Mary Quite Contrary

Chapter 13, Page 9 A Song, Or Not

2011-12-01T13:01:00.000-08:00

I have gotten through the entire song once. And that was only because my co-workers wanted to see if I would actually finish it. Otherwise I have always been stopped, abruptly and sometimes violently, before reaching the end of the first verse.

Also, so sorry for the lack of updates. I could give all sorts of reasons for the delay but you've probably heard it all before. T.T One more strip in this chapter and then I have to figure out something else!

Chapter 13, Page 8 Captain Hook-Less

2011-10-31T16:22:00.000-07:00

I feel like I've been apologizing every time I manage to upload something. ~.~ Life has been happening with distressing frequency lately. Added to that my own (perhaps vain) attempts at sorting my stuff. I wonder at what point I'll just give up and donate everything to Goodwill. Ah, but then I'd worry that I might have accidentally gotten rid of something irreplaceable.

Kinda like Hook's hand. I wonder what he was called before Peter cut off his hand. Or if that's his name and Peter thought it'd be funny if Hook had a hook.

Chapter 13, Page 7 Something missing

2011-10-09T00:47:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the delay. Again. Ugh. Allergies. Anyway, Mary has to improvise a little here. I kinda feel for the kid who played Peter Pan.

Chapter 13, Page 6 Pre-performance problems

2011-09-20T18:16:00.000-07:00

More delays. Really should do something about that. Maybe if I actually budgeted my time. Though considering what's happened in the past when I tried to maintain a daily schedule... *sigh*

Well, I rather hope this is an exaggeration of actual events. I don't think I ever caused this big a scene before a performance. Though I was rather vocal about my dislike for make-up. It feels... *wrong.* I don't like having stuff stuck to my face.

Chapter 13, Page 5 Cheeky

2011-08-25T17:59:00.000-07:00

There have got to be less embarrassing ways to get kids to face the audience while acting. Then again, it is memorable. Yikes.

Sorry, again, for the delay. Still working out how to work, feed myself, sleep, and have enough working brain cells to get new pages out. It's amazing how physical exhaustion can leave one mentally drained.

Chapter 13, Page 4 Volume problem

2011-08-11T13:04:00.001-07:00

In all fairness to both the directors and the poor kid stuck with playing Peter Pan, the boy could sing. Decent voice, hit most of the right notes, he just couldn't sing in public. Poor guy had stage fright like you wouldn't believe. While my sisters think the primary deciding factor is whether the kid can fit into the costume, I do think the directors try to assign the roles based mostly on talent. On the other hand, they do have a rather limited pool to pick from.

P.S. Sorry for the delay! Again! I've been having a really hard time finding enough energy to do anything outside of work. Even while at work it's a struggle to keep going. If I could, I'd take the next week off and just sleep.

Chapter 13, Page 3 Dramatics Pay

2011-07-27T09:01:00.000-07:00

Well, the once a week thing lasted for a little while, at least. Still getting used to my variable work schedule. But, hey, I have work. YES!

Also have a new project. Writing a biography of my paternal Grandpa. This should be interesting.

On to the comic at hand! Playing Nana isn't so bad. Really. There's a lot you can do with lines like "woof" and "ruff."

I'm just as glad I got the role of Wendy. I hate to think what crawling around on all fours would do to my knees. And back. And neck. Oh, my back.

And if any readers can't guess what the play is, I'm going to cry.

Chapter 13, Page 2 Stand out

2011-07-02T14:11:00.001-07:00

Sorry this is late! I have a very good excuse.

I'm employed!! YAY! Don't expect me to jump up and down, though, because my feet are killing me. I need new shoes soooooo bad.

By the way, I really did do that. I think my little sister just about died.

Chapter 13, Page 1 Born to act

2011-06-24T09:54:00.000-07:00

The thing with the children's theater is that everyone who auditions gets a part. Conny's real life counterpart has made the assertion that who gets what part is based more on who will fit in the costume than actual acting ability. There may be some truth to that.

I really miss being on stage.

Chapter 13, Title Page Show Biz

2011-06-17T09:40:00.000-07:00

New chapter! I'd say more, but for some reason I'm having a hard time thinking straight right now. My head hurts and my sinuses feel like they're gonna explode. Maybe it's allergies?

