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The wedding has made mom all Broody.

1 (1.7%)

$#!+! LUBE! I  KNEW I forgot to pack something! (WELP GOOD NIGHT)

5 (8.3%)

I usually sleep in my boxers, is that okay? (Y-yeah, whatev... er...)

0 (0%)

I would've been fine but now you've got me thinking about it and it's awkward

2 (3.3%)

Well excuse me for not just dropping my pants right in front of you.

4 (6.7%)

Claire in the blue dress!

20 (33.3%)

I know it's supposed to be a casual ceremony, but you should at least put on some pants.

1 (1.7%)

I can't remember how to tie a stupid necktie. (Seriously? Here.)

3 (5%)

Uh- IT'S FINE IT'S PERFECT

14 (23.3%)

Marten! Oh, you look so precious in your suit!

1 (1.7%)

Oh, Jane. I thought I smelled a gonorrhea infection.

0 (0%)

I'm impressed, Vicky. 11 AM and you're not at the bar! Or did you drink all their scotch last night?

1 (1.7%)

Last I heard, Henry and Maurice weren't doing pity-invites.

0 (0%)

Good to see you, you horrid old twat.

3 (5%)

You too, darling. You've lost weight! Is that just from sucking #### all day?

2 (3.3%)

Suddenly my taste in friends makes a lot more sense to me.

3 (5%)

Total Members Voted: 55

[ZoeB]

Even the girls? I've always thought that ties were perhaps the only item of clothing where men's conventional wardrobe was stupider than women's

Quoted for truth. I feel exactly the same way.

Though the last time I wore a tie was at my 30th High School reunion. The Old School Tie tied loosely, hanging between by breasts, schoolgirl-fashion. Actually.. I think that's the only time I've worn a tie because I wanted to, and thought it looked good. It went well with the black top and dress denim skirt anyway.

It's an all-male school, so it took a bit of courage to attend. First time I've ever had drinks brought for me, it was wonderful! There was some serious SQUEEing afterwards.

[ZoeB]

Okay, apparently it also doubles as half a reference to They Might Be Giants

As opposed to "We're Definitely Dwarves".

[cesariojpn]

I've never stayed in a hotel where there was an actual closet. Just a clothes rack near the door.

You poor thing. You should try to find hotels that were built before 1980.

or spend a tad bit more money...

Sometimes spending more =/= better accommodations. For example, one hotel i'd go to on vacation is nearby a Walmart, a large shopping center, a transit hub, and a few other perks, whereas the hotels in the more touristy areas are smashed together and the nearest market/shop is overpriced and limited.   

[TheEvilDog]

You know, I have never once had any problem doing up a tie, probably comes from 12 years of having to wear a tie for school. (I wouldn't count the first two years as everyone had to wear those stupid fake ties with the elastic string to go around the neck, god, I hated those things).

[Bluesummers]

Sometimes spending more =/= better accommodations. For example, one hotel i'd go to on vacation is nearby a Walmart, a large shopping center, a transit hub, and a few other perks, whereas the hotels in the more touristy areas are smashed together and the nearest market/shop is overpriced and limited.   

Quite so. The Mrs. and I honeymooned in Las Vegas for a fortnight, hopping to a different hotel every two days. We got most of our supplies at the CVS on the strip, because it's just as reasonable priced as any other CVS. Other places had priced jacked up through the roof...Subway's "$5 footlongs" were $14.50.

Niagara Falls was a little trickier, since it gets more revenue from tourism than gambling (though there are a couple casinos there), so we had to drive several miles north, to Niagara-On-The-Lake (yes, that's really the name of the town), and got cold cuts from a local deli, and made sandwiches back at the hotel room. A nice, quiet dinner.

...My wife still won't let me live down the fact that I forgot a knife to spread condiments, and I ended up using a toothbrush to do it instead. You do that once, and you learn from it. I was only 19 at the time. ^^;;

[reicreature]

That and having a closet in a hotel doesn't really seem like a main priority to me.
But I kind of laugh at spending more money as I've never actually spent money on a hotel room. My parents or grandparents have usually purchased a hotel room when I've needed it.
Other times I've just crashed at a friend's/family's  place or camped out in my tent/car.

That being said, it seems like even the really nice hotels I've stayed at don't have closets.  I could guess that a bed and breakfast or resort type place would be different though.

[Bluesummers]

I could guess that a bed and breakfast or resort type place would be different though.

