"Never lose your sense of humor, Dan"

This post is sort of a tie-in to the last post about John Waite. My friend Wayne Allen Sallee sent the picture that accompanies this post. I found the picture rather humorous, so I put it up