Diner Whiner

October 3, 1966

What the hell kind of bird is that? He says they got it at Easter so a chicken? Kind of scrawny and reminds me, for some reason, of the dodo bird in Porky in Wackyland.

The last of the dodos.

Look at Gladys sitting there with her tea. "Them's my boys," she proudly thinks.

Does Brutus think du jour is some kind of flavor and not "of the day"? Was "tomato" not written with the soup du jour? I have a lot of questions for this comic. But I always have questions when Brutus is shown eating at this diner.

"TGIF. Right, Brutus?" "That's right, Uncle Ted! Oh, shit! I forgot to go to work today!"

Now we're eating seafood at the diner? What is it with this place? Is it cheap? Does it have a good atmosphere? Is it literally the only place to eat in this city besides the fancy restaurant and the fast food place?

Using 'Monsieur' Very Loosely

June 22, 1966

Do you need to go somewhere, Alice? There are places you can go that will protect you from him. Can you go stay with someone? This guy does not seem to be as cool and fun as his namesake tiles.

You don't need an appetizer. It is just you. Just get some extra food or a side with your meal if you are that hungry.

The waiter's face in the third panel. "Oh, geez. Sounds like I'm getting a $5 tip with this one."

Garbage Week

I have been going back and forth on how I want to continue handling this website. Readership is fine, but I feel it could be better. My posts of links are buried on Threads and I have very few followers on my other social media sites. While I still enjoy doing this, I'm not sure if it's something that I should keep doing. "If you like doing it, then you should keep going," I hear you say. But if I'm just commenting into the air, then what's the point?

I'll finish out the month and figure out what to do. Maybe I'll keep doing this. Maybe I'll just post on social media. Maybe I'll stop doing this altogether and just focus on my writing. Whatever. In the meantime, you can read about one of my favorite Superman storylines where Brainiac puts Superman's mind into the brain of a kid in a mental facility.

October 9, 1965

Another person stuck in the rain? And it's to talk to your dog? Who's there with your dog, holding the phone to its ear? Or is the dog in the phone booth with this guy? That just raises even more questions!

"Tomorrow is another day"? Is that some sort of perverse threat? I've complained on social media recently, but I am not handling 2024 very well. It's been a rough year for a number of reasons. Maybe I'll talk about it at some point. That picture of Wilberforce isn't helping...

Maybe They Took Kewpie

August 3, 1965

We. Are. Going. To. Be. SO FREAKING RICH!!! A new species! And it seems friendly!! We are going to tour the country! The world! Get out from behind that desk, Dad, you and Clara will never have to work again!!

What? Someone broke into your house and stole the dozen or so sensors they placed around the doors and windows? If the system was armed then maybe you can get your money back. That's a terrible security system and you should be glad you learned that before anything more expensive and important was stolen.

Dinner Is Served

March 10, 1989

Hattie has had a pet skunk since the 1970s so Brutus shouldn't be that scared of it. This is the first time we've learned the skunk's name. Taboo. And Taboo II. Like Snowball and Snowball II and Jaws and Jaws II.

HOW LATE IS BRUTUS GETTING HOME?!!

You know Brutus, you don't have to eat at that diner/fast food every day. You are free to bring your own lunch. It will probably be better and less expensive.

She's wearing an apron to microwave a Stouffer's family size lasagna meal?

In the Nosebleeds

April 20, 1974

some questions...is this a pet turtle that the Thornapples are trying out? why is Brutus trying to walk a turtle?

That's one determined turtle. Doesn't even seem to be choking himself on his leash unlike some dogs I know.

So you were either sitting in Illinois or somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. Either way, that's a big-ass stadium and I hope Uncle Ted had fun.

Team Cat

January 8, 1974

Gladys moved so fast that even her speed lines vanished before her words could.

I'm still wondering about the look on her face. Why does she get so...angry?...about money? It's weird.

Weather forecasters don't get it that wrong. I mean, I never believe the forecast until I'm in the weather but I've never seen a glaring mis-predication like this.

Most studies tend to lean that dogs are smarter than cats. Although cats have not been studied as much as dogs, the focus on them only beginning in the 21st Century. Many believe that the comparison is like apples and oranges as dogs and cats are so different and both tend to succeed at what are here to do.

But Kewpie looks dumb as hell here though.

Washing the Dog! Washing the Dog!

If Kewpie is dirty then you clean him. Normally, Kewpie seems like a pretty chill dog but must turn into a raging beast if he has to have a bath. My dog does that too if there is another dog located over the fence. She's not very personable.

By the way, Kewpie is apparently one of those dogs that can switch sexes because Kewpie used to be a girl.

I Like Kewpie's Fuzzy Legs

Not a lot of people are clamoring to be Brutus' friend. It sounds like Kewpie wouldn't even be there if she could open the door or get out of her leash. But I do think Kewpie likes Brutus more than she lets on but it's Brutus and he's so bleagh.

Actually Wilberforce Fell Down a Well But Pets Are Good, Too

I hate my dog. She's too aggressive when people or animals are anywhere near our house, she gets too focused and refuses to listen, she's a monster when it comes to treats and food, she's too loud, and she's too much of an alpha dog. But I still love her even when she jumps over the fence to eat the face off our neighbors.