B&B's typically are crafted out of what was once a home, so closets are a natural accomodation. Which reminds me, if you're ever in the New Hampshire/Vermont area, you HAVE TO stay at Adair. No excuses, you must enjoy the splendid serenity that it is. We went for our first anniversary, stayed three nights...AWESOME EVERYTHING. Especially the tea. (FYI we stayed in the LaFayette Room...not all of them are quite that expensive).


Marten is blushing too. I just noticed.....heeeeehehehehe....

[mustang6172]

I deem the four-in-hand knot to be the best tie knot because it is the easiest.

I don't care what the collar looks like. 

[reicreature]

Marten is blushing too. I just noticed.....heeeeehehehehe....

hahaha! I noticed that first thing. I thought it was just in the penultimate panel, but he starts blushing in the one before that as he looks away.

[Sorflakne]

Half windsors are easy to tie.  A full windsor though...I had to tie a tie last week, and even looking at a guide, it still took me a few tries to get it right.  And then I had to retie it because it was too short and went only halfway down my chest (I hate being tall...).

[St.Clair]

I'm going to be back on the job market after the first... this just reminded me that I'm gonna have to get my ties out and re-learn how to put them on, for interviews. :p

[Is it cold in here?]

I don't think Claire told Marten her secret because she crushes on him.  I tend to think that's a silly reason to out such a huge secret.  The reason she outed herself to him is because she's seen him around the other interns and his friends enough to know he's a decent enough guy not to make a big deal about it and blab.

I think you have it right. It's also shows another facet of Claire, that she can be a good judge of character.

[Kugai]

Personally, I HATE Ties.  I never really learned how to tie them properly, but if pushed I can make a halfway decent go at it.  It's been years since I was anywhere where I had to wear a Tie and these days, I have one or two of those Cheat Ties around just in case I ever have to wear one.

Marten sympathy blushing is almost as cute as Claires reaction to tieing his Tie.

[Sorflakne]

The tie cannot go extinct fast enough.  The sooner we stop wearing useless pieces of cloth tied in slipknots around our necks, the better off we'll be.

[Bluesummers]

What, you don't like the handy-dandy suicide-cloths that businesspeople wear? They're for quick escapes from the mortal plane when the SEC finds out about their embezzlement. True fact: Bernie Madoff did not wear ties.

[Carl-E]

Geez, get busy for a day, and three damn pages slip by...

Ties: I only wear a double windsor (or what is more properly called a full windsor), because I'm not very tall and have long legs.  So the torso's kinda short, and I hate having a tie dangle down into my crotch. 

And I wear a bow tie more often that a regular one, because I rarely wear a regular one (church on Christmas and Easter and job interviews) but I wear a bow tie (real) for concerts. 

Also, the last school I worked at had "bow tie days" in the math department because the chair was a fan of them.  I was at a branch campus, but decided to participate anyway, and had a pic taken to prove the point...




Also, Paul, thanks for the links to the scholarly papers - gonna have to read up!  Why do people answer the really cool knot theory questions before I even think of them...?

[WAYF]

Okay, apparently it also doubles as half a reference to They Might Be Giants

As opposed to "We're Definitely Dwarves".

I've already heard about We're Definitely Dwarves, and what that tells me is that I really need to read Soul Music.

But I meant that "Millenium Hand and Shrimp" which Jeph referenced in this comic was in itself a reference to TMBG.

Jeph, as far as I know, has never mentioned We're Definitely Dwarves in the comic. But now that you mention it, if he did it would be amazing.
QC is already full of actual indie rock references. Surely he can squeeze in a fictional one somewhere?

Oh, and just to derail this thread even more, what is everyone's favourite TMBG song?
I'm pretty sure that everyone's going to say Birdhouse in Your Soul, but my personal favourite is Doctor Worm.
I'm gonna go get my tomato shield just in case that doesn't sit right with some people.

[westrim]

I don't think Claire told Marten her secret because she crushes on him.  I tend to think that's a silly reason to out such a huge secret.  The reason she outed herself to him is because she's seen him around the other interns and his friends enough to know he's a decent enough guy not to make a big deal about it and blab.

Did anyone think that she think that she told him because she was attracted to him instead of just feeling able to trust him?


My biggest problem with ties is that screeching sound they make flying past.

[Method of Madness]

So I'm guessing that's her little sister? Also, yes. Yes, it does, Marten.

[westrim]

Wait, which of them gets paid for sex acts again?

Is that his dad or his mom's sister? I suppose we'll find out next week.

