Tuesday July 27th

The comic:

Ha ha, see some programs are tape delayed, but their real life game is delayed because he needs tape because his dad is too cheap to buy another wooden bat. Or to save money and get a metal one.

Also, electrical tape? Ooh la la, look who's fancy pants now! My mom recently tried to block the sun from waking her up (she couldn't pull the blinds down because Mikey would wreck them, I assume), using purple duct tape and black garbage bags, thank you very much! It didn't work so well, the tape started peeling, my sister says it's because of the heat (??) but we didn't use no fancy electrical tape...

Wait, what the front door is "electical" tape?

Is it supposed to be a cute Family Circus malapropism? Well, it's not like he replaced one word, he just mispronounced the real one. Or more likely, Brookins ran out of room in the speech bubble and misspelled the word himself. Because if you're old enough to play baseball, you're old enough to pronounce "electrical" the right way.

Also, this shows that Pluggerville is in some unrealistic America (or perhaps the America of their youth?) because I live in a neighborhood with a lot of spaces for a game of baseball. And we're next to a baseball stadium.

My sister, our friend, and I played baseball in the front yard - it was fun and stupid, because each person was on both teams at once.

And people throw balls around at the park, though the only sport I've seen played is football. Baseball can be risky if you're a good batter - smash goes the window. Oh no, it hit a car!

We don't have sandlots anymore, and our parents don't want us playing in abandoned, empty lots anyway.

And make-it-up-as-you-go-along baseball is much more fun.

Pluggers think they're Charlie Brown and the gang, playing baseball without adult supervision. Well, they're not.


ELECTICAL? Really? This got published? Hey, all of you unemployed people looking for work, don't remind yourself that even the shittiest print comic means that someone is getting paid. It's especially galling when it's a legacy strip or run on reader's contributions, like this one.

Monday July 26th

The comic:

They don't know how lucky they are to be able to retire. The next generation may not be able to. Or they'll be shoved out from their old job at 65 and have to supplement their retirement with a job at Wal-Mart. In fact, one of the first ones I covered showed a "senior Plugger" working there.

So Pluggers are elitists.

Or they got into their vaunted blue collar job with a great union. Commies.

Saturday July 17th

I apologize for posting these later in the day, I've been going to bed before midnight for the last few days, no matter how much I sleep during the day. (Today it was from 1:30 to 6:45, finally I slept through the worst of the heat!)

The comic:

She looks thrilled.

Why doesn't the inside door handle work? I'd also think that the outside handle would be fight back, at the very least. Or just fall off, like I saw in an Archie story.

So he's not really chivalrous, he just has a crappy car and refuses to fix it. (Probably made it worse by trying himself, but in true Hank Hill fashion, won't let a stranger touch his baby. "Another man touching her manifold.")

And it is damn creepy to be next to a door you can't open, or at least weird. I've been in a cop car a few times, when Tiger Patrol wasn't up (they use golf carts and drive wildly, so much fun), despite the fact that it was during the hours they were supposed to be up. So I got a ride in a cop car, in the backseat. No interior door handle.

Also, my mom has a Toyota Tundra (2002) and it has a handle on the back door which is useless unless the front door is open. So when my sister's upfront and I need to get out (when they drop me off), I have to remind her to open her door. That's part of the design.

And I must say that my mom only gets her truck taken care of at Toyota. There's no shame in asking for help.

Her car is 8-9 years old (we bought it in late 2001) and it's still in good shape.

She looks quite resigned as well, the wife. ("I bet his mistress has a flashy sports car with working doors," she thinks.)

I understand keeping things until they fall apart - I had a holey shirt that I got at a yard sale and towards the end, I had to wear a white camisole underneath, the holes were getting higher. It eventually became more hole than shirt, so I threw it out. But while I had it, I made sure to do my own laundry! My mom wants many of my shirts (mostly pajama tanks that are see-through through age and washings - but being threadbare makes them cooler temperature-wise) in the trash, but if I do my own laundry, she can't grab them. Bwahaha!

But clothes are not tons of metal and they can't kill people like a bad car can. So the fact that he takes pride in the fact that his car doesn't work will only end in tears.

It's also a sign that the basic description is a joke - you'd think blue-collar workers would spend the weekend tinkering with their cars and improving them. But hey, let's just trap the wife in the car. Though she could get out by climbing over the center console or just sliding out if it doesn't have one. I have climbed from the backseat to the front and the reverse... while the truck was moving. But I'm an idiot teenager, so what do I know?

Friday July 16th

The comic:

Pluggers care about fashion? No.

They care about being smug. Look at his face.

So this makes the intended audience quite happy.

