You can keep the snow

Our local Christmas parade is Thursday night. I always enjoy it, but wish it wasn't so nippy outside. Fortunately the parade passes right in front of my office so I can sit in warmth and comfort until it begins. I love Christmas, but I'm not a big fan of cold weather. And I detest snow.

Yes, yes, I know it's beautiful and all that, but it kills animals, kills people, makes lots of auto accidents, etc. The only true way to enjoy it is inside a house with a warm mug of cocoa as you snuggle down with your significant other by a fire. Otherwise, you can have the snow.

I got side tracked and intended on finishing this earlier, but it's late now so I'll close and talk to you tomorrow. Have a good night and a great tomorrow!

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A good Sunday

A good day this Sunday. Not that much went on, but I felt well, my blood sugar behaved (not as low as it needs to be, but that will come), and I got several things done. A nice change from weekends when I’ve been sick. It was overall a great weekend. I enjoyed Thanksgiving dinner with friends, got some Christmas shopping done, and generally had a good time.
I’ve always loved Christmas, despite all the people who tell me I shouldn’t. You know the ones: those cheerless folks to enjoy telling everyone how commerical Christmas is or that it’s based on a pagan holiday or that they hate spending the money or whatever. My life seems to be littered with people who hold those attitudes. They’re always surprised that I – someone who supposedly values science and rationality – forcefully resist such opinions.

Shh. Come here. I’ll tell you a secret: I’m a big kid about Christmas. I throw myself joyously into the whole shebang. The shopping, the cards, the decorations, the tree, the lights, everything is wonderful to me. And will continue to be. I’m quite dogged and fierce about it. And I warn you: tread on my Christmas at your peril. You’d hate being candy caned!

I didn’t get my Christmas cards done this weekend, but intend to work on them this week. If you’d like a card, email me your postal address. Just remember if you do so, you have to send me one, too!

And now it’s time to get ready for bed and ready to face tomorrow. I hope you have a great week. Talk to you tomorrow. Night!

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Don't you?

I went shopping the day after Thanksgiving, the so-called Black Friday, and you'd think I'd come back with funny stories about the frenzy and how mean-spirited everyone was as they frantically shopped for the latest toy or electronics. But it didn't go down like that. It was busy, wall-to-wall people, and I'm sure some of them were inches from going postal, but the folks I saw smiled, spoke to each other, and generally acted like adults. The sales clerks were tired, but holding their own, with a couple at different stores telling me that they were having a good time.

So no funny and/or frustrating stories about Black Friday. I've got a theory about why people were behaving: I think we'll all just grateful to make it through the year. The bad economy, the constant bad news from Iraq, the continuing climate crisis, H1N1, high food and gas prices, etc. We've taken a beating this year. It's no surprise that we want a break, that we're seeking a moment in calm in the on-going storm.

A lot of movies show people acting their worst in a crisis, but I've seen people rise to their best in bad situations. We have enough empathy to reach out. Sure, things go wrong -- the conmen and charlatans come out to prey on victims -- but somehow we muddle through by picking each other up, and by doing so, we take another step forward.

We're a strange species, we are, but overall, we're doing okay. We have a lot of problems to solve, but we're the best and brightest creatures this planet has ever seen. I think we're going to make it as long as we keep trying. Don't you?

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Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope you have a safe, happy Thanksgiving. I have a lot of blessings that I need to remember to be thankful for. Take care and talk to you later!

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Progress

Blood sugar back in the lower 200s for no particular reason. Very annoying. Of course, I'm made very good progress. Last Tuesday I was at 483. It will get better. Exercise, diet and taking my meds will do it. Oh, and most importantly, prayer!

I felt very bad last night and didn't do much. Didn't get my Christmas village set up, but hope to this evening. I want to get all those boxes and storage tubs out of my kitchen.

Kyra and I are supposed to go walking this evening. At present, I feel fairly good and hope I maintain that.

This morning, I got up early and did some housework. Can't say I'll make getting up early a habit, but I did get several things done.

