9 items on the 29

Sorry I haven't been here. Been ill, been busy, been tired. The usual excuses. Let's catch up.

1. Floozy is going slower than I thought. Having to do a lot of searching to find the columns I want to include, having to do a fair amount of updating of the columns I find, and having to spend more time with formatting than I thought I would.

2. I went to the Medieval Fair. I'll share more about it when I get a chance, but I had a wonderful time there, particularly since I was able to meet my college friends Peggy and Marie there. Awesome!

3. Been somewhat ill. Stomach's been weird, blood sugar's been weird, head's been weird. Well, my head is always weird. I mean I've been fighting a headache. Too much stress, too little rest is what I suspect.

4. Worry, worry, worry. I try not to. But do. So there you go. Over there. You're over there now. Go! Run fast! Run free! Run!

5. My house is a mess. Need to clean it. Need to do laundry, vacuum, dust, tote that bale, move that barge. Need a maid. A hard-working maid. A hard-working pretty maid. Female. Single.

6. Work today was terribly hard. Sometimes I wonder how much longer I can stay there. It wears me out. Gotta find some way to make money that makes me happy. Or at least not so stressed. I think I would be much happier in a less stressful -- but still well paying -- job.

7. I bought new pants from Wal-Mart. My waist had shrunk two inches! Wahoo! This diabetic diet really is letting me lose weight. If I can lose another 10 inches, I'd be really happy.

8. I paid off Discover Card this month! Leaves me with only one credit card. Admittedly it's a huge one with terrible interest rates, but I'm getting there.

9. At library again. I swear the perfect table will be mine again one day, but not today. Someone else has claimed it. I curse them with fleas! Fleas, I tell you, fleas!

And now I must close. Have a great night and a wonderful tomorrow.

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Ouch

The headache lingered. By the middle of the day, I just wanted to go home and hide in a dark, quiet room. Finally around 7 p.m. or so, the bands on my forehead loosened, and I wasn't in so much pain. I don't get migraines often and can usually keep them from being debilitating, but this one sure wasn't much fun.

Not much else to tell you. Floozy is inching along. Having worked on it as hard as I wanted because of my headache. Staring at the computer screen aggravates it.

Anyway, tomorrow I hope to attend the Medieval Fair in Norman after my trip to Oklahoma City to see the doctor. I'm looking forward to the fair. The doctor, not so much.

Have a great night and a wonderful tomorrow.

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Headache

Been suffering with a headache today. One of those pre-migraine ones that I get every now and then. Took some meds and sipping some caffeine. Usually I can head it off before it becomes one of those headaches that leave you curled up in bed in dark room. I've been struggling with it for the past couple of days. Maybe it will be better tomorrow.

Work continues on Floozy. I'm over 80 pages now. Need 60 to 80 pages more. At least that amount. Got to watch length as I don't want the book to be too expensive.

Going to call it a night now. Head is pounding. Talk to you tomorrow.

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Getting medieval

My roomie and I are going to the Medieval Fair this weekend! Woohoo! I haven't been in 10 years or more. Should be lots of fun. Going to make a day of it. Any of y'all going?

I'm hoping to meet a couple of college friends up there, but we'll have to see how that goes. Life is busy for everyone these days. Hope they make it, because if the weather is nice, I'm going to be there!



Talk to you tomorrow.

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Top Secret

FOR YOUR EYES ONLY

Dateline:

Now.

Reference:

Floozy by Stephen B. Bagley

Summary:

Subject is hard at work on Floozy, his collection of humor columns. Work is progressing on course. Subject has apparently committed to a publication date of June 1, 2010. Control is continuing to evaluate his ability to meet the deadline and is prepared for changes should unforeseen events occur.

Current status:

Approximately 1/3 finished. Subject expects, but does not promise nor guarantee to cross halfway point this week.

Action item(s):

None at present.

Clearance required:

FOR YOUR EYES ONLY as per Harbor Street of 2010, subsection 17A, paragraphs 15, 17-22.

End Document.

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Putting in time

Putting in time at the library. Giving up on the perfect table since I can't seem to snag it. When do these people get here? Don't they have jobs? How dare they think they have as much right to a public library as I do!

Oh well.

