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 11 Problem exposed.

Well, I feel silly. Should've had this up months ago. Sorry. Life's been... interesting, interspersed with moments of intense boredom. Being the on-call babysitter for my sister who lives three hours away doesn't help.

I also never want to reproduce x-rays in the comic ever again.

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 13, Page 4 Volume problem

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 12, Page 14 Release the clutch

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.

Chapter 11, Page 23 On the upside

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 21 The driver reboots

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

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

Chapter 11, Page 17 Not road ready

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.

Chapter 11, Page 16 With great power...

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 7 Summer Teacher

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 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 14 Subconscious anxiety

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 11 Explain then cut

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.

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 14 Serious freaking.

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?

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

Chapter 9, Page 12 Panic under pressure

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

There are children in the house.

There is no noise.

Worry.

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