Time like a river

A couple of weeks back, I filled out an entry form for the Publishers Clearing House sweepstakes. I don't usually do that, but I had the time and why not? Stranger things have happened. However, since that entry, my mailbox has been flooded with other notices from PCH. Every couple of days, I receive a missive that gives me yet another chance to win gobs of money, no purchase necessary, but look at what we're offering you! It's quite annoying. Should have thrown the first one away. Of course, if by some unlikely chance I win, wouldn't this complaining be ironic?

We had a storm blow through last night. In about an hour or so, it dumped an inch and a half of water (according to the rain gauge in my backyard). Lots of lightning and some wind. Today the sky is cloudy, but I don't think we're expected to get any more moisture. We could probably do with some more.

Speaking of writing -- we weren't, but we are now so keep up -- I think the thing that surprised me most when I started taking it seriously was the time and energy it takes. After I spoke to some other authors, I realized this is almost universal. We write about people having exciting events and taking wonderful trips, but we don't have time to do so ourselves. Even the full-time authors find themselves chained to the chair in front of their computers. I think that's why so many of them resented Jessica Fletcher of Murder, She Wrote. That wench went everywhere having great adventures and apparently still had time to write a best-selling novel each year. She's lucky that she wasn't surrounded by an angry mob of writers and beat to death.

In other news, I actually leveled (went up a level from 62 to 63) in World of Warcraft. Yeah man! It's taken a couple of months, mostly because I hardly ever play. At this rate, I will reach level 80 (the current highest level) in about ten years or so ... I like WoW, but it takes so long to do anything interesting. I get bored easily.

Oh, I found a book on making gunpowder! I've always wanted know how to do that. Not that I'm going to. Although it doesn't seem hard. You just have to be really careful. Which I would be if I was going to make some, but I'm not. No, seriously, I'm not. I don't know why my roomie keeps hiding the book from me. That's annoying.

Well, I'm writing this during my lunch hour, and I need to feed my face now. I hope Tuesday is treating you well. Talk to you Wednesday! Have a super day! No, you should. Because I said so. Don't argue.

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Blogkeeping

Been making several minor changes to this blog and others. I've added links where people can read the first chapter of Murder by Dewey Decimal and Murder by the Acre and updated the blogs for MBDD and MBTA. I also created the blogs for Murder by the Mile and Debt Free At Last!, neither of which is open to the public yet.

I meant to write more this morning, but I had a bad night -- having trouble sleeping for some reason -- and I'm running really late. I'll try to update later, but for now, have a great Monday. No, I'm not sure that's possible, either, but try! I'll either talk to you later today or Tuesday! Bye.

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Jars of Clay & Billy Graham

Our Sunday Thought today is from Hope for Each Day by Billy Graham.

Loving Compassion

In this is love, not that we loved God, but that he loves us. 1 John 4:10

"The supreme happiness of life," Victor Hugo said, "is the conviction that we are loved." "Love is the first requirement for mental health," declared Sigmund Freud.

Unfortunately, many people go through life feeling unloved -- and unlovable. Perhaps they were constantly criticized or ignored as children, or their family was torn by conflict. Perhaps they made bad choices about important issues in life -- which only confirmed their belief that they were unworthy of love. This may be your experience.

But listen: I have good news! No matter the reason, your feelings aren't telling you the truth! God loves you, and if you begin to see yourself the way God sees you, your attitudes will begin to change. If He didn't love you, would Christ have been willing to die for you? But He did! The Bible says, "By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us" (1 John 3:16).

God loves you. Hammer that truth into your heart and mind every day. It will make all the difference.

I hope you have a love-filled Sunday. See you Monday when we will tackle another work week together. Nothing can defeat us! We are mighty, mighty! Talk to you then.

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Oh, I haven't fought a windmill in forthnight ...

I finished Susanna Gregory's A Vein of Deceit. I made it last as long as I could, limiting myself to just a few chapters a day, but the book is over. Sigh. If you like medieval mysteries, I recommend the series highly. You'll enjoy the mysteries, but the characters and setting will keep bringing you back. They're why I keep reading the series.

Unforunately, I was badly sick last night and lost several hours of sleep so I didn't do too much today. Just housework and laundry with a bit of sleeping, reading, and napping. Overall, a good day, I think.

To my amazement, I have discovered that I like ice cold Perrier mineral water with twist of lemon. Yeah, I know, after all the ridicule I heaped on people who drink bottled water. Serves me right.

The weather has cooled off some, thank the Good Lord. I thought I was going to melt earlier in the week.

Did you look up the Voynich Manuscript yet? I was told by a reader that I should provide the links or, even better, just tell everyone what it is. Well, I think discovery is part of the fun so you'll have to search it out on your own, but trust me, you'll find plenty about it if you look.

It's late enough, and I'm a bit tired. I'm going to call it a night. I hope you had a good Saturday and have a wonderful Sunday. Talk to you then.

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What were we talking about?

It has occurred to me more than once -- as I'm sure it has to you -- that I'm simply one handsome guy, a prince among men. I think we're all agreed on this. Yes, we are. Don't make me come over there, bucko. You wouldn't like it.

So I'm a prince, and my question is -- one that surely ranks up among the great questions in the universe like The Ultimate Theory of Physics and The Mystery of Ear Wax -- why isn't there some princess for me? Or truly the question is why aren't there many, many princesses for me, but we'll focus on one.

Although I can't focus on one anymore because of what that silly judge did with his protective order. Or at least I can't focus on my attractive neighbor up the street who has taken to wearing a black sack that completely covers her from head to toe, only comes out at night, and carries mace (an actual spiked club, not the pepper spray) for some reason that eludes me. Or really she's eluding me. She must have been a long distance runner in high school. Sigh. Nice legs, though.

