Beef Options

Be sure to specify how you want your beef when you eat out for New Years. Do people go out for New Years? Like to a restaurant? I have always been at a family or church party, and there are games and pizza involved, but no restaurants (other than the pizza place to pick up or deliver the pizza).
I think the waiter should be more specific - beef solid could be a roast or steak or tartare (which is actually kinda squishy so maybe not a solid) or many other options.

Text:
W: Would you like beef soup or beef solid?
P: *uncertain*

Words With Grandma

So there's this game called Words With Friends and both of my grandmothers play it (I believe my paternal grandmother got my maternal grandmother into it) and they are both rather good at it so I usually have at least one game going with each of them. My paternal grandmother grew up playing this amazing card game called Royalty and most people haven't heard of it but I have many memories of stopping by my Great-Grandmother's house and seeing Hope Sr. and Hope Jr. playing Royalty with a dictionary next to them to settle disputes.

Text:
L: *sigh* (while looking at phone)
M: Bad news?
L: My grandma just laid a 50 point word on me in Scrabble.

Mother's Children Spying

I was trying to remember the name of this song and it's just "The Christmas Song", sometimes subtitled "Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire" which is the opening line and quite frankly, more distinct than the given name. Also, this one time while out shopping we saw a container of roasted chestnuts so we got them and ew, they were gross. They were all soggy and cold. I think roasting actual nuts on a fire could be good, but not from a jar. We really should have known better.

Text:
R: And every mother's child is gonna spy -
G: Yeah, maybe in Russia.

Not a Creature Was Stirring

'Twas the night before Christmas...
Sometimes you just feel the need to play your instrument and defy stereotypes.
I hope you have a restful Christmas Eve and a cozy Christmas!

Text:
Quiet as a ... oh.
*mouse playing drums*

What Child Is This

"Hail, hail the Word made flesh, The Babe, the Son of Mary." ~William C. Dix, "What Child Is This?"
 I was singing this song at church and was reminded that it is one of the few that directly links the Crucifixion to the Nativity. When Mary and Joseph bring Jesus to the Temple, Simeon gives a prophesy of suffering surrounded by hope - Luke 2:25-35.
It can be hard when you are surround with all the things, even good things, around Christmas, like family gatherings and gift exchanges and travel plans, to remember the true meaning of Christmas, that Christ was born as a human in order to take the punishment of sin for us. I find Bible reading plans (many are available in the YouVersion app) helpful to keep me grounded and re-align my focus on God and how He works through this season and through history.

Text:
"Nails, spear shall pierce Him through, the cross be borne for me, for you" - "What Child Is This?"

Don't Want A Lot For Christmas 3

A song mashup! It's like a roller coaster of emotions. The lyrics for the second half are adapted from that obnoxious song that goes "Tell me what you want, what you really really want" "I'll tell you what I want, what I really really want" repetitively. It's not a Christmas song but I feel like it could be, for the secular side obviously.

Text:
Her: All I want for Christmas is you -
Him: *heart*
Her: to get me what I want, what I really, really want
Him: *heart-broken*

Don't Want A Lot For Christmas 2

Pro tip: tell your spouse what you'd like and you might get it :) Leaving magazines with nicely circled things is helpful. Also, having an awesome spouse who remembers when you mention something at some point in the year and gets it for you and leaves it in 'the place' which totally works because I'm not a curious person so I don't look there is an awesome setup.

Text:
Her: All I want for Christmas is...
Him: Please continue, I'm taking notes.
Her: Oh, you'll figure it out.

Don't Want A Lot For Christmas 1

It's that time of year when the same songs come on the radio over and over again. I actually had to look up the lyrics to this one because I usually don't listen to more than a line or so before moving on to another station.

Text:
Her: I don't need to hang my stocking... won't make me happy with a toy... won't even wish for snow... won't make a list and send it...
Him: Got it, please say what you do want.

Narwhal Date Night

Yay, date night! I did a Plant Night with my husband and we made little succulent planters that are hanging on our kitchen windows and they have dinosaurs in the succulents. I like Paint Nights, whether the branded ones or just a group of friends painting together. Being creative is fun.

Text:
Narwhal Wife: Date night couple activity!
Narwhal Husband: *frowns*
Sign: Knit Night

Narwhal Crochet

It's hard to draw two narwhals in one frame, but I made it work. I think it works anyways. I like the hooked tusk look :) Also, narwhals are probably my favorite sea creature, which isn't saying much because I don't like many sea creatures.

