Honestly, gang. I can’t tell you how effective that stuff is for me.

After taking the L-Theanine before leaving the house, I had a perfectly great day yesterday, even while driving around town in the 12-degree-Fahrenheit temperatures, the high winds, the ice, the mountains of snow everywhere…

And yes, my client needed me to get groceries yesterday — at THREE different grocery stores. But everything went absolutely great because my stress was totally gone.

He needed stuff like cherry pie and baloney.

HE: “You’re absolutely sure you don’t mind going to the grocery store in this terrible weather?”

ME: “I am absolutely sure that I don’t mind.”

And I honestly didn’t, gang. Because some day, I might be housebound and in my mid-80s, and if for some reason, I’m craving cherry pie and baloney and other stuff in a snow emergency, it would really mean a lot to me if someone were willing to go out and get it.

And that is the truth.

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Okay.

So far, I am not feeling stressed at all today. Even though I know the snow is worse over where my favorite 95-year-old Japanese man lives, I think everything will be manageable.

There have been a lot more traffic accidents out there this morning, but once again, they are almost all over near Columbus. So we are just going to see how it goes.

I did have to re-schedule the carpenter who was supposed to come on Monday and put in the new basement stairs. There is no way his truck and all his supplies are going to be able to get anywhere near my house until the snow melts.

But on we go!

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Okay!

On Tuesday morning, I have a phone chat with a company that specializes in all things to do with eBook formatting, so I hope that goes well.

I only have to reformat FIVE eBooks!

Yes! While developing the TV show.

And getting ready for all the PR work I’ll have to do when the new novel comes out.

And getting stuff ready for the Off-Broadway play stuff.

And getting the stuff ready for “Tell My Bones: The Helen LaFrance Story” to be back as a TV movie and not as a play.

But it needs to be done. And then hopefully these five books can get back into distribution the world over.

The situation with almost all of my online books are a real mess right now because of it, gang: over at Kindle, over at Draft2Digital, over at LULU, and on MarilynsRoomBooks. But it’s all fixable. So on we go.

And don’t forget!!

While you’re waiting for one of my newer books to be available to purchase again, you can always buy the companion coffee mug and look at it until you have the book — for something totally outrageous like $18.60 plus shipping and tax!! (Not joking.)

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Oh and guess what else happened yesterday??

Just as I was getting ready to leave the house, the US Mail lady came up onto my snowy porch with that registered package for me from the lawyers of my dad’s estate!!

There were a lot more of those personal ID -type things in there. But ALSO!!!

Well.

Let’s just say that today, as of right now, and it keeps going higher, gang:

GOLD: $5,274.08 per troy ounce.

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I can’t tell you how great it made me feel, though, gang. I am still trying to process all this stuff between me and my dad, almost daily.

I talk to his spirit, you know?

ME (heavy sigh): “Honestly, was it really that difficult to be my dad?”

ALSO ME: “Don’t answer that.”

(Let’s trot these out again, just for reference!!)

Me, in the summer of 1972!! (I had just turned 12. Which means that a couple weeks prior to this photo, I was only 11. I was already 5-ft 8-inches tall. That’s insane, right?)

Me, a year later, at 13… (I never get tired of this photo. I remember that girl so well.)

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All righty!!

Here’s this!

I tell you, Phyllis Stein does not disappoint, gang!!

Richard Hell, in NYC, 1976:

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And here’s this.

I love Keith in those sunglasses!

The Stones in Milan, Italy, in October, 1967:

Oh!!!!

And I finally found that photo of Keith playing a guitar!!

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And here’s this.

Jack Kerouac was in the Merchant Marines and the Navy during WWII.

And FYI. I’ve been listening to this free audiobook on YouTube the last few nights. It’s also really well done. (There are a lot of parts to this. I’m up to part 5.) The Dharma Bums.

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And here’s this!!

Nick Cave in Sydney on Friday:

And this, from quite a few years before Friday:

Tickets to see Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds in Melbourne on Sunday February 1st are still available. You can buy them HERE. (The first 2 nights are sold out.)

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And I suppose I better get ready now to take that 30-mile drive into town.

At least it’s very sunny today, so that helps. But it’s still way too cold to let Kon Tiki of the Great Outdoors back outside.

She is not happy, gang.

SHE (almost constantly): “What part of ‘the great outdoors’ do you not understand??!!”

Have a wonder-filled Wednesday, wherever you are in the world!!

Thanks for visiting.

I love you guys. See ya!

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Let’s close with a little insanity!!

Wayne sent me this video late last night.

From Tom Waits’ album, Bad As Me, 2011. “Satisfied”. Hold tight, gang, and enjoy!!