Rhett Butler is dreamy

Wow. iPods, plasma tvs. Today's strip is just crazy! I can't imagine anyone watching Gone With the Wind on an iPod. My eyes hurt just thinking about it, but then, I don't particularly like watching movies on my computer, which has an 18" screen (yes, making it bigger than the actual television I have sitting next to it).

In fairness, though, it appears that Mom and Junior are watching something else on the 60" tv, so it's not like Dimwitty could watch GWTW on that. And I wonder how much of this is the novelty factor, too. The follow-up to this would be showing that 2 weeks later, Dim's iPod is gathering dust.

Other notes: Why is the salesman in the top panel wearing a ribbon? And shout out to Highlands, NJ. I used to go to a restaurant there somewhat regularly (hey, Bahrs!).

To catch a thief

I...wow. Is the police brutality in the top panel of today's strip a first? Al did a good job in qualifying it with "wild, resisting villain," but at that point...man, it looks like the cop is just beating the thief about the head with a billy club for no apparent reason. I can't believe that that's the most effective way to subdue someone. (I'd suggest a taser, but don't want to get into that debate again.) Anyway, I always assumed that the way people are put into the police cars is just a continuation of making sure the person doesn't make any sudden movements. Part of it might be to avoid the person bumping his or her head, but part of it was a control issue. I thought, anyway. And really, should we be rooting for the suspect to become even more injured?

Barb embraces technology

You may have noticed (if you haven't...you're blind) that I realized what the little Blogger icons mean in my "Create a Post" window and have added the actual strip for today. My knowledge of the Interwebs clearly knows no bounds. I was spurred on to this by gallagher's comment yesterday, wondering whether the archives would disappear, rendering my blog completely moot. (Or moo, like a cow's opinion.) I hope that if they do disappear, it takes a while, as I'll make an attempt to go back and add the actual comics. And maybe even add tags for the older entries. We'll see.

Anyway, today's strip. (Yes, I feel the need to link it. I don't know why.) I kind of love it because of the woman in the lower right corner. Her expression makes me happy. Also, that is a tiny pool, which amuses me. I do wonder whether this visitor to Palm City actually heard these people say they were going for a "swim" or just a "dip in the pool." Did these guys actually talk about getting exercise? And maybe they are swimming around a bit. Or it could be therapeutic! My grandmother swims every week because she has a bum hip, but I doubt she's doing laps. Who knows.

Love the guy asking the others where they're going for "early bird." I really hope that people actually do call it that. It would totally make my day.

Her purse isn't even that big!

Today's strip totally hit home, mostly because I commute to and from work on the bus. I cannot cope with people who don't have their money/farecard ready. I actually have my SmarTrip card in my pocket when I close my front door. Seriously, there is no excuse for these people. I hate being behind them in line, I hate sitting on the bus and watching them take forever. At least most of the time, if they need to search, they do try and step aside and let people ahead of them.

OK, I guess on occasion, I can see not having change ready. But this just speaks to me. Right on, Al and Susan!

Well, if the cartoons are shown in HD, why not?

Today's strip was another that I had to read a few times to understand. I guess I underestimated how helpful those exposition boxes are. Anyway, looks like we're supposed to be down on Hekkie for suggesting a new, high-def television. I'm not really sure about the snide comments. If his dad is having problems getting a good picture on a tv that's only 5 or 6 years old, then there's a problem. (My tv is about 7 years old now and is just fine, thanks.) And HD is how things are moving; at this point, if you're getting a new tv, it makes sense to buy HD. The prices are coming down and everything's going digital. You're just setting yourself up for becoming obsolete if you go non-HD. (Here I mean for something like the family room's tv. I'd have no hesitation to buy a small, non-HD television for my bedroom or something.) (But really, you shouldn't take technology-buying advice from me. I have the very bad habit of buying this sort of thing impulsively.)

Anyway. Widescreen is a bit much, but what kid wouldn't pull for that? And Hekkie looks older than 8; I'm sure he's watching more than just cartoons. As for the "wrecking crew" comment, I have no idea where that came from. Who are those people in the other room, anyway? Random commentators?

