It’s be great if she were actually the epitome of niceness in Canada. She got it into her head that we’re jerks down here, and she’s just trying to fit in, but not getting it quite right.
She’s like one of those guys who thinks Japan is just like an anime and doesn’t realize otaku is an insult over there.
No, it is, at least parts of it are. But the number of attractive scantily clad anime girls and shonen heros are vastly outnumbered by drunken office workers and university students.
Best way to tell the difference between Canada and the USA is to watch the news.
“This week in Canada, somebody got shot! OMG! Stay with us for the next hour as we delve into this shocking occurrence!”
“This week in ‘Murica, the number of unarmed citizens shot in broad daylight on a Tuesday by police is trending down since last Tuesday. Seriously, we have a char– BANG!”
I don’t think I’ve ever seen an older sibling peer pressure their youngers into drinking…
I hate it when my younger brother gets too drunk. I will always regret agreeing to supervise his high school grad party.
I’m an older sibling who kinda does that, though it’s not exactly pressuring them into drinking as much as getting them alcohol; I just think I’d rather know what they drink, and what amount they get, instead of letting their friends educated them on the joys of getting wasted.
Clearly you’ve never met my sister. On my 21st birthday she told me, and I quote, “We’re not leaving [the bar] until you’re drunk.” My reply? “I guess we’re never leaving.”
My big brother when dividing up sweets between us three siblings:
Him: 4
My sister: 2
me:2
At least these days he knows a guy who sells me weed at a good price, so all works out in the end.
Does it? He is literally talking about of his butt here and telling Ruth to stop “pretending” to have feelings. It’s incredibly presumptuous, arrogant, and rude. Stealing his cookie is a very mild form of response.
If you take a Canadian’s cookie, you’ll probably have to take his Timbits. And if you take a Canadian’s Timbits, you’ll probably have to take his poutine…
And if you take his poutine, you’ll have to take his toques. And if you take his toques, you’ll have to take his hockey. And if you take his hockey, you’ll be murdered mercilessly, and the Canadian will have his favourite things back in his life, and a dick taking stuff will be dead.
Side comment to getting stuff quicker in the U.S.: Yes, you can get it quicker (ie: new drugs) but that is followed by the inevitable class-action lawsuit because someone died or was put into a coma to take a new prescription for acne or birth control.
I’ve seen the ads, and I’ve listened to the disclaimers they put in them, as rapid as they blurt it out. It’s utter crap!
We generally* get those at the same time as the US (mostly have the same companies handling them)…Cable TV shows are pretty much the only thing we really have to wait on, geek-entertainment-wise.
* Occasionally a film will get held up as one of the Film Review Boards demands cuts, but it’s been a long while since that has happened.
Howard, don’t be a dick. Yeah, you miss what you get used to having. That’s because not all of us are migratory creatures. Some of us like to settle down and become familiar with our sorroundings, make relationships with people and ingrain themselves in the culture of the land. Don’t be a butt.
Can’t be a dick OR a butt? You’re not leaving him a lot of options.
Also settling is lame. Relationships are cool but you don’t need to settle to have those. I’ve moved six times in the last six years and it is awesome.
Okay I admit it I was just trying to sound like a tough guy. Moving all the time kind of sucks and it makes me obsessively avoid owning anything that can’t be transported by hand. The mere fact that I own a bed drives me nuts.
I kind of have to agree with Howard here. Nostalgia’s a poor basis for present and future decisions.
More importantly, Ruth’s argument sounds kind of like she believes Mr. and Mrs. Lessick will somehow re-enter her life if she moves to Canada, or that moving to the States meant leaving them behind.
…Wait, maybe they died as a direct consequence to moving to the States, which would make all of this make sense, and also make Howard’s argument really dickish again.
Great. Now I don’t know which sibling to judge. >8C
It’s not nostalgia. And nothing she said makes it sound like she blames the US for her parents’ death or thinks they will become un-dead if she moves back.
Fact: Canada is markedly better than the States in several ways. For example, Ruth’s current college tuition situation.
Fact: Moving to another country, even with your consent, is a HUGE LIFE CHANGE. It is a “big deal”. Especially when you’re young. A lot of your sense of self can be tied up in your nationality.
Fact: Ruth’s “argument”, as you put it, was only that they have been through a lot of stuff, like the death of their parents, so maybe being bisexual or gay doesn’t register to her as a big deal.
