CAJ in TNY: catching up
Balking at the idea of upgrading my little blog for so long has meant I’ve been behind in my posts. This week I have a cartoon in the magazine, so I’m naturally relieved to learn I’m not cartoona non grata yet! We all get worried when we’ve sold cartoons but not seen any appear for a while. Did I say worried? I meant paranoid! Paranoid and worried! Anyway, here’s a catch up list of cartoons of mine that have appeared in The New Yorker most recently, with background on inspiration.
Above, appearing in this week’s TNY: I guess I don’t have to say that this has actually happened to me. Some “nice person” holds the door for me even though I am not near the door by a long shot yet, forcing me to step up my pace in order to not let them wait too long while I lumber towards them weighed down either by my heavy bag or by my metaphysical burdens.
I have a policy on door-holding: doors should only be held for a person who is within arm’s reach of actually taking up the relay when you let go of the door. Any longer, and the door-holder is just a pain in the ass. Unless, of course, the door-holdee has no arm available (due to multiple pieces of luggage or amputation) to hold the door. In that case, feel free to earn your brownie points.
The next cartoon is how I feel about the glute machine. You’re not doing it right if you have any dignity:
Below, this was inspired by a friend who kept claiming to aspire to celibacy in order to dump his girlfriend:
And next, I used to ask myself this very same question, until I started working eight hours a day on my feet (albeit very well-paid). It makes your feet hurt! Feet need support! I am now a Birkenstock fan, and plan on buying some orthopedic clogs for winter use. (Sooooo, that’s why!):
Last but not least, because I know many a bitter woman in New York who’d love nothing more than to be celibate by choice, but have never had the chance to exercise that option. By choice, I mean. (A little sympathy for them is due, particularly from the awful men they’re not having sex with: it’s hard to be a girl here!):
July 23rd, 2008 at 3:31 pm
Thank you for this cartoon! Unnecessary door holding: one of the great evils known to man. I’ve been pet-peeving on this for years. It’s one of those little things people do so that they can walk away thinking “I am a kind and helpful person” but without actually helping anyone, which would require effort and personal sacrifice.
I make it a point not to say thank you, and most of the time I will just hang back and wait for them to get fed up and let it go. Sometimes I will even say “It’s OK, I can open a door for myself.”
My door holding rules: I will only hold a door for someone if: a. they have both hands full, or b. they are physically incapable of opening it themselves, or c. they are so close behind me that if I let it go it would slam in their face. (And I take that last one on a case by case basis – “people who get right behind you when you go through a door” is a whole separate rant)
Seriously, though, daily annoyances are hard to transform into cartoons, so congratulations on this one!
July 23rd, 2008 at 9:34 pm
Thanks, Joe! It is always my pleasure to put into words and images the pet peeves of humanity!
I just sold one based on another thing you might find peevish—though this time I was inspired by a moment of self-awareness that I, myself was the guilty (annoying) party.
And I had no shame. I repent not, and on top of it, sold a cartoon about it. I therefore stand incorrigible.
Wait and see! It’s coming! See if you recognize it when it’s published!
