Chesterfield of Comfort - NOT!
I remember seeing the old green-striped chesterfield in the Patterson household for years. I never would have guessed it was uncomfortable to sleep on. Usually when you have a chesterfield for that long, its saving grace is its sleeping comfort. We had an old chesterfield in my house for many years. It was ugly and difficult to clean; but it was great to sleep on. I took many naps there. That’s why it stayed around for so long. Of course, the Pattersons like to suffer, so I would guess the old green-striped chesterfield must be the most uncomfortable thing to sleep or sit on there is around. I can imagine them shopping for it.
Elly: What do you think of this green-striped chesterfield, John?
John: Well, it is uncomfortable; but I always say you can’t go wrong with a good bed of nails.
Elly: I don’t want a bed of nails, John. We need something for the living room, and you can’t just say, “Sit on the bed of nails” when you have company over. It would be too much like a bedroom.
John: How about the bar stools made of concertina wire?
Elly: They don’t seat enough people.
John: OK. OK, Elly. We’ll go with the green-striped chesterfield; but if it’s not uncomfortable enough to keep me awake at night, then we are going to get something different.
Elly: That’s OK, John. I have a feeling we are going to keep that green-striped chesterfield for years.
As for the strip in today's For Better or For Worse, once again the theme is disease containment. Elly doesn’t seek for John to help her with the kids. Keeping John well is Elly’s objective. After all, we can’t have this disease spread any further. Aside from that quirk, it's not too bad a strip. Yes, John does look deformed; but the joke is a visual punch line in the final panel, and that is a nice change from the usual bad pun.
Elly: What do you think of this green-striped chesterfield, John?
John: Well, it is uncomfortable; but I always say you can’t go wrong with a good bed of nails.
Elly: I don’t want a bed of nails, John. We need something for the living room, and you can’t just say, “Sit on the bed of nails” when you have company over. It would be too much like a bedroom.
John: How about the bar stools made of concertina wire?
Elly: They don’t seat enough people.
John: OK. OK, Elly. We’ll go with the green-striped chesterfield; but if it’s not uncomfortable enough to keep me awake at night, then we are going to get something different.
Elly: That’s OK, John. I have a feeling we are going to keep that green-striped chesterfield for years.
As for the strip in today's For Better or For Worse, once again the theme is disease containment. Elly doesn’t seek for John to help her with the kids. Keeping John well is Elly’s objective. After all, we can’t have this disease spread any further. Aside from that quirk, it's not too bad a strip. Yes, John does look deformed; but the joke is a visual punch line in the final panel, and that is a nice change from the usual bad pun.
posted by howard at 9:55 PM
10 Comments:
This, of course, is another way in which Elly's love of keeping up appearances comes to bite she and the family on the butt. Instead of investing in a big, comfy couch, she buys a good-looking torture device. It always bugged me that they didn't have a hide-a-bed in a spare room for emergency guests like regular people.
I got the impression that John's problem with the couch is that he is too tall to sleep comfortably on it because he can't stretch out all the way.
I have a friend who has a couch like that as her only sleeping spot for guests (like me); it bothers me that I cannot stretch out, and I am not even 6' tall. I wish she'd get a sofa-bed...
It always bugged me that they didn't have a hide-a-bed in a spare room for emergency guests like regular people.
I thought there was one in the rec room, at least by the time April was exiled there.
April_Patterson,
They probably bought that when Mike left for University; that way, he and his pals could sleep in comfort in bedrooms while April was exiled to the basement as punishment for whatever sins Elly came up with at the time.
DreadedCandiru2,
Instead of investing in a big, comfy couch, she buys a good-looking torture device.
The way the strip was in these days, most likely the blame is on skinflint John.
They probably bought that when Mike left for University; that way, he and his pals could sleep in comfort in bedrooms while April was exiled to the basement as punishment for whatever sins Elly came up with at the time.
As I recollect, Elly refurbished her rec room, after she gave the rec room furniture to Mike and Deanna when they set up their first apartment together. I expect the purchase would have been about then.
Anonymous,
I have a friend who has a couch like that as her only sleeping spot for guests (like me); it bothers me that I cannot stretch out, and I am not even 6' tall. I wish she'd get a sofa-bed...
Sofa-beds have length, but they also usually have issues with mattress comfort, since the mattress has to be able to fold. Personally, I like a good looong couch. Those little shorter couches are nearly impossible to nap on.
aprilp_katje,
I thought there was one in the rec room, at least by the time April was exiled there.
There was. However, when Phil came to visit over Christmas, they put the kids together in order to give Phil a place to sleep. That implies there is no sofa bed at this time (or Elly’s interest in Phil’s love life is such that she wanted him sleeping where she could hear it.)
Sofa-beds have length, but they also usually have issues with mattress comfort, since the mattress has to be able to fold.
This is so true. My parents have a sofa bed, and we've used it a couple of times when visiting. You can feel the bar that runs across from one side to the other, and my husband woke with the worst back pain. Now, we just won't stay if we can't use the guest room, with its normal bed.
aprilp_katje,
My parents have a sofa bed, and we've used it a couple of times when visiting. You can feel the bar that runs across from one side to the other, and my husband woke with the worst back pain.
That's the nature of sofa beds. We have a fairly nice one, but it is the same way. If you sleep horizontally across the mattress it is not too bad. My mother-in-law has one which dips to the center, so when my wife and I both sleep on it, I have to hook my arm around the sofa arm to keep from sliding on top of my wife. Unfortunately, there is no guest bed option.
My mom's sofa bed is awesome. I used to like sleeping on it more than on my normal bed. You can't feel the bar at all, and it's nice and big.
Today's FBofW bothered me on two counts:
1) John gets to say nothing, and can't even talk to his sick kids. He is a prop in Elly's life. He's not allowed to be a caretaker at all. His role in the family is checkbook; he obviously wants more, but Elly won't let him have it.
2) I don't get the timeline. It seems that John walks in the door, Elly tells him he has to sleep on the couch, she goes to bed with the kids, and he lies down on the couch. Why is he trying to go to sleep at 6 or whatever? I don't think a dentist would be at work until 10 or 11 at night. Maybe he was at Connie's...
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