Fact: All of Howard’s dialogue in this trip is dickish regardless of whether or not Canada is objectively a better place for them to live. He has told her that being into girls is weird (and from his facial expression at the time, also bad). He has told her to stop pretending to have feelings. And, when she attempted to explain why she has those feelings, he told her that her reasons are lame.
Seriously? Your takeaway from this conversation is that he’s right, because “nostalgia” is a poor reason for someone to make life decisions? (You realize that at no point in the conversation has Ruth actually said she even wanted to move back to Canada, right?)
Hmm, well, Howie. Maybe you’re not gay, as Ruth may be, and hence don’t see any important difference between Canadian and US law pertaining to gay rights. Maybe you’ve never dealt with a catastrophic illness in your family, and thus don’t see the major difference in health care availability and costs between Canada and the US. Just off the top of my head.
What… are you talking about? I see bullcrap all the time! Especially if there’s a chance that an election could be called, then it’s all “Everyone’s evil! Keep us in power!”
Since we’ll never get to hear them, do Ruth and Howard have any slight Canadian accents? They likely sound American enough that Billie didn’t pick up on it til she asked about the hockey thing, and I’d wager that according to this trip, Howard was much younger that he wouldn’t have been speaking very long at that time, if at all.
Well, sort of. It depends on what part of Canada we’re talking about. It’s a huge land mass, and different people have different accents. For an example of a Newfoundland accent, read The Punchline is Machismo and look at Canadian Guy.
Given that Ruth willingly displays Leafs paraphernalia, I’m guessing they’re from Toronto or thereabouts. Their Canadian accent is likely to be the thick and incomprehensible Standard North American Broadcast English exhibited by the likes of Peter Jennings or Alex Trebek.
Incomprehensible? Really? I’m totally American, which is why I find it fairly pleasant and clear, but I would not have imagined that accent would be the incomprehensible one from an outside perspective.
The nicest thing I can say about Dunkin Donuts is that it’s catering to a different niche than Starbucks. They don’t really serve tea*, for example, or food that isn’t donuts.
For my “cheaper coffee than Starbucks” fix, I like to head to a Wawa’s.
But generally speaking, I like Starbucks’s culture better. I like that their part-time employees were getting health insurance before it was cool and that my money tends to go to “blue state”-type causes when I give it to them.
I used to have no opinion on Dunkin Donuts at all, but then they started running a bunch of ads bongoing about Starbucks’s “elitism” and their “funny foreign-sounding cup sizes”, and like. Really? You think you’re the coffee of “Real America”? Well, this real American just decided to never buy from you ever again, asshats.
*Hot black tea, iced black tea, sweet iced black tea, and hot “vanilla chai” that exists in no other form.
Sadly, there are no Dunkin Donuts were I live now. (Cybertron’s not exactly in their market area, but we have plenty of Starbucks, you should try their energon blend…) There was one where I used to live in Texas, and it was great. Last time i was in one, it like 11pm and I was in White Planes, NY and I got a great donut.
Dropping the Cybertron bit for a moment, I don’t drink coffee, so when I go to Starbucks, I get hot chocolate or iced tea. From a customer perspective, I love Starbucks. Those weird names for their sizes (which I find inordinately silly) aren’t mandatory. No one’s ever given me guff for ordering a small, medium or large drink. They just ring it up and I get the correct size. I know Paul Rudd’s famous for that scene where he talks smack to a Starbucks worker, but it’s kind of dumb. The only time I’ve seen a worker insist on specific company terminology in the face of common sense is McDonald’s and a few other fast food companies.
The only thing I don’t like about Starbucks is their customers. They seem to think that their entitled to take their coffee anywhere. No one else seems to think that way. I work at a movie theater and we have a policy of “No Outside Food or Drink Allowed.” No one comes from 7-11 and seems to feel entitled to bring in their coffee. No one grabs a Big Gulp and then tries to go into the movie theater with it. If some one is holding a non-Starbucks drink, and I ask them to finish it, they’re usually fine with it.
Not the Starbucks people though! They just bought their coffee! For the movie! It’s early! They should have their coffee! These are adults, did they grow up in a world where it’s ok to bring in outside food and drink? Like, how have they not noticed that?
Eheheheh. I am a movie-goer who routinely sneaks outside food or drink. Not Starbucks coffee, though, which to me is a weird thing to bring to a movie. No, I’m talking bottled water, cans of soda, once a bag of SmartPop popcorn made at home. (The kind we get is much healthier than normal popcorn.)
