Christmas

Merry Christmas everyone. One week away from a new year. 2009 was a year of change. I hope 2010 is a better year in all regards for everyone, and hope this crappy economy picks up.

Roger

Something I wish I'd written

The Christmas Tree Won't Light

Last night
the Christmas tree wouldn't light
I strung all the lights with care
you know the story, hoping St. Nicholas soon would be there
but when I plugged it in the socket
thinking it would light up like a rocket
much to my chagrin
the room stayed dark as sin
the damned tree wouldn't light
frustrated, I had to keep trying
to stop the kids from crying
a Christmas tree
you see
needs to glow
you know
what can I say?
you need a tree for the holiday
and one that's not bright
is a horrible sight
now, I have to check every light
and that's gonna take all night

On Being Thankful

Well, now that Thanksgiving is past us and we're "straight on till morning" for Christmas, I've been reflecting on what I should be thankful for. It's hard sometimes to be thankful. It seems like over the past few years I've tolerated every idiot there is to tolerate on this planet. I've lost a lot; but I've gained a lot, too. I've had my heart ripped from my chest and spat upon; I've been harassed by what Harlan Ellison would call "arrogant stupidity"; I've been to the lowest spot I think I've ever been in my life, dear readers. But, even in the darkness, there were things to be thankful for. I've had great times with my children and friends; I've laid in the arms of a truly beautiful woman and felt a rare but, sadly, short-lived, moment of nirvana there; I've been more creative than probably any time in my life, and I have laughed. I filmed a low-budget movie - something I've ALWAYS wanted to do, and something I plan on doing again very, very soon. I've met and befriended some wonderfully eclectic peopled ("Better weird than plastic", I always say....and there are a lot of plastic people out there, my friends). So, I guess I'm just saying that I have much to be thankful for. I have my health (according to recent check-up) and I've fought some battles these past few years. I've won some; I've lost some. Some were ties, I think. I am thankful for all the people who have made my life a pleasure. Those who didn't....well, I'm not quite so thankful for them. But, I will not "go gently into that good night." I will rage, rage, against the dying of the light.

I hope everyone has a joyful holiday season.
Roger

Try to remember that kind of November

Here we are a whole week into November. Less than eight weeks till Christmas. You wouldn't tell it from southern Illinois weather this weekend, though. It was in the 70's today and it's supposed to be warm tomorrow, too. I took the kids to the park. We filmed a little knight fight scene that turned ugly (sibling rivalry can be brutal!) so I took the plastic swords away from the kids and told them to go play. I sat there and watched and soaked up the sun. Not a bad way to spend your Saturday afternoon. I splurged on myself this week and bought a new book by one of my favorite authors, Harlan Ellison. This is a little omnibus volume with two books in it. I had one of the books already, so I bought it for the second book, "Harlan Ellison's Movie." What a weird movie script....it has a 70 ft tall Boll Weevil devouring a farmhouse! I shite you not! It'd be cool to see this film produced, although the language is dated as all get out (very hippies 60's kinda talk). Otherwise, it's Ellison's usual flair for outrageous fiction.

On my fiction side, I put together STRANGE SEX STORIES, a chapbook of 56 pages I plan on having out there for the public by the end of the year, alongside LIL' FELLERS, another short story collection. I've been working on UNDER THE BOARDWALK and I have the second chapter to SUCKERS, my online vampire novel, finished. And, to top it off, I've been working a bit on SAMURAI ROBOTS FROM HELL, the "no-budget" movie I shot in early October. Check out some rough clips over at www.myspace.com/rogerdaletrexler

More later, Roger

Halloween eve

Well, tomorrow is Halloween. I have to agree with Stephanie that Halloween, and October in general, is a great time of year in southern Illinois. For the most part, the weather is mild during October, although we've had record amounts of rain (more rain, in fact, this October than any other October on record). Hopefully, it'll dry out well enough for me to attend Halloween parties in between editing SAMURAI ROBOTS FROM HELL this weekend. I'll also be appearing on WGGH radio Saturday around noon to discuss things I'm up to - books, comics, movies, etc... Tune in. I think it 1130 on your AM dial.

Until then, savor the waning days of October 2009, my friends.

Roger

Perspective and What You Don't Know Can Hurt Me

I try to pride myself on being different. Unfortunately, sometimes people don't understand "different". They want the same old cookie cutter people who act like life has been zapped from them and they're ready for death. It drive me nuts to see people I went to high school telling me "All I do is work, come home, watch TV and go to bed." That's not living, my friends.....that's existing. I'm not saying that my life is all shits and giggles, but I'm at least creative and I try to act like a living creature and not a wage slave zombie.

