That would be a very, very bad idea. I don’t know why you guys want her to move in with Cooper. They’ve only been dating for a few months. Honestly, their relationship is on shaky ground as far as I’m concerned due to Val being High maintenance.
a few months? They’ve been dating since before Marla got pregnant. Heck I think they started dating before Marla and her husband watshisname married. So yeah, I think its time they moved in together.
aw man, you guys never pay attention to the story! she and coop dated since over a year ago!
Val is NOT high maintenance. She’s not singing female parts of “Can I get a…” by Jay-Z in the shower (“Never test my patience *****, I’m high maintenance
High class, if you ain’t rollin, bypass
If you ain’t holdin, I dash yo”). She has lived in a good neighborhood and has got all her salary as her petty money. No wonder it’s hard for her to get down from that level. Give her a break already, all of you. Pretty please.
She’s the embodiment of high-maintenance, both emotionally and financially. She’s manipulated Cooper into catering to her spoiled ways. She guilted him into meeting with her father, and then she disappears to the bathroom and lets him handle it by himself.
Now she’s got this high and mighty attitude about getting a new place to stay, then has the nerve to tell Cooper that he’s “running out of brownie points”? I’m amazed that he didn’t blow up at that comment, because that would have been an eruption, had that been me.
At least with Stuart and Jerry, we see them for what they are out in the open, but with Val, she might be the biggest villain in the strip because she’s cold and calculating and is well on her way to destroying Cooper’s life.
I can see where Val made the “brownie points” comment. Whenever anyone is facing a hard situation, they don’t want it thrown again and again in their face, they don’t need to be reminded constantly. The pressure already can make one’s tolerance levels lower, so comment’s like Cooper’s get more irking quicker.
Also, I do not think you are being fair to Val. Girls take forever in the bathroom; get used to it. Did she ask Cooper to go with her in the best way? No. But that’s one bad action. Where else has she been spoiled? Wicked? I don’t recall her complaining about Cooper’s original choice, nor do I remember her complaining about anything. Where else is she being spoiled? The apartment ac? But she is trying to come to terms with stepping out on her own, living by her own means. Any recent college grad can tell you it is terrifying, and that it takes a few weeks in the real world for you to get your priorities straight.
I’m with you on the high maintenance part, but I honestly don’t believe that’s her intent. The whole “dinner with Daddy” was obviously very high maintenance, but this I’m not so sure about. I think Val has just come to be that way because she was spoiled for so long. I’m wondering if she’s going to take notice of how nasty she has been to Cooper in recent months… and apologize for it. He really has done a lot despite it and I think that’s for two reasons. He has a great heart and recognizes that Val isn’t doing this intentionally. I think he wants her to take a look at herself and try to shed the selfish, entitled side she has been showing lately.
If she doesn’t, then he is too good for her and should dump her.
They’ve been dating for over a year. Coop first asked her out Valentine’s day 2011.
Ok, so this is my first time posting a comment. I’ve followed this strip for a little over a year and read through the entire collection. I’ve always liked Val, even when the whole thing with her dad went down, I liked her. But this whole apartment shopping thing has made my patience with her grow thin. I don’t see Val willing to make any sort of compromise. She’s going to have to learn the hard way that on her salary, she won’t be getting everything she’s ever had. I suspect that, if she keeps going on this delusional path, it’s all going to blow up in her face.
I’m surprised at how much I want to see that happen. Losing Cooper, potentially getting passed up for a promotion, getting a shitty apartment with morons for roommates in a part of town where cars can get dinged, damaged, or stolen and apartments don’t fare that much better, I almost foresee that for her. I kind of wish she’d have a Scrooge moment where the ghost of retail past, present, and future, comes for a visit. Maybe it would startle her into seeing that she’s being far to picky for her own good.
I can’t decide if this strip is a sign of growth or not. She admitted that she’s spoiled (seems like progress) but she thinks she’s too good to have to stoop so low as to have a roommate (wake up and smell the coffee because you’re going to have to make a sacrifice SOMEWHERE).
