Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson for July 24, 2022

Does this mean Calvin will have to take out life crushing loans to get through college?

The ball and chain will deflate your dream

In panel 5 he gets a real feel for the land, alright.

A rarity. A Calvin and Hobbes comic without either of the title characters!

The truth is that the bike ride keeps him away from Calvin.

But do you know?

I cut out another of the Dad as cyclist daily strips and posted on my office wall. One of us!

I have always enjoyed the disconnect between his mental monologue and what’s actually happening around him.

After a couple of days with Calvin he’ll be begging for his job back.

I hope when Dad’s “mid-life crisis” finally kills him, he’ll leave a life insurance policy big enough for Mom and Calvin to live on comfortably!!

Bike-riding in junk yards surrounded by insects builds character!!

I had to think “why is there a fried egg by Dad’s head in panel #!?” Just the Sun

We see where Calvin got his sense of imagination. Dad’s has been mostly submerged in the rat race

Even considering all the pain dad suffers in bicycling, it’s still better than sitting in his office.

“A chance to get a feel for the land”…especially as you land on it!

I never had a mid-life crisis.

I do get up at 5 AM and work out and walk 4 miles every morning. Back when I was in the military I had to maintain certain weight and fitness standards. I did it back then because I had to. I do it now because I still can.

If this is my mid-life crisis, then I hope it’s true. I’m 73. That means I should live to be 146.

On second thought, I am not sure I want to live THAT long.

There’s a lot of good to be said about a solid midlife crisis plan. That isn’t one, of course.

This is the life, he keeps telling himself that. Deluding himself builds character.

Forget the Tour de France, this is more the Tour de Trance.

Something tells me that Dad as a kid was just like Calvin now.

I see Dad rides his bike about as well as Calvin does. The difference is all in the attitude about their ineptitude.

Note I never learned to ride a bike, but even i know falling off while riding one is not a sign of skill.

That’s how I feel when I am out on a bike. But my routes have little to no traffic.

I still have the original Sunday comic from that day so long ago. Weathered and frayed, still brings a smile to my face. Thinking of ordering a print of this comic.

You ever wonder about this kids, Calvin, Charlie Brown and gang, Annie that never grow old? Could they be vampires?

Seems in the 3rd panel 2nd row dad has expressed the conclusion more recently expressed by some who have changed their work perspectives since the onset of the covid crisis. Usually stated as having found more reason to work from home so as to spend more time with family and to be able to avoid work clothes, regimented daily activities, and the commute.

Given the ubiquitous nature of computers and the internet, it is a not unreasonable assumption that one who is happy at both home and work benefits the company through improved output and quality of work. Yes, I agree, there are and will be laggards and goof-offs, but they, like the complainers and moaners, exist in every society. Many of them will lose their jobs and/or drift on to plague new employers. ’Tis ever thus.

If Calvin’s dad were transported to the universe of the B.C. strips, especially the early ones, he would have yet another newfound appreciation for a modern-day bike ride!

All the same aches and pains, just less Calvin.

And Mom just takes it in stride. It’s what moms do.

A friend of mine was what I would call a “demon cyclist” – the kind of guy who ride his bike from San Francisco to Los Angeles along Highway 1. He pointed out one very sobering fact that enthusiasts should consider. You spend 90% of the time peddling uphill . Sounds wrong until you think about it. You just zip down those hills in seconds but then there is always another hill with that long climb up.

That is exactly what I did. Quit my job and now spend my summers cycling.

The same enthusiasm carries over to the rain filled camping trips.

Dad is having a modified ’Mid-life Crisis"…..

Maybe he could become a racer. That’s a thing, right?

I ride around my tiny town and up a road out of town at 4am to beat the heat. 2 headlights and a flashing taillight. Never see anyone, just an occasional coyote. A peaceful quiet ride while the town sleeps.

Who’s being sarcastic or thick-headed in the last panel? (I think Dad once said in another strip that the key to enjoying your job is having a hobby that’s worse?)

Perhaps he should have elected to go riding instead on that sultry evening when Calvin was conceived.

Lance Armstrong could sponsor him. I hear he’s not doing anything

My first mid-life was a Jensen-Healy in the 1970s, but I only took it for a test drive.

Jef? Is that you?

Everything about the bike ride is better than spending time with Calvin.

I love it too. 9 miles one way to work, back and forth all summer.

Congratulations to Jonas Vingegaard on winning the Tour de France. Excellent comradery between him and Tadej Pogacar, when they should have been rivals. Very much a delight to watch this year.

People think Frazz looks like adult Calvin. Here we see that Calvin’s dad has something in common with Frazz.

As a kid, I thought he was shouting that last sentence for no particular reason.

No need if you’re going to be shiftless.

This is my favorite Calvin & Hobbes cartoon.

like i keep saying… most cyclists are insane