Text:
Narwhal with normal tusk: What happened to your tusk?
Narwhal with hooked tusk: I started crocheting!

Sharknado 7

Figured I should post this one before they actually announce the next Sharknado, not even sure if they're still making more. I haven't seen any of them but I hear they're entertaining but low-quality production and plot-lines. So I probably will never watch any of them.

Text:
A: Did you hear that Steven King is directing the next Sharknado?
B: Yeah, "Sharknado 7: Now With Clowns."

Deer False Witness

Also wouldn't trust this deer. Also it's good to take the Bible in context but maybe these will help people think about what bearing false witness really means? I think something that isn't talked about much is how you can bear false witness against yourself, when you tell yourself lies like "this is impossible" or "I have no worth" - remember that Philippians 4:8 starts with truth when it's talking about what you should think about.

Text:
Deer: The guilty guy didn't do it!
M: The 9th Commandment is about a Bear False Witness, not a Deer False Witness!

Ninth Commandment

My pastor did a series through the Ten Commandments and I thought about the ninth commandment which says bear false witnesses are a no-go. Please note I know what bearing false witness actually is. But to think of it this way is much more entertaining. Also, I totally don't trust that bear.

Text:
Bear: The innocent guy totally did it.
M: It's a bear false witness!

Denominational Golf

My pastor has been going through the book of Luke and I highly recommend his series. He was speaking about Mary and mentioned the gulf between Protestants and Catholics with our views of Mary but I misheard him and thought he said golf and then this comic happened.

Text:
Title: Protestant-Catholic Golf
Both: My score is terrible -
Catholic: I will work off those extra strokes.
Protestant: I accept Jesus' [perfect] score as my own.

Thankful For Dinosaur Proof

Happy Thanksgiving! For what are you thankful? I'm thankful for my family (and also dinosaurs).
If you are not familiar with the villainous Royal Adviser Yzma, please go watch the masterpiece "The Emperor's New Groove" - it is infinitely quotable ("I've been turned into a cow, can I go home?" "You're excused.") and I like the art style. This is indeed an adapted quote from the movie when Emperor Kuzco introduces the viewers to his adviser.
I'm also considering adding a black border around my comics to show where they end and the page background begins. The thought is percolating. Who knows what will come of it.

Text:
I'm thankful for proof that dinosaurs once roamed the Earth.

Turkey Recovery Day

Some people apparently refer to the day after Thanksgiving as Turkey Recovery Day because you eat so much and you need a day to chill out and digest everything. Or you could go crazy shopping. Or you could fly out to visit relatives for the weekend. So many options on Black Friday or whatever you call it.
I hope you all have a relaxing Thanksgiving with friends and family and relaxation!

Text:
L: My work gets Thanksgiving and the day after as holidays.
T: Oh, Turkey Recovery Day, nice.
B: I don't think the turkey is going to recover.

Always Complain

This is my take on that positive sign "There is always always always something to be thankful for" which is a great sign but I was at work and overheard a comment about complaining and thought this up.
In actuality, there is always something to complain about or be grateful for and you have to choose which attitude to have. Remember all that God has given you and if you're being truthful, you do have much more to be grateful for than complain about.

Text:
There is
always
always
always
something
to complain about

Bible Study: Third Night

The final one in this series. Sometimes being the moderator is hard. It also can be hard to figure out what really is contextual and Biblical without a lot of study in many passages. It's important to know what the Bible actually says rather than what people thing or want it to say. Find a group with Biblical backing and get into the Bible! I like the YouVersion app, which has many plans to take you through the whole Bible in a year or just the NT in a year or more topical ones. And you can sync up with friends and go through plans together and leave notes for each other! It might seem like a lot to read the whole Bible but it is important to know what you believe.

Text:
Title: Third Night of Bible Study
M: Does anyone have something Biblical and related to our text to share?

Bible Study: Second Night

Bible studies can wander a bit when rabbit trails start. Sometimes people think things are in the Bible that aren't and that's why having people you trust and good sources are important. Also staying on topic can be hard but that's when a good moderator is important. Sometimes the wanderings are good though because it can bring to light things you didn't realize are or aren't in the Bible.

Text:
Title: Second Night of Bible Study
M: Does anyone have something Biblical to share?

Bible Study: First Night

So this is the first of a three part comic. It's about Bible Studies. It's good to study the Bible, and input from people you trust is helpful too. But it's good to search the Scriptures and know what the Bible has to say.