Chapter 12, Page 16 Not-so-small vocabulary

2011-06-09T19:37:00.000-07:00

He really said this. As a toddler. That's my brother! ^_^

Chapter 12, Page 15 Never ever

2011-06-03T08:28:00.001-07:00

Sorry for the delay! I could give all sorts of reasons, some better than others. And I was getting so close to maintaining a regular schedule.

Have to try and do better next week.

Chapter 12, Page 14 Release the clutch

2011-05-14T10:29:00.000-07:00

Since Mary is visiting her cousin, I figured now was a good time to introduce this little extension of one of the prior plot threads. As it turned out, her (my) uncle was wrong on multiple counts.

I didn't 'just lack confidence.' Giving me one more thing to concentrate on while driving did not help my confidence. And being forced to do something I so sincerely did not want to do probably contributed more to delaying my eventual acquisition of a driver's license than anything.

2011-05-13T17:50:00.000-07:00

I do have something to post, but Blogger was down for a while. And blog posts have gone missing from several of my Dad's blogs. Possibly mine, too, but I haven't checked thoroughly. The problem is being worked on, but posts are still appearing and disappearing. I'm a little leery of posting the next episode until the situation settles down.

Sorry about that. ^^;

Chapter 12, Page 13 All a game

2011-05-04T09:18:00.000-07:00

And here's the conclusion of what was going on last week. And I got it up on time! Yay!

In case anyone is curious, the game Mary and her cousin are playing is Castle Falkenstein. It's really good.

Chapter 12, Page 12 Now, something completely different

2011-04-27T14:50:00.000-07:00

There's a good(ish) reason why this took so long. I was trying to make it look more dramatic. More like what you might find in a graphic novel.

Okay, so I've also been playing a lot of video games, looking for a job, playing with my cat, and generally goofing off. (Looking for a job isn't goofing off, but everything else I've been doing pretty much is.) What's going on should be explained next week. If I don't get too distracted.

Ooo... shiny...

Chapter 12, Page 11 Can't win.

2011-04-11T08:58:00.001-07:00

I really thought I could get by without a license at this point. No. I wanted, almost needed, to get by without a license. I was willing to jump through all sorts of hoops if it meant not being behind the wheel of a car ever again.

That would have been so much easier fifty years ago.

Chapter 12, Page 10 Walked Right Into It

2011-03-30T07:55:00.001-07:00

Ever notice that some of the worse 'conversations' you get into are the ones you walked right into, should have seen the obvious warning signs, but for some inexplicable reason, you just couldn't keep your big mouth shut?

... Maybe it's just me.

Chapter 12, Page 9 Toddler Terminology

2011-03-16T09:20:00.000-07:00

Sorry I missed last week! I had a cold and stayed at my parents', which meant I didn't have access to the artwork (such as it is) or a scanner that would hook up to my laptop. So this is a week late, but I hope the cuteness makes up for it.

Chapter 12, Page 8 Work with it.

2011-03-02T15:42:00.000-08:00

Well, it's only been two weeks since my last update. I'm getting better! ^^;

Anyway, yes, Mary just reinvented the Molotov coctail. In a swords and sorcery rpg. It's a perfectly reasonable idea! And actually happened. Complete with Dad's reaction.

...

Chapter 12, Page 7 Dual shoutout

2011-02-14T15:08:00.000-08:00

I'm so sorry I've been flaking so much on this comic! Please don't kill me!

Weird thing, it's a lot easier to work on something like this when there's something else that should legitimately be taking up my time. Now, the only excuse I have is a severe case of the blahs. I shall make a concerted effort to rise above my own lack of motivation and bring this comic back into a somewhat reasonable update schedule.

In the meantime, here's a little tribute to two comics that inspired me when I was young.

Chapter 12, Page 6 Guarding territory

2011-02-04T16:00:00.000-08:00

Sorry about the long delay! T.T I don't have a good excuse except a complete and total lack of motivation to do anything. You know your motivation has hit the sub-basement when going to sleep seems like too much effort.

Anyway, that's hopefully behind me now and I'll be able to finished up this chapter before summer. At which point I'll have to figure out what to do next.

In case anyone's wondering, this really happened. Don't know when, I think it actually happened before I was born, but it was too funny a story not to relate.

