Luann by Greg Evans and Karen Evans for February 12, 2021

FUN FACT:

If I have to go to the dictionary one more time I’ll just spit! 8^ )

What’s sangfroid? Something blood related? Like in the Spanish/Portuguese “sanguíneo”?

Does anyone think they’ll rub off on one another?

Let it go, Bernice.

Bernice could learn a few things from Ben. Number one: How to relax.

Now, if they could meld into one, they would be a complete unit. Then move to Manila.

Now Bernice has switched back to Ben’s right side—and/or he has switched to her left side—and, as I write this, none of the replies so far to my comment on the 02/11 strip have mentioned the explanation I had in mind. (Hint: Notice where they are in panel 1 above.)

When Sigmund Freud was born, his given name was Abraham Finkelstein. He was born to Galician Jewish parents in the Moravian town of Freiberg, in the Austrian Empire. When he as in his early twenties, he toured France and became enamored with the term “sangfroid”. He thought it was so cool that he mulled it in his mind for months before he had his name legally changed to Sigmund Freud. He did not want to give the French credit for anything, so he modified it slightly to give it a more Austrian twang.

The Dude Abides… “The Dude abides. I don’t know about you but I take comfort in that. It’s good knowin’ he’s out there. The Dude. Takin’ ’er easy for all us sinners.”

“You’re way overthinking this Jack/Luann thing, sis.”

Well, that’s just, like, your opinion, man…

To tell the truth, Greg could switch heads on these two by Saturday.

And no one would notice……., ;)

Bernice has theory and Ben has life experiences

He hasn’t the ghost of a chance of being as entertaining as Lebowski’s little finger! No one in this strip does! I can’t believe the Evanses have ever even watched that movie.

So Friday’s toon was ball three with nobody on base. How can something interesting happen by Saturday?

The Dude Sang Froids…

Was Ben this short at his first appearance back in the day?

Ben York has a stubble beard and a long straight hair. He wear oval-shaped eye frame. Bernice has no facial stubble, has waverly/kinky hair and has square-shaped eye frame.

The dude abides – from The Big Lebowski

If Ben starts pounding White Russians and boffs Julianne Moore then things will definitely change in this strip.

I don’t understand the jobless part. Everywhere you go in the Dallas area there are now hiring signs. For those of you who are going to say he can’t work because of his kids have you seen him with his kids? Seems like grandma is watching them.

Ugh. Ben, cut your hair and get a job. Bernice… cut your hair and get a job.

Ah, those babies be beautiful! Mestizo, like my baby was.

Bernice wants a job where she can help others with their problems. Her brother attempts to help her, and she rejects his advice. Moral #1: People who need counseling often won’t accept counseling. Moral #2: Half the people who study to be counselors are really working on fixing themselves more than helping others.

What a waste of 30 seconds to read that and study the pictures..

Been following this comic since the mid 90’s, and I enjoy it…however, the way they bounce around lately and drag these store lines out anymore is getting tiresome. Just my 2 cents.

If your response to the current impeachment hearing is, “MEH” you may have sangfroid.

Wonder how many fans under the age of 12 have the vocab to understand sangfroid ability? I’m a grownup and I still don’t have the equanimity to understand Sang or Froid!

What kind of mother runs off to a foreign country and leaves her small children and husband behind for an indeterminate amount of time? Why isn’t he with her and working? Why isn’t he working at least part time here? None of this makes any sense.

This arc is lacking…..

Well, you have the same eyes, the hair, and the head shape.

How would you like to have Bernice for your psychiatrist? Isn’t that her major.

If she could have sangfroid her life would likely be much less stressed, and she might develop much more confidence in many things, including approaching a Jack for example without falling apart, and being more trusting of her friend. It turns out that Luann is trying to help a friend in trouble, but she can’t tell Bernice, and it’s Bernice’s inability to understand that this whole situation does not revolve with her in the center that is causing a whole trauma that is unnecessary. Lets hope she gets some version of it in the end of at least part of this arc set.

They may have an opposite way of seeing life. And maybe they will never fully feel that they are sibling. But Bernice and Ben are definitely becoming great friends ♡. I like Ben’s philosophy of life and I really want to see his wife and children ♡.

Well at least she learned some big words at college. She can always fall back on throwing those out at people when she gets in a bind. This is a ploy I don’t admire at all, and I’ve seen plenty of speakers use it. It’s far more difficult to refrain from using vocabulary that would confuse, demean or undermine a less knowledgeable audience. You would think the writers of this comic strip would know that. I knew what it meant by the way, but this is a comic strip. I can’t remember ever seeing wording like that in a comic strip. Maybe they are taking it upon themselves to start educating their audience with a “daily word definition” game.

