The Official Blog of Ralph and Chuck

A large post for a large absence

Well, I haven’t been on this site for a while!

That doesn’t mean I haven’t been busy! Engaged life is about the same as before, except that if possible I’m even more concerned about the future than I already was. Apartment hunting has been fun, if educational into just how poor I really am. Valentine’s Day has come and gone, and Spring Break is on the horizon – as is graduation.

I don’t have any particular reason for not posting other than in general being very busy and preoccupied. I’ll work harder at getting these comics posted online in the future. Thanks for reading!

Cheapskates, the draft, and Mondays

Have a new week of comics!

The first comic is an idea that stemmed from the third proposal comic from last week. Chuck got Sarah a ring so small that she needed a magnifying glass to see it. It was an extra bit of background humor, but it led to this idea. Chuck as a cheapskate is amusing to me.

For the record, I got Lisa an engagement ring with three stones:

I know that there is supposedly some rule that says the ring should cost 30 percent of a yearly salary (or something like that), but I just tried to get a good ring at a cost that didn’t seem ridiculous to me considering that I have next to zero income as a college student. I largely agree with Chuck’s sentiment in panel two. And let’s face it, if the woman loves you enough it won’t matter too much what goes on her finger. Lisa loves the ring and her family and friends say that it’s perfect for her, so I think I did a good enough job.

My problem right now actually isn’t that she isn’t happy with the ring, but that she’s unhappy she isn’t able to wear it right now. There will be a comic on that next week!

The second comic was in response to the news that women in the U.S. are now permitted to serve in front line combat positions. Yay equality and all that jazz. In my opinion it’s up to the armed forces to determine what works best for them, since they’re the ones with the bullets flying at them. I don’t like it when the military is used to make a political point on issues that deal with gender/sexuality, because those issues have some real implications in terms of things like group dynamics, lodging, combat proficiency, etc. If the military feels it’s ready for things like that, great.

The point I was making in the comic is that not all sides of the “equality” coin are being discussed. I don’t see women clamoring to be compelled to register for the draft. That’s why talk of “equality,” at least on this issue, just gets an eye roll from me.

The last comic is one I intended to do last week, but it works best on a Monday. Sometimes it’s hard to get motivated each week.

I’m engaged!

I’m engaged, and couldn’t be happier.

Lisa has always told me that the last thing she wanted was to be proposed to via a sports stadium Jumbotron while thousands of people were watching. She wanted us to be alone when it happened.

Of course, I know she still appreciates the grand romantic gesture. She’s a girl, after all.

This ended up being the perfect compromise, which was also perfect for us. I’ve been drawing Ralph and Chuck since high school, and we met in high school. Plus, how many people can frame original copies of their proposal? How many girls can say they were proposed to through a comic strip?

I think I can allow myself a little pat on the back.

Honestly, I was afraid the idea was a little too cheesy, but everyone I mentioned it to thought it was a great idea, and if the responses I’ve received from Lisa and others after the fact are any indication, it was.

It also made sense to me to have Ralph and Lily, and Chuck and Sarah, get engaged right along with us. Although this of course begs the question of how they get married (I don’t think they can all do it on the same day!), that’s not something I have to worry about for a couple of years!