I felt like writing a story! Hey there’s Original Art for sale, so check it, why not?
UPDATE: Wow, based on reader reactions, it seems like a lot of you can put this to good use. Feel free to print it out and use as needed:
I can’t remember where I found it, but it’s quite useful in a pinch.
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I once did the side walk shuffle with a rabbit for about 10 minutes except it was in the neighbors back yard and there was a tree between us.
I fear wild rodents. Rather than the shuffle, I would have sprinted away from it, knowing full well (in my mind, at least), that it’s chasing after me, screeching.
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Wow! Long-form Edmund Finney! Many hearty laughs from this one. And great artwork all the way through. (Nice change of seasons.)
Danke good sir, this is the longest Edmund Finney comic to date. It took a while to do, and I cut down the dialogue enough to make it a fun read and (hopefully) not too cumbersome.
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It is one of my greatest fears that I will one day get caught in an endless sidewalk shuffle. I have a backup plan, though: punch the person in the face.
What I have started to do, no joke, is I stop, and say “I’ll go this way.” and point to the left, and walk that way. It works, and is only slightly awkward.
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Ha! I do the same now also! It’s a sort of “cut your losses” way to deal with it.
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I suck at names. I tell people, if I don’t introduce you to someone right away introduce yourself so I can remember their name.
There really should be some kind of universal sign that you don’t remember the name. Maybe a scratch on your ear or a foot-tap to say, “Hey, ask this person who they are because I forgot.”
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But if there is a universal sign, won’t it be obvious to the person in front of me that I don’t remember their name?
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This is brilliant.
WoohoO! Awkwardness is quite the inspiration.
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That happens at my condo almost daily. The awkwardness of how long to wait to hold the elevator door open for someone is the biggest dilemma.
Yep, that’s why I pretend to be engrossed in my cell phone and not notice anybody walking toward me. Usually I just avoid elevators though, because you get the dreaded small-talkers dun-dun-DUNNN….
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This is too recognizable, maybe I should apply for a job as Conjurer of Awkward Moments, too …
Didn’t he had to leave a shop without buying something?
Based on the replies, you’d have a lot of competition for the job. Better spruce up the resume. I suggest holding the door open for somebody who’s too far away, so they have to do the light jog so you don’t have to stand there holding the door too long. That’s a good addition to any awkwardness portfolio.
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Captian Awkward’s arch nemisis, The Sidewalk Shuffle man….
It would be quite a comic book duel.
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When you end a longer comic with a decent reward for having read it, it makes it all the better! Excellent job! Loved it!
Thanks sir, I knew I couldn’t putter out at the end, because, yeah, if somebody invests a bunch of time reading a bunch of text, you want to really wrap it up with a finale. Glad you like it!
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Delightful!
I’m more of an awkward silence type of person. Once it starts you’re then faced with dilemma of whether to say something, but you can’t think of anything to say. Then it becomes a problem of whether you should look at the person while both of you are trying to think of something to say or to pretend to be engrossed in the pattern of the table or something. And then both of you think of something to say at the same time. This causes a whole new round of awkward silence as you each stay silent to let the other speak first. This goes on for a while and by the time you figure out who’s going to speak first you’ve forgotten what it was that you were going to say. I sympathize with Awkward Aaron.
Ah, first dates.
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Ha! Precisely!
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I laughed so hard all the way thru this thing. This is a pure masterpiece, Dan. Be proud of yourself.
This coming from a fellow comicker who knows how to write longer strips that are entertaining throughout. Thanks!
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Love the color panels!!
I’ve been experimenting with color more, we’ll see where it goes…
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THIS WAS AWESOME! A mammoth wadded up ball of awkward! Loved it!
“Sidewalk shuffle” … LOL…
I’d say it happens to me at least once every week or so. Not usually on the sidewalk- more in the hallway, but yes, an awkward shuffle it surely is.
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Wow..Ok, I´m so gonna use that card..Really comes in handy:P thanks!!
Nice! Glad I could help.
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ha! awesome strip, the whole way through. just an amazing chronicle of awkwardness. i even felt awkward reading it. kudos, sir!
Thanks, sir! If I could make my readers squirm a little with awkwardness, I did my job.
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her names not george, its GARY! COME ON, AARON.
I can’t keep names straight either, so I sympathize with him.
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This is truly a masterpiece Dan, I loved it. One of the advantages of being an old Geezer is you don’t have to remember names. Sometimes even your own. If things get awkward you can just play the senile card and people pat you on the arm and say they understand.
Hah, that’ll be something to look forward to. For now, I just greet people I may or may not know with “Hey, …what’s up?”
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I have to do this too much, somehow everyone remembers me/my name, even if I only see them once.
Then I just say some general things and I try to remember where I know them from, while hoping someone will say their name during the conversation.
The card might come in handy, thanks!
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You are a genius! You have just chronicled my entire life’s experiences into one long comic, and even threw in an excellent punchline at the end! I’m gonna track you down one of these days and steal your wit, Dan.
Lol kidding….. or maybe not.
Good luck stealing from me. My house is encased in invisible laser alarm triggers, the kind you have to blow smoke onto to see and slink through wearing a black ninja outfit. Then you accidentally trigger one and robot arms come out to grab you and dogs are released from their cages to chase you down. This is all assuming you get across my alligator-infested moat to begin with.Nobody will get my ramen noodles!
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I’ll just mug you after the WebcomicList Awards ceremony then…
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I usually just pretend like I can’t hear… “Hi. What? No. Yes. What?” for about as long as it takes for the other person to say, “Well, nice to see you” and leave. Fantastic coupon!
I find that staring at their right ear, saying nothing, completely still, usually ends a conversation pretty quickly.
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This describes my life. Couldn’t stop laughing.
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This is brilliant! What _does_ one do while walking towards someone you know? I do the look elsewhere thing.
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Man, the hug/handshake mixup is one of the worse. Much worse is the handshake/reaching-for-something mixup…
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LOL!!! this is seriously the best comic ive ever read!! Just found your site from Pajama Forest today and im totally hooked! LOVE IT!