If tomorrow's strip features Tommy bailing on the date and never going back to work at Freda's because he suddenly realized Brandy is more of a basket case than he is, it will be the most sensible and therefore unlikely thing depicted in Mary Worth.
"At night, I don a costume to fight crime and punish drug pushers. I'm called Yellow Jacket! I shall never rest until they are all punished for their misdeeds!"
Tommy: . o O "Geez....yellow jacket....barbiturates..."
"And now that you know my secret identity as a mild mannered grocery store checkout girl...."
I'm choking from laughing at your secret message Wanders. I'm at work, so I have to behave myself.
Brandy: "My father was such a lush, he had my mother name me after a drink. Also, my great great grandmother was Carrie Nation and she would have taken an ax to this place if she knew they were selling great beers."
Every time I hear (or in this case, see) “Oh Geez”, it takes me back to my parochial school childhood in the 1950s. Saying that was a serious offense. Yep, being raised by nuns stays with you for a lifetime. Guilt and shame and excellent penmanship.
Nance, love it! Thanks for the alliteration... Wondering if Tommy was really saying "Oh, geez (hard 'G") as in "Oh, geezer"...a reference to his REAL attitude about Brandy's comments. Tommy is definitely a yutz, what with probing Brandy if she drinks "at all". Seems to me the less said about substance use with these two, the better.
Here in Maine we have the expressions "Jeez Louise" and "Jeezum Crow" to get around blasphemy. Perhaps "geez" is an example of linguistic lenition. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lenition
@faucprof at 10:11 a.m., the nuns at our school made the girls kneel on the classroom floor to check if our skirts were too short. If your skirt didn’t touch the floor, you were In Trouble.
I have never understood that "Jeez Louise" phrase, but Rob's explanation at least gives me something to work with.. I like the idea of getting around blasphemy. Nobody in the Worthiverse would ever even consider cussing, and they aren't given to colloquialisms out West like we are in the East. Can't imagine, for instance, Tommy exclaiming to himself "For crying in a paint bucket!"
@RobC, I live in Maine too (I’m “from away”). My husband has me saying both these colloquialisms now.
Fauxprof I too am the product of a Catholic education and there’s words that were slapped out of your mouth. Plus they regulated what could be a “mortal sin” (a free trip to hell) or a venial sin (something a couple of “Hail Marys” wouldn’t cure.
@Chester the Dog, right? Maybe instead of having inane conversations about nothing all this time, they should have been getting to know each other. Lame.
Nance, your title--brilliant!
I was in Catholic school in the 70s. The nuns were hip and didn't wear habits or hit students with rulers. But I do know all about venial vs. moral sin.
Thanks, Fellow Sufferers, for the kind words. I'm a Recovering Catholic, having endured years and years of Monday catechism classes (held from 4-5pm) taught by snotty nuns who constantly berated us for being Public School Children. One, Sister Marguerite, weekly informed us that if our parents really loved us, we'd be in Catholic school.
I wasn't raised by nuns, but Guilt and Shame...check.
OMG Nance, you brought back memories of the public school kids taking catechism in our grade school. We would have 1/2 day Wednesdays because the "heathen" public school children would be taking lessons from 1-3 that day. We were told because they went to public school that they were "thieves" and we should take anything of value home, which meant pencils and pencil cases. If they got stolen, there was no sympathy for you, you were warned about those "bad public school children". We were also told to "pray" for them because they weren't Catholics yet. Like Sr. Marguerite, we were also told that at least our parents loved us enough to make the "sacrifice" and send us to a Catholic school. By the time I was in the eighth grade, I hated Catholic school so much, I told my father I wanted to go to public school and be "normal". Instead of being happy that he would be saving a few dollars, he ranted and raved about how "ungrateful" I was and that I was going to stay in Catholic school. Needless to say, I no longer am a Catholic, or anything else for that matter. I jokingly tell people that Catholics usually end up Atheists or Scientologists.
Is it just me or is 'drug abuser' rather vague at this point? I mean I guess Brandy's dad (let's call him Pappy Van Winkle) could have abused a wide variety of drugs in addition to boozing it up. That said, I feel like this is a missing opportunity to add a little more nuance to the characterization.
For their next date, Tommy should take Brandy to an Al-Anon meeting, only I shudder to think of how that would be depicted in the Worthiverse.
I go to Milford High. It's public. It has its ups and downs. At least I get to play basketball there. It's pretty fun, and the coach is only sort of a dweeb.
@TimP: I think we had a taste of that type of meeting when we visited the "sharing circle" at Pax Wellness Resort. Remember "Agitated Aggie"? I could use another dose of that!!!
What fun seeing all the growing-up-Catholic reminiscences. I dug my heels in after grade school and insisted on going to the public high school. My Dad agreed when he found out what the tuition costs would be to bus me clear across town to the only Catholic high school. I was supposed to take supplemental religion classes every Thursday evening at my old grade school. I went once, but my favorite TV show was on Thursday and it was long before VCRs and DVRs. I chose Dr. Kildare over catechism.
Don't be shy! I'd love to hear what you have to say about Mary Worth. Just keep it clean, that's all I ask. This is a FAMILY FRIENDLY blog. I don't want to moderate comments, but I will if I have to.
"And he could never hold down even a menial job, and his hair was always a mess!"
ReplyDelete"Oh, double geez..."
Maybe Brandy should change her name to Prudence.
So, is that a hard G in 'geez' or what?
ReplyDeleteIf tomorrow's strip features Tommy bailing on the date and never going back to work at Freda's because he suddenly realized Brandy is more of a basket case than he is, it will be the most sensible and therefore unlikely thing depicted in Mary Worth.
ReplyDeleteTommy is drinking the Great Beers Diner's world-famous Purple Ginger Ale.