Chapter 12, Page 5 Stop Action

2011-01-21T10:43:00.000-08:00

Neither Mary nor Dad are very well organized, so this sort of thing happens a lot. Actually, I got the impression while playing with Dad that the things I decided to do were frequently outside his expectations. A sort of unspoken "Seriously? Are you sure you want to do that?"

Chapter 12, Page 4 The Big Reveal

2011-01-12T13:17:00.000-08:00

In Dad's defense it had been a while (over a decade) since he'd worked with low level characters.

On the other hand, Arvin, Deliverer of Cold Medicine, isn't the sort of thing ballads are written about.

Chapter 12, Page 3 Arvin's job

2011-01-06T10:13:00.000-08:00

Yes, Mary's PC, Arvin, had 'delivery boy' as his first job. Whoopee.

It gets better. Sort of.

Chapter 12, Page 2 The Fantasy Starts

2010-12-13T14:41:00.000-08:00

There are some things that your typical gamer doesn't think about. Like the cost of living, how to find work, things that affect them in real life but they don't expect to come up in a game. Obviously, they never had Dad as a game master.

Chapter 12, Page 1 Warm Bed

2010-11-24T16:16:00.000-08:00

Dang it. I actually know what I'm going to be doing now and my pen dies on me. I just barely got this episode inked. So I gotta buy a new .3 graphic pen before I can finish any more strips.

Other than that, life's pretty good.

Chapter 12, Title Page

2010-11-17T10:08:00.000-08:00

And here's Chapter 12. The title comes from something my Dad said about roleplaying games. "Building castles in the clouds is fine, until you try to collect rent."

I don't know if he was quoting someone or if he came up with that himself. He does like to quote people and he seems to have at least one for every occasion.

Anyway, I thought this chapter it'd be fun to focus on The Game, thus the chapter title.

Chapter 11, Page 24 Weather

2010-11-10T13:02:00.000-08:00

Well, I feel stupid. I had this ready to go last week but totally forgot. *facepalm*

Oh well. Next is Chapter 12. If I just remember to color the title page.

Chapter 11, Page 23 On the upside

2010-10-27T09:54:00.000-07:00

Yeah, that really helps lighten the mood, Dad. But at least he's trying, right?

You know, when this arc is over I'm going to have to figure out what to do next. I have a bunch of idea files, but I'm starting to realize how few of them include material from my teen years. They couldn't have been that uneventful, could they?

Chapter 11, Page 22 Panic rises

2010-10-20T22:58:00.000-07:00

Sorry about the delay. I really have no good excuse. Well, I guess house sitting for my little sister for most of the month kinda counts, but it's still bad.

Anyway... Uh, yeah. I actually did lock myself in the back of a cop car. Not my best day.

Chapter 11, Page 21 The driver reboots

2010-09-29T14:10:00.000-07:00

Sorry. I couldn't resist that pun.

Hmm. Other than that I think this episode speaks (or screams) for itself.

Chapter 11, Page 20 System crash

2010-09-21T10:19:00.000-07:00

Pretty self-explanatory, I think. Mary's systems crashed, and so too will the family van.

Chapter 11, Page 19 To quote Tennyson

2010-09-15T09:52:00.000-07:00

Neither I nor Mary have much patience for poetry, with the exception of Tennyson. Particularly his poem, Ulysses. It helps that it's a pretty straight forward poem, which almost sounds like an oxymoron.

In any case, this is mainly a little character sketch of Mary and Ruth. I still don't understand why Ruth would want to dress like a grandma on a regular basis.

Chapter 11, Page 18 Doing Both

2010-09-08T12:18:00.000-07:00

Gotta love little red wagons. I think every family should have one. I always wished I could go on the sort of rides Calvin and Hobbs went on, but there wasn't a national park in my backyard. Oh well.

Chapter 11, Page 17 Not road ready

2010-09-01T12:52:00.000-07:00

I'm back! Miss me? Well, know that I have house sitting and visits out of the way (nice seeing you, Dan!) I think I should be able to keep a better schedule. Or at least a slightly more consistent one.

Poor Mary. If she thinks this is nerve wracking... Let's just say I have a very good reason to not like driving.

A delay

2010-08-11T14:22:00.000-07:00

I'm having a really hard time figuring out how to show the level of panic Mary feels behind the wheel. There are also a couple events coming up in story and in real life that are going to make things interesting for me. Uff da.