I know this sucks for movie theaters because food is a biiiig source of revenue. I’ve actually gone to the movies many times over the last year with the intention of buying candy when we get there. I’m super into Milk Duds or Sour Patch Kids and there’s no better excuse to eat them. We tend to arrive to the theater too late, by poor planning or traffic or both, so the movie’s already started, and then we have to run in and I don’t get to buy my candy.
But I’m also guilty of once or twice actually stopping at a McDonald’s or something on the way to the movie and sneaking in cheeseburgers and McNuggets and eating that during the movie.
I don’t know if it’s better or worse that I do this with every expectation that we might get caught and have to throw out the food; it’s definitely not that I would pitch a huge fit if someone caught us, I’d be embarrassed and guilty and apologetic. But I do it anyway.
Part of the reason is that snacks ARE so expensive — you pay $20 for tickets and then also $5 for a bottle of water? — and part of it is that the food selection is usually pretty limited. I’ve been to theaters that served ice cream and hot dogs, but I’ve also been to theaters where the closest thing to food is popcorn or nachos with (sometimes) hot cheese whiz. (Not that cheeseburgers are better for you but they are more filling.)
If I haven’t completely chased you away with my being absolutely awful, I like regular chai lattes at Starbucks, with skim milk because I can’t taste the difference. Other awesome drinks include Taco Bell’s new Pink Lemonade Freeze (which is not a patch on their old strawberry Fruitista Freeze, but) and the frozen strawberry lemonade Wawa makes. Mmmmm.
Look, I don’t mind you sneaking in the stuff. If I can’t see it, whateves. No one would go to the movies if we checked stuff like backpacks and purses.
But don’t carry the Venti Latte you got up in front of you like your going to ask me for the TPS report and then be shocked (SHOCKED!) that you can’t bring it in. Like, have you never been to a movie before?
I mean I bought a Togo’s sandwich one time and ate it while watching Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (best part about the movie), but I didn’t brazenly carry in the bag with the huge Togo’s logo into the theater, I had the good decency to put it in my backpack first.
It’s all about not giving people a hard time.
Oh, and it’s not just $5 for a bottle of water, it’s an unreasonably large bottle of water and the reasonably sized bottle is only .50 less.
There’s plenty of Dunkins around everywhere. Also, Krispy Kreme really isn’t a competitor, as Dunkin Donuts really markets itself on its coffee. No one goes to Dunkin for donuts really; they just get them while they are getting coffee since they’re right there. At least, that’s the New England view on Dunkies.
I go to Dunkin expressly for the donuts, it being my donut of choice. Of course, I’m not a coffee drinker at all, so I have no opinion on that subject.
It has been pointed out to me that for people who prefer cake donuts, Krispy Kreme tends not to satisfy, because they are lighter and less substantial. I know what they mean but don’t particularly discriminate.
Except against Dunkin Donuts itself, which (as elaborated on above) I now resent for other reasons.
I was born three weeks early, weighed 2 pounds and was in neo-natial ICU for about two months before I came home so mom and dad knew better than to try again.
This is the most accurate sibling exchange I’ve ever seen. Apparently that’s a hard dynamic to nail (Disney seems to be terrible at it, at least) so good job!
Well, Howard may be a gaslighting jerkface, but at least he’s acting more human now. Billie has already taught Joyce many things, maybe she can enlighten Howard too, and share her cookies.
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The epitome of Canadian politeness!
I doubt Ruth would miss THAT!
It’s be great if she were actually the epitome of niceness in Canada. She got it into her head that we’re jerks down here, and she’s just trying to fit in, but not getting it quite right.
She’s like one of those guys who thinks Japan is just like an anime and doesn’t realize otaku is an insult over there.
There isn’t shinigami, ninjas, and magical girls running around Japan?
The illusion has been shattered.
You mean Japan’s not a wacky high tech wonderland?
No, it is, at least parts of it are. But the number of attractive scantily clad anime girls and shonen heros are vastly outnumbered by drunken office workers and university students.
“She’s like one of those guys who thinks Japan is just like an anime and doesn’t realize otaku is an insult over there.”
Really?
…
Well, that explains a couple of bar fights in Kyoto.
On the other hand, a bear walking into a bar in Kyoto sounds like the sort of thing that would happen in an anime.
It was also pleasing to discover that Animal Magnetism has its effect on Japanese women as well as American.
