Mine seems to think that any closed door means that we don’t love him any more.
He Who Abides
My dad’s newest beagle is like that. On an wholy unrelated note, his house now only has doors on the bathrooms and the outside.
Clif
I choose to believe the beagle has a doghouse with doors.
He Who Abides
Pretty sure the beagles believe that too.
BBCC
My boxer is like that too. If you close a door and he wants inside to cuddle, he’ll cry until you open it. And once you open it, he will POUT because how dare you have a door shut.
LeslieBean4shizzle
Indeed.
I have, on more than one occasion, yelled at my cat that I don’t stick my head in HER box when she’s using the facilities, so why does she fell compelled to do so to me?
She has yet to give me a proper response.
He Who Abides
I think it has to do with them being descended from pack animals. They’re keeping an eye on you while you’re in an awkward position so as to defend you if any predators try to attack.
If you’ve seen people doing magic tricks for cats, it seems that they have object permanence enough to be aware when their human suddenly disappear, but not enough to be aware there are rooms of their apartment that are out of sight. They may have no concept that there are things behind a closed door, which has to be confusing when they’re aware you are there
I grew up with two cats. One would wait for you to finish showering so she could sleep in the warm, humid bathroom. The other would meow and paw at the door until you opened it, so he could come in and drink from the faucet. He got bathroom faucet drinks at least once every day for seventeen years; it’s a good thing we never got a kind of faucet he could operate because we know for damn sure the smart little bugger would have figured it out.
thejeff
Which would be fine, except they never figure out how to turn them off.
Terry
Similar to learning their name, they’d figure it out; they just wouldn’t care. Not like they have to worry about the water bill.
SeanR
Do you know how many options there are for pet water fountains?
Needfuldoer
You think we didn’t have several of those over the years? We had the ones that dribbled water over an upside-down bowl and the kind that made a little water arc. Those were okay, but he loved splashing in the faucet water and sticking his entire head under it so he could drink the runoff. None of the pet fountains we tried gave him enough room to do that to his satisfaction.
Besides, even if we got him the best fountain in the world, he was cat. Cats never do what you want them to.
are you sure he’s taken?
are she sure?
you know, god has misterious ways…
she could get lucky and get a manly man, and a bay and dodge the pregnacy altogheter…
she could dream…
🙂
Joyce’s “OMG BABY” expressions are adorable (and I commend Willis for drawing that, the plaid, AND the tiny human strapped to another human all in one strip)
Yes, the baby is adorable, Joyce, but seriously? My university has a daycare and people bring their kids all the time. Hell, I’ve had no fewer than three profs bring their kids to class and just tell them to stay quiet while mom/dad taught.
Probably not as much exposure as she would get at church and other community places, though. I definitely had stretches of time in college where I wasn’t encountering babies– I’d say especially in my first few months, when I was mostly sticking to the campus and most people in my classes were a year or two out of high school.
Maybe it’s just ’cause my campus is huge and crawling with mature students with kids. I see babies all the time.
LeslieBean4shizzle
Weird. The university where I teach has a policy specifically saying not to bring kids to class. Teachers and paying students only (and I guess auditors).
BBCC
Like I said, my campus is huge and classes that size don’t take attendance. What’s anyone gonna do, call a cop? 😛
Yumi
Hm, weird! I definitely had professors and classmates who brought kids to class, just not so much my first semester, and they were usually older than baby age.
It was especially fun when they would say something in class.
BBCC
Oh, my professors didn’t bring babies, but school aged children. It was mature students and relatives of students who brought babies, usually while shopping or meeting people.
Chris Phoenix
When I went to Stanford ’87 to ’91 I don’t remember ever seeing a baby on campus. I don’t remember knowing any grad students with children (only a few were married). And yes, I hung out with grad students all four years (mainly in CS).
BBCC
Maybe we just have lots of older folks coming in or lots of people with older siblings with kids/baby siblings?
BarerMender
Fuckin’ babies. Walking around in public.Who do they think they are?
BBCC
I know. They’ll grow up thinking they’re people. 😛
Clif
Wage slavery will cure that soon enough.
BBCC
I laughed and then I cried.
Keulen
It’s funny because it’s true.
Terry
And then it’s depressing because it’s true…
ZerglingOne
A lot of us damn millennials had to put off going to a proper university until we had established a real cash flow and our social lives because hey, 2009 recession! Graduating in our late 20’s to early 30’s is just a thing right now.
