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.

Baby, it's cold outside

One of my all-time favorite musical performances from Saturday Night Live was Buster Poindexter (alter-ego of David Johannsen of the New York Dolls) crooning "Baby, it's cold outside" to Sigourney Weaver (whose underwear scene in ALIEN will stay with me till the day I go toes-up permanently). It was something that should have been released on one of Buster's albums, but wasn't. A Christmas song that dripped with suggestiveness and innuendo.

What got me thinking about that was the fact that it is, indeed, cold outside. A winter storm is falling on southern Illinois as I type this. School is out for the kids. I doubt the university will close down. That takes an act of God (i.e. THE RAPTURE) so I'll be locking the ol' Jeep into 4-wheel drive and going to work in the morning.

Still. I'd rather be David Johannsen, snuggled up affectionately to Sigourney, telling her how it's cold outside and we should stay indoors.

Oh well...a guy can dream, can't he?

Stay warm, my friends.

HELL IN THE HEARTLAND arrives!

At long, long last, HELL IN THE HEARTLAND is available. It should have been out around the middle of last year, but co-editor Martel Sardina and I both had personal issues to attend to. They pushed back the editing and release of the book. But, that's all over with now. I will be shipping payments and contributor copies on Friday, February 1. The book is available now for $12.95 at www.annihilationpress.com and will be available in local bookstores very soon. It's been a long time coming, but this is a collection of sixteen wonderful and eclectic stories that run through the horror/mystery/dark fantasy genres. It's a good collection of stories, if I do say so myself, and I'm proud that it's finally available to the public.

Now, on to MURDER AT PK'S (book) and THE BIG MUDDY MONSTER (low-budget horror film).

later,Roger

Jason Ringenberg and keeping the spirit alive

In my ever-evolving effort to keep my arse out of trouble about my blog, I want to tell you about the show I went to over the weekend. Jason Ringenberg is a southern Illinois legend. He fronted the quintessential alt-country/rock band of the 80's, Jason and the Scorchers. Many Carbondalites - me, included - remember seeing him in a group called Shakespeare's Riot or the Catalinas. He left Carbondale in the early 80's (1983, if I'm correct) to conquer the world. He done good. Jason's been a solo artist for almost a decade now, producing sheer masterpieces like EMPIRE BUILDERS and ONE FOOT IN THE HONKYTONK, along with his wonderful children's albums under the moniker of FARMER JASON. Trust me, you haven't let your hair down until you rocked to Farmer Jason songs like "Punk Rock Skunk" or "Moose on the Loose" (featuring Todd Snider and another of my unsung heroes, Webb Wilder).

Well, Jason came to town on Saturday and performed a Farmer Jason show AND a solo show. He's an incredible live performer and, perhaps, the most humble musician of his caliber I've ever met. I bought the cd pictured above, BEST TRACKS AND SIDE TRACKS, which encompasses his solo material. The SIDETRACKS disc is a collection of rarities that any true fan should have, especially the eclectically bizarre "Lovely Christmas". What a cool Xmas song!

Anyway, you should finish reading this blog, click the link, www.jasonringenberg.com, and buy this cd. Hell, buy ALL his cd's. He's a great artist and he deserves your support.

Tell 'im I sent ya.

Roger