It's no worse than the "Armada"

Today's strip confronts the issue of the environment. Huzzah for being topical, I say. It does play into my guilt that I don't use reusable bags. However, I drive a Prius. I'm hoping that makes me better than Gus Greenearth, who hopefully realized the irony of his name when he bought his "'conservation' gas-guzzling huge SUV." I...don't understand the "conservation" there. It's not an adjective. Unless...the SUV is called a "Conservation"? Wow. That'd take some balls on the auto-maker's part.

I also think the kid would've seen the problem in the top panel. He did, presumably, drive to the grocery store in that SUV.

Lack of truth in advertising? Say it ain't so!

Today's strip illustrates a valuable lesson: Commercials don't always show the truth. Now I realize that you're all shocked by this revelation, but it's true. Maybe I'm just cynical, but I can't work up much sympathy for our protagonist. With something like car repairs, you don't go to the place with the good commercials. You do research, you ask friends and colleagues. And when it comes to car repairs, "reasonable" does not necessarily equal "low, low." Some things can be fixed fairly inexpensively. But not everything. And since I have no idea what's actually wrong with the car...I can't judge. It's bad form for the guy to say "Big bucks," but we all know how Al doesn't want to use actual numbers.

Anyway, J. Wurshell, you can just take your car to another shop. He gives you the option. And if it needs to be towed...so be it. But it's not like there's nowhere else in Cleveland to get your car fixed. And don't blame your television for commercials. Your television loves you!

In yesterday's strip, a couple shows up unexpectedly and is shocked that the couple they've stopped in to see isn't available to socialize. Well, duh. If you stop by to see someone without calling ahead, you're taking a chance that the person is going to be out or busy. My friends know that they're more than welcome to just pop on by anytime, but that doesn't mean that at any given time, I'll have the time to talk. How far away is the couple coming from, anyway? Honestly, do people do this that much? I can think of one time when I was driving by a friend's house and stopped to say hi. He wasn't home. I certainly didn't get upset about it. It happens, you know?

The growling dog does make the strip, though, I think.

When carts attack cars

I don't mind today's strip. (How's that for a glowing recommendation?) I don't think I've ever seen anyone just push the cart away like that; usually the problem comes when the cart is left in the front of a parking spot. You don't see it, so pull in, only there's a cart blocking the front third of the space. I hate that.

No, what really sells me on this strip is the passer-by who comments that it's the same guy who takes up two parking spaces. What a jerk. I also like "a pox on." You can't lose with that phrase.

May catch-up

In Tuesday's strip...I just don't know where to start. Quite franky, if a guy showed up to pick me up for a date and it went like that, well, it'd be a first and only date. But it seems that the girl is used to it, and really, they're going to hang out with their friends at the mall. Seems pretty tame. I guess we're supposed to be horrified at the car, clothes, and language, but I have a pretty hard time getting worked up about the language when Al includes the "It goes something like so--but like, we mean, oh, yeah-h-h-h." Honestly, he's parodying himself, right? A casual reader might think that that's supposed to mock how the kids talk; it'd be a nice argument if Al didn't use that sort of thing frequently. Favorite parts of the strip: The "Luggo Buggo" and the nice couple walking by in time to witness this horrifying act.

Yesterday's strip just baffles me. If you call out sick, then your boss probably won't call you--unless your boss is a jerk. Or you're one of those super-important types, but even then, people try to avoid calling people who are sick. Call it common courtesy. And though I can't say that I've never taken a mental health day (assuming that by "ducked work" Al means "called in sick when he wasn't), I can't feel too bad for Lugger in the bottom panel. I would say that he should just have his boss call his cell phone, except that that would mean Al includes a cell phone in a strip in a way that normal people use them. Can't have that! I do love how Mrs. Lugger was practically just copied and pasted from the top to the bottom panel--only her outfit has changed.

Today's strip finds us returning, not surprisingly, to the world of medicine, hospitals, and the numerous problems surrounding visitors--an issue Al has gone over numerous times before. The only thing I find particularly noteworthy about this strip is that submitter isn't from Florida. Quite frankly, if I were a nurse and had a patient ringing for me all time, and accompanying it with calling out like that, I probably wouldn't go running to his bedside, either. I'm happy that Al didn't do what he usually does and give the patient a bandage on his head and/or arm to indicate that yes, he does belong in a hospital. Though an IV drip might be a nice touch. Anyway, I'm debating what I think about using "Nightingales" instead of "nurses." I think I like it, actually. I believe at one point, that was fairly common.

