Pond Scum
True story. My Aunt Chris is… well, we call her Saint Chris. She never forgets a birthday… and she is a most sincere gift giver. And what do I do? It happens every year… I leave you to reference the comic.
Art imitating life, unfortunately.
I have no idea if this will help, but: My wife’s friend buys all her birthday cards for the upcoming calendar year at one time, then signs them, put them in envelopes and addresses them. She then puts them in a pocketed binder, where each folder is a specific month. She then mails them a few days before a person’s birthday. This gives her a constant reminder of when to mail the cards since she’s going to the binder as a habit.
Of course, only an organized person who wouldn’t forget birthdays in the first place would come up with a system like this, but I leave it to you, Brig, to see if this might work for you.
My dad never liked to celebrate birthdays. He didn’t see why people thought crawling one step closer to the grave was worth celebrating.
My dad is kind of depressing.
I write all my friends and relatives birthdays on a calendar in the kitchen. I check it every day for appointments etc. When there is a B-Day, Bingo! Off to the old computer. Doncha just love email?
I take it a step farther…I write people’s birthdays the week before the actual date. That way the day I think I again have forgotten, I really have a week to get a card out… if I don’t forget again.
First of all, love the Lucy as a psychiatrist to Charlie Brown calendar in the back.
Second of all, why you do it is simply behavioral psychology.
Growing up, your Aunt Chris likely got you neat stuff every birthday, but you were too young to be expected to return the favor, at best maybe signing a family card, or saying hello on a family phone call. You were conditioned to expect great things but not to give any in return. Now, older, you want to balance the slate, but have not conditioned yourself, made it a habit, to do it.
So go and break the habit by sending her a personalized, signed copy of your book, and call her on the phone to expect it and share what some guy who draws triangles and stick figures mentioned. It’s nice to have human contact even if over a phone, and you’ll have a reason for why you’re not to blame for forgetting her birthday with a promise to try harder next year. So long as she’s still up and kicking then.
OK, with yesterday’s comic…did you put yourself in? If so are you on Randie’s right (probably standing on a travel cooler for added height, ha) as I say, or on her left as Beetles kept saying?
What was on the orange shirt you called out but made very difficult to see?
Pete’s youtube Seagull stealing bags of chips is great…reminds me of the Vespid rack plus Seagull concepts I sent your way a while back. Also, look for some Randie and Twinks concepts both funny and endearing to come by more or less soon.
Thanks for the suggestions! Organization has always been problematic for me… Binders… that’s a good idea! Gah!
I have often said, Stick, that I never grew up beyond my third-grader-ness. Paragraph one might be spot on… if true. I AM a perpetual 8 year old… Glad you liked the nod to Peanuts. And thanks for the ideas.
… and I added comments to yesterday’s toons answering questions posed.
Ahh, Brig. See what happens when you perceive something is negative and it turns into the most positive ever? The best birthday gift ever (well – besides all your drawings) is to appear in your comic strip. Your gift is priceless. Of course, the signed copy of your book (as mentioned by stick-figurer) and a framed copy of the strip down the line would be priceless plus! Love, AC
You gots it, AC! Hee hee… It won’t be a surprise… but you gots it! Love you lots and I am glad you like today’s strip!
Brig, my brother never missed a card-sending opportunity for anyone he knew. He even sent me and our many other siblings remembrances on Mother’s and Father’s Day, fer cryin’ out loud! He kept exhaustive folders for dozens of nieces and nephews, too. He contracted lung cancer a few years ago (he, who had never touched a cigarette in his life) and when he got too frail to send the cards, signed up for an online service to write & send them for him. When he died last year, we all knew we would miss those constant, cheerful reminders of Bobby’s love and kindness. I know I do. I suppose that as the succeeding elder, I could have taken up the mantle–but, as I said to the rest of the family, I’m not Bobby.
And you’re not your Aunt Chris.
I believe there are people whose inborn talent is to commemorate milestones. They give and send cards the way you draw cartoons. It’s a passion and as natural as any other similar attribute. They’re not sitting around keeping score of who didn’t send something back by what date. Just as one of my sisters was born with the entertaining gene and knows exactly how to put on a superb dinner party for 14 with 3 foods and a budget of $25; and another brother decided to pick up playing Irish fiddle at the age of 50 and within two years was blazing through sessions like a pro, so do Aunt Chris, Bobby and my sister-in-law Jane live out their joy by remembering birthdays. (And now to throw even more of my personal life your way, my BFF Dorothy and I made a mutual contract years ago to let each other off the hook about birthdays, Christmas, and such. If we do manage to remember, it’s great. Most of the time, we don’t. But I know she will drop anything and everything in her life if I need her.) If you’re anything at at all like me–as I suspect you are–you will buy folders, spend hours setting them up, and then forget where you keep them, let alone to send off the cards on time. Guilt compounding guilt! Whoooooo!
My point is, no self-flagellation here. Stick has exactly the right idea. Take spontaneous opportunities to call your aunt or do little things for her, and thank her for using her talent to enrich your life–life which shouldn’t be wasted one more moment with guilt for not being who you aren’t. Use what you have and are to show your love whenever you can. Aunt Chris will be thrilled.
I sent that before I read Chris’ response. See, I told you so.
And yes, she is an awesome aunt!
Whoops, I did not realize that Aunt Chris is a reader if not normal replier of/to this discussion.
Maybe what I ment to suggest was sending her a discounted, reduced cost, book as a b-day gift would be a good idea. Yeah, that’s the idea. Whoa! Aunt Chris, springboarding a gift request for a framed copy of a strip bearing your name…nice work, that. I’m assuming that Brig will be able to accomodate that within her reduced-family-birthday-gift-purchase rate, as well. Oh Brig, Brig, you disguise so many company names and yet use the real name of a relative? Now you’re gonna have to be nice to her so her lawyers won’t demand eternal royalties from the vast fortunes afforded by your cartooning empire.
EofO… Wha? A mutual off-the-hook contract? But, you’ve been passed the role of designated remembrancer. You can’t just let that go. Well, not at least yet. Oh, and, ahem, my birthday is tomorrow, the 28th. True. No ages offered, actual or otherwise. Please remembrance it…or guilt will follow…bwa..ha..ha..ahhh.
EofO…maybe too forward…OK, guilt MAY follow.
Meanwhile, amazing new seagull footage in the tone of yesterday’s chip-napping:
http://www.todaysbigthing.com/2011/06/27
Unintentional forgetfulness seems like a harmless enough crime, but some folks will never forgive you (I can’t remember who at the moment…)
I’m terrible about remembering birthdays anymore. I figure I’m just a couple years away from not even bothering.
Um… that’ some discussion… EofO… thank you sharing your family history/stories. I support hugs and love… and BFF’s.
Stick: Aunt Chris is worth it.
nice video of the seagull.
For a period of time when I was in my 20s – and I still do on rare occasion these days – I would buy a completely inappropriate card and write a personal note on it. Then I’d take a different pen, cross out all the words needed and put in the correct wording, name, and sentiment, then mail that card. So a friend would end up with a “Sorry for the loss of your grandmother” card modified to “HAPPY BIRTHDAY!” with Stephanie crossed out and BILL written over it, and so on. It wasn’t long before I started getting REALLY creative, making my card the last one to be opened since it was the funniest.
So long as I was careful and knew the recipient very well – you don’t want to send a condolence/Birthday card to someone who’d REALLY just lost a loved one – it was sure to be enjoyed. And Hallmark has helped out a lot, since they have a card for freakin’ EVERYTHING these days.