Luann by Greg Evans and Karen Evans for June 20, 2014

Poor Gunther…the guy’s Really shocked…! ;)

First a record needle scratches the record… then, crickets… then fireworks, electric “zappy” sounds… then cue assorted (and undermined) other misc. FX…… – Rosa’s got a lot of energy ….it seems that she’d rather travel to Kineticut ,than to Connecticut (Yale)…. – To use a song lyric (circa ’88) from the band Kix… “♫….She dropped, she dropped, she dropped, dropped me the bomb….♫”

He kinda looks like Ziggy.

Follow Your dream, Rosa! ;)

“Shock And Roll”“I’m Taking Charge”“A Revoltin’ Development”“Next Of Kinetic”“A Conductor On The Freedom Train”“Free From Static”“The ‘New Haven’ Arc "“A Capacity For Living”“Watts Up, Doc”or “Moving To My New Ohm”

Gunther:Two roads diverged in a blue confirmation gown, and being one traveler long I stood, pondering whether or not to go to Peru with my hot girlfriend or be a homebody forever.

I hopefully took the road less traveled by and that will make all the difference.

You could also say that Rosa seems to feel that other peoples’ plans are "arresting"…so much so, that she wants to avoid going to “Yale”…

They do have two weeks yet. Carpe dies, Gunth.

Bye, bye Gunther… better start packing

;)

She’s been “hinting at it” the whole time… he just never picked up on it… –

So why do parents want to push their children into high expectations like furthering their education and choose their degree, date/marry someone with the same expectations and what not?

“Carpe dies, Gunth.”^Either that, or he is suggesting that ol’ Gunth “take ten” (instead of the usual five)… by the look on his face, he seems to be doing just that…

Rosa is so full of her plans and her excitement over them, that I don’t think she even Thought of how they would affect Gunther, who’s Supposed to be her boyfriend… ;)

Ha, ha!!! -Sort of like the Greg Kihn Jeopardy video… well, almost…..

We’re seeing some of the cast being pared away. Miss Blips, Fogarty, and now Rosa. Maybe Gunther will follow. Who will be next? It appears we will have more focus on the central characters, Luann’s family, or maybe introduce new characters. That would make sense, to meet new people at college. I’m just guessing, but I have a feeling Delta, Quill and Tiffany are soon to play a diminished role at best, maybe off to?

It wouldn’t have come as such a shock to him if he had been paying attention the last few months. She tried to invite him to talk about her plans, but he insisted on putting his own personality in her head.

Goodbye, Rosa! Hello, Bernice!

Its Raining outside…! That’s as good an excuse as any! ’Nite all! ;)-—————————————————————————————-“He had been eight years upon a project for extracting sun-beams out of cucumbers, which were to be put into vials hermetically sealed, and let out to warm the air in raw inclement summers.” (Jonathan Swift, 1667-1745)

Yestiddy :)

Well, there’s an opening at Yale!If you really love her, you chase her. No matter where she goes. If not, let her go. Being an engineer can have a lonely life, even in Peru.You become too meticulous, and critical of all things in life.In short: No one can stand you!

She hasn’t dumped him yet. She just told him she was moving farther away than previously planned.

To those who think Rosa has been abrupt or unthinking:

Gunther will follow, but she simply wants it to be his idea. That will be better for the both of them. It shows her his dedication, will make him more determined. and he won’t come to resent her when he gets homesick.

Smart girl.

… And we all know he will get homesick.

I think we need to know what Plan A and Plan B were. One of them probably involved Gunther, and he has let her down on it. Maybe Plan D involves him joining her in Peru!

So she throws Gunther a hard ball to the gut and walks away happy. Sure, she mentioned Peru a couple times, but she never made it clear that it was a real possibility and that she would (or could) be able to pull it off. She should have been talking to Gunther about the conversations she’s been having with her uncle. This was not all arranged over night. She can not have as strong a feeling for Gunther as he has for her, or she would not have been so callus with this revelation. This could send him right back into that shell he has not fully emerged from. This may be the right thing for her to do, but she is being very selfish in the way she is treating Gunther. She doesn’t deserve him, or anyone else, til she learns how to respect other peoples feelings even while she is doing what she wants and following her own dream.

Pack your bags Gunther, you’re going to Peru.

