Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson for July 26, 2009

I feel your pain with the soggy suit, Calvin. And yes, it is better to just dive in and get it over with.

Hobbes, you were right, don’t worry. Calvin’s way is no good at all, his feet would be numb by the time he even got halfway in.

Relax, you all will get used to it soon enough.

Some prefere to go in sloly, others don’t worry to do it quick, so each one is right, how you like it!

i’m for the pull the bandaid off quick type thing. jump on in and get it over with. lol

I like hanging ears of Hobbes in the last panel!

I always go into the water slowly when it’s cold. I also peel the bandaid of slowly, too.

Love Calvin’s comeback in the last panel. And Hobbes ears are drooping some. That may not have happened had he gone in slowly.

Reminds me of a time when I was taking my time getting into an ice cold pool on holiday, and my sister very thoughtfully decided to push me in and get it over with.

Calvin, it’d be much worse if there were leeches in the lake. Trust me. :o)

green_engineer: I hope you pulled her in afterwards!

I like to take it slow too. Unfortunately the local swimming lake is packed with annoying water-splashing and/or mud-throwing kids. Much like Hobbes here.

Hobbes will get problems by drying his furcoat!

Ninth frame: CANNONBALL!!!!!!

It’s better to just jump in and have a few seconds of discomfort before you get used to the water than that slow little by little thing which takes forever. Same with bandaids.

There is a little masochistic pleasure going in slow

When I was little, I had to get used to doing it quick and getting it over with. My older brother made sure that’s what I liked. So that’s the way I am now!

I too jump in and get it over with. Swimsuits do cling an make you cold. I prefer skinny dipping.

How can Hobbes get soaked soooooooo WET after he jumps in the water? Put Hobbes in the washing machine to rinse the wet soak out of his!

aaaaahh chicken soup.

Calvin will have to be content with the fact that he will dry out alot faster than Hobbes.

Don’t go swimming alone. And don’t go swimming with HOBBES!

I wade in or dip my feet in first, and that’s my mid-life choice. Before that I was a jump in first, find out later person!

A heated swimming pool, that’s *my* mid-life choice!

I dip my foot in then go back and sit down on the beach in the shade. Don’t have to worry about a wet bathing suit that way. And I’m not brave? like Cleo!

Oooo, I remember that freezing water well! We kids could hardly wait for the snow to melt so we could take our first brave plunge of the season. There was no right or wrong way to avoid the pain.

I hate guys or gals that jump in and spoil the long delightful joy of getting wet very slowly

Oh, Hobbes!! You are something else!! lol

I prefer the jump in quick solution. However, since I usually swam in the lower Chesapeake Bay, it was qualified by jump in quick AFTER a look around for jellyfish.

The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it.

Proverbs 27:12

The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it.

Proverbs 27:12

You think Patton ever read that Bible passage? Doubt it. One of his sayings was, “Never take counsel of your fears.” He was a jumper-inner. Of course, he spent four years at West Point learning how to jump in. I say, wait four years, then jump in.

And yet, Calvin, you are still alive in the last panel.

If you are swimming the the warm waters off Hawaii, or in the Balinese islands, Pulai Seribu, or the coast of of Okinawa, Yes! jump in! If it is the Californian seaside, or Texas near Corpus Christie ,inch in or even better, don’t go at all. Freezing!

My take? Do half-and-half. I’d be timid to jump straight into frigid water, but halfway through the experience, I’d take the plunge. This is pretty much how I handle life situations, by the way. Take your time; there is no rush…but you do have to face it sooner or later.

Jungian psych is at work again here. Calvin, a P, keeps his options open until the very last second; Hobbes, a J, heads straight for the goal. Both approaches have their merits, but neither makes the water any warmer. :)

In South Texas, the water is always in the mid to upper 80’s this time of year. In lake or gulf. It must be nice to cool off that way.

Oh, tigers and cats just love the water. Watch Discovery or the Learning channel and look at some of those tigers wade in and swim. As much as cats don’t like getting soaked, there are a few that just love it.

Some of my cats love the water. I have one who will follow me into the shower. Another one runs and hides as soon as he hears the water running.