I technically drew this yesterday, but I thought I’d share  
I think I was missing our sweet kitties.

(It’s left eye is pretty wonky but WHATEVER.  It’s a sketch.  Whaddaya want from meeee?!)

M

Hello all,

For this fine Thursday, I am obsessed with THIS SONG:

I’ve been watching a lot of the first season of American Horror Story: Murder House and this was in one of the episodes. 

If you’ve never seen American Horror Story, I’m going to go ahead and say that it’s not for everyone. 

And the reason for that is that, I for one, am what I’d like to consider as a somewhat seasoned horror genre viewer, and some of the thing in that show get pretty intense. 
But that’s why I love it.  Plus the acting is damn good and the storyline is freakishly smart and crazy.  I’d watch it with you if you were the type of person who liked horror movies, and twisty plot lines.  And that’s what I have to say about that.

But tonight, Ben and I are hitting up The Anchor Fish & Chips in Northeast to enjoy from delicious Irish fare with my good friend Tom, with whom I’ve been friends with since… sixth grade?  God that’s a long time. 

We typically go to the gym on weeknights, so this will be a nice break from the monotony of the gym and our protein shakes. 

Anyhoo, thanks for reading

More later,
Mary

G’Day all.  
This morning I finished reading Perfume on the Lightrail to work.  I mean, I had to step out of the train and stand there for about twenty seconds as I finished the last page, so TECHNICALLY I finished it on the station platform.  But it was amazing and was wrapped up very well into this neat little package of a story.  

However, before I finished, I had cheated on Perfume when I received a new book in the mail that went by the title of Penpal by Dathan Auerbach.
I ordered it, even though I had technically already read the entire thing online. (I’m a sucker for “supporting the artist” sorts of things)
But the way I was able to read it initially was that the stories were originally posted to the subreddit NoSleep.  (I’m going to assume you all have no idea what that is and say that it’s a Reddit for creepy stories, possibly true, possibly not).  

I came upon the stories one day while at work, when I found myself having finished everything and having met my deadlines. 
I started reading and was surprised when I learned that there were other stories posted after having already finished the first. 
I read the first story.  Then the second, the third and the fourth. 
I was so exhilarated by them, that I researched the author, and came to find that he had already (by the urging of his followers and friends) self-published his own book! (and now a short film!)

“Huzzah!” I thought, as I went to Amazon, and placed it in my cart.  It took about four months for me to finally buy it, but after finishing Rant by Chuck Palahniuk, I wanted something else in the bull pen for after I finished Perfume (which I had already started).  

I’m approximately 100 pages in, and I LOVE it even more than the first time I read it.  The stories, which are based on memories of Dathan’s childhood, are broken up into chapters and each are great stories on their own. The plots are simple and the resolutions are ungodly and terrifying. 
I HIGHLY recommend this book. 
You can check it out on Facebook or order it on Amazon.

Do you guys have any creepy stories you would recommend? 
Because I need something new after reading this!!!

xo

M

Today is a good day.  

I’ve gotten some pretty nice compliments today, and that doesn’t really happen. 

Tonight is another gym night because we skipped the gym yesterday.  I’m going to learn how to a proper squat and I am DETERMINED to get my legs into better shape before the summertime.  

So with the good, comes the bad/creepy.

Did you hear about the woman whose heavily decomposed body was found in the water tank of a hotel in LA? And that it was a water tank that people drank from/brushed their teeth/took showers in?

It’s a horribly sad story, but here’s a video about the story. 

What do you think happened?

Mary

Today is a sore day. 