But that's beside the point or really to the left of the point or maybe to the north of it, but I'm not sure because I was never clear on that whole north-south-east-down thing. I hate it when people give directions like: "Go south for 1.7 miles then turn to a bearing of south-east by 40 degrees and use the star Polaris to triangulate your position." I'm much better with: "Go past the Dairy Queen and turn right at the gas station with the four pumps out front and go until you see the house with the green statue of George Washington." Those are directions I can follow.

Where was I? Oh, yeah, about that green statue of George Washington. It isn't moss that covers that concrete tribute to the Father of Our Country. (Which is an odd nickname because he didn’t have any children, and did anyone ever think that just maybe he resented that nickname and wanted to be called Bubba or Red?) Anyway, the statue's owner got tired of people writing graffiti on Bubba Washington so he painted it bright lime green, going on the theory that anything that was painted on it could only improve it from that point on. Perversely, it hasn't been defaced since.

But I keep thinking that wasn't what I was talking about earlier, but to find out, I'd have to stop and go back and re-read what I wrote, and frankly I think you should do it and tell me so that I wouldn't have to. I'm tired.

Fine. Give me a moment. I have to do everything around here. Oh yeah, why isn't there a woman for me? It's an unanswerable question, although a girl once told me that it was because I couldn’t focus on anything for very long, but that doesn't sound right. Just ask my neighbor up the street.

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

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Mostly TV

I'm really enjoying Susanna Gregory's A Vein of Deceit, the 15th Matthew Bartholomew mystery. I'm trying to slow down as I read so the book will last longer. It will be a long year until the next one. Someday I hope people wait for my books as eagerly as I wait for hers. Wouldn't that be cool!

I added four more fish to the sidebar aquarium, two white and one more each of the green and orange. That's the max you can have. I also made the background a darker blue and changed the color of the food to white so that it showed up better against the darker background. Isn't that more than you wanted to know about it? I thought so.

Did you look up the Voynich Manuscript yet? Really, you should. You might find it useful later if things work out as I think they will. Take 10 minutes and delve into the mystery. You might find it illuminating.

I wanted to share this link again to The Best Cancer-Fighting Foods article. Lots of good info in it, and I've yet to find any research that contradicts the information presented. Add these foods to your diet. I likes ya and wants ya to stay 'round!

I gave up on the Tonight Show. Can't get used to Conan. Mostly I don't think he's funny. I'll check back in a few months and see if he's smoothed out. I'm looking forward to Jay Leno's new show. We'll see if Jay can make the new time slot work.

Speaking of TV, I've been enjoying The Closer and Bones. The Bones episodes, of course, are reruns, but I haven't seen them so they're new to me. I also think I like Eureka and Warehouse 13, at least so far. UFO Hunters was cancelled, which disappointed me. Stargate: Universe is coming. So far, I don't like what I've heard about SGU, but we'll see how it goes. Last night the new season of Leverage started. I think that show could become a favorite, also.

Well, enough of this. Have a great Thursday. I hope your day is good! Talk to you Friday!

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Bit of this, bit of that

I confess to getting a good amount of enjoyment by feeding the fish in my sidebar aquarium. (Just click inside the aquarium to feed them.) And I like how they follow the cursor when you hover it over the aquarium. It's a small program, but it's fun.

I cannot believe how unrelenting the heat is! Yesterday was horrible in my office. The A/C unit only has one outlet and that's at the back of the building. Upfront where I sit with the huge windows, it's gets warm fast. Admittedly not as hot as outside, but hot. I think we're supposed to get some relief tomorrow. The middle 90s. Funny how that seems much cooler now.

You may have noticed that I finally put up a wordage meter for Murder by the Mile in the sidebar. The wordage is wrong, but I'll get that fixed tonight. Also, if you scroll further down, you'll find the links under "More of My Writing" actually work now. The links used to point to some pages on AOL Hometown, but AOL shut down all the Hometown pages a couple of months back and I had never got around to fixing the links. Now you can read the Humor essays and Poems posted to 51313 Harbor Street.

Did you look up the Voynich Manuscript yet? I think you'd find it interesting. Particularly considering ... well, I think you'd find it interesting. Check it out.

In good news, my copy of Susanna Gregory's A Vein of Deceit finally came in yesterday afternoon. This is the 15th Matthew Bartholomew mystery. I've read several chapters and am greatly enjoying it. This series just gets better and better. If only Gregory would produce more than just one book a year!

Time to get ready for work. I hope you have a great Wednesday. If not, work on it. Remember, the weekend is only two days away! Talk to you Thursday!

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Too dang hot!

Ooookay, it's too hot. Yes, too hot even for me, an avowed sun worshipper. And we don't have our pool set up yet. My roomie and I are supposed to work on it this week, but I hurt my back so I won't be much help. (Yes, I suppose my back going out is suspiciously convenient, but trust me, I'd rather it not hurt and I get to work on the pool.) I hope we have up by this weekend, although the water will probably be too cold for a few days after that.

Hey, have you ever heard of the Voynich Manuscript? You should Google it. It's either one of history's greatest mysteries or one of the greatest hoaxes. What do you think?

I got another bill from the hospital yesterday. Another one from a different department apparently involved in the scope or maybe they just saw the other departments were billing me and wanted to get into the action. It wouldn't surprise me at this point to receive a bill from Labor & Delivery.

I'm running a bit late this morning so I'll close now. I'll try to post another update later today. But if not, I'll see you Wednesday! Have a great Tuesday. Or else ...

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Mostly medical

Yesterday for no good reason, my back went out. Very annoying to have to use a cane again. And I get tired of the pain and the limitations on my movement. I had a long list of things to do this weekend, and basically I did only a third of them. I didn't need another health issue right now. Oh well, that's life.