Starting Tuesday, Dec. 1, we'll kick off the 2009 Christmas Celebration on Harbor Street. We'll have stories, poems, essays, recipes, jokes, trivia, etc. I'm looking forward to it. As always, I welcome your contributions!

Sorry to not have more to tell you. I'm consumed by the diabetes care, but plan to have it under control soon so that I can concentrate on other things, too.

I miss everyone blogging. I stop by y'all's blogs every day or so. Maybe soon you'll get tired of Facebook. I hope so. Anyway, take care and have a wonderful day.

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Better but whining

Blood sugar in the high 100s. Much better, but I still have a way to go. Need to be in the lower 100s. It got down to 154 Sunday, but that's as low as I've got so far. I miss French Fries. I miss Dr Pepper. Why does health have to have a price, too? Yes, I'm whining alot. Sigh.

No, I'm doing okay. I feel crappy because my body is adjusting to the lower blood sugar so there will be a few more days of this general malaise as my blood sugar continues to drop. Been through this before.

Did get my Christmas tree up this weekend. Bought a smaller one at Home Depot. It was pre-lit and a breeze to put together. I'll try to post a pic of it. Nothing fancy, but a nice tree. I have a few decorations to put up around the house and a few lights for outside, but other than setting up my Christmas village, that's going to be it. I'm going to try to concentrate more on the inner joy and less on the externals this year. We'll see how that goes.

I'm going to spend Thanksgiving with friends. Already made plans. Have decided I'm tired of spending it alone. For years people have invited me to share their table at various holidays, but I've chosen to stay home and watch TV and feel lonely because I didn't have a family. I'm done with that. Now you invite me at your peril. I will show up.

I'm off work Friday! Woohoo! Going to spend it working on Christmas cards, the November family newsletter, and playing World of Warcraft. Also, there's this Ghosts story that needs my attention. I think I finally figured out what's really going on in the small town of Clement.

Anyway, I'm eating right, walking daily, praying more, trying to be more like the person I think I am -- if that makes sense. And even if it doesn't, thank you for your prayers, support, friendship ... and let's not forget ... the nagging!

I hope you're having a great day. Talk to you tomorrow.

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The day after

My blood sugar this morning before breakfast was 266. But last night before bed, it was 215. I don't understand. I had two salads yesterday and enjoyed them. I walked 17 minutes one time and 15 minutes another. Today I will have salad again for lunch and tonight a sautéed fish fillet with a side of broccoli and green beans. Looking forward to that.

My blood sugar has always been high in the morning. It's lowest later in the evening. Don't know why.

Will be joining a gym again this evening. Should have never let that membership lapse. I did it to save money and time. But apparently at the expense of damaging my health. Bad thinking.

My 90 day plan is already going on. It's low carb all the way. I will probably cheat somewhere in there, but I sure don't intend to. Wouldn't it be cool if I was thin again? Or thinner? It's hard for me to imagine after all these years of carrying this weight.

Anyway, I appreciate your prayers and support. Know that I'm going to do my part. Feel free to nag me! I'll try to remember that you're doing it because you care about me. Yes, you heard me right, Trixie, Adam, Kyra, Eric, Gail, EJ, Jolene, Sara, Kevin, Kent, Todd, Marie, etc. You're free to nag me. But only on this subject!

Have a wonderful day. I hope things are going well for you. Talk to you later.

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Anatomy of a 483

Yesterday, my blood sugar soared to 483. To help you put that in perspective if you’re unfamiliar with blood sugar levels, the healthy range is below 100. At the beginning of August, my blood sugar averaged in the low 100’s. What happened between August and now?

Several things, all of which are my fault. I made bad choices.

First, I dropped my membership to a local gym. I was only using it to walk, anyway, so I thought I could simply walk around the neighborhood and avoid the fee. I did avoid the fee, but I didn’t walk. And now I will be starting walking again tonight.

Second, I let soft drinks, particularly Dr Pepper drift back into my life. One or two occasionally wouldn’t hurt. Except it became one or two a day and then three or four a day. And now I will be drinking none again.