NICE! *highfives* IT WORKS FOR PAWS AND HOOVES… sort of
No, THIS is the epitome of Canadian Politeness. 😉
Best way to tell the difference between Canada and the USA is to watch the news.
“This week in Canada, somebody got shot! OMG! Stay with us for the next hour as we delve into this shocking occurrence!”
“This week in ‘Murica, the number of unarmed citizens shot in broad daylight on a Tuesday by police is trending down since last Tuesday. Seriously, we have a char– BANG!”
stealing his cookie, that’s low Ruth
Nah, for Howard it just means that this is a day ending in “y”
Don’t worry. Howard’s still GOT DA POWA!
I was gonna ask if she would drink his milkshake, but then my mind immediately hit the gutter and… yeah.
My milkshake brings Ruth to the yard.
Most appropriate gravitar.
Damn right.
I’ve never had a sibling myself, but if I did, I imagine the relationship would be exactly like this strip.
Yes, that’s what having siblings is all about really.
Stealing cookies and denying your younger brother of watching a show he freely admits to watching on his own time. Ah, siblings.
The only thing is missing is her peerpressuring into drinking unreasonable amounts of alcohol. Too bad she as a recovering alcoholic knows better.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen an older sibling peer pressure their youngers into drinking…
I hate it when my younger brother gets too drunk. I will always regret agreeing to supervise his high school grad party.
I’m an older sibling who kinda does that, though it’s not exactly pressuring them into drinking as much as getting them alcohol; I just think I’d rather know what they drink, and what amount they get, instead of letting their friends educated them on the joys of getting wasted.
Clearly you’ve never met my sister. On my 21st birthday she told me, and I quote, “We’re not leaving [the bar] until you’re drunk.” My reply? “I guess we’re never leaving.”
I have PARENTS who do that. They think I’m too much of a square.
I was in an odd position of having siblings but being raised as an only child.
When I was small I had older siblings. Later, they were gone, and now I’m also the older brother. My life is weird
“Later, they were gone,”
It’s called moving out. You should try it some time. 😉
I assumed they were subject to various “accidents” after taking Squall’s cookies one too many times.
Damn, you saw through my cover! You know why I left the country!
You can’t hide forever, Squall! CanvasHat will never become president once the world knows what you’ve done!
CanvasHat WILL have the presidency eventually! Be it 5 years or 50 years, he will be president!
… got the bald eagle telling off the Riddler for trying to be prez…
what is going on in half these comments???
http://squallloir.tumblr.com/post/57855645498/stealing-cookies-is-dangerous-paid-for-by
Public service announcement paid for by Supporters of CanvasHat.
I know what it’s called. I went for brevity. I actually one-upped them by moving overseas, myself.
Well cover me surprised. I am about to do exactly the same. 😉
Interesting. Where you headed off to?
Oxford, GB.
For University? Europe has some great University programs.
Jupp for University. But then again I am German so its just barely “overseas”.
Haha. Indeed. It’s USA to Sweden for me. I’m currently on a vacation back to my hometown for a big festival.
A friend of mine was born to single mother, and adopted by his grandparents, so his sister is his mom.
Only child until age 17, who was born to my non-custodial parent and their new spouse.
I don’t always feel like I have a sister.
My sibling would never be able to eat a damn thing.
Because they would have no mouths
And they must scream.
This thread became horrifying.
Blame Harlan Ellison.
And Ellen Degeneres. I heard that she married Tom Hanks.
As the eldest sibling, I can say for a fact that this is an accurate portrayal.
My big brother when dividing up sweets between us three siblings:
Him: 4
My sister: 2
me:2
At least these days he knows a guy who sells me weed at a good price, so all works out in the end.
I’ve seen old family movies of my dad and his two older brothers literally trying to kill each other as kids.
Now they get along very well, even when they have very different opinions.
gimme back my cookie
Too late, unless she decides to bring up the cookie.
If he grabbed it before she got the whole thing in her mouth, he could still have the at least 50% of it that never even got tainted by her lips.
I don’t think that Ruth’s lips could taint anything.
… lip … taint?
She licked it; it’s hers.
The same applies to Billie.
Did her lips taint billie’s cookie?
I don’t think you know what Taint is….
L’il Howie has a poiiiint.
Does it? He is literally talking about of his butt here and telling Ruth to stop “pretending” to have feelings. It’s incredibly presumptuous, arrogant, and rude. Stealing his cookie is a very mild form of response.
*he phone. does HE.
Still better than tossing your cookies in public.
