Luann by Greg Evans and Karen Evans for October 06, 2015

Woof!

(♫) "This is the story of Frankie Joe and Nancy Sue…Two folks in over their head, and a lot of work left to doThe carpenter never leveled with them, no, he up and fled the sceneI guess he saw the light when his bank account went from red to greenAnd the plaster guy wasn’t all he was cracked up to beAnd you just know the roofer wouldn’t show- he was slated to be in at 3All the help in the world, sometimes ain’t much of it, at allThey must think you’ve got it written on your forehead, when you give them a call:

“Go On, Take The Money And Run” (♫)“I Can’t Help It If I Can’t Find Good Help”“For A Budget, It Sure Won’t Budge”“Never A Schedule Moment!”“Jack And The Bean Counter”“The Carpenter Was Framed”“Can’t Truss Nobody, These Days”“Not A Beaming Example”“I Want A New Duct” (♫)“Cost Ineffective”“A (Mr.)Gray Area”“An Offer They Can’t Refuse”or“Miter Been For The Best”

(♪) "Well, that dumb carpenter turned out to be a dudHis website said he was the “King Of All The Studs”And the HVAC Guy made promises the one time he was thereTurned out, he was talking nothing but hot airAt least the electrician had the wherewithall He said: Don’t worry, there will be no charge at all!Well, there’s a lesson in all this, it’s a very simple one:Cut the stack of money in half, they’ll get the other when the job is done..

Or else, they’ll…. " (♪)

I hope the “me” ain’t T.J.

Mr. Gray, aka the refugee from the deck of suspects in “Clue.”

It’s Mr. Gray; he’s going to make them an offer they can’t refuse.

Yeah, it sounds like TJ

Wasn’t Dad supposed to quit his job to manage the warehouse?

(As usual,) Good one, chap!!!!!!– (♪) “….And with no spending caps, it’s a light change jar… yeah, bread sandwiches ain’t too far…” (♪)

It’s Mr. Gray. If it was TJ, it would have been a smart-alecky response, like: “You rang?”

Is it Mr. Gray?

I think it’s Mr. Gray and I think that he made a deal with the contractors to not show up so that he could come in to save the day.

Whoa, Dirk’s back!

“Me.” Who? I’ve seen guesses of Ann Eiffel and Mr. Gray. I’ll wait to see, though I kinda hope it’s Mr. Gray….

Ann Eiffel?

Gotta be Mr. Gray. Business card: " Have Connections – Will Travel.".

The obvious “me” is Luann, but I can’t help but think it’s actually TJ.

It’s probably TJ.

Mr. Grey is a good guess, since he mentioned managing a club in Las Vegas. Though, the DeGroots don’t know him, so he’d have to have taken a real interest in following their activities since that dinner conversation. One other possibility is…Elwood? I don’t know that character very well, but he got Tiffany and Luann jobs, and claims to be well heeled, yes? The reason I think Anne Eiffel isn’t a possibility is I can’t see T.J. putting the club in her hands, and I imagine Brad can’t have given his parents a very good impression of her either.

Ann Eiffel, Dirk, Gunther, Tiffany,

TJ,of course.

The Contractor Who Finished On Time and Under Budget

Ann Eiffel? Please God, NO!Dirk? Well, I do believe people can change. So maybe.Gunther might be a good manager.Wouldn’t be surprised if it was TJ.Tiffany? Forget it! She’s an airhead!

I guess they’ve never heard of a General Contractor! Sub contractors work for you ONCE and could care less. But they may get more work from a General contractor so they begrudgingly get stuff done for them. Also it gives you only ONE person to sue when stuff falls apart.

Definitely Mr. Grey. He has experience, wants to make friends, and the clue is that the person who said, “it’s me,” is short. Too short for TJ.

How many times has that scenario happened? The contractors and materialmen flew the coop in the middle of a job. What is more interesting is who is the mystery person offering him or herself as a manager? Any guesses? Ann Eiffel to make up for all the things she has done? TJ himself? Who in Luannverse is organized and can ride herd on contractors and materialmen?

How many times has that scenario happened? The contractors and materialmen flew the coop in the middle of a job. What is more interesting is who is the mystery person offering him or herself as a manager? Any guesses? Ann Eiffel to make up for all the things she has done? TJ himself? Who in Luannverse is organized and can ride herd on contractors and materialmen?

