Pearls Before Swine by Stephan Pastis for December 18, 2012

Dad doesn’t want to have his son talk to him so much.

Maybe the little dog can get eaten by a croc.

Since when do dogs obey traffic signs?

always wondered why people like giving directions in the car and why one didn’t take the shortcut via the safeway parking lot.

OK Stephan, enough with that story line. Let’s move on into something more interesting. Am I the only one who thinks that PBS hasn’t been very funny lately?

It’s caused by having to come up with one strip a day, 365 days a year, for several years. You run out of ideas. Kind of like comedy series. Never buy anything past season 4, not worth the money.

Dad is like the George Steinbrenner on Seinfeld.

Time, Andy. Spending time with him is the best gift. Unless he’s a jerk, in which case hey, you tried.

Dad has no listening skills, and his talking is questionable. Andy, I understand your frustration, trying to be a good son to a difficult dad….

The dad reminds me of so many of my older co-workers. All of their stories get bogged down with a “Was that in ’75? Or ’76? That one guy was the quarterback for the Browns that year … oh what was his name, he went to that one college.”

While Andy’s at the hospital, I hope a doctor removes the rest of that chain!

The sad thing here is that Mr. Pastis is possibly telling us what growing up with an over-corrective father was like for himself personally. If so, and if you, Stephan, read these comments…-Dad’s sometimes learned as they went along, Mr. Pastis. They learned “Dad-ing” from their own Dad’s, which could be neglectful, unbalanced, and even abusive. But good Dad’s often mellowed as they learned. It could be worth your while – if you still have him – to talk about this. If you don’t still have him, it could be worth your while to acknowledge the imperfection of all humans and forgive him his mistakes.-Just saying…this story thread is either unusually perceptive, or personal. But, there is hope.-And if my pop-psychology is offensive, it is because it is merely an impression, not a known fact. I’ll apologize for it if that seems the right thing to do.

This whole thing is just too sad. It reminds me of my childhood.

I found this comic humorous – sometimes you just have to go with it. Reminds me of my mother-in-law who always wanted my opinion. She would say A or B. I would say A so she would go for B. I stopped giving her my opinion.

Andy wants to cheer dad up but dad shows the truism that “You can’t teach an ol’ dog new tricks”

Please, please stop!! You are breaking my heart!

You think this is sad . . . wait till Andy, numb with grief, accidentally stumbles into the crocs’ yard.

Andy, just give him a “Thinking of you” card and put your address on it. If he gives a $#!+, he’ll let you know.

Maybe Andy could “visit” Olive while he’s free, and at some point in the future we could see the puppies.

You guys don’t get it. This is the antichrist-mas Comedy is based on a very bleak level of thought, the dark side inverted. Lenny Bruce, George Carlin, now, basically, Mahr, many others sunk into deep bitterness, a witheringly, desperately, surrendered look at life. P. has moments like that. And the holidays actually are like that/this for many. it comes from the emptiness of life without Christ.

That Santa hat is too big.

zzzzzzzzzzzzz……..that’s for you and the comic!

Details. It’s all in the details.

I think Stephan cranked out 2 weeks worth of strips and he’s now on a tropical beach for the rest of the year. Be patient.

???? I don’t understand many of the comments. This is classic comedy. Maybe you folks just aren’t getting the timing right. It needs to move along like a TV bit.

I love this strip. I think this storyline is great and new and every bit belonging here. Keep it up, Mr. Pastis.

Yes, parents learn as they go, there’s no school for it; my third daughter’s 25 now, hope she’s turning out OK and not bitter like the first one, but it’s hard to tell. It’s a life sentence, not 18-years.The ‘Holidays’ (Hanukkah, Solstice, Christmas, Kwanzaa) can be a sociological setup for a downer so easily; that’s when Grandma died, or little Sally got run over by a drunk, but dammit you’re supposed to be Cheerful! It’s required! I’ll be looking forward to how the story arc develops.And Gawd, I miss Carlin as much as Molly Ivins.