Nothing’s better than that. Where do you get your information?
He is one of those weird anti cookie tossing moral guardians. Just ignore and they will go away.
Lesson taught and learned. Canada style!
I thought it was Carol.
She changed it to that because Archer kept calling her Carol. Changed it back afterwards.
Huh, wierd for some reason Howard is now acting like a normal person and not a win tosser suddenly.
She had that effect in the old strip, which was why he took it so hard when she died.
And that’s why they call her “Ruthless”: because she’ll take your cookie. Or your femurs, if you’re American. Cookies are the femurs of the North.
If you take a Canadian’s cookie they lose the ability to walk.
Hence why we keep making Twinkies, even after the company went belly-up.
If you take a canadian’s hockey, you die. I tried that once, and that happened to me. True story.
I believe it.
If you take a Canadian’s cookie, you’ll probably have to take his Timbits. And if you take a Canadian’s Timbits, you’ll probably have to take his poutine…
And if you take his poutine, you’ll have to take his toques. And if you take his toques, you’ll have to take his hockey. And if you take his hockey, you’ll be murdered mercilessly, and the Canadian will have his favourite things back in his life, and a dick taking stuff will be dead.
And if you’re murdered mercilessly by a Canadian, your soul will inhabit an internet server.
And that’s terrible.
It truly is a frightening thing.
Squall’s origin revealed. He became a cyber ghost after being murdered by angry Canucks.
Ruth took forty cookies. That’s as many as four tens.
What if you’re in Mexico? What does she take then?
In Mexico, she takes a moment of your time to talk about hockey and maple syrup.
Your sombrero.
In Mexico they take our quesadillas.
In Mexico they take your kidney’s.
Your kidney’s what? What do they steal from your kidneys??? I must know what property owned by my kidneys would be stolen if I crossed Ruth in Mexico!
(Seriously, though, apostrophe pluralization is wrong.)
Obviously your kidney’s cookie. Or possibly its femur.
Even more importantly “your kidney’s” would imply having only one.
Lost cause, Totz. But I stand with you in principle!
Perfect metaphor for missing Canada. Well done Willis.
Ruth is better at snatching cookies.
But she rather snatch some of Billie’s cookies.
That’s why Billie looked dazed yesterday… she’s worried about her cookies.
Ruth already took her cookies if you know what I mean.
But Ruth would gladly give her some ladyfingers in return, if you catch my drift…
I betcha Ruth really wants those ladyfingers on her creampuffs if you grok my jive..
Pfff, I bet Ruth wants Billie to make her puff cream after receiving a few ladyfingers, if you know what I mean.
Ruth could take my cookies anyday.
All kinds of cookies.
Well Ruth has experience with putting her hand into cookie yars.
Yes, Ruth does love Fondling pirates.
I wonder if she likes Vikings too. Maybe I should call her up.
Ruth has a fetish for all kinds of seamen. Seriously, she and Bilie role play by dressing up in sailor suits.
Look like siblings to me
Side comment to getting stuff quicker in the U.S.: Yes, you can get it quicker (ie: new drugs) but that is followed by the inevitable class-action lawsuit because someone died or was put into a coma to take a new prescription for acne or birth control.
I’ve seen the ads, and I’ve listened to the disclaimers they put in them, as rapid as they blurt it out. It’s utter crap!
Wow. I assumed he was talking about video games and movies and the like.
Those have similar side effects and law suits too.
I saw “The Wolverine” opening night, and I’m already pursuing litigation in regard to a partial third ear that’s been growing since then!
I grew mutton chops, and my knuckles itch.
Don’t even ask about my new speech impediment, Bub.
Yeah, that’s what I was thinking too. I definitely didn’t think of new drugs.
We generally* get those at the same time as the US (mostly have the same companies handling them)…Cable TV shows are pretty much the only thing we really have to wait on, geek-entertainment-wise.
* Occasionally a film will get held up as one of the Film Review Boards demands cuts, but it’s been a long while since that has happened.
And I assumed he meant shipping merch, but I have no argument to support my theory, apart from Galasso’s rage.
Howard, don’t be a dick. Yeah, you miss what you get used to having. That’s because not all of us are migratory creatures. Some of us like to settle down and become familiar with our sorroundings, make relationships with people and ingrain themselves in the culture of the land. Don’t be a butt.
Can’t be a dick OR a butt? You’re not leaving him a lot of options.