Where did this come from? Well, last night I went to a party at the lovely Ms. Stephanie's house and we had a brief conversation about DEVLIN'S DESCENT, my online novel (you can read it free at www.annihilationpress.com). Anyway, after I came home I realized that I needed to explain a few of the reasons behind the book to her. The average person will receive no such explanation, but Stephanie, having dealt with me on a more personal level, deserved it. I hope I explained it well enough that she understands the reasoning behind the book better. I'm actually proud of DEVLIN'S DESCENT. Hell, I'm proud of just about EVERYTHING I've written over the course of the past three and a half years. And, on a different subject, 3 stories from HELL IN THE HEARTLAND, an anthology I co-edited with Martel Sardina back in 2007, received honorable mentions in Ellen Datlow's "The Year's Best Horror Stories." Pretty amazing, considering there are 15 stories in the book and the astronomical number of horror stories that are written on a yearly basis worldwide. I'm proud of that, too. Damn proud.

Anyway, I learned a long time ago that writing can be misconstrued and misinterpreted. DEVLIN'S DESCENT was very experimental for me. But, in the end, the book is about the triumph of the human spirit. Devlin descended into darkness: the darkness of the human soul...but, at least he acted like he was alive. He was hurting; but he was alive. Any character worth his or her salt that I write about will always act alive. You might not completely understand what I'm getting at with the story, but please try to take that away when you've read something I've written.

Thanks,
Roger

SAD IRON MEAT is coming soon

It's a strange world, my friends. More on that in a moment.

I've been fairly productive this year, fiction-wise. I wrote an online novel, DEVLIN'S DESCENT (available for free online at www.annihilationpress.com ) that I'm fairly proud of. It was an experiment to see how far I could go with a few concepts. It also (I hope) helped finally purge my heart of a few things that have troubled me these past three years. Time will tell on that one. Anyway, DEVLIN'S DESCENT was finished back in late July, just short of my 48th birthday (yeah, I feel old). Anyway, after DEVLIN'S DESCENT, I sat around and pondered what I would do next. I've been toying around with the idea of doing a movie, but time and finances have been prohibitive. I still have the script to THE BIG MUDDY MONSTER, but put it on a back burner time finances aren't so tight and I can do it right. Yeah, I'm a poet. So, I decided I'd do a silly little movie called SAMURAI ROBOTS FROM HELL. We are scheduled to shoot the movie this weekend. It'll be a bunch of friends acting like idiots. It ought to be awesome fun. I'll post the trailer (which Brad Moore and I discussed last night) on here. You'll want to buy five copies for your mother, I'm sure.

I had so much fun and creative liberties with DEVLIN'S DESCENT that I thought I'd write another online novel. This one, SUCKERS, is a redneck vampire novel. It's a bit tongue-in-cheek; but, I think, you'll enjoy it. Chapter one is already posted over at www.annihilationpress.com and chapter two will follow as soon as I proofread it.

I also started work on the sort-of sequel to MURDER AT PK'S. UNDER THE BOARDWALK is set in Makanda, Illinois and starts out just after Woodstock during The Summer of Love. It's a grisly murder novel that, I think, will put MURDER AT PK'S to shame in the graphic murder department. I've written a couple thousand words on that so far.

Now, to the "it's a strange life" department. Love is a weird thing, my friends. I thought when I was young that, by the time I was the age I am now, I would understand things. Trust me, I don't. Shakespeare said it correctly when he wrote: "There are more things on Heaven and Earth than are dreamt of in your philosophies." Well, I wholeheartedly agree. Hope springs eternal, my friends. If you care for someone, don't let them slip away.

As a final comment, the artwork gracing this post is for a comic book called SAD IRON MEAT. I worked on this comic with artist Brad Moore and Steve Woolridge (amongst others) and my story, "Sad Iron Meat", will be featured in issue #1. It will be available for sell at Vulturefest in Makanda On Oct. 17 (knocking on wood right now)

Hope everyone is well (with the exclusion of those who read my words with malice...buzz off, would ya?)

later,
Roger

Saturday Afternoon Matinee and where does the time/money go?

Once again, it's been a while since I posted a blog. I've been trying to make by blog entries a bit more generic, considering the fact that there are some serious idiots reading my blog these days. If you don't like it here, move on, would ya? As the old saying goes: "Say what you want. Those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind." So, idiots, you don't matter, okay? Yeah, up yours, too!