If they're both in the sexy time business as implied, and they are actual sisters and not just sisters-in-law...

[K1dmor]

 Nice strip  .

 Ehm...didn't Claire have a little overbite? 

[Carl-E]

Anybody else think of this? 

No?  Just me? 

[WAYF]

Ehm...didn't Claire have a little overbite? 

I think she still does have a tiny overbite, in the 4th panel.
Trust me to try derailing the thread RIGHT BEFORE the comic went up.

Okay then.
What I really want to know is, were Jeph and Cristi bouncing "ideas" off each other for this strip? You know, to make it as realistic as possible?
And Veronica may be right, Maurice may not be wearing a tie, but I like to think that that's because Maurice is actually wearing a gigantic bridal gown. Because if you have a reasonable opportunity to wear one, that's what you do, right?

[DSL]

THIS is what I'd been missing about QC lately. The happy banter.

[Soulsynger]

Don't you mean happy batter?

Also goes by the name euphoria fluid

[Lubricus]

Don't you mean happy batter?

Also goes by the name euphoria fluid

Not quite yet. Maybe later, after a few drinks.

[MillionDollar Belt Sander]

Ok I laughed at this strip.   

[Pilchard123]

In the comic with Hannelore passing out that was linked. "Millennium Hand and Shrimp" is a catchphrase of one of the recurring characters, essentially.

Oh, that one. I thought you were talking about in the comics from the last few days.

Bugrit.

Oh, and the book you're looking for is "Reaper Man".

Why Reaper Man specifically? The not-Beggars are in most of the books, at least most of the books set in Ankh-Morpork.

[de_la_Nae]

Maybe that's the first Foul Ol' Ron appears in? I don't remember.

[cesariojpn]

Other times I've just crashed at a friend's/family's  place or camped out in my tent/car.

One hard rule in my family is that we never spend a night at a relatives place. Especially when you wanna go out and do something that will take to the wee hours of the morning. Plus it's much easier just to crash in a hotel room that have your relatives be at your beck and call. 

What I really want to know is, were Jeph and Cristi bouncing "ideas" off each other for this strip? You know, to make it as realistic as possible?

I was gonna make a shipping joke, but then again, I've offended enough people for today.

[Barmymoo]

This thread moves too quickly for me to keep up!

Closets really aren't common in the UK, and I don't think I've seen them in Europe in general. We have free-standing wardrobes and sometimes built-in wardrobes, but not actual rooms you can walk into, I've only seen those in the US.

[Indicible]

Holy crap...
I was laughing while reading the comics. Which is a bit problematic, considering my students were having a test. They were quite astonished to see me laughing while they were at work.

[pwhodges]

We have free-standing wardrobes and sometimes built-in wardrobes, but not actual rooms you can walk into,

Think of "dressing rooms".  Still not common, I admit, though I have one as an adjunct to an en-suite bathroom.

[Lubricus]

Holy crap...
I was laughing while reading the comics. Which is a bit problematic, considering my students were having a test. They were quite astonished to see me laughing while they were at work.

I hope you pointed out to them that you were laughing at their misfortune? 

[hakko504]

Closets really aren't common in the UK, and I don't think I've seen them in Europe in general. We have free-standing wardrobes and sometimes built-in wardrobes, but not actual rooms you can walk into, I've only seen those in the US.

Not in general, I agree, but me and my wife moved to a new house a few months ago, and we converted one room into a large closet for all our clothes as there was way too few wardrobes in the house.

[Welu]

I loved this strip. I can see Faye and Dora having a similar exchange when they get older.

[Emperor Norton]

Closets really aren't common in the UK, and I don't think I've seen them in Europe in general. We have free-standing wardrobes and sometimes built-in wardrobes, but not actual rooms you can walk into, I've only seen those in the US.

I wonder if its for a similar reason to why you don't see a lot of closets in pre-1900 US houses. At one point the property tax on houses was based on number of rooms, and a closet counted as a separate room, so it was cheaper to keep wardrobes. Closets were a super rich person thing.

Or so I was told by a person conducting a tour of an old plantation house. They could have been making shit up for all I know. But it does have some logic to it.

[Srxjo]

Hey, I'm new here (to the forums not the comic, been reading for years now) and must say I loved the new comic, I wonder if that is her sister or in-law, if it is her sister then it'll be even funnier and why is there so much hating on ties going on? I personally love ties (Though I don't really ever have a reason to wear one), I did hate them back when i was forced to wear them for school but that might be because the colours was ugly as sin.

