Sorry About That!

Hey everyone! I'm back. Sorry for the long absense, and right as things were heating up with this weird middle-aged love triangle! Sheesh. So let's get caught up, people!

Saturday September 26, 2009

Ruby's visible unhappiness and sarcastic comment go completely unnoticed because it SO doesn't occur to the Professor that there's a problem with being "just neighbors."

Panels from Sunday, September 27, 2009

While Ruby continues her Spurned Neighbor act without an audience, Bobbie pretty much asks the Professor point blank for sex. Of course, this is kind of a conflict of interest, since he's kind of her doctor, kind of, so he'll graciously decline I imagine.

Monday, September 28, 2009

OR NOT! In a big surprise to no one, Doctor Professor has no conception of doctor-patient boundaries. In fact, according to Apartment 3-G standards, he's already made it to first base (a firm and hearty handshake).

Tuesday September 29, 2009

Not much to say here, except that Bobbie is certainly looking very upper east side in that bluish overcoat.

Wednesday September 30, 3009

And finally, let's start boozing while we can! Bobbie will not let up on the sauce. This might be second base in A3G... I have to think this out.

Sorry again for the absence. Mostly it was work-related, but I also spent the weekend out of town in New York City, partying like an A3G girl! Though now that I think of it, the last time I saw any of them go out for fun was New Year's Eve 2007. Plus I think I'd die if I ever saw the ladies visit where I was staying in Koreatown (with the ethnics).

Ouch!

Slick, Bobbie. Because "Dr. and Mrs. Papagoras" rolls right off your tongue. Also, definitely the first time the Professor has been called Doctor, probably because HEY HE'S NOT REALLY A DOCTOR. Jeez. You may have fooled Bobbie, but from the looks of panel two, she's about a bazillion years old, plus she's hitting the pill bottle and she's so out of it that she almost got hit by a bus, so don't feel too proud of yourself.

It's hard not to want to distance yourself from Ruby when she's wearing like six bows and scarves and whatnot, but she's not even hoping to be considered a romantic interest; she's just looking for an promotion from "local acquaintance." What can I say, Ruby? No rain, no rainbow. You'll bounce back!

Oh, My Goodness, Ms. Merrill!

Oh my goodness indeed, Professor! Usually, the lines around a character's head indicate motion, as in panel one. HOWEVER, if this is true, Bobbie Merrill has a lot on her mind because she's been possessed by the devil and her head is spinning a la The Exorcist. Awesome!

Meanwhile, Ruby, just realizing her missed opportunity to jump in front of a bus and get all up on the Professor, stares deep into the void. I bet she needs counseling.

WHOA!

We interrupt this polite exchange of pleasantries to bring you something way more awesome! It looks like in the time it took Ruby to say "Whoa! Watch out!" the Professor has sprinted over to probably-Bobbie, only to gently ease her into the path of the bus... which looks like a pastel garbage truck. Or fire engine. If you omitted the Professor's speech bubble, it really would look like the Professor was guiding Bobbie to her death. Off you go!

And all this totally eclipses the background character in panel one who's glowing purple, which is usually a pretty cool trick!

Heavy Lifting

Yay! Ruby! I knew it! Ruby will always have a warm spot in my heart, mostly because of her fashion choices. Although I would really think she'd be used to being brusquely ordered about by now. I mean, how long has she been working with Margo?

Also, I thought it was morning... maybe because I rarely leave work when it's that bright out. Or because I rarely leave work screaming "And I love my job!" in my head.

Double Whammy

A simulatneous head swivel-bobble! Oh my gosh! I knew this story was looking up! Although the only person who would POSSIBLY say "yoo-hoo~" in the A3G universe is Ruby, certainly not the very Upper East Side Bobbie Merrill. Hmm. Are we getting set up for a Bobbie-Professor-Ruby love triangle? This is a kind of weird thing to infer from one "yoo-hoo~," but that tilda makes it flirtatious and if I'm wrong about that being Ruby I'll eat my hat.

P.S. If you, like me, are tempted to attempt the swivel-bobble as soon as you read today's comic, be prepared to feel kind of ridiculous. Especially if you're at work.

Doppelganger

I usually don't post on Sunday, but I'm breaking my silence today to say: I don't believe the Professor in the Sunday strips is the real Professor. The hair is the giveaway, of course, but he's also way too jaunty. What is up with that last panel!

The End!

And so the story of Bobbie Merrill draws to a close! I have to admit it was shorter than I predicted, but I think we can all agree it was well worth it. Besides, now that we've learned that Dr. Bryant has a really rich and sexy clientele, I'm ready to move on! This could turn into Royal Pains for psychology.

Let's Hear It

Paydirt, Megan! Okay, Dr. Bryant. Lay it on us. What is the deal with Ms. Bobbie?

The Oncologist Can Be Kind of a Bummer

Kind of flippant about the oncologist, but that's Dr. Bryant's way, I suppose! I'm sad to hear that he has cancer. I probably wouldn't've made the Mummy crack if I had know, but since it's already out there, he really really looks like Boris Karloff as the Mummy. Weird!

In the first panel, the Professor's expression is totally masked by his bushy mustache, probably an automatic response of his sympathetic nervous system reacting to danger. But in the second, the look the Professor is giving Dr. Bryant is less, "No problem, old friend," and more "You complete me." Could go either way I guess.

"How do you THINK I am??"

This is more like it! A slightly aggressive guy with flesh-colored hair telling it how it is. The Professors lips have gone white with surprise, but it's true, he looks awful. Like Boris Karloff's mummy Im-ho-tep. Will the Professor be subbing for Dr. Bryant longer than he expected? ......well, probably.