Anyway, I broke down and cleaned out my basement the other day. I've been seriously lax in that regard (I haven't cleaned down there in at least three years). Three trash cans full of dirt and trash so far (with at least another three in the near future). I uncovered the pool table and the kids have been playing pool. I moved the television over by the computer and it's actually a pretty cool rec room these days. I'm looking for a cheap (aka free) couch or futon to compliment the seating arrangements. After that, starting in October (or whenever the weather gets too cold outside), I plan on doing a Saturday afternoon double-feature in the basement. I've got a buttload of old sci-fi and horror movies that I can screen and, if I run out, my buddy Brad has a stash of his own. So, we'll enjoy the winter months in style. You folks that aren't idiots are more than cordially invited to come over and watch.

Hope everyone is well (except the idiots, of course). Take care, Roger

Where does the time go?

I've been thinking about angels, lately. I wrote a pieces for Clifton Bailey and Little Deady Boy Productions' JULIAPALOOZA benefit. It was a short story called, "They Walk Among Us". I set out to write the most unoffensive piece of fiction I could. I'm sure there's SOMEONE out there who took offense, but they really, really, really need to get a life. Anyway, the story was about how people can be angels right here on good ol' terra firma. You just have to care for someone besides yourself. That's a rarity these days. The topic came back to me last night when I read my all-time favorite poem, "Annabelle Lee", by Edgar Allan Poe. In it, the angels are jealous of his love for her and they send a cold wind "chilling and killing" Annabelle Lee. The image sticks in your mind. Jealousy and angels? It's an interesting combination, and something I'm sure I'll explore fictively in the future.

Anyway, it's been well over a month since I posted here. In that time, I finished DEVLIN'S DESCENT. You can read it for free over at www.annihilationpress.com until I decide to pull it down or start writing SUCKERS, a book about redneck vampires.

I need to get off to bed. Maybe I'll dream of angels tonight?

Walter Cronkite and the first man on the moon

Walter Cronkite died yesterday. He had a reputation of honesty and integrity. I'm sure he wasn't a saint, but he was leagues beyond his colleagues....at least in appearance to the common man. I remember watching his excitement over the first moon landing. He watched it like I did — with a child's eagerness. I was on the verge of 8 years old at the time, and I got up in the middle of the night (much to my father's chagrin, I'm sure) and watched the live footage as it happened. And Walter was there, up and watching it, too. I don't know if he had to be there; but, I hope, he was there for the same reason I was — an innate curiosity. Anyway, he's dead now and I feel sad for his passing. i think a good man has been lost.

NASA, on the other hand, gets the "idiot of the century" award for erasing the original video tapes of that very moon landing. Some boob erased the tapes. Thankfully, other sources have been recovered, including (I think) the very CBS footage Walter Cronkite watched. Hopefully, NASA will hang on to this version of the most historic moment in space travel yet. It also makes me sad to think we landed on the moon 40 years ago now. Why aren't we on Mars? Why don't we have a moon base? Why? Because we're always too busy killing each other to worry about space travel. That makes me sad, too. Maybe Walter's better off where he's at now...exploring whatever lies beyond.

Goodbye, Walter, and thanks for everything.

Farrah Fawcett R.I.P.

It's official — It sucks getting old. I was a wee lad of 14 the year they released this poster of Farrah Fawcett. Needless to say, I was one of the 12 million young men who owned a copy of the poster. It hung over my bed on the arched wall that also held that famous KISS ALIVE poster. I was far from oblivious to the opposite sex, but the Farrah poster spoke to me as, I'm sure, it did 12 million other purchasers. Today, Farrah died. She was 62 years old. But, this poster, now 33 years old, is how I will always remember Farrah Fawcett — young and beautiful and a 14-year-old's awakening to so many things.

Rest in Peace, Farrah....

Summer

Summer has finally arrived in southern Illinois. To prove it, I filled up the kiddie pool for the kids and they swam all afternoon. I barbequed dinner (burgers, brats and hotdogs along with baked taters and sweet corn). Darrien is on his second hamburger. The boy can eat more than most adults. Wish I had his metabolism.

Anyway, took the kids to the Shriner's circus last night. We got home at 10 p.m. and everyone was exhausted.

Watched STAR TREK (liked it but plenty of plot holes) and TERMINATOR: SALVATION (liked it but plot was predictable). I'd recommend both movies. Also, if you're in to low-brow horror, TRAILER PARK OF TERROR is a tasty morsel.

Hope everyone is well. More later. Now, back to your regularly scheduled program.

