Well, I'm taking some time off. Some more time off, three or four weeks. I'm about to start a program of physical therapy sessions designed for people with Parkinson's. I've only been in for an evaluation, but the therapy largely consists of big, exaggerated movements and sweeping silly walks that will so embarrass your body that it'll start behaving itself, I hope. Also I'll learn ten ways to defeat a mugger by falling on him.
Garry Trudeau likened daily newspaper comics to a public utility that delivers its service so regularly that any interruption is seen as some kind of major systems failure. .Though well aware of this, the kind folks at Universal Press have been greatly supportive and urged me to do whatever I needed to do. So I'm'a gonna.
I love seeing a new strip every day. That said, I have no sense of entitlement about new strips at all. Do your best at your therapy and I will enjoy new strips as they come, I will still enjoy the repeats and anyone who thinks that new strips are a right can go suck eggs. Good luck with the therapy.
ReplyDeleteYeah. What Brett said! Also: I enjoy re-reading your strips. So, no complaints here! Hope the therapy goes well!
ReplyDeleteHey Richard, you do what you gotta do, we'll all be here when you get back!
ReplyDeleteI didn't notice it was a repeat; I thought it was just hilarious.
ReplyDeleteBut you take the time you need, and we'll be here when you get back. Yours is one of the few strips I actually look forward to each day, repeats or not.
We'll be rooting for your silly walks to be extremely helpful! Your stuff never goes stale--don'y fret about the repeats!
ReplyDeleteWe love every strip, repeat or not. We look forward to your return, but will continue to read your strip every day while you're away.
ReplyDeleteWe've purchased both new books.
I'm with Neal - never noticed and laughed a LOT. Even my husband - who has an amazing memory and usually catches that sort of thing - missed that it was a repeat.
ReplyDeleteWhen you told us about the Parkinsons, we all pretty much figured there would be some, um, interruptions in the service while you dealt with it. Do what you need to - your fans are patient.
Well, your need to take time off meshes quite well with my inability to remember things past last Tuesday - I'll enjoy any repeat strips as if they were brand new. :)
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the program - do what they tell you to do (I say this as a person who whines & gives about 85% in physical therapy).
Good luck, Richard! We'll be here when the therapy's done.
ReplyDeleteIt's about time. I expect to hear great things about this.
ReplyDeleteEven your repeats are better than anything new. Those cds kids will be fine with you on a break. Take care of you!
ReplyDeleteTake care of yourself, Richard. My Cul de Sac calendar is all repeats and I enjoy them as much as the strip every day and I laugh every time.
ReplyDeleteSending positive thoughts your way Richard!
ReplyDeleteMore good wishes your way, Richard
ReplyDeleteI think I may have seen the strip before, but I still laughed and showed it to my wife who had the same response. You've got good taste about what material to repeat.
ReplyDeleteYour health comes first, period. And with new readers discovering your work all the time, it's a pretty ideal time for re-runs. Best of luck with the therapy!
ReplyDeleteI noticed it was a repeat, but only because I just discovered your beautiful, funny, touching comic a week ago and read through every single one in less than a week. So the memory's fresh!
ReplyDeleteI'm about old enough to be Petey and Alice's mom, but your strips are so relatable to anyone who carries a spark of whimsy in them. I was recounting several of the strips to my mom in person just yesterday. You write such great characters. Take care of yourself.
Rave on, Richard.
ReplyDeleteAs a long time practitioner of big sweeping movements and silly walks, I offer you good luck and good health - let me know if I can help in any way.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your therapy, Richard. I'm glad to see you have kept your sense of humor about it.
ReplyDeleteHey Richards,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the laughs so far and once you get better, you will bring even more humor to the table.
So I am being very selfish in saying, take good care of yourself. I hope this therapy helps you immensely.
Meanwhile, all of us will enjoy the old strips.
