CSotD: Humpday Humor

If you haven’t been reading Crabgrass (AMS), you should start now,

and begin here because today’s would be too much of a spoiler to start with, plus you need to catch up if you’re going to enjoy it.

Yes, this is from two months ago, but Tauhid Bondia likes long story arcs and this one is worth it. Granted, he didn’t invent the concept of a Freaky Friday swap, but he’s brought a lot to it and, trust me, it’s worth jumping in and hanging on.

Juxtaposition of the Day

Off The Mark — AMS

Bliss — Tribune

I wasn’t expecting a pair of woodpecker gags to turn up on the same day, but here we are, and, since Parisi and Bliss have different syndicates, you can’t blame their editors for not spotting the impending collision.

Specific to tree damage, if you see excavation, it’s probably from a pileated woodpecker, which is large and, while their work looks horrifying to a tree lover, there’s little harm because they specialize in already dead trees that are filled with the bugs and worms they eat.

The little hairy and downy woodpeckers make much smaller holes, which the tree patches up, leaving a light-colored marking that arborists can then use as an indicator that the tree has a pest problem which is not too late to cure.

So the tree in Off the Mark was smart to get to the doctor, because there’s still time.

The fellow in Bliss has possibly stumbled onto this message too late for the tree, though it would be more like the pileated woodpecker to have created a hole you could put your fist in.

They should have run these Saturday, because April 27 is National Woody Woodpecker Day, and you can read all about the little fellow here.

What I remember most about the Woody Woodpecker Show was that we liked the cartoons but dreaded the segments when creator Walter Lantz would tell us something or other in a remarkably flat delivery that, even at seven years old, we imitated with glee.

Meanwhile, timing messed up BC (Creators)‘s chance to be in a Juxtaposition of the Day because this dropped today instead of last Tuesday.

You snooze, you lose.

Speaking of timing and Non Sequitur (AMS) as we were, today’s is timely because, while a whole lot of politicians are indeed staying on course, a number have somehow suddenly discovered their spines. In fact, I’ve passed over a number of political cartoons that showed doctors marveling over a politician’s re-discovered spine.

I prefer Wiley’s take on the matter for a couple of reasons. First — and I realize I’m being naive — is that politicians are supposed to have spines, so finding one shouldn’t be a breakthrough.

It’s more worthy of comment at the moment to watch the gyrations of those who are absolutely determined to stay on brand, no matter how deeply contorted their reasoning in doing so, or, as seen here, no matter how many times they have to flip the coin to get the answer they want.

Will Mike Johnson retain his chairmanship? Has Moscow Marge seen the twilight of her influence? Will anybody beyond the hardcore MAGAts vote for Dear Leader this fall?

Don’t touch that dial!

I can identify with Frazz (AMS)‘s grandfather, except that I’m not at all surprised not to have retained a lot of specific things from my college classes. I doubt I even remember half, and that’s half of the stuff that was said when I showed up, since I had many priorities.

I was there to learn to think, not to collect particular things to think about, and the conversations in the campus coffeeshop were as interesting and mind-expanding as anything that happened in class, which is why I’m not a big believer in distance learning.

I’m also not a big believer in substituting musical stings for genuine theme songs, on TV shows or in commercials. O-o-o-zempic! is an annoyance, whereas I can sing the entire theme song of Linus the Lionhearted or Leonardo Lion. Your choice!

Speaking of ears and annoyances …

I share Jen Sorensen‘s hatred of leaf blowers, and, as I’ve said before, when I am Emperor, they will only work for 20 minutes at a time, after which they must sit idle for 24 hours before they’ll power up again.

Also, instead of the operator wearing noise-cancelling headphones, it will be mandatory to distribute them to everyone within a three-block radius.

As she says, blotting out one intrusive noise with another is hardly the solution. I’ve noticed the large number of middle-school aged kids walking around with headphones and wonder if they even know how to be alone?

I don’t mean “alone in a crowd.” I think we’ve all got that down pat.

Macanudo (KFS) got a techno-laff this morning, largely because I wanted a new thumb drive the other day but found myself looking at a rack which gave me choices of plug formats, which I didn’t want.

I’ve finally got my various electronic geegaws up to date enough that they all take the new, improved modern charge cord, though I’ve got a drawer of tangled up random cords with a couple of interfaces that I keep in case I have to rev up one of the old things stuffed in the same drawer.

One of these days, I’ll get them all sorted out and I’ll get rid of the obsolete ones.

The next day, of course, I’ll suddenly, desperately need to connect an old device which I can no longer charge up.

The secret to Arlo and Janis (AMS)‘s long marriage may be that she finds him interesting rather than challenging, or, at least, she finds him “challenging” in an invigorating, rather than a threatening, sense of the word.

“Mansplaining” takes two to tango. It requires someone who doesn’t listen and someone who can’t make themself heard, and I use a plural pronoun because it’s not always a case of a man over-explaining to a woman, despite the number of women who have carved it out as their own grievance.

The fact that he asks indicates that he’s not “mansplaining.”

The fact that he’s asking Janis indicates that he’s found someone who would let him know if he were.

Lucky fellow.