Text:
Title: First Night of Bible Study
M: Does anyone have something to share?

Serverless Restaurant

So databases can be serverless but restaurants really shouldn't be. I mean, you can do a lot with screens and such but someone still needs to prepare the food and deliver it in some way.

Text:
A: Why did Amazon's restaurant fail?
B: It was serverless.

DynoDB

So my work hosted an Amazon class and we learned about their services, including DynamoDB. I have trouble focusing when there's a word so close to dinosaur. I think this database could really take off. But it might seem a bit archaic.

Text:
A: All these newfangled databases are just confusing. Store your data the same way you always have with DynoDB!

Butterfly Garden

For our anniversary this year we went back to where we had our honeymoon. And we went back to visit the Victoria Butterfly Garden just like we did ten years ago! It was very nice. No awkward questions were asked. I like all the butterflies and they have birds there too! Butterfly gardens are very relaxing.

Text:
H: Welcome to the Butterfly Garden! Do you have any questions?
L: How long after planting -
M: NOPE no questions.

Roughly the Size of a Barge

I'm not sure why one would describe their ideal man like that, but whatever floats your boat :) :) :)
I had a weird dream this one time in college and it was all about barges and the day before my roommate had been playing Disney music loudly in our dorm room.

Text:
Belle: How would you describe your ideal husband?
Claudette: Roughly the size of a barge.
Belle: ... oh.

Aladdin Song

I think the way the Genie sings it in the new version, it comes across as slightly sarcastic. I think adding that pause before 'definitely' really does it. I could have added a fez to Aladdin, he is known for wearing one. Or rather he would be Prince Ali at this point so he'd need fancy clothes and a turban if I recall correctly. I liked the remake of the classic. I think the Disney movies with humans, like all the princess movies, can handle a live-action remake. I am not a fan of the animal ones which have to be completely CG'd being remade - I like the classic animation better.

Text;
J: You're as strong as ten regular men.

J: Definitely. 

Leaf It Alone

This comic was inspired by an incident at work where I went to get a cup of tea and someone had mixed in decaf plain tea bags into the regular plain tea box and I ended up with a decaf and was not pleased. Now I know to check more closely (or just use my own tea supply from my desk). Tea is tasty. It does not need dairy or sugar or any extra flavorings if brewed properly. I like it.
Also, happy belated birthday to my grandmother! She always brews a pot of water for me when I visit because nearly everyone else drinks coffee. Such is life in New England.

Text:
A: I have a GREAT idea to upgrade tea.
B: Leaf it alone.

Novembear

In a stunning move, the Octobear has appeared! But wait, there's also the Novembear! What will happen? Nobody knows.
I don't think the Novembear will become a popular reoccurring character because he was a bit difficult to draw and also he's kinda odd (but that doesn't always stop characters from reoccurring).

Text:
Octobear (bear with eight tentacles)
vs
Novembear (bear with turkey feathers on his rump and a snood on his snout)

I Treasure You

Well, you shouldn't do that. Don't lock anything living inside a trunk, even if it's a treasure chest. That's not the way to treasure someone. Actually treating a person as treasure is usually not a good plan; you should treat them like people, not objects.

Text:
Lady: Why did you lock me in that chest?!?
Pirate: I treasure you.

Recreating the Problem, Then and Now

I thought this up when I got excited that I could recreate a bug. Back in the day (Exodus 7 and 8), the magicians of Pharaoh were able to recreate the first two plagues that God through Moses brought on Egypt, but were unable to recreate the next eight. I forgot where in the line they were unable to reproduce them, so I drew a nice picture with the magicians holding flies, gnats, and a frog but then had to redraw it since they could only do the water-into-blood and the frogs.

Text:
Then (Magicians holding a bowl of blood and a frog)
Magicians: Oh great Pharaoh, we too can multiply frogs and blood!
Pharaoh face-palming.
Now (Programmer in front of a computer with a Blue Screen Of Death on it)
Programmer: The good news is - I can recreate the problem.
Boss with arms crossed.

Pumpkin Eater

That probably means he keeps his wife in a pumpkin shell, but apparently he can keep her very well there? I think that is odd and not a good housing situation.
I like how my pumpkin pie turned out, I am not sure I have ever actually baked a pumpkin pie.

Text:
Man eating a slice of pumpkin pie.
Lady: You're a pumpkin eater?!?