Anyway, I'm hoping the delay won't be long, but I wanted to give some warning, anyway.

Chapter 11, Page 16 With great power...

2010-08-09T19:33:00.001-07:00

So which has Mary frightened more? The van or her Dad? It might be equal portions of both, actually. Having that much power, that much potential for destruction, at your potential control is a rather uncomfortable feeling. At least for her.

Chapter 11, Page 15 Permit, sort of

2010-08-04T14:02:00.000-07:00

It's hard to write the way Mary (and by extension, I) really talk. Wall o' Text doesn't even begin to describe it.

That same difficulty may also explain why I haven't put Dad in the comic much.

Chapter 11, Page 14 It falls to her

2010-07-28T12:53:00.000-07:00

Let's be fair, first of all. Dad could sleep through an air raid siren, a little thunder and a screaming baby aren't going to even register. Besides, Mom is the one with the nurturing instincts. Dad's job is to chase bats out of the bedroom.

More on that later.

Chapter 11, Page 13 Blue Girl

2010-07-26T13:08:00.000-07:00

One of the problems with not having any extra padding is that there's nothing to protect you from the cold. Another is that you don't float very well. Both these problems make swimming rather difficult. Even unpleasant. It's too bad. I like swimming. Conny, not so much.

Chapter 11, Page 12 Not at home

2010-07-21T18:11:00.000-07:00

What I remember is blinking and seeing my sisters making the strangest faces at me. Apparently they'd been trying to get my attention for some time. Dreaming with my eyes open? Stranger things have happened.

Chapter 11, Page 11 Distracted

2010-07-19T15:32:00.000-07:00

So Mary is back in driving class. Or, at least her body is. As usual, keeping her mind in the same reality that her body inhabits proves a little too hard. Maybe if the classroom didn't feel like a rainforest.

Chapter 11, Page 10 Bloop

2010-07-12T12:52:00.000-07:00

I really hated that swimsuit. It was quite possibly the worst design I have ever seen, just in terms of practicality.

Really.

What the heck were the designers thinking?!

Chapter 11, Page 9 Fuzzy Blue Trunks

2010-07-07T11:13:00.000-07:00

You really should see the real thing. Or not, depending on your tolerances. Seriously, fuzzy blue swim trunks?? Who thought that terry cloth would make a good material for this? And why did Dad buy the thing?!

Pretty sure those trunks are significantly older than Mary, and it's starting to show.

Chapter 11, Page 8 A growing fear

2010-07-05T12:33:00.000-07:00

I'm sure I'm not the only one who's had a bad experience with those scare-'em-straight driving videos. You know, the ones that go into gruesome detail on what happens if you drink and drive or otherwise behave like an idiot behind the wheel. As if Mary's imagination really needed fueling.

Chapter 11, Page 7 Summer Teacher

2010-06-28T12:54:00.000-07:00

The justification is that this makes the future drivers aware of how much they have to learn. I can't help but feel there might be another reason.

Gah. The end of the month is coming. Bills, deadlines, hoo-boy. I will try hard not to let it affect the update schedule.

Chapter 11, Page 6 Fairies?

2010-06-23T17:09:00.000-07:00

I honestly don't know now if that's what they meant when they said they were fairies. I have a sneaking suspicion that it's not.

Mary, however, has, like I did, jumped to the conclusion that they must be in a play. She's got Shakespeare on the brain right now, so it's kinda justified.

Speaking of which, I just picked up a 1999 adaptation of that play from the library. Hope they did a good job with it. Adaptations of Shakespeare plays seem to be highly variable in quality.

Oh, and Mary is on her way to her first driving class. That was probably about as clear as mud from the context.

Chapter 11, Page 5 Unscientific research

2010-06-21T12:41:00.000-07:00

There are times when it seems that to be fine dining the dish should bear no resemblance whatsoever to the food it started out as. Not to say that I haven't had fancy food that tasted good, and looked like it did. I have. Even then, however, an individual with a sensitive stomach has to be careful. It's impractical to do a thorough lab analysis on everything that might possibly end up on your plate. That's where things like this pendulum come in. It's just a normal metal washer on a string, so I guess I can see where people would be dubious. Still, to call it occult? And to prove it doesn't work by removing it from the source of the electromagnetic fields (or whatever) that it would be interacting with? The explanation that it works by the subconscious manipulating the involuntary twitchings of the hand holding the pendulum seems rather silly, as well. Especially since the thing has indicated that foods I *like* are bad for me to eat. (I happen to like raw tomatoes. I can't eat them as they give me heart burn.)