FOR THE RECORD ’SIGMUND FREUD, was born Sigismund Schlomo Freud; 6 May 1856.Freud lived and worked in Vienna, having set up his clinical practice there in 1886. In 1938, Freud left Austria to escape Nazi persecution. He died in exile in the United Kingdom in 1939.

Ben may not be the person for Bernice to talk to about this. I’m thinking Ben’s adoptive parents kept him from being neurotic like her.

Not sure why ben would expect them to have anything in common. They grew up in completely different environments.

Ben’s life motto is “The dude abides.” Whereas Bern’s seems to be “The prude presides.”

2 losers

Boring!!!

So boring. Should rename this comic “Bernice” since she’s become the main character.

I realize he’s basically in Pitts for the plot but I don’t really understand why Ben didn’t stay in Manila with his wife so the family can stay together and their kids could hopefully see their ailing grandfather who they might cheer up. If Ben’s unemployed the cost of living is a lot less there.

“You need to chill”, sang Freud.

Anyone else notice that Bernice switched places every day during this week? On Monday, Wednesday and today, she’s to Ben’s right; on Tuesday & Thursday, she was on his left. Hidden message? Secret code by the strip creators? Or is the commenter just bored with his work and seeing something that is just a coincidence? These questions and more will be answered in the next episode of “Soap”!

The Dude abides indeed!

“Sang froid” is two words – literally “cool blood”. Probably the origin of the slang term “cool” as in “cool cat”.

not to be confused with schadenfreude

Ben is right: just let it go

Hmm. To quote a Vietnam veteran of my acquaintance: “There is still a generation gap. We’re on the other side of it now. And we’re still right!!” A reaction to the notion that new generations come along, with new speak and new ideas. No lasting ideology though, no matter how determined they are in their resolve. It’s just their turn. It’s all good. Carry on, folks.

Zero movement in the story today. Except: Ben makes it clear that he’s not in play. Wife in the PI may still be a MacGuffin, kind of like that Jonah has become. But we are assured that she does exist and that Ben is definitely attached to her.

Until now, for me, at least, that has not been made clear.

What is clear is that Bernice still thinks that Jack was in Luann’s room that night. That alone ought to make him off-limits to her for the foreseeable future.

The only resolution to all of this can only come from Luann.

Which means, it’s not going to be coming at all, again, for the foreseeable future.

In the meantime, still no word on how things are working out at Tara’s new hideout.

Another boring arc

A day of padding, huh? This doesn’t bode well for Saturday or the rest of this arc.

Curiosity, is he even looking for a job?

Overthinking it is right. Hopefully by tomorrow Ben will have Bern realizing there isn’t any hard evidence for Jack having been in Luann’s room, that she should stop spending so much emotional energy on this and just pursue the relationship she wants with Jack.

Neither one is an over-achiever, but Bernie is far more unlikable than Ben….

Bernice you don’t lack composure you lack low self esteem.

C’est bon, je suis le “Dude”.

Well these two ARE very different! Maybe Berniece can learn a thing or two from Ben. I’m liking him more and more.

Some here have bemoaned Bernice’s use of “sangfroid”. However, I tend to see its usage in another way.

There is nothing wrong with a person having a rich vocabulary. Different words of similar ilk have nuanced differences that if used successfully will better communicate to the listener. “Sangfroid” may potentially be a bit obscure for Ben, but it is part of a (budding) psychologist’s vocabulary. I like words, and find them interesting to know and study. I see nothing wrong with Bernice’s usage here.

I personally like and enjoy hearing/reading new words. If spoken, I will ask the speaker what the word means, if written, I will look for the definition in the dictionary.

If you do not find this strip funny, you will face subliminal penalties.

“Spot the joke!”

“Spot the joke!”

“Blank stares matter.”

MTCFA. Make this comic funny again.

….you can probably tell I’ve been watching TV for six hours straight.

He does look a little like Jeff Bridges character in the Big Lebowski, now that I think about it. All we need now is John Goodman’s character in the same movie to tell Bernice to…. Well, you know if you saw the movie ;-)

You know, if you have a large vocabulary, you aren’t showing off when using it. It’s just the right word, and you don’t even think about it.

The dude abides?

“The dude is shiftless.”

Fascinating that some posters can directly comment on today’s politics and not be stomped into the ground beneath cloven hooves, but other posters dare to compare today to history and are ripped to shreds by the fangs of the bullies who alternate between hatreds here…

Sangfroid – composure or coolness, sometimes excessive, as shown in danger or under trying circumstances.

If he is taking care of his two young twins, who is actually at home taking care of them right now while he is out?