Memorial Day

Well, here it is. Memorial Day. The beginning of summer, they say. I took the kids to Herrinfest and bought them armbands so they could ride all the rides. We stayed for hours and everyone was exhausted. It was a good time and it made me feel good to see their happy little smiles. Sadly, I missed the live acts I wanted to see. Both Kansas and Collective Soul played this year. I really wanted to see Kansas but that just didn't work out. Oh well, maybe next year. One thing I've learned in life over the past three years is to expect the unexpected. Be open to new things, even if they rip your heart out. You only have control over you....and there are a lot of turdballs out there.

Anyway, sorry to get off on a negative tangent. I just posted chapter seventeen of DEVLIN'S DESCENT over at www.annihilationpress.com Go read it....and send me a buck or two. I need it.

Later
Roger

WALKING IN A HURRICANE

Southern Illinois was pummelled by an "inland hurricane" on Friday. 100 mile plus winds tore through the region. The devastation is amazing. I will post a few pix I took of the tree on my garage in the near future. My internet access is down and I'm at a Quizno's 20 miles from my house typing this. Power is predicted to be back on Thursday.

Lame Gator and Lick Creek General Store

Got a call from Nick Rion last night. He told me that his partner on the (Breaking Bread, 11 a.m. every Saturday on WGGH, AM1150) radio show, Tommy Tucker, is in the process of buying Lick Creek General Store. That's great news. Lick Creek had its heyday in the 90's. It was a lot of fun and I actually met my ex-wife there (but I won't hold that against them!). They served fine cajun and exotic foods and the place was always hopping with some sort of excitement. Sadly, things went south in the new millenia, but I can't think of a better person to buy the place and restore it to its old glory than Chef Tommy Tucker. Makes me have hope in the future.

Check out all the information on Lick Creek and other region events at their website, www.lamegatorfoodproductions.com

It's been a while

Well, where to begin? It's been almost a month since I last posted to this blog. In that time, several things have happened. I went back to being a printer. While I loved working with people in the SIU community as the Assistant Superintendent of Printing, there were aspects of my job that I simply couldn't tolerate any longer. Sometimes, you just have to say "enough already" and walk away. Or, as William S. Burroughs put it, "Don't humor the mentally ill...tell them firmly...I'm not here to listen to this drivel." I supposed that's what I've done....but it cost me financially. I've been back in the pressroom almost a week now and, trust me, gentle readers, it's the smartest thing I've done in three years. Part of me says it's BS that that I had to make that decision, but that's the way life goes. With luck, karma will prevail.

I've been writing an online novel for three months now. Go check out DEVLIN'S DESCENT over at www.annihilationpress.com. I'm very happy with the way the book is turning out. I wanted to experiment around a lot and this book gives me the opportunity to do so. With concepts like nano-sperm and aborted fetuses being brought back to life by the miracle of technology, it's an interesting tale. I just entered the realm of the novel, too, with approximately 43,000 words so far.

Still looking for the woman of my dreams (and not my screams). Time will take care of that, too, I hope.

My best to all of you. Roger

Darrien is 7 today

My son, Darrien, turns 7 today. It seems like yesterday I saw my favorite little man pop into the world. Now, I don't know how I lived without him. Sure, I wish he'd sleep in on the weekends, but there's something quite special about that cheerful disposition in the morning. So, if you see my wee man today, tell him "Happy Birthday...and that his Daddy loves him."

Battlestar Galactica and parting ways with something you love

I watched the final episode of the "re-imagined" BATTLESTAR GALACTICA tonight. It aired last night, but I had kids and was otherwise pre-occupied. So, I waited for them to go to bed tonight and sat down to watch the show. Now, know this.....I've been a sci-fi geek since I read my first Isaac Asimov book back in the mid-70's. I probably read 50 Asimov books before the 70's were over, along with everything (or everything I could get my hands on) by Bradbury, Ellison, Arthur C. Clarke....etc. Suffice it to say, I was a sci-fi nerd. I enjoyed the original BATTLESTAR GALACTICA series as a teenager - GUN ON ICE PLANET ZERO being a personal fav - and when they advertised a new series, I was like a teenager again. Don't get me wrong, though. The 00 series is waaaayyyy different than the 70's series. Lots of mirrored political intrigue occurred on the new series. Lots of hard questions were asked in a sci-fi context, and that really jazzed me. I'd grown as a human being since the original series and the new one was tailor-made for me as an adult. I loved it from the moment I watched the pilot episode. Sure, over the course of the ensuing four years I would have written things differently, but last night's finale was icing on a very tasty cake, indeed. The show did not end with a whimper (as another favorite series, THE X-FILES, did). It went out with style and grace. Questions were answered correctly, and the spirituality of the series was held dear. When Kara Thrace departed the series for good, it sent a shiver through me. I doubt I'm the only regular view that happened to. I had suspected they might throw in some half-assed curve ball about her resurrection, but they didn't. The resolution they gave was dead-on perfect for what she had done.

