Monday, September 27, 2010

Jef (Not Jef)

Hey, I’m not Jef – I’m Patty, Jef’s wife, copy editor, comic-strip letterer and general cheerleader. I’m also his (wholly inadequate) guest blogger for a yet-undetermined time period while he works to get his schedule back under control.

One of the biggest reasons Jef’s schedule is so out of control is because of our move back in June, which was entirely my fault – I’m the one who took a job on the other side of the state. I figured the least I could do is take a little work off his overloaded plate. I can’t take over his Detroit Free Press Marathon training for him, which is another big reason his schedule’s so out of control. (Besides, I wouldn’t want to keep him from working out. Because, just between us, he gets really cranky when he doesn’t exercise.)

So here I am.

I won’t have much to say about triathlons – I’ve done exactly one. I finished second-to-last in that race (Lansing’s 2009 Hawk Island Triathlon, a sprint) in 3:47:52, ahead of only Jef’s 71-year-old mother, who won her age group in 3:50:35 while finishing last. I also spent the most time in transition of the race’s finishers, with my leisurely 15:11 in T2 causing one of Jef’s closest racing buddies (Hi, Brian!) to speculate that perhaps I stepped out for a sandwich before hitting the trail for the 5K. Ah, well. I still beat all the DNFs, along with everyone who didn’t bother to sign up in the first place.

Honestly? I’m not sure WHAT I’m going to write about. I’ll let you know what Jef’s up to (right now, he’s finishing making us dinner, but I can tell he had a productive Frazz day because I have lettering to do), but I’ll mostly figure it out as I go along.

Let me know how I’m doing, OK?

12 comments:

Netagene said...

Greetings from Birmingham, Alabama! I just looked up one of my favorite cartoons, and found the blog! A friend a little younger than my son, and I both ride the paratransit bus to and from work. He was born legally blind, and I became legally blind 7 years ago at age 59. We both have a good bit of usable sight. Alabama is college football and Shane and I get so tired of hearing about the 2 big teams (U. of Ala., and Auburn U.) because neither of us care about it. (We both loved the movie "Drumline" though.) I "had" to send him the link to "Frazz" so he could see the one that Jeff did a few days ago about going past the stadium, and that was enough for him! And I kind of figured the cartoonist was into biking, swimming, etc. Keep the great 'toons! And hugs to you, too, faithful wife! Sincerely, Netagene, at http://blindedbyinsight.blogspot.com

Noel said...

Nice to have you covering for Jef for a while. I just followed my wife half a state away... can I tell her you suggest that she grade half my papers when I get a new teaching job?
Hugs to ya both,
Noel

Jay said...

So far so good! Keep up the good work, glad to see you guys are happy in the metro area, say hi to Jef for me. God luck on the future posts.

veloben said...

Patty,

Hey welcome to the blogosphere! I should have my wife write this as she edits all my stuff and is a bike widow.

Good first post. You have a nice straight forward style, a good diversion for Jef's more demanding circuitous path As for what to write, well I'd love to hear about story development.

Tim R said...

It is very nice to meet you Patty. I've been a fan of Jef's for some time now (and I DO mean Jef, and not his character Frazz). I was turned on to the strip by fellow runners on a running forum.

I got "to know" Jef a bit through the fundraiser he did for his grand swim. I purchased one of his original strips at that time and we exchanged a few emails. I was pleasantly surprised by his grace and openness.

It is great to add to that by "meeting" the woman behind the man behind the cartoon character. I too have a race supporting wife. I can fully appreciate your need to let him exercise for your own sanity.

I hope in blogging, we will hear more about the side of him he shy's away from. From a wife's perspective.

I can't wait. And I am sure you will be kind { smile }

Chria said...

Hi Patty, if you are looking for things to write about, why don't you tell us what's it like to letter the strip. Do you make suggestions to Jef about content, if so how often does he follow them, and do you ever have to ask him what the comic means? There are tons more questions that I could come up with, but I think you get the idea. Thanks for guest-posting!

Unknown said...

Hello Patty:

There is improvement already.

The photo is better!

REZ

Purplestate said...

Hi Patty! Love that you're helping out, and looking forward to your writing!

Nancy said...

Yay! Looks good to me :)

Mike in NC said...

Hi Patty, glad to hear from you! I find enjoyment in Jef's comics, books and his blogs...I really get a kick out of them. My wife is an iron(wo)man and got me hooked on the shorter tri's last year. I tell everyone that my goal is to come last in the race...which means I finished the race which is better than just starting the race which is better than not starting at all. I usually end of at the back of the pack and I love every minute of it. Thanks to you and Jef for the enjoyment and entertainment.

Mike

Unknown said...

Patty,
Love the allusion to "Was (Not Was)." Planning on listening to "What up, Dog?" while I'm drawing this morning!

Liz said...

Well hello, Patty! I read "Trizophrenia" and thought what a cool person you must be. Are you still doing that tandem biking thing?