My comic life

Man, I seem to have a thing for comic strips lately, so apparently I have the intellectual capacity of a 14-year old. Hah! But as a former (and occasionally current) radio disk jockey, I got a particular laugh out of today's "For Better or Worse" strip; here's an abbreviated version with just the setup and the punch line:

Like yesterday, click the image above for a larger version -- or better yet, go to creator Lynn Johnston's web site for the full strip.

Speaking of disk jockeys, I suppose I should weigh in on the Don Imus affair, as he was one of my idols when I was a struggling young jock many years ago. While I think his remark was tasteless, insulting, and stupid -- that's what he does. Why do you think they're called "shock jocks", for heaven's sake? The man is not a racist, and had the sense to realize he'd stepped over the line and sincerely apologized for it. The good that the I-man has done for disabled and disadvantaged kids over the years, as well as his thoughtful public discourse (admittedly weaved in with a liberal dose of offensive comments as well) on significant issues has been virtually overlooked in the headlong rush to condemn him. But look for Imus to resurface sooner or later on satellite radio alongside Howard Stern, yet another sign that traditional terrestrial broadcasting is continuing it's inexorable march toward becoming a bland, boring, politically-correct, over-regulated vast wasteland.

You may also know that legendary Hawaiian crooner Don Ho passed away last week. (This may seem like a radical shift in subject, but bear with me here.) Although unmistakably hokey, the entertainer will always be special to Mrs. Toast and myself. We spent our honeymoon in the Islands at the legendary CoCo Palms Hotel on Kauai (later destroyed in 1992 by Hurricane Iniki) where he was the resident performer. We'll never forget attending his dinner show at the resort; as he strolled through the crowd singing his signature tune "Tiny Bubbles", he stopped at our table and sang directly to us for a brief period. At that exact moment, thousands of little tiny bubbles erupted from some sprinkler-type system in the showroom's ceiling, filling the air to provide a special effect for the tune. Many of them landed on our dinner table, and for years afterwards we jokingly sang "Tiny bubbles/in the salad" to each other.

Later in his career, he would make fun of the song's swaying, silly lyrics. "I hate that song," he often joked to his audience. He said he saved it for the end of his show because "people my age can't remember if we did it or not."

Anyway, we were sorry to hear of his passing at the age of 77 due to heart disease. Mr. Ho had ten children, and some of them are curly-haired. Therefore, could it have been possible that Don Imus was merely comparing the Rutger's women's basketball team to the offspring of the legendary Hawaiian performer?

Nah, I didn't think so either.