I am in trouble.

I just busted a gut at today's Mother Goose & Grimm.



Get it? Grimm thought he'd offended the sloth, but no, the sloth is just... slow.

I need sleep.

Of course, I adored today's Get Fuzzy. Can I have my humor cred back now?

I got such a kick out of today's Garfield.

Though I'll be damned if I can pinpoint why. Perhaps because I can see my sister and I doing this years ago? (Not that we ever did, we were and are angels.)

Since Jon got a life, Garfield has really improved. I'm happy about this.

D'oh!

My sense of humor is in danger again!

Today's Garfield is funny.



And has been a lot lately, judging by the number of Garfield's saved to my computer.

At least I'm watching Malcolm in the Middle right now.


It's the accordion.

I gave away all my Garfield books two years ago. I want this one, though.

All is right with the world.

Today's Crock has a punchline based on a stupid stereotype.



My sense of humor will be fine.


I still want to swap bookmarks, though.

Wow.

BC is getting pretty funny.

Take today, for example.


Over the last few years, BC turned into a much more religious, heavy-handed comic, reflecting Johnny Hart's renewed faith.

When he died and the news that the comic would be continued with old artwork and new jokes once Hart's originals were used up did not sound good.

And the first new ones kinda sucked.

But lately?

Wow. It's not up to Get Fuzzy or Pearls Before Swine or Mutts or [your favorite comic]*, but it's a lot better.

*[I realize many people just do not like Get Fuzzy, and there's nothing that can be done. Oh well, more Satchel for me!]

This is so weird.

I cannot handle somebody breathing or talking to my back.

No, I don't mean I need to look somebody in the eye, I just cannot stand it when breath touches my back.

It hasn't been an issue in a long time, because it usually happens when I'm in a cramped line, like the ones used in elementary and middle school.

If somebody was too close, my back would start twitching, it just feels bad.

It may be similar to being tickled, but it's never pleasant.

Just now, I moved back a bit, I wanted to try to lay down. Well, Wickett was on the top cushion next to my pillows.

He started growling and I freaked out. My back was prickling, nothing could stop it, not even getting away from him! I tried to put a blanket over my back, it didn't work.

I was shrieking at him, practically begging him to get off the couch. It bothers me so much.

I had to get him a bone to get him off the couch.

I just don't get him - if he's so damn mad, why doesn't he leave? Go somewhere without a human?

I can still feel it, but it's a bit better.

Does anybody know what I'm talking about?

Dixie is a cat.

And in a comic!



Too many times! Too many times that muttly mutt of mine has waited for me to leave the room and then hopped right onto my spot.

When I return, she will wag her tail, "talk", or just look so innocent.

But she sticks to couches and beds - my uncle's cat once got into his medicine when it was out on the kitchen counter.

Pets!

She will get off, of course, if you shove her butt. However, I did not know that 10-year-old dogs could still pull off puppy eyes.

Oh, it's another year or somesuch... New Law and Order tonight!

My sense of humor should be revoked.

I liked today's Crock.




My plans? A Law and Order marathon starts at 11am tomorrow morning and is 32 hours long.

Bookmark swapping would be a social step up.

ETA at 4:30 - I said I liked it, I didn't say I laughed at it.

Yet another attack on Christmas!

From Jeff Foxworthy, no less!




"Happy Holidays"??

Sad, sad, sad.

Wickett's famous!

Stuff On My Mutt: Yup, must be snowing outside.

The endorsement deals should be rolling in any day now.

Meet my son, Friday.

Here's the story.

An Italian family named their son Friday. The parents registered him as Friday, and he was baptized as Friday. However, a clerk brought the name to the attention of a tribunal. So now the kid's legal name is Gregory, because he was born on that saint's feast day. The officials changed it to protect him from teasing later on and because Friday is a bad luck day in Italy.

I only checked this out because of the Thursday Next series by Jasper Fforde.

The main character is Thursday.

Her mom is Wednesday.

Thursday's son is Friday and her daughter is Tuesday.

I think those are nice, interesting names.

However, since the family is Italian, you'd think they'd name their kid "Venerdì".

Friday's an English word with Norse roots, I believe.

One more note - I'd love to have a boy dog named Loki and a girl dog named Thursday. Hopefully they won't fight too much.

Latest Attack on Christmas!

Where: the comic "Mutts"

When: Monday, December 17, 2007

What:



Sad.


Funny placement of "Happy Holidays" - a commercial for Henco furniture in Selmer. The commercials are definitely local, and everyone's got a southern accent. So their use of "Happy Holidays" really stuck out. But I like it.