Politeness starts at home

The thing throwing me off in today's strip is the "(Really)". I guess it's just to set us up for the bottom panel? Or is it just to say that he's super polite only to hot women? Anyway, Lulula, leave him. He clearly has anger issues. If you bump someone and he starts swearing and freaking out, that counts as verbal abuse. Get out.

Bonus points for the "Oh, yeah!" though. Man, I'm going to miss that.

Go Grandma, with the environmentally sound grocery bag

Today's strip is from the suggestion of pogoer! I'm sure you're pumped to see it, and that you're treasuring the interaction with Al. Do you remember how your worded the suggestion? Honestly, I find that conversion fascinating. Al generally kept things pretty close to the suggestion.

Is the word "wagon" for a grocery cart common? I've always said "shopping cart" and have never heard "wagon." (Well, obviously, I've heard the word "wagon" before. But not in this context.) And really, by the time they've reached the parking lot, I think both Grandma and Biff Biceps have realized that there'd be no wagon/cart. (Side note: I hate those grocery stores that don't allow carts in the parking lot. Insanely inconvenient.)

It is a crap situation, but maybe Grandma should've asked someone when she was checking out. That's normally when you encounter the question of whether you need help. Though I do acknowledge that my purchases are more along the line of Biff's than Grandma's when the issue arises.

Another scary road!

Today's strip is, not surprisingly, a repeat. And honestly, I don't have much new to add to what I said then. And I'm pretty sure it wouldn't be a driver's license on the moon. Astronaut license?

All good things...

I'm sure many of you saw at the Comics Curmudgeon that King Features is ending the strip after the final Al-drawn TDIET runs on February 2. Like Josh, I have mixed feelings. I think it would've been fascinating to see someone else draw it...but at the same time, a more modern sensibility would take away so much of what makes the strip awesome. So it'll be a sad day, and, I suppose, the end of this blog. Well, it's been a good run.

I'm now high-tailing it out of town for a few days...I'll be back on Tuesday to cover the last two weeks of TDIET.

Mmm, meat.

Looking at today's strip, I again find myself thinking that something about the eyes looks weird. Look at Lulula and Sonny's eyes. Don't they look off? Anyway, the mom is clearly smoking something if she thinks that her son looks "drawn." I mean, honestly. He's hardly wasting away. Are mothers-in-law really like this? I suppose some are, but it's really not something I have any experience with. Does the mother live in the same town as them? If not, why is she talking about her butcher? It's not like Lulula can go there. It's nice, though, if she lives in a place that even still has a butcher's shop...unless she means that he's set up in a grocery store. Hmm.

I could live without the guy spelling out for us what's going on. I got it, OK?

I'm rambly, I know. My apologies.

A thoughtful-ish husband, for once

Today's strip marks the return to the Great Dishwashing Debates. I can't say I'm surprised; while I haven't been married, I do recall that who washed the dishes was quite an issue when I had roommates and no dishwasher. Anyway. Clearly the problem is that Fauna shouldn't be that nice to her husband. (And honestly, can we take a moment to acknowledge that Nudnik actually does the dishes? It's one of those things that's complained about so often, and I know I shouldn't praise him for something that he should do, but still.) Anyway. If that's how he is, that's how she should be. I know that sometimes I wash dishes as I cook...but sometimes I don't.

But hey, he did cook. And clear off the table. Though, again...what are these people making that they dirty this many dishes??? And what did they have in the top panel that they had so few?

Why is he showering with the door open???

Is anyone else traumatized by today's strip? I really, really never want to see that much skin from anyone in the land of TDIET again. But it's like a car wreck; I can't look away. This is horrible. There...I can't even comment on that. It hurts my brain.

I also refuse to believe that Migraina would ever be silent for hours. Well, unless she's watching tv. Maybe then. But in general, she's a chatterbox. Anyway, I kind of sympathize. Sometimes something pops into your head and you want to ask before you forget. And honestly, people, they're married. She could just go into the bathroom and ask if it's that important.