I'm still researching holistic medicine and folk cures. There's a lot of information out there, but sorting out the misinformation and downright lying takes a bit of time. Everyone -- including the so-called "regular" doctors -- have something to sell, and they're quite willing to deceive. Our government does a poor job in policing the medical establishment. We won't fix health care in this nation until our doctors recommit to "First, do no harm" and put the patients' well-being above their paycheck. And insurance companies -- which make tremendous amounts of money -- need to be forced to pay as their contracts say they will. But it will be a cold day in Hades before any of that happens. Both of those two groups have plenty of money to spend on lobbyists, and spend they do. It's no wonder that people turn to alternative medicine. It's a shame that alternative medicine doesn't have more science to offer them.

The above paragraph is a bit mixed, but I think you can follow it. Perhaps it would have worked better as several paragraphs. I do have a lot to say about medicine and doctors lately. I need to get it organized.

I thought I would get more responses to the new look for Harbor Street, particularly since I got a lot of (negative) feedback a few years ago when I thought about changing it. It could be an indication of my lack of readers now that Facebook has taken over my blogging circle. I'm still on Facebook, but I have cut back on my entries over there. I desire the longer communication that this blog allows -- although I couldn't prove it based on my latest posts. I'll work on that.

Well, it's time to get ready for work. Man, the weekend just isn't long enough. I'd sure like a four-day weekend every now and then. But it seems when I'm off, I just get sick or injured. I'm beginning to think that work -- however dreary and stressful -- is a safer environment than my house!

Anyway, you have a good Monday. Keep your chin up. Duck the blows. Land a few of your own. Talk to you tomorrow!

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Sunday Song & a health prayer

I love this song. It always moves me.




My aunt Jeanice send this Daily Word to me. I find a true comfort. I thought I'd share it with you.

Healing

With a growing awareness of Spirit within, I claim health and well-being.

Saying yes to life and yes to healing, I claim health and wholeness now. As I keep my thoughts about my total well-being held high, I continue to affirm life.

Knowing that the spirit of God permeates every organ, cell, and atom of my body, I hold a vision of myself as energetic and strong. I am aware that the healing presence of God is moving throughout my body; and because this is true, I am healthy and whole.

Being health-minded, I continually turn in thought and expectation to the perfect, free-flowing life of Spirit within me. I give thanks for the awareness of this healing presence, which uplifts me in every way.

I know that God is life. Divine power and presence are within me, and with God all good is possible.

"Your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up quickly." - Isaiah 58:8

Have a blessed Sunday. See you Monday!

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Runner-up photo

I really like this photo, but the other one was better.



I'm hoping I will stay healthy this weekend. I have a lot of things I want to accomplish. I'm hoping slow and steady will mark off many items on my list.

Okay, I will admit it: it's too hot, even for me. Once it gets above 95 degrees, I'm uncomfortable. And now that it's over 100 ... yikes.

Well, I've got a lot to do today so I'm going to close now. Y'all have a great day, you hear!

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Yes, we've gone to the beach

Just thought I'd switch the template for the summer to reflect that sunny, white sand, cool fruity drinks with an umbrella, carefree feeling. The old template is safely tucked away so that we can use it again if we wish, but for now, the water is calling our name. Can't you hear it?

Last night for dinner, my roomie and I had cold cut sandwiches with a tomato and cucumber salad and steamed yellow squash. If we'd just had watermelon for dessert, it would have been the perfect summer meal. The salad is super easy to make: chop up a large tomato and a large cucumber and place in bowl. Add vinegar, lemon juice, olive oil, sea salt, pepper and chives to taste. (I always peel the cucumbers.) Mix everything well. Let sit so the flavors mingle. Light, tangy and delicious.

You may have noticed -- or maybe not -- that I haven't mentioned my family newsletter lately. That's because I haven't been doing it. Lazy boy ... well, not really. When I do the newsletter, I have to talk to all my family and they would naturally want to know what was going with my health, and I didn't want to talk about it because 1) it worried me, 2) we didn't know anything, and 3) the less stress the better. Anyway, I'm going to get to working on it again and put a special edition out.

Did you notice the aquarium in the sidebar? Click in it to feed the fish. They're always hungry!

Anyway, I hope you have a lovely Friday. I'm excited because the weekend is nearly here! Woohoo! Talk to you tomorrow!

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Simply the best flower photo

Of all my photos of flowers, I think this one is best. What do you think?

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Longest

I think this is the longest I've gone without posting. A whole seven days. Wasn't my intention. Got sick -- again -- and it put me down for the count for a few days. I finally went back to work today, and right now I'm exhausted and ready for bed. So that's all for tonight. More tomorrow. I hope. I also hope things are going well for you. We don't get to talk like we did, and I miss that. I'm still hopeful that my health problems will clear up and I get my "push" back soon. Anyway, have a good night.

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Tuesday at work

Went back to work today and spent most of the time on the phone. I keep a phone log at my job, and I had three pages of calls! My throat was already sore, and by the end of the day, I could barely talk. I hope tomorrow won't be so busy. Or better yet, my throat gets better.

I'm still feeling the effects from the days of stress leading up to and after my scope. I feel jarred, like my world has shifted in some way. Weird. And I feel so thankful that God answers prayers and the test revealed no cancer. That's something to celebrate.

I'm going to continue to eat healthy, though. My family has too much cancer in it for me to ignore the dangers. A healthy diet filled with green veggies and colorful fruit is a great way to deny cancerous cells what they need to grow and flourish. (Also, sigh, green tea. Drink it. Your body will be glad you did. And not that sugared stuff already bottled. No, brew it yourself and drink two or three cups a day -- without sugar. It will grow on you.)

I have been touched by the concern shown to me by my friends. They prayed with me, worried with me, talked with me, cheered me up, and proved the world still has many good people in it. I feel greatly blessed.

And now, I'll close. Good night all. Have a great day tomorrow.

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It's NOT cancer, thank God!

The doctor called a few minutes ago. It is NOT cancer, thank the Good Lord. And I do mean Thank Him. His Grace abounds. As to what it is, they're not sure. It could be caused by many things, but he felt it was not currently life-threatening, but a problem I need to get taken care of. It means another doctor and more tests, but God is so good to me. I thank Him for His grace and you for your prayers and concern.