Also settling is lame. Relationships are cool but you don’t need to settle to have those. I’ve moved six times in the last six years and it is awesome.
I’ve lived in the same place for 13 years. It is also awesome. I am not a nomadic person.
Okay I admit it I was just trying to sound like a tough guy. Moving all the time kind of sucks and it makes me obsessively avoid owning anything that can’t be transported by hand. The mere fact that I own a bed drives me nuts.
You could have a Tipi. Those are pretty suited to a nomadic lifestyle.
He could be the gouch
There is always Taint if one cannot decide….
I kind of have to agree with Howard here. Nostalgia’s a poor basis for present and future decisions.
More importantly, Ruth’s argument sounds kind of like she believes Mr. and Mrs. Lessick will somehow re-enter her life if she moves to Canada, or that moving to the States meant leaving them behind.
…Wait, maybe they died as a direct consequence to moving to the States, which would make all of this make sense, and also make Howard’s argument really dickish again.
Great. Now I don’t know which sibling to judge. >8C
It’s not nostalgia. And nothing she said makes it sound like she blames the US for her parents’ death or thinks they will become un-dead if she moves back.
Fact: Canada is markedly better than the States in several ways. For example, Ruth’s current college tuition situation.
Fact: Moving to another country, even with your consent, is a HUGE LIFE CHANGE. It is a “big deal”. Especially when you’re young. A lot of your sense of self can be tied up in your nationality.
Fact: Ruth’s “argument”, as you put it, was only that they have been through a lot of stuff, like the death of their parents, so maybe being bisexual or gay doesn’t register to her as a big deal.
Fact: All of Howard’s dialogue in this trip is dickish regardless of whether or not Canada is objectively a better place for them to live. He has told her that being into girls is weird (and from his facial expression at the time, also bad). He has told her to stop pretending to have feelings. And, when she attempted to explain why she has those feelings, he told her that her reasons are lame.
Seriously? Your takeaway from this conversation is that he’s right, because “nostalgia” is a poor reason for someone to make life decisions? (You realize that at no point in the conversation has Ruth actually said she even wanted to move back to Canada, right?)
I’m not sure if Howard is insensitive or losing patience with Ruth’s misery.
Hmm, well, Howie. Maybe you’re not gay, as Ruth may be, and hence don’t see any important difference between Canadian and US law pertaining to gay rights. Maybe you’ve never dealt with a catastrophic illness in your family, and thus don’t see the major difference in health care availability and costs between Canada and the US. Just off the top of my head.
You’re over-thinking it. The real reason is that Howard sucks.
Everything else may be true as well, but Howard sucking is still the main reason for him not getting it.
He sort of sucks, but he’s still miles ahead of Danny.
Why is Howard angry at Ruth? She is just deleting his cookies!
C:fx/rimshot
10 print Ha
20 goto 10
Presumably, Ruth remembers what it was like to live in a land where political ads only aired 30 days before an election.
What… are you talking about? I see bullcrap all the time! Especially if there’s a chance that an election could be called, then it’s all “Everyone’s evil! Keep us in power!”
agreed
Since we’ll never get to hear them, do Ruth and Howard have any slight Canadian accents? They likely sound American enough that Billie didn’t pick up on it til she asked about the hockey thing, and I’d wager that according to this trip, Howard was much younger that he wouldn’t have been speaking very long at that time, if at all.
They actually say “eh” at the end of every sentance. It’s just so subtle that Willis doesn’t bother typing it out.
Also they say Aboot.
That’s what it’s aboot, eh?
My attempts at imagining a Canadian accent just leads me to imagining a Wisconsin accent, which leads to me just hearing Pickles in my head.
They’re kinda similar, really.
Yeah, let’s imagine Howard talking like Pickles. Just matching that with his nerdy persona is amusing.
…it’s wonderful.
Well, sort of. It depends on what part of Canada we’re talking about. It’s a huge land mass, and different people have different accents. For an example of a Newfoundland accent, read The Punchline is Machismo and look at Canadian Guy.
Given that Ruth willingly displays Leafs paraphernalia, I’m guessing they’re from Toronto or thereabouts. Their Canadian accent is likely to be the thick and incomprehensible Standard North American Broadcast English exhibited by the likes of Peter Jennings or Alex Trebek.
Incomprehensible? Really? I’m totally American, which is why I find it fairly pleasant and clear, but I would not have imagined that accent would be the incomprehensible one from an outside perspective.
Interesting. What’s the worst part?
^ Insert sarcasm tags.
