White and Nerdy (or Look Who's Talking Now)

The main title for this week's blog post refers to "Weird Al" Yankovic's parody of the song "Ridin" by Chamillionaire and Krayzie Bone, and it describes what I aspired to be growing up in rural Minnesota. I wanted to be cool, but I certainly wasn't into the kinds of things the "cool" kids were into. As I've pointed out before, I wasn't athletic. In school, I'd much rather being singing or playing an instrument than playing any sport. There wasn't a big party scene in Kiester, but had there been, I likely wouldn't have been into that, either. My idea of a fun weekend was spending it with a couple of friends for a marathon Dungeons and Dragons session, or playing video games until the wee hours, or just riding our bikes all around town.

I think we thought we were cool in our own way, but none of us were under any illusion that others saw us as such. 

Of course, the very things that I loved, my past times and hobbies, were among the things that I was bullied for at school. A person who hasn't had to deal with that kind of bullying may think that I would have wanted to give up on those loves and conform in order to "blend in" with the crowd and save myself from the constant barrage of insults and chiding. But that's not how things went. It probably helped that I had people who enjoyed the same things that I did, that I could share those activities with. But, even so, I'm not sure I would have changed if I were the only one that was involved.

Ultimately, I'm glad I didn't give up on the things that I love in order to try and appease those that were unlikely to accept me regardless. Today, I've published articles about video games, I've sung in cathedrals in Europe, and I have a great job in the IT industry. Everything that I am today is a product of everything that has happened to me throughout m life. Although I might wish that things were different, I don't think I would actually change anything. Granted, I wouldn't want to go back and relive those years, either. I'm no glutton for punishment, after all.

Strip 73/166 - 

The first time that we got to work with computers in school was in junior high, when we got to spend a time during our algebra class in the computer lab a couple of times per week. Like 75% of schools around the nation at the time, the computer of choice was the Apple II series. Apple had shrewdly made deals with school systems all over, offering discounts to allow them to setup computer labs stocked with Apple computers. As a result, we got to learn the basics of coding in Apple Basic and Turtle Graphics, with a bit of Number Munchers and an early morning session of Conan on the side.

Therefore, the computer that Furble and FC come upon resembles an Apple family computer, even if the specifics are not perfect. And, no, I don't know how they fell in. And I don't know what FC's "suction cups" had to do with it. Or why we hadn't hear about them before now, and never again.

Strip 74/166 - A zap to the system

I've already discussed at length the fact that Furble and FC communicate via thought bubbles. In my desire to expand the scope of the strip, I thought that it would be a good idea to force them into using actual speech bubbles (as their "evolved" family on Furbulia now does). This would allow them to be able to communicate with humans on Earth without having to come up with some convoluted translation solution. So I came up with a convoluted solution to circumvent that convoluted solution. And not a moment too soon...

Strip 75/166 - Call the exterminator, we've got aliens!

Poor Frank. He likely has an over-active imagination, and his mom is sick and tired of all of his nonsense at this point. But, how often do you find aliens popping out of your computer? I'm not sure what the odds on that are, but I'm sure they're long.

Strip 76/166 - A good idea

It's probably a good idea not to tell people about the talking aliens that emerged from your personal computer and began speaking with you. If Hollywood is any indication, it never leads to anything good. Dust balls would be the least of your issues. But, "Blahh"??? Sometimes I just don't know...

See you all next week.