Luann by Greg Evans and Karen Evans for February 06, 2015

c’est la vie

(♫)“And you may find yourself living in a shotgun shackAnd you may find yourself in another part of the worldAnd you may find yourself behind the wheel of a large automobileAnd you may find yourself in a beautiful house, with a beautifulwifeAnd you may ask yourself-Well…How did I get here?…”

“…Same as it ever was…same as it ever was…..”(♫)(“Once In A Lifetime, Talking Heads”)

“Flip The Script”“Once In A Lifetime” (♫)“Nuclear Family Meltdown”“Plans And Picket Fences”“Your Results May Vary”“Bureau Of Statistics”“Constant Variables”“The X Factor”or“Lost And Found…And Lost Again”

I think Quill was Yoda in a previous life, for all the wisdom he has.

Smart guy, Quill.

I like Quill a lot. What a neat friend!

It’s a lot easier to have a ‘life plan’ with all the steps identified before you have experiences that make you question every one of those steps…

If you want to make God laugh, share your plans.

The old saying, ‘if you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans’ comes to mind

If that’s your life plan maybe Peru is looking better. More interesting anyway.

Of course, there’s nothing to stop Gunther from resuming that life plan, just as before. Except… Mama may not be in the Granny flat. She may be Mrs. Gray instead. That’s why Gunther’s life (present and future) has fallen apart.

I don’t see why his misadventure of following Rosa to Peru should cause him to question his life plan. If anything, his discomfort at the situation there should convince him more than ever that his original plan is the one that’s best for him.

He just will not let his mother cut the apron strings. :(

(just thinking out loud here…) In Peru he said he wanted to feel needed…then he found out Rosa doesn’t need him, and Mommy seems to be doing fine without him… so maybe Gunther is figuring out that being needed isn’t a life plan because the people who you think need you might grow and get to the point where they don’t need you any more.

Of course a lot of us figured this out already – always being the “giver” and “fixer” to somebody else’s constant neediness isn’t a successful lifeplan. It’s a recipe for being growing resentments or losing yourself into someone else’s life, or both/

Gunther’s plan wasn’t so much to be “needed” as simply to be a typical functioning adult with an ordinary life. And to have Mommy living with his family.

“We have nothing to fear, but the first step….which only leads to us being closer to something really, really scary….”

Oh Please! Gunther is a young 18 year old. When I was that age, I was ecstatic if I found a 7-11 that sold Grape Slurppees.

“…And, things that come and go in our lives serve to remind us that, in the current system of things, nothing is permanent.”^And as they say, “True dat!”

gee…I wish I could have planned my life that well. A few things would be different but maybe not. I didn’t have too much to say about it anyway! I do think it’s rather arrogant of Gunther to include such a thought-out ‘plan’ for his mother. What if she doesn’t want it? To rephrase the saying….poo-poo occurs!

“…rather poo – sumptive’^Ooh, that…“stinks”! (X^D)

As Lennon said: “Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans.” Whether you plan or not, life happens.

A Granny flat for Mom?!!

going with an overly unrealistic girl on a so called mission to “save a village by herself” most of us see it as a highly uncomfortable situation BUT lot of us see living in Lima, working in a clinic doing computer work, and able to travel to touristic places, and maybe even get to the universities of Lima as something that would be very comfortable for Gunther……………. the main issue is NOT PERU, it is the unrealistic goals of Rosa, her spirit is noble but her tools are highly lacking

Many achieve their narrowly aimed goals and have nothing left in life.

I tend to be a “planner” myself… in fact, a “long term” planner. The trick is in knowing your true objectives and how best to accomplish them (and what could go wrong), picking a plan that has the best chance of success, and leaving enough wiggle room for “contingencies.” Tall order, I know. ;-)

Hey Gunther?Why Don’t You Tell the “Foreigner” there that YOU Had Planned to Have Those 2.5 Kids with HIS Girlfriend?

Gunther has some talents, but no imagination and less initiative. He is a born follower. What he needs is someone who will take charge of his life; that is why he instinctively clings to momma. Rosa was too willing to let him choose for himself; she would have done better to command….

30th anniversary coming up soon. Any plans for the event, or just another day?