Starting to dislike Howard, but it’s probably due to him being a little brother and the such, being a bug. I have little brothers.
…that formatted incorrectly.
Starting? Man, WW, you’re behind everyone on this!
I’ve been hating Howard since before it was cool…
I’ve been hating Howard since after it was cool and then became uncool again, but before the latest resurrection in Howard-hating coolness.
I’ve been hating Howard since before he knew talking was popular.
I’ve been hating Howard since he was “The Duck”!
I hated Howard since “Bobby’s World”.
This is an example of a Logical Fallacy. Canada is not edible and is not delicious.
How do you know. HAVE YOU EVEN TRIED?
C’mon, it’s like 40% maple syrup by volume, and most of the rest is Tim Hortons and bacon. Canada is downright scrumptious.
Ruth misses Tim Hortons and perhaps easy access to their staunch competitor Dunkin Donuts.
Not sure why. In the states we have Hardees and Krispy Kreme, both of which are awesome alternatives.
Unless there is.someon…er some other place she has been thinking about dining at but hasnt yet
She’d have plenty Tim Hortons if she lived in Ohio!
Foolish fleshling! Krispy Kreme has nothing on Dunkin Donuts! Dunkin Donuts is better than Krispy Kreme by an order of magnitude.
It is also better than Starbucks.
All hail the robot overlord and his infinite wisdom!
N o p e
The nicest thing I can say about Dunkin Donuts is that it’s catering to a different niche than Starbucks. They don’t really serve tea*, for example, or food that isn’t donuts.
For my “cheaper coffee than Starbucks” fix, I like to head to a Wawa’s.
But generally speaking, I like Starbucks’s culture better. I like that their part-time employees were getting health insurance before it was cool and that my money tends to go to “blue state”-type causes when I give it to them.
I used to have no opinion on Dunkin Donuts at all, but then they started running a bunch of ads bongoing about Starbucks’s “elitism” and their “funny foreign-sounding cup sizes”, and like. Really? You think you’re the coffee of “Real America”? Well, this real American just decided to never buy from you ever again, asshats.
*Hot black tea, iced black tea, sweet iced black tea, and hot “vanilla chai” that exists in no other form.
Sadly, there are no Dunkin Donuts were I live now. (Cybertron’s not exactly in their market area, but we have plenty of Starbucks, you should try their energon blend…) There was one where I used to live in Texas, and it was great. Last time i was in one, it like 11pm and I was in White Planes, NY and I got a great donut.
Dropping the Cybertron bit for a moment, I don’t drink coffee, so when I go to Starbucks, I get hot chocolate or iced tea. From a customer perspective, I love Starbucks. Those weird names for their sizes (which I find inordinately silly) aren’t mandatory. No one’s ever given me guff for ordering a small, medium or large drink. They just ring it up and I get the correct size. I know Paul Rudd’s famous for that scene where he talks smack to a Starbucks worker, but it’s kind of dumb. The only time I’ve seen a worker insist on specific company terminology in the face of common sense is McDonald’s and a few other fast food companies.
The only thing I don’t like about Starbucks is their customers. They seem to think that their entitled to take their coffee anywhere. No one else seems to think that way. I work at a movie theater and we have a policy of “No Outside Food or Drink Allowed.” No one comes from 7-11 and seems to feel entitled to bring in their coffee. No one grabs a Big Gulp and then tries to go into the movie theater with it. If some one is holding a non-Starbucks drink, and I ask them to finish it, they’re usually fine with it.
Not the Starbucks people though! They just bought their coffee! For the movie! It’s early! They should have their coffee! These are adults, did they grow up in a world where it’s ok to bring in outside food and drink? Like, how have they not noticed that?
Makes me want to break out the fusion cannon.
Eheheheh. I am a movie-goer who routinely sneaks outside food or drink. Not Starbucks coffee, though, which to me is a weird thing to bring to a movie. No, I’m talking bottled water, cans of soda, once a bag of SmartPop popcorn made at home. (The kind we get is much healthier than normal popcorn.)
I know this sucks for movie theaters because food is a biiiig source of revenue. I’ve actually gone to the movies many times over the last year with the intention of buying candy when we get there. I’m super into Milk Duds or Sour Patch Kids and there’s no better excuse to eat them. We tend to arrive to the theater too late, by poor planning or traffic or both, so the movie’s already started, and then we have to run in and I don’t get to buy my candy.