*headdesk*

Simply a reminder that just because you don't understand something that doesn't mean it's supernatural.

Heat related intermission

2010-06-17T18:17:00.000-07:00

It's way too hot. And I don't have A/C. Because of that, the next episode is going to be delayed a bit. My brain is melting, my skin is becoming one with whatever surface it comes in contact with, and you do not want to know about my digestion.

By the end of the weekend I should (I hope) have A/C and will be able to complete the last couple of steps necessary for the strip without having to dive into the freezer every 30 seconds. Thank you for your patience.

Chapter 11, Page 4 Permit to panic

2010-06-15T11:41:00.000-07:00

Not really sure if that first panel is clear. Mary's supposed to be eating a sandwich. And talking with her mouth full. Bad manners!

Anyway, Mary finds out that she's going to be taking driver's ed so she can get her permit. Funny how I (er, Mary) tend to find out about these things after they've been set up.

Sorry about the delay. I was visiting family for most of last week. My sister has an absolutely adorable little baby wood mouse that she rescued.

Chapter 11, Page 3 Same old Mary

2010-06-07T14:01:00.000-07:00

Teenager or not, Mary is still Mary. And her sisters still think she's nuts.

They're probably right. Mostly.

Chapter 11, Page 2 Ill timed freakout

2010-06-02T14:16:00.000-07:00

Talk about flawed logic, though she does have some reason to be concerned. There are few thoughts as horrifying as the possibility of being mistaken for your Dad's wife.

Not that Mary has much to worry about there. Most people mistake Dad for being in her grandparents' generation. But Mary is used to the way her parents look, so she doesn't consider this.

Chapter 11, Page 1 Growth Spurt

2010-05-31T18:17:00.001-07:00

Actually, I should be drawing Mary a bit taller right now, but it's still rather difficult for me to picture a child being taller than her parents. Even though there's no rule that says that can't happen and in fact it seems to almost be the norm. Especially in a case like this when the parent in question is a couple inches from being clinically a dwarf. Or is that midget? I get the two terms mixed up sometimes.

Chapter 11, Title Page Rite of Passage

2010-05-27T12:27:00.000-07:00

New chapter! Finally! I would have gotten on this sooner, but I've had a really bad cold. I've been barely able to play video games let alone do anything productive. I'm starting to feel better, so hopefully I'll get MQC back on track.

Anyway, Mary's 15 now, so there are certain things she'll have to experience this summer. Good luck!

Chapter 10, Page 18 Misunderstanding

2010-05-12T10:52:00.000-07:00

Mary is referencing Calvin and Hobbs here. For those of you who know Yiddish you may be able to guess what word Mary found.

I feel for Mom sometimes. She's the one sane person in the house more often than not.

Chapter 10, Page 17 Language hazard

2010-05-07T16:55:00.000-07:00

Well, Dad certainly does have good lungs.

Yiddish is a very, ah, colorful language.

Chapter 10, Page 16 She's a goy

2010-05-03T08:31:00.000-07:00

In case the title is confusing, 'goy' is Yiddish for non-Jew, goyim is the plural. Now, why would such a thoroughly goyish family have a book on Yiddish? For that matter, why would that family have an Elijah cup? (A cup traditionally used during the Passover.) Well, why not? We worship a Jew, after all.

Chapter 10, Page 15 Lint!

2010-04-21T15:51:00.000-07:00

You think I'm making this up, don't you? And, yes, that's my Dad's blog. One of them, anyway.

Sorry for the absence, to those of you still reading this (about half a dozen if I'm lucky). I'm hoping that graduation will free up my schedule somewhat, but you never know.

Oh. And as an added bonus for staying with me, try to guess what cartoon Mary's been watching.

Chapter 10, Page 14 Subconscious anxiety

2010-04-12T19:06:00.000-07:00

I honestly don't know which one is worse, this dream or the one where the car goes from being in park to rolling uncontrollably downhill. Backwards. Naturally, the pedals do nothing.

There have been times when I've thought that my subconscious must hate me.