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Unhappy

Just found out that I won't get the results from the lung scope until tomorrow! I'm very unhappy.

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Nervous Wednesday

It occurred to me this morning that I probably won't feel like posting for the next several days so I thought I'd ramble on a bit and tide you over until I can get back on here.

Tomorrow morning, of course, is the scope into my lungs at OKC. I hope to be back home Thursday afternoon sometime, but we'll see how it goes. Sometimes they keep people overnight, depending on how it goes. I dread the side effects of the test -- apparently you feel like you have the flu afterwards -- but they're supposed to pass in 24 to 48 hours.

It's unlikely I will get any results until early next week. I will let you know as soon as I can what they find. I would appreciate your prayers during this time.

The James Rollins book I ordered (The Doomsday Key) came in yesterday afternoon so I have a book to look forward to reading. Woohoo!

I'm getting closer to affording a farm house on FarmTown. I have plans for orchards, fields, a river, and even a gazebo or two. My cousin Joni has created a hedge maze on her farm. I might try that.

Just finished reading that the event horizon of a black hole may be "fuzzy" instead of a clearly defined limit. In other words, instead of it being a point where you "Abandon all hope," it's more of a region where it's easier to take a step forward than to go back so you keep going until eventually you can't go back without having access to the entire energy of the universe. Stephen Hawking came up with this, and a lot of people are upset with him, because -- take a deep breath -- if it's true, then cause and effect are unrelated, at least at the quantum level. No, I don't understand it, either, but it's interesting nonetheless.

Anyway, I was thinking about time and a black hole and about how time might be "fuzzy," too. That maybe we could go back in time if we had access to enough energy, and if we could, what would we do? (Ignoring all the science, of course, that says time can't be changed.) Maybe a question better not asked as we can drown in regrets and might-have-beens if we're not careful.

I intended to post this post this morning, but didn't get it done so now I'm going to post it at lunch. But this post will be posted today! I think. No, no, it will. Probably ...

It has got too hot. Yes, I like warm weather, but this is crazy hot. I don't like it. Fix it, okay? Don't put it off. I'm just going to get grumpy. Well, grumpier.

I'm going to bed early tonight. At least that's the plan. I won't be on the computer again this evening. Y'all have a good day tomorrow and spare a prayer for me if you can. Talk to you later.

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Escape

Since Frenzied Feline posted a huge and interesting update, that inspired me to post at least something! Although I don't really have much to share. I'm sort of in a waiting mode now. Numb even.

I'm still playing FarmTown on Facebook. I'm not playing World of Warcraft much. In fact, I don't think I've been on WoW for about three weeks now. FarmTown isn't as exciting as Wow, but it's nowhere near as frustrating. FT is a good escape.

Early Thursday morning, of course, is my 'scope. I'll be at the hospital in OKC. If everything goes okay, I'll should be home sometime Thursday afternoon. If things get complicated, they'll keep me overnight and then I'll be home sometime Friday. I'm not looking forward to it -- who would? -- and I'll be glad when it's over.

Still reading a bunch. I'm hoping a book I ordered from Amazon (The Doomsday Key by James Rollins) will come in Wednesday. I like Rollins's work a lot, although I don't enjoy the Sigma Force series as much as his other books. Sigma Force reminds me too much of Clive Cussler's Dirk Pitt and NUMA, and no one is as good as Pitt! Sigma suffers by comparison. Well, Pitt's earlier adventures. Lately the ones featuring Dirk's son -- also named Dirk -- and daughter (Summer) have lost some of the excitement of the previous books.

By the way, I just found out that Murder by the Acre is now on sale in India. I find that curious and somewhat offsetting. Don't know why exactly, but it seems odd to imagine a curious Indian picking it up and reading my book. I hope they enjoy it.

Speaking of writing -- well, let's don't. At the moment, my life is on hold until this health situation is resolved or moves forward or whatever. As always, I'm grateful that my salary doesn't depend on my ability to write. Otherwise, I'd on the street. May yet be if Congress doesn't pass some sort of healthcare reform that will allow me to buy, beg, and/or steal health insurance. Bring on socialism! Or some other healthcare related -ism! Just anything to help me and all those other like me who can't buy health insurance even if we could afford it because the health insurance companies won't sell it to us. I'm not particular these days. Any port in a storm.

Finally saw Taken and The Dark Knight a few days back. Really enjoyed Taken. Didn't enjoy The Dark Knight much. The ending of The Dark Knight was particularly contrived and empty. I did like his Batcycle, though. That was cool.

And I've been enjoying Space Week on the Science Channel. There should really be a Space Channel. All space all the time! I'd watch it. My roomie and I disagree on space travel. He thinks it's unnecessary and expensive. "We have enough problems on Earth to deal with." I support space travel because it's an amazing dream, and we have so few amazing dreams left. I suspect it's a doomed dream, but it's not a bad windmill to tilt at.

And now I have to go to work. Y'all have a good day, ya hear!

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Working on the farm

I've been working on FarmTown on FaceBook. I'm saving up to buy a farm house, but it's 300,000 coins and I only have 180,000 so far. Maybe by next week, I'll have enough. Yes, I know it's not a real house. Leave me alone! :)

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Speed

So mostly I've been quiet because I don't have much to say and that which I could say isn't pleasant or helpful to me or anyone within hearing so I've chosen silence. Silence and reading. I've been reading a lot of books. I've raided my local library several times now, grabbing ten to twenty books at a time and gratefully losing myself into other worlds.

The people behind the counter always seem surprised by the number of books I check out. Even a little suspicious. "So ... are all these books for you?" "Do you read all these?" "Man, you must not work." "I'd like to spend all day doing nothing but reading." "These are due in two weeks. Just two weeks." I just smile mysteriously. Or maybe I'm smirking. Hard to tell, really.

