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Veronica explains Pandora's Box to Jim.

4 (7.1%)

Jim is found tied to the espresso machine.

1 (1.8%)

Veronica kisses BOTH of Sam's frogs. Nothing happens.

4 (7.1%)

Jim is found tied to the bakery's oven.

4 (7.1%)

Veronica announces she's rented an apartment.

8 (14.3%)

Sam asks Veronica what she does for a living.

18 (32.1%)

Some of those other characters do something.

17 (30.4%)

Total Members Voted: 55

Voting closed: 09 May 2014, 20:02

[Redball]

Here's a poll, my first and last, and a thread. It was a slow race, and I lost.

[Rghfrgl]

Week ends with Claire, Tai and sparkles.

[cesium133]

mmm... scones...

[jmucchiello]

The secret bakery is closed on Mondays.

[GarandMarine]

I can't tell if Veronica is like "Damn, his passion is hot" or "Damn, this guy's a little too into baked goods" in the last panel.

[techkid]

Maybe Jeph didn't reference his wall of post-it notes today (see Read or Die)?

I don't envy bakers at all, but I do respect their work.

[cesariojpn]

So basically, Jim just glorified minimum wage jobs in the second to last panel.

[ankhtahr]

Well, if it actually is your passion, I don't see why not.

[ysth]

Jim has phrased it a little off; he's not describing a baker, he's describing a bakery owner.

[Platypodes]

I can't tell if Veronica is like "Damn, his passion is hot" or "Damn, this guy's a little too into baked goods" in the last panel.

I took it as something like a combination of the two....  "Damn, his passion is hot, but he's a little insane."

Overall, this date is going awfully well.

I think V.V. appreciates that Jim is basically neutral about her work--he's not shocked or critical, but he's not into her because she's a dominatrix.

[Tova]

So basically, Jim just glorified minimum wage jobs in the second to last panel.

If you think that business owners are glorified minimum wage workers, then I suppose so, yes.

[Nepiophage]

The secret bakery is closed on Mondays.

But it's Wednesday in strip time.

[Akima]

So basically, Jim just glorified minimum wage jobs in the second to last panel.

I don't think bakers are minimum-wage workers. Hard work is not necessarily ill-paid work, or unworthy of passion. The second last panel could almost be a Mao-era poster (Edit: Found a better picture):

    "Self-reliance and hard work building the motherland."

[Method of Madness]

I like scones.

[NilsO]

Googling "BDSM 101" returns several links. Here is one that looks informative (SFW). Not that I am any kind of expert on this subject...

Here is another poster that Jeph could have used as inspiration for today's strip:

Jim's radiant passion for true bakers, and his similarity to certain all-powerful dictators, might impress VV. She might fall for alpha males.

[Schwungrad]

Jim has phrased it a little off; he's not describing a baker, he's describing a bakery owner.

His description fits the work of employed bakers as well as that of bakery-owning bakers (not, however, the work of bakery owners who mainly act as managers of their business and leave the actual baking to their employees). It's just that, as an employed baker, your willingness to work "ungodly hours" might be curbed by union regulations/workplace laws, and your passion and zeal might wane if you feel they are exploited by your employer.

[Border Reiver]

So basically, Jim just glorified minimum wage jobs in the second to last panel.

If you think that business owners are glorified minimum wage workers, then I suppose so, yes.

Early in her stint of being a small business owner my wife discovered that with all the time that needed to be spent on paperwork, etc for the store, that she was getting slightly less than minimum wage....

[cesium133]

I just calculated how much I make per hour, given I typically work ~65 hours per week: $6.70/hour. Granted, I am a graduate student, though...

[Barmymoo]

Hm. Working on the assumption that I work 22 weeks a year (my degree is approximately 50% placement, 50% theory but I think it's actually more like 60% placement overall), I make Ł6.40 an hour. That's not too bad! It's not really a wage though, it's a bursary, and thankfully not taxed.

[Sorflakne]

Oh Jim, you set her heart all aflutter.

[Near Lurker]

I think this is the first strip of the date where Veronica's face in the final panel doesn't say "he has one-third of one second to convince me not to start walking..."

[Storel]

Jim's radiant passion for true bakers, and his similarity to certain all-powerful dictators, might impress VV. She might fall for alpha males.

If so, then why did she ever fall for Henry? He's never seemed very alpha to me...

[DSL]

It's "minimum wage" if you're working to make your employer rich.
It's your passion/dream/drive/sacrifice if you're working to make yourself rich.

Define "rich" how you want to. It's not all (your local monetary unit) signs.

Me, I define "rich" as the ability to get away with saying: "You're an asshole. I won't work for you."

By that measure, I'm ... comfortably well off, if I don't get incapacitatingly sick or my car doesn't break down catastrophically in this public-transitless place which I wouldn't trade for the finest city you can think of.

Might one say Jim ... (shades) DOMINATES the local baking scene? Oh, Veronica ... you've met your match and it's set the big blender thing on fire.

[Rghfrgl]

If so, then why did she ever fall for Henry? He's never seemed very alpha to me...

Cocaine is a hell of a drug.

[Thrillho]

I think Marten's mom's vagina just skipped a beat.

[Kugai]

THIS IS BAKED GOODS!!!!!!!!!

[hedgie]

So basically, Jim just glorified minimum wage jobs in the second to last panel.

I don't think bakers are minimum-wage workers.

When I did it, it was actually at a coffee shop, and I got paid about a whole $1.50 USD above minimum wage in exchange for working really shitty hours.  I only took the position because I only had to do it once a week, and the rest of my shifts were as a barista for the same wage (they didn't put me at on a split pay scale) and get tipped on top of the higher pay rate.  My manager on the other hand covered a fair number of baking shifts, and was actually getting less than minimum wage because he was salaried and therefore exempt from overtime.