2Hmmm. Will it be TJ, or will it be Mr. Gray? If it is TJ, I think this “remodel the warehouse” arc will continue to be rather uninteresting. However, if it is actually Mr. Gray…. well, then the arc could potentially become very interesting and exciting. I would enjoy learning some of his back story. I would also like to see him outside of his interaction with Gunther. I notice that Luann apparently made a number of copies of her poster…. suggesting that perhaps it was already made into MANY copies and is being used by the “adopt-a-pet” organization. I wonder if there is any real tie-in to a real organization that perhaps Greg actually drew a full sized rendition of “Luann’s” poster for, for an act of charity? Now, if it is not TJ or Mr. Gray…. who could it be? Hmm… cannot think of anyone else who would be particularly plausible at the moment who is already a character.

I guessed TJ also, but it could be Ann Eifel or Zebo maybe Mr. Gray. There are contracters out there thay dupe the older crowd & charge exorbant prices for lousy work. One was just arrested in Omaha, NE on an outstanding Missouri warrent. This guy was bilking anelderly woman & went to the bank so she could pay $24,000 more on top of $10,000. The bank cop arrested him. Nebraska is now filing charges as he was run out of town before! Enjoy the day & beware of con men!

Manager, how sweet thy name. Let us count the possibilities.1) TJ – but he’s exclusively worked with food2) AE – but she gets fired from every job she’s had3) Tiff – a good event planner but she’s still in school4) Qu – ditto5) Bern’s Brother – maybe he just got out of the service6) Delta – she’d be perfect with her organizational ability but she’s both in school and wants to get into service, not commerce. (and WHY didn’t we see her over the summer!)7) _________ – who is left?

Mr. Gray, of course. The guy dating Gunther’s mom.

Moose has my vote. What contractor would want to cheese this guy off?

Here comes Mr. Gray to the rescue. Remember? He managed a casino in Vegas for 15 years.

go gray

The only other person in sight yesterday or today was Luann, though that would be a big surprise—to see her so assertive.

Maybe it’s Mr. Foggarty.

If that’s TJ saying “Me” and you go for it you can add “and we’ve completely lost our minds” to that list

Now we’ve touched upon two of the things I like least: The first was weddings (don’t misunderstand me: marriage is fine, it’s the wedding thing I hate) and construction, its delays, glitches, etc. (all of which I am currently in the middle of). To me, “remodeling” is replacing a burned out light bulb, but to a wife, its “tear down everything and start from scratch”.

TJ’s style of management: “OK good, I see we have a bunch of cans of paint and turpentine being stored here along with some dirty rags and other combustibles – that ought to light a fire to your profits!”

My prediction? “Me” is Elwood Druit who has not been in the strip for some time.

It’s Mr. Gray, of course, but I was hoping for Tiffany. More close encounters with Gunther over computers …

Seems like the company isn’t making enough money to hire a manager. Too many wanna be business owners think they can pass on responsibility to someone else before they’ve built anything.

TJ?

TJ was my first reaction. BTW everyone will say I’m crazy and that is OK, but TJ has long been in my mind as THE partner for Luann.

Sounds like Luann’s parents have been conned big time by so-called contractors.

Just like this: type a hyphen (“-”) immediately in front of and directly behind the words (with no spacing) you wish to strike out, example: " We – are going – have gone, already!" becomes “We are going have gone, already!”

I have a feeling its TJ with his big grin on his face.

Whoever’s going to help the DeGroot family has better be anyone BUT Tiffany Farrell. Gunther, Crystal, Quill, Aaron Hill, even T.J. are, IMO, likely candidates.

Whatever business you’re in, Dad, surely you know of contracts and “Final Payment due upon completion”.

Bernice? Ann from Weenie World?

My only disappointment if it turns out to be Mr. Grey is that I have yet to feel any emotional attachment to the character. It’s his nature to just sort of be there, placid and silent. I love the ‘mob connections’ banter that goes on here, though they are probably just jokes. It’s just hard for me to imagine Mr. Grey confidently walking into the building and announcing he’s the right man for the job. And would he interject ‘Me’ or would he be more likely to say ‘I am’? Why am I over thinking this? The answer will be revealed tonight. Tonight? Ohmigosh, that’s HOURS away…! (Starts turning his monitor back and forth, trying to see who’s beyond the edge of the panel)

But managing a construction site requires technical knowledge that isn’t needed for managing how people serve meals and handle the public.

A construction site manager or general contractor needs skills like how to read blueprints and plans for construction, how various improvements have to be installed to meet safety and fire codes so you can verify that your subcontractors are wiring the place correctly, plumbing will flow correctly, the right materials are used to ensure fire safety, etcetera. Managing a construction site is about more than managing people.

I too first thought TJ. But every one’s comments make sense. So I guess Mr. Gray.