It's actually my only dependable superpower: I read very fast. My sisters and brother also read fast -- books were a huge part of our lives growing up -- but I didn't realize how fast I was compared to other people until I got into college. Jon, my college roommate, constantly expressed his surprise at my speed. I was surprised by his surprise. I had never noticed before.

Anyway, that's what I'm doing. What have you been doing? Anything interesting? Share!

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Thursday gratefuls

It’s a bit harder this morning because I slept poorly last night and woke up feeling sick, but here some things I’m grateful for: morning prayer, a hot cup of green tea, cinnamon and apple flavored oatmeal, a hot shower, a cheerful email, FarmTown, and a good friend who called just to say hello.

I got my payment plan all worked out with the hospital in OKC today, so the scope on June 25 is a go. Glad to have that taken care of.

Not much other news. I've got to get writing again. I can't let this health issue steal away that part of me. Or maybe I can. We'll see what I'm made of.

Have a great day. Please continue to pray for me. I'll be praying for you.

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The date is set

Well, the 'scope into my lungs is set for Thursday, June 25. I would appreciate folks' prayers on that day and before so that my lungs receive a good report. This is a scary thing, and I admit I'm scared, but our God is more than capable of seeing me through this.

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Great article

I thought there was a lot of good info in this article.

The best cancer-fighting foods
A doctor with a malignant tumor changes his diet to stave off his disease

by David Servan-Schreiber, MD, PhD, Prevention

I was diagnosed with brain cancer about 16 years ago. I received chemotherapy and went into remission, but the cancer came back and I endured two surgeries and 13 months of chemotherapy. I asked my oncologist if I ought to change my diet to avoid another recurrence. His answer was perfectly stereotypical: "Eat what you like. It won't make much difference."

He was wrong.

The extensive research published in the last decade alone proves that what you eat can have a profound effect on your protection against cancer. But my doctor's answer was hardly surprising. It's a little-known fact that nutrition is barely taught in med schools, where the solution to most problems is a drug. And doctors don't trust patients to make lifestyle changes. I recall a conversation with a fellow physician at a conference after I spoke on the importance of a healthy diet in fighting disease. "You may be right, David, but people don't want to change," he said. "They just want to take a pill and forget about it." I don't know whether he's right, but after all the study I've done, I know it isn't true for me.

Read the rest of the article here.

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More blessings

Things I am grateful for (in no particular order): The Closer, UFO Hunters, walking at the Fitness Center with Kyra and Eric, Mexican food, cherries, grapes, honey and butter on toast, sunshine, hot showers, sleep, and a whole lot more. I have to remember that even when dark clouds cover the sun, the sun is still there shining down on me.

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1, 2, 3, 4 ...

Counting my blessings: Heavenly Father, loving family, good friends, good food (even if it is healthy), good home, assurance of salvation, laughter, good books, the awesome possibilities that still remain in life, and much more.

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No news

Talked to the doctor this morning. Half of the tests were negative, and the other half take six weeks to show results. So ... we have to talk about what to do next. The negative results are goods news -- lessens the chance I have lung cancer -- but they don't rule cancer out completely, either. Probably we will do a scope into my lungs next. Anyway, that's the news from the medical world. I'll let you know when anything else is decided.

Yeah, it's quite depressing. I'm still spending money with no answers. Very frustrating. I know I'm tired of it. I have lost a lot of respect for my various doctors as this has progressed. I've now been coughing blood for nearly six months under my doctors' care. Makes no sense whatsoever.

Anyway, that's the new such as it is. Hope you had a good day. And just think, one more day of work, and it will be the weekend! Woohoo!

Have a great night.

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Tomorrow

Tomorrow I'm supposed to hear from the doctor on the latest tests. I'm quite nervous about it. We'll see what he has to say. But not until tomorrow.

Conan is still not impressing me. I miss Leno. Oh well, things change. Not always for the better -- often not for the better -- but they do change. We can count on that.

Anyway, I had a nice talk with my younger sister tonight and then one with my friend Kent. Makes me appreciate the phone. Thanks, A.G. Bell.

And now I'll close. Night!

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Nighty night

Going to bed now. Conan ... not so good so far. Hope he gets better. I miss Leno. And yes, Roen, this is a post, so there!

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Facebook VS. Blogger

Why spend time on Facebook instead of posting on my blog? Let's compare the two. Yes, we're going to whether you want to or not so there!

First, Facebook is designed for short updates, and it is easy to post those short items. The blog is harder to post to. You have to think, and in this political climate, that's not easy or appreciated.

Second, you can see what your friends are doing all on one page. With the blog, I have to go to each blog to see. I'm lazy, you know.

Third, I get comments. Yes, comments. On Facebook, I get lots of comments. Don't get many here. That hurts my little feelings and makes me want to kill thousands and thousands of people and laugh at their terror and pain while wearing my Dick Cheney mask.

Fourth, Facebook has FarmTown, a game that I'm addicted to. And did I mention I get comments on Facebook? I get comments.

However, Facebook isn't perfect. For instance, its focus on short updates means you never get into a topic in depth. Also, the sheer number of updates can overwhelm me. Frankly, I'm not that interested in the 1,001 quizzes that everyone seems to take over there as well as the people who update 30 times a day. I'm sorry, but their lives aren't that interesting. At least to me. Call me shallow. But not to my face if you know what's good for you. And your family. And your pets.

Also, Facebook has ruined most of the blogs I used to read. Their authors have deserted their blogs for Facebook. All their wisdom has been reduced to news briefs. This can be a relief, but I do miss wisdom sometimes.

Anyway, I will keep Harbor Street for the foreseeable future. Won't give up Facebook -- I'd miss FarmTown -- so for now, I'll just do both. I'm talented that way.

Now, wasn't that more than you wanted to know about that subject? Nod your head. Now raise your hands. Shake them all about.