What I don't like? This story about a store in downtown Collierville. I saw it on the news last week. The Arkansas Matters article is better because they open with "The so-called war on Christmas...", while WMC opened with," When Christmas rolls around stores in downtown Collierville are decked out with decorations. The local banners say Happy Holidays."

The quote in the article is exactly what the owner said on TV.

"We got tired of everyone saying happy holidays when Merry Christmas is what its all about, its about Christ and we wanted to make a stand," Donna Buckner said.

Oh, gag me.

What is about Christ? Christmas? Christmas is next Tuesday! (Not to mention the historical quibbling over when he was actually born.) She doesn't even say what she's referring to - what "it" is all about. You generally say what the pronoun replaces, you don't just assume everyone knows.

"Make a stand"? I thought you made statements or took stands. And you're in America, Tennessee to be exact. You're not going to lose business by saying "Merry Christmas". You're more likely to lose it if you don't.


The whole "War on Christmas" idea is stupid. Christianity is the most popular religion in the US. And they can't handle acknowledging that some people practice other religions with holidays in December. The fact that it's called the "War on Christmas" and not the "War on Religion" (same enemy - secular humanism and atheists) illustrates the dominance of Christianity and Christmas here.

"Happy Holidays" does not name any religious holiday, but the absence of Christ is the only problem. There is a war on Chanukah, you know.

The second link mentions this story. More Christians making a stand!

Funny USA promo from 2006

I love love love love the shows Monk and Psych. I adore them. Psych reruns are on at midnight Sunday nights, and I try to watch them at that time.

I would make a lousy critic, because I can only pinpoint elements that I dislike - when I like a show (or book or movie or whatever), I just do. I can't explain it.

They're both hilarious?

And they are way too short - I can't wait to get all the DVDs for Monk and the one season on DVD for Psych. When I got my Arrested Development DVDs, I would watch them for as long as possible - they told a story over 3 seasons and 53 episodes, so the end of the episode is not the end of the story. Plus the show is bust-a-gut funny.

I just started watching Monk and Psych this summer. It was by accident - Mom wanted to be up when Becky came home from her job, and since it was summer and the weekend, well, it could take some time, and Mom likes to sleep. So I would stay up with her. Well, one Friday night, we watched Law and Order SVU on USA, Mom fell asleep, and I kept it on USA. I fell in love with the shows and I haven't looked back. I discovered the joy of the X-files one summer weekend as well.

Anyways - new episodes start Friday, January 11th! Can't wait!

Why did I finally talk about my two new favorite shows?

Well, I found this commercial on youtube, and I knew I had to have it on my blog. A link? Nah, embed that sucker.

So here it is:



And I don't watch the Dead Zone - I think I've tried, but it seems too serious. Plus, Christopher Walken is Johnny Smith. End of story!

Rest In Peace, Al Scaduto 1928-2007

They'll Do It Every Time is a gloriously anachronistic celebration of the petty gripes and ironies of everyday life.

It is run on reader submissions, and for the last 18 years, Al Scaduto has been the writer and illustrator. It seems like longer with his fashion sense and slang.

At first, the comics irritated me, as they did countless others.

But we grew to love them. The comic never made me laugh out loud, I never wanted to save it, but it was good.

And what made it good was Al Scaduto. He wrote back to people who sent him ideas, even if he couldn't run them. From everything I have read, he was the ultimate gentleman, and the world is a little less brighter without him.

I can't create a tribute song out of the thin air, so I'll leave with this:

One funny quote:

"The Catholic League wants Christians to stay away from this movie precisely because it knows that the film is bait for the books," said president William Donohue.

From an article about 'The Golden Compass'.

Heavens to Betsy! We can't have our kids reading!

Do these people not have real problems to deal with?

I don't know if the Golden Compass series is as popular as Harry Potter, but HP, despite its flaws, got kids (and adults) reading. And some kept reading.

The leaders claiming this movie and other things are threats to their kids' faith must have no faith in their children or their religion. I mean, if a positive story about witches is enough to turn your kid into a Satanist, or a story with a corrupt church makes your kid join a cult, there were some issues already. Though if they're that easily influenced, they should already be protesting the books.

Yes, I know someone who's protesting the film with her church group. No, she hasn't seen it, no she hasn't read it, she just knows it's bad. And apparently they've toned it down.

Whatever, I just loved that quote. How ignorant!


