Pearls Before Swine by Stephan Pastis for September 11, 2021

Rat must be a serial killer when his “friends” aren’t around.

They aren’t buddies but “puppets inside the brain”.

Have an earworm, Rat:

→ This is the song that doesn’t end,

Yes, it goes on and on, my friend,

Some people started singing it, not knowing what it was,

And they’ll continue singing it forever, just because →

Pretty soon, Facebook will sell those.

That’s how one of my ex co-workers got laid off… By talking about what the voices were telling him. And showing up one day using his rifle for a cane…

Never thought that Rat would admit that he’s disturbed.

When one’s ‘imaginary friends’ become real suck ups.

That is one disturbing fact that we didn’t need to know.

We may have suspected something like it – but it provides no comfort knowing for sure.

I want flower buds growing out of my ears!

“We’re distoibed, we’re distoibed, we are psychologically distoibed!” – (Officer Krupke/West Side Story)

That explains so much about Rat.

Must be talking about politicians.

That would mean that “little buddies” aren’t females

I had a friend tell me that you’re jealous of me because I can hear the voices in your head. Needless to say, I avoided him after that.

I have voices in my head, but they’re all speaking Spanish, and I have NO idea what they’re saying.

Voices in my head…told me to do it…..

most of us have those buddies but in reverse screeching solely what a louse we be.

Now we know what makes Rat tick ;-)

♩the lunatic is in my head…

You can get the same results with a MAGA cap

We’re reprehensible.

We’ll steal your pen

And pencible!

20 years ago at this exact time, no one knew something devastating would happen

I’m still glad “hear” is just “ear” with an “h.”

My “ear buds” aren’t nice: they tell me bad things about myself and encourage me to do bad things.

Now I must go and buy more ammo…

I do so wish the ones living in my ear were that supportive

Thats called social media

I know lots of people who hear voices. When they see things, it is called visions.

QTips and a little Mineral Oil will solve his problem.

No voices?!

Rat just admitted that he has issues.

Would it have killed Pastis to commemorate this day?

I worked with a guy who always said: “Don’t bug me, I can’t cope!”

So… it’s basically a huge sense of ego. Mine’s too big as it is…

there’s too much noise from tinnitus in my ears to hear any ear buds

Is anybody else, besides me, surprised that Stephan didn’t do a 9/11 themed strip for the 20th anniversary? Maybe for Sunday.

If you talk to God, it’s called praying. However if God talks to you…

My alien implants have been acting up. Do anyone know how to contact a repairborg?

Honestly, this one didn’t make me laugh. Knowing that Rat is a self-absorbed @$$hole is one thing. Thinking that he has genuine mental illness is an entirely different matter…

Where are the perennial empty plates? Good to see them go.

I know the voices in my head aren’t real but man do they have some great ideas.

Rat’s reference to “little buddies” called forth images of Bob Denver as Gilligan sitting in the ears of Alan Hale Jr. as the Skipper. If that’s not a shipwreck, I don’t know what is…

Or tell Alexa to say it all the time.

This would explain a lot of the last five years or so.

how about “disturbing”?

“Voices in your head”- is that really plural? I have my own voice in my head giving me grief, but no others.

Those voices are telling you you’re and so you should buy their product.

I have the opposite kind.

Being of a considerate nature, I occasionally ask my coworkers “Does the noise in my head bother you?” (thank you, Steven Tyler). They generally leave me alone after that.

Occasionally those voices come up with some really fun ideals….

Rat is both disturbed and disturbing. But he does have ears big enough (courtesy of Cartoon-Boy) to accommodate the Little Buds….

“There’s someone in my head but it’s not me.”

Is this one of those ‘The voices told me to do it’ things?

Or horrendous hygiene. What, you wanted a Trump joke?

Oh, that’s what you call them