Floozy is coming along. I still don't have any idea of how much new material it will need. I should know more at the end of this month as I finish editing the old material. I'm afraid I won't get the book to the proofers on time. And I need to check the publishing schedule again and see how long it takes Lulu to get a book in my hands. I'm feeling that excitement again, though. Anticipation. Cool.

I need to work on the cover, too. I have several ideas for it, but lack the drawing skills. I'm trying to find a royalty free illustration of an old jalopy with several people hanging out of it. Or along that theme. I'll have to keep looking. My friend Roen might be able to draw something for me if I could find something for her to work with.

And Floozy is taking all my time now. That's the way of projects. Once they move onto the front burner, you can do nothing else. You don't want to do anything else. It's consuming. Exhausting. Exhilarating. What a rush. I wonder if authors who produce lots of books ever lose this. I hope not. I hope they feel as thrilled as I do when they hold one of their books and crack open those pristine pages. Nothing like it. I highly recommend it. You put in the time and effort, and you have a book at the end. Even if it never sells, you have that. Awesome.

And now back to work! Talk to you tomorrow. Have a great evening and wonderful tomorrow.

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Short & Sweet

Didn't go to the library this evening. Stayed home and worked on Floozy, of course. I also blew my diet and ate food from Polo's Mexican Restaurant. Got it to go, came home, and ate myself nearly unconscious. Then I watched TV, talked on the phone to a couple of friends, and worked on Floozy.

That was my night. Talk to you tomorrow!

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Once again at the library

I didn't get the good table again. This time a woman is using a laptop on it. Well, it is the perfect computer table. The library needs more of those. I'm over by the magazines right now. The table is next to the window, which is letting in an annoying glare. Can't be helped. Maybe she will leave soon. It's sure annoying that other people think the library belongs to them, too.

I bought a set of headphones this time so I can listen to my music as I type. However, I didn't bring my music flash drives. I will next time or load the music tonight on the computer. I'm listening to Accuradio.com right now.

Still working on the Intro to Floozy. I have a beginning. Not as funny as it needs to be, but that will come. I have set June 1st as the deadline for its publication. Hope I can make it. As long as I stay healthy, I should. I have to have it the proofers in April. Whee! I think I work best when a deadline is looming in front of me. I basically have a month or so to finish it up. That will be my weekends for a while. I should have had this book out a while ago. Like last year.

Work continues to be weird. Periods of immense and grinding stress followed by long periods of complete and utter boredom. Supposedly this is similar to what being in battle feels like, although I bet the stress is a couple of thousands times more.

Still trying to decide if I want to stay on Facebook or not. I enjoy the games, particularly Lex and Farmville, but I don't like how it's such a time sink. Maybe I just need more willpower.

Well, time to write on the Intro some more. Have a great evening, a wonderful night, and a blessed tomorrow! I insist.


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Library again

Well, I came down here to work on the intro to Floozy, my collection of humor columns from various magazines, newspapers, and newsletters. Floozy, by the way, should be coming out in May or June of this year. Woohoo! At least that's my plan. The book needs a funny intro, but naturally the funny river is refusing to flow today. I'll keep working on it. I have a month (Yikes!) or so to get it finished.

Part of the problem may be that there is only one comfortable table in the entire library, or one that works for me anyway, and some other guy is sitting in it. He's not even using a computer. He's just reading. Annoying that he would do that in a library. Whatever is he thinking? Reading in a library? That's as crazy as shopping in a store or running on track! And doesn't he know that table is mine?

Hey, he's leaving. He must have read my thoughts, in which I really owe him an apology for thinking about keying his car.

I gathered up my belongings and rushed over here before anyone else claimed this perfect table. It's mine, mine, mine... Oh, apparently jigs of joy are frowned on here. You think wild whooping is, too? Probably.

So here I sit. I'm finding I do write more here. Less distractions. No TV to turn on. No fridge. No snacks. No chores to ignore. No phone. Just a few people to watch sometimes. It would be cool if our library was open later, but it closes at 7 p.m. I don't write with the same dedication at home. I'll have to work on that.

Jean's been helping me look for a car online. Thanks, Jean! I'm not quite at the point where I have to buy one -- I think -- but it sure helps to know what's out there and what the prices look like.

Oh, I sold two books at my office today. That was cool. A customer came in to make a payment and saw the sign on my desk about the books. Bought both of the murder mysteries, and I gave him a copy of the poetry book. The poetry book is an expensive giveaway, but no one buys it, anyway. I still have about 30 copies of it left. Might as well use it as a reward.