I’m still hoping for Knute. With his attention to details, he might just be the right guy…

Why does Luann insist on putting up her posters when someone is supposed to be there to fix the wall? Now there’s more work to be done by taking them off. How annoying.

flagged

“Well FINALLY, Its the Painter! Look, We’re in a BIG Rush so DON’T bother putting down drop cloths! And You can just PAINT Right Those STUPID Posters in the Wall and….,Oops! Oh Hi, Luann!” – Frank

Carmine “The Fixer” Gray, at your service.

I really enjoyed your response too tehehe ;) you have such a way with words lol :D

Your response to jersey stevens was a touché.

I’m sorry but I’m unfamiliar with the term Mange Garde art. What exactly is that? I tried looking it up but there was no result. My avatar is a bird bath with my two favorite roses from my garden.

So much talk about “flags”, I thought it was a holiday or something. I always miss the good stuff.

“Mange Garde art is, obviously, French. It’s what they call what a chef does when he (she) makes little flowers and birds and butterflies out of radishes, cucumbers, etc.”

It’s weird I couldn’t pull up a reference by googling it or at dictionary.com.

“It is when the fur on the hats of the Royal Guard develops a skin condition commonly referred to as “Mange”.”

Lol :D

I almost forgot about Mr. Gray. My first thought was Ann Eiffel.

Has Mr. Gray ever met the DeGroots? If not, it would be pretty odd for him to walk in and announce that he would be the manager.

TJ makes the most sense. He has experience, free time and money invested in the project. And he actually knows the DeGroots.

A tip from Peter Mayle’s “A Year In Provence”: Tell all the workers and their wives that there will be a Grand Opening gala in two weeks to show off the place, and they are all invited. Everyone will have their part done, lest the whole community see that they are the one who made the place less than perfect, and they have to face the music in person.

Well, what the hey… I guess I"ll join in the flagging, too….

Thank you!

“Wow, flowergirl, really?”^It’s the way you form your responses with people… the power of words are those that find their intended audience effectively, as you do- ,

You’re welcome!!!

LOL!

Logically, it ought to be Mr. Grey, who has been shown to have at least some management experience. Maybe running a restaurant/casino in Vegas isn’t quite the same thing, but I wonder if he, maybe, “knows a guy”, y’know what I mean? I guy who can, like, “get things done”.

I wouldn’t want it to be Luann, I find it annoying when she puts on her Mary Sue hat and can magically outdo just about anybody at anything she’s never showed any interest in before.

We’ll see. I still find it odd that Brad doesn’t seem to have shared his concerns about TJ and the food truck fire with his parents, even though he must know they’ve sunk a lot of their own money into a business venture with TJ and his insurance settlement.

More boring than even I would have guessed.

TJ no doubt

LOL! Yeah, a mystery this is not. Not for adults, anyway.

@Implausible- “Why are people debating who it is”?

Well, not speaking for everyone, but I find it enjoyable to speculate and read others’ thoughts. It’s true that Mr. Gray’s comment could read more like a declaration of Mr. Evans’ intent as a writer than a hint, and you’re probably right, it is in all likelihood Mr. Gray. For me, and I don’t presume to speak for you, I’ve been enjoying “Luann” more since I stopped trying to see it purely as a piece of writing and to immerse in the story a little more than I used to. Granted, there are things that disrupt my enjoyment from time to time, same as for you, so I don’t mean to sound critical of you. I hope you really enjoy “Luann” daily, and that it makes your day brighter). Whoever the voice turns out to be, I’m glad it got people thinking back to that time when Mr. Gray spoke up in the strip you kindly posted. To me, it’s neat to see that thread picked up again today. To me, that’s good writing, not bad, it shows long term planning and the writer’s involvement in his story:)

To those who think the prospective new manager is Ann Eiffel, even if she happened to be seeking the position, the chance that she would get hired is zero. Luann is right there in the same room, and we know what Luann thinks of Ann:

Double the price, triple the time…when you get your estimate take it into consideration.

Also, TJ is one of the main investors in the warehouse, and he spent about a year working at Weenie World just trying to get Ann Eiffel fired:

SPOILERS ALERT

Well, at least it wasn’t one of the usual suspects. Now, ‘management by phone call’ begins…

For some reason, GoComics has always been the last to switch to the next day…

“Suppose jersey stevens has learned what a moderator is yet?”^LOL, maybe so. But even if not, I’m guessing that it was just like a couple of others that used to dog some of us… after a while, they just have to get tired of the futility of such an endeavor.

They need TJ