751 Beings.

It’s kind of unfortunate that I have no way to access the Internet in the truck. I’m going to be stuck in it most of the day, not being able to do much of anything, which would be the perfect time to answer email and comments on the blog. No sense in being sour about it though, I suppose.

The other day I was at the store and wandered down the make a mess isle of toys. Where things like Moon Sand and Zubber are sold. The kinds of things that get into the carpet and ruin it. Leaving a stain that your mother will never forgive you for and continue bringing up well into your thirties at family gatherings. While there i noticed a plastic bag on a hanging peg. It was clearly labeled as Play-Doh, which you will all, of course, know I am mildly obsessed with. Upon further inspection I discovered that this was being marketed as travel Play-Doh. A soft bag fit for storing in a purse or backpack on a trip. What’s more you get a giant wad of the stuff for a dollar. About the size of my fist. Just under the size of, say, a softball. Enough to entertain a couple of kids, or one idiot manchild. Needless to say, although stated anyway, I purchased a bag for myself. Green, in fact. The color so hard to come by before now readily available, and cheap. The stuff is super mushy and sticky though. I guess so that it will be nice and soft on the shelves. It takes a while for it to get to a point where you can get it off your hands.

Each bag comes with a little shape cutter made of plastic, and the stuff was so sticky I couldn’t get enough off so I could stamp a little tree out of it. My assumption is that each color comes with an appropriate cutter. Green is a tree. I can only imagine what sorts of things will come with other hues. Some of the available colors were a little surprising as well. Silver is an option. Or maybe gray is more accurate, but the bag somehow gave me the impression of being filled with a more metallic version of it.

It actually took me a moment to figure out how you ascertain the color of the contents, because the first bags I saw were yellow, and the better part of the bag graphics are yellow. To my eye it looked as if the bags were simply yellow and you had to guess what you got. In fact, I don’t think the actual color is named anywhere on the bag. Although, assuming you look at any color than yellow, and are not colorblind, the color of the contents becomes quite clear.

I find worrying Play-Doh in my hands very soothing. Silly Putty has a similar effect, and is more easily transported, but it is not as forgiving as Play-Doh. Play-Doh also leaves you with that distinct odor on your hands. I’m not sure if that goes in the plus or minus column socially speaking. I can’t really think of anyone who hates the smell of it, and I don’t think I’d like to know such a person anyway.

I think the world might be an easier place to live in if adults had easy access to Play-Doh.

20 Comments

Please tell me that all this talk takes place while the car is still stationary because no one is wearing a seat belt! Of course, seat belts are poison for picture composition :P

Argh, I can’t believe that I’m thinking of seat belts while the loss of Jo’s virginity is discussed. Talk about an idiot.

It looks like that car actually has a bench seat in the front. If so, it could be old enough to only have lap belts.

Personally, it doesn’t matter if I’m actually driving my car somewhere or not. When I get in my car, I virtually always put on my seat belt. I will rarely take it off for reasons other than, I’m about to get out. This holds true regardless of which seat in my car I am sitting in.

As such, I found this a bit jarring also.

Gonna go out on a limb here, but does Jo have Asperger Syndrome or something. I know plenty of people with it (including myself) and a lot of them are just like her. Shy around others, in need of some form of comfort (mine is a fedora I got for Christmas), and have some weird skill that they can pull off that amazes people around them.

Jo and John. Needs. To. Happen. But so help me if that plot goes down with him dumping her I will smack-a fictional character.

@Anonymous
Very likely. The author may not have intended it, but Jo has many of the traits. As someone with A.S. I seem to find myself sympathizing with her more than the other characters.

Man, I love Jo so much. She’s just the cutest little person ever. I just wanna stick her in my pocket and carry her home.

john has the potential to say something sweet and romantic, though likely just to get in her pants as fits his stated agenda

@ Sable
I know what you mean. I find myself liking Jo most out of all of the characters in the comic. Although, when it come to associating myself with a character, I would call myself a mix of her with Ed’s annger management issues worked in.

Crave–

Never think that the aroma of Play-Doh is a minus, socially speaking. A woman got on the bus a week or two ago reeking of the stuff. I said, “Hmm, Play Doh?” She made an embarrassed confession that she kept a few cans in her desk and had some time at the end of the day. “Don’t worry about that,” I said, “You’re talking to the guy who keeps a carton of Lego and a Slinky on his desk at all times.”

@Anonymous–

I’ve lived my entire life with my brother, who has a serious case of Asperger syndrome. I have a small coterie of people for whom I do computer work, aside from my day job. One of these ‘outside clients’ is an architect and artist. She is also a serious A.S., who has made some progress over the six or seven years I’ve known her. Last December, she called and asked me to accompany her on a trip to New London, CT to photograph a parade. “You? A parade? Crowds?” She explained that her therapist had suggested she get out more (she works from home most of the week) and it was good — probably for both of us.

If that makes me an expert — or at least experienced, I think our Jolene is most certainly a person with Asperger’s. Not that that’s a bad thing.

–Perfesser

@ Perfesser_Bear
I’d definitely call you more of an expert then most of the therapists I saw as a kid. Nice to hear you and her had a good time out and her therapist is quite right. Going out/new locations is better for people with A.S. when it is with someone they know.

Personally I never see being labelled as having A.S. as a bad thing. The only bad thing is the who think is is the same as being retarded. Was called a retard so much when I was a kid I thought it was a term of endearment before I would out what is meant.

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