But I’m also guilty of once or twice actually stopping at a McDonald’s or something on the way to the movie and sneaking in cheeseburgers and McNuggets and eating that during the movie.
I don’t know if it’s better or worse that I do this with every expectation that we might get caught and have to throw out the food; it’s definitely not that I would pitch a huge fit if someone caught us, I’d be embarrassed and guilty and apologetic. But I do it anyway.
Part of the reason is that snacks ARE so expensive — you pay $20 for tickets and then also $5 for a bottle of water? — and part of it is that the food selection is usually pretty limited. I’ve been to theaters that served ice cream and hot dogs, but I’ve also been to theaters where the closest thing to food is popcorn or nachos with (sometimes) hot cheese whiz. (Not that cheeseburgers are better for you but they are more filling.)
If I haven’t completely chased you away with my being absolutely awful, I like regular chai lattes at Starbucks, with skim milk because I can’t taste the difference. Other awesome drinks include Taco Bell’s new Pink Lemonade Freeze (which is not a patch on their old strawberry Fruitista Freeze, but) and the frozen strawberry lemonade Wawa makes. Mmmmm.
Look, I don’t mind you sneaking in the stuff. If I can’t see it, whateves. No one would go to the movies if we checked stuff like backpacks and purses.
But don’t carry the Venti Latte you got up in front of you like your going to ask me for the TPS report and then be shocked (SHOCKED!) that you can’t bring it in. Like, have you never been to a movie before?
I mean I bought a Togo’s sandwich one time and ate it while watching Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (best part about the movie), but I didn’t brazenly carry in the bag with the huge Togo’s logo into the theater, I had the good decency to put it in my backpack first.
It’s all about not giving people a hard time.
Oh, and it’s not just $5 for a bottle of water, it’s an unreasonably large bottle of water and the reasonably sized bottle is only .50 less.
Ah, I’m guessing you only go there for the coffee.
And not the donuts.
Because if you did, you’d be WRONG.
YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH
There’s plenty of Dunkins around everywhere. Also, Krispy Kreme really isn’t a competitor, as Dunkin Donuts really markets itself on its coffee. No one goes to Dunkin for donuts really; they just get them while they are getting coffee since they’re right there. At least, that’s the New England view on Dunkies.
I go to Dunkin expressly for the donuts, it being my donut of choice. Of course, I’m not a coffee drinker at all, so I have no opinion on that subject.
It has been pointed out to me that for people who prefer cake donuts, Krispy Kreme tends not to satisfy, because they are lighter and less substantial. I know what they mean but don’t particularly discriminate.
Except against Dunkin Donuts itself, which (as elaborated on above) I now resent for other reasons.
I’ll admit, being an obnoxious teenager aside, I like this version of Howard way more that the previous version of him.
I find this to be a fantastically accurate portrayal of a sibling argument!
No, it’s not! Both of them are still wearing unbroken glasses, and the cops haven’t been called!
And they still have all their teeth. Let’s not forget that.
Now I really want to see a GIF of Ruth dressed as Batgirl woofing down a cookie, intimating the Batman/hotdog thing.
No brothers or.siaters.for me.
I was born three weeks early, weighed 2 pounds and was in neo-natial ICU for about two months before I came home so mom and dad knew better than to try again.
Ya i would hate to leave Canada too.
….Ruth. The Cute. Cookie.
Ruth makes a perfect point.
This is the most accurate sibling exchange I’ve ever seen. Apparently that’s a hard dynamic to nail (Disney seems to be terrible at it, at least) so good job!
That last bit was kinda cute.
Cookie here is a metaphor for “working/sane government” ^_^
Delicious, delicious object lesson.
Well, Howard may be a gaslighting jerkface, but at least he’s acting more human now. Billie has already taught Joyce many things, maybe she can enlighten Howard too, and share her cookies.
No one should ever have to share their cookies with Howard.
What is Howard drinking here?
It looks like chocolate milk to me. It could also be cola but I personally think that’s an odd drink to have with a cookie.
Ruth missed a prime opportunity to say “Nom!” in that last panel.
It’s in the mouseover text. ;p
PUT DAT COOOKEE DAUGHN!!!
I’m sorry… I’m so sorry…
Who told you you could eat my Cookies!
Last panel is infinitely exploitable.
I baked you a cookie, but I ated it
Ruth has a soft spot for Howard, but it has it’s limits.
Stole your cookie
Stole your cookie bongo!
Howard’s cookies have been disabled.