Chapter 10, Page 13 Still awesome

2010-04-06T14:30:00.000-07:00

Ever notice that the games on display in Walmart and the controls under them seem to be completely disconnected? That is, when you pick up the controls and mash buttons nothing happens. You'd think these demo displays would allow you to actually play the games, but that doesn't seem to be the case. Oh well, it's still cool to pretend.

Oh, and feeling like an idiot for not getting this out on time. I know updates have been a little irregular of late and I've been trying to get back on track. I even had this all ready to go yesterday. But, dumkoff, I forgot to actually post it. GAA! Oh well.

Chapter 10, Page 12 Sacrifices for fashion

2010-03-26T19:13:00.001-07:00

Could someone please explain why it's necessary to freeze our ears off in the name of beauty? It's especially cruel right after a hair cut when one's hair is still slightly damp from the washing and all the weird spray stuff they use.

And people wonder why I have an attitude.

Chapter 10, Page 11 Explain then cut

2010-03-25T19:52:00.000-07:00

I think I would have taken the notion of beauty parlors and clothes shopping a bit better if they hadn't involved, well, this.

Seriously, people, is it really so hard to explain what it is you're doing before you subject a girl to it? This isn't fun at all when you don't know what the heck is going on.

Actually, a picture book with various hairstyles to choose from might've been a good idea.

Chapter 10, Page 10 A trim doesn't count

2010-03-24T17:13:00.000-07:00

Yeah, apparently a parent cutting your hair doesn't count as getting a hair cut. Whatever.

Sorry for the delay, I will try to get this sequence uploaded before the weekend.

Chapter 10, Page 9 Anticipating birthday

2010-03-14T22:12:00.001-07:00

Well, as I write this I will be 27 in about 11 minutes.

That still seems old to me. Maybe because it doesn't seem that long ago when 20 sounded ancient.

Anyway, this is actually going to be Mary's first sleepover. That is, the first time she's been to a sleepover that wasn't at her own house. You might remember that she did have a couple, ah, friends over night once before.

Chapter 10, Page 8 Big girl?

2010-03-08T16:19:00.000-08:00

Oh, and in case the reason for this conversation isn't clear (it will be on the next update, but anyway), my birthday is next Monday. Can't believe I'm turning 27. That's *old!* It was kinda weird realizing I was old enough to drink and that was years ago! oO

Chapter 10, Page 7 Be careful with your gaming

2010-03-03T17:39:00.000-08:00

Yeah, it is dangerous to get obsessed with RPGs, or video games, or fantasy novels, or chocolate sprinkles, or... It's dangerous to get obsessed with anything. Obsession is a bad thing, some people get a little focused on certain things people can get obsessed with, though.

For understandable reasons. It's especially concerning if you're dealing with a kid with a tendency toward obsession. But at least Mom's giving them a chance.

Chapter 10, Page 6 Ask your mom

2010-02-23T16:03:00.000-08:00

So sorry for the lack of consistent updates! I wonder if I still have any readers. School has been intense this semester, so I've been focusing more on that. Of course, I have tried to relax, which is where my new video games come in. (Ike rules!) Also been trying to get the apartment in some semblance of order, which is starting to look less like an exercise in futility now.

Anyway, I finally get around to Mary asking to play 'The Game.' Yeah, I doubt Wizards of the Coast would bother suing me if I used the actual name, but we very rarely called it AD&D, anyway. It was 'The Game,' a highly mutated version of the commercially available system using rules from a couple different editions (at least) with some parts made up out of whole cloth.

Fun times.

Chapter 10, Page 5 The lyrics are...

2010-02-10T16:16:00.000-08:00

Of course, it would probably help if Mary actually knew the worlds besides some bits around the refrain.

Well, then there are the songs she does know all the words to that involved drunkenness, murder, philandering... And these are songs her parents listen to!

And she's still pretty oblivious. Probably helps that the oldies tended to be a bit more subtle than some more current songs.

Chapter 10, Page 4 Taking advantage

2010-02-01T17:14:00.000-08:00

Children may not be aware that their parents are ill, but they will know how to get away with stuff.

Chapter 10, Page 3 Doctor, your patient is dead

2010-01-25T16:25:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the continued inconsistency with the schedule. Along with school being demanding we've got some rather interesting weather on the way. Gotta make sure I won't run out of necessary supplies if I get snowed in.