Funny intro, funny intro ... Nothing yet. I will, of course, tell the story of the book and maybe a bit of my history, but it needs to give the reader a good idea of what is come. Or maybe not. Perhaps the book should spring on them, like a lion on a wildebeest. Or one of those gazelles that jump like they dine exclusively on springs. We'll see.

I have so many humorous pieces to choose from. I figure there's a couple of books of material that I can use. Right now I need to choose a hundred or so columns. Out of about five hundred or so. Of course, some of those won't make the cut, either being too dated or too slanted for whoever my readers were when I wrote them. I do know a few things after having read many of the columns over the past few days: I have a fixation on Dolly Parton, I've always been a bit odd in the way the universe is a bit large, and I don't get to play with rockets and explosives as much as I need to. Accidently blow up one cat and suddenly everyone thinks you're unsafe. Go figure.

Chuck is on tonight. Or at least I think it is. Haven't seen a TV schedule. Sure hope so. Makes for a nice Monday night. And I enjoy Headlines on Leno. I sure miss Leverage. UFO Hunters, too, but it won't be returning. Leverage will be.

Anyway, time to get to writing on something else. Have a great night and a wonderful tomorrow!

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Mostly productive

I hope you had a productive weekend. I mostly did. I hate Daylight Savings Time. Well, I hate losing an hour. Gaining one in the fall is pretty cool.

Anyway, I spent the weekend playing some Lex, doing housework, running errands, and working on Floozy. I got 20 pages finished on it. Well, formatting and in place, but I have plenty of editing and writing to do.

We had sunshine almost the entire weekend. A few clouds and some sprinkles, but overall, sunshine, wonderful sunshine.

And that was my weekend. Time to get to bed. Take care, and have a great week.

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Library

Here I am at the local library using their wireless connection and typing away. I always hear about writers who work at their local coffee shop or library. Since our Starbucks was one of those that the company (unfairly) closed, I decided to try the library.

The idea behind it is the writing won't feel so lonely. Well, isolated. At least I guess that's the general idea. Maybe other people use it because of the convenience of doing research. Maybe both.

The library, however, doesn't allow food or drink, and I can tell that would be problem for long writing sessions. I need a drink of water every now and then. The water fountain is at the back of the library, and frankly I don't want to leave my computer unguarded. Be awful easy for someone else to acquire a nice laptop that way. Perhaps I should look around and see if anyone is leaving theirs ...

Anyway, here I am. I'm sitting by a huge window watching the traffic roll by. There's a surprising amount. I always think of my town as being small -- and it is -- but 10,000 or so people can generate a good amount of traffic during commuting times.

Seeing all those cars roll past reminds me that I need to find a new car. Well, new to me. I don't think I can afford a brand new car. I'm looking for a dependable "pre-owned car" as the car lots like to call their used cars. The car I own is an '89 Topaz that has seen better days. (It needs body work, new tires, and a bumper!) I actually drive a vehicle that belongs to the company I work for, but it's also over 10 years old, and it doesn't look like it will be available much longer. It's getting to the point that it needs some work, but I don't think management wants to put that kind of money into it and I also don't think it will be replaced. The joys of life and the economy, you know.

I thought I might see a few friends here, but it's Friday night and I guess they have better things to do then haunt the library. Those jerks. How dare they have lives? They're supposed to be available when I need them. Why aren't they waiting for my beck and call? Some people have no consideration.

I used to see Kirsten here, but she moved away and lives in OKC now. I understand she was hired by a library where she has to travel the world to find and protect ancient artifacts. Cool. Of course, the secret nature of her job keeps her from blogging now.

Frenzied Feline also has one of those secret jobs. Not sure what it is, but apparently she can't post on her blog for fear the information will fall into the wrong hands. She also has made her blog invitation only, but so far, I'm on the guest list.

Erudite Redneck has given up blogging for Lent. Nothing going on there right now, but he will return in a couple of weeks. I hate when religion gets in the way of my reading pleasure, but I can respect him for it even if I don't like it. Next year he should give up TV or something like that.

Jean, of course, blogs faithfully, and I'm grateful for that. I'm also jealous, but not because she posts. She and her husband have purchased an old furniture store and are renovating it for possible use as a museum. Very cool! When she posts photos of it, I'm envious of all the space. My poor over-crowded house is busting at the seams! All that lovely storage she will eventually have. Sigh.