Edit - I have not actually read any of Pullman's books, and I don't want to. I read about half or 3/4 of the first one, and I just couldn't get into it. Oh well, some people like different books. Becky likes the Gossip Girl series, I don't. And yet, the world goes on.

UNHP 1101

"University Honors Program" - I think that's what the letters mean. UNHP 1101 and UNHP 1102 are required for every Honors student here before you start your 5th semester. (I think.)

I took UNHP 1101 this semester and loved it. Everyone else I talked to hated it. Except those in my section (we had a big lecture on Tuesday and then broke up into sections on Thursday). Whatever.

Our last reading assignment was The Pickup by Nadine Gordimer. I read most of it Friday night. It was very hard to get into. I liked the bits about nature - the starkness of the desert, the lush decadence of the rice fields - but if I never read it again, that would be fine.

I'm going to reveal the ending - or part of it.

I know that's mean to all of you waiting on pins on needles to see if Ibrahim gets to leave.

Anyways, Ibrahim gets to go to America. Now in our last UNHP class yesterday, the professors asked us what we thought he'd do - would he live in a Muslim enclave and never get above lower-middle class, would he be a huge success - what?

This guy sitting next to me leaned over and said that he'd probably fly a plane into the towers.

Clearly, he got nothing out of this course. I was accused of being close-minded in English, but sheesh.

A little common sense would show how stupid a thought that is - or a comprehensive reading of the book.

Ibrahim went to informal meetings with other men his age in his own country, and they griped about their government, their country. No anti-American rhetoric there.

Plus, there's why Ibrahim wanted to leave his home country - he wanted to be successful, he wanted to be rich, why would he want to hurt the country he wants to call home?

Jackass. I should have said all this to the guy in class, but I just ignored him.

Idiot.

I saw this in the school paper today.

They had a shot of Obama on the Daily Show accompanying it. (BTW - I saw a bit of last night's rerun - still hilarious.)

"Clinton Mocks Obama on Experience"

I'm sure she has a point about his experience in the Senate, compared to hers, blah blah blah.

But what made me say, "Bullshit! I must write about this! The masses must know my opinion!" was what she was mocking.

His childhood overseas.

He was there at the age of 10, so he has me beat by 4 years. *humph*

I think he is right - a childhood, part of childhood, spent overseas does give you a different view of the world than your classmates who've never left Tennessee.

This is based on my experience. Even though I left Iceland at 6 and a half, I'd already gone to school there.

And that makes me look at the world differently, I can't pinpoint how - exposure to other cultures in their land - I'm the visitor? It makes you more open-minded, the earlier the better.

So it is a good thing for Obama, in my opinion.

Dumbledore's gay. BFD.

Actually, JK Rowling thinks so.

I haven't seen anything in the books to support it, and according to this article, he loved a guy, guy died, Dumbledore never loved again. So sad.

But it doesn't matter.

Not to me.

I'm rereading the 6th before finally reading the last one, and I got to thinking about the 'news'.

This does not affect how I read the books, I won't look for clues or hints, because it doesn't matter.

The only romances that matter in the book are the students', since the action primarily focuses on their lives.

Besides, teachers are asexual. And live at school.

Once you figure out what sex is, you realize that everyone with kids (even your parents!! ew!!!!) did it.

But not teachers, come on, that's just weird.

So that's why it doesn't matter to me - Dumbledore's love life isn't important to the story - it may have been in her head, but she didn't put it in the books.

So.

BFD.

Also, I'm sure the people who had conniptions over the devil-worship just love this, since all homosexual men are pedophiles and Dumbledore worked with children, OMG.

If it becomes a big controversy, more books will sell. Perhaps it's a ploy by Rowling to keep sales up, not that she needs it.

So far, everyone I've run into has said, "Oh, I love Harry Potter."

One of my relatives teaches at Stanford and (in June 2003) had at least 3 hardback sets - including the new 5th one.

The books are appealing to people from all walks of life.

Before the first movie came out, I was all, "I don't care, it's popular, I hate it." Then I read the 4 that were out, and loved each one.

The BEST Veteran's Day Comic

Arlo & Janis




Anyone with family in more than one branch will understand.

My paternal grandfather was in the Marines, and my parents were in the Navy. Every time we went to Grandpa's, the rivalry was insane! Even the second-to-last visit.

Yeah.

I miss him.

I still think that Daniel shouldn't have joined the military...

It's Veteran's Day.

And my SEVENTEEN year old cousin joined the military this week.


DAMN DAMN DAMN DAMN