I know that there are lots and lots of things that could be said about panel 1 today, but I want to focus my energy on panel 2: Shortest professional conference ever!
This morning, Toby drove Ian to the Santa Royale International Airport; then Toby went home and heard her answering machine declare, "Fraud Alert!"; Toby called the bank and spoke with customer service for five minutes; Ian, who must have taken a very fast plane to Chicago, has now called Toby to tell her all about some dull lecture with which he was enthralled, and how sad he is to see it all come to an end.
At first, I thought perhaps I'd messed up my time line. Rather than a really short "Teacher's Conference," perhaps it had just been a very long telephone conversation with the bank. But, no, I realized Toby hadn't tiled her kitchen floor yet, so, yes, it was just a very short conference.
Today's Full Strip
Yes Wanders panel 1 is indeed horrific. Somehow Ian was less disgusting in only his trunks.
ReplyDeleteNo wonder Toby looks concerned - she thought Ian was attending a conference and now he casually mentions that he has "been with" other professors?
"At home? Well, I bought these magic beans for $18,000"
"At home? Um, which one?"
ReplyDeletePlease, please, Karen Moy -- put us out of our misery. This story is now creeping at such a slow pace that Ian's week-long conference has been condensed to twenty minutes. Why did he even need a hotel room?
ReplyDeleteI never thought I would pine for the merry meddler, but bring her on. We need her platitudes to liven up this otherwise stupefyingly boring tale.
What is Tobey so upset about? The bank said she is not responsible for any of the charges, she they will send her a new credit card with a new number. Does she not have anything else to worry about?
ReplyDeletePanel 1 - Ow, my eyes ...
ReplyDeleteWanders you are so right about the timeline - I had thought earlier that we were still on the same day that Toby took Ian to the airport, and you just confirmed it.
Why indeed did he need a hotel room? And did someone invent a faster plane than Concorde?
And now Ian's on the phone to Toby, the pattern is bleeding back into her curtains...
40 days without Mary Worth. Too bad it's not Lent but other religions have holidays around this time. Check out the poll at http://aperfectworld.blogspot.com/
ReplyDeleteWhich holiday will Mary Worth appear?
Not only has Toby failed to retile the floor, she's also neglected to reshingle the roof. Ian will not be pleased.
ReplyDeleteAs to how the space-time continuum has been upset in the Worthiverse, may I (who have only minimal stochastic algebraic abilities) put forward this postulation: the "wrinkle in time" occurred during Toby's conversation with that Customer Service Representative from the Bank of Santa Royale. Toby was soooooooo busy channelling the spirits of silent-screen actresses [and we were all snarking about it], that time somehow stood still in Santa Royale as it marched on everywhere else. We may now have a definitive answer to that age-old question: "Where does the time go?" Answer: "To the Black Hole that is Santa Royale."
Hmmmm....40 days. If Mary Worth fails to show up in another three, may we conclude that she's officially dead?
MARY WORTH LIVES! VIVA LA MEDILINISTA!
ReplyDeleteLest we forget, for Ian each minute without Toby is akin to a fortnight of sanity, quietude, and intellectual stimulation.
ReplyDeleteI had totally forgotten how Charterstone exists outside of normal space/time. An hour stretches on for weeks, walls and furniture leap about with their own unfathomable will, and things happen in a most peculiar way.
ReplyDeleteThe story is like Alice in Wonderland, without "Alice". Or, you know, any sense of "wonder" whatsoever.
I guess it's just "land" then, in the sense that for the most part, it just sits there being flat and easy to ignore.
wanders:
ReplyDeleteI guess, what with time collapsing in upon itself and all, we really can't expect a secret message. Still, we were promised..... But that's okay. I don't mind. You must be awfully busy.
It's just that Toby is staring at me with those, sad, sad, Lady and the Tramp eyes. And I'm cold.....
At home? I'm not sure if I am home or if I moved to Canada...
ReplyDeletemanz: Home is where the bank account is.
ReplyDeleteBTW...as of 9/10/08, she's baaaaa-aaack!