Imapple

As a disclaimer, I have had this comic on the board for a while now (just like the talk of impeachment has been going on for a while now) and I am not trying to make a political statement with this, I just like that impeach contains the word "peach" and "im" is very close to "I'm" so I think this works well.

Text:
Peach holding sign: "Impeach!"
Apple holding sign: "I'm apple"

Oct Tuber

We are over halfway through October and the Octobear hasn't show up yet but here's a new character, the Oct-Tuber! Or rather, one of the Oct-Tubers. Will the Octobear show up? Only time will tell.
Did you know that potatoes are tubers but carrots are roots, there is a difference? The more you know.

Text:
Carrot: I hear you have seven siblings.
Potato: Yep, I'm one of the Oct-Tubers.

Shellfish Crab

But the crab is just being who he was made to be! I think this pun series might have been sparked by a sermon comment about humility (based on the previous comic) and I just went off on a tangent (as I am known to do with my comics).
We are halfway through October and the infamous OctBear has not show up yet! Where could he be? Could someone be struggling to create another octo-pun? That's a distinct possibility.
Speaking of halfway through October, Happy Birthday to my brother-in-law!

Text:
{fish to crab}: Quit being so shellfish!

Puffed Up

I have only seen a puffer fish in the wild once, and that was when one washed up on Pensacola Beach :( I have seen them a few times in aquariums but I'm not sure I've ever seen one puffed up. Now I want to YouTube that. You should too. It'll be educational.
That fish is not being loving because I learned from I Corinthians 13 that charity doth not puff up.

Text:
{blue fish to puffer fish}: You need to be more humble!

Horsing Around

I don't know what sparked this string of sea life puns, but there's gonna be a few more.
The blue fish has had enough of the tomfoolery of his friend, and I'm amazed that I spelled tomfoolery correctly on the first try. It is rather phonetic, which is always nice.

Text:
{fish to sea horse}: Quit horsing around!

Buck Tooth Comb

Ah, the classic mistake of using the buck-tooth comb instead of the fine-tooth one. Anyone can make it. Actually, that would be one of those "what do we even HAVE this?" situations. (I'm referring to the excellent scene in "The Emperor's New Groove" where Yzma exclaims "Why do we even HAVE that lever?!") I would like the buck-tooth comb to come up in a CSI show. I am waiting on offers, please contact me if you'd like to use it :)

Text:
C: How did you miss this detail?!
D: We went over the evidence with a buck-tooth comb.

Bibbity Bobbity Reboot

Sometimes all it takes is turning it off and on again. Sometimes. I read somewhere that telling someone to go to bed and see if they feel better in the morning is the human equivalent of that. But both will solve a multitude of issues.

Text:
A: How did you fix my computer? Magic?!?
B: Bibbity Bobbity Reboot.

Crunching Numbers

We went on a trip in September to the West Coast and we went on a wildlife tour and saw orca dorsal fins in the distance (which still was pretty cool). We also saw other wildlife and it was a great boat ride.

Text:
O: Accountant, stop eating the calculators!
S: I'm crunching the numbers!

Bananagrams

I like the game Bananagrams. I don't want a banana that has been sent through the mail to me. That would be a bruised mess. But I suppose if you can send a properly postmarked potato through the post, you could also do the same for a banana. But Bananagrams is not a millennial form of telegram, it is rather a jumbled form of Scrabble. You should play it - it't a great party game.
Also, Happy Birthday Eve to my nephew!

Text:
A: Who is sending you all these bananas?
B: My friend who doesn't understand how to play Bananagrams.

Table of Content

It's October!
My brother-in-law was stateside for the summer and preached a message on Contentment - you can find it here. This was my comical takeaway, but he had some good points. There is always something for which to be grateful. It probably won't all fit in that table.
(Sufficient and adequate are synonyms for content, which sounds like content, which when in table form is the list of chapters in a book)
I think my handwriting is a little messier on this one, and you'll see some more messy ones unless I go in and clean them up but they aren't that bad, because I was drawing comics on the train ride home from CT recently. It was mostly smooth but it is land travel so there are bumps along the road (or rather train track).

Text:
A: I put all of the sufficient and adequate things into this table.
B: It's your table of content.

Cinderella's Coach

I thought this up after buying tickets to travel somewhere (probably CT) and I don't upgrade because it's a short trip and I'm not a large person so the tiny space is fine usually. Speaking of travel, head over to my other blog to see my thoughts on two popular ways to travel.
Also, happy birthday eve to my oldest little brother! Welcome to your twenties.

