Full of Beans?

My, what an odd phrase Elly uses to describe April's infanthood. "You were so full of beans." Say what? Is this more Lynn-manufactured hip lingo? (We checked FBoFW.com, but as of yet, no treatise on the derivation of "full of beans" has been posted.) Or, is this commonly used terminology in the northern provinces? Anyone else ever seen this phrase used in this context?

It's easy to dismiss today's installment as just another dull car scene (the ninth such one we've been treated to this year). But, there is the interesting question from April at the end..."Do you miss me?" Perhaps Elly's use of past-tense to describe her affection for April ("You were adorable.") did not go unnoticed.

Which leads me back to something I've wondered outoud before about the depiction of St. Elly. Some of her behavior seems downright boorish (for example, abandoning April for long stretches of time or encouraging Liz to try to steal Anthony away from Frenchie). But, I assume this isn't Lynn Johnston's intent, since she describes Elly as her alter-ego.

But, is April's comment Lynn's acknowledgement that Elly's parenting sucks? Or, is it just one of those "kids say the darndest things" moments, intended to make parents reading the strip say, "Aw, ain't that cute? My own daughter Laverne Jr. said something like that just the other day."

Guess we'll find out tomorrow. If April grabs the steering wheel and says, "I've had enough, Mother! Prepare to meet Grace Kelly" and then drives off a Toronto cliff, we'll know Lynn really was trying to make a statement about parents' insensitivity to teenage angst.

But, I suspect this won't happen. It will be another day of Elly the wise and April the sassy. Perhaps the ladies will even decide to forget who they really are and cruise Yonge Street together.

At Age 14, Exactly How Many Baby Showers Has April Been To?

By Anonymous
Promoted from comments

Lynn tops herself with Tacky Therese's baby hug auction. What does she have against French Canadians? Haven't they suffered enough in all WASP Millsborough?

Hell, I'd pay money not to have to hold that Satanic spawn.

Today's strip

You Simply Must Try Dee's Cinqo de Mayo Margaritas

The big question in the latest bizarro Sunday, full-color FBoFW is: "why"? Why, exactly, would the boy editor tell his daughter that Mommy's teat was squirting out chocolate milk? What response was he hoping to elicit? Seems like the best possible outcome would be sibling rivalry, while the worst would be a 3-year-old brat pushing her nursing brother out of the way while sucking mommy dry in hopes of getting a Nestle's Quik fix.

But, one thing we know about Michael: He is achingly honest. So, if he told Merrie Dee is serving up choc milk for Easter, I bet she really is. And what does Deanna put out on the other holidays?

• St. Patrick's Day: Green breast milk
  
• Christmas: Egg Nog
  
• Passover: Matzoh Ball Soup
  
• Valentine's Day: Those disgusting little candies that say "Be Mine," "Love U" and, in this case, "Suck Me."
  
• Dominion Day: Maple syrup (in honor of the maple leaf on the Canadian flag)
  
• Thanksgiving: Gravy (a little too lumpy for some people's taste)
  
• National Pharamcist's Day: Ritalin
  

Last week was grandpa's wet dream, this week Deanna's lactation. Why do I feel next Sunday we can look forward to a long installment about Elly's arm flaps?

Today's strip


...And don't miss....

The etymology of "foob" (read this and tell me the folks at FBoFW Corporate haven't lost their collective minds)

Lynn, Why You Beastin?

Can we PLEASE declare a moratorium on the faux teen slang? Not only is Lynn making herself look foolish for using it, she's making us look dopey for reading it.

We have been treated to a torrid of "foobs" in recent days, and there's been nearly two dozen utterances of slang that I'm willing to bet no self-respecting teen -- or even one living in Canada -- really uses. This spectacle is similar to your grandma trying to appear "with it" by saying the word "groovy" a lot.

Here's the list of Lynn-style "teenspeak" that has been foisted on us in just the last three days:

doofus (twice)

hunk

nerd (twice)

foob (four times)

hottie

total hotbod

zombie

airhead

totally hot

fries

OK, I'm not totally sure about that last one. . The phrase was "a total hotbod getting fries." It could mean "pommes frites." But the Urban Dictionary of slang defines fries as "female legs." ("There's an attractive person getting female legs?" Naah, that can't be right.) Or, maybe it's more more Lynn-style teenspeak -- meaning, say, "French kissing" or "heavy petting." I'm so confused.