Oftentimes baby comes in somewhere along that line.
BBCC
Makes sense, I guess. Most of the people I know seem to be coming back to further career requirements or to get a second grad degree.
Needfuldoer
And then we get blamed for all the problems our Boomer parents caused (and the decisions they made like the “participation trophies” they hold up as an example), until finally they’re blaming us for everything current college students are doing.
165 thoughts on “Baby”
Ana Chronistic
it’s like when you try to eat around a cat or dog, but it’s Joyce
Doctor_Who
I don’t know why my cat is so offended that I choose to poop in solitude.
Ana Chronistic
cat: “Are you gonna lick that”
Lokitsu
Mine seems to think that any closed door means that we don’t love him any more.
He Who Abides
My dad’s newest beagle is like that. On an wholy unrelated note, his house now only has doors on the bathrooms and the outside.
Clif
I choose to believe the beagle has a doghouse with doors.
He Who Abides
Pretty sure the beagles believe that too.
BBCC
My boxer is like that too. If you close a door and he wants inside to cuddle, he’ll cry until you open it. And once you open it, he will POUT because how dare you have a door shut.
LeslieBean4shizzle
Indeed.
I have, on more than one occasion, yelled at my cat that I don’t stick my head in HER box when she’s using the facilities, so why does she fell compelled to do so to me?
She has yet to give me a proper response.
He Who Abides
I think it has to do with them being descended from pack animals. They’re keeping an eye on you while you’re in an awkward position so as to defend you if any predators try to attack.
Meagan
Aw. How sweet.
Ronnie
Aww my baby love me!!
Amelie
If you’ve seen people doing magic tricks for cats, it seems that they have object permanence enough to be aware when their human suddenly disappear, but not enough to be aware there are rooms of their apartment that are out of sight. They may have no concept that there are things behind a closed door, which has to be confusing when they’re aware you are there
Needfuldoer
I grew up with two cats. One would wait for you to finish showering so she could sleep in the warm, humid bathroom. The other would meow and paw at the door until you opened it, so he could come in and drink from the faucet. He got bathroom faucet drinks at least once every day for seventeen years; it’s a good thing we never got a kind of faucet he could operate because we know for damn sure the smart little bugger would have figured it out.
thejeff
Which would be fine, except they never figure out how to turn them off.
Terry
Similar to learning their name, they’d figure it out; they just wouldn’t care. Not like they have to worry about the water bill.
SeanR
Do you know how many options there are for pet water fountains?
Needfuldoer
You think we didn’t have several of those over the years? We had the ones that dribbled water over an upside-down bowl and the kind that made a little water arc. Those were okay, but he loved splashing in the faucet water and sticking his entire head under it so he could drink the runoff. None of the pet fountains we tried gave him enough room to do that to his satisfaction.
Besides, even if we got him the best fountain in the world, he was cat. Cats never do what you want them to.
ValdVin
“Faucet water is best water”, say a large percentage of cats. I also know this firsthand.
Gwen
One of our cat’s favorite water is to lick it off the side of the bathtub after you finish showering. The other one will lick it off your leg.
Ana Chronistic
also this dream daddy makes me think of if you combined Craig + Mat
ValdVin
If those are Jaime’s first words, then Joyce is already a better influence than Hazel over at GWS.
Needfuldoer
Better keep him away from Amber, too.
ValdVin
Gawd, I forgot that!
jeffepp
He’s taken too, Joyce.
Lala
Pretty sure she isnt interested in him. Just the baby. The most I see happening with big brother is offering herself as a babysitter.
Drakkin the Alien
are you sure he’s taken?
are she sure?
you know, god has misterious ways…
she could get lucky and get a manly man, and a bay and dodge the pregnacy altogheter…
she could dream…
🙂
ian livs
Joyce’s “OMG BABY” expressions are adorable (and I commend Willis for drawing that, the plaid, AND the tiny human strapped to another human all in one strip)
TooOldToBeCool
Will Joyce start singing the Bieber song?
woobie
oh no
Sunny
Depends on how it’s sung.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbNwvQXkYrY
inqntrol
Let’s pray that doesn’t happen. The baby doesn’t meed a bad influence.
AGV
Ohhhhhhh baby baby baby ohhhhhhh
Delicious Taffy
Joyce would definitely sing this version of That Song.