Rosa, ¡Cuidado los llamas! Or something, I haven’t seen that Monty Python episode in ages.

….“help” in a clinic in peru… without any medical education. That’s emptying bed pans and scrubbing floors, right? Hmmmm… her parents are going into shock all right, considering the cost of a pair of rubber gloves contra years of highschool..

You’d think the uncle would have told the parents about this! Or is he estranged from them? I personally believe he’s a weird guy, to never ask her parents’ permission.

@ Brdshtt: No, I think Whatmiwori had it right, as “dies” is the plural of “diem”, and there are two weeks remaining until she leaves. That’s how I read it, anyway. You’re right that the original line is “Seize the day”, but my take is that Whatmiwori changed it to “days” for a logical reason here.

I think Rosa is making the right decision for her. I also think she did make things clear to Gunther, but that he wouldn’t take her seriously. And unless the Aragones family is a lot more dysfunctional than we’re been shown so far, el tio has, in fact, discussed this with los parentes, whether Rosa was in the room at the time or not.

And she may have read Gunther right, as well, and decided that the best thing for him would be to get loose from his Mom — a lot looser than just going to Moony and staying in the same town would be. Either that, or she’s hoping Mrs. Berger will decide to emigrate to Peru, and she can set her up with the uncle. Do we know if he’s married?

So, Rosa is an idiot. Unless Yale is willing to defer.

Gunther has technical knowledge; he may be able to use connections to get a job with the Air Force of Peru.

Both kids should get out of the USA. The nation has been wrecked for normal folks.

Hey Rosa, take Tiffany with you please!!

Hey Gunther, you’ll find someone much better at Yale who won’t be as demanding!!

The fact that Gunther did not pick up on the not-so-subtle hints showed Rosa that he was not ready to hear it, thus she has not laid it out for him. She’s waiting for him to realize what’s happening, and come to a decision without any undue influence on her part. Am I the only one who sees this? If she influences his decision it could produce negative results later.

Good for Rosa! Why waste your time at Yale getting a degree and skills that could actually make a meaningful difference in someone’s life? Unskilled labor it is! Live the dream Rosa, live the dream!

come on gunther, do a walter mitty. ben stiller did.

Poor Gunther; he’s in total shock. It’s not even certain that he’ll recover enough to decide on a response to Plan C in the two weeks before Rosa leaves.A former colleague’s wife was from Peru. They lived here, but made periodic trips there. Maybe if Gunther gets his wits about him, he can work out some sort of satisfactory arrangement with Rosa….

She’s an adult now and they’d better learn to respect that. But you think that an Hispanic family will allow tradition to be broken? She’s got a hard fight against her when she does tell her parents

Pretty much the case for any family, not just Hispanic.

All parents want to keep “control” of their children for as long as they can. Those 18 or so years as a dependent minor are Heaven to a parent. :-) But when they become legal adults, it doesn’t stop there… it just evolves…. into “financial control.” The child needs $$$ for college and/or get setup in life and a career, extending the parent’s control even further. Unless you’re a Hollywood Child superstar, you’re still dependent on them. Finally., even after you’re on your own and making a living, your own family, etc., those dastardly parents still have one last financial control trick up their sleeves…. “Inheritance.” Ahhhh the things parents will do to keep their clutches over their kids…. ;-PPP

Point being, Rosa has to hope her risk/benefit calculation is really valid, here. She has to be willing to give up the financing for Yale her parents are providing, and, potentially, any future “financing.” I don’t believe Gunther’s problem is “financing,” since they haven’t had much to begin with. Nonetheless, both of them are intelligent and I think can make the appropriate adjustments in lifestyle to become self-sufficient. And who knows… by that time, maybe her parents will realize what they’re missing as well, and come to an understanding with her.

I think Rosa is being quite rash. She “pleased her parents by getting into Yale”…. such silliness…. getting in is NOT what her parent’s desire was…. it was to have her study and learn there. Going through all the expense of applying and leading her parents on about it is rather selfish in my opinion. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++A more REALISTIC way Rosa should behave is to a) realize that if she wants to work in her uncle’s clinic…. she should plan to earn some sort of health-care focused degree that will give her knowledge to be a real asset to the clinic. SHE SHOULD go to Peru for the Summer to see what it is like, and to help out in other less specialized ways, but truly, if that is her “life goal” to work at the clinic in Peru, she should be thinking and planning her future around how to BEST be of service in such a setting.