Night!

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Oops.

Oops. I meant to be blogging over here more, but don't have much to say. Not much has changed on my health, although I should start getting results from the latest tests this week. Writing is at a standstill. I spend so much time and energy worrying about my health and the doctors, I find I have little energy left to project myself into a fantasy world.

I am eating better. If nothing else, these health concerns have sent me searching for better nutrition. I have almost completely eliminated sugar from my diet. Well, at least obvious sugar. I am constantly surprised by the number of processed foods that include sugar as a matter of course. By cooking myself, I can avoid that. I've started cooking using extra-virgin olive oil, fresh garlic, chives, veggies, fish, etc. I am finding these meals to be delicious and greatly satisfying. I've even reached a point where I like green tea; I've -- lord help me -- developed a taste for it.

I'm trying to exercise at least five times a week and trying to get to bed earlier each night. I'm attempting to give my body what it needs to fight off whatever this is. And more than that, I want to be healthy in order to do more. I have so many things uncompleted in my life, so many things I want to try, so many stories to tell, so many places to visit, so many people to live, much life still to live. And diabetes and general laziness have kept me from doing many of these.

Life is short. I know we all know this. Or we at least parrot that phrase. But lately I'm beginning to understand exactly what it means and why it's important to live fully while we're here before we have to go what comes next. Perhaps it took a health crisis for me to truly understand it. I may be dense.

Tomorrow I return to work. Work is a problem for me. I truly don't enjoy my job any more, and yet I need the money. Once I get my health problem figured out and a treatment in place, I'm going to work on the job situation. Anyway, that's a problem for a later day.

And now I'm going to close. No promises, but I'll try to post more. Have a great week.

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Intro to "Debt Free At Last"

Why?

So why another “get out of debt” book? Aren’t there hundreds already on the market? Can’t you find financial planners by the dozen in the phone books? And what about those credit counselors you see the ads for on TV? What’s the point of this book?

Good question. Here’s the answer: this book is meant for the beginner. It’s meant for hard-working people who are living from paycheck to paycheck and are trapped in debt.

And debt is a trap. It takes away your choices. You can’t go on vacations, you can’t go back to school, your children can’t afford college, and you know you’re going to have to work until you die. Debt rules your life, and you can’t breathe. You can’t see your way clear. You can’t escape. You’re going to pay the Man forever.

Depressing, isn’t it?

You might be beating yourself up about this. You may feel like a failure. We won’t deny bad choices lead to debt, but most people don’t have the information or training to make the good choices. We are not educated in handling money in school, and typically our parents didn’t teach us, either. (Because they didn’t know.)

And we have a whole society that encourages debt. Credit card companies, loan companies, banks, and retailers of all sorts spend millions of dollars on advertising to convince you to go into debt. Even our country operates without a balanced budget and goes deeper into debt each year.

There we are: trapped in the debt trap.

It doesn’t have to be that way. You can be free. You can make simple changes that will impact your life in positive ways and get you and your family out of debt forever. You can make better choices in your life. You can choose a better life. You have the power to do so; you just need the information.

Probably you’ve heard this before. People regularly preach to the masses, advocating this plan or that plan or an investment scheme that only geniuses understand. Rarely do these people share if these schemes are what they do. Well, why would they? Most of them have money. They’re not facing the decisions you are. They’re not living your life. They give good advice, but they haven’t lived it.

But in this book, you’re reading the words of people who have lived it. Every tip in this book has been done by one or both of us. And the tips have been successful for us. We’re not sharing anything that didn’t work for us. We don’t care how good it sounds; if it didn’t work for us, we’re not going to pretend that it did.

That doesn’t mean all of these tips will be successful for you, but it does raise the chances they will be. After all, we’re not that different from you. We lived from paycheck to paycheck. One of us (Stephen) has made just about every financial mistake you can make. This book grew from his efforts to get out of debt forever. He is sharing his hard-worn education with you.

Kelley has spent years in the financial world as a loan officer, Realtor®, financial consultant, and lecturer. Over that time, he has learned what works and what doesn’t. He has applied those principles to his life to good results. He wants to share those principles with you.

Now, this book isn’t about becoming a millionaire overnight. In fact, that’s not even our goal. Our goal is to help you get out of debt, to increase the positive choices in your life, and to secure your future. Aren’t you tired of living like a refugee from the debt wars? Aren’t you ready to experience a secure financial future?

Isn’t it time that you were debt free at last?

Copyright 2009 by Stephen B. Bagley & Kelley Benson. All rights reserved.

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Catching up

And how are you? Not much has gone on here. A brief health update: I've continued working with my doctors in an attempt to find out why I'm coughing blood. We've done a test this weekend, and I should know something next week. After that, I'm not sure what will happen. Depends on what they find out. Overall, I feel pretty good. No major problems to speak of. I'd think I was healthy except for the coughing problem. I guess we'll see what they find.

This long weekend, I've spent napping and generally being slothful. It was wonderful. A bit of laundry, a bit of housework, FarmTown on Facebook, some World of Warcraft, and that's it. I need more weekends like this. I hope you had a good one.

And now we face returning to work tomorrow. Sigh. Double sigh. And a bit of screaming and anguish. I have to get organized. I seem to be scattered lately. I need to make lists again. Yes, lists will save me.

Oh, I announced the first winner in the 100 Member Milestone Celebration over on the Stephen B. Bagley's Books group page on Facebook. Four more winners to be announced. Did you enter? I hope so.

And now I'm going to go to bed so that I can wake up bright-eyed and bushy tailed ... although ... why would a bushy tail be desirable? I don't understand what that saying means, I really don't.

Night!

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100 Member Milestone!

Over on Facebook, the Stephen B. Bagley's Books group has over 100 members now! To celebrate, we're giving away books, t-shirts, tote bags, bookmarks, etc. If you're on Facebook, just head on there and enter to win. If you're not on Facebook, just email me your postal address and you'll be entered in all the contests! How easy is that!

