Ballard Street by Jerry Van Amerongen for December 21, 2023

Fascinating

He’s easily amused. But, man, those sharp cardboard inserts in his pajamas!

so this is like a side-kick of astrology?

They say that vertical stripes make you look thinner, it’s a good thing that he isn’t wearing horizontal ones.

I gather that Neil has a “planetary rotation” set up, so he’s not stuck gazing at Saturn every night.

He occasionally mistakes himself for the other Neil.

And his contemplating outfit is very dapper with the new cardboard pajama inserts. “Don’t come to bed droopy you’ll look loopy. New! The finest imported cardboard pajama inserts” now available at Dennis’s Fine fashions and Fried Smelt Shoppe.

His name is a partial combination of two of the Astronauts of Apollo 11 (the first to land astronauts on the moon): Neil Armstrong, who with Buzz Aldrin went to the surface and walked on the moon, and Michael Collins, who stayed in orbit in the command module … for what it’s worth.

One Ringy Dingy . . .

Neil is spaced out again

Neil zones out in his many interstellar travels via his imagination piloting his spaceship alongside the greats like Captain Picard and Commander Riker. Going where no one has gone before.

Was the ear tag put on his right ear to ensure he gets sent back home when he wonders spaced out on Ballard Street?

Neil looks blissfully happy.

He put a ring on it

Neil has been an insomniac ever since Pluto was downgraded to dwarf planet status.

Good morning Balladeers!

A gas giant? Read into that what you will…

It’s a Saturnalia miracle!

He has a Saturn, a Mercury, and a Quasar (and rings around his tub and shirt collars), but Neil most enjoys his lazy, spacey mornings in his manual-assist lift-off chair.

Pete Townshend would describe Neil as “going mobile”.

Neil, as a youth.. found Uranus had a nice ring to it, which led to a lifelong fascination with Uranus. He is known on Ballard St as the guy who’s always asking if the rings on Uranus have changed over time.

Wait until he pulls the chair lever to really get a boost……….

Saturn was always my favorite planet too! (altho I’m happy to say I wasn’t near as psycho about it as Neil!)

A mobile that immobilizes him with fascination.

Astronaut Neil Armchair.

actually, they say Saturn will lose it’s rings in 2025…just sayin’

That runs ‘rings’ around being a sanitary enthusiast.

neil collinsworth, ballard street’s very own space cadet…

What is a Saturn enthusiast called?

He is sooo out of this world.