At the risk of Brooke McEldowney calling me an imbecile…
Cidu Bill on Nov 5th 2009
… I’m not sure exactly what he’s getting at
Filed in 9 Chickweed Lane, Arlo Page, Bill Bickel, Brooke McEldowney, CIDU, comic strips, comics, humor | 19 responses so far
Usual John Nov 5th 2009 at 12:49 am 1
McEldowney is just implying that sex makes her feel young and fertile. It’s not very well thought out, really. I’m sure he doesn’t mean that older people don’t have sex any more.
Putting aside the meaning of this rather thin joke, why in the world is Edda worried about her biological clock ticking? She’s an attractive young woman of college age, with a committed boyfriend whom she can reasonably expect may be her husband. (In fact, we know from various foreshadowings in the strip that that’s exactly what will happen.) It seems premature for her to be sitting around talking about her biological clock.
Kate C Nov 5th 2009 at 12:55 am 2
I’m assuming the punchline is just “Edda is so sexy because she loves the sexy sex,” which most punchlines involving Edda are.
And “biological clock”? First, I feel like that phrase is pretty dated, and second, isn’t it meant for women in their mid-to-late thirties to say? If I recall correctly, Edda is only 20 or 21.
David N Nov 5th 2009 at 01:26 am 3
And doesn’t a wound clock continue to keep ticking? Unwinding it might have made more sense, to me anyway.
Kit Nov 5th 2009 at 04:33 am 4
Maybe Brooke will bloviate about this on his blog?
mkilby Nov 5th 2009 at 05:45 am 5
I think the point of this comic is to make the scene as racy and alluring as the syndicate’s editors will accept. The spatial/temporal separation between panels two and three is particularly clever and effective. Why should comics not be subject to the same principle that is used in advertising every day: sex sells!
Nicole Nov 5th 2009 at 08:39 am 6
He isn’t getting at anything … it is just an excuse to show a little sex and have a cute punchline.
Heather D Nov 5th 2009 at 08:52 am 7
I don’t think it’s unusual for a young woman of Edda’s age to feel her ‘clock ticking’. She’s pursuing a career path right now and has deliberately decided not to get married and/or have children right now — or in the forseeable future. Meanwhile, her body is telling her “NOW is the best time to procreate.”
It’s not that she’s running out of time, but that she worries that if she doesn’t get cracking soon, she may start to run out of time… but she knows she won’t be starting soon.
As for the joke, it’s just that he ‘winds her up’. I thought it was a bit strained as a pun, but cute.
Tom T. Nov 5th 2009 at 09:32 am 8
As I may have remarked before, I used to snarl at Amos and Edda, “Would you two just have sex already!” Now, I whine, “Would you two please stop having sex?”
Carl Nov 5th 2009 at 11:17 am 9
Ballet dancers, like other athletes, can end their careers by having a kid. She might have to largely stop training and gain weight. Dancers often don’t have periods (I mean female dancers) because their body fat content is so low. And recovering after 1 or 2 kids to get back into ballet shape is hard, and since she isn’t a star, trying to break in as an older dancer would be even more difficult.
Basically she will shortly need to decide between kids or professional success. (Or switch to piano, which she’s seemingly professional-level at.)
Elyrest Nov 5th 2009 at 11:28 am 10
When I was 20-21 I didn’t even know there was a biological clock let alone feel one ticking. From my experience most women I know didn’t feel any yearn to procreate till their friends had kids and they were around them.
I’m with Tom T. and the sex. I read this strip years ago and then stopped for a long time because I found it tedious. Well drawn yes, but a little self indulgent on Brooke’s part.
Chakolate Nov 5th 2009 at 02:26 pm 11
If Edda left high school early within the last year or so, shouldn’t she be 19 or so now?
Kate C Nov 5th 2009 at 06:04 pm 12
Chakolate–Edda left HS and moved to NY back in 2005ish (which is, in my opinion, when the strip took a huge nose-dive in quality). I don’t know how time in this strip moves, but I had her pegged at about 20, maybe 21.
Pinny Nov 5th 2009 at 07:53 pm 13
Possible Translation #1
—————-
Panel #1: “Sometimes I worry that I will never have kids.”
Panel #2 & 3: [sex]
Panel #4: “It’s really nice when you do your best to help me have kids (i.e, by having sex with me).”
Possible Translation #2
—————-
Panel #1: “Sometimes I really, really want kids.”
Panel #2 & 3: [spontaneous sex]
Panel #4: “Thank you for the spontaneous sex. Now the urge has gone away, since it reminds me that if I’d have kids, we would not be able to have spontaneous sex.”
Mark in Boston Nov 5th 2009 at 08:41 pm 14
It’s a kind of tortured metaphor, like “She’s at death’s door and the doctors are trying to pull her through.”
Chakolate Nov 5th 2009 at 09:03 pm 15
Kate C, thanks! I hadn’t realized it was so long ago, or that I’d been reading the strip that long.
NoAlias Nov 5th 2009 at 09:37 pm 16
I don’t read the strip, only when it’s posted here, so I’m not at all familiar with the characters. I had assumed she’s 25+ years old and he’s a generally self-centered boor, so my scenario was:
Panel 1 - I think I want kids soon, as clock is winding down.
Panel 2,3 - Have sex, or at least make out.
Panel 4 - Realize that while she enjoys the activity, boyfriend is an insensitive lout, and not in such a hurry to have kids with him. Therefore, clock has been wound back up; more time exists before clock run down.
J-L Nov 6th 2009 at 05:57 pm 17
Here’s how I interpreted it:
What she says: Sometimes I feel my biological clock is ticking.
What she means: Every day I feel less and less attractive.
What she says: But it’s really nice when you wind it.
What she means: I like the fact that you still find me attractive.
Chuck Mar 6th 2010 at 04:38 am 18
Elyrest, I’m 22. I really want a baby. I’m waiting, but I really want one.
Elyrest Mar 6th 2010 at 11:24 am 19
Chuck - There’s a difference between wanting a baby, wanting to have kids someday and a biological clock ticking. Some of it’s rational and some of it’s not. I have a niece who had a baby because her best friend did and it was so cute. That’s not really the best logic for bringing kids into the world. Yes, they are cute, but they are also loud, poopy, demanding and take all your time and understanding. When you can deal with all of that you should have kids. (End of lecture.) The biological clock ticking is not just wanting one, but knowing your time is running out. At 22 I think you have time.