All in all, if you missed the last 4 years of BATTLESTAR GALACTICA, you missed some of the finest television you'll ever see.

Thank God it's all out there on DVD.

later,
Roger

Illinois Weather

It's been a while since I posted, so I figured I'd catch people up on what's been going on. Since my last post, I've had strep throat, a sinus infection and, now, a cold that simply won't go away. It always happens to me when the weather shifts so drastically. It was below 30 degrees two mornings ago. It's probably close to 60 out right now. That plays havoc on my middle-aged body. I came home from work yesterday at 10, slept till 3, ate, went back to bed, slept till 5, got up and watched some tv, went to bed at 8 and woke up this morning at 7. Still tired as heck. I'll survive, I guess, but I wish the weather wouldn't change so much so quickly. Guess I need to move to the Florida keys or something. Then, all I have to worry about is hurricanes.

Anyway, DEVLIN'S DESCENT is well under way. Chapter 6 will be posted on Sunday over at www.annihilationpress.com website. Trying to give the place a little traffic. I know several people are following the book right now. I haven't advertised it much because I wanted to get a few chapters up first. I actually started printing MURDER AT PK'S, too. About a third of the way done with the printing, I guess. It's overdue, but that's the way I roll, I guess. Better late than never.

Hope everyone is well. My head hurts.

Roger

Be my Valentine

Just wanted to wish everyone a happy Valentine's Day.

Not enough time in the day

There doesn't seem to be enough time in the day, these days. I started an online novel, DEVLIN'S DESCENT, with the intention of finishing a chapter a week. Two weeks into it. So far, so go. Go read it at www.annihilationpress.com Just follow the link to the story. I think it's a pretty interesting tale. I hope you agree. If that's not enough, I'm writing a stage play for a group called Babes with Blades. They, of course, are sword-wielding lasses. The play is due by the end of February. I have 20 pages of a 75 or more page script done. I work on it sporadically, whenever the mood hits. Of course, I'll probably do a crash writing course the last week of Feb to finish it, but I always work well under pressure, so I'll get 'er done. I just got an assignment to write 3 articles on Global Resources. Those articles are due at the end of March, so I'll be writing those and DEVLIN'S DESCENT exclusive in March. Beyond that, I haven't the foggiest idea what I'll write. I have intentions of writing 26 installments of DEVLIN'S DESCENT, so that'll take me to the beginning of July. Considering the first two installments give me in excess of 6000 words, DEVLIN'S DESCENT will be somewhere in the neighborhood of 90,000 words. Not a bad length for a book.

Anyway, I haven't posted in a while. Just wanted y'all to know what I was up to.

later,
Roger

Devlin's Descent

Greetings,

I just wanted to let everyone know that I'll be posting the first chapter of an online novel within the next week. DEVLIN'S DESCENT is the story of Patrick Devlin, a man addicted to Green Pus, a man-made substance that not only numbs, but unlocks hidden portions, of the mind. In its diluted street form, Green Pus is a highly addictive narcotic. Undiluted, Green Pus can expand a man's mind exponentially....if he doesn't go insane first. I'll post the link to the online novel here when the first chapter goes live, and I will try to write a chapter a week until the book is done. The online version will be a PG-13 version of the book (to protect those young 'uns out there, and the mental midgets of the world who take offense to EVERYTHING I say or do). For a nominal fee, I'll be selling 4 chapter blocks of the book (when I have four chapters to sell) unabridged for the nominal fee of $1. I hope to write 26 chapters in this book, which will put it finished July 1.

Anyway, hope everyone is doing well.
Roger

New Year, Same old, same old

Good evening, fellers and fellerettes,

Welcome to a new year. I know, I know. I'm a bit late in that welcome but, oh well, better late than never. This year will prove to be historic in many ways. The first African-American President takes office in a matter of days. That, in itself, will put 2009 forever in the history books. But, let's face it....Obama's got a lot to fix. I'm not sure he'll be able to do it. Sure, sure, we needed a change. Eight years of the horrorshow we experienced with Dubja and his gang have driven the nation into bankruptcy and record unemployment. Can Obama fix that? Dear God, I hope so. I suppose time will tell. Anyway, I knew I hadn't posted a blog in this, the year of change, so here 'tis. I'm sure I'll have more relevant things to say in the weeks and months to come. And, once again, to those who are reading this with a critical eye....don't you have anything better to do?

I thought so.

Happy New Year, folks.