Third – and this is one that I didn’t have a lot of control over – my job situation changed drastically and then changed drastically again. This created a lot of stress and pressure, and instead of dealing with the stress actively, I chose TV and food. And now I’m going to be attempting to meditate, pray more, and practice other stress reduction choices.

Fourth, I made bad food choices. I had been attempting to eat one or two salads a day. That changed to one or no salad a day, and then no salad. I had a salad last night and will have salad today. Mostly I will be working on reducing my carbs. Farewell bread and sugar. Hello and welcome back, veggies and lean meat.

Fifth, even though a few of my friends expressed concern at my ways, I ignored them or overwhelmed their objections. Sorry. I’ll try not to be so bullheaded in the future.

Sixth, I had taken myself off diabetes medication because my blood sugar was doing so well. And if I had continued to watch my diet, to exercise, to get enough rest, that might have been fine. But since I didn’t, things got worse. I have to talk to my doctor on this one, but I would like to go back on oral meds, if possible, and if I haven’t done any permanent damage.

Seventh, I stopped daily testing. Money is, of course, tight, and I thought I would switch to weekly, but from weekly, it was too easy to simply drop it. Back to testing at least three times a day.

Eighth, I forgot that now and forever – unless there’s a cure someday – I am a diabetic. And diabetes is a progressive disease. I needed to be – and intend to be – fighting it each and every day. There in was the problem. I can’t beat diabetes. I can only fight it to a standstill or even make it back up some, but there will never a complete victory until there’s a cure. I have to steel myself up for the never ending battle.

I take full responsibility for my mistakes. I will also take full responsibility for fixing them. I appreciate your prayers, nagging, support, concern, tips, and friendship as I reengage the enemy. My blood sugar this morning before breakfast was 234.

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There goes my head

A very pressure filled day at work today. So much so that I thought my head was going to pop off. Oops, there it goes! Go head go! Be free! Seek a new place, a better place, a place where you can be free! Where life has meaning and the day is filled with good surprises and wondrous events! It's out there somewhere! Go!

Can't you just see it? It's using my ears as little wings, flittering there and here, then and now! See it soar into the sky!

But don't forget to come back and get me. You'd miss me. Eventually.

And on that note, good night.

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Victories! And a defeat.

OSU won! OU won! It's amazing how good that makes me feel, although I know I had nothing to do with outcome. Oh, I yelled instructions at the TV screen, but they couldn't hear me.

Could they?

I had a busy day tonight. Mostly cleaning house, laundry, and other chores. I was quite productive. Notice I didn't mention NaNo? That's because I have officially withdrawn from National Novel Writing Month. I'm too far behind on my wordage. Ghosts simply didn't have enough story ready when I needed it. Not that I'm blaming the story, but rather my lack of preparation. I needed to work more on my outline. Well, I'll do better next year.

I haven't given up on Ghosts. I like the story and will finish it. Probably by January if I can maintain my current rate of wordage.

For the NaNoers who are continuing on, I raise my glass! I won't be with you this year at the finish line, but I will be next year. See you then.

And now good night!

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How to become a millionarie

Lately I’ve been reading a bunch of books that say having a job is the slowest way to get wealthy. The authors say having a job is only one step up from being a slave, although they reluctantly concede that a job is better than starving to death and being given daily whippings by overseers — but not by much.

They haven’t had a job in years. Why, the mere idea of physical labor makes them faint. They say they make their money now by helping other people free themselves from the burden of jobs. They’re always careful to tell you that they used their ideas to free themselves and aren’t just living on selling books to gullible people, which is what a reasonable person might suppose. No, they have multiple streams of income.

Multiple streams of income? You know, income from their rent houses, income from their stocks and bonds, income from their multi-level marketing programs, and, let’s not forget, that helpful monthly dividend from the trust fund left to them by their rich aunt.

These multiple streams of income allow them to dispense with having anything as endlessly mundane as a job. They say they want everyone to have that freedom, but I doubt that. Where would they get their gardeners, cooks, maids, and other useful low income folks?