Uh, Brad & Toni’s wedding?

;-PPP

> 30th anniversary coming up soon. Any plans for the event, or just another day?>Another thrilling 2-week flashback of strips starring Mr. Fogarty! The last one just wasn’t enough!!!

How do you have 2.5 kids? I don’t think I want to know.

What happened to becoming a costume designer?

Still with his mother! It’s as if he thinks she’s not supposed to have a life of her own short of what he’s already planned for her.

“Gunther has always depended on the kindness of strangers.”*RB2- Your re-worded strips in the last two days have been on point, tasteful, tacky, and hilarious. Thanks!

why not?

I, too, don’t see where any of Gunther’s former plans have been compromised or derailed by his recent experiences. Even the “Mom” part isn’t necessarily ruled out. She may be “keeping company” with Mr. Grey, but he’s been in the picture (so far as we’ve seen) a lot less time than Rosa and Gunther were an item — and now Rosa seems to be history. Who’s to say that Mrs. B is romantically inclined towards Mr. G to the point of planning to share a roof with him?

I think Gunther is making assumptions here that we haven’t been shown are valid. It’s possible, I suppose, that he walked in on them sharing the sort of “tender moment” that Greg wouldn’t put in a family strip, but so far, I think he needs to check his assumptions about their relationship.

Anybody remember these lyrics?“It was easy then to tell what was fairWhen to keep and when to shareHow much to protect your heartand how much to care…”

Anyone tell you spoilers are jerks? They SPOIL things for everyone else.

Gotta love Quill. He can always see the up-side of any situation. And Gunther’s plans can still be a reality. Except the “granny flat”. Never hear that term before. Is that British for “mother-daughter”?

-“If you are NOT confused, then you don’t understand the situation.”-LOL! I agree with your prof!

Hah! Dave…. very sage advice. I would agree. I will have to use that myself. Your professor/adviser was a pipe smoker too, I bet.

Yup, he’s going to go back to Peru.

Gunther’s life plan has changed. But, the problem is, the new (or at least current) life plan is nebulous and unfocused at best…. and at worst, it is absent. What that means is Gunther needs to spend some time focusing and thinking about what he wants. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++1) His surly, grouchy attitude is not him “thinking about what he wants”, but is instead just him avoiding any sort of meaningful thought. 2) Gunther may be going through an early adult crisis (comparable to a mid-life crisis, but…. of course…. earlier), and I usually do not feel this about others…. but he is being annoying as hell at the moment. Basically everything he has done since his adventure of getting on board the Peru Party Bus has been annoying. During the early parts of his trip and especially the turn with Luis seemed like good and beneficial experiences for him. But from the moment he stepped aboard the Party Bus…. he has been an unlikable character.

The only things that Gunther has shown to be passionate about are sewing and costume design. (However, his actual talent in that area is open to question!)

Lets see; in Peru, Gunther’s computer skills were both needed and appreciated; in America the only one who “needed” Gunther was his mother and she’s moving on.

Lets see, in Peru, at least some hot chicks seem to have found Gunther attractive…and possibly desirable? In America not so much, if at all.

The only women that Gunther seems attracted to bust his balls and give him nothing in return…thanks for nothing Luann…thanks for nothing Rosa

So back to Peru…but not for Rosa, good god not for Rosa…find a hot chick who actually appreciates you and get on with the 2.5 bilingual kids plan

And if it doesn’t work out come back to America and get your degree….don’t worry, college admissions love that “life experience” stuff

What a spoiled li’l Hitler-child our Gunther is;“everyone must conform to ME!”Supposedly living amongst the underprivileged villagers taught him only to think MORE about himself.

Check out “Dear Abby” today about a widower who is dating, but his kids don’t want to hear about it. If Gunther doesn’t grant his mom her own life, he too may be placed into “distant family”.

I just have to say something about Gunther’s all-black wardrobe. What is Greg Evans trying to say here? Gunther is the worst Johnny Cash imitator ever.

“Not having his mom in life anymore may be destroying his plan…”

Probably just what he needs in order to grow up.

“He needs serious therapy.”

Maybe, but some more of the school of hard knocks might be enough to fix him up.

What if his mom doesn’t want to live with him in a granny flat? Did he ever stop and think about her feelings and desires?