(Please work)
Regalli
Didn’t I say the Harrison visit would be a nexus of chaos?
*Gets popcorn* It begins.
Clif
True, but as a prediction it would be more impressive if the semester hadn’t already been a nexus of chaos.
Stephen Bierce
Lead on, McDuff…
Jaime
Just as long as MacDuff can lay on as well… 😛
Kamino Neko
Don’t do that in front of the baby.
ego
it’s “lay on”, not “lead on”. you know, the hacking and killing and stuff.
BiOnyx
Li’l guy’s a fast learner!
BBCC
Yes, the baby is adorable, Joyce, but seriously? My university has a daycare and people bring their kids all the time. Hell, I’ve had no fewer than three profs bring their kids to class and just tell them to stay quiet while mom/dad taught.
Yumi
Probably not as much exposure as she would get at church and other community places, though. I definitely had stretches of time in college where I wasn’t encountering babies– I’d say especially in my first few months, when I was mostly sticking to the campus and most people in my classes were a year or two out of high school.
BBCC
Maybe it’s just ’cause my campus is huge and crawling with mature students with kids. I see babies all the time.
LeslieBean4shizzle
Weird. The university where I teach has a policy specifically saying not to bring kids to class. Teachers and paying students only (and I guess auditors).
BBCC
Like I said, my campus is huge and classes that size don’t take attendance. What’s anyone gonna do, call a cop? 😛
Yumi
Hm, weird! I definitely had professors and classmates who brought kids to class, just not so much my first semester, and they were usually older than baby age.
It was especially fun when they would say something in class.
BBCC
Oh, my professors didn’t bring babies, but school aged children. It was mature students and relatives of students who brought babies, usually while shopping or meeting people.
Chris Phoenix
When I went to Stanford ’87 to ’91 I don’t remember ever seeing a baby on campus. I don’t remember knowing any grad students with children (only a few were married). And yes, I hung out with grad students all four years (mainly in CS).
BBCC
Maybe we just have lots of older folks coming in or lots of people with older siblings with kids/baby siblings?
BarerMender
Fuckin’ babies. Walking around in public.Who do they think they are?
BBCC
I know. They’ll grow up thinking they’re people. 😛
Clif
Wage slavery will cure that soon enough.
BBCC
I laughed and then I cried.
Keulen
It’s funny because it’s true.
Terry
And then it’s depressing because it’s true…
ZerglingOne
A lot of us damn millennials had to put off going to a proper university until we had established a real cash flow and our social lives because hey, 2009 recession! Graduating in our late 20’s to early 30’s is just a thing right now.
Oftentimes baby comes in somewhere along that line.
BBCC
Makes sense, I guess. Most of the people I know seem to be coming back to further career requirements or to get a second grad degree.
Needfuldoer
And then we get blamed for all the problems our Boomer parents caused (and the decisions they made like the “participation trophies” they hold up as an example), until finally they’re blaming us for everything current college students are doing.
tbf
I know that’s the Indiana Daily Student, but at first I thought it was SP! and wondered how Shortpacked! got published here.
Marsh Maryrose
I had that thought when I saw this on Patreon, and posted about it, and Willis himself posted this (note logo in upper left corner).
Bonus: the article is a front-page obituary for Herman B. Wells, he for whom the Herman B. Wells Library of Nightguy fame is named.
Marsh Maryrose
There is a Herman B. Wells statue somewhere on campus. I’m trying to figure out how to goad Willis into putting it into a DoA strip.
Ron
I also thought it said SP! Could have been a fun reference, but SP! ‘s a store, so we may still see it in another form…?
Nik
Is shortpacked the school newspaper? … Who is writing it?
Doctor_Who
Willard Davis.
Nik
I thought he wrote That is Walkerton. (Also, curse my midnight brain. Is shortpacked IN* the school newspaper. Gosh.)
Alex Boston
So is this the perfect brother of Joyce’s love interest?
Walky_Talky
Probably not. My guess would be someone visiting Sarah on her birthday. Probably one of the B’s. Brother? Boyfriend? Baby daddy?
Deanatay
Sorry, Jacob has mentioned in past strips that his brother’s name is Harrison, and that he has a kid.
Axel
His smiles (especially panel 2) and something about how he talks are very Jacoby
Deadjolras
He is and he brought a tiny human with him!
Kamino Neko
He looks nothing like Dorothy.
Cyrus