Plus, when April voice bubbles the standard-English word "label" it's put in quotation marks. Seems to me the normal meaning would apply here. But, it is in quotes, implying its use is somehow idiomatic. The aformentioned Urban Dictionary defines "label" as "a title given to someone who is blatently trying to fit in with one of the stereotypical high school 'cliques'." Appropriate, I guess, but I suspect the use of "quotes" here is just a reflection of Lynn's basic inability to use them "correctly."

If it even is Lynn. Does anyone else think the block lettering and voice bubbles have suddenly started looking different in the past couple of days?

Speaking of the Urban Dictionary, it now includes the word "foob," a word which others have speculated was wholly concocted by Lynn. But, dictionary's definition really makes me wonder what Becky has been trying to say:

"Fat + boobs = foobs; the fleshy breast like rolls of fat on backs and near the shoulder blades, even on the side, or stomach, depending on the number of lumps: 'Mrs. Lavine wore a blue dress that showed all her foobs.'"

Today's strip

Wednesday's strip

Hello Out There in Internet-Land!

By MarciaMarcia
(promoted from comments)

I'm still totally convinced that Tuesday's strip (Now with twice the "Foobs!") is a shout-out to us.

And Becky, sweetie, I can deal with you being roadside and all, but you may want to watch who you're calling "Porko." We've all seen your butt.

Today's strip

Have At It

Sorry, folks, a family emergency (not the Patterson family, my family) is going to keep me away from ER for most of this week. Use this open thread to post away. I'll try to promote deserving comments, but may not be able to.

Cartoon Strip Character Canonized

By Immediate Release
(promoted from comments)

Reuters, 18 March 05


In a break with thousands of years of Catholic practice and tradition, the Pope has canonized a cartoon strip character.

Vatican spokesperson Patrick MacGillicuddy announced Friday that His Holiness Pope John Paul II has issued a Papal Bull bestowing sainthood on 'Elly Patterson,' a character from a popular, family-themed cartoon strip. According to the Bull, she will now be the special patron of “moms everywhere.”

According to MacGillicuddy, "His Holiness is a long-time fan of the funny pages, and this strip is his absolute favorite. Every morning after Mass, his Holiness likes to sit down with a cup of tea and what he calls his 'daily pick-me-up'."

This unusual step was apparently precipitated by a strip in which 'Elly's' daughter, 'April,' helps a mentally challenged classmate who has become lost while shopping in a local mall.

"In this day and age it's unusual to find a girl of April's age who's willing to help a less fortunate classmate. Kids these days are busy trying to dress like pole dancers and listening to loud rock-and-roll music," said MacGillicuddy. "I think most of us would term this sort of thing 'miraculous' and it's certainly a tribute the careful raising April has received at the hands of her wonderful mother, Elly Patterson."

MacGillicuddy was careful to stress that this incident was not the only reason why the character will now be known to the Catholic faithful as 'St. Eleanor of Milsborough.' "The bull enumerates the many, many reasons why this wonderful woman is deserving of this singular honor. She has raised three wonderful children, is a caring and loving daughter, friend and employer. No matter what situation life throws at her -- a sick pet, a thieving employee, a request from a mariachi band -- Elly Patterson handles it with wisdom and grace."

The canonization process typically takes years to complete. A canonization committee must be formed, proof of miracles must be demonstrated to the Church's exacting standards, and a "Devil's Advocate," a person whose sole responsibility is to disprove the claims, must be appointed.

The Pope has broken with this tradition in the past, waiving the traditional five-year waiting period after an individual's death before beginning the process, in the case of Mother Teresa. According to MacGillicuddy, the pontiff elected to "handle Elly’s canonization his way" and to "... dispense with all that silly stuff."

The Pope's break with tradition is not without controversy, however. According to a Church insider, who spoke on condition of anonymity, "The canonization process is not supposed to begin until after the candidate has died and proven miracles have occurred as a direct result of petitioning the candidate for intercession with Our Lord. Raising a daughter who helps a lost kid find her mommy is nice and all but it doesn't really measure up against curing cancer overnight, if you want my opinion. And it helps if the candidate was a real, live person to start with, for God's sake!"

Yet, not everyone feels the same way. The author of the strip has long maintained that her characters are actually alive. “They live in my head. I know them. I know everything about them – their likes, their dislikes, what they eat, what they wear. They’re every bit as alive to me as my own family.”

“Well, that’s just crazy,” was the response from the Vatican insider. “She’s obviously as loopy as the Holy Father is. They both need to hurry up and retire.”