Chapter 10, Page 2 Your spell is Zippo?

2010-01-19T17:09:00.000-08:00

Hey, you play games to have fun, right? And some people have fun by playing with words.

Maybe that's why Dad always likes playing the wizards.

I wish to apologize for the lack of updates since the chapter started, I'm having a little difficulty getting my Real Life schedule worked out this semester. Doesn't help any that I'm supposed to be exercising, too. Which is what I should be doing now, come to think of it. Oh well.

Anyway, I will be trying to make more regular updates on an actual schedule. In the meantime, I don't know how many of my readers are also on TVTropes, but a page for MQC would be great. ^_^

Chapter 10, Page 1 What not to wear, D&D

2010-01-12T17:37:00.000-08:00

For those of you wondering what the title of this chapter indicates ... uh, yeah. This isn't actually the focus of the chapter. Though she does raise a good point.

The answer: These games are marketed to late teen, early twenty males who suffer from severe (and self inflicted) babe deficiency.

Or if they aren't, they sure do a good job looking like they are.

Chapter 10, Title Page Awareness

2010-01-09T20:32:00.000-08:00

I'm back!

Christmas was fantastic. Family, presents, my rabbit, presents, spiritual nurturing, more presents...

And incredible bitter cold. Yay, winter. (Ugh.)

Anyway, school is starting, I've got a few strips inked and a couple more penciled, might be able to stay on track. Or not. Here goes. ^_^

Oh, and to those of you who lurk around TVTropes.org (you know who you are) I wouldn't at all mind a trope page for MQC. Really. Okay. Done with the blatant promoting.

Chapter 9, Page 20 Awesome

2009-12-18T18:05:00.000-08:00

You don't usually expect this sort of thing from someone who looks like Dad. Well, I suppose it's getting more common now that people who grew up with rock are getting to be Dad's age, but it still takes a lot of folks by surprise.

I think it's fun. Dad being like that and the reaction people have to it.

I'll be taking a bit of a break until the new year to try to draw a bit of a buffer for MQC. Also spend time with family over the holidays and try to figure out what I'm doing for the cover of the next chapter. Anyway, thought I'd let you know.

Chapter 9, Page 19 Suicidal wildlife.

2009-12-14T15:26:00.000-08:00

Ever get the impression that Mary is rather tightly wound?

Though it is understandable under the circumstances.

Chapter 9, Page 18 Does he walk?

2009-12-09T13:58:00.000-08:00

That's a very good question. He never really did walk. He went straight to running. A lot.

The best part of Grandpa's house is that the rooms are interconnected. So Peter can run round and round and round and...

2009-12-07T14:30:00.000-08:00

I sympathize a lot here, but also realize that nothing comes of wishing change wouldn't happen. After all, if there was no change, we'd be up to our hips in trilobites.

As cool, and creepy, as that would be.

Chapter 9, Page 16 Reminder

2009-11-30T15:31:00.000-08:00

Yeah. Peter's bigger than the others were at that age. It makes a difference.

Sorry for the lack of updates lately. It might continue to be erratic until finals are over. I had hoped to get some of this dealt with over the Thanksgiving Break, but I ended up getting homework done instead. And not enough homework, at that. ~.~ Sigh.

Chapter 9, Page 15 Something terribly wrong

2009-11-17T15:12:00.000-08:00

I noticed in Walmart that the bras were very nearly touching the aisles for boys underwear and pajamas. Awkward doesn't begin to describe it.

Chapter 9, Page 14 Serious freaking.

2009-11-09T17:48:00.000-08:00

Well, at least Mary understands that there's a problem. A tad overly emotional about it, but she does have some understanding.

I had a lot of ideas for Mom's last line, but I think the 'oy' gets the idea across much more eloquently.

There may be some delay in the next episode as I work on some much needed computer cleaning and figure out just what the next episode is going to be. ^^;

Chapter 9, Page 13 Why that look?

2009-11-04T14:44:00.001-08:00

Mary is in trouble. Though perhaps she's suffered enough for her crime?

Chapter 9, Page 12 Panic under pressure

2009-11-02T16:53:00.001-08:00

There are people who perform wonders under pressure. There are those who approach problems with calm and poise.

Mary isn't one of those people.