Anyway, it's time for me to head home. I hope you have a great night and a wonderful tomorrow. Talk to you then!

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Books Read in 2010 -- so far

Thought I'd update you on my books read so far.

35. **** Null-A Continuum by John C. Wright
This is a mind blowing, confusing, but ultimately entertaining book. It is a sequel to three books by the late Golden Age writer A.E. Van Vogt. I warn you: it has more plot twists and hidden identities than any other book you've ever read. The action bounces all over the universe, back and forth in time, and anywhere else you can think of. Frankly, it's overwhelming and took me two readings before I could fully grasp the plot. While I doubt I'd read any other sequels that might follow this one, it was worth the effort.

34. *** Arms-Commander by L.E. Modesitt Jr.

33. *** Knockout by Suzanne Sommers

32. *** Swan for the Money by Donna Andrews

31. *** The Golden Shrine by Harry Turtledove

30. ** Level 26: Dark Origins by Anthony E. Zuiker with Duane Swierczynski

29. **** Breath and Bone by Carol Berg
The stunning and exciting conclusion of the duoloby that started with Flesh and Spirit. Valen has discovered the truth about his life, but it's a truth that makes him a target for kings, warriors, dead men, witches, and worse evils. I hated to see the book end. Recommended.

28. **** Flesh and Spirit by Carol Berg
A interesting, quirky fantasy, the first of a duology. Valen doesn't fit in anywhere and runs away from the restrictive Pureblood Registry straight into a war that will determine the fate of the entire world. Recommended.

27. **** Revision & Self-Editing by James Scott Bell
One of the best books I've ever read on how to better your writing. Lively, packed with great examples, well-organized. I'm going to buy this book for my library. Recommended.

26. *** UFO by Charles E. Sellier with Joe Meier
25. ** The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown
24. *** Elyon by Ted Dekker & Kaci Hill
23. *** Lunatic by Ted Dekker & Kaci Hill
22. *** Tragic Magic by Laura Childers
21. *** Chaos by Ted Dekker
20. *** Arctic Drift by Clive Cussler & Dirk Cussler
19. *** Renegade by Ted Dekker

18. **** The City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon by David Grann
The true story of the disappearance of ledgendary British explorer Percy Fawcett in the 1920s and of the many other explorers who lost their fortunes, lives and/or sanity searching for Fawcett and the Lost City of Z. Recommended.

17. **** Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld
Do you like steampunk? Do you like alternate histories? If so, Leviathan is the book for you. It has zeppelins, clankers (like Star War walkers), giant living airships, cannons, politics, a prince on the run, and much, much more. The only reason this handsome teen book didn't get five stars was because it's the beginning of a series, and the story leaves you hanging. Recommended.

16. *** Infidel by Ted Dekker
15. *** Less Than Dead by Tim Downs
14. *** Florence of Arabia by Christopher Buckley
13. ** Amberville by Tim Davys

12. **** Whirlwind by Robert Liparulo
Another entry in the Dreamhouse Kings series. The King family moved into a huge creepy house and discovered that it held terrible secrets. The pace is staggering as they rush from one danger to another. This teen book has some truly creepy moments in it. Recommended.

11. *** A Darkness Forged in Fire by Chris Evans

10. **** Altar of Eden by James Rollins
James Rollins's Altar of Eden is a good book, but it dismayed me with its vulgar language in places, and frankly, it's not one of his best. Characters are slight, and the plot has a few holes. Still, Rollins is one of the best thriller writers out there, and I don't think I wasted my money; I just know Rollins has better books in him. Recommended.

9. *** Cowl by Neal Asher

8. **** Crush it! By Gary Vaynerchuk
Crush It! is a great book for anyone who is trying to turn their passion into a life-long career. It's worth your money if you've ever thought about telling your boss where to go and leaving to follow your dream.

7. *** Design it Yourself Newsletters by Chuck Green

6. ***** First Lord's Fury by Jim Butcher
First Lord's Fury is my first five starred book and is the conclusion of an epic fantasy series. (Butcher also writes the Dresden Files series, the basis for the short-lived show on SyFy channel.) I hope he returns to these characters again in a new series. I think there's still plenty of stories left to be told in that fantastic world. Highly recommended.

