Monthly Archives: February 2019
Lynn's Comments: Today, the word "nerd" has come to mean someone with a superior mind; someone who, in the age of super computers and artificial intelligence, understands just what is going on. What one word would I use today to describe the kid that doesn’t yet fit in? I’ll give you this challenge...and, remember...there are critics out there!
Saturday February 2, 2019
Sunday February 3, 2019
Lynn's Comments: This strip ran long before the "trance-dance" mindless, auto-tuned, sampled, lyric-poor crud you hear in public places today. Oh. Right. I’ve done this rant before. So, I’ll just say this: where is the good stuff? Give me a list of good tunes played by a good band that writes good lyrics and can really sing! Where are the "Eagles" and the "Beach Boys" of 2019? Gotta be out there. Gimme a list!
Monday February 4, 2019
Lynn's Comments: I remember being so enamored of a boy I knew in grade 7 that I actually changed schools to be close to him. I was one of those ordinary-looking kids, whose face would disappear in a line up. I wasn't smart enough to stand out either and I sucked at sports. Yup. This was me.
Tuesday February 5, 2019
Lynn's Comments: Awkward and embarrassing, a teenager's love life is a painful, wonderful, passionate and unforgettable awakening. Even though I was using Michael and Gordon's characters to convey these sentiments, these memories are all mine.
Wednesday February 6, 2019
Thursday February 7, 2019
Lynn's Comments: Funny thing--I have been to a number of my high school reunions and I have to say... some of the quietest and unassuming people have become outstanding and accomplished adults. Kids we dismissed then are beautiful and confident now. If you’re a kid and you're reading this now…keep in mind that some of the people who are dumping on you now will be quite different in the future. You will have your chance to smile when you meet again as adults-- and it's worth the wait!!
Friday February 8, 2019
Saturday February 9, 2019
Sunday February 10, 2019
Monday February 11, 2019
Lynn's Comments: I found that some story lines needed a break; something that would return the focus to the family—giving us a fast "glimpse" into something else. These asides were often very sweet. They made me happy and gave both the readers and myself a rest from more serious ideas.
Tuesday February 12, 2019
Wednesday February 13, 2019
Lynn's Comments: My mother would drive my friends and me to school dances. We'd cringe in the back seat, hoping we wouldn't be seen. With great understanding, my mom would drop us off a block away from the school so we could walk, unaccompanied, by a "rent." Whatever rifts came between us, she could also be totally cool.
Thursday February 14, 2019
Friday February 15, 2019
Lynn's Comments: We called the space behind a fence near the school goal post "the smokers union." It was in this darkened corner that we all took turns choking on Lucky Strikes or sipping wine from jam jars.
Saturday February 16, 2019
Lynn's Comments: Our aperitif of choice was a disgusting, cheap, and very sweet wine called "Berrycup." It was the first to come in a gallon plastic jug with a spigot on the side. Guys who were "of drinking age" would hang around the liquor stores waiting for us under-agers to show up with enough cash to score them a bottle and something for ourselves. Berrycup: The wine you can share, the hangover you can depend on.
Sunday February 17, 2019
Lynn's Comments: The TV tray was invented, of course, as soon as the television became a household necessity. Like an indoor commode, every home HAD to have one. My mother, who ruled the roost, hated the thought of us sitting in front of the TV to eat, so we missed all kinds of good shows. They all seemed to come on at 6:00. One afternoon, my dad was late coming home from work. He was always home by 5:30 but this time he was not only late, but had arrived in a delivery van straight from Sears. My brother and I watched through the window as he unloaded a thin rectangular box, waved his thanks to the driver and headed into the house. Inside the box was a set of aluminum TV trays; a wonderful sight to behold. My mother conceded her fight and (depending on the show) allowed us all to eat dinner in front of the television. This was one of the very few times my father defied her. I thank Gunsmoke and Walt Disney for that one significant victory.
Monday February 18, 2019
Tuesday February 19, 2019
Wednesday February 20, 2019
Lynn's Comments: What I remember of the school dances (or sock hops) was sweating in tight, formal clothing and feeling the fuzz on the boys' faces as we danced awkwardly cheek to cheek.
Thursday February 21, 2019
Lynn's Comments: This didn’t happen to me until I had graduated and was in art school…but it happened. Disposing of one's lunch in a public space is never gracious, but we all seem to need this experience. Mine happened in Stanley Park near the zoo—an appropriate location.
Friday February 22, 2019
Saturday February 23, 2019
Lynn's Comments: Every class has its jerks and its heroes. I wanted to show that Gordon, despite his rough home life and his crumpled clothes, was a genuine hero.
Sunday February 24, 2019
Lynn's Comments: I wasn't allowed to show "yellow snow," but the suggestion was OK.
Monday February 25, 2019
Tuesday February 26, 2019
Wednesday February 27, 2019
Thursday February 28, 2019
Lynn's Comments: I've shown the kids ballroom dancing, which was what we did…we had to learn how! It was part of our gym class curriculum. Ballroom dancing allowed us to lean close together, to allow one person to lead the other, to feel motion, rhythm, pattern and style. Things have changed. People don’t ballroom dance anymore, but I'm guessing it will become such a novelty that young people will see how romantic it is and bring it all back. YES!!! …But first, they'll have to come up with some danceable tunes.