Despite the harsh feelings and comments on the part of some in the Church hierarchy, experts in Canon Law agree that the canonization is valid, if unusual. “He issued the Bull ex cathedra,” said one expert. “Therefore, he can’t be wrong and we’ve got a new saint on our hands. I actually like the strip; I’ve read it for years. I just wonder if the Pope forgot about the whole Lawrence thing.”

When asked for a comment, Elly Patterson, the newly-created saint, speaking through the strip’s author replied, “This is indeed an honor. I just hope I can manage my “saintly duties” in between being a daughter, wife, mother, grandmother, pet owner, friend, career gal – I just hope those darned hot flashes don’t slow me down!”

Today's strip

Contributions Accepted

No, not monetary contributions, dears. If you want to post about today's FBoFW, do so here. I got nothing. Meritorious comments will be promoted.

A Bargain at Twice the Price

"Five bucks...how can a card be worth five bucks [Canadian]," gripes April. (Seemingly somewhat out of context, since this young teen would not have been around in the "old days," when cards cost, say, only $2 Canadian.) Speaking through our youthful protagonist, crusading Lynn Johnston is willing to take the controversial position that "things cost too much these days!" Why, even a horny not-quite-14-year-old can see it.

So, inpsired by Comrade Johnston's courageous willingness to take on our capitalistic society, and reminded of an observation a few days ago by contributor Buster Bear, I moused over to the "Shameless Commerce Division" of the official For Better or For Worse web site.

As of today, $5 Canadian equals about $4.15 US. (Thank you, George Bush! Ever wonder why fuel costs $57 per barrel?)

So, what would that buy you in the FBOFW shop?

11% of a signed, 9" x 13" copy of today's hee-larious installment of FBoFW.

One-fourth (32 pages) of the latest FBOFW collection.

One-fifth (two short-sleeves) of a t-shirt feauturing the most popular FBoFW character: Dr. John the dentist.

About one-eleventh of a pendant depicting the Patterson rabbit.

60% of a 2005 wall calendar (marked down since we're 30% into the year).

Just slightly less than half of a Ned Tanner Figurine. (Advice: Choose the upper half, since the arms appear to be disproportionately larger than the legs.)

Slightly more than half a bib.

One-sixth of an Elizabeth charm.

1.3% of one FBoFW animation cel. (Great news: Layaway is available!)

20% of a video of the Lynn Johnston story.

About 80% of the shipping costs for receiving any of this fabulous merchandise.

Hmmm, right about now, that $4.15 greeting card seems like a bargain!

Today's strip

Being A Stay-At-Home Mom Is Hard Work! vs. Where's My Dinner?

By point-counterpoint
(promoted from comments)

Being A Stay-At-Home Mom Is Hard Work!
by Dee Patterson
Don't get me wrong -- I'm not usually a "complainer." It's just that I wish my husband Michael would try to be a little more understanding about how much work it is to run a home and take care of two young children. I try my best to be organized, and my dear mother-in-law Elly is always there to give me advice on how to manage my time, unlike my awful mother whose solution to my messy house and frazzled nerves is to offer to buy us a big house and pay for a nanny! Despite my best "efforts" I can't seem to cope some days.

Like a few weeks ago -- Merrie was having one of those "terrible two" moments. I was trying to get dinner and "the kid" kept clinging to me. The only way I could get anything done was to let her pull all the "pots and pans" from the cupboards and play with them. Sure, it was a bit "noisy" and quite a "mess," but no big deal. To me, anyway. My "better half" didn't think so -- he got into quite a snit when he came home and saw Merrie busily "cooking" on the floor. We had a little tiff about it. Nothing serious, of course, but it sort of illustrates my point -- Michael doesn't really appreciate the work I do around here. I know he's tired after a long day of work, especially with all the responsibility he has as senior editor of one of Canada's premier magazines -- but heck, I don't think he knows how exhausting caring for two little kids can be!

This is why I'm thinking about going back to work soon. I miss working in a professional atmosphere, discussing the latest pharmacy advances with my colleagues and, to be "honest," getting dressed up in something other than sweatpants! I'm so starved for "adult" conversation, I actually volunteered to drive Michael's little sister back to Milborough just so I'd have someone to talk to -- and April's only 13!!! That's how far I've sunk, I've taking to cruising Yonge with my prepubescent sister-in-law just to get a break from diapers and temper tantrums!

