New Story

I have a new story up over at the www.clarityofnight.blogspot.com site. Check it out. It's entry #30 and called "Remembrance".

This is the third short-short story I've written for this site for different contests. You have to tell a tale in 250 words or less. I haven't won anything (maybe third time's the charm?) but I enjoy a challenge and I think this particular little story is effectively. At least, it holds some meaning to me. Winning a cash reward is secondary to the challenge of writing something that concise and coherent.

And, to top things off, the story has to have something to do with a photograph taken by the website host. So, that adds to the challenge.

Go over, read it, vote on it, make me rich.

Yeah, right.

Hope everyone's doing well. More later, Roger

Cold as Ice

It's been two weeks, roughly, since my last post. In that time, Southern Illinois University, where I work, has closed down THREE days due to weather conditions. In the ten years I've been there, I recall it only closing once, and then for one day. So, the weather out here is frightful, to paraphrase that up-tempo Xmas song. I knocked the ice off the car today to go get the kids at their daycare. It was the first time the Jeep's been out of the driveway in three days. I walked in to work yesterday and today to take care of business. It truly is a winter wonderland out there.

I'm ready for spring.

Anyway, there will be a book launch party for the anthology, HELL IN THE HEARTLAND, at the Mix in Chicago on March 24th. Hopefully, by then the weather will be nicer here and there.

Hope everyone's staying warm. Snuggle up to your spouse or lover if you have one and keep the cold at bay.

Roger

Anniversary

Well, I missed an anniversary. I started this blog a year ago on February 8th. At the time, I was hurting. My wife had left me six months earlier and I needed somewhere to vent. I'd seen a counselor to make some sense of things and, for reason I won't mention here, I quit seeing her. She was a good counselor, so don't think it was that. But, I quit seeing her and the hurting continued....so I decided to start a blog. Over the course of the past year, I think you can see a progression in me. I moved away from the hurting (for the most part) and started to enjoy things again. I dated a beautiful woman I cared for, and she cared for me as well. It was nice. I don't know what the future holds for she and I, but she was a Godsend to me. I've tried to be honest about my feelings on this blog, and it's gotten me in trouble more than once. Still, I wrote the entries with honesty. Perhaps I was too honest; I'm not really sure. But, I do know one thing - this blog was good therapy for me over the past year. Not as good as a lovely little counselor was, but good enough. I will continue to write my thoughts and feelings down here in the coming year and, I hope, you'll see even further movement away from the pain caused by divorce. It's an ugly experience - divorce- and something I hope none of you out there ever have to suffer through. Now, I see it was probably for the best. This blog helped me realize that.

So, what will the next year bring? I don't know. But, I do know one thing - I will face the future with my chin up from now on. No more lamenting, no more heartache. At least, that's the way I hope it unfolds. Time will tell.

Rebellion

Feeling a tad rebellious tonight. Perhaps, it's because of the weather. Probably the worst storm (rain) we've had in years. My basement, leaky thing that it is, has about an inch of water. I wanted to go down and check on a few legal downloads, but was afraid to walk through the water. Needless to say, that upset me. Also, I watched the movie WILD HOGS tonight, and it left a rebellious attitude with me. Been thinking about a road trip to Texas on the BSA I bought last year. Need to make a few modifications, but I'm ready to tell the world to kiss my arse and ride off into the sunset. Guess I need to take a few pills, ala LOGAN'S RUN, and mellow out.
Or, maybe, I should just go to bed.

Probably the latter.