July 2009 Archive for Rubes Cartoons - Tales from a Twisted Mind

Some people really enjoy a good adrenaline rush.  Take the “Running of the Bulls” in Pamplona, Spain for example. Would anyone care to explain to me the fun of having a herd of really large (and probably very unhappy) animals armed with big pointy horns chase after you on slippery cobblestone streets? Then again, maybe the people that get a thrill out of outrunning the bovines are really doing something that I try to do every day; only in the extreme... avoid a lot of bull.

 Lotsa of fun and no bull at: www.rubescartoons.com

I’ll bet you think I spend most of my day just sitting around. Well, it may appear that I am just plopped sedentarily at my drawing table but in actuality I’m really doing mental gymnastics. Each and every day I must come up with another cartoon and let me tell you, it’s a work out. There’s a lot of brain muscle flexing going on here. So while it may appear to the casual observer that I’m just sitting on my keester let me assure you that inside I’m sweating creative bullets. That’s a fact, no ifs ands or butts.

Quick, take a break and duck into:: www.rubescartoons.com

It was only about a month ago when I last complained about the less than satisfying service I received on my flight to New York courtesy of an airline whose name shall go unmentioned...(but the initials are “A.A.” ) Well, it happened again, and oddly enough on the very same airline! All was well on my fights back from Corn College until I arrived at LAX. It started with an announcement for a gate change. That’s simple enough. Then came a second announcement. The fight would be delayed from 2:20 until 3:00. Okay, I can deal with that. Then came announcement number 3. The flight was delayed until 4:00 PM.  And last but not least came the final announcement... Yep, you guessed it, flight cancelled. The excuses? First, there was no crew available and then there was no plane available. This is late July at the height of the summer travel season. What exactly are they thinking? So to sooth a planeload of unhappy passengers they summoned up three little shuttle vans and carted us from L.A. to Santa Barbara, which on a good day is a 1.5 hour drive. This was a Friday afternoon at the height of rush hour.  I’m only speculating here but could it be that it was cheaper to hire three little shuttle vans to transport us than to fly a jet from L.A. to Santa Barbara? With that kind of customer service it’s no wonder the airlines are in hot water.

Be cool and fly over to: www.rubescartoons.com

Several months ago I received an email informing me that using the word “psycho” was no longer acceptable as it carried a negative connotation in regards to mental health. Gee whiz, all this political correctness is making it more difficult than ever to crack a joke and not have someone take offense. I swear, sometimes it’s enough to drive me mentally unstable.*

*NUTS!

It's perfectly acceptable to go crazy at: www.rubescartoons.com

So here am at Farm Journal’s Corn College and I must say that everyone here has been wonderful! It has been a real pleasure meeting the fantastic Farm Journal staff as well as many of this year’s Corn College attendees. I gave my “stand up” cartoony presentation on Tuesday evening and the response was terrific! (I could tell because nobody in the audience threw anything at me!) Tonight I’ll be speaking again and I’m really looking forward to it. It’s always a treat and I really do appreciate it when folks take the time to lend me their ears...

There’s plenty more corn at: www.rubescartoons.com

 Ah yes, Monday is upon us....the beginning of a new week. How come no one ever says “TGIM?”  I’ll bet that a restaurant chain with a name like that wouldn’t last a minute. People generally look upon Mondays with dread. If I was a Monday I think I’d apply for a transfer to the end of week.  Surely there must be something good about Mondays...something to take the edge off of the first work day of the week. Why, I might even consider changing my name to something fun and silly...something that people would look forward to. I’ve got it! If I was Monday I’d change my name to “Pun-day”! Gosh, that is such a good Idea I think I deserve a great big patty on the back!

So many puns, so little time at: www.rubescartoons.com

I am happy to say that this coming week I will be attending Farm Journal’s Corn College. I am really looking forward to meeting some of you there and sharing some laughs! Since I missed last Monday’s “Pun-Day” I thought it would be only fair to make it up with an appropriately themed cartoon. After all, I wouldn’t want you to think I was just a big flake...

For more corn that ever check out: www.rubescartoons.com!

Thank goodness for caller I.D. It has saved me from countless annoying telemarketers. In the old days before caller I.D. and voicemail and even answering machines people actually had to answer the phone and hope it wasn’t somebody selling something. For polite people it was a nightmare. There have been many tricks devised to escape from unwanted callers such as telling the telemarketer to hold on for a minute and then putting the phone down for an indefinite amount of time or my favorite technique which I heard a comedian use in his routine. I can’t remember his name but here’s how it went... A telemarketer calls and you answer the phone. You politely listen for a bit, then, while giving a thoughtful response you hang up on yourself. No one would ever cut themselves off, right?! I know one thing for sure. If I was a telemarketer I’d begin to think that nobody ever wanted to talk to me. In fact I’ll bet that eventually it would get so bad that I’d have to go to a therapist to deal with all of my hang ups.



For a good time call: www.rubescartoons.com!

It’s important to take a moment or two everyday to stop and smell the roses and that’s exactly what I did for the last nine days up in the stunningly gorgeous Northwest with a couple of my oldest buddies. You’d think that after that many days of hiking, biking, eating, more hiking, swimming, eating, more hiking, more eating and staying up night after night way past our usual bedtimes that I’d be tired of all the strenuous activity and be glad to get back the old grind, but truth be told I have yet to even come close growing weary of just enjoying myself...not a chance. In fact, I’m all ready for the next bouquet.


Want to know the latest buzz? Then check out: www.rubescartoons.com

As reported in an earlier post, Farm Journal Humorolgist Leigh Rubin had taken a few days to goof off with a couple of childish, er, I mean, childhood friends in the great Northwest. By sheer coincidence, an amateur nature photographer who just happened to be observing the stunning beauty of Trillium Lake and the towering magnificence of Mt. Hood caught a rare glimpse of Leigh’s two amigos, Rick and Steve and surreptitiously snapped their photo. Leigh, however, was nowhere to be seen...

 Quick like a bunny hop on over to: www.rubescartoons.com

Farm Journal Humorologist Leigh Rubin is out getting lost in the woods for a few days but he’s selected some of his favorite cartoons for your reading pleasure until he manages to find his way back home...Enjoy!

(Leigh may be on vacation but his cartoons are still working at: www.rubescartoons.com              )

Tomorrow I’ll be taking several days (to goof) off from the cartoon factory and give the ol’ pencil a well deserved rest. I’ll be heading up to Oregon’s gorgeous Hood River Valley with a buddy to visit another buddy who we have both known since elementary school. I suspect we'll behave in much the same manner as we did in elementary school, too -- only this time there will be no one to send us to the principal. Go ahead and tell on me if you want to... It won’t do any good....So nyah! nyah!

 I want you to write 100 times “I will visit: www.rubescartoons.com “

 I have a live and let live attitude toward bugs. If I see an insect or spider in my home, I pretty much either just leave it alone or do a “catch and release” with the little critter. My only exceptions to this policy of coexistence are flies and ants. In fact, I would be a lot more tolerant of ants if there weren’t so many of them. Once I spot one or two, I know it won’t be long until I’ll have a major invasion on my hands. When it comes to flies, I show no mercy. In fact, I’m pretty proud of my hunting skills. It’s a good thing that no permit is required to carry a concealed rubber band. I am most forgiving when it comes to spiders. I like them and will go out of my way to rescue them. We do, after all, share a similar opinion regarding flies...

I hope I’m not bugging you too much to visit: www.rubescartoons.com