Maybe now a sharp left turn…and watch Gunther and Tiff…

I don’t know when following a dream of getting an engineering PhD ever became the wrong decision. If Gunther and Rosa were in love…maybe I’d buy it, but this relationship has been nothing but extremely casual. When you have to go ask your girlfriend at graduation what her summer plans are, that tells me they talk about very little.

[Remainder SNIPPed]

Wow… quite the imagination there! Well, if you can dream, then so can I.

I believe Rosa genuinely cares for Gunther, and I’ve seen no evidence to the contrary. And YES, Rosa did try to convey her plans to Gunther, but perhaps a bit too stealthily for him to pick up on. Time will tell, but I think Rosa does want Gunther along on this…. and I think he should go. He can always return to complete his degree plans and fulfill his dream. But this is an opportunity of a lifetime. I hope he takes it.

Like I say, if you can live vicariously through Gunther, so can I. :-)

Does Gunther have a passport? It seems unlikely that he would.

I think Rosa knows exactly what kind of affect this announcement will have on Gunther and I think she does know it will blind side him.

Rosa seems a very thoughtful young woman, very introspective. In the transliterated Greek it is called “gnōthi seauton” meaning “Know thyself.” She is choosing what she wants, and this is always the best choice.

From what I know about Gunther and Rosa from reading this strip all these years is that this is a split in their relationship, one that Rosa has defined and set in motion for a purpose. If you love someone let them go.

Now its Gunther’s choice. It won’t be an easy choice for him, but in the end, I think he will be true to himself as well.

Gunther “Shocked” ?!!?

Verily I Say YEA, for THAT Is the SHOCKED Look of FREEDOM!!!

Your DESTINY Lies HERE, G-Man. Do NOT Follow the Brave Lass as She Travels to the Jungles of Peru to Help the Down Trodden.

After All, with You gone, WHO would Help Your Sainted Mother as She enters Her “Golden Years” or Help Luann get through College?

“But you think that an Hispanic family will allow tradition to be broken?”^I get your point, but that’s not totally accurate to say they’d be staunch traditionalists because of their culture…. we are Hispanic (from my father’s side) and he has never compelled us to keep any traditions, nor had my grandfather…. moreover, strong traditions reside within all cultures, but some choose to either “break with tradition”, change it some, or just aren’t as interested in them as those before them… – And secondly, it may not be an actual tradition for the Aragones (Rosa’s family) here, just more so their own “expectations” or even “dreams” for their daughter….

What part did I imagine? The part where they’ve done nothing but kiss a few times? The part where Gunther and Rosa have never discussed their summer plans, because if they had, Rosa would have told him about Plan C months ago?

She DID discuss it with Gunther. At least she tried to. Gunther may not have been paying attention. Refer to IamJayBlue’s post above for the specifics. As for the kissing, that’s all we’ve seen them do. We may not have seen anything else they’ve done. Like is say… “imagination.”

He can always go to Peru and work at a clinic after he finishes his degree.

A little harder to do in that order, than the reverse. By the time he’s done with his degree, he’ll be so in debt he’ll have to work for 10+ years to pay it off. He’ll be lucky if he gets to go to Tijuana, let alone Peru. He may have a golden opportunity, right here, right now, that may never come again. He needs to take it.

There are lots of reasons for wanting Gunther to go to Peru. You are bored of Gunther, you don’t like Gunther, you think Rosa is the only girl he’s ever going to get, you want to see Evans draw things in Peru, etc. But to say Gunther going is the “right” choice, and staying in America to get his degree is the “wrong” choice isn’t fair.

Of course, it’s fair! We are all entitled to our own imaginations and opinions based on them. And you don’t need to tell me what I think about Gunther or any other character. I actually do like Gunther. I want only the best for him. He and I are much alike in many respects. As such, I don’t want him to make some of the mistakes I did. When life hands someone like Gunther an opportunity like this, they should take it.

There’s no right or wrong choice, I just want the story to make it believable

And again, “believability” is in the eyes/imagination of the beholder. I believe it is possible.

Their relationship does not seem solid enough.