I kinda have to go with Val on the roommate thing… roomies can be great if you already have someone in mind who you know you’ll get along with… but if you have to try and find someone off the street… its like Russian Roulette… and nothing sucks worse then getting a ‘.45 through the skull’ equivalent of a roommate.
I’ve had too many flaky roommates, most of them just bail on the lease and leave me with the full amount halfway through the year, but one of them robbed me and vanished into thin air. I’m with Val on this one, hold out for something you can afford on your own!
Val was just abandoned by her father because he didn’t get what he wanted out of her career. Yes, she lied, but only out of the fear of her father abandoning her, and he did. The father can be angry but not because he didn’t get what he wanted out of Val, but at himself for driving her to lie out of fear.
I’m putting this on the father here because there was no reason to why he should be ashamed of how Val took another job to support herself. Writing jobs are hard to come by in this economy.
I can see why Val is scared and I can also see severe depression on the horizon because she will have to work more hours and have less time to write in a crappy apartment.
If Val does go into a depression, at least she’ll have Cooper, Marla, and Scott on her side! I haven’t had to worry about a room mate yet, but have known too many people who got on the wrong end of that “.45″ mentioned above to even consider it.
They’re at Marla and Scott’s place, looks like “Auntie Val” came by to see the baby. What she is wearing just happens to look a lot like her work clothes…….any body else find themselves dressing in work-like clothes by accident from time to time too?
Roommate…hint, hint…
That would be a very, very bad idea. I don’t know why you guys want her to move in with Cooper. They’ve only been dating for a few months. Honestly, their relationship is on shaky ground as far as I’m concerned due to Val being High maintenance.
Yeah. At this point, I am starting to think Coop could do better.
a few months? They’ve been dating since before Marla got pregnant. Heck I think they started dating before Marla and her husband watshisname married. So yeah, I think its time they moved in together.
aw man, you guys never pay attention to the story! she and coop dated since over a year ago!
Val is NOT high maintenance. She’s not singing female parts of “Can I get a…” by Jay-Z in the shower (“Never test my patience *****, I’m high maintenance
High class, if you ain’t rollin, bypass
If you ain’t holdin, I dash yo”). She has lived in a good neighborhood and has got all her salary as her petty money. No wonder it’s hard for her to get down from that level. Give her a break already, all of you. Pretty please.
Well, “female parts” don’t look so good now as when I was writing this
But you catch my meaning: part of a song, sang by a woman. That’s what I meant 
She’s the embodiment of high-maintenance, both emotionally and financially. She’s manipulated Cooper into catering to her spoiled ways. She guilted him into meeting with her father, and then she disappears to the bathroom and lets him handle it by himself.
Now she’s got this high and mighty attitude about getting a new place to stay, then has the nerve to tell Cooper that he’s “running out of brownie points”? I’m amazed that he didn’t blow up at that comment, because that would have been an eruption, had that been me.
At least with Stuart and Jerry, we see them for what they are out in the open, but with Val, she might be the biggest villain in the strip because she’s cold and calculating and is well on her way to destroying Cooper’s life.
I can see where Val made the “brownie points” comment. Whenever anyone is facing a hard situation, they don’t want it thrown again and again in their face, they don’t need to be reminded constantly. The pressure already can make one’s tolerance levels lower, so comment’s like Cooper’s get more irking quicker.
Also, I do not think you are being fair to Val. Girls take forever in the bathroom; get used to it. Did she ask Cooper to go with her in the best way? No. But that’s one bad action. Where else has she been spoiled? Wicked? I don’t recall her complaining about Cooper’s original choice, nor do I remember her complaining about anything. Where else is she being spoiled? The apartment ac? But she is trying to come to terms with stepping out on her own, living by her own means. Any recent college grad can tell you it is terrifying, and that it takes a few weeks in the real world for you to get your priorities straight.
I’m with you on the high maintenance part, but I honestly don’t believe that’s her intent. The whole “dinner with Daddy” was obviously very high maintenance, but this I’m not so sure about. I think Val has just come to be that way because she was spoiled for so long. I’m wondering if she’s going to take notice of how nasty she has been to Cooper in recent months… and apologize for it. He really has done a lot despite it and I think that’s for two reasons. He has a great heart and recognizes that Val isn’t doing this intentionally. I think he wants her to take a look at herself and try to shed the selfish, entitled side she has been showing lately.