My favorite author is David Bach because he is so relentlessly upbeat. I imagine he makes people tired by his endless energy. He shouts all the time. He wants YOU to be RICH and he wants YOU to START NOW! NOW!!! DO YOU HEAR THAT?! NOW!!!

Here are some of his book titles: Start late, Finish Rich; Smart Couples Finish Rich; Smart Women Finish Rich; The Automatic Millionaire; and so on. David thinks EVERYONE should be rich when they die. And David actually gives excellent advice that – barring an asteroid from space or Congress fixing it so that our taxes actually exceed our income – will make you a millionaire.

Here, I will save you the cost of a few books and present David's secret here: Invest money monthly in a compound interest account when you are young, and when you are ready to retire, more than million dollars will be there waiting for you. (By that time, though, milk will cost $123 a gallon and gasoline will be approximately $345.67 per pint. A million won’t go as far as you think.)

However, since David didn’t start writing his books until a few years ago, his advice isn’t helpful to me unless I can greatly increase my monthly investment. We’re talking organ selling amounts. I have all my organs, and I intend to keep them. I’m funny that way. But ... do you have any spares I could have?

Copyright 2009 by Stephen B. Bagley. All rights reserved.

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What if

"If Today Was Your Last Day"

My best friend gave me the best advice
He said each day's a gift and not a given right
Leave no stone unturned, leave your fears behind
And try to take the path less traveled by
That first step you take is the longest stride

If today was your last day
And tomorrow was too late
Could you say goodbye to yesterday?
Would you live each moment like your last?
Leave old pictures in the past
Donate every dime you have?
If today was your last day

Against the grain should be a way of life
What's worth the prize is always worth the fight
Every second counts 'cause there's no second try
So live like you'll never live it twice
Don't take the free ride in your own life

If today was your last day
And tomorrow was too late
Could you say goodbye to yesterday?
Would you live each moment like your last?
Leave old pictures in the past
Donate every dime you have?
Would you call old friends you never see?
Reminisce old memories
Would you forgive your enemies?
Would you find that one you're dreamin' of?
Swear up and down to God above
That you finally fall in love
If today was your last day

If today was your last day
Would you make your mark by mending a broken heart?
You know it's never too late to shoot for the stars
Regardless of who you are
So do whatever it takes
'Cause you can't rewind a moment in this life
Let nothin' stand in your way
Cause the hands of time are never on your side

If today was your last day
And tomorrow was too late
Could you say goodbye to yesterday?

Would you live each moment like your last?
Leave old pictures in the past
Donate every dime you have?
Would you call old friends you never see?
Reminisce old memories
Would you forgive your enemies?
Would you find that one you're dreamin' of?
Swear up and down to God above
That you finally fall in love
If today was your last day

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Q&A about Blastoff

I've mentioned the Blastoff Network here a few times. I've had several questions about it so I thought I'd answer them all together.

What is Blastoff?
It is an entertainment, information, and shopping network online. When you sign up, you are given a home page that you personalize with feeds from various news outlets and entertainment companies. For instance, you can — with one click — add a feed from Fox News. Or CNN news or any of the other news sites on the web. You can also add feeds from YouTube or Hulu or other video sites. And finally it offers you the Blastoff Mall where you can shop at over 400 companies, including Target, Sears, Macy’s, Old Navy, K-Mart, Starbucks, Priceline, Best Buy, BooksAMillion, etc.

What’s the advantage of using Blastoff instead of simply going to the companies websites directly?
If you use Blastoff, you actually do shop directly at those companies’ websites, but by using the Mall to reach them, you can receive up to 15% in cash back or discounts. And you do nothing to receive those rewards, except go to the Mall first and click on the company you want to shop it.

How does Blastoff make its money?
Those companies pay Blastoff to send them customers.

So it’s really free?
Completely and totally.You don’t even have to shop if you don’t want to. You can just use Blastoff for info and entertainment.