(..."My hot wheels are rarin' t'go"? Hee hee. It's funnier if you think he's talking about a toy car.)

SUV from the 50s

Today's strip just sort of baffles me. Are there people who would honestly put up with this? I'm sorry, but if my husband was all, "I'm taking the SUV," I'd reply, "I assume you're taking the kids and the Johnson kids to school, since there's no way we're fitting into the other car." This situation would happen once, not every time.

Love how the SUV looks like no SUV I've ever seen (but at least he got the lingo right!), and how he had to include that it has air conditioning. Oooh, fancy. Not too sure about those "kids," though. They look like they're 50. Not that that's unusual in a TDIET strip.

Honestly, couldn't the neighbor have driven that day?

A tire hitting my car is not my fault

I love the name of the repair shop in today's strip--Perko Body Repair. Awesome. Though I will say that the guy working there certainly doesn't look terribly perky. I'm not sure whether "You Know Who" who sent this in has ever actually dealt with having insurance pay for a repair. Because it's certainly not as if you can just tack things on the way Gus seems to be doing. I will say that I understand the desire, though; we do pay a lot for car insurance, so it would be nice to have them pay for other random things. I can't quite complain myself, though; I switched insurance, and within 6 months managed to rack up something like $3000 worth of damage to my car. Whoops.

Anyway, no. And is that weird shape behind the headlight supposed to be the dent? Because how in the world would you dent your car there? Makes no sense. And why is the Perko Worker so upset with Goosegg trying to rip off the insurance company? I suppose that if the company found out, they could come down on Perko, but I can't imagine that this guy hasn't seen it before. I imagine that look should be him sighing and rolling his eyes, not glaring about it.

Love Gus's tie, though.

Don't hurt my car!

It's a sad day. Today's strip seems to show that my favorite car is in need of repairs. No! I shouldn't be surprised, though, since it's at least 30 years old.

I love Alf's outfit. It's the lime green shirt and the pink backwards baseball cap. Sexy! Stylish! I mean, his rag in the back pocket matches! But honestly, another truth in advertising strip? And again, another situation I can't relate to. I don't think I've ever had to wait that long to get my car fixed. And dude, if you're not happy with it, there are other places you can take your car. Even if the car won't start, I'm pretty sure that most places will tow from one shop to another. Suck it up. Deal.

And get my car fixed, OK? I don't like seeing it broken.

Life in TDIET has aged Fignewt beyond his years

Wow. I guess Al got too lazy and decided that today's strip should be the strip from December 5, only using an older woman instead of a bratty teenager. And again, with the insane traffic! And the cars from the 1970s! I mean, sure, my favorite car has returned, which always makes me happy. Except I feel bad that it's stuck in such a crazy traffic jam all the time. Kudos for the color this time, at least.

Poor Fignewt. He probably looks as old at his aunt because he's always being yelled at and dealing with crazy people. I'm happy that Al hasn't made him the bad guy in a strip (...yet).

But really, we shouldn't be getting upset because someone with bad eyesight has voluntarily taken herself off the roads. It's annoying for poor Fignewt, but it makes the streets safer for the rest of us. He's taking one for the team.

And I like the bus behind him that's going to "Shad Row."

What does Al know about real life?

I hate strips like today's strip. I mean, I really have no reaction. Yep, I agree with it (which, OK, is a bit shocking unto itself), but it's already been pointed out a bajillion times. I mean, is anyone honestly going to read this and go, "Yeah! That does always happen! I never noticed that before." I do continue to be annoyed with Al's depiction of life on the streets. Unless you're driving in midtown Manhattan during rush hour, the street probably isn't going to look like that. And, of course, all the cars look like they belong in 1969 or so. So that's fun.

But really, I got nothin'.

That road looks scary to drive on

Today's strip annoys me because we're clearly supposed to be like, "Oh, kids! They think they're so smart when they don't know anything!" But nothing the kid is saying is wrong. When you're first learning to do something, you're much more aware of everything that goes into it. Once you get used to it, though, you don't notice. True, kids get into a lot more accidents than adults, but it's not from being overly cautious, like this kid. Backseat drivers are never fun, but I certainly have no problem with Wombo here. The father's pissing me off, though. Dude, if you learned to ride a skateboard, you probably would've lectured him on how to do it properly.

Naturally, though, I'm happy about the return of the black convertible.