When I Was Your Age
I just about fell out of my chair laughing. Lynn Johnston actually put Elly Patterson out in a snow storm, walking the dog, with little Lizzie strapped to her back in today’s For Better or For Worse. The picture that Lynn Johnston is trying to paint of Elly’s suffering continues to be so broad as to be unbelievable. It hasn’t been that long since Elly said she put out the paper for John to read, but she was so busy with the kids she only had time to read the headlines. That was stupid then, but Elly in the snowstorm with Farley and Lizzie tops it in the stupid department.
I was reminded of the Weird Al Yankovic song, “When I was Your Age” where Weird Al tells the story of suffering by the singer in his youth who eventually ups the ante of suffering to impossible lengths. In the song, the humour is derived from the point where the singer’s lyrics step into silliness. I wonder if Lynn Johnston realizes that she has made that same leap with Elly and her suffering, or she really expects her audience to believe that Elly took young Farley the dog for walks in snow storms, with Lizzie strapped on her back.
I was reminded of the Weird Al Yankovic song, “When I was Your Age” where Weird Al tells the story of suffering by the singer in his youth who eventually ups the ante of suffering to impossible lengths. In the song, the humour is derived from the point where the singer’s lyrics step into silliness. I wonder if Lynn Johnston realizes that she has made that same leap with Elly and her suffering, or she really expects her audience to believe that Elly took young Farley the dog for walks in snow storms, with Lizzie strapped on her back.
posted by howard at 11:03 PM
8 Comments:
I'd like to think that Elly was pulling our legs here but know enough about her to know she's serious. She does expect us to believe this improbable tale of woe because it makes Rod look bad. If Rod/John were a better man, he'd be the one doing this instead of forcing his wife to suffer so he can sit on his ass watching football.
No way Elly was going for walks multiple times per day. We all know that the only physical exercise Elly gets is the jog she goes on with Connie once every year (or three), and that one time she ran on a treadmill to demonstrate her busy retirement, before it devolved into just organizing her basement.
DreadedCandiru2,
If Rod/John were a better man, he'd be the one doing this instead of forcing his wife to suffer so he can sit on his ass watching football.
Football! What kind of blasphemy is this? Hockey! Hockey, I say. Preferably watching the Maple Leafs. And while he was sitting there, he would say to the departing Elly, “WTF are you doing, taking that little puppy and our daughter out in a snow storm, when they should be sitting with me and watching hockey?”
qnjones,
and that one time she ran on a treadmill to demonstrate her busy retirement, before it devolved into just organizing her basement.
That’s the way I will think about this strip. Elly’s dog walk in the snow storm is like the one time she ran on a treadmill.
howard,
That’s the way I will think about this strip. Elly’s dog walk in the snow storm is like the one time she ran on a treadmill.
In both instances, she'll have done something once and that will be it. Elly never did have much in the way of staying pwer, did she? I guess her lack of drive is what kept her from doing all the great things she wanted to do in her bio. She'd rather moan about how unfair things are than do something to help herself.
uphill! both ways!
She's willing to stand and wait for the puppy so long as she makes sure she's not dressed for the weather and suffers. If she gets on a coat, she has to go for a miserable walk.
Good grief, she has the control here. Put the puppy in the fenced yard (or on a leash attached at the door?) and watch through the window *except* when you'd *like* to take a walk.
DreadedCandiru2,
In both instances, she'll have done something once and that will be it.
From the Lynn Johnston perspective, she will show Elly doing it once and then we are to fill in the lines that she does it all the time because we saw it once.
I guess her lack of drive is what kept her from doing all the great things she wanted to do in her bio.
When you consider her refurbished bio, you can tell that the life of Elly Patterson is a life of tragic disappointment where she never gets to do what she wanted to do.
InsertMonikerHere,
Good grief, she has the control here. Put the puppy in the fenced yard (or on a leash attached at the door?) and watch through the window *except* when you'd *like* to take a walk.
Back in the days when I had dogs (before my allergic wife and son came into my life), they were kept indoors in the garage in bad weather. I would never think of taking a 1-year-old and an 8-week-old puppy for a walk in a snow storm. One bad fall and the daughter cracks her head and the puppy runs free.
Post a Comment
<< Home