...I'm sorry. I can't look at it anymore.

Well, it IS cold in here

I can kind of get behind today's strip. I get the concept of if you think you're cold, you assume others are cold. Most of us learn that this isn't the case; particularly a woman being cold while two men aren't. Usually, however, this simply results in one person whining about the temperature--something I'm definitely guilty of. The hungry thing...I don't know. She's probably making food less because she thinks others are hungry than the fact that she's hungry and wants food. The dad and kid will probably whine if she makes herself something but doesn't whip up something for them, so she makes a bunch so everyone can eat. Honestly, I don't know. That's not something I've encountered.

Return of the cowboy movie

Today's strip delves into the world of dating while being a single parent. I love how Winona is a widow, not a divorcee. Because then, apparently, she would be immoral, and not worthy of the eligible bachelor from her office.

I'm having problems getting a feel for this family. It looks like her kids are maybe 10, 13, and 15. I can see a 15-year-old being out of the house a lot, but are 10-year-olds and 13-year-olds really out that much? Is this a weeknight? Because I can see them being out doing various extracurricular stuff (sports, clubs) on weeknights...but if that's the case, then Winona should know their schedules. It seems like those kids have a lot of autonomy. And it's not like she can't control how much they're home; there's this word called "No" that I've heard a lot about.

And really, there's a pretty basic solution: Just go it. Clearly she doesn't keep that close track of her children, so a couple of hours of them alone in the house isn't that bad. And kudos to the youngest kid for sitting between his mom and her date. Well played.

Buck the hair trends, Hek!

I have to say that in the top panel of today's strip, I kind of agree with Hekkie' mom. It's not that Hekkie's hair is disgusting, but it needs something. Just hanging there, it looks stupid. But may that's how the kids wore it in the 60s. Honestly, though, I think Hekkie should just blaze his own trail and not follow the current hair trends, because they do not work for him. Some guys look great with shaved heads, but he isn't one of them. And is it really a trend? Maybe amongst guys who are balding, but we have no way of knowing whether that's the case when it comes to Hekkie.

That all being said, it did make me laugh. Which is good, particularly for a Monday.

Way too deep thoughts for a Friday night

Today's strip provides an interesting dichotomy (...or something; I have a headache). Al and his readers acknowledge that nurses no longer dress like Florence Nightingale...but that seemingly hasn't prevented him from drawing them as such. Is it because the typical TDIET reader feels more comfortable with it? Is it just easier to have nurses in the strip wear those outfits, because having to distinguish various color scrubs is a challenge in a one-panel strip? Probably a combination of the two, actually. I wonder if a number of the people writing in aren't ol' time patients, but rather people pointing in the anachronism of the way nurses are portrayed.

I will say that while I can see the scrub top having a design like that, I can't imagine those pants and striped socks like that.

Doctor Cutup would be a surgeon, wouldn't he?

There are some questions I have about today's strip: Is the surgery elective or not? Is surgery actually elective if you know you have to get it done eventually? Why does a doctor need to come in if he's on vacation to do a surgery, unless it's some rare surgery that only he knows how to do? And if that's the case, is that surgery something that would really be optional for a while? I admit that most of my knowledge in this area comes from the early days of ER and Grey's Anatomy, so I'm hardly an expert, but something about this just doesn't seem to add up.

I would like to point out that the doctor is taking a staycation, which is very "in" for 2008.

I wonder what Woopee Magazine is about

I hope everyone had a nice holiday and fun new year.

I love today's strip if only because it introduces us to Barfo Magazine. How cool is that? That being said, I can't imagine being that excited about a new magazine at the doctor's office. Though since spending time in doctors' waiting rooms seems to be a big part of the lives of the average TDIET reader, I shouldn't be too surprised. Again, I will simply say that this is why I always bring my own reading material.

Kudos for having the magazines in the top panel actually say 2008. And now I'm depressed because Al didn't make it to 2008. *sigh*