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Experiments and changes

I don’t know how you read this blog, whether it’s online or via email subscription, but if you see it online, you may notice a different look.

I was changing some things around and screwed up and ended with what you see. Basically the same thing, but a little cleaner, I guess.

It’s the same with the 10 With Tom site. That was unintentionally cleaned up a bit too. What happened was, I was trying to clean up one blog and the I had the other one online instead, so in the end, they both got the “clean-up” treatment while I was experimenting.

No big deal, it’s the content that counts.

I have some new 10 With tom and Tomversation shirts. I wore one around town yesterday, trying to drum up readers. I actually wore the darker one, which I like better. You can see them here.

I’m looking forward to wearing them on the subway in NYC in a couple of weeks. And probably at NY Comic Con, too, but it’s such a cacophony of people there and so many cosplayers, that I don’t think I’ll be noticed. I’m looking forward to that yearly event.

Speaking of 10 With Tom, I’m working on new interviews. My recent one was last week with Elizabeth and Jonathan who produce the War and Peas comic strip, I’m sure you’ve seen that comic. You can see the 10 With Tom interview here: 10withtom.substack.com/p/meet-elizabeth-and-jonathan-of-war .

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Facebook’s suggestions

Facebook made some group suggestions for me to follow. I’m not sure where Vintage Kitchens came from, I barely boil water. Cinema Treasures, maybe.

Not sure where Vintage Mobile Homes came from and Vintage Sewing Patterns. I don’t think I’ve ever sewn anything in my life, nor do I want to.

Historical Vault, yes, I would like that. Old, Seedy Motels? Maybe, every time I see an old abandoned motel I like to think of the history of it. I sometimes think about staying in one of those old seedy 1960s motels you see in the Florida Keys. They are quiet, feet from the Gulf and look interesting. Perfect for a writer or cartoonist to spend some time. But I never stop as I’m driving by on my way to Key West, and I never end up seeing what those motels are about.

This reminds me of some years back when Visa called me. They said someone was using my credit card and they needed to cancel it. I asked them how they knew it wasn’t me. They said one charge was for Avon. A few weeks later, AmEx called and they said they knew it wasn’t me because someone charged motorcycle parts. So that’s me – somewhere between Avon and motorcycle parts.

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Last train home

As usual, I am posting my favorite Christmas commercial from Publix. It may be my favorite commercial of all time.

It reminds me of my youth, for a number of years, from 1987 to 1996, it ran every season.

The music in Last Train Home is from Still Life (Talking) an album by Pat Metheny Group, released in 1987.

To this day, when Pat Metheny is performing, he’ll refer to the song as, “The Publix song.” Publix has a new Christmas commercial every year, but I always hope they will bring it back for nostalgic value, so when I hear it come on, like I did in the “old days,” I would just drop everything and run to the tv to watch and listen.

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Dirty deeds

I reworked this old cartoon I did some years back. It came to mind because all weekend I’ve been seeing this quick 15 second commercial for Walmart using the ac/dc Dirty Deeds song. You can see it here.

So after hearing it over and over I looked in my archives and there was Lucy at her doctor’s booth ready to do some dirty deeds. Usually it’s five cents for a doctor’s visit, right? So maybe it’s the same cost for a dirty deed or two.

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Ads, lots of ads – and phone calls!

Ever notice that when you look for something on Facebook or even other places you start seeing the item as ads every other second on Facebook? I mean it’s not secret, I did a cartoon about awhile back. Sometimes you think you are being listened too, as well, as you seem to just think of something and you start seeing ads all over the place for the item.

They should have a button on the ad where you can click it and say, “I already bought it,” but I think there is an “ignore” button or something, but of course, why would Facebook want to do that when they can keep getting money for those ads that are running, even though they aren’t needed anymore. Once the product is purchased, all those ads are wasted and just racking up clicks and money for Facebook from the advertiser.

But now something interesting happened the other day. I was looking around for an ultraviolet sanitizer lamp. I didn’t know I needed one, but I saw an ad and thought, “why not?” So I looked around online, not really for the best deal, but for the fastest delivery.

I bought air conditioner filters from a place I always go. I didn’t shop around or do a search, I need a certain size I can’t find in stores, so I managed to find a place online. I just went there, ordered and that was it. Now I am seeing air conditioner filter ads on Facebook. Which is a waste of money for the advertiser, since I am not in the market for those now and it’s unwanted spam.

One trick I did learn is that if you fill in the form and abandoned it, most times the advertiser will email you a coupon code to complete the order, and you can save money. So I did that. But apparently I put my real phone number in, not that I put fake phone numbers in the form, but I usually put my old landline, which I got rid of years ago – so it’s a real number, just not used anymore.