Merrie's adjusting well to daycare, but since Ardith just had another baby, we'll have to find a good sitter for "Robin." As soon as we do, watch out, Toronto! Dee Patterson, Pharmacist, will be a "working girl" again!

---

Where's My Dinner, Bitch?
by Michael Patterson
Christ on a cracker -- here we go again! "Michael, I'm tired!" "Michael, I didn't get the laundry done!" "Oh, Michael, I didn't have time to get dinner started yet!"

These kids are not that much work. One of those kids is in daycare for three hours a day when the other one presumably naps. Are you trying to tell me that in three hours you can't manage to throw in a load of laundry, pick up some of the eight million goddamned toys littering this place and maybe, just maybe taking the time to plan and prepare a decent meal for once?

Christ, Deanna, I get up at 6 AM, I get Merrie her breakfast and change and feed Robin. That leaves me with about fifteen minutes to shower and dress and get out the goddamned door by seven. On my way out the door I pass you, having woken up about ten minutes before, sitting on the couch in that ratty bathrobe staring blankly at the TV where "Good Morning Toronto!" is blaring. I get home at six to the same mess I left in the morning only to have two wailing kids thrown at me the second I walk through the door while you "get dinner." What the hell do you do with yourself all day?

As for all this "I want to go back to work!" crap -- I know your profession means a lot to you and you certainly talk about it enough. But I gotta tell you, Dee, you're the worst pharmacist in Toronto, perhaps all of Canada. My proof? Our daughter, the direct result of your not knowing that antibiotics can interfere with birth control pills!!! Jesus, Dee, kids April's age know that! I bet all those Americans who are flocking over the border for cheaper medications wouldn't be in such a hurry if they knew someone of your intelligence was in charge of dishing them out!

And baby, I love you but ... if you want to wear something other than sweatpants you're gonna have to pry that fat ass off the couch and call Jenny Craig or something.

Things are going to change around here, Deanna. I want this place cleaned up and looking shipshape when I get home. I want those kids fed and in their pajamas by the time I come up the walk -- trust me, they're not getting anything out of eating with us when all you end up doing is screaming at them. And while you don't have to be wearing pearls and high heels, I want to see you looking like you at least took a shower. I don't want to look at the couch and see your still-warm assprint on it.

And I want my goddamned dinner ready, on the table, and I want it to be adult food for once, not this bland crap we eat for Merrie's sake.

Got it, woman? Dinner. On the table. When I get home. Otherwise, you might find yourself writing monthly letters about how hard it is to be a single mom. There's a new copy editor at Portrait named Marrgherette and she's pretty hot.

Today's strip

Hot Chicks on the Deserted Streets of Toronto

"Tunes, baby!" Kind of an odd thing to say to a sister-in-law who's 15 years your senior, donchathink? But, today's FBoFW -- and presumably the whole week's story arc, since rarely does a FBoFW car trip get wrapped up in less than five or six installments -- is full of awkward moments.

During this exciting drive on what appears to be an abandoned stretch of Yonge Street (gotta give Lynn props for the visual reference to the very cool "Sam the Record Man" outlet on Yonge), April's keen night vision tells her the men in the darkened car next to them (but out of our view) are "checking us out." "Ignore them girlfriend, they're not our style," Dee says, in her best Oprah style, I'm sure. Ignoring the foolishness of yet another attempt by Lynn Johnston to capture the speaking style of today's young people, what exactly is Dee saying? That there are some guys a married mom and her 13-year-old sister-in-law should be picking up -- let's keep looking, shall we?

"Nobody knows you're a mom with two kids an' I'm only 13," April asks. "Right!" exclaims Dee, with an exclamation point -- seemingly giving April the green light to go " roadside." No wonder April thinks Deanna is such a fine person!

"I really needed this," both "ladies" say to themselves. So what's the least likely: A 25-year-old mother getting a charge from driving around with a 13-year-old inlaw; or a teen thinking it's really cool to tool around downtown Toronto with her brother's wife in a station wagon?

Isn't there anyone on the FBoFW studio crew who looks at a "tin-ear" strip like this and says, "Hey, guys, this one just doesn't sound right"?

Today's strip

Excellence in Achievement...or, at least, Miss Congeniality

Joseph "Joe" Pulitzer
Pulitzer Prize Office
709 Journalism
Columbia University
New York, New York 10027

Dear Joe:

I would like to nominate today's edition of "For Better or For Worse" by Lynn Johnston for one of your patented Pulitzer Prizes, in the category of "Distinguished cartoon published during the year" (#12 on your list of award categories -- after international reporting. How bogus!).