[Carl-E]

Closets evolved with the clothing industry in the US.  If you only have three changes of clothes and a sunday suit, all you really need is a dresser and a couple of hooks...

I live in a house built in 1900.  Every bedroom has a closet, but they are extraordinarily small - not much wider than the door, and less deep then they are wide.  They're rimmed with hooks, and had two short rods added (running front to back on each side of the door, they're not deep enough for a side-to-side rod) for hangers.  There's also a shelf.  The largest bedroom has two closets of that type. 

Not a lot of room for clothes, really.  No coat closets or anything on the first floor.  We have some extra wardrobes and dressers in the bedrooms and a coat rack downstairs. 


The world was a very different place...

[Zebediah]

Wait, which of them gets paid for sex acts again?

Is that his dad or his mom's sister? I suppose we'll find out next week.

If they're both in the sexy time business as implied, and they are actual sisters and not just sisters-in-law...

I'm guessing that Jane is Henry's sister, therefore Veronica's ex-sister-in-law. Just a guess, though. And it sounds to me like Jane isn't in the business, just... an enthusiastic amateur, shall we say.

[zmeiat_joro]

Bugrit.

Oh, and the book you're looking for is "Reaper Man".

Why Reaper Man specifically? The not-Beggars are in most of the books, at least most of the books set in Ankh-Morpork.

Also, why Discworld specifically? "Millenium hand and shrimp" and "bugrit" also appear in the Johny Maxwell series. I think it was Mrs. Tachyon. She definitely uses it in at least Johny and the Bomb, and I think it was a vague plot hint.

[cesium133]

Does this mean that Marten is related to Yelling Bird somehow? 

[Barmymoo]

I would love to have a walk-in closet! My conception of a dressing room is an actual room in which you get dressed, which might itself contain a wardrobe or chest of drawers or whatever. One of my schoolfriends had a dressing room; it was a small room with a dressing table (not sure what this is called in American - a vanity?) and a wardrobe and lots of shoes.

[Black Sword]

Yes, Marten. Your taste in friends makes tons more sense now. I'm guessing this is a paternal aunt, since there's no resemblance to Ms. Reed.

[Bluesummers]

Hey, I'm new here (to the forums not the comic, been reading for years now) and must say I loved the new comic, I wonder if that is her sister or in-law, if it is her sister then it'll be even funnier and why is there so much hating on ties going on? I personally love ties (Though I don't really ever have a reason to wear one), I did hate them back when i was forced to wear them for school but that might be because the colours was ugly as sin.

Howdy there, new person! Don't be afraid to set up an intro thread here!

I still can't tell if they're blood relatives or not...because if Marten's friends are any guide to these two, they've probably been going at each other like this for years.

[Indicible]

I hope you pointed out to them that you were laughing at their misfortune?

Actually, no, I aid I was laughing about veneral diseases. They were quite puzzled. I also pointed out that in German (the language I teach), veneral diseases are called Franzosen (Frenchmen).

In any case, Claire is slowly getting immune to blushing: being in the middle of a verbal sparring match revolving around sexual diseases would be blush worthy.

Warning - while you were talking about veneral diseases a new reply has been posted. You may wish to review your test results.

[Lubricus]

I hope you pointed out to them that you were laughing at their misfortune?

Actually, no, I aid I was laughing about veneral diseases. They were quite puzzled. I also pointed out that in German (the language I teach), veneral diseases are called Franzosen (Frenchmen).

"Franzosen"? I didn't know that. Hee hee!

In any case, Claire is slowly getting immune to blushing: being in the middle of a verbal sparring match revolving around sexual diseases would be blush worthy.

IDK, it seems like her blushing is more tied to her personally - she might not be affected by others' lack of grace if it doesn't apply to her directly.

[jwhouk]

I'm guessing that Jane is Henry's sister, therefore Veronica's ex-sister-in-law. Just a guess, though. And it sounds to me like Jane isn't in the business, just... an enthusiastic amateur, shall we say.

The nose gives it away, methinks. Compare Jane to Henry back in 2383. There's a family similarity.

[Method of Madness]

I don't know, to me it seems Veronica, Henry and Jane have rather similar noses, but I guess she could be either sister. Or maybe she's just a family friend that Marten calls Aunt, who knows?

[jwhouk]

There's that, but I suspect it's more family.

If Jane is Henry's sister, it'd be much more likely that she'd be invited to the wedding than if it was Veronica's sister.