Rubbed at the Edges, but otherwise Good Condition!

I spent last weekend visiting my Uncle Marty Murphy in La La Land California and had a fabulous time! We wined and dined, saw the sights by getting irrevocably lost from time to time and generally acted like the tourists we were.

My Uncle as many of you readers know is a cartoonist. His numerous and famous works range from Mr. Magoo’s Christmas Carol, Hong Kong Phooey, Wait Till Your Father Gets Home, Maja the Bee to the choice primo spot after the centerfold in Playboy. Yep Mom, I know the secret! Marty draws for Playboy and he is funny as hell! So, lets get over that little peccadillo!

He also has collaborated on many books containing his work and several other work of very talented cartoonists. Here is where I get to my title of this blog. My cherished Tom, having had many long wonderful conversations with Marty, wanted to take part in that famous past time of Google-ing Marty. He found many articles including blogs by other luminary cartoonist such as Roy Delgado, http://roydelgadoblog.blogspot.com/ and Mike Lynch, http://mikelynchcartoons.blogspot.com/ . Stop by these two sites - Very Funny Works!

He also stumbled upon sellers of some of Marty’s books. Most notably, ‘Teachers Are Very Funny People’ and ‘That Was the Church That Was’ both of these gems are hysterical and I remember as a child always thinking that Marty was such a star!

Here is the kicker. These books range from 98cents plus shipping to a whopping $2,475!! Now the higher price is because there is an inscription by Marty saying "To Russ from Marty Murphy Thanks for bringing your energy and talent to the sat morning class!” It also says that the book has some wear but the pgs/binding are tight…… Other descriptions of his books are “mild wear”, “rubbed edges” etc. And this got me thinking.

Does “Russ” know that “Rebecca (Rebrosa)” is selling a tight mildly worn book to the public for an enormous amount of cash? Did Russ enjoy the book? Did he know what a stellar man my Uncle is? Does Rebecca know what a gem Marty is? Does she care?

When in our golden years do we get reduced to a selling point? When did a funny, loving, cuddly, intelligent and massively talented man become “rubbed at the edges”?

I know that a book that Marty worked on that is selling at such a huge amount should be a testament to his talent but for some reason I felt a bit sad. In my long conversations over the years and especially this past weekend, I realized that this wonderful Uncle that always supported my dreams are having his sold and no pennies are coming his way. So I want to shout out to the world that Mr. Marty Murphy is still kicking in L.A. Still drawing his fabulously and irreverent cartoons and is as sharp as ever!

Marty Murphy may be a little rubbed at the edges but Damm he is still in good condition and to me that is priceless!

Candidates Of The Unknown

So I can't sleep. So in my awake but near coma-like state, I thought I would cruise the web to get information on the potential candidates for President and I stumbled upon a website called http://www.vote-smart/

An interesting site that gives you, according to them, unbiased information about the candidates. Clicking on Republicans, I found not just the 'known' candidates but scores of other announced candidates. I did not know these people existed and I had fun reading their biographies and their position on issues. By the way, what is the Humanitarian Party????

I only included 4 from each category but showed the number of entries into the race after each section. Click on the name and it will bring you to the site and you can meet some of the serious but no money, not-serious but think its fun, or the plain ole nut jobs.

There is a guy that is running on the Democrat/Farmer/Labor party that is called Ole.

Republican Candidates #56
Virginia Algar
Michael Andrew Arterburn
George Brent Bailey
Daniel James Barnett

Democrat Candidates #54
Willie Felix Carter
Randolph Wilson Crow
Jack L Dietz
Philip Epstein

Other Party(s) #109
Blake Ashby
Michael W. Bay
John Douglas Blyth

Patrick Cazneau

Running Out on Red Lobster

Letter to the Editor of Kane County Chronicle

My husband Tom and I, with our daughter, went out this past Friday night to a well deserved seafood feast at the Geneva Red Lobster. Waiting for our table in this bustling restaurant, a young server hurried down the sidewalk with great concern written upon her face. Low and behold, when we were seated, the same girl that scurried past us was now our server. Because Tom and I are curious as a bunch of cats, we asked what was up.

Well it appears that the customers seated before us had run off without paying their check. Now before a snap judgment is made that this was only a sad teenage prank, the thieves were a well dressed woman in her early forties enjoying an expensive shrimp dinner with her daughter in her late teens to early twenties. Shocked? Yep, Susie we have well-heeled criminals here in our own little hamlet of wealth.

You know what disgusts me the most? Not that they ran off without paying, which is a crime in itself, but that they left a tip. A tip for the server that they ultimately punished. According to the policies of Red Lobster, the server is responsible for the table whether the customers pays or not. She or He is given the choice of compensating for the table or taking a write-up on their record. Too many write-ups for this type of infraction, then they are let go.

