For Better or For Worse by Lynn Johnston for March 30, 2011

This is just one of many reasons that I take the bus.

Ans: You, cause you’re in a rush to get out of this mess.

I don’t know if this strip will still be in existence by the time Michael is an adult and has the Jewish landlady or, if it still will be, I may not be alive to comment then. I meant to correct Lynn at the time the pet rabbit died and Michael’s landlady had a recipe for the rabbit in the freezer.

So, I’ll say it now: Lynn, a traditional Jewish woman would NEVER have a recipe for rabbit. The rabbit is a non-kosher animal.

Rush Hour is the moron of all oxymorons.

The same guy who said you park on a driveway and drive on a parkway.

Trapper, sorry, we have terrible traffic here too. It’s why I’m very happy to be a bus commuter.The worst places are Tronna and Montreal. Blech.

Yes, Trapper. Canadians have had cars for 30 or 40 years, now.(My apologies to Canadians)

ladyfinger, we all know you don’t like men, you don’t need to tell us all the time. Of course no women ever get upset with rush hour traffic-only men.

And Jean, as well as John, have to deal with patients every day who act worse.

Try driving on the Don Valley Parkway or the 401 at 5pm on a Friday Night through Scarborough and tell me what traffic is like! 22 LANES of traffic at a near stand still.

Mornin’ Neighbours!

Or eastbound on the 401 at Salem Road on a Friday afternoon before a long weekend!

“Rush hour” is so named because it’s when a vein-popping talk show is on the radio.

“Fast food” is so named because it goes through you so quickly.

FishStix, why do they call it “food”???

FishStix, that’s an easy one. Way back in the early 60’s when McDonalds was new, you really could get in and out in a couple of minutes. It was such a change from a sit-down restaurant where you had to wait for service that it was called fast food. The name has stuck, even though the service hasn’t.

Puddleglum1066, that particular talk show is on the radio at 9AM around here, not exactly rush hour.

The fun time for traffic in Victorville is when all the people in LA want to go to Vegas for the week-end. Friday from about 2PM to midnight the Northbound I15 is no place to be. And Southbound on Sunday afternoon/evening is just as bad.

Thanks for the comment, Arye Uygur. Though it’s out of context with today’s strip, I think you explained your reasoning well. Not everyone reads closely enough to understand, however.

And thank you for your reply too, Susan Newman. (But don’t we all complain about rush hour, even though we are part of the cause.)

And I feel fortunate to have moved to a town small enough that I could refer to its rush-quarter-hour. But I still take the bus and enjoy the lower stress - and the walk to and from the bus stop.

I expected my comment to be out of context to today’s strip as neither Lynn or I may not live to reach the stage where Michael becomes an adult again. I remember very clearly that Mike’s landlady thought the rabbit was for food, but at the time there was no GoComics and I didn’t know how to contact Lynn to let her know that the landlady would never have a rabbit recipe.

Yes, I know that assimilated (not necessarily Reform) Jews don’t keep kosher, but Mike’s landlady, as I said, was VERY traditional.

As for rush hour, I never understood why my relatives live in exurbia and constantly complain about traffic tie-ups. It’s expected where you need to get into your car just to buy a loaf of bread. I have always chosen to live next to a subway station (in NYCity) and never have to be aggrevated about rush hour traffic tie ups. I think that and the fact that I only had to walk across the street to get to work, has added YEARS to my life.

I’ll never forget the time I left work at 5 PM on a rainy day and took the subway to Midtown. In Midtown I saw people with umbrellas, seemingly pointed toward me rushing to the Port Authority Bus Station. I felt like a country hick visiting the Big City as I live in an outer boro.

Not only is it a reference to volume, not speed, it’s such an old joke the mold has to be scraped off of it.

How I hate to be late Hurts my motor to go so slow Time I get home my supper’ll be cold Dam…this traffic jam

May have the lines all mixed up but I’m not James Taylor you know.

JanCin

Thanks for bringing back the memories.

When I lived in California for a couple of years (a few years back) I thought it was interesting to watch I15 on Friday afternoons/evenings. It was amazing to see the traffic jam heading thru San Bernardino and up the pass - all heading to spend their paychecks in Vegas. The pass was a virtual parking lot with everyone heading to blow off their paychecks. You’d think people would have better things to do with their money than gamble it away - oh-well.

Do the buses have special lanes so they can avoid the congestion, or is it just easier to endure on a large vehicle with 50 other people sharing your fate?

“However, some etymologists have found earlier references to the term used with respect to rapid transit trains.”

Why would people who study bugs worry about phrase origins?

“An entomologist is womeone who studies bugs. An etymologist is womeone who can tell you the difference between an entomologist and an etymologist.”

GreatCujo: Many of those vehicles heading over the pass on I-15 are headed home - to Victorville, Hesperia, and Barstow. THAT’s not a commute I’d like.

Gofinsc: When you’re not driving, the congestion is (mostly) irrelevant. As in the strip, it is John who is irritated, not Jean.

And runar, (wink) what is a “womeone”? (As I have been painfully reminded a time or two, you need to be extra careful when you critique another. Even yourself, apparently. (double-wink) But thanks for the reminder about the difference between etymology and entolmology.

Everyone may be “rushing” … but no one’s “going”!

dsom8: I highly suspect that, since the “w” is right above the “s” on our keyboards, runar accidentally hit the wrong key, typing “womeone” instead of “someone” (but I’d be willing to bet on it that you know that, as well).

I do, however, agree with you that before hitting that all-important “Post Comment” button, everyone really should do a quick spell-check of their work first … just to make sure that what they wrote says what they truly want it to say.

One of the most amazing photos I’ve seen, shows Highway 401 in Mississauga Canada… like I said above … 22 LANES OF TRAFFIC http://scenicpaintingtours.com/wp-content/plugins/wp-o-matic/cache/0caa7_highway-401.jpg

@Allan V:

“Try driving on the Don Valley Parkway or the 401 at 5pm on a Friday Night through Scarborough and tell me what traffic is like! 22 LANES of traffic at a near stand still.”

Of course, you know that lots of people in Tronna call it the “Don Valley Parking-Lot”.

And I love the photo that you linked to! It sure reminds me why I moved out of southern Ontario!!! Ah, memories!

The one thing good about being self employed (out of work) is laughing at all the people in rush hour traffic!