in some large cities and have not encountered as many people that walk around in Santa Royale.

Some folks who believe that the world does not have a human population problem claim that the entire human population of the planet can fit in the state of Texas. Mathematically, that is true but then Texas would look like a Mary Worth comic except with brown people as part of the mix. I think I just described hell.

Monday, January 21, 2008

How Privileged Are You

Found this at Ms. Kitty's blog

From What Privileges Do You Have?, based on an exercise about class and privilege developed by Will Barratt, Meagan Cahill, Angie Carlen, Minnette Huck, Drew Lurker, Stacy Ploskonka at Illinois State University. If you participate in this blog game, they ask that you PLEASE acknowledge their copyright.

Bold the true statements.

1. Father went to college.

2. Father finished college.

3. Mother went to college.

4. Mother finished college.

5. Have any relative who is an attorney, physician, or professor.

6. Were the same or higher class than your high school teachers.

7. Had more than 50 books in your childhood home.

8. Had more than 500 books in your childhood home.

9. Were read children's books by a parent.

10. Had lessons of any kind before you turned 18.

11. Had more than two kinds of lessons before you turned 18.

12. The people in the media who dress and talk like me are portrayed positively.

13. Had a credit card with your name on it before you turned 18.

14. Your parents (or a trust) paid for the majority of your college costs.

15. Your parents (or a trust) paid for all of your college costs.

16. Went to a private high school.

17. Went to summer camp. It was a day camp

18. Had a private tutor before you turned 18.

19. Family vacations involved staying at hotels.

20. Your clothing was all bought new before you turned 18.

21. Your parents bought you a car that was not a hand-me-down from them.

22. There was original art in your house when you were a child [kid's work is original!]

23. You and your family lived in a single-family house.

24. Your parent(s) owned their own house or apartment before you left home.

25. You had your own room as a child.

26. You had a phone in your room before you turned 18.

27. Participated in a SAT/ACT prep course.

28. Had your own TV in your room in high school.

29. Owned a mutual fund or IRA in high school or college.

30. Flew anywhere on a commercial airline before you turned 16.

31. Went on a cruise with your family.

32. Went on more than one cruise with your family.

33. Your parents took you to museums and art galleries as you grew up.

34. You were unaware of how much heating bills were for your family. Not so much as heating as air conditioning but still unaware.

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I am grateful for the privileges, acknowledge that others were not as privileged, hope more would get to experience the same privileges, try my best to treat everyone with respect but I will not be made to feel guilty for what I received and what I have.

Saturday, January 19, 2008

Exercise Log

This week I ran, biked and rowed 21.34 miles, burned 1296.9 calories and weigh 173.1 pounds.

Monday: Bike - 3.06 miles in 15:00
Tuesday: Run - 3.29 miles in 35:00
Wednesday: Row - 1.25 miles in 10:00
Friday: Bike - 3.83 miles in 20:00
Saturday: Row - 2.58 miles in 20:00; Bike - 5.17 miles in 25:00; Run - 2.16 miles in 25:00

Next week's plan:
Monday: Row and strength training
Tuesday: 30 minute run
Wednesday: Row and strength training
Thursday: 30 minute run
Friday: Row and strength training
Saturday: off
Sunday: run in the 3M Half Marathon in Austin

Friday, January 18, 2008

Good and Evil

This site is certified 42% EVIL by the Gematriculator

This site is certified 58% GOOD by the Gematriculator

Holy Bat! Batman!

Today's single panel theme - percussive therapy with blunt wooden objects:


This really blurs the canine/ human line. For some humans balding is usually just part of the aging process (exceptions for chemo and poisoning) but for a dog balding is the sign of a fairly serious skin condition. The Pluggers disturbs me when it blurs the anthromorphization lines.

Yes, I can. I shall speak of the pompatus of love. Bizarro drew a panel using the same theme a month or so back. This artist decided to play a variation. Now, a different single panel cartoonist needs to work "pompatus of love" into their version of a gag based on Steve Miller's "The Joker"
Check out this blog post on Judge a Book by Its Cover about the wonders of the Internet and my "You've Been Warned" cartooning project. The individual panels will appear daily on my main cartoon site (A Perfect World) starting next Tuesday but if you're the impatient sort you can find them on my Flickr photostream in the You've Been Warned set

Thursday, January 17, 2008

This is my life, rated

This Is My Life, Rated
Life:
7.9
Mind:
7.7
Body:
9.3
Spirit:
8.8
Friends/Family:
6.1
Love:
9.1
Finance:
8.2
Take the Rate My Life Quiz

Cliche Thursday

Four cartoon cliches in three comics. Hagar the Horrible contains two.