So Miss Fancy Pants in your mind, you thought you “stuck” it to the corporation. But instead, now a server has black mark on her record. She also will be taxed on the total amount of your bill and believe me, the IRS does not care that that bill was not paid. They will tax her nonetheless. That young girl will now ultimately be financing your criminal activities. Good Going!!

I called Red Lobster the following morning and talked to the manager in charge to plead the case of our lovely and very competent server. I wanted to get the facts straight; that they were not going to put her in server jail. Melanie, the manager in charge, explained to me that every situation is taken into consideration and Red Lobster would not make our server fork over some cash but would need to record this incident. Yes, like it or not, there are many servers out there that let their friends get away with not paying. It is fact of life that this happens, which is why this policy is in place.

In the case of our server, she did not let this horrible event affect our dining experience. She was gracious, skilled and we had a great time. But she did take this event personally. She went on the rest of the night knowing that someone had not only stolen from the corporation she worked for, but from her personally.

So to the woman and her daughter that sped away from Red Lobster, I hope that that ill gotten meal makes you sick. I hope that it sits in the pit of your stomach and wakes you up to the fact that at tax time this sweet server now is paying for your crime.

Do the right thing, send a anonymous money order covering your bill. Don’t teach your daughter that this is just a fun Friday night game. Have some morals lady! But if you don’t pay up and you like the life of a skanky criminal, realize that there is a elegant, moral and honest server out there that is more cultivated and worthy of praise than you ever could be.

TaTu or Not Tattoo – That is the Question

I have a tattoo. Sweet Mother, I do! Since according to Leviticus, I could get smited, cursed or stoned to death for all kinds of infractions including this one, I am pretty brazen in my attitude towards an uncomfortable situation that could affect my well-being. On a side note, I prefer to be smited for this is a much cooler word than plain old stoned to death with pea rock.

I stand by my tattoo. There I said it. I am neither ashamed nor am I worried that some people would think lower of me. Although, a really super duper scary threat made by someone "unnamed", who is close to me in a "familial" way vowed to kick my butt if I got a tattoo – which by the way Joey, (oops! Named Ya) concerned me for about 20 seconds, I see nothing wrong with getting a tattoo. As long as you think it out thoroughly and choose one that means something deep to you, go for it.

Again with a pesky side note, be careful where you place the tattoo. Trust me, it is hard to be convincing to a Fortune 500 group with Lady Godiva streaming down your forearm while you wear short sleeves. Those bored CEO’s would spend all their time trying to peek through Go-dives hair and not pay attention to your speech. But I digress.

My tattoo, located at my lower back, is a broken heart with wings that in my convoluted artistic mind symbolized my children annoying the beejeebers out of me for 22 years. The heart is well, you know, the boys terrorizing me and my desire to just fly the hell away at times. By the way, don’t you dare call this a tramp stamp. That pleasant description does not apply to me because I gave up low riders and thong underwear years ago in favor of more suitable, comfortable and age appropriate Hanes.

There are pundits in the pulpit that cite everything from rebellion to tattoos being against God’s law. Funny how any time these purveyors of my personal moral clause wants to make a point, they whip out a convenient chapter of Leviticus. In Leviticus, 19:28 nestled comfortably between the sinful beard trimming and prostituting your daughter, states that “Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the LORD” That being said, in my case I am so hell bound.

Anthropologists and Sociologists alike try to dispel the myths of the lure of tattooing as adolescent rebellion. I agree and disagree at the same time with this. Sure if you are under 18 and REALLY want to put a choke hold on Mom and Dad’s psyche, you get a tattoo of Tweetie Bird on your bicep that states Chicks Rule. But in most cases, it really is not about rebellion. It is about self expression. And that is something that today’s society needs and thrives upon. The ability to show the world your uniqueness is priceless and although not understanding at times the message the wearer is trying convey, at least respect the courage and audacity to say “Here I am World – take me or leave me.”

Oxford anthropologist Wilfrid Dyson Hambly said: "These (tattoos) might range from specific ancient symbols to images with complex personal meanings unique to the wearer. A lot of people are eager to link up with 'something beyond,' reaffirm their connections with greater forces beyond this mundane daily life.... if they make us feel better about ourselves, and by extension others around us, the magic works. We are wearing our dreams."

So, I had my tattoo placed in a private area where no one can see it unless I decide to. And I am not about to moon someone to show my self expression. So if you still want to kick my butt, have at it. Besides my butt being a conveniently LARGE target, I will stand up for my right to express myself whichever way I choose.