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