How to Weather Change
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How to Engage in World-Weary Banter
I was recently interviewed for the Dabble podcast. Please go check it out, if you like.
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How to Understand Another Person's Point of View
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How to Deal With Your Character Flaws
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How to Seem Wise
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How to Discuss Your Origins
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How to Understand Generalizations
I grew up in a small town. I remember being told many times that the city was full of crime and violence. I also remember our house being burgled, and that the guy who ran the tiny little store at a crossroads out amongst the farms nearly died when a robber hit him repeatedly in the face with a large can of V-8.
From that day forward, I was just as fearful of crime in the country as I was in the city. Also, I never developed a taste for V-8.
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How to Vent Your Frustration
Another Mission Impossible movie came out between the one mentioned in this comic and now. Mission: Impossible Fallout. In it, Tom Cruise and his team had to operate as fugitives, and he dangled from the underside of an elevator.
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How to Recognize an Opportunity
I am on the record as having really enjoyed the movie Tomorrowland. I don’t claim it’s some high-point in western cinema, but it’s an enjoyable fantasy-adventure with a message that resonates for me. Also, George Clooney in old grouch mode is fun. (Some day, he and Brad Pit will star in a remake of Grumpy Old Men. An entire generation will groan in despair when they see the first trailer, but they’ll go see the movie.)
I think part of the movie’s problem was that they sold it as a George Clooney action film with a young lady for a sidekick, but then the movie turned out to be two young ladies on an adventure with George Clooney as an Obi Wan figure.
Anyway, it’s on Disney+ now, so if you believe that the future can still be great if we just have the gumption to make it great, or if you have a daughter and you’d like her to see some good role models, I suggest you give it a shot.
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How to Discuss Something Unimportant That Bothers You
I have a game I play with one of our cats, Flapjack. Missy and I call the game “Bip.”
The rules are simple.
The cats have a pile of toy mice. I keep these mice on the table next to my favorite chair. As I watch TV, Flapjack hides around the corner of another piece of furniture and peers at me as if plotting a sneak attack. This is the signal that it’s time to play “Bip.”
I hold one of the toy mice by the tail and fling it in the air in a high arc, so that it will land near her. When I do this, one of two things will happen.
She may leap out of her hiding spot, often surprisingly high. Rather than catching the mouse, she hits it with both of her front paws as if playing volleyball. The mouse flies in a random direction, where it will be very difficult for me to find.
We repeat this process over and over until all the mice are gone. Then I search the living room for them, usually losing at least one.
We call this “Bip” because Missy will often talk for the cat, in a high-pitched voice, and when the cat hits the mouse, Missy will yell, “Bip!” That’s the whole game, and I find it adorable.
That’s one of the two possible outcomes. The other is that I throw the mouse. Flappy watches it fly, land, and bounce on the floor near her without moving, then she looks at me like I’m an idiot. I also find this adorable.
I don’t understand why non-cat people think cat owners are crazy.
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