This strip is a masterpiece in cutting edge humor and social commentary, containing in just five cramped frames all the elements of a brilliant daily comic strip installment.

Rip-roaring humor. Look at frame 4: Lovey Saltzman says, "Come by." Then, look -- in frame 5 she says "come by" once again. I chuckle even as a type the words again. "Come by." Oh, man, that is so rich.

Skillful artwork. The eyes. The lips. The uniquely proportioned posteriors. The influence of Matisse and Picasso are obvious. Plus, also the guy who used to draw those "Love Is..." comics -- what was his name again?

Long-overdue recognition of vertically endowed people. Speaking of skillful artwork, in frame 1, it appears Lovey is just four or five inches shorter than the door jam, which means she's probably about 6 feet tall or so. (That's about 183 centimeters in Canada.) In frames 2 and 4, Michael Patterson clearly is significantly taller than her, meaning he's probably 7 feet (213 centimeters) tall. What other comic strip is willing to feature characters who are seven feet tall? Other than "Marvin," of course.

Diverse ethnic references. In previous installments, Lovey Salzman has been portrayed as being of Jewish descent. Yet today, she brings by perogies, Ukranian sandwiches generally filled with meat and cheese and not traditionally associated with Jews. I've seen future strips where Lovey brings by shrimp nachos, cheeseburgers and pork rinds. ("Oy, you want I should take back my pork rinds -- what am I, chopped liver?" she intones.) The committee should recognize Johnston's skillful technqiue of simultaneously conforming to ethnic stereotypes and ignoring them.

Superfluous characters. The strip portrays a dialogue between two people -- Lovey and Michael Patterson who is a very famous senior editor. (You should also take a look at Portrait magazine -- its article about a model named Sofia may also be worthy of your consideration.) Yet, count 'em, there are six people crammed into these frames. No reason, none of the other four say or do anything. It's as if the artist is saying, "I can draw whomever I want, whenever I want, being held by whomever I want."

Skillful writing. In the last frame, Lovey says "When you're ready to sign that, come by." Yet, it's not clear if she's talking about Michael signing the "lease agreement" (notice the clever use of unnecessary words, since a lease is an agreement) or the perogie. That, my dear Mr. Pulitzer, is subtlety. Oh, and seeing the words "come by" just made me laugh again.

This craftsmanship, on display every day in FBOFW (double-size on Sundays), explains not only why FBOFW is one of the most popular strips around (regularly outpolling "The Lockhorns" and "Momma" in popularity polls), but how it has fostered what is nearly a cottage industry of web sites making fun of it.

In closing, let me just say that if you do not bestow this honor on Lynn Johnston for the March 11 installment of "For Better or For Worse," you and your fellow commmittee members are, with respect, total foobs.

My regards to Mrs. Pulitzer and all the little prizes.

Sincerely,

Elly's Revenge

Today's strip

RSS Feed

Only because someone asked: The address of the feed is:

http://ellysrevenge.blogspot.com/atom.xml

The Colour Purple, Eh?

Er. Yes. Ahem. Interesting. A young girl who gets "the look." And not just from dad either. With whom she just spent six weeks alone in the house. Hmm.

And, now, the obligatory awkward moment of silence.

...

Today's strip

Love the Sin, Hate the Sinner

By Buster Bear
(Promoted from comments)

Elly is so dismayed by Therese’s lack of tact in proposing money rather than gifts that she is boycotting the baby’s shower. Hmmm. I wonder how much of that holier-than-thou indignation she’d have if she saw how her image was prostituted for money on Lynn’s hyper-capitalistic web site? Collections of (so-called) “comics”! Throw pillows! “Stylish Imprinted Apparel”! Autographed (so-called) “comics”! Stuffed animals! Calendars! Track suits! An ugly tile box for storing useless crap! Ned dolls! Petrified Farley Puke! Talk about tacky. Maybe Elly and the rest of the gang should boycott Lynn’s web site.

A Peculiar Brand of Revenge

By Omega
(Promoted from Comments)

St. Elly is going to send a check, but NOT COME TO THE SHOWER! Oooh, that'll show 'em, becuase it's not really a party until Elly's in the hizzouse! That'll teach Therese to be such a greedy shrew!

By josephus rex imperator
(Promoted from Comments)
Ah, but Skank April is going her one better! She's going to the party--all the better to annoy the adults with her awkward 13-year-old presence--and she's bringing a schlocky present as a way of spitting in Thérèse's eye.