Perhaps, not now, but who’s to say the trip to Peru can’t strengthen it? I think the progress Rosa has made with Gunther already is encouraging. And I would encourage more.

Look, we all choose to believe what we wish. No one but Mr. Evans knows what’s in the cards for any of the characters. In the end, it’s really his call. But until that reveal, I’m rooting for Gunther and Rosa to be successful, if only for the summer. I actually hope it’s a little longer than that. If Lu and Gunther are truly destined for each other, eventually, then both need to have a couple of relationships under their respective belts before taking each other on, if they desire any kind of positive long term outcome. Right now, neither have the experience & maturity for it.

Is it possible that Greg is ‘thinning the herd?’ What’s next..Quill having to return home for some reason?

“so, what’s the tally now?”^I’ll speak for myself, here.. I’m still standing on the same position as yesterday…

And we must remember, that Rosa had already had a talk with him, not just about “more spontaneous” romantic gestures, but also about “other things”…. –

Heh, heh!!!

“Hey-ohhhhhhhh!!!!”

Were they left sitting in a mayonnaise jar on Funk & Wagnalls’ porch “since noon today”? ;-)

And, as Gunther approaches her slowly at the gate she whips out his tickets and says to h im, “I hold in my hand the last envelope...” :-)

Scenario #2: ~The engineering program takes five years to complete, so Gunther studies and Rosa works a half world away. Rosa and Gunther visit on Skype whenever they get a chance. ~In two years, Rosa enrolls in Yale. ~Three more years go by and Gunther earns his degree. He gets a good job in that town where he and the group wanted to have their prom dinner. He gets a studio apartment but returns home on Wednesday nights and weekends to help his mother. ~ Rosa graduates from Yale, and Gunther proposes right after the graduation celebration. A year goes by and they marry and buy a house a mile from Gunther’s mother. ~He rushes to his mother whenever she needs some help and checks on her electronically at least twice a day. Rosa does the same with her parents, and everyone lives happily ever after.

And also, being a diplomat, Rosa’s father may be used to speaking with confidence on his own position, as well as being “strong in opinion”… two challenges she would face in “presenting her case”…

Well, Gunth, I guess she’s really NOT that into you. Welcome to Realityville.

Gunther and Rosa can both find mates who are better suited for them than are each other. This “romance” (actually, just casual dating) would have fallen apart this fall anyway, when Rosa went to Yale and Gunther went to Moony. The only reason this relationship ever happened at all is that there were so few dating options available to them at Pitts, given that this strip’s curious self-imposed rules require that all but about 10 of the 500 students in their graduating class remain as shadow people.-So, it’s time for Rosa to buy a one-way ticket to South America and get a job in a clinic on the flanks of an erupting volcano. Gunther can simply disappear back into the Gunther basement once he enrolls at Moony, and Luann can go on to be part of a whole new cast of Pitt CC students this fall.

and no one is saying she’s not going to Yale … just that she’s going to Peru for the Summer.

Actually, she did say it… in fact, only yesterday..

THAT Peru. Poor Gunth.

What about,“Arrivederci, Rosa”?\^Well, the eggs are still in the hen, so we can’t even count ’em, yet!….

And we don’t know for sure (yet) if there’s going to be two “leaving on a jet plane” (or not)…..

Gunther, for once in your life do something daring.

I wished that I had brought a chair… -I guess I’ll just go “oriental style” and grab a cushion…

Plural: Sieze the DAYS. And he might try siezing thenight(s) – noctem/noctes – while he’s about it!

You really didn’t think he had a relationship with her, did you?

She’s going to comfort the Peruvian team that is NOT playing in the World Cup. It’s so obvious.

The G-man rises to a challenge!*Only when Leslie harasses Rosa, does the G-man get tough.*Only when when Les asks Rosa to the prom, does the G-man passionately kiss her.*Only when Rosa’s uncle invites her to Peru to work, does the G-man passtionately….

RB – the score on your list is evening out!

They would have been separated in a couple months anyway. Gunther has plans this fall and he really DOES want to go to college. And there was no invitation from Rosa for him just now. She has her plans made, he has his plans, both should do what is best for them.