Text:
C: I'm tired of riding coach. When can I upgrade?

Whine and Dine

I forgot where I thought this up but it would be an unfortunate mistake to make. Also, it's difficult to draw stick figures seated in chairs. I did my best, because that's the best I can do. I like how it turned out. Found another typo when typing out the text below - totally thought flaky had an 'e' before the 'y' but it indeed does not.

Text:
Title: Whine and Dine
M: I hate my commute, and all my friends are flaky, and politics make me sad, and ...
W: I thought it was a typo but I was WRONG!

Drums vs Horses

We watched Netflix's "A Series of Unfortunate Events" and, while I can't recommend the series as a whole, they did have an episode with a school team whose mascot was a dead horse because they couldn't be beat and it inspired this comic.
I am a fan of the local team, the Ravens, especially their kicker who is the best ever and can sing opera because that's a cool skill that most athletes don't have, and I am not a fan of either of the teams depicted in this comic.
Note - I did not know Pittsburgh had an 'h' in it and discovered that when typing the text below. Had to go in and edit the comic to fix that, glad it was caught before posting.
Also, Happy Birthday to my Grandpa! I went up for the weekend for his surprise party.

Text:
Sports Announcer: The Pittsburgh Broken Drums play the Foxborough Dead Horses, and both teams are certain they can't be beat.

Most Wonderful Time

I really love this time of year. September is my favorite month. Not only is it my birthday month, but also I grew up in New England which means it's the beginning of sweater weather and all things comfy and also The Big E (basically a state fair but for all of New England) and it's time to go to orchards and corn maizes and all the leaves change color and it's just an overall enjoyable time. Also I really like winter so this means we're getting close to that which makes it even better.

Text:
*singing* It's the MOST WONDERFUL TIME of the year!!!

Tenth Commandment

My pastor at FBC is currently going through a series on the Ten Commandments, and I remembered these hand motions that my pastor at TBC back in CT taught me as a kid.

The tenth commandment is: "You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor." - Exodus 20:17 (ESV)

The hand motion is: both hands open then both hands closed, like you're grabbing for something that isn't yours (such as your neighbor's ox or his xbox).

In summary:
1- One God
2- No Idols
3- Watch your Words
4- Honor the Sabbath
5- Honor your Parents
6- No Murder
7- No Adultery
8- No Stealing
9- No Lying
10- No Coveting

I hope this helps you remember the Ten Commandments! 

Toucan or Toucan't

Taking another little break from the Ten Commandments series because it's my birthday! I thought this one up after I made that peliCAN one for my mom - this one is a more tropical theme. I'm sure there are more animals out there with this pun in their name - maybe I'll continue this series later.

T: Are you a touCAN or a touCAN'T?
I: I'm an I-do-what-I-want.

Ninth Commandment

My pastor at FBC is currently going through a series on the Ten Commandments, and I remembered these hand motions that my pastor at TBC back in CT taught me as a kid.

The ninth commandment is: "You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor." - Exodus 20:16 (ESV)

The hand motion is: one hand with all five fingers up and the other hand with four fingers up which means the thumb is pointing a different direction than the rest so he's the one telling a different story i.e. the liar (with his pants possibly on fire). 

Eighth Commandment

My pastor at FBC is currently going through a series on the Ten Commandments, and I remembered these hand motions that my pastor at TBC back in CT taught me as a kid.

The eight commandment is: "You shall not steal." - Exodus 20:15 (ESV)

The hand motion is: one hand with all five fingers up and the other hand with just three fingers up (because back in the day you got a finger chopped off when you were caught stealing so this person was caught twice. that's kinda gory).

Seventh Commandment

My pastor at FBC is currently going through a series on the Ten Commandments, and I remembered these hand motions that my pastor at TBC back in CT taught me as a kid.

The seventh commandment is: "You shall not commit adultery." - Exodus 20:14 (ESV)

The hand motion is: one hand with all five fingers up (like a group of people) and the other hand with just two fingers up (like a couple who are happily married or like a V for virgin).

Pelican or Pelican't

It's September so there are some birthdays so I'm taking a little break from the 10 Commandments to say Happy Birthday to my Mom! She likes pelicans so this one is for her. Three years ago I did a little series on pelicans for her - here they are!

Text:
P: Like my Mom use to say - "Are you a peliCAN or a peliCAN'T?"
W: ... I'm a house wren.