5. *** Marvel Visionaires Chris Claremont
4. *** Orcs: Army of Shadows by Stan Nicholls
3. *** Robot Titans of Gotham by Novell Page

2. **** The Chocolate Cupid Killings by JoAnna Carl
The Chocolate Cupid Killings is the latest in a mystery series. I've not read any of the others, but I'm going to look for them. It's an excellent cozy. Carl, by the way, also lives in Oklahoma. I love Oklahoma authors!

1. *** The Light of Burning Shadows by Chris Evans

----------------------------------

And that's what I've read so far. Talk to you tomorrow!

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Checking it twice

I'd like to say I was productive last night. If you define productive as vegging in front of the TV watching shows I don't even like, then yes, I was productive. Otherwise, not so much. No excuses. I was bummed from work stress and couldn't make myself do much. I have all the willpower of a French king, apparently.

I did find this video on YouTube of a beautiful flying machine. I doubt anyone will ever build it, but I wish they would.



Isn't that lovely? Wouldn't it be cool to look up and see the blue skies filled with those craft? I think it would be.

Anyway, hope you had a lovely day and a great tomorrow. See you then!

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Making a list

I need to post this morning so that I can check an item off my list. I need to do four items on my list a day if I'm to accomplish my goals. Thus this post even though not much happened yesterday to write about other than work, lots of rain, Chuck on TV, and now blogging. That was my day, leaving out the meals and a couple games of Lexulous on Facebook.

Anyway, I'm trying to get back in the habit of making a TO-DO list daily. 'Course, making the list is only productive as long as you actually complete the items. Yesterday, I only accomplished two of them. Well, it's going to take me some time to get going again. I'm still exhausted from the flu and the change in my diabetes meds.

Tonight I have nothing planned, and nothing much is on TV. Well, lots of stuff, but nothing I want to watch. So I should have some time to get some things done. I hope.

That's my plan. What do you have planned for today and tonight? Share!

Talk to you tomorrow.

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Baby Bass!

My friend Kent Bass and his lovely wife Michele were blessed with a baby boy Saturday morning March 6. Jordan Randall Bass is 6 pounds and 14 ounces and 19.5 inches long. Mom and baby are doing well. And here's the photo of this handsome young man:

Congratulations! Babies are a true blessing. They bring joy into our lives and teach us how to love. I'm excited Jordan has joined us on earth.

Talk to you tomorrow!

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A printer's story

Just dying to know what I did about the printer situation, aren't you?

Okay, let's briefly review the situation: My beloved HP Photosmart 7960 printer broke after years and years of dependable service. I attempted a repair, which worked briefly, and then it broke again. This time no repair was possible. I was left with approximately $400 of ink and ink refilling supplies. I discovered HP no longer made any printer that used the ink cartridges I had. HP also no longer offered repair services for my printer, and I couldn't find anyone else who did. So ... what to do? Buy a new printer? Attempt to sell the cartridges on Ebay? Discard everything and run away to the islands? Was there another solution that I hadn't thought of? What should I do? WHAT?

The answer was actually suggested by Jean in a roundabout way. Over on Facebook, Jean suggested that I sell the extra cartridges on Ebay. A good idea, but instead I searched Ebay and found a used Photosmart 7960 printer ... just like my broken one! I ordered it. It cost $70 with shipping, and it arrived this week. It works! It was dirty and required a whole roll of paper towels and half a bottle of wipes to clean, but by golly, I have a printer. This will allow me to use up my supplies. Of course, when they are gone, I won't stockpile again and will use this printer until it finally dies, also. After all, it will be time for a new printer.

I hope I've put your mind at ease. Talk to you tomorrow!

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Past

Jean was inspired to post an interesting essay by a comment that Gail left on my post Belief and by my post Friendship. Caught up? I hope so, because now I'm going to post about what Jean wrote in her post Present.

Jean's thesis was that the present (meaning now) is a present (meaning a gift) to us. So, to take her metaphor further, how we unwrap (live) our present each day determines if our present (now) is good or bad.

A valid point. We, including me, have a terrible tendency to assume that the past will be the future. In fact, we work to make that so. We like routine. We like the same foods, the same job, the same drive to work. We might have a wild rebellion and change our lives, but then we quickly fall back into a routine. In some ways, this is good. Productivity requires a certain amount of routine; we can't be constantly reinventing the wheel when actually our purpose is to build a car. We can build on the past in many productive ways.

