Luann by Greg Evans and Karen Evans for December 12, 2018

I think you better get to your studies.

back off and take care of #1 (yourself!)

Tara may be on her way of this college soon too. she loves getting expelled.

Turn on, tune in, drop out!

I think Jack told Tara not to show up, because he doesn’t seem concerned about her at all.

Oh Boy, there it is again. Concern for Tara, a young woman who I truly believe can truly take care of herself.

And while their concern is touching and well placed, NOW is not the time.

And please don’t tell Me that Jack and Luann are going to abandon their “studies” (and everything else) and go LOOKING for her. Not that!

Luann has every right to be upset. And Jack is right in saying he should not have lent her his notes.

Luann, you said it – she’s a flake. Bernice told you about her and you dismissed all that. Now you are seeing the Tara for who she is. So, get busy and study with Jack …don’t forget to light a candle.

It’s disturbing to me how many readers said Tara was a thief – and she always will be no good, because that never changes. Kinda like predestination. In any event – at this point Luann is entitled to be angry.

So, they’ve just wasted 40 minutes? Study already!

Whether she’s a flake or in some sort of trouble, there’s nothing you can do about it. So focus on the matter at hand – preparing for that exam. And whatever comes after that. And if/when Tara does show up, don’t let her derail you again.

But then, the point of today may well be – the gag-a-day gag-of-the-day!

I’d be willing to bet that if/when Tara shows up, she has forgotten to bring Jack’s notes back to him. Out of this study session, the way it is going, to only one here that will learn anything is Jack. And what is that?

When it comes to Tara, “Neither borrower nor lender be”.

“Phrasing!”

Luann, you nailed it in one.

She’s a flake.

But she’s your flake.

If you haven’t been studying then your priorities are still off. Life goes on even if people are late.

Back off you’re not close enough to her yet and she’s an adult and will get back in touch with you when she wants to. Then you can ask her what happened to her.

If she flakes out and has to beg you for notes, that’s on her.

If you let her flakiness interfere with your own studies, that’s on you.

Get to the study. Tara probably set you up because she noticed the chemistry between them.

My ex wife had a friend that always showed up late. Very irritating to say the least.

She’s an unreliable flake. By now you should know that you can’t depend on her for anything.

Chronic lateness is sometimes caused by an almost neurotic independence – a need to demonstrate (if only to one’s self) that one doesn’t have to abide by others’ rules and schedules.

Setting the stage for some revelation about Tara. She’s got a dark secret. Hey, maybe she’s in jail for theft. Or prostitution? Nah….Greg wouldn’t go that dark.

First things first, right Jack?

Did Tara find another “study” partner, and, forget to call Luann?

No, Jack shouldn’t have given his notes to Tara, and in 2018 he wouldn’t have. He would have given her a (digital) copy of his notes.

Why do people feel they need to live other people’s lives. Aren’t they interested in their own?

Get ready for the call to “Bail me out” from Tera.

At this point, I see Tara as a classic narcissist. But these characters can grow and mature…except for Ann, she’s a monster in a short skirt.

Control what you can control Luann and don’t worry about the rest. You have an exam to take. Focus on passing it.

Tara’s the anti-Delta. Whatever happened to Delta in this strip, anyway?

I too thought the purpose of the notes was for her to study, on her own.

Oh, and a question. Did the strip show them setting up a study time? Or, did it happen later after Tara left with the notes?

I’ve known people like Tara. They can be fun and charming….but often they are also parasites. I wouldn’t lend her class notes. If she doesn’t care about school, why should I on her behalf?

Having said that, I suspect that Jack either suggested that Tara not come…or Tara is deliberately not coming so that Luann and Jack have some together time.

“Flake News”

“Back Off Boogaloo”

“The Rude Of The Problem”

“Butt In Heads”

Maybe Tara just wanted to give them some alone time. Maybe a type of setup…

Wow … serious levels of harshness here. Yes, Luann and Jack should get going on studying for their exam. That said, something is going on with Tara and it seems to be getting worse. Her friends should be paying attention and watching for an opportunity to help. And some people are not good with time through no fault of their own – if you have someone like that in your life, maybe give that person the benefit of the doubt and stop taking it personally.

So it takes a Tara to show Luann what it’s like to be her parents.

As I opened yesterday, the purpose of this episode is to build up tension around Tara. I think dlkrueger33 nailed it. There is a major revelation re Tara in the offing.

WAIT FOR IT… Wait for it… wait for it… …

Instead of letting this ‘stew’ cook 40 minutes – Jack and Luann could have just gone over basics with her notes in the meantime. Then when (IF) Tara show up, just say: “Oh! We went ahead and got started. Where were you?”

I am HOPING that Tara is not the ‘excuse for the moment’ kinda gal – buuuuuut??! :\

I may be wrong, but I think this is a “rush to judgement” and we’re going to find out Tara was in some accident or something like that

I believe more of Tara’s character will be revealed soon, too. She is certainly a complicated girl.

Maybe she could get a job with Grub Hub. Last nite I ordered from them and my order hadn’t even been picked up from the restaurant by the time it was supposed to be delivered. I called GH and they tried to get hold of the driver and he wasn’t answering. I called KFC and they said they were trying to reach him and he wasn’t answering. They finally got him and let me know he was on the way. When he showed, I expressed my dissatisfaction telling him he was extremely late and that was unacceptable service. He told me I was rude! And he didn’t even apologize. I made them take off his tip. They should have refunded the delivery fee, too but they said they couldn’t. Won’t use them again.