Margo, Full of Grace

Turn away, Gabriella! Don't let Lu Ann see that your human disguise is bubbling and melting off your face! Then she would know the truth about Margo's dark origins... or maybe she wouldn't. I mean, this is Lu Ann we're talking about.

Can we please get back to the Professor now?

The Gallery Door Opens and...

Look at Gabriella in the first panel! It looks like she's trying to give Margo the used car salesman handshake. "Margo, how ya been? What would it take for me to see you in a Dodge?"'

Margo then insists on rebreaking the news to Jack and Doris. Jack, Doris... you might want to sit down for this. Again.

Okay, That's Enough

Margo looks like she's endured all the female bonding she can. "Yes, I never would've suspected I had anything in common with you... hmph. Well, back to work!" But you know, you can tell by her finger-pointing that the walk cheered her up. Nice job, Lu Ann. She really is like a friendly, ever-loyal golden retriever.

Poor Margo

All right, Margo, we get it: no one loved you when you were a kid so now you're a big ol' bitch. Case in point: you've managed to take a conversation about Lu Ann's lonely childhood and turn it into a story about your lonely and way worse childhood, AND you got Lu Ann to feel bad for you instead of feeling resentful that you cut her off. So not only are you a big ol' bitch... you're actually quite skillful at it as well. Cheers!

Pity Par-tay!

Come on, they're just trying to outdo each other now! "My boyfriend was murdered by a junkie!" "Well my boyfriend was smothered in an avalanche!" "Well I was neglected by my family!" "Well I was too! Plus I was annoying!" I give both rounds to Lu Ann, because at least Margo was neglected and rich and had a saint for a boyfriend. Can't wait for Round Three, probably about how they both haven't worked in months.

Meanwhile, Tommie is totally out of the loop!

Calling All Voters!

Blogger.com is having trouble uploading images right now, and there's not really much to say about today's comic (except that the evidence just keeps piling up about how callous Lu Ann's family is).

Instead I'd like to promote my boyfriend Zack, whose design made the finals in the Design It: Shelter Competition sponsered by the Guggenheim and Google Earth! He's one of ten finalists chosen from 600 entries, so I'm really proud of him! (I was proud of him anyway, though)

And guess what? You can help him win the People's Prize by voting for his design! And when I say, "You can" I mean "Will you, please please please?"

Click here to vote for Zack's entry, "ZBOX: Transformative Folding Space." You can also learn more about the competition, Zack's design, the other (passable) (dumb) (bland) entries.

Don't forget: vote early (before October 10) and vote often (from any computer you can)!

As They Walk...

"I don't understand. There might be a chance that I can get around telling anybody what happened? Explain."

Ha ha! Oh Margo. Lu Ann's family was way too absorbed with the young steer market to pay her brooding any mind. Lu Ann's dad was just getting around to liking her, never mind noticing her emotions or prying into her past.

Our Daily Constitutional

And now, the drama continues with walking around the block! I hope they give us the blow-by-blow on this one. Maybe tomorow they comment on some pigeons, Wednesday they skirt around a homeless guy, Thursday they talk about how homeless that guy was, Friday they suggest that the homeless guy eats the pigeons... I mean, this could go on for weeks.

Or maybe they'll just swing by the Professor's new office! Eh? Eh??

Next Thursday-ish

Margo just wants to know so she can mark the date in her daily planner. This death has been disruptive enough as it is with the unexpected trip to India; now there's got to be grieving?? Ah, but I kid Margo! Seriously, first Thanksgiving is going to be a real downer.

OH MY GOSH is Margo going to go to the Professor for counseling?? AND THEN DRUGS??? Awesome!

Well Enough, Lu Ann

Just as things were heating up in therapy, time to cool down at 3-G with some COFFEE DRINKING MADNESS! I... I can't really say I find anything remarkable about today's strip, except maybe that Margo's neck has a sort of E.T. the extraterrestrial quality to it in the last panel. And that Lu Ann looks like a handsome woman in the first panel. Just what the Professor likes! And when I say Professor, I mean Doctor.

My, What a Firm Handshake

When I was in second grade, I had one of my favorite teachers of all time. She was a terribly nice older woman who encourage creativity and kindness. She had a soft, pleasant voice, and she always smelled like lavendar. One day, as I was fondly recalling her, my mother observed that she was "a handsome woman." From then on, I pictured her as a man with a long skirt and long gray wig.

The moral: girls should not be called handsome unless they look like men! Guys, I'm serious. Please do not call us handsome. Would you want us to call you pretty? Not unless you were costarring in the 1980-1982 sitcom Bosom Buddies, you wouldn't.

That said, Bobbie does kind of look like a man in a wig today.

Papagoras, Papagoras, hmm...

Hmm. To most people who are not Greek, Ms. Merrill, the name "Papagoras" would stick out in their brain like a sore thumb, like Jesse Katsopolis or Plato. For example, when I hear "Papagoras" I immediately think "The professor from Apartment 3-G who's illegally writing perscriptions." Well, to be fair, this is the first time I've heard his last name, but you can bet I won't forget it!

Well, from the door shouting "knock knock," it seems that wraps up our session! Don't forget to schedule your next appointment with my secretary on your way out, thanks for stopping by. Sonia, will you send in my 1:05?

Come Here Often?

Well! That little piece of business out of the way, hell-ooo, Professor! Did it hurt? ....when you fell from Heaven?