Thursday July 15th

The comic:

Ew.

Front... tickle?

Back to Psych.

Wednesday July 14th

The comic:

W.

T.

F.

Tuesday July 13th

The comic:

Well no shit sherlock, you got the ones with just one slot per day, instead one with 2 or 4 per day. And you didn't label them when you set them up. And you don't have a list of your medications, so you can take a look and see which ones are for evening and which are for the morning. I take more at 8am than I do at 8pm, so that's obvious.

I have a great pill dispenser - it's got the 4 compartments per day, and I can remove a day and take it with me if I'm going to be out at a time when I need to take medication (2pm or 8pm usually... 8am on surgery days).

That really rocks.

So yeah, no sympathy. And why didn't anyone help you? You could have said to the pharmacist, I have to take pills twice a day, but I only have this as a pill dispenser. But asking for help is against the Plugger creed.

I mean, mixing up your meds like that could cause serious problems - some drugs should only be taken before bed.

Research FAIL.

Heartwarming? No.

Something I can relate to? No, and I hope others can't. They're not that expensive, people!

Funny? Hahahahaha, no, except that he bought the stress upon himself.

But it's about taking medication, and only old people take medication daily (notice they didn't say "senior Plugger" this time and he's not drawn especially old) so run that shit.

Blech.

Saturday July 10th

The comic:

Bully for them.

But why not junk/antique shops? They have some great things as well - I found so many old comics and MAD magazines after my graduation (dressy sandals, pretty dress, and flipping through dusty old things).

The only issue I have is if I get a Goosebumps book I already have.

I guess this is supposed to be funny because we go to yard sales without planning most of the time? (love looking through the classifieds to see who paid for an ad... and then has no books and just baby crap)

And I do go to Goodwill on a whim when I'm near the big one. But I do want to go to the new one in my town because my purse I bought in December 2007 may not last forever, and I once looked at purses in a regular store - similar styles, high prices (I paid like 5 bucks for the one I have). So I want a back-up.

I wonder if the owner at yard sale likes someone with a list. I usually look around and then ask if they have any books and then go on my way. Thrift stores? They'd probably be really pissed if you asked if they had a specific item.

And I've never seen 8 tracks, just records.

Friday July 9th

The comic:

Ha ha, he has trouble walking!

Heartwarming? No.

Funny? Hell no, especially to those in that situation.

Familiar? For some people.

From Reed Hoover? Yes. Publish it!

Thursday July 8th

The comic:

But you can drive through the country even if you don't live there.

Also, I was in a ritzy subdivision in a rich suburb for more than a week, and I had no reception in the kitchen/family room. I could text, but not get calls. And when I went outside, if I was under the porch roof, the reception was still bad.

Plus, many many many iPhone owners have griped about how AT&T is shit in New York City, the opposite of Pluggerville and not "country."

This would work better if it said "so far out in the country, that you have to drive a mile to use your cell phone."

Because breakdowns happen everywhere and dead zones are everywhere - we have Sprint but on our old carrier, again with the kitchen and no service.

Wednesday July 7th

The comic:

Safety razors?

I don't know and I don't really want to know.

The idea of these creatures shaving is disturbing enough without the visuals, thank you very much.

Why haven't we seen anything about female Pluggers shaving their legs? Or not, because they wear pantyhose. Or they draw it on, like they did during the war. I'd just love to see a reference to shaving legs starring the Chicken lady. My one request. I don't ask for much.

Tuesday July 6th

This blog is very important in the summer, because it lets me know what day it is. Only problem is, I update it before going to bed, so even though it's technically Tuesday, it's not Tuesday til I wake up at 8. (And then go back to bed until Jeopardy at 3:30.)

The comic:

Those legs are quite scary - why aren't his arms equally thin?

I always say the best part about being fat is the boobies. Because of medications, I've gained some weight over the last couple months (like fast enough to get tons of stretch marks) and yes, my boobs have grown.

Poor men, they don't have an acceptable place for fat. Except men get less guilt over being fat, so...

Also, it's cute that they call it a "diet" - we know it means that RhinoMan is starving because he's so poor.

And the gender change is... interesting. I guess they couldn't show a sad chicken or dog lady looking sadly at her deflated chest. Too risqué, I'd imagine.

You know, in this country, I think it costs more to lose weight on purpose than it does to gain it. Fat camps are expensive, diet food is expensive, and no one ever factors in the time - sometimes you don't have the time for the exercise or the counting of calories or of points. Or the money for weight watchers, because people who have lost weight say a support group helps a lot.