Trying to ignore the judgementalism above. I think it is great that Luann is concerned for and about Tara. Tara is complicated, but she is wonderful too. It might be a situation where loving concern might help the more wonderful part win out, or it might not. That’s life. I am hoping and I like Tara, and do not dismiss her as a felon, which she is not, not having been criminally charged in the strip. Jack is a big, polite lug, who is also perfect for Luann, and obviously has feelings for her, but maybe is shy to show them. After all he dropped a bowling ball on her foot (lol).

You should relax, have a good study session with a real friend, and eat tasty snacks. At least, that’s what I would do.

Did we miss getting to see Tara do the perp walk?

My guess? Tara is actually a mentally disturbed male, posing as a female. This explains the erratic behavior.

“Why should I go hungry just because Tara isn’t here? Sure, she may be lying dead in a ditch somewhere but probably isn’t and I’m definitely hungry.”

Maybe they will find out that Tara is homeless.

5

The reality about Tara….. she is basically a “flake”. I like her, she enjoys life, she is adventuresome…. etc. But, she is not a person one should RELY upon. There are all sorts of folks like that…. it doesn’t mean you disown them, or denigrate them… you just live with their “eccentricities” if you enjoy their friendship.

Luann and Jack are wasting their own time…. there is no reason they could not have been studying during the 40 minutes that have transpired…. when and if Tara shows up they could get her “up to speed”. Trying to teach a subject to a new person is a very effective study method that would help Luann and Jack succeed.

Now, the prior study idea is dependent upon Luann actually having taken notes and not just written emojis…. since Jack’s notes are MIA at the moment. But, I have to assume that Luann has some notes of some sort.

I am still not convinced that Luann or Jack have particularly “noteworthy” (pun intentional) notes…. I still think they both are only partially prepared to learn for the upcoming exam themselves. I think they both could still have difficulty using the notes they do have since they were not really paying particularly good attention.

The fact that Jack is hungry…. well… that is to be expected… snacks…. they stimulate the appetite. :)

I hope they’re really not waiting for her to begin studying

Anyone else thinking maybe Jack set everything up this way so he and Luann could have some alone time? I had a boyfriend in college who started out as a study buddy…just sayin’

Anyone else thinking maybe Jack set everything up this way so he and Luann could have some alone time? I had a boyfriend in college who started out as a study buddy…just sayin’

It is weird that Luann was fine with butting into Tiffany’s life to try and fix her when she was depressed, and not offended at Tiffs rude defensiveness, but finds Tara rude when she can’t force Tara to be what she (Luann) wants. Almost as if she needs someone to fix to justify her existence – probably why she isn’t attracted to Jack, he is pritty flat as a character and hasn’t got any problems for her. Honestly, I think Jack should give up the ghost and go date anyone else. Luann is a grown woman who has made her choice to friendzone him. I do think it may be that Luann has a different attitude toward academic learning than Tara, IE Luann thinks hard work should equal better grades and Tara thinks that working smarter (studying someone else’s notes and not wasting good party time) rather than harder is the way to go. Given the college has your cash either way, which is it’s primary objective, and life is short, Tara may be right. I also think, from Tara’s perspective, she has taught Luann archery, invited her to parties and gotten her to loosen up and mature up compared to where she was before. Luann is bringing study dates to the relationship. Tara may be plenty smart already, and not knocked out by dull people, so yeah, Luann had better double check with Tara what Tara wants from this relationship. Overall, I think Luann has a bit of a problem with ambition and wants, so this may not have occurred to her.

Here is the only visible picture of what Tara has done, though we’ve heard of many other things. What would motivate a person to do this in such a prominent, public place? How much strength did it take for her to do this? How much noise did it make? Was she aware of the surveillance cameras in the hall? Did she think she would be able to get away with this?

https://www.gocomics.com/luann/2017/04/19

This is California law regarding breaking into a vending machine. It is punishable by imprisonment in the county jail for not more than one year, or by fine of not more than one thousand dollars ($1,000), or by both. Why isn’t anyone taking Tara’s activities more seriously?

https://law.justia.com/codes/california/2016/code-pen/part-1/title-13/chapter-3/section-466.3/

Why does Tara, herself, not appear to be taking her activities seriously?

https://www.gocomics.com/luann/2017/08/31

I’m still waiting on more information about Tara before making up my mind. :-)

SallyMargaret…. You raise several very good points! However, I keep thinking we do not know the real story behind Tara yet. It seems unlikely that Greg would have a “hardened criminal” as a recurring character. :)

Tara was caught on surveillance video breaking into the vending machine.

https://www.gocomics.com/luann/2017/04/25

http://www.luannfan.com/meet-the-gang/ a little out of date, but includes descriptions of Ann and Tara

Now I’m starting to worry about Tara. What could have happened to her?

I think Luann is apt in feeling both as she does not have enough information. On the plus side, this is an impromptu study DATE for Jack and Luann. I definitely ship these two.

Well, if he had forgotten to pick her up as previously speculated, I’m pretty sure he’d have Remembered by now.

Plus, Tara would probably have Called him.

We can now add Tara to a “growing” list (includes Piro and Dez) of characters for whom more information is needed. On another note, it will be interesting to see (if we get to) who performs best on this exam.

Just get started.

Luann, you speak for many of us regarding Tara.

Jack, go ahead. No sense letting the popcorn chill….

Tara has repeatedly shown how irresponsible she is since she was at Mooney U with Bernice. So this isn’t really much of a surprise. The most Luann should do is just make sure nothing serious happened and then kinda just distance herself from Tara

Maybe she wants Jack and Luann to be alone together, Jack seems like a very nice and decent guy, perfect for Luann

I can see where Luann is coming from. There have been several people in my life who have vexed me while at the same time worried me. They vanish without warning only to pop up again at their own convenience.