Art doesn't imitate life, it copies it!

OK - first enjoy today's User-Friendly strip:


Now I told you that, to tell you this...

Way-back-when in my misbegotten but enjoyable youth I was at a particular military training school doing lots of fun things. As part of the training phase we were in there was a great deal of PT (physical training), swimming, running and the sort - to include twice-weekly trips around a very challenging obstacle course. One of the obstacles on said course was a suspended cargo net about 40 feet high or so - you climbed up one side, went over the top & down the other. As obstacles go it wasn't particularly challenging (unless one had a fear of heights,) and it was early enough in the course you normally weren't too burnt out yet to have any issues on it.

I said "normally".

One day in particular we just weren't having fun. I don't know if it was just a mood, if we were really all that screwed up as the instructors claimed or what - but we must have done that course ten times at least - at the tail end of an already long day. Quite frankly, as a class we were spent. And we get told "Do it again, right this time!" as we all line up for another go.

So, one of our officers in the class starts his go - first few obstacles aren't a problem, then he hits the cargo net... and about 3/4 of the way up his arms just completely give out on him. Yep, he falls - and when he lands it isn't even anything close to graceful, it's a purely horizontal back-flop onto the sand. I swear I heard the impact from the other side of the course & it looked like something out of a Roadrunner/Coyote cartoon.

Miraculously, he then manages to get up and stagger to the side - no broken bones, just some really, really nice bruises and pulled muscles...

(honestly, I AM approaching the point here)

So - everyone, instructors included, is more or less speechless at this point. We're all stunned by what we witnessed, amazed he's alive, and not even sure what is going to happen next.

And - before I can think about where we are, the instructors who are listening, or any common sense, I blurt out while looking at him "Damn Ensign XXX - we're going to have to call you HANO from now on - High Altitude, No Opening." The only reason I lived is the instructors all thought it was hilarious too.

Now, I have it on good authority that nickname stuck with him for the remainder of his military career. I'd like my royalties now that it's in comics please!