I mean, literally, it’s a sore day.  Last night was a pretty intense night at the gym for Ben and I,
so when we woke up this morning, we both felt like we were hit by a train. 
So in speaking about the gym, here are my thoughts about it:

- Aside from myself, I only see, on average, about two to three other ladies come into the free weights area on nights I’m down there. 
And I don’t blame them.  I’m not going to lie, I was pretty intimidated when we started doing free weight work, and if it weren’t for Ben, I wouldn’t workout down there in general (in “The Pit” so to speak).
The reason for that is, well, the douchebags.  There are a lot of them, and it gets annoying when I notice every time they doofishly check me out or roll their eyes when I claim a bench before they get a chance to.  And even though I’m WORLDS more comfortable working out down there than I was six months ago, I’m still really happy to have Ben working out nearby to keep an eye on me. (Aside from checking my form and making sure I don’t hurt myself, haha)  

- At LA Fitness, I used to take this AWESOME boot camp fitness class that took place in a classroom on Saturdays.  
The boot camp class at Lifetime is… the opposite of that.  I haven’t even taken it yet, because, to be blunt, I don’t want to.  
The reason for that is this: Boot camp classes there don’t take place in a classroom.  They gather together in the stretching area, and do sprints along the rows of treadmills that are behind the stretching area.  
Aside from the loud grunts and the shrieks of the instructor, the prospect of being trampled by sweaty, endorphin-high, middle aged people is kind of terrifying.  In the summertime, they take the class outside, TO THE SIDEWALK (yes, the one running right alongside Ford Parkway in Highland) where people can ogle at you.
Maybe it’s just me, but I’ve never been one for working out intensely right in front of other people.  I don’t usually let people I don’t know see the red-faced, pulsating veins, dripping with sweat Mary.  And that’s a shame. 

- When we joined Lifetime, we started out with a bronze membership, because it was classified as a the “bronze” gym.  If we wanted to go to another gym in the state, it had to also be a bronze gym. 
We got a letter in the mail about a week ago saying that we’ve upgraded to a “Gold” membership even though the gym itself hasn’t changed at all (which is funny, because I want a pool, damnit!)
So that’s pretty nice, to know what we can go to more gyms in MN.  Luckily we’ve grandfathered in, and hopefully we don’t suddenly start getting huge bills for going to this new gold gym.   

-Last summer,  I got it into my head to train for a triathlon.  The reason for this is because while up at my cabin, I watched my sister start and complete one in Walker, MN that overall seemed really really easy.  Seeing I am, of course, a tri-virgin, I wanted to spend the fall/winter training on the bike and swimming.  Problem is, there are no pools in sight unless I want to spend a lot of money to get in somewhere (Edinborough, I’m lookin’ at you). 
But I’d still like to try it.  I know that I would be able to complete the run and bike portion with general ease, but the swim portion is the one that intimidates me.  I think I’d just be really terrified of getting kicked in the face and drowning in the shallow part of Leech Lake.  But over all, we’ll see!

 This is a pretty boring post, so here’s a super cool thing:

Caddisfly larvae build protective cases using materials found in their environment.

Artist Hubert Duprat supplied them with gold leaf and precious stones.

This is what they created.

Also, while at work today, I typed in “Full Potential” into iStockphoto’s search bar, only to find images of pregnant women, poker chips and glasses full of water.  WHAT?
Ben and I don’t intend on having kids, so I don’t know if I should be offended by this or to take it as a hilarious coincidence.

Love,

Mary

This is one of the cards I made for Ben for Valentine’s Day. 

There are two more, but I like this one the best. 
I kind of want to get it printed out at poster size and mount it in a huge ornate frame and hand it in our bedroom.  But we’ll see!

We haven’t even gotten our wedding photos printed out yet

Sometimes when I find myself with not much to do, I work on little side projects to keep me busy at work.
Lately, it’s been typographic posters of quotes or song lyrics. 

I did this one of a Walt Whitman quote a few weeks back. 

The joys of working with type and hi-res stock photos on a daily basis. 

I have more, but I’ll slowly let it trickle through the blog over the course of time

Happy 1:00pm!

Mary

Good morning all,

It’s a two-layers-of-tights and two-scarves kind of day (I drove in today instead of taking the Lightrail.  As convenient as the public transit is, the wind tunnels downtown are freakishly awful, especially when it’s only about 4 degrees.  
Not actually me, but this is how I feel when I have to walk those three excruciating blocks to get to the office:

So far, this morning is turning out the be pretty great:

-A great message from a satisfied author who we were having a hard time with her interior previously.  We finally got all of her revisions right and her interior is good to go.  