Does it offer games? (Okay, I added this question myself.) Yes, a bunch of free ones. I can’t tell you much about them because I haven’t played them, but I’m told you can waste hours and hours playing everything they offer. Have fun, and don’t do it at work.

What about junk mail or spam?
I’ve been signed up on Blastoff since it opened its electronic doors, and I’ve received two pieces of email from them. One confirming my email address and one welcoming me to the network. That’s it.

What does it take to sign up?
Your name, your email address (it has to be valid because they’re going to send you an email address confirming your account that you have respond to or your account is suspended), and your birth date (or a fake one). No credit card, no mailing address, that’s it. It takes about a minute.

Is it multi-level marketing?
Sort of. Blastoff makes its money by convincing companies that it can expose their products to a large number of people. So Blastoff wants a lot of people to sign up. Every person who goes to your page and signs up becomes part of your network. If they shop online through Blastoff, you receive a tiny percentage of what they pay. You receive that tiny percentage down 10 levels. Mind you, it won’t be enough to live on, but you can receive a monthly check every month, depending on how many people sign up and how much they shop online. However, you do nothing with your network. No sales talks, no accounting, no emails, nothing. Telling them about the network is all you do.

Do the discounts work at the physical stores themselves?
No, you have to shop online to receive the discounts.

The discounts sound too good to be true.
Well, all I can tell is that several of my friends have used them and received the discounts. My roomie was able to get a phone for free when the same phone would cost $50 at the AT&T Store. And another friend ordered from Target and received a discount and a cash back on his order. And because they're in my “network,” I have a bit of money in a pending status for me. (You have to reach a certain amount before they mail you a check. Otherwise, the money stays there until you do reach the limit. That's also the only time you will have give them personal info: When they need to send you a check. Then they will need your mailing address, accurate birth date, and social security number because they do have to report the income to the lovely IRS.)

How do I sign up?
You go to my.blastoffnetwork.com/stephenbagley. You can also call me, and I'll sign you up or walk you through it. It really does take only a minute or less, depending on your computer speed. After you’re signed up, you can immediately start tell others to sign up in your “network” and start collecting your tiny percentage of their online shopping. (Your home page will be normally be my.blastoffnetwork.com/yourname, but you can pick something else besides your name to call your site.)

Still sounds too good to be true.
So far I haven’t found the “catch,” and I’ve been looking really hard. There are plenty of other shopping networks besides Blastoff that use this model to build up number of users. They all doing well, even in this economy. I don’t think you can make a living off Blastoff — I may be wrong, but that’s what I think now — but I do know you can save some money and make a little money, too, without much effort. I think that’s a good thing. Thanks for reading, and if you have any other questions, let me know.

Talk to you tomorrow!

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Needy

I have discovered that I am needy.

Apparently, this is no surprise to anyone but me. I am going to have to evaluate my behavior accordingly. I didn't realize that I needed constant praise to write, to be productive, to publish my family newsletter, to write this blog, etc. But I do.

Sad, isn't it? I have finally stumbled on what's been keeping me from writing. My praise tanks are completely empty.

I've always admired those writers who got thousands of rejections and kept on going because their books burned inside them. They had to write or be consumed. Weirdly enough, I had thought I was one of those writers. Funny, huh. I learn something new every day ... unfortunately.

Hope you have a good night.

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Monday, Monday

NaNo is seeming less and less likely. I am now five thousand words behind. I'm not sure if I can catch up. The story is progressing better than it was, but so slow. I'm having to feel my way forward. I've got to hope that somehow the words will finally start flowing. Otherwise, NaNo will disappear beneath the waves.

Let's see what we've learned so far: The woods behind the Watts family home are part of the Great Forest. The Great Forest has been touched by infinity so it stretches both into the past and to the future. In the forest lives Leah, a woman who has lost faith because of betrayal. Leah never intends to return to the present, but she will meet Simon Simple and fall in love, and for him, she will come back to our world even though she knows the terrible price she will have to pay. Meanwhile, Mason has started a blaze of hatred and fear in the small town of Clement, and he's busy fanning the flames. He wants an inferno, and it looks like all his wishes are going to come true. And that's where we are so far.