I read something interesting at the Fat Nutritionist (that I can't find right now) about why those ignorant poor, fat people buy fast food instead of healthy fruit. Fruit doesn't have a lot of calories. We need calories (aka food) to live. 10 bucks gets you more calories at McDonalds than it does at a fruit stand. That made a lot of sense to me when I read it, something just clicked.

Me? My doctors haven't told me to lose weight, so I'm doing my hardest not to care. I've got some comfy shorts, maybe I'll have to buy new pants in October or something (maybe my weight will have dropped 50 pounds by then - who knows with me), my pajamas fit (it's summer), and I walk when I can (heat, pain). Food? When I feel like shit, I eat what I want. Eating something grody (or dangerous - like broccoli) when I'm in excruciating pain... that's just inhumane, man.

Monday July 5th

American readers (ha, like anyone reads this but me) - have a good fourth? I slept til almost noon, watched Blast from the Past, baseball, and the Simpsons. Then we played with the dogs - Mikey gnawed on me, my mom, and my dog. (My dog is 50 pound chow mix, Mikey is a 10 pound poodle/terrier mix.)

Then the fireworks. That my mom and sister set off in our driveway. Dixie hates fireworks. This is well known. She was not happy and neither was I. Bloody holiday!


On to the comic!

As I established earlier, Hank Hill is a Plugger. He has a stud finder.

But I'm learning that Pluggers are contradictory creatures - if I were to look at a month's worth of comics, I'm sure I'd find at least one that contradicted a previous one.

Or they don't mind any excuse to hate on technology - though a stud finder? Really? Oh well, it's a stud finder, er, "joke" in the comics that doesn't refer to dating or sex, so that's something.

Also, to avoid holes in your walls, you're supposed to put tape on... something. I want to say the wall...

I'm still at the thumbtack and tape stage.

Wait - WTF is their stud finder? Him? His hammer? Plain old luck? I think putting multiple holes in your wall is more costly than a stud finder, which doesn't even cost 20 US dollars! At Wal-Mart's website, the stud finder is so cheap, it comes with a drill... that costs 15 US dollars. Oh the humanity!

On one more note - I think stud finders are cool and they're the one tool I can play with without breaking it or me or the house. I hope. It would be so fun to find all the studs in the walls! Okay, I'm weird. But taking on Pluggers makes you weird, we all know that.

Saturday July 3rd

The comic:

On all that fur!

Two things marking her as a different Plugger - "senior" and "ladies". Senior bothers me because I know women start using that expensive snake oil in their 30s or 20s.

"Ladies" bothers me because all women are so gullible and vain, amirite? It has nothing to do with our youth-obsessed couple or the fact that older men with wrinkles and gray hair look "distinguished" and want a younger woman, or a younger-looking one, at least. Plastic surgery is out of a Pluggers' price range, but all she's spent on gunk for her face over the years is probably more than what a face lift would cost - it just seems like more for the surgery because it's all at once (or on installments).

I use moisturizer. I was a senior in high school, and I "should" be a senior in August, but I don't think I will be. 4th year, yes, but I'm probably not graduating next May.

Anyways, I have dry skin. The right moisturizer is a godsend for everyone, male or female, old or young. I guess moisturizer makes your skin look young as well? I wouldn't know, I already look young all the time.

This makes me sad - I wish this was homey and sweet (gag-inducing) - a Plugger grandmother doesn't need anti-wrinkle cream, because she knows they're part of her life. And it would show her pointing at some with her granddaughter on her lap - "These are laugh lines - I've had a happy life." or "Your mother gave me these!" Off camera - "Mom!"

Or even better - she's complaining about her wrinkles and her partner says, "I love them, they're a map of our life together." (Or - "The laugh lines, frown lines, lines from thinking - they prove you're not a robot!") *cut to snuggle time*

Oh yeah, they're called "apps" because you apply them to your face.

"Trying to look young and wasting money - there's an app for that."

But I thought the iPod and such were designed to be easy to use, especially by people who aren't that comfortable with technology, like, oh "seniors."

Besides, what do they say? Getting old is better than the alternative!

Friday July 2nd

The comic:

That squirrel is effing creepy.

And it's so nice that they care about the birds. They watch the birds eating because someone stole their TV because they don't live in a bird feeder and are like my sister, who thinks locking the door at night is "overdoing it."

Thursday July 1st

The comic:

Only Pluggers bought T-shirts at events before 2000.

I'd say we're all Pluggers, but we also wear things from after 2000, so we're safe. I think.

However, if I found an interesting design on a shirt from an event at Goodwill or something, I may get it. And don't doubt hipsters. Also, there are undoubtedly new shirts made up with the poster for Woodstock on it, or for any concert from the '60s or '70s.

And of course it's bluegrass.