Here’s a Perk@Work comic from back in 2014. Ten years ago, if you can believe it!
Click here to see a larger version of it:
Daylight Savings back in the past
Month: March 2024
Top 5 Movie and TV Show Pet Peeves
Once you see these, you can’t unsee them. And, they’ll drive you crazy every time!
The following are my own personal pet peeves. You may have others. Also, I’ve left out some of the big, obvious ones (e.g., Mary Sue, deus ex machina, girl loses glasses and is automatically pretty, etc.). Those are tropes, in a sense. What I’m going to share are plot devices and/or scenes. You’ll see.
5. No-look driving
When you’re driving, you can only take your eyes off the road for a second or two before something terrible happens. Yet, on the screen, characters drive and look over at another character and converse for long periods without getting into a wreck. At the same time, if a wreck is needed, the character only has to take his eyes off the road for a brief moment before he gets into a disastrous accident.
In addition, people who drive on camera are always moving the steering wheel back and forth when they don’t need to. It’s silly when they do this while looking away from the road. What are they navigating?
4. Hanging up without a “Goodbye”
In day-to-day life, if you end your phone call without a parting salutation (e.g., “Bye,” “Talk to you later,” etc.), the other person will assume you hung up on them. However, on-screen, characters will end a phone call right after they say their last comment, and no feelings are hurt. Try not saying “Goodbye” at the end of your conversation and that person will call you right back and ask, “Why did you hang up on me?”
3. Blinds and curtains open at night
For whatever reason, people on-screen live in houses with big picture windows and they don’t cover them up at night. This allows creepers to look in on them. Then, when said creeper does something with the knowledge he gained from looking into the windows, the victim character is aghast.
If you leave your blinds or curtains open at night, you’re basically telling anyone outside of your house to watch your personal business. After all, the lights inside contrast starkly against the darkness outside – basically making every window a big, bright screen for outsiders.
2. A female getting undressed in front of an exposed window
This is like the above pet peeve. There’s absolutely no reason for a woman to get undressed in front of an exposed window, especially at night. Yet, over and over again, some hapless woman is taking off her shirt, completely unaware that people outside can see her in plain view.
It’s weird enough when you see a grown woman do this, but when they show high school girls doing it, it’s even more weird and creepy – to me, at least. I know the actors must be adults – wouldn’t it be illegal if they weren’t? – but it still seems like a strange device for plot development.
1. Falling down stairs
People ALWAYS fall down stairs in movies and TV shows. It’s fun to see, I get that, but the injuries are so selective that it comes across as lazy writing. If a good guy and a bad guy fall down the stairs together, the bad guy is more likely to die in the process and the good guy walks away without a scratch. Or, stranger still, both of them get up and continue their squabble as if nothing happened. In the latter case, why even have the fall in the first place?
These are my pet peeves. Do you have any?
Oddballs: Destroy-A-Bear
Here’s a funny coincidence: I drew up a rough draft of this piece early one Saturday morning. Later that morning, Jessica suggested that we take Bash to Build-A-Bear Workshop. She had no idea what I was working on. Must be that collective subconscious at play, eh?
In any case, we took Bash. It was his first time there as well as my first time. I was surprised to find out that one could build things other than bears. In a way, I thought that was false advertising. After all, it’s Build-A-BEAR, not Build-A-Whatever. I anticipated various bears; different sizes, styles, breeds, etc. For instance, I thought a kid could build a brown bear or maybe even a grizzly bear. Instead, the bear selection was scant – the bins of hides were filled with other species and fantastical creatures (e.g., unicorns, cartoon characters, dinosaurs, etc.).
Bash surprised us!
Initially, he had his eyes on a dragon/dinosaur. He’s all boy so this was an obvious choice.
But then he found Princess Poppy from the Trolls movies. Trolls and Trolls World Tour are his up there in his favorites list (we haven’t seen Trolls Band Together yet). I thought it was a strange choice – kinda girly. But he seemed to want her so we just went with it.
Ultimately, he wasn’t building a friend, he was building a GIRLfriend. He dressed her, brushed her hair, then sat her in a chair and started talking on a play cell phone. In essence, he was playing as though he was hanging out with his girlfriend. I think he was mimicking me and Jessica. He even found a car and put Princess Poppy in it and drove her around.
As rambunctious as Bash can be at times, he is very gently with his Princess Poppy. He doesn’t play with her as much as he takes care of her. It’s beautiful to see.
One last note: I would be remiss if I didn’t mention how kind and patient the staff at Build-A-Bear was with Bash. They were great! Sure, they tried to upsell everything in sight, but that’s their job. I was impressed!
Here’s a video!
Oddballs: Odds & Ends (From Issue #18)
Here’s the text for text lovers like you!
Your questions and comments addressed by none other than our resident Odditer…
Seamus C. Monster
Full disclosure: The questions and comments at hand are completely fictional as of this moment. So… send us questions and comments, will ya?
Full disclosure: The questions and comments at hand are completely fictional as of this moment. So… send us questions and comments, will ya?
Dear Oddballs,
Since you’re a sea monster, is “The Creature From The Black Lagoon” your favorite movie?
