Knives & 1970s Sitcoms
We’re back! After a short hiatus filled with travel, schedule changes, new jobs, Mother’s Day, and the general chaos of being alive, Scribble Doodle & Bleed has returned.
This week’s words were knives and 1970s sitcoms, which somehow led us toward laugh tracks, finger knives, Edward Scissorhands, black eyes, lucky pennies, missing bagels, and a surprisingly passionate discussion about bangs.
After catching up, we did what we always do and started by definition-dipping. A knife, we learned, is a tool or weapon consisting of a sharp-edged blade attached to a handle. A 1970s sitcom comes from what many consider the golden era of socially conscious television, tackling topics like divorce, racism, the Vietnam War, and the women’s movement, all within the comforting structure of a half-hour comedy.
Michelle’s piece, Laugh Track, explored the strange coziness of classic sitcom worlds: avocado-green living rooms, neighbors who drift in without knocking, and problems small enough to fit neatly between commercial breaks.
Leah headed somewhere considerably weirder with a story about a person showing off their new “blades,” only to accidentally blind a loved one with the reflected light. The result involved tears, chamomile tea, finger knives, and an ending that left us both thinking of Edward Scissorhands.
As usual, the conversation wandered. Duh.
We talked about collage projects, pickle-covered journals, and art shows. Leah shared a story about a customer named Penny who was genuinely distressed about the disappearance of actual pennies and worried that her namesake might disappear with them. Michelle lamented having a painting accepted into a show that she didn’t actually want accepted. We discussed Mother’s Day, forgotten bagels that somehow migrated into a freezer, and whether anyone should ever trust themselves to cut their own bangs.
There was also an update on Leah’s black eye, courtesy of an enthusiastic dog and an unfortunately placed bone. Fortunately, no eyeballs were lost in the making of this episode.
Before signing off, we pulled next week’s prompts: Tornado and Not Necessarily.
Which feels like it could go absolutely anywhere.
If you create something inspired by this week’s words, we’d love to see it. Send us a photo, a story, a sketch, a recording, or whatever form your creativity decides to take.
And if you have words you’d like to add to our jars, send those too. We’re always collecting possibilities.
Stay Weird,
Michelle & Leah