And with that, good night!

Oh, the Illuminati have yet to hire me. Why is that? Am I not mad enough? Not power hungry enough? I'll work on that. I can be trained, really I can.

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Job wanted

I've been reading UFO Magazine, and apparently there is a worldwide, eons old, mysterious conspiracy that controls the world with its wealth and influence. The conspiracy includes aliens, CIA, NSA, FBI, PTA, the Unilateral Commission, the Illuminati, NAFTA, Free Masons, Priced Masons, and many more organizations whose names I didn't bother to read.

Apparently this New World Order group (not the wrestlers) has been subverting our freedoms to get us ready for 2012 when they will rule us openly and reveal their plans to live forever by growing new bodily organs and ingesting our lifeforce.

Yeah, I know. It surprised me, too.

After digesting this information for a while, I only have one question: where do I sign up? I'd like wealth and power. I could trample on someone's freedoms for the right price and a good health plan. Of course, I want weekends off and at least a week of vacation for each half year worked. It's not too much to ask, is it?

So send me a job application, Overlords! I'm ready and willing to be your lackey ... at least until I learn all your secrets and rise up and crush you beneath my booted heal! BWWAAAHHHAAAAA!

And on that mad note, good night, my future servants!

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Haven

There should be places you can go when the world is too much. Places that welcome you without questions and with endless compassion. Where you can be safe and secure. Where the only problems are remembering to set your alarm so that you can greet the glorious sunrise and deciding what fruit to pick from the laden trees. And as you sit under a spreading oak tree in an easy chair, you look across the rolling land to the golden fields and feel your battered spirit release its burdens. You sigh, and your eyes well with joyful tears.

That's what God is supposed to be. That's what God is.

Not that we allow that. We humans make it so hard. God has to be vengeful, shallow, tiny, bigoted, judgmental, self-righteous, furious, the heavy-handed father whose children cringe at His approach. Because we've created so many gods before, we think God should conform. He should support who we vote for, and He should shower forgiveness only on those we find worthy. We preach of His miracles, but in the same breath, we deny His grace and power. He's infinite, and we resent it and attempt to force Him into a box that we can control and understand.

Of course, God is beyond that. Despite our best efforts, He reaches beyond, He keeps sending His message to the world, He denies our best attempts to make Him into an easy god. He keeps reaching out to us.

He keeps saying, "Come home. I have a place for you. For all of you. There is a feast prepared. There is music and peace and calm. There is joy and dancing and eternal joy."

And we won't listen. We hold onto terrible things that hurt us, we deny the commonsense of letting Him lead us, we would rather die in hate than live in everlasting love. How our wilful ignorance must grieve Him. We must break His heart day after day. I don't know why He still loves us. I don't know why He still wants us. But then I'm not God.

I'm just a person, like you, like all of us, attempting to understand the infinite mercy extended to me, attempting to live day-by-day, trying to get up each time I fall, trying to believe while living in world that seems determined to destroy all grace and beauty. Sometimes I lose hope. Sometimes I despair. Sometimes I give up.

But then He sends me help. He reminds me that He hasn't moved. He reminds me that He loves me. He loves me.

On this sunny Sunday, on this day when I'm so tired of my health problems, exhausted from the money troubles my illness has caused, worn beyond my capacity to continue to face the unnamed terror of my future, when I finally turn to Him -- doing in the last place what I should have done in the first place -- He gathers me up and lets me rest in His haven.

I am so grateful.

I have no words.

Nothing but praise for His never-ending love.

His never-ending love for you and me.

Free Album Download

Coldplay is offering a free download of their nine-track album LeftRightLeftRightLeft as a thank you to their fans. Go here to download it.

I'm still looking for errors that my readers might have found in Murder by Dewey Decimal so that I can correct them in the hardcover Deluxe Version. I'd appreciate any you have found.

I've been sick the last two days. My stomach's been acting up. Kinda strange actually since I haven't had it be this bad in several months. Oh well, that's life. You take the sweet with the bitter. There isn't any other way to live. I am blessed.

I'm not sure who is dropping by here any more. My visitor count has really dropped off. Mostly because I've been on Facebook. So I've decided to back off Facebook and concentrate more on this blog. I'll still FB some, but this blog has been my principal way of communicating with y'all for some time now.

And that will be all tonight. Oh, I'll start posting excerpts from Murder by the Mile soon. Are you excited? I am! Night!

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Deluxe version of MBDD

I am currently working on the deluxe hardcover version of Murder by Dewey Decimal. There hasn't been a hardcover available for over a year now, and I'd like to get it back out there. If you noticed any errors -- misspelled words, left out words, weird punctuation -- please let me know so that I can make the corrections in this version.

I'm also working on a new cover for it. I'll keep the knife, but I think I'm going to add a drop of blood and change the color scheme of the book.

I'm also going to include a short mini-mystery in the back of the book. The chief and Sims investigate a murder at the local motel, and the chief proves why he really is the best man for his job.

I'm hoping to finish this revision over this week and next. So please find those errors and send them on! You'll rate a special 'thank you' in the acknowledgments! Woohoo!

And on that note, good night!

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Forbidden

Forbidden

There are stories we shouldn't tell.
      All the wise men know this.
There are lies we shouldn't hear.
     All the wise women have learned this.
There are hearts we shouldn't break.
     All the angels weep as they see this.
There are souls we shouldn't touch.
     All the demons smirk at this.

Walk down there; the hallway grows dark.
Stop over there; the shadows are unquiet.
Rest yourself there; the earth takes you.

Some knowledge burns the bearer.
      You were warned.
Some secrets can only harm.
     You didn't listen.
Some love brings only ruin.
     Everyone warned you.
Some tears can't be avoided.
     Into every life, they fall.

I wish I could save you; the clock ticks.
I wanted to spare you; why wouldn't you listen?
I can only watch; your fate is your own.