Chapter 9, Page 11 Too quiet

2009-10-30T14:15:00.000-07:00

There are children in the house.

There is no noise.

Worry.

It's pretty amazing how often that progression works out.

Chapter 9, Page 10 Left behind

2009-10-28T14:10:00.000-07:00

This is not going to end well.

Chapter 9, Page 9 Queen of the castle

2009-10-26T15:22:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday was the 22nd. That's the 20th anniversary of Jacob Wetterling's kidnapping. I was six when that happened, so Mary wasn't born yet. My memories of the time are kinda vague, and I don't think I entirely understood what was going on, but I do remember finding the whole thing rather frightening.

Mary is about to have a similar experience. Just to let you know, I'd planned out this arch before finding out about the coinciding date. Really. Oh, and the following is based strictly on real events. (Being responsible is not fun.)

Chapter 9, Page 8 Hexagonal graph paper

2009-10-21T18:01:00.001-07:00

For those of you who aren't in the know, Mary has just discovered something that has certain groups screaming about Satanism and witchcraft.

...

I just realized that doesn't narrow it down much.

Chapter 9, Page 7 A key distraction

2009-10-19T17:13:00.000-07:00

A summer of lagging on updates makes for a difficult return to a regular schedule. Doesn't help any that I have a lot of homework. ~.~ I have a lot of MQC drawn, I just haven't inked or scanned any of it in.

Oh well. Try to guess what Mary's discovered. Looking at the tags is cheating.

Chapter 9, Page 6 All together now...

2009-10-12T16:04:00.000-07:00

Awwwwwwwwwwwwwww.

Little ones do the sweetest things without even thinking. Of course, they can do annoying things in exactly the same way. It balances out. ^_^

Chapter 9, Page 5 Repetative Repetition

2009-10-07T15:06:00.000-07:00

I cannot begin to tell you how often I've done something like this.

Chapter 9, Page 4 Bathing Brother

2009-10-05T13:48:00.000-07:00

Remember, Mary, parenthood is not boring.

There is one thing even more certain to trigger embarrassment in an older sister than having to watch her little brother in all his naked glory taking a bath. That is realizing that said little bother is about to expose that naked glory to the rest of the world.

Little boys are not born with modesty, are they?

chapter 9, Page 3 Just a cartoon!

2009-09-30T15:21:00.000-07:00

In case you're curious, or couldn't guess, Mary and family are watching X-Men: Evolution in this episode.

That still bugs me...

Chapter 9, Page 2 Over thinking.

2009-09-28T16:27:00.000-07:00

Mom's suggestion was a good one. It's just that Mary has a way of overdoing, well, everything. She also tends to be rather dramatic. Or did you already notice?

Chapter 9, Page 1 Minnesota action hero

2009-09-21T15:16:00.001-07:00

I wouldn't say that I (or Mary) had a crush on MacGyver at this point. That would necessitate wanting to be with him. I just wanted to *be* him. Doesn't hurt any to find out that your favorite action hero hails from your home state.

Chapter 9, Title Page

2009-09-14T14:02:00.001-07:00

Here it is, as promised. The new chapter starts now. Whether I can maintain a regular update schedule is yet to be seen. (Life has been, ah, interesting.)

Chapter 8, Page 22 Sad movie

2009-09-08T16:01:00.000-07:00

It doesn't really help to point out that it's just a story. Even with that knowledge firmly in place a good story will still affect Mary as if it were real. And she's easily affected by sad things. Rather annoying, actually. (To her as well as everyone around her.)

Note, next Monday the new chapter starts. Back to the old familiar layout.

Chapter 8, Page 21 Zoom!

2009-09-07T15:58:00.000-07:00

Never would have guessed turtles could move like that. Of course, they aren't terribly maneuverable, but they aren't all that slow, either. At least that species. Red-eared slider, I think is the name.

Chapter 8, Page 20 Serene moment

2009-09-06T15:53:00.000-07:00

I love that old willow. And I do mean old. It's probably older than the house and that's roughly 100-years-old.

Chapter 8, Page 19 Study sleep

2009-09-05T16:00:00.000-07:00

Mainly because it gets boring sooooo easily.

Chapter 8, Page 18 Feeding time.

2009-09-04T17:07:00.000-07:00

Honestly, would you be hungry?