Anyway, I guess I put in my cell number and I started getting calls from the companies where I filled out the form and then abandoned it. In the meantime I bought it from one company and the other companies kept calling me. I only answered the calls because I was expecting a call from my insurance company and I didn’t know what number the would call from.

So it seems that you are not just stalked on Facebook but now they will actually call your phone number to attempt to complete the order.

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Google it

I have a friend who worked in an info booth in town for years. Whenever I wanted to go to lunch or whatever, I would say, “Put a sign on the booth and let’s go. Tell people to Google It!”

Actually, the city sort of did that. They removed the info booths and put in something like those LinkNYC things they have in NY, only they aren’t as sophisticated, you can’t go online or use the internet, it’s more of an advertising thing. I have another friend whose beautiful art is on the info link things as part of the City of Miami’s project, I would love to get some of my cartoons on them.

A few years back I was in New York and a Nor’easter was coming. I wasn’t sure what to do, so I asked the concierge about it, “What should I do Michael? Stay? Go home?” He told me he would let me know in the morning. I gave him my number and figured that being a concierge, he had some sort of in with the weather service.

I asked him, “How are you going to get the weather?” He said, “I’m going to Google it,” to which I laughed.

In the end, the airline contacted me and had me change my flight and I came home early because of the oncoming storm. Michael did contact me the next day about the weather, but I took an early flight and was already home in Miami by then.

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Some cocoa butter . . .

Amazon Prime Day is over and I’m gonna miss it. Not for the bargains, for the Jon Baptiste commercial!

It’s the song of summer! I can’t get it out of my head – the line that says, “I need some cocoa butter and camping supplies,” makes me laugh every time. I actually would wait for the commercial, which was not hard to do since it seemed to be on every few minutes. It’s short and sweet and catchy.

I had written it down to use in a cartoon and I couldn’t come up with anything. Them I remembered a cartoon I used for a past Prime Day and I added the text.

Now to be honest, the 1000 times I’ve seen the commercial, I thought he was singing “Cold, Cold Butter,” but a reader corrected me so I changed the cartoon early this morning before most people saw it.

Butter made sense to me because I thought they were trying to show that Amazon/Wholefoods, delivers food, too.

I did take advantage of Prime Day and I bought a new Surface Pro 8 computer so you’ll be seeing my new cartoons created on that.

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Is it real or is it Maxell?

Yesterday’s cartoon is an homage to an old Maxell ad. I came up with the idea of the guy sitting in his chair at home being bored due to economic issues of the day and the ad came to mind as I started drawing the cartoon.

One thing though – to get a photo as a reference, I googled “Memorex” and the photo came up – but the crazy part is that it’s an ad for Maxell! And I noticed people who commented on the cartoon mentioned Memorex, which is interesting because this iconic “Blown Away” ad is not serving its purpose – directing people to the correct product, it’s literally sending people to its competitor. But of course it’s one of the best photographs ever. It’s by photographer Steve Steigman.

Even the google search sends the Memorex reference to the Maxell ad. It’s sort of like those ads that we love but we don’t remember what the product is for.

*This is the original advertisement*, photo by Steve Steigman

Speaking of Memorex, I remember something from high school. We had a class called Rock Poetry and it was all based on current rock music. We studied the lyrics as poetry, which is what they were. We all had to bring in a record or cassette tape (yes, it was back then) and the teacher would pull out a random record or cassette and we would listen to a song and discuss it.

One time she reached into the box and pulled out a cassette and said, “Ok, the next one is Memorex.” And of course we all cracked up. We had to explain to her that Memorex was the cassette tape company, not the name of the recording or band.

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Returning to the 1980s

I’m always wanting to return to the 1980s – my favorite decade.

I always imagine that when we die, we can return to any time period we like – mine would be to relive Jan 1, 1980 to Dec. 31, 1989 and then do it over and over again – sort of like a 10 year version of Ground Hog Day.

I saw this picture recently, the Kevin Bacon poster. it’s from 1986 and it’s still hanging in the subway – at one particular station in NYC. Still there, 36 years later!

I’d like to visit it and sort of be in a picture in front of it, transporting myself to 1986. It’s at the 71st and Continental subway station in Forest Hills Queens. I am always at that station, too. I get off at that stop (and get on) when I’m coming and going from the city when I meet my cousins in Queens. I will visit this when I get to NY in a couple of months. Look for it here!

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Christmas commercials

This commercial reminds me of my father and my uncle, who both lost their wives this year. Really sad.

And this, Publix commercial, of course, is my all-time favorite Publix commercial.

The “Last Train Home” commercial was shown for many years in the 1980s and ’90s.

The music in Last Train Home is from Still Life (Talking) an album by Pat Metheny Group, released in 1987. This Publix commercial ran from 1987 to 1996.

To this day, when Pat Metheny is performing, he’ll refer to the song as, “The Publix song.”

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