I know! I know!*Rosa’s parents will nix her plans to go to Peru, saying she should not through the Yale opportunity away, saying she will be more valuable after she gets at least a BA/BS.*BUT*The G-man will valiantly side with her, defending her right to make her own decisions. And she will love him more.

It would be a thoroughly ridiculous plot development for Gunther to follow Rosa to Peru. However, I am afraid that the story may in fact be headed in exactly that direction, merely as a contrivance for writing Gunther out of the cast. It’s fine by me if he is dropped from the strip, but it should be for a far more realistic reason in which he pursues his dream, not Rosa’s. Let him spend all his time pursuing his studies at Moony and simply not have a reason to interact with Luann any more, or if he absolutely has to move away to leave the strip, then let him win a scholarship to study fashion design or textile engineering or pretty much anything else, at some college in the Midwest. It would be far better for his departure from the strip to be for some believable reason rather than to move to South American just to pursue a girl whom he has dated only casually as a high-school romance.

They ones I think will still be in the strip in one year from now are:

My List:

1) The DeGroot Family (which hopefully includes Toni & Shannon, by then);

2) Whomever is going to Moony Uni (Bernice, Tiff, Q, etc.) with maybe one exception :-)

3) Some of the Pitts HS gang (Knute, Crystal, TJ) now at either WW or Cafe TJ.

Delta, Rosa and Gunther (and the other Pitts HS characters both student and staff) will depart, although, perhaps not permanently.

What about Ox? Didn’t he graduate? And the bully Leslie?

So the guest characters will check out in two weeks. Hope Gunther learned from his romance with Rosa – not to wait too long to make his move and claim.

I think that Gunther has limitless possibilities now. Go to Peru for the summer stay or come back to Pitts and go to Mooney Uni. After his time in Peru he should have matured both physically and emotionally. Maybe he comes back and hooks up with Berrnice. Both brilliant and into education. Bernice has made a major change in her life, no longer a plain Jane… now a real hottie.

The ones I think will still be in the strip one year from now are of course Luann and her family including Toni, and Gunther and his mother, Tiffany and maybe her father, and Bernice and maybe her brother now and then.

“But hey, I WILL be coming back to the US every once in a while; and maybe we’ll see each other again sometime! Maybe we can do lunch! Anyway, it’s been great making your acquaintance; all my best wishes to you!”

Wouldn’t Rosa be able to better serve in Peru if she’s educated? This seems an awful lot like the mighty whitey trope. She’s going down to Peru to save the ignorant natives with her American knowhow and spunk.

If ever there was an opportunity to man up and be spontaneous, Gunther, this is it!

The good thing is, some universities want students to have a year off (as they do in Europe) to assess what they really want to do, and public service is a biggie. Yale will be waiting when Rosa gets back, and they have an excellent med school.

Go with her, Gunther! She’ll never forget it!

He then tears open the envelope and says, “Name a Jeannie, a meanie, and a weenie!”

Excellent! :-)

Gunther is going to have to make a decision…

Go to Peru for two weeks or lose Rosa.

Goodbye Rosa

No, it’s go to Peru in two weeks, not for two weeks. She is staying for a minimum of the summer, and, most likely, the following year.

And it’s not Goodbye Rosa just yet….. :-)

Ya know what? I’m beginning to think it wouldn’t be so awful (although very contrived and unbelievable, but “Luann” is often contrived and unbelievable) if Gunther did go to Peru for Rosa. And never came back! Quill would cry bitter tears, but at least we wouldn’t have this wishy-washy fella flailing about in the plot anymore. :D

Is anyone considering the possibility that “out of town” doesn’t necessarily mean “out of the strip”? I can think of more than one comic strip where various arcs involve characters in different parts of the world. Granted, Greg hasn’t done this so far (that I know of, anyway) but it’s not impossible. We could still have story arcs taking place at Moony, other arcs at community college, even see Knute making new friends at the homeless shelter. We could see students who go to different schools getting together on weekends or during breaks.

I’m not persuaded that just because certain people won’t be in the same school any more means that we’ll never see them again. Delta, for example, isn’t really around all that much now. When she does appear, she often has lines that could be spoken by any cardboard cutout. She could “be at” Howard University but still show up two or three times a year during “spring break” or something. TJ, if I recall correctly, used to be in classes with Brad, which suggests he graduated a while ago and is now out in the world somewhere.

