Just Do It

Again, like last week, at first glance I thought Roger was evil, threatening Margo with a demonic grin and a surprisingly slender bare arm. This either means A.) I'm picking up a major vibe of foreshadowing or B.) I'm just very bad at speed reading.

Most people's reaction to getting to meet the Dalai Lama: OH MY GOD! Really?
Whether I believe in Buddhism or not, that guy seems very wise and just like a
pleasant conversationalist overall! This will totally result in my next Facebook picture.

Margo's reaction: Feh! FEHHHHH!! no wait, FEH!

Glumly, she will agree to meet him, but only cause her dumb dad is making her, THANKS A LOT DAD!!

You Talking to Me?

I could watch Margo all day long. From her perfect "O" of surprise in the first panel to her classic Joe Pesci impression in the second panel, Margo is a delightful, bizarre roller coaster of extremes. Can you imagine Lu Ann in this storyline? Or Tommie? Tommie! I'd probably just shut down the blog. Like Tommie would ever go to Tibet anyway. She wouldn't even go to Denver, the most lovely, healthy city in America!

Out of Control! the Aftermath

I had a tiny, perfect moment of joy this morning when, at first glance, I thought Roger Baker had turned into a villian and was threatening Martin with a taser. But some things are not meant to be...

You don't have to show us that the press conference went out of control, just having two guys talking about it in purple, featureless room is enough. I can't handle much more than this!

How's Margo handling it all? What do you think?! Ah... actually, I really don't know. Is there a reason she should be feeling anything in particular, except maybe a little snubbed that she didn't get to have the big emotional reunion in front of hundreds of people and reporters?

Oh... My... God.

Sometimes, it's not the destination that's important, but the journey that takes you there that makes all the difference. And sometimes it's definitely definitely the destination.

Suddenly, I don't care that I had to sift through over a month of boring Tibet storyline. For Margo to be caught in a lavendar spiderweb of her own astonishment, it was worth it. She has to trap her head with both hands to keep it from bobbling off her neck! Awesome!!

Panel one is good too. Is that her "straining to listen" face or her "shocked enough for one hand to the face but not both" face? Or maybe she's mimicking everyone's worry from yesterday. Either way, Dad couldn't care less.

And the Crowd Goes Wild!

OH suh-NAP! A3G can still surprise me sometimes. We haven't seen Tim since last September, so I kind of forgot that he existed outside of journal form. Here he is, and I think we can all agree: he's seen some things.

Supposedly the crowd is bursting into cheers in the second panel, but just look at them. Those must be the saddest, most concerned cheers ever. Hey crowd, why so blue? Ahhh hahahahaha!

The Soul of Wit

You know what I like about random monk guy in panel two? His brevity. He knows no one's there to listen to him, but he has to say something. Imagine if all introductions were so concise. And his English might not be that great, but the man knows how to use a semicolon.

Roger Explains...

Was I right? Was this Margo's tiny "Whoops, I was a jerk" moment? You can see the wheels in her head turning in panels two and three. "What kind of gift basket will I have to get Nora? Do they make $20 gift baskets, or will I have to spend as much as $50? Maybe they do CODs."

Whoops! Sorrrrry!

This is interesting if you've been following the strip for a while, because a while ago Margo visited Tim's wife Nora at Nora's lovely apartment and basically harrassed her for not caring about Tim, who had been missing for over a decade. It was basically like

Margo: Hi thanks for inviting me you look great.
Nora: Well than--
Margo: HOW COULD YOU MOVE ON??! You're a MONSTER! I'd never haven given up if Tim was my husband.
Nora: But I tried to find him for ten years!
Margo: NO BUTS! Get out of my sight, you disgust me!
Nora: This is my apartment!
Margo: (leaves)

So now Margo's gonna have a little "Whoops, I was a jerk" moment. Probably. You can never be sure with Margo!

Politics

Keep worrying, Margo! Maybe something interesting will happen that way. Besides, why would the fact that it's a political issue make her less worried? I don't think anything worries me more than politics.

Oh My Lama

Nothing really happened in the Sunday strip except that Margo mentioned they'd be going to Dharamsala soon and WHOOPS here we are in Dharamsala! I've resigned myself to the fact that this lama is more like a Lama (with a capital L, as in Dalai or Panchen), but without any specific title so as to avoid getting muddled up with real individuals and factual events. This allows the author complete freedom with the story. And that's fine. THAT IS as long as something really awesome and dramatic happens, like if Eric takes a bullet for the Lama a la The Bodyguard.

All that said, a note to Roger: if you think dressing like Colonel Sanders will give you some kind of political clout, you should know although he was well-loved, he wasn't a real Colonel.

And Margo! What happened to your make up?? This is not the time to go au naturel. Think of the cameras!

Maybe it's Maybelline?

Wh wh WHAT??

Forget about whatever it is they're saying! Just a week after this post where I observed that the ladies of A3G go without makeup six days a week, THIS comes out!

I have to admit, Margo looks fetching. As a working woman who really tries her best to remember to wear make up most days, I can tell you a little lipstick and mascara can make the difference between, "You look nice today!" and "Are you okay?" "You look sick." "You look exhausted!" etc. Sad but true.

I also have to admit that I have never felt more powerful in my life.

OR

I have never felt more delusional in my life.

Either way, I am very excited right now. And, crazed with power, may I submit the following suggestions. Now keep in mind they're only suggestions, no pressure! and they're more deeply involved with the plot then cosmetic changes (so to speak, ah ha ha), buuuuuut, you know, if you ever run out of ideas... consider the following.

• Margo solves the conflict between China and Tibet single-handedly. (more of a prediction than a suggestion)
• Lu Ann meets more ghosts and goes into some kind of ghost whispering business with Gabriella.
• Tazer Lady comes back!
• Tazer Lady becomes a door-to-door tazer saleslady? (I would buy twelve)
• I become one of the characters... something like... Margo's boss or something. And at first, we don't get along and we fight a lot? But that's just cause we're so similar! And we wind up being best friends in the end.
• Tommie finds a dinosaur egg and tries to raise the dinosaur without her roommates knowing.
• Margo finds the dinosaur and starts riding it to work.
• The dinosaur develops the ability to speak English!
• The dinosaur joins the workforce.
• The girls move out of Apartment 3-G, but not the dinosaur! so the strip becomes about him, kind of like how Robotman turned into Monty.
• Margo wakes up; it was all a dream?!

Ah...... well, you guys probably know what you're doing, you just let me know if you need any help.

What Is Going On

Okay, now I full blown don't know what's going on. Should I? I don't know. Margo has the expression of a friendly unicorn in the second panel. My world has been turned upside down.

Foolish Pride

Wait. No offense to Margo, but what has she done that Martin's so proud of? She's dating Eric, and everyone's proud of him, so... maybe this is a case of pride by association? Let's just say Margo knows how to take a compliment, Mr. Baker.

I love the golden background characters in the dining room. It's like being served dinner by an Academy Award. This place is fancy!