If she doesn’t, then he is too good for her and should dump her.
They’ve been dating for over a year. Coop first asked her out Valentine’s day 2011.
Ok, so this is my first time posting a comment. I’ve followed this strip for a little over a year and read through the entire collection. I’ve always liked Val, even when the whole thing with her dad went down, I liked her. But this whole apartment shopping thing has made my patience with her grow thin. I don’t see Val willing to make any sort of compromise. She’s going to have to learn the hard way that on her salary, she won’t be getting everything she’s ever had. I suspect that, if she keeps going on this delusional path, it’s all going to blow up in her face.
I’m surprised at how much I want to see that happen. Losing Cooper, potentially getting passed up for a promotion, getting a shitty apartment with morons for roommates in a part of town where cars can get dinged, damaged, or stolen and apartments don’t fare that much better, I almost foresee that for her. I kind of wish she’d have a Scrooge moment where the ghost of retail past, present, and future, comes for a visit. Maybe it would startle her into seeing that she’s being far to picky for her own good.
“I guess I’ve had it too good for too long. I’m just spoiled.”
Now, that sounded reflective. We’re getting somewhere. Val is making progress by realizing this about herself.
“I said I’m spoiled, Marla, not self-destructive.”
… Baby steps, folks. Baby steps.
I’m glad Val’s saying it. She was getting to the point of annoying, but now that she recognizes that she’s been spoiled, she’s getting somewhere.
I hope this turns out for the better, but I’m beginning to expect a cliff-hanger tomorrow…
I can’t decide if this strip is a sign of growth or not. She admitted that she’s spoiled (seems like progress) but she thinks she’s too good to have to stoop so low as to have a roommate (wake up and smell the coffee because you’re going to have to make a sacrifice SOMEWHERE).
One step forward, one step back I guess.
Um, why is Marla wearing shorts in the first panel, but in the third panel she’s wearing pants?
Good catch. I didn’t even notice.
Don’t feel bad, I thought she had been wearing her Grumbles uniform at first!
When you have an infant, you learn to do *everything* lightning fast, including changing clothes.
Don’t you think Norm does this on purpose to keep us thinking we are sharp? Now if Norm put a nametag on Marla in one panel…
I kinda have to go with Val on the roommate thing… roomies can be great if you already have someone in mind who you know you’ll get along with… but if you have to try and find someone off the street… its like Russian Roulette… and nothing sucks worse then getting a ‘.45 through the skull’ equivalent of a roommate.
I’ve had too many flaky roommates, most of them just bail on the lease and leave me with the full amount halfway through the year, but one of them robbed me and vanished into thin air. I’m with Val on this one, hold out for something you can afford on your own!
I’ve had some atrocious roommates over the years and would live in a shack rather than deal with a roomie again. Oh yeah, I kinda DO live in a shack!
Val was just abandoned by her father because he didn’t get what he wanted out of her career. Yes, she lied, but only out of the fear of her father abandoning her, and he did. The father can be angry but not because he didn’t get what he wanted out of Val, but at himself for driving her to lie out of fear.
I’m putting this on the father here because there was no reason to why he should be ashamed of how Val took another job to support herself. Writing jobs are hard to come by in this economy.
I can see why Val is scared and I can also see severe depression on the horizon because she will have to work more hours and have less time to write in a crappy apartment.
If Val does go into a depression, at least she’ll have Cooper, Marla, and Scott on her side! I haven’t had to worry about a room mate yet, but have known too many people who got on the wrong end of that “.45″ mentioned above to even consider it.
Where ARE they? Marla’s wearing her work uniform, but they’re not in the break room, and Val’s got a baby bib? Was Val babysitting?
They’re at Marla and Scott’s place, looks like “Auntie Val” came by to see the baby. What she is wearing just happens to look a lot like her work clothes…….any body else find themselves dressing in work-like clothes by accident from time to time too?