This I know --
     we each choose our destruction.
I leave you
     finally to yours.

Copyright 2009 Stephen B. Bagley. All rights reserved.

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Dream

I had a strange dream last night. I visited an old friend of mine. It's been at least 20 years since I saw her last. She picked me up at a huge airport, and I was so grateful when I saw her among the crowd. Somehow I ended up driving her car, and I drove her deep into the country where she made her home. The visit was filled with awkward silences -- after all this time, we had little in common -- and it was hard to keep a conversation going. Her house was a cottage, like what you see in on those British shows, all flowers and knitted comforters. I think she had a cat. Throughout the dream, we kept avoiding some subject, and while I knew we were avoiding talking about it, I couldn't recall what it was. I wanted to ask her a question, but I knew she wouldn't answer, and her refusal would embarrass us both, particularly since I couldn't pin down the question. I sensed she regretted my visit, and I wanted to leave myself, but I had no car and no way to get back to the airport. Finally I woke up.

Then I realized what the question was that I had wanted to ask, but wasn't able to think of in the dream: How was I able to visit her when she had died in a car wreck nearly twenty years ago?

I got out of bed, made a cup of green tea, and sat at my computer until it was time to get ready for work.

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Subcar & other things

I want a subcar like what James Bond has in The Spy Who Loved Me. Except I want a real one, not the fake they used in the movie. Wouldn't that be cool?



This car was the coolest of all the ones driven in the various Bond movies. I also liked the flying car in The Man with the Golden Gun, but the subcar tops it.

You might guess from me talking about Bond movies that not much is going on. You'd be right. I napped and read with a bit of TV, and that's all I did all weekend long with just a little housework and laundry. I feel bad about having been so slothful since I will return to work tomorrow -- work that does not challenge or excite me -- not having written anything, yet I claim writing is what I was truly meant to do. The dichotomy makes me crazy.

Lately I spend all my time worrying about my health. I'm still coughing a bit of blood. The doctors don't know why. They say -- well, a couple of them say that it's not cancer, but when they can't supply an answer, I have to wonder if they know what they're talking about. Of course, there have been plenty of tests ... over $10,000 of test, but still they don't know. I remain as uncertain as I was when this all started. Well, enough of that.

I hope you have a great week! I hope I have one, too! Stay healthy and stay happy. And if you're not either, work on it! I am. Night!

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Free chicken meal from KFC!

Updated: Several people had trouble printing the coupon. Apparently the number of people using the site overwhelmed it. I also had trouble, but finally got it to print around 9 p.m. You can print it until 11:59 p.m. today. If it lets you.

Go here for a coupon for a free chicken meal from KFC. You can only download the coupon today, but it can be used until May 19th (excluding Mother's Day.)

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Good eating

Last night I made a delicious diabetic and Weight Watchers friendly meal. It was two chicken breasts, cut up in slices, and cooked in three tablespoons of olive oil, fresh garlic cloves, chives, yellow onions, and mushrooms. For a side dish, I had steamed Brussels sprouts and cauliflower, lightly salted with sea salt. I thought it was great, but my roomie needed a bit of soy sauce on his chicken.

Tonight I will saute salmon fillets. (I'll saute them in olive oil, sliced garlic, lemon juice, sea salt, and ground pepper.) The veggies will be steamed spinach and asparagus.

You may be wondering why I'm sharing this. It's part of my new commitment to eat healthy, delicious food. I'm trying to be more careful in what I eat because I'm trying to taper off my diabetes medication. So far so good. I am limiting my soft drinks to one or less a day. I am avoiding bread as much as I can -- sometimes I crave toast, but I'm only putting on no-cal, no carb butter spray on it when I do. I'm drinking green tea flavored with cinnamon at least three days a day. (Green tea because it's so healthy and cinnamon flavored because cinnamon helps control blood sugar.)

So far, so good. My blood sugar is lower now. Not where it needs to be closer, but closer to my goal than since I was diagnosed.

But what brought all this on? I think it was my realization that my doctors are not going to be the ones who get me back to good health. It's going to be me. They don't have time, give me slapdash service, and generally behave like I'm something they need to scrape off the bottom of their shoes. Okay, I exaggerate a bit, but they are no closer to discovering why I'm coughing blood than when I started. So ... I'm beginning to think I have something really weird outside their experience. Maybe not. Maybe it's just a sneaky cancer or other disease that the tests haven't caught yet. The thing is, I can't wait.

No matter what I turn out to be inflicted with, I will be better off for having my diabetes under control and losing weight. I'm the only one that can make that happen. So I'm going to.

I still don't have the test results back from Friday's CT scan. I should learn something tomorrow. Or the next day. Perhaps this will be the test that will give the answer. We'll see, but either way, I'm going to still be working on controlling diabetes and getting better. I can do this.

Hope life is treating you well. Talk to you later.

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Moderation

Today for lunch I had two tilapia fillets (pan fried in olive oil with minced garlic, chives and fresh squeezed lime juice) with steamed broccoli and cauliflower. Although that meal is a thousands times more healthy, I still crave a cheeseburger and fries. Isn't odd how we want things that are bad for us?

Well, really, a cheeseburger and fries aren't bad if one has them once a week, but it's because we have them a lot more than that. Moderation in all things is still good advice.

No news on 75 Dates for $25 or Less! The plan is still for it to be available in May from Lulu.com, both in book form and in an ebook. I still have some work to do on the cover. I'm basically redesigning it. Although we hope the majority of sales will be Kindle and ebooks, I'd still like the book to look nice.

Haven't done much today. I've picked up a cold. Or allergies. Not sure which. I hope your Sunday is going well. And here is a Sunday Song that touched me. I hope you enjoy it.



Have a great week!

Order Murder by the Acre in softcover from Amazon.com.
Order Murder by the Acre in softcover from Barnes & Noble.com
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