Fetch the Dowsing Rod

Why did Brutus take Kewpie all the way to the Gobi Desert to play with her? Either that or this dying vacant lot was turned into the worst dog park ever.

He Barely Tried

My school performed "The Land of Oz" this past week and, as usual, they did a great job. Most of the cast were eighth graders so this will be the last year they are in our plays and I'm hoping that they continue acting and performing and maybe even try out for bigger productions outside of school.

This eighth grade was my first class when I started at Eisenhower so I have seen them grow from precocious little kids to brilliant young adults and I wish them nothing but the best in high school and beyond.

Don't forget about Patreon where you can now get a Patreon-exclusive Story Series, Tank N Tummy. You can also support my writing and research by buying me coffee.

I, too, like using the cut-and-paste feature.

Honestly, if I was at Photoshop and/or had a bit more time on my time, I'd like to change the ending of this strip to either Kewpie just pees on the floor or the real Kewpie comes in and moves this life-like dummy/decoy off panel and then sits. Ooh, ooh! Or maybe Wilberforce or Gladys comes in, says "Hi, Kewpie-girl. Sit" and Kewpie immediately sits!

Do dog owners do this? I have two dogs--well, one and a half because one has at least two of his feet in the grave--but I've never had them perform for me just so I could see if they remember what they know. That seems kind of weird to me.

Not a Very Menacing Growl

In Kewpie's defense, the Thornapple home does only have, like, one chair. Two if you count the one they bring out only when the strip calls for it.

Like my posts? It takes a lot of coffee to get all this writing done. Buy me a cup here.

Skunkmas

Apparently there is a growing movement of keeping skunks as pets. In the United States, owning a skunk varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. In Kansas, it is illegal which is pretty par for the coarse in Kansas because we can't ever have any fun here. In Ohio, having a pet skunk is legal provided that you have the a permit. I would've let Hattie have a pet skunk. They seem like decent pets and look how cute they are.

He Seriously Doesn't Know?

With school finally out, LAMNB is back. It's going to be a busy summer with trying to get updates here stabilized but also working two jobs--making deliveries and being a museum interpreter (or tour guide). It'll be a busy summer but hopefully it will be a good one.

I've been reading The Born Loser for many, many, many years now and Kewpie has never seemed like the kind of dog that would run away and need to be found. Also, what's wrong with the tag she has now? What has she been doing with it? Is it really so scratched up that you can't read it or is it missing or is it out of date?

The Born Loser 15

Look at Wilberforce in the last panel. "She's got me there. Ho boy," she guffaws internally. Also, there's a difference between dogs not liking something and something being bad for them. Why does Hattie seem to be acting like baths hurt dogs?

1236: Death In the Family

Back in 2003, my cat, Shadow, started having health issues. My Mom and I took him to the vet and learned that he had very progressed diabetes. Treating it was something that we couldn't afford so after a couple of months, we decided to go back to the vet and have him put down. Starting on June 15th, the creator of Bob the Squirrel used their strip as a bit of therapy, memorializing their cat who had recently passed away.

I was with Shadow when he passed and, as described above, it was beautiful and painful. I wouldn't have to deal with the death of another pet until my wife's dog, Foxy, back in November. But Shadow was my first pet and even after 11 years, I still think about him and I still have a picture of him in my house after all these years.

No time for yourself. You spend plenty of time watching sports on television, not to mention golfing so I believe you have plenty of time for yourself and just hate your family. And I don't blame you, you have wife who browbeats you and a son who is clearly not going to be top of the class anywhere. I suggest bolting. Bolt and never look back.

1181: Why Not Just Go To the Store?!

I stopped by the Miller house on my way home from work on Friday because it had been awhile since I drove up to the house. I can see it fine from the railroad tracks but I can't get the full impact from there. The gate happened to be open so I drove up the long driveway, which is getting more and more rutted out due to large trucks and lack of improvements. As we came to where the circle drive connects, I noticed the large tree that had fallen over near the house and was just laying there, starting to rot. I originally thought that the fallen tree was new but it's also there in the Google satellite image so it's been fallen over for at least a year.

I was going to get out and take some pictures but the grass was so tall and everything looked so precarious that I didn't feel, at that time, like it was safe. There was also a large truck blocking the road as well as the tree so getting turned around and back out was also a bit of a chore. I noticed that there was no glass left in any of the windows and the back porch had collapsed at some point in the last two years.

Ever since I learned about the Miller house in 2001, I have fully expected the house to either be torn down or, due to vandals, burned down. I never expected it to fall down due to neglect and I've talked with the owner about it and it's just too costly to renovate so neither he nor the historical groups he's talked to can afford that kind of investment. Currently the property is being used to house farming equipment and other things for the owner's farming business.

The house was in the Miller family for over 100 years and two of their children are buried on the property behind the house. I would love to preserve the house and refurbish the stone for the two children but I, too, lack the funds. If nothing else, I would like to purchase a new stone for the kids or relocate the graves before it's too late.

How did you let the dog food run out? Who goes to a neighbor to get spare dog food? Who does this? I ask you. Who, when they run out of dog food, would just go to a neighbor's house and ask for food? People don't even go to their neighbors to ask for a cup of sugar or two eggs anymore because everyone is a stranger and we need to be scared of everyone who isn't us.