Between Friends Blog

Queen of the World

Why do we do this to ourselves?  A bazillion people can pay us a compliment and one insignificant boor can make an insensitive jab and what will our psyche ruminate over all day long?  You betcha.

So-for this week, I'm going to suggest that everyone inflate their egos and tell themselves that they are the best thing since sliced bread.  One hundred percent whole wheat sliced bread...let's go with the good carbs, shall we? 

And what if you really do do something stupid?  Well...then cut yourself some slack.  Tell yourself that nobody's perfect but hell, you're as close as they come.

Happy Monday!  
  

Extending to Infinity

In my neck of the woods, kids have been back to school for almost two weeks now.  Things are settling back into a routine.

So, how are things going for YOU?

Tips for the Home Office Worker

This is one of the few strips I've written that was taken pretty much verbatim from real-life.

Working at home is great . . . but for those of you who go "out" to work for a living . . . I gotta tell you, you have no idea how many calls from telephone solicitors you have the good fortune to miss.

As in the above strip, when I asked a telephone solicitor (who was trying to get me to upgrade) for suggestions on cutting my bill, he replied exactly as I wrote in the fifth panel: 

 Uh . . . maybe we should just leave things as they are.

And then he hung up.  Just like that.

If I'd only realized sooner . . .

Where the Strip ideas come from:

 . . . well, the fact of the matter is . . . they don't come from anywhere other than a vivid imagination.  All that garbage about influences and stuff that happens in real life?  It's all a big sham.  All similarities are strictly coincidental.  You get that?  STRICTLY COINCIDENTAL.

"Practice Makes Perfect" is a big fat Myth

 

I haven't put up a cartoon in a while . . . so here's one to start your weekend.

All together now, spell:   R - E - S - T - A - U - R - A - N - T . . .

Comfort is the new Fashion

 

Even though it's snowing where I live . . . it won't be all that long before capri season is here.  This strip is very obviously a play on the " brown is the new black " expression . . . which was followed by the " 40 is the new 30 " and any other number of variations.

Women Artists Expressing Humorously

"And You Think That's Funny?" is an exhibition that is presently featured at the Woman Made Gallery in Chicago.  Its premise is described as "Works by women artists that are expressed in a humorous way."  The exhibit is jurored by Nicole Hollander, creator of the comic strip, Sylvia.

I received an invitation to exhibit my work for "And You Think That's Funny?" but I only had a day or two to figure out what was necessary for me to do.   Entering an exhibition is new to me and with anything new, I need more time to mull things over and decide what to . . . or how to do it.   So,  although I think it would have been cool to be part of this group show, I didn't manage to participate.  Maybe next time.

My friend, Isabella Bannerman, the Monday Chick of Six Chix does have a piece in this exhibition though and Nicole Hollander also has a solo show at the gallery . . . so if you're in the area, go take a look.

Anyway, even though I didn't make the exhibit . . . I did get a cartoon idea out of it.  I would have loved to send this piece to the Woman Made Gallery . . .

   

I don't know about anyone else, but I think that's funny. :)

Marketing 101

    Okay, okay...I know, ENOUGH with the google ad stuff. 

I just wanted an excuse to post this cartoon so I'm going to respond to the comments posted under "Google Ads and Goals" here.

 I'm rather fed up with google ads! They clutter up a beautiful page and detract from the message the writer is giving us. It is a visual detraction from the content of the blog.

I think it diminished and demeans a blog, and I am tired of advertising everywhere...

I don't like pages that are inundated with ads either...especially when they make it hard to look for the content the page is supposed to be showing.  The thing is that the web is another venue for business and it's looking like advertising (as opposed to paying to view) is the way features are going to support themselves.  It's the same as television with commercials and newspapers with ads.  The trick is to blend ads with page content so that it is pleasing to the reader and beneficial to the advertiser.

I'm on the paying side of Google ads, and I'm charged for click-throughs, there being no real way to measure conversions. Presumably, if one of my ads popped up here and you clicked on it, Sandra would get a cut of what I would then be charged. Of course, I would be hoping that you clicked out of a sincere interest, but in this case I wouldn't begrudge the payout.

This is a good example in reminding me (or anyone) that there is always another side to the story.  As I mentioned above, there has to be benefit to the advertiser to make the relationship work. 

Sandra, how about sending me 50% of your earnings from Google ads? :D

Sounds fair! Where should I send the 50% of nothing? :)

"Today I noticed a google ad for Mammogram Screening."

It's a good on-line health service, but you have to have a scanner

Mike, Mike, Mike . . .

So, that's enough about the google ads.  Someone posted a link toTom Richmond's blog (thanks!) where he discussed his experiment with google ads.  With over 3000 daily hits, it didn't pay off for him . . . so I'm kinda thinking I have a long way to go here.

But . . . to get back to the win/win situation between advertiser and page host.  There is one other person to take into consideration and that's the reader.  So, if the content of the google ads hold no interest or benefit to you, you can always click on the widget in the top right corner of this blog.  You get to read the Between Friends comic of the day and I get to make a little money because you did.  :)

Here We go Again . . .

 

It's December . . . again? . . . ALREADY?

It doesn't seem to matter how I time things . . . things just seem to "happen" and life always gets crunched when the holidays arrive as I try to work it out so I'll get some time off.  Last year, I tried for two weeks . . . I think I got one.   I'm not even going to set any expectations this year.  I'm just going to keep my nose to the grindstone and work.  We'll see how it goes . . . 

This week, I'm planning on writing four sundays, one week of dailies and one rough week of dailies.

 . . . and put up Christmas decorations, clean out the family room, have ten girls over to spend the night for my daughter's birthday . . . man, it's Tuesday, I better get going . . .

Increasing My Vocabulary

 

I can just hear you thinking . . . what is she going to tell us about the inspiration for this strip?

Okay, so maybe that is extremely presumptuous of me and you're not thinking that at all.  Besides, it's probably pretty obvious what inspired this strip . . . a combo of the ol' writer's block thing and the ol' "woman who can't keep up with the housework" thing. 

No, there is another reason for posting this particular strip.  It has to do with the second frame.

If you've been reading my blog for a while you may recall a post I wrote about the word "ERG".   Basically, it is an exclamation that I use for my characters to express frustration.  I've been happy using this word for many years.  Now I have a problem. 

My son has joined the high school rowing team.  Some of you athletic-types may be nodding your heads in understanding right about now.

Last night, I went to a meeting at the school for parents of rowing novices.  ( Ordinarily, Tim would have been the parent who went to this meeting but he was working so I went )  The presentation was very informative and after explaining the time commitment involved, the costs, regattas, etc, etc, the coach invited us to have a look at . . . ( here it comes ) THE ERG ROOM. 

Apparently, ERG is an actual thing . . . a type of rowing machine thing.  WHO KNEW?  ( Not me, obviously )

This presents a dilemma.  Namely, I need a new word to express frustration because every time I write  a character saying "ERG", I will be thinking: "ROWING MACHINE".  For example, in the above strip, in the second frame, Kim will not be saying, "Erggg! My mind is a complete VOID" . . . she'll be saying, "Rowing Machine! My mind is a complete VOID".  At least in my mind she will.

Do you see the problem?  I mean, I just can't live with that . . . it will irritate me like a painting hanging crooked on the wall.

Now I have to come up with another word to express frustration.  One that I can print in mainstream newspapers that is . . .