@TimP -- Right. It should be Jeez. Add misspellings to many amateurish things about this strip.
-- Scottie McW.
"At night, I don a costume to fight crime and punish drug pushers. I'm called Yellow Jacket! I shall never rest until they are all punished for their misdeeds!"
ReplyDeleteTommy: . o O "Geez....yellow jacket....barbiturates..."
"And now that you know my secret identity as a mild mannered grocery store checkout girl...."
Tommy . o O "GEEZ!"
Did Tommy get a nose piercing or is that a zit?
ReplyDeleteI'm choking from laughing at your secret message Wanders. I'm at work, so I have to behave myself.
Brandy: "My father was such a lush, he had my mother name me after a drink. Also, my great great grandmother was Carrie Nation and she would have taken an ax to this place if she knew they were selling great beers."
Tommy: "Triple Oh geez."
Today's Boldface Haiku is titled
ReplyDelete"Brandy Buzzkill, Tour Guide For Tommy's Guilt Trip".
At all?
Nope! Why...
Dad alcoholic drug abuser. Hard live with.
(Oh geez...)
Now she tells him? After all these weeks getting a free ride home?
ReplyDeleteEvery time I hear (or in this case, see) “Oh Geez”, it takes me back to my parochial school childhood in the 1950s. Saying that was a serious offense. Yep, being raised by nuns stays with you for a lifetime. Guilt and shame and excellent penmanship.
ReplyDeleteNance, love it! Thanks for the alliteration... Wondering if Tommy was really saying "Oh, geez (hard 'G") as in "Oh, geezer"...a reference to his REAL attitude about Brandy's comments. Tommy is definitely a yutz, what with probing Brandy if she drinks "at all". Seems to me the less said about substance use with these two, the better.
ReplyDeleteHere in Maine we have the expressions "Jeez Louise" and "Jeezum Crow" to get around blasphemy. Perhaps "geez" is an example of linguistic lenition.
ReplyDeletehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lenition
@faucprof at 10:11 a.m., the nuns at our school made the girls kneel on the classroom floor to check if our skirts were too short. If your skirt didn’t touch the floor, you were In Trouble.
ReplyDeleteI have never understood that "Jeez Louise" phrase, but Rob's explanation at least gives me something to work with.. I like the idea of getting around blasphemy. Nobody in the Worthiverse would ever even consider cussing, and they aren't given to colloquialisms out West like we are in the East. Can't imagine, for instance, Tommy exclaiming to himself "For crying in a paint bucket!"
ReplyDelete@RobC, I live in Maine too (I’m “from away”). My husband has me saying both these colloquialisms now.
ReplyDeleteFauxprof I too am the product of a Catholic education and there’s words that were slapped out of your mouth. Plus they regulated what could be a “mortal sin” (a free trip to hell) or a venial sin (something a couple of “Hail Marys” wouldn’t cure.
Dun dun duunnnn...
ReplyDelete@Chester the Dog, right? Maybe instead of having inane conversations about nothing all this time, they should have been getting to know each other. Lame.
Nance, your title--brilliant!
I was in Catholic school in the 70s. The nuns were hip and didn't wear habits or hit students with rulers. But I do know all about venial vs. moral sin.
Nice to see you back, Wanders!
Odds bodkins! I think Tommy ought to order a beer and get ready to tell all.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Fellow Sufferers, for the kind words. I'm a Recovering Catholic, having endured years and years of Monday catechism classes (held from 4-5pm) taught by snotty nuns who constantly berated us for being Public School Children. One, Sister Marguerite, weekly informed us that if our parents really loved us, we'd be in Catholic school.
ReplyDeleteI wasn't raised by nuns, but Guilt and Shame...check.
OMG Nance, you brought back memories of the public school kids taking catechism in our grade school. We would have 1/2 day Wednesdays because the "heathen" public school children would be taking lessons from 1-3 that day. We were told because they went to public school that they were "thieves" and we should take anything of value home, which meant pencils and pencil cases. If they got stolen, there was no sympathy for you, you were warned about those "bad public school children". We were also told to "pray" for them because they weren't Catholics yet. Like Sr. Marguerite, we were also told that at least our parents loved us enough to make the "sacrifice" and send us to a Catholic school. By the time I was in the eighth grade, I hated Catholic school so much, I told my father I wanted to go to public school and be "normal". Instead of being happy that he would be saving a few dollars, he ranted and raved about how "ungrateful" I was and that I was going to stay in Catholic school. Needless to say, I no longer am a Catholic, or anything else for that matter. I jokingly tell people that Catholics usually end up Atheists or Scientologists.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if Tommy is dealing with Catholic guilt.
Is it just me or is 'drug abuser' rather vague at this point? I mean I guess Brandy's dad (let's call him Pappy Van Winkle) could have abused a wide variety of drugs in addition to boozing it up. That said, I feel like this is a missing opportunity to add a little more nuance to the characterization.
ReplyDeleteFor their next date, Tommy should take Brandy to an Al-Anon meeting, only I shudder to think of how that would be depicted in the Worthiverse.
I go to Milford High. It's public. It has its ups and downs. At least I get to play basketball there. It's pretty fun, and the coach is only sort of a dweeb.
ReplyDelete@TimP: I think we had a taste of that type of meeting when we visited the "sharing circle" at Pax Wellness Resort. Remember "Agitated Aggie"? I could use another dose of that!!!
What fun seeing all the growing-up-Catholic reminiscences. I dug my heels in after grade school and insisted on going to the public high school. My Dad agreed when he found out what the tuition costs would be to bus me clear across town to the only Catholic high school. I was supposed to take supplemental religion classes every Thursday evening at my old grade school. I went once, but my favorite TV show was on Thursday and it was long before VCRs and DVRs. I chose Dr. Kildare over catechism.
ReplyDelete