Chapter 15, Page 12 No food before surgery.

Some members of my family don't particularly enjoy eating. They do so only because it is necessary for survival but otherwise see it as either unpleasant or a waste of time. I am not like that. I love to eat. Food is wonderful. The ironic thing is that the two people in my family who enjoy eating the most are also the two people without a functioning sense of smell.

Chapter 15, Page 2 'Sis'perception

As an adult I can see that I was kinda stupid as a teenager. My excuse is that my brain chemicals were out of whack (even more so than normal for a teen) and there was a general failure to communicate between myself and my little sisters. The age gap probably didn't help. So most of the strips involving Mary's little sisters come from what my little sisters have told me years after the fact. If I had known at the time that they pretended to snipe passing cars on their way to school I may have had a different opinion of them.

Chapter 14, Page 11 Going camping

I'm alive! Would've had this out earlier this week, but I had sinus pressure where my brains should've been.

Anyway, Mary is going to a summer camp for the first time ever. Should be interesting?

Chapter 14, Page 5 Never been cleaner

In many ways I'm not easily grossed out. I also don't particularly like cleaning. When I am grossed out, however, I either avoid that which grossed me out like the plague or clean it down to the microscopic level. The latter usually arises if I have to live in the same building as the gross thing. It's also why I rarely showered during my first go through college. And people say boys are gross...

Chapter 14, Page 4 SOP around here

Mom does this a lot around me. Remaining absolutely deadpan through most of my hysterics until I finally say or do one crazy thing too many and she has to cover her face and sigh.

I really did ask about "hazmat disposal" and "decon," by the way. I think I may have specified bleach when I asked about cleansers, though. Up side to all this is that when I was assigned that bathroom as the one I had to clean each week, I was *very* thorough.

Chapter 14, Page 3 It came from the drain

Gee. I wonder what Mary's reaction to this thing is.

[/sarcasm]

Actually, I'm kinda surprised the rest of the neighborhood didn't hear that.

Chapter 14, Page 1 It came from the drain

Ha! Bet you didn't think I'd get another strip out so soon! Well, I diiiiid iiiiiit!

This is going to be a fun, if somewhat disgusting arc. All things considered, not having a fully functional sense of smell is probably a good thing. I'd never get some things cleaned otherwise. I'm not quite anosmic, since I can pick up a few (very strong) things in a vague sort of way. So the correct medical term would be hyposmia.

Chapter 13, Page 1 Born to act

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 12, Page 16 Not-so-small vocabulary

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

Chapter 12, Page 15 Never ever

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 11, Page 18 Doing Both

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 14 It falls to her

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

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 9 Fuzzy Blue Trunks

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 5 Unscientific research

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.

Chapter 11, Page 4 Permit to panic

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 2 Ill timed freakout

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

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 10, Page 18 Misunderstanding

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

Well, Dad certainly does have good lungs.

Yiddish is a very, ah, colorful language.