Elly's probably thinking, "That's my girl!"

Today's strip

Deja Vu All Over Again

Pardon us, but isn't the story line of today's FBoFW exactly the same as yesterday's? Only now instead of telling Maw about the insensitive Therese, April is telling Lizardbreath. Presumably, LJ wants to be sure that we understand...dear readers, the oh-so common practice of asking for money as a baby gift is not very couth! Even Liz understands that! Will the rest of the week be spent watching April tell Dr. John, Michael, Robin and Farley's ghost?

While this story lines is being stretched out, admittedly it's not as bad as some strips. For example, at Gasoline Alley (another strip where, depending on your outlook, the characters age OR we age watching the characters), it can take months for a character to get into the car or find his glasses. Right now, the inexplicable Joel and Rufus have been discussing a wedding invitation from Rufus's brother for nearly two weeks.

Meanwhile, over at Doonesbury, Uncle Duke's head seems to be exploding in tribute to Hunter S. Thompson.

Today's strip

Pour Meilleur ou Pour Plus Mauvais

By Buster Bear
(Promoted from comments)

Do the Canadians have an anti-defamation league? Because it's about time to call in and report a disturbing trend in this "comic" strip ...

Poor Therese - our token French-Canadian. Not only is she portrayed as a total moron (for marrying someone 80 years her senior) but now she's becoming even more selfish, nasty, rude and materialistic ...

Oh well, I suppose that's what she gets for naming her kid a funny Frenchy name, and (gasp!) not letting "outside" visitors like the beloved Pattersons visit her at the hospital. Luckily, we don't have that whole hospital guest list etiquette problem here in the U.S. as we get booted out of the hospital almost as soon as the baby's born.

Prediction: Soon Lynn will shed some light on her background that will allow the Pattersons to view her with the quadruple the current level of pitying condescension.

Sigh.

Today's strip

A Landlady's Best Friend

Michael Patterson is at it again...charming the elderly landladies. Now it's homeowner Lovey who is so enamored of the boy editor that she's willing to give away part of her house just to keep him under her roof.

If Lovey gets half the attention of the alluring Mrs Dingel, it's no wonder that she prefers financial sacrifice to "losing" Mike. After all, as we were reminded last summer, nearly a decade after Mike left Mrs. Dingell's domicile, he still had her phone number memorized, as well as those of all her neighbors. See last summer's "I've Fallen and Can't Get Up" story arc for what we mean.

As to why Mike lavishes such attention on his landladies, that's anyone's guess. (His shocked look in today's strip suggests he's either confused by Lovey's offer or realizing that this is quickly turning into a "Mrs. Robinson" situation.) Also a mystery: Why the heck can't Mike and Deanna afford a better place? Is the cost of living in Milsborough so incredibly high that a pharmacist and a senior editor can only rent small apartments?

Rereading this, I can see how lame it is. What can I say...we've been out of commission for a few weeks. We need some time to get our sealegs back. Just like Elly will feel if she ever gets back from Mtigwhatsit.

Today's strip

We're Baaack

FBOFW Strikes Back Strikes Back

To quote the Fred Willard character in "A Mighty Wind"....wha' happened? Not sure why FBoFW Strikes Back incurred the wrath of Angelfire and, perhaps, FBoFW's corporate offices. Possibilities:

• The original user who set up FBoFW Strikes Back had his/her account closed, and the blog went with it.
  
  
• Someone from FBoFW complained because "FBOFW" is a copyrighted name.
  
  
• Someone from FBoFW complained because we included very small snippets of dialogue and images from the FBoFW strip -- well within fair use provisions.
  
  
• FBoFW corporate didn't like us making fun of their business manager's name.
  
  
• Lynn Johnston controls THE ENTIRE INTERNET.
  

Admittedly, this last scenario seems a bit unlikely. But, still, we'll be careful where we step in the future to esnure this blog can continue. Notice we're not going back to the original name. Surely "Elly" is a generic enough name that the bigwigs can't smack us down.

And, we'll be careful not to directly link to FBoFW images again...which, we suspect is the real reason we were TOSed by Angelfire. While I'll miss the deep archive of smart-ass comments we were building, I won't miss all the popup ads. (How about this, Angelfire: When I need a source of Smiley icons, I'll beat it out of you.)

In the meantime tell your friends...and walk softly, gentle readers.