Anyway, it's horribly late again so I'm going to go to bed. My butt can't take sitting in this typing chair no more! Good night!

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Tanning my hide

So the other day I got out in the sun and got sunburned. Some (revolting) people get out in the sun and turn a nice bronze color. They look like they recently returned from safari. I, however, take the appearance of a boiled beet.

It’s always been that way. I have never been able to tan. In school I was so white that they used to call me Caveboy. Well, that, and my habit of eating raw meat and whacking women on the head so I could carry them away. The underbelly of a toad has more color than I do, although I’m not as green.

Of course, I’m not the only one who suffers this way. I have a couple of friends who are even fairer than me. They are actually capable of blinding other people when the sun reflects off their lily white epidermis.

A tan-disabled friend of mine decided she was tired of being taunted so she went to one of those spray-on tan places. She tried to get me to go with her, but I didn’t. Apparently you stand naked in a booth while a machine sprays you with paint. That sounded like something that could show up on America’s Funniest Home Videos. Besides, being naked where strangers have been naked strikes me as unsanitary.

Anyway, she got her paint job, and it definitely changed her skin color. She now looked vibrant, healthy, and glowing – just like a Florida orange. And I do mean ORANGE. Being the good friend I was, I immediately subjected her to as much ridicule as I could. Fortunately her aim is bad, and we remain friends, although I am careful to never let her get behind me.

So I turn red for a few days, and if that was all that happened, I could handle it. But no, then I have to peel. And I do mean peel. I peel, peel, and peel until you’d think I’m going to peel down to my bones. During this process I look like I should be carrying a sign and ringing a bell to warn people of my leprosy. Eventually I recover and can appear in public without inciting loud cries of horror and fear.

There’s a whole industry in place that caters to people unable to tan. They offer bronzers, enhancers, melanin pills, chrome creams, tanning showers, tanning booths, etc. Billions of dollars are spent to make us look like we spend hours in the sun even though we spend most of our time in front of our TVs watching tanned people do things we will never do.

Just a couple of centuries back in Britain, white skin was considered a mark of the aristocracy. The peasants worked out in the fields and got tanned. Their wealthy rulers stayed inside and married their first cousins. You knew a ruler by the whiteness of his or her skin and if they had any extra toes.

I think they might have something in that. At least the non-tanning part.

Copyright 2009 by Stephen B. Bagley. All rights reserved. Excerpted from Floozy by Stephen B. Bagley.

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Santa, come back and bring words!

You don't want to know. Seriously.

Did I get my NaNo words? No.

Did I finish the October family newsletter? No.

Did I get my laundry and housework done? No.

Did I get my car fixed? No.

But I promise I worked all day on the above. I wasn't goofing off. I'm not lazy. I just couldn't get it all done.

I need a maid. And a couple of servants. And lots of money and a yacht and a red sports car and ... WAIT! Santa, come back! I know it's not Christmas, but I figured you have time now!

Sigh. He got away. Slippery old coot.

Good night.

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Behind I am

Oookay.

I am now officially behind on my words for National Novel Writing Month. My muse has cleaned out my bank account and high-tailed to Vegas where the uncouth broad is whopping it up with high-rollers from Philly.

Meanwhile my characters are stuck in an impossible plot in terrible clothes -- Leah, for example, is wearing, I kid you not -- a leather halter top with knee high boots -- and they having to say things like, "The world rests on my shoulders; can I not rest my head on your bosom?" and "I have loved you since before I was born or perhaps before the universe gave birth to darkness" or "We have no names nor need of them, but now we can see that names mean more than names should mean." Sigh. When did Ghosts become a parody?

Anyway, I've got to rescue my characters. I like Simon, Leah, Davey, Bettie, and Nate. I even could like Mattie and Jacob. Mason and the rest can stay in the story, but the others deserve better. Somehow I've got to lure my muse back from Vegas, focus her bleary and blood-shot eyes on the page, and twist her hairy arm until she helps me get them out of their current story and into something better. Maybe something with ice cream.