The problem lies in holding on to the past too long and assuming the past is better than the present or the future. Not that it isn't true at times. In a rational world, we would look at the past and at the future and make a decision based on the merits of whatever we were evaluating. For instance, let's say we have already build a Widget. We know widget well. We know its advantages and problems. Now a person comes up an idea for Whichwhat that will do the job of the Widget and might do it better, but will also have its problems since everything does. Do we change from Widgets to Whichwhats? We know the Widget. It's familiar. We don't have to change a thing to use it. We don't have to learn anything new. But the Whichwhat might be better. Might be a lot better.

In that mythical rational world, we'd test the Whichwhat, and if it was better, we'd switch to it. Many times we operate under the delusion that the Free Market will do, i.e. the best product will win. Doesn't work that way. What the Free Market actually does is allow the best SELLING product to win. Doesn't matter if the best product is a lot better than the best selling product. Eventually the best product will fall by the wayside to the best selling product.

Of course, sometimes the best product will find a niche. Like Apple computers, for instance. Sometimes it will simply disappear. Like Betamax video tapes.

My point is that marketing rules the world, not quality.

Actually that wasn't my point. I think I lost my point.

No, wait, here it is. The past doesn't necessarily dictate the future. We can change it. By using our present effectively, we don't have to repeat the past. We can choose better relationships, better jobs, better ideas, better ideals. It's possible. We can make our future into a better present.

We just have to have the courage.

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Excellent poster

My friend Adam Huckeby designed this poster. Excellent!

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Friendship

I met Gail in the 5th grade. She played chess, the only girl -- as far as I knew -- in my school who could play chess. Obviously the gods meant us for each other, or so I thought. I think she was my first major crush. Or at least the one I most remember. Nothing came of it, of course. I was much better at chess than girls at that time ... and while I don't claim to be an expert on women now, I can say I haven't played chess in years.

We stayed friends through high school and even ended up in college together for a brief time. But we were never more than friends. Don't know why, really. Bad timing, strong personalities, etc. Maybe we valued our friendship too much to risk it on a relationship that might end. Maybe we just lacked the courage.

Doesn't matter. We're still friends after all these years. She has remained my steadfast supporter and believes in my writing abilities and me as a person despite all evidence to the contrary. Read her reply to my post "Belief," and you'll understand some of why I think she's so special.

But let me tell you more. Gail makes me laugh. Not a lot of people do that. Gail makes me think. Not a lot of people do that. Gail makes me want to succeed. Almost nobody does that. Gail knows me almost better than anyone and still likes me. Not a lot of people do that -- although, to be fair, I only let a few people get close. Somehow she slipped in behind most of my barriers. Weird, eh?

We mostly talk on the phone these days. I haven't seen her in several years. The last time was when she attended the premiere of our play. Yes, we've written three plays together. We have our most fun when we write together ... and that's also when we come closest to committing murder. Strong personalities, remember?

She's not had the best life. Her marriage went bad, she's raised a son on her own, and she's worked a job -- nursing -- that can beat anyone down with the associated stress and sorrow. She's had to watch people suffer and die. A nurse's life isn't easy. Of course, she's watched them get better, too, and has pride that she's given them the best care she can. She cares about patients in ways that doctors and nurses do on TV and rarely do in real life.

She hasn't got to write as much as I wish she could have. She's got a lot of talent, a sly and intelligent wit, and a charming way with words. She's into politics with a strong independent bent that lead her in logical and sometimes surprising directions. And she has taken her formidable intelligence and wrestled with the big questions of life, like our relationship with God, how to be loving parent, why does Donald Trump wear that dead beaver on his head, and so on.

She still has struggles, of course. Job, life, parenting, being a good daughter to her mother, church ... Everything has its challenges, but I've never known her to despair. She may get knocked down, but she gets right back up. We've seen each other through plenty of troubles that we shared in countless emails and letters -- all of which will be worth some cash if one of us ever gets famous.

We always talk about running away to some island to lounge around on white beaches and sip fruity drinks before going to our beach house to write best sellers. And if there was ever anyone I think could do that and deserve it, it's her.

She's one of the undeserved and unexpected blessings God has given me, and I am profoundly grateful for her. Love you, Gail.

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