Movie Maniac in MT
Dear Movie Maniac,
Contrary to popular belief, no. That movie is so inaccurate. Most sea monsters with gills are saltwater while reptilian monsters are… Ugh! Don’t get me started!
Seamus C. Monster
Dear Oddballs,
Boots or sneakers or loafers or sandals?
Biped in PA
Dear Biped,
I like those shoes with the toes but I don’t have five toes and they don’t make ones for folks with only two toes on each foot. I can’t pull off cowboy boots… literally! My wet feet get stuck in them! And my last girlfriend said my toes are ugly so I shouldn’t wear sandals. And sneakers make my feet stink… more.
Seamus C. Monster
Dear Oddballs,
I don’t like wearing neckties. Do you think that will hinder my success?
Neckless in NE
Dear Neckless,
It depends on what you deem “success.” If you want to be a corporate businessman, then maybe. But if you want to be a breakdancer, then no. Choose one but choose wisely.
Seamus C. Monster
Dear Oddballs,
I’ve heard that college is a waste of time and money. Any thoughts?
Graduating in GA
Dear Graduating,
I went to college and got my degree in Brackish Water Science and Technology. Of course, I’m not working in that industry. Instead, I’m doing this gig for measly pay. For me, it was a waste of time and money. But, if you went into Brackish Water Tech, you could make some serious dough!
Seamus C. Monster
Send questions and comments to jason.salas1@gmail.com or DM them on Instagram @OddballsZine
Oddballs: Sock Puppet
What would you do if you were in solitary confinement? Would you come up with activities? Daydream? Count to a million?
Some people live solitary lives. Every day is just them by themselves doing whatever; hermits and the like. I’ve always wondered if solitary confinement has the same effect on them as it would an average person.
Time alone is a good thing. I like this quote:
“All of humanity’s problems, stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone.” – Blaise Pascal
Granted, being forced to be alone is a whole different matter. Still, if we can learn to be alone without TVs, computers, radios, books, etc., we may find that it’s not a punishment as much as it’s an opportunity to understand ourselves better.
That said, don’t put me in the hole.
Here’s a video!
Oddballs: Cupcake
Bash loves cupcakes! And why wouldn’t he? Cupcakes are amazing, especially the fancy ones.
Bash’s favorite is the “Sensational Birthday Cupcake” from H-E-B. Every so often, we get one for him when we’re shopping. We limit his sugar intake so something like this is definitely a treat!
And while I made a comic about a cupcake, I have not had a cupcake for a long time. Not long ago, I had so much pain in my hip that I thought I was going to have to have a hip replacement. Yet, I experimented with excluding certain foods from my diet and sugar was the culprit. I love cupcakes (and all desserts for that matter), but the pleasure is not worth the ensuing pain.
Cupcakes are safe from my ravenous jaws.
Here’s a video!
Oddballs: Doozney’s Little Hoardermaid
Jessica and I tried to watch the live-action remake of “The Little Mermaid” and didn’t make it through the whole thing. Some elements were good, but not enough to keep us engaged. Overall, it seemed like a less fun version than the 2-D cartoon (which, strangely, has a lower audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes).
Speaking of the animated version, my Mom (God rest her soul) was a wonderful woman in so many ways. That said, she was one of those moms who didn’t quite understand the difference between name-brands and knock-offs. I remember her finding a copy of “The Little Mermaid” on VHS and being excited to give it to us. On one hand, we were disappointed that it wasn’t the Disney version. However, I liked it because… well, no seashells. I was young.
I found that version – the whole movie – on YouTube:
I also found this version that looks terrible:
Here’s a video!
Oddballs: Barfield
It’s no secret what this comic is satirizing. That said, I was a HUGE Garfield fan when I was a kid. I loved everything about that comic strip! I remember having a few of the books as a kid and coloring them with colored pencils. I also remember seeing the book Garfield: His 9 Lives and wanting it but thinking it would be too outlandish to ask my parents to get it for me – it seemed too much of a luxury. Looking back, I should have asked. Who knows? They may have gotten it for me.
There was a cartoon when I was a kid and I thought Bill Murray was the voice of Garfield since it was the same voice as Venkman in the Ghostbusters cartoon. I just found this blog post that helped me understand my confusion. It’s been decades, and I found out now.
Here’s a video!
Oddballs: The Howlin’
I created this comic while on a business trip for work. Honestly, I don’t know how to categorize it. It’s not quite a gag, not quite a poem… more of a satirical take on local musicians in dog form. I didn’t give it much thought – simply let it flow out of my brain.
The video below was interesting to generate. I took a stock song in TikTok and laid it down on the video. Since I couldn’t hear the song while adding the vocals, I had to sing in silence, attempting to imagine the tempo and tone of the underlying song. It doesn’t line up, of course. I’m not a psychic. But it got the job done.
One more quick note: Jessica told me she likes it when I use my own voice on the videos so I decided to sing it without any voice modulator/filter. And while the voice isn’t my normal voice, it’s my voice… if that makes sense.
Here’s a video!
Oddballs: Finger Family
I would have no idea what the “Finger Family” is if I didn’t have a kid. Every YouTube kids channel will do their own version of it. There are times when the song haunts my brain.
Here’s a video!
Jason Salas 