[Detachable Felix]

Might one say Jim ... (shades) DOMINATES the local baking scene? Oh, Veronica ... you've met your match and it's set the big blender thing on fire.

Once again, DSL wins Comment of the Week.

[St.Clair]

Oh Jim, no.  No.  It really doesn't.
It makes you look (as she said) like you can't be bothered, or are one of those unfortunates who can grow stubble in six hours and a full beard in a week.

[Method of Madness]

"unfortunates"? I think being able to grow a beard makes me fortunate indeed.

[Jazzmaster]

Can someone explain why he interjected with the hair comment?  I'm not sure I quite understand it.

[Indicible]

I think he wants to demonstrate he made an effort  when faced with the prospect of meeting her, in comparison to going across the whole country to meet him (and see her son).
Not that it is particularly impressive an effort, but still.

[Jazzmaster]

I think he wants to demonstrate he made an effort  when faced with the prospect of meeting her, in comparison to going across the whole country to meet him (and see her son).
Not that it is particularly impressive an effort, but still.

Makes sense.  The only problem is he didn't even know she'd gone across the country solely to meet him. 

[specter177]

Or he's just trying to be honest with her.

[ysth]

Can someone explain why he interjected with the hair comment?  I'm not sure I quite understand it.

She said something that indicated Things Are Happening, and he freaked from nervous hysteria and said the thing hovering in his head that he didn't want her to know.

[Penquin47]

The six-hour stubble is extremely unfortunate when your school enforces a no-facial-hair code strictly.  With cheap razors.

Naturally, we have a freshman who now has to spend his lunch period going home to shave.

[KOK]

I think he wants to demonstrate he made an effort  when faced with the prospect of meeting her, in comparison to going across the whole country to meet him (and see her son).
Not that it is particularly impressive an effort, but still.

Makes sense.  The only problem is he didn't even know she'd gone across the country solely to meet him.

What else could it be? Why lie to him if the true purpose was e.g. seeing Marten?

[Kugai]

It's her dominant energy that makes him do it.

[TinPenguin]

The six-hour stubble is extremely unfortunate when your school enforces a no-facial-hair code strictly.  With cheap razors.

Naturally, we have a freshman who now has to spend his lunch period going home to shave.

So would they actually chuck you out of the school if you grew a beard? What the fuck is that.


Anyway, tangential comment: This might be the first instance I've seen of a cartoonist deliberately drawing a particular species of tree, rather than a general brown and green shape. Hooray for birch.

[Akima]

Can someone explain why he interjected with the hair comment?  I'm not sure I quite understand it.

Veronica made a confession of deception, so he felt impelled to come clean about something he was perhaps insecure about?

The six-hour stubble is extremely unfortunate when your school enforces a no-facial-hair code strictly.

What do they do about Sikh, arguably Muslim, or Haredi Jewish students? Is this one of those "neutral" grooming standards that is really covert racist or religious bigotry?

[Method of Madness]

What the hell? What kind of school would do that?

[Sidhekin]

Can someone explain why he interjected with the hair comment?  I'm not sure I quite understand it.

Veronica made a confession of deception, so he felt impelled to come clean about something he was perhaps insecure about?

That was my impression.  Well, not necessarily impelled.  Making a good first impression is nice, deceiving is less so.  He may have wanted to come clean, and V gave him a good opportunity.

The six-hour stubble is extremely unfortunate when your school enforces a no-facial-hair code strictly.

What do they do about Sikh, arguably Muslim, or Haredi Jewish students? Is this one of those "neutral" grooming standards that is really covert racist or religious bigotry?

I second that question.

And I question such a standard in any case: I'm neither Sikh, Muslim, nor Jew, but I keep my beard, and kept it even in the army.  (Of course, this was the Norwegian army.  For two weeks, before I was transferred to the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment.)

[DSL]

Does it have to be "covert racist or religious bigotry" and not just simple ignorance?
Anyone with experience of a small(ish)-town U.S. local school board will understand my question, especially in an area in which people who differ visibly from the local norm are in short supply.

[Method of Madness]

like you can't be bothered

To be fair, this is why I shave so infrequently. I mean, I'm currently growing out a goatee (and it's an awesome goatee) but I should probably shave the other parts more often as opposed to every week or two.

[Lubricus]

I just calculated how much I make per hour, given I typically work ~65 hours per week: $6.70/hour. Granted, I am a graduate student, though...

Wow! I make just shy of $30/hour, and that's not far above average here in Norway. 

[Storel]

I just calculated how much I make per hour, given I typically work ~65 hours per week: $6.70/hour. Granted, I am a graduate student, though...

Wow! I make just shy of $30/hour, and that's not far above average here in Norway. 

Yes, but how much of that do you get to keep, after taxes are removed? I've heard that Scandinavian taxes are pretty high by U.S. standards.

[Platypodes]

like you can't be bothered

To be fair, this is why I shave so infrequently. I mean, I'm currently growing out a goatee (and it's an awesome goatee) but I should probably shave the other parts more often as opposed to every week or two.

That can be fine day-to-day, but for a big important date you want to look like you cared enough to "be bothered."  Like wearing something nice even if your day-to-day is old t-shirts.

I had the same thought as V.V. when I first saw Jim's date hair--"He was so eager to impress that he dyed his grey, but didn't shave??"

[Method of Madness]

Well yeah, if I had occasion I'd shave.

[Barmymoo]

I take a similar approach to shaving my legs and wearing makeup - I only bother for special occasions, not because I think those things make me look better but because they make me look different which feels kind of fancy.

[Method of Madness]

Well I shave because after a while it starts to itch and the longer I wait the harder it is when I do shave.