Gunther, you need to learn the difference between “being needed” and being needy. Otherwise, as Thomas Pynchon put it; “welcome to a world of inconvenience.”

2.5 kids? Is one going to be a midget?

That’s becasue you forgot to ask your Mom what SHE wanted…

And I changed my mind—YES, today I am having a crunchy pb & strawberry jam “sammie” for lunch. Decided the problem earlier was the artisinal wheat bread that had some rye in it. PB will choke you if you are rye. Today is just generic wheat bread & it’s ok.

Quill has the wisdom from his expierence of life. The Peru adventure with Rosa was good for Gunther. He needs to go back and bring her back to be in his planned life!

So what made him so negative? He’s graduated with honors, enrolled in college, and is on his life path. Maybe if he shaved and put on some brighter colors his attitude would improve.

“It made Gunther realize what a loser Rosa was and how he is so much better off with Luann or Bernice.”-————————————————It didn’t make Gunther realize either of those things; he’s still pining for Rosa and is contemplating going back to Peru.

Granny flat? For a woman who has her own home and is still young enough to meet all her own needs, as she has been doing ever since Gunther’s dad dies? Hopefully this tiff with Mom is what needed to happen when he was 16, and he will become independent. I’m more than happy not to live with my adult children. I danced when the last one walked out the door. And guess what? Our relationships are better than they have ever been since they were teeny tiny!

> I’ll do that, he isn’t a momma’s boy anymore.>Then why is he so sore at Mommy for dating Mr. Gray? He’s very much a momma’s boy, one who is throwing a tantrum at her like a petty child.

Rosa is nobody’s idea of a looser. She just isn’t the person in Gunther’s ‘plan’.

ReallyBad2, I do like your take on Gunther and Quill’s conversation, via a slight tinkering with the strip. Funny!I’m wondering- did Gunther actually say he is seriously considering going back to Peru? Or, are we filling it in, along with some other things, because we just good darn gosh want things to move a bit faster? At least on here.

I have to also say that I actually like today’s strip. I’m getting tired of things moving slowly, though. And, I would like more details to flesh out developments realistically. I still acknowledge it is only a strip… GASP!

“Name one way that is true.-I’ll do that, he isn’t a momma’s boy anymore.-————————————————He’s still living in her house, and mouthing off to his mother doesn’t make him any less of a momma’s boy; he’s done that before when he wanted to “butch up” in comparison to, or in front of, _Quill!"

> How in God’s name does one go about having “half a kid”?>Just be average!

Gunther, it gets even tougher when you finally hit puberty.

No, it’s because you were making plans for people other than yourself. Life rarely turns out the way we expected it to, unless we never share our time with other people.

Please bring back Rosa. This comic strip is really boring without her.

How about “Two And A Half Men And Women”?

Well, it’s evident, not too much that we can stretch out of this one… – Kind of like a stick of gum, as opposed to a wad of bubble gum. And even then, not too much further…

“Gunther will be out soon, or he will be paying rent the more he mouths off to his mother.”-——————-He spent all his money at the duty-free shop buying black Peruvian clothes.

SPOILER ALERT-As if things weren’t complicated enough for the thoroughly planned out life…

“Turning the page brought to you, by”… – Borg Dating Service… “Give us your coordinates, and we’ll assimilate you…. (cough!) er, that is, we mean, we’ll help you get back into the… (cough)… dating scene, big time…. Put a target and scanner on your back, and watch what happens!”

LOL!!

They sell them next to the gallon drums of aftershave and alcohol at the local “Buy N Bulk”….

“Also, what will Ox think?”

.Not what will he think.What will he feel?I fear he will be heartbroken.

@argy.bargy2“The 2.5 kids is kind of an indicator of the type of thinking Gunther does. That number (2.5) was a Census average of how many kids each family had, at a certain point in time (not now, I don’t think. I think it’s now lower.)”.According to census figures“The average number of children per family declined from 1.3 in 1970 to 0.9 in 2013.” for the USA..Note: if every two people had exactly one child and nobody ever died, world population would ultimately double.With less than 2.1 average number of children per two people, population would eventually decline down to zero.

How do you have two and a HALF kids?