And a pony.

A pony with fangs that feeds on human blood! BWWWAAAHHHHAAAA!

Or not.

Good night!

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A quick 10

Sorry to sign in so late, but I've been running behind all day, really all week, and this is the first chance I have to sit and write to you today.

Let's see. What can I tell you quickly?

First, NaNo is humming along. Okay, not really humming. More like coughing and hacking repeatedly with an occasional word inserted between the gasping for breath. Yeah, it's going that good.

Second, work continues to be terribly stressful. Nothing much else to say to that.

Third, I'm attempting to get the October family newsletter out. I would have already, except for the above mentioned NaNo and the inability of my family to get their various contributions to me in a timely manner. My family isn't quite aware exactly how powerful my nagging could be. They are going to learn.

Fourth, I don't remember what Fourth was, but it was good.

Fifth, I'm hoping to get the H1N1 shot this Saturday. The health department is offering them, but I have to call tomorrow and see if I qualify. I think I will because I have diabetes, but a customer of mine said she thought they were only giving them this weekend to people who are insulin dependent and/or type 1 diabetics. I'll find out.

Sixth, sure wish I could remember what the Fourth item was going to be.

Seventh, I possibly might be addicted to Dr Pepper. Notice the lack of the >.< after the Dr and before the Pepper. Dr Pepper does NOT have a period in it. That's because Dr Pepper isn't a real doctor. It's the soft drink of the gods ...

Eighth, my roomie's son Todd visited us briefly tonight on his way back to his home, and that kept us up late. I always like seeing him. He's a great young man with a wonderful wife and three glorious children.

Ninth, now I'm thinking that maybe the Fourth item wasn't that good. Otherwise, I think I'd remember what it was. So forget all about the Fourth item. I won't mention it again.

Tenth, time for bed. Have a great day tomorrow! Talk to you then.

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Enter stage left

Her name is Leah. She finally let me type her into the story. She has quite a bit of backstory, although I don't know how much of it will show up in this story. And, of course, her backstory is tragic and horrific. She is a scarred and sad soul. I hope Simon will be able to help her among all the other things he has to do.

Originally I planned Ghosts to take place in one long terrible day. Now I see it will take longer -- several long terrible days and nights. That's good. Gives me more to write and, more importantly, allows Leah to see the inherent goodness of Simon.

Still the words were hard to get, and I'm barely keeping pace to finish on time for National Novel Writing Month. Unlike my friend Jean who apparently has her muse in a headlock and pouring forth the words. I'd be jealous if I wasn't so in awe of her.

Otherwise, not much else is going on my life, other than signing people up for Blastoff! I've been very pleased to hear of the discounts people are receiving. Cool.

I've also been looking at selling a pre-paid legal plan for extra cash. Something I'm going to look at more closely when the insanity of NaNo is over.

What's going on in your world? Anything new? And don't tell me to read your Facebook. Facebook has messed with its interface and made it confusing and hard to find out anything about anyone.

Anyway, have a great day!

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Romantic me

Last night I was trying to figure out why Ghosts was being so stubborn. I barely made my words for NaNo and only after a lot of hard work. As I read over what I had written, I discovered the problem: Ghosts has no romance in it. I realized for the first time that all my books and plays have a romance and/or relationship as a major subplot: Bernard and Lisa in Murder by Dewey Decimal and Murder by the Acre; Luke and Darcy in Darkness, Oklahoma; Stefan and Maladora in Dragons Gather; Dark and Rebecca in Tin Man Dark; and so on.

The relationships aren't the A plot in any of those books. The A plots are mysteries, dark suspense, action adventure, etc. But the B plots are two people attempting to make a relationship together despite murder, former lovers, mad wizards, psychotic scientists, or the Old Gods.