As a fellow parky who has gone through the physical therapy program twice, your characterization of it brings back fond memories of standing on balance boards and other such tortures. I know you will bear up well under PT and although Parkinson's is a progressive disease, which I write about daily at http://lavidaparkinsons.org, at least it's a chance to get out of the house. Best wishes!
ReplyDeleteAll of the above.
ReplyDeleteHey, study some Monty Python sketches like Fawlty Towers for improved exaggerated leg exercises and falling down techniques! The good laughs will help too.
ReplyDeleteAll the best to you, we'll be here when you are.
All best wishes.
ReplyDeleteBest to you Richard. Those therapists are in for a treat.
ReplyDeleteYour big fan.
Mo
I, for one, do not mind repetition.
ReplyDeleteGet well, Richard!
I, for one, do not mind repetition.
ReplyDeleteGet well, Richard!
I, for one, do not mind repetition.
ReplyDeleteGet well, Richard!
I, for one, do not mind repetition.
ReplyDeleteGet well, Richard!
Best wishes for your health and therapy, Richard. I'm a relatively new fan, so repeats are fine with me for as long as you need to do them. I'm embarrassed to say I'm just catching up! But I absolutely love the strip, it's a highlight of my day and I won't miss a one. & The exploding socks today is brilliant-worth repeating! I admire your courage and I wish you strength and stamina during your therapy. best.
ReplyDeleteMay you master the silly walk and make it your own. I hope it goes as well as it possibly can, and my family of fans is cheering for you. And looking silly while doing it.
ReplyDeleteAny repeat of yours is always golden! Looking forward to Dill walking funny sometime when you get back. All good wishes, Kass
ReplyDeleteBest of luck Richard!
ReplyDeleteYou take care of yourself, Cousin Richard—We'll all be here when your ready to return. =)
ReplyDeleteI, for one, do not mind repetition.
ReplyDeleteGet well, Richard!
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ReplyDeleteRichard, best wishes on your therapy. Your strips are truly worth reading over and over again. While you're away, I'll continue looking forward to the strip each day.
ReplyDeleteHope your physical therapy (even if it consists of silly walks!) helps to make a marked difference for you! Take care and good luck with everything!
ReplyDeleteI find one of the advantages of getting old and acquiring a slipshod memory is that I can repeatedly enjoy the same things! So I don't mind reading Classic Cul de Sac at all.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the therapy and try not to strangle your therapist. They're not really sadists, they just act like them.
Best of luck with the therapy! I'm hoping there will be some amusing therapy-related (non cds) drawings that come out of this, along with the physical benefits for you!
ReplyDeleteYou'll be ready for next Silly Walk Day in a jiffy! Good luck!
ReplyDeleteRichard - Good luck! We will all be here eagerly anticipating your return. I look forward to learning more about silly walks.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the physical therapy and see you back on the "funny" "pages"!
ReplyDeleteRepeats of great comics in exchange for better health and more great comics in the future? Count me in.
ReplyDeleteGood luck, best wishes, and I hope the p.t. does wonders!
We should all be more involved members in the Ministry of Silly Walks for overall health. My girls and I strive to do our bit every day. Cheers, Richard!
ReplyDeleteAll the best to you, Richard. Hope to see you this summer at HeroesCon.
ReplyDeleteThanks for putting smiles on our faces. Now it's "Richard" time. I hope that this therapy does more to help you than you could have imagined.
ReplyDeleteLove your work. Good luck with your forthcoming project in fundraising. I also have PD and do regular physiotherapy tailor made for my needs. Wishing you well and success for the future. Elaine
ReplyDeleteRichard - I never get tired of reading your strips. You have created a wonderful world with Alice and Peter and the kids in Cul de Sac.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the daily laughs - we are all rooting for you You make a difference more than you could ever realize
:)
You do everything you must to keep yourself well! You have a gift .. the gift of laughter.
ReplyDeleteI lost my Mom to old age and Parkinson's a few years back and I am very very familiar with that absolutely horrid disease since I was with her almost 24/7 for the last few years.
My prayers are with you.