I don’t predict that Greg will send Gunther off to Peru, I just think he should. It would be a healthy, maturing experience for the poor, sheltered hothouse flower. And my main point here is that I don’t think sending (him and) Rosa off to Peru for a while necessarily means they’re off to Aaron-Hill-land for ever and ever. At this point, Greg has invested a great deal of character development in both of them, much more than he ever did with Aaron, Ben or the little Elvis-looking guy.

Rosa probably expects him to drop everything and come with her.

“hadn’t seen anyone previously refer to Rosa as “white”, …”^Actually, that’s an interesting subject.. and has been fodder for discussion on boards other than here….. - In certain countries, she would be classified as such (including Brazil)… there is a phenomenon of “reverse classification” in countries outside of the US… Lena Horne would also have been classified as such… the kicker is that in some places, Sidney Poitier would also have been classified in some places…. As much as I like to kid, that is one thing that I’m not kidding about! I have even seen such information on Wikipedia!….

hard to believe some people actually READ the strip, isn’t it?!

I believe they do but, by the time we hear about it here, it’s been “filtered” a la the old children’s “Telephone Wire” game. :-)

The Kihncert has come and gone, hasn’t it? I didn’t get a chance to get any info on it…

What bothers me is having Gunther behave in a totally implausible way. contrary to everything that has been established about the character, simply in order to write him out of the strip. There would be plenty of good ways of making Gunther disappear, such as simply not seeing him any more once he goes to Moony and Luann goes to Pitt CC. However, the Evans formula is to sent characters to Spain, Hawaii, Australia, or now Peru, in order to get rid of them, no matter how unbelievable the circumstances or the rationale. That’s simply lazy writing.

Thx! – That’s a great price for admission! – A while back, he was asking people on FB fo what song they wanted the group to bring out… many said the old “mainstream” stuff, but I would have liked to have heard him play “They Rock By Night”… he has tons of great stuff!

Dave Medd? That makes sense, SF ties and all…. – So, no Greg Douglass? – I love Larry Lynch’s drumming, and his vocal work…. when they do the “For Your Love” cover, it always upbeat and they do one of the best covers of that song!

That’s right- they’re actually near your!

Actually, they’re collaborating on a documentary. The story is here.

Speaking of “original members”, I hear that Genesis is putting out a new compilation album, and all five original members (including Hackett and Gabriel) are involved…

Gunther is in shock too, especially since this came from left field.

I know what you mean in reference to P.G. …But OTOH, it did make the first version of the group unique and there was some classic material in his involvement..… – Also a crazy thing is that he still had songs from “Top 40” going, even though he wasn’t a “pop” artist in the traditional sense….

Also, “Flowergirl”, if you didn’t get the chance, I responded to your response from “yestiddy” (with some additional ways to bring up the characters)…

Last time, he had him roll down a hill…. – Would love to see what “exercise” he uses to help Gunther out, ,this time…..

If Quill sets him straight, it will be to tell him that he would be nuts to go to Peru to follow his kind-of girlfriend instead of staying at Moony Uni and getting his engineering degree.

Putting in my 200 cents…..

Think I got that one, and said how comical it was…. I’ll check again…

Yeah, I got that one…. and responded yesterday how it was “comic gold”…I used the word “funny” instead, though… – And in addition, I’ll add today that it included the tag line from that classic commercial!

Ah, no worries…..No skin off of my potato!– -just add “very thorough” to your list of qualities!….

“Were they left sitting in a mayonnaise jar on Funk & Wagnalls’ porch ’since noon today” Hehehehhe…of course! ;)

Gunther would be making a profound mistake that he will regret for the rest of his life, if he is not attending Moony Uni this fall. And frankly, Rosa would be making a big mistake in her life too if she allows him to follow her to Peru. These people had a high school crush, and now it’s time to put that aside and move on to the next big thing in both their lives. They can both find partners who are better suited for them, in the months and years to come.

And in addition, there are certain genes shared by us all (including shared heritages) that some are either “unaware of”, or choose to remain “unaware of”… sometimes, people like to “overlook” how close they really are to those they consider of “some other ethnic group/race/culture”…..

Ah, the short sightedness of youth. And I don’t mean Gunther’s myopia.