This was a surprise to me. I don't consider myself a romantic person. In fact, quite the opposite. I'm usually described as pragmatic, very much into learning to love what I can get instead of wasting my life wanting something I can't. I'm sure there's probably something a psychiatrist could make of my apparent suppression of romance, but since one doesn't read my blog as far as I know, we can safely discard any psychological reasons and simply say that relationships make for compelling drama, whether between a werewolf sheriff and a psychic nurse, a powerless wizard and a mind witch, a reporter and a librarian, or a chem-enhanced black ops soldier and a crusading social worker.

So although I got my words on Ghosts, I suspect I'm starting it over. Now, if it wasn't NaNo, I would throw out most of what I've already written. But it is NaNo and 50,000 words in one month isn't easy so they're all staying until the rewriting starts. Truthfully I always throw away more words than I keep in any book or play.

A romantic subplot will certainly help me get words on Ghosts, and besides, I think Simon Simple needs to be even more tormented, don't you? All last night and today I'll be thinking about the new woman in Simon's life. I hope when I start writing tonight, she'll be ready to go. I need those words!

I think ... mind you, I'm not sure ... but I think she's warrior of the Shining Ones. I guess I'll find out tonight.

You have a great day. Talk to you tomorrow!

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Lots of stuff!

We have a lot to cover, and as you will see, time is pressing me so let's get going.

First, Ghosts is finished on this blog. I've had a small handful of dedicated readers -- whom I appreciate and will reward as I can -- but for the most part, unique visits on my blog dropped off drastically as the story continued. I asked a couple of the people who weren't dropping by as they used to find out why. 1) They didn't like reading long stories online, 2) they didn't like horror and 3) they stop by the blog to see what's going on with me and all I'm posting is the story. Well, I can understand those reasons. Also, because Ghosts is a book, I need to be able to go back and correct earlier mistakes. I'm thinking it's better if my readers see a finished product rather than my fumbles and missteps. So no Ghosts. But if you really like the story, have no fear. Come February or March, I will make it available to you to read, either on Lulu.com or other venue.

Second, I hesitate to share this with you because somehow letting you know about it means I will be committed -- and probably should be to some nice mental hospital -- but I am participating in National Novel Writing Month. Or as it is known by the fellow inmates, NaNo. Lord help your addled child. This means writing 50,000 words in November. Ghosts is actually my NaNo novel, but it's obvious to me now that most of what I've written is too far along in the story, and I need to recast the whole thing. A major difficulty is the lack of dialogue or really the opportunity for dialogue among the characters. And since I'm aiming for 65,000 to 70,000 words with 50,000 in November(!), I've got to get moving.

Third, I've become a member of the Blastoff! shopping and entertainment network, and I'd like you to join, too. Becoming a member is fast and free and requires no personal information. You can join here. It offers a customized home page where you can easily add feeds from news sites, plenty of free games, a shopping mall that offers access to over 400 online merchants, and discounts and cash back checks up to 15 percent. Several of my friends have already started shopping on it because of the discounts and cash backs. If you shop online much, you can save money using Blastoff! With Christmas looming before us, I think it's a good thing.

Fourth, I had a very good Saturday. Got up late, did a bit of housework, and worked on my family newsletter. Around noon, I joined some of my friends to watch our local college's homecoming parade -- which lasted over an hour! Afterwards, we went to eat at a Mexican restaurant. And for those friends, might I say ... GRRRR! (You had to be there.) Then my roomie and I decorated the front porch a bit for Halloween -- yes, we were running behind -- and we watched football all night and gave out candy to the trick-or-treaters.

Fifth, a good Sunday, too, although I caught a bit of a cold. For lunch I sauteed chicken breasts in olive oil, minced garlic, chives and turmeric and then added rice and organic chicken broth to the pan. Delicious! Served it with the Brussels sprouts and asparagus spears. A great and fairly quick meal. Then I spent most of the day doing laundry, napping, writing, finishing the family newsletter, etc.

And now it's Monday and time for work. Talk to you later. Have a great day!

Order Murder by the Acre in softcover from Amazon.com.
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Order Murder by the Acre in softcover from Lulu.com.
Order Murder by the Acre in hardcover only at from Lulu.com.
Order MBTA & MBDD items and more at Oakleaf