For Better or For Worse by Lynn Johnston for September 14, 2010

Real men do things themselves… poorly. I’d be tempted to take out my own appendix rather than trusting some doctor to do it.

This is the seventies-eighties, right? I expect nowadays even you Americans have internet banks? You don’t use CHECKS anymore?

Well I read just yesterday some forums where someone in USA said that some people there mail checks for their bills from home (that means, put the checks in their non-locked mailboxes and rise a little flag so everyone knows there is stuff in there), so… maybe they DON’T use internet banks yet. Yes, weird.

tantebitte said, about 3 hours ago… I expect nowadays even you Americans have internet banks?…

Yes and we have radios and electric lights. And horseless carriages ! (This is a CANADIAN comic, by the way.)

I use online banking and a debit card, but still keep a check register, and balance it and reconsile my bank statement…do you just trust the bank to keep track of your money? I sure don’t….

Later, when he asks her to do it herself, she’ll complain she has too much to do with looking after kids, pets and him.

Meanwhile, you’re teaching new words to your kids. Well, if she’s already asked him to help her and he can’t handle it, why would he ask her to do it herself?

I still have to write out checks, mostly for school stuff. Sometimes they give you a one day turnaround to send something back to school. Not enough time to send a check from web banking. Plus if you’re expected to include money with the permission slip, it just doesn’t work. I’m sure somewhere they have all of this done electronically (combining permission slips and payment), but schools are the last to get funding for that.

I learned years ago to use duplicate checks. As long as you don’t mail the copy, you’ve got a record whether you write it down or not. And, as lightenup says, even today it is often necessary to write a physical check.

But electronic and plastic transactions! Most of the time there is no receipt unless you print out a full web page confirmation. Paperless? I laugh at the “Green” offers to go paperless - so you can print your own copies.

Wasn’t this story line run just a few months ago?

I generally use electronic transactions. But there are still businesses that havent been set up for e-transactions or charge a ridiculous “courtesy fee” that still get checks from me. Also, it’s stupid not to keep your account balanced.

Why can’t she just take it to the bank? Even in the days this strip takes place, your bank would balance your checkbook for you if you have trouble. Just ask them. Some banks did it for free and for some there would be a small charge to do it.

Uh oh, John. What’s going on between you and your bookkeeper?

Canadians don’t have checks. They use cheques.

If John’s having that much trouble figuring out his wife’s checkbook, then obviously he doesn’t balance it for her every month. Maybe he should consider doing that in order to make it easier on himself.

geneU2— In reference to your comment about taking out your own appendix, I read an article several years ago where a doctor did! He had all the normal surgery people there, had a local anesthetic, and did the operation himself! LOL

THANK YOU ladyfingers86!!! I don’t know why before folks start ragging that they don’t know or recall that this IS a RE-RUN from the 1970’s!

I know a doctor whose ex wife claims he did his own vasectomy at home. I imagine he used a local, since that’s what they use for those, but she was the only one there and she is not a medical professional.

Speaking of the strip, John got a cat on the tongue about the female bookkeeper after suddenly Elly was shocked what John mentioned. Tsk! Elly might be so furious at John for saying that aloud.

Before we all used to have the personal checks to write but too much trouble with bouncing a check (fraud checks etc…), lost in the mail somewhere and charge the fee too much if use the checks that was too many. My mum used to write a check for Amway products to be ordered and it was not received from Amway; therefore it was already LOST somewhere at the Post Office or other place. My mum was really mad and pissed off. She had to re-write another check and mail with green certified card. Now we have credit and debit cards with e-bills and banking online. Also we have the bank statement on the banking online so you can save it in your file by the computer or CDs instead of keep the wasting papers too much. Are those great for us to use electricial things than worry too much with the paper things we used to have in the past? I am sure we do appreciating with the electrical things in the future! Have a great day, mates and lasses!

Balancing a checkbook manually. Didn’t that go out of style with PONG?

@Maryjoalaska, thanks for the comment. Amazing to hear. I guess the guy just didn’t trust anyone else to do it right!

I still recall in the early 80s seeing a dentist do his own root canal on television. It was disturbing, though my dentist claims it’s not that horrible a procedure. He says the only thing he would be concerned about would be getting a good angle for it on his own mouth.

That is the point of the title, it seems to me. I disappoint myself more than anyone else I know. People disappoint, but you keep on loving them…for better or worse….

There are people who still write checks, even then, we have Quickbooks and Excel now.