-A huge cup of the “Green Tea Tropical” from Dunn Bros. this morning is keeping me nice and warm.

-Not being overwhelmed with too much to do this morning ::KNOCK ON WOOD::

Here’s to a speedy Tuesday, everyone

All the best,
Mary

I’m listening to this weird fight music from Zelda Windwaker right now. All I can say is that I can tell EXACTLY what fight moves are going on according to the music.  And I find the hilarious.  I play that game so freaking much, in fact, I beat it about two months ago and after the credits ran and the title screen started again,  I just opened up my file and started playing again.  So funny.  

Anyway, I just had that random thought.  

Also, for Christmas, my lovely brother-in-law got me a book called Perfume: The Story of a Murderer, by Patrick Suskind. 

  
(Both the book cover and movie poster are awesomely designed.) 

You might have heard of it. 

Not the book, but the movie that was made as an adaptation of the book (because I am assuming you are like me and totally didn’t realize that the book existed until long after seeing the movie). 
I made the mistake of seeing the movie first, but, I don’t mind because the movie is amazing in its own way: the cinematography is gorgeous and it has a great cast (Dustin Hoffman makes a small appearance, Alan Rickman is in a lot of it) and, aside from already assigning the characters in the books to their physical counterparts, I like that the book in itself has great little moments that weren’t transposed into the film.  I love it. 
Great book, great movie and I highly recommend it.  

M

I feel like I’m more than exactly who I would have wanted myself to be right now.  I look back at old posts and, sometimes smiling, sometimes cringing, think about who I was when I was years younger. 
In the end, this question has almost turned itself around. 
I look back and am mostly proud that I was as much of a stand-up kid as I was–enjoying school, doing my homework and basically doing everything a kid my age was supposed to be doing (but still, sorry, Mom for going through my dumb I’m-in-high-school-and-hate-everything-except-my-boyfriend-who-is-terrible-to-me phase). I’m happy I’ve become a person who has gone through some bad (not bad AT ALL in retrospect) and has come out a better person because of it.

Right now, I couldn’t be happier with what I am:
Newly married, childless, employed, fit, well-adjusted and mentally in the right place (KNOCK ON WOOD).
Even with my self-proclaimed flaws (which are freakishly minimal), everything turned out to be exactly what I had hoped for, and better. 

Mary

I just answered this Featured Question; you can answer it too!

So…

It’s Monday. 

And I’m wearing three scarves, which is great because it makes me feel so cozy and warm. 

And it’s because of the scarves that I realize that my skin on my neck turns into the palest it can possibly get ever in the winter. A thought that never crossed my mind before ever. 

So during the week, Ben and I have taken to drinking protein shakes instead of eating normal meals (mostly for breakfast and lunch for me.  And also because I can’t resist the call of some actual food for dinner… like carrot sticks! Wheeee!). With the shakes, we’re also working out for at least an hour every night at Lifetime.  And by working out, I mean that it’s MOSTLY free weight training, machine work and resistance training with a little bit of cardio.
It’s amazing because over the course of a few weeks I’ve already seen a lot of improvement in my upper body, which is saying something since I kind of turned to mush after starting MCAD (Sit in class, go to studio, sit in studio for hours, sleep, repeat). 

Last Friday at happy hour, someone said I was the most muscular person at the table! It made me feel pretty awesome. 

Anyway, I think it’s time for me to get back into posting regularly.  Like I said before, I’ve been looking back at my really old posts (way back in 2004) and really like documenting my weird little moments in my life. 

For instance:

My awesome win from the Yankee Swap/Greed game at the office Christmas party.  AWESOME.

I think it’ll be nice to get into this again.  I remember the reason why I posted so much before was because I had so many friends with Xangas when I started. 

Now, I look back at their blogs, and all I see is some post saying “Wow! I totally forgot I have one of these!  More posts soon!” from back in 2006.
It feels good to have maintained being so committed to this blog.  And I shall continue!

All the best,

Mary