Ballard Street by Jerry Van Amerongen for August 28, 2009

If he’s prone to this kind of thing *at* work, it’s all for the best.

Exactly, ejcapulet.

I think you’ve discovered the secret of life, Rus. You can retire now.

Funny, the same thing happens to me, but I don’t stop at the pants.

Officer, you mean this isn’t a public hot tub?

Looks like a sailor cap.

May we all discover that in life “IT IS THE SMALL THINGS THAT COUNT”

I had a “box kite” that looked like that guy’s “boxers”.. Now I wonder if I should’ve just flown my under wear….

No doubt retirement is appropriate in Russell’s case . But I’m going with OldHipster on this one .

I think the thing on his head is a dog dish…

http://www.comicssherpa.com/site/feature?uc_comic=cscwy

http://www.comicssherpa.com/site/feature?uc_comic=cscwy&uc_full_date=20190828

Blizzard? Lassie again?

Wow! Ten comments from the 2009 fans. Obviously this one struck a (Happy) nerve, and so it should, because Ballard Street is all about celebrating the quirky nonconformist behavior of the denizens of Ballard County, whether human or canine.

We note that Russell has polka dot undies. For any newbies, Polka Dots are acceptable outerwear for women only! But men get to wear them in their undergarments and pajamas.

Real men wear plain or checks on the outside. And a pocket protector, in those days. And a handkerchief in the pocket.

Meanwhile, back in Cleveland:

http://www.comicssherpa.com/site/feature?uc_comic=cscwy

Three of us, Montana Lady and I and one guy who got kicked off Gocomics, spent about two weeks playing this game when it first came out. I was a player and the moderator, and one is needed to be sure that rolls of the dice are scored in order. Four people can play, or four plus a moderator. I heartily recommend it to a new group of players!

Where is our West Coast crew?

It appears to me that Russell has lost more than his focus. In fact, he has probably lost more than his pants.

That game looks terrific, with many pitfalls and a few bonuses. If I play, I want to be green-background Cleo. How could anyone not want to hug green-background Cleo?

Plus, it’s like George Carlin’s analysis of why baseball is better than football. One of the reasons is that in baseball, the object of the game is “to go home.”

This senior moment brought to you by a senior with plenty of milage.

Follow your nose, Cleo. Home is prbably at the end of it.

Hi, everybody… I’m here, at last.

Sorry I missed yesterday… it was just… you know…. one of those….

Thanks Dennis and Tigressy for posting the link to “Cleo and Company” on Sherpa.

I still want to explain to anybody just finding us, that Cleo is the reason we’re here, so those links are for you.

Hopefully, the regulars here already have it bookmarked, because we read it every day.

You see, there are no comments on Sherpa any more…..

so after we go there to read, for instance, today’s August 28th  2019 “CLEO and COMPANY”

we go back ten years, and gather on the August 28th 2009 Ballard Street forum to talk about it.

Meanwhile…. I remember this game…. and Liverlips, you can call any marker you like.

Nighthawks kept denying that it was a real game… but a small, determined crew did indeed seem to have a good time playing it.

Dennis…. wouldn’t you play again? There’s no rule that you can’t!

Yes, it was you, Montana Lady…. and Alexikakos!

I was going to object to your calling him “one guy who got kicked off”, because he left voluntarily, saying he was going to clean his house, but he didn’t come back.

He wasn’t banned… his old comments were visible…

and he must have still read the comments, cos he sent me his condolences, in a very nice email, after x_Tech passed away.

I replied, asking whether he would come back to Cleo, but he didn’t answer.

So tonight, I looked at his profile, to how long he’d been gone….

and discovered that most of his comments were six months ago…

but he made two comments here a month ago, after my email, which I missed.

Here’s the strange thing…. NOW he appears to be banned…. or at least, invisible.

Alexi… what happened?

BTW…. in his comments a month ago, Alexi posted several links… even some especially for Montana Lady.

If you want to see them, go to his profile page:

https://www.gocomics.com/profile/2386117

In case you don’t know…. currently, on GoComics (always subject to change), you can still read a banned person’s posts on his/her profile page…

Clicking on the strip title above a comment takes you to the forum where it was made.

If you can’t see it there, that person has been banished… though if it’s your own comment you’re checking, you’ll see it anyway, unless you log out.

That’s how you check your status, if you worry.

That’s also why many people don’t know they’ve been banned until someone tells them…. they stay logged in and never notice that their own comments are invisible.

Meanwhile….

Sorry I missed the day StelBel showed up…

hope you do it again, Stel!

And for those who were actually curious the other day about the “almost” and “about” designations for “10 years ago”…. which is probably only me….

Apparently a comment changes from “almost” to “about” at around the time of day it was made 10 years ago…

But it was “almost” for several months prior, and before “almost” it was “over” 10 years ago….

It will be “about ten years ago” for another several months…until it becomes “almost NINE years ago.”

I bet you wish you had THAT three minutes back.

Well, just think about how I  feel.

And whether that’s a sailor hat or an upside-down dog dish on Russell’s head…

one might question his having it with him, ostensibly on his way to work….

You’d think he planned this little detour.

OK, maybe a dog dish was sitting in the yard near the wading pool…. but my vote is for sailor hat…. and it was probably in his jacket pocket all along.

These last summer days tempt everyone to play hooky.

This game should only take about 4 months to finish. And, when Cleo gets home, Clara can tell her, “Look, Cleo. You not only did win the game and a bag of kibble, but look at the date of the fix on Sherpa. It was also changed to 2020. Isn’t that fantastic?”.

Aren’t you glad Russell wore shorts/boxers/whatever and not a skirt only?!?

#reflection

I love this game. I won 3 times this morning.

It looks like more fun than “Candy Land”.

I love this game, Nighthawks! I’d love to play again if enough folks start it.

BTW,,,,,,,,57 years ago today MMM and I met playing Volleyball at a park in Van Nuys, CA. He had just moved out here from Pittsburgh and his roommate brought him to our weekly game. The rest is history.

Oh Russell, that looks like more fun than working!!! Good board game, Sooooo glad Cleo found her way home, straight in the bath I fear!!!

Love the board game. Just like reading it all – I don’t have to play.