Rose is Rose (11/15/09)

I grew up with a volatile calico named Tiger, who behaved much like the skittish cat in this strip. The convulsive snarling and scratching in the second-to-last panel? That was par for the course in my boyhood home. As much as I loved Tiger, she could be maddeningly unpredictable. She might spend a half-hour sitting on my lap before scratching and biting me at the unexpected turn of a page. She never did serious damage, though, and I contend that it was her ornery nature that helped her live 19 long years.

Rose is Rose (10/17/09)

Like all cats, my 14-year-old bruiser sleeps anywhere he can. Some of his favorite spots include the living room rug, an otherwise neglected loveseat and (occasionally) his fluffy, fur-filled cat bed. He also likes sleeping in my considerably larger human bed, nestled close to my feet. That arrangement satisfied him for years, until recently when he ventured up toward the headboard to climb on my chest and pester my fiancé (his loving owner since childhood). It’s as if he’s determined to claim more and more of the bed as his own, through a furry, meow-filled war of attrition.

Rose is Rose (5/7/09)

There’s a reason I carry an umbrella with me wherever I go; because clear skies can turn on a dime and drench unsuspecting pedestrians with buckets of rain. Sometimes storms arrive gradually, with clouds building over the course of the day, but they can also arrive suddenly like in today’s Rose is Rose. Even so, there are usually some hints of an impending shower, from a soggy smell in the air to a slight tinge in the clouds. There’s even a barely noticeable hint hidden in this strip. Notice how the sky turns slightly darker in panel two before turning a demonic purple in panel three? It’s very subtle, but sometimes that’s the only warning we get before the drops start falling.

Rose is Rose (4/28/09)

When I was in college, some friends of mine rented a three bedroom apartment across the street from the projects for $600 a month. The rooms were small and it was something of a hike from the train station, but it was also one of the epicenters of my college experience. I spent many an evening weaving from conversation to conversation inside that tiny apartment, sneaking out to the spacious back porch for fresh air when the crush of people made it difficult to hear, think or breathe. Most of my friends lived at home or in the dorms, which meant this charming gray-stone near campus was my one (admittedly vicarious) taste of independence. I can only imagine the freedom it must have afforded the 18- and 19-year-olds who forked over their hard-earned $200 every month to take up full-time residence.

Rose is Rose (3/14/09)

I’m fortunate enough to live a few blocks from a train station that offers easy access to both downtown Chicago and Midway International Airport, so public transportation is an attractive option for me and one that I take advantage of on a regular basis. But even though my trips on Chicago’s Orange Line are comfortable and relatively uncrowded (at least compared to the more congested train lines) I wouldn’t equate the experience with a ride in a basket full of warm laundry. That’s the type of luxury that would be reminiscent of a limo ride, not a noisy jaunt on an elevated train.

Rose is Rose (11/11/08)

I’m a big believer in the power of imagination, but I also realize that there’s a time and a place for everything. Sometimes it’s best to call it a night, especially when your best excuse for falling asleep on the couch is that a cluster of “unusual asteroids” knocked your spaceship off course. Those floating objects from the first there panels are obviously potato chips and this kid isn’t going to be convincing his mother otherwise.

Rose is Rose (9/20/08)

I find it highly unlikely that a toddler would be self-conscious about her breath, but apparently the girl in this strip falls into that category. But as long as realism isn’t an issue here, I was struck by the hoard of toxic green skulls emanating from the little girl’s mouth. The whole scene resembles one of those Golden Axe style video games in which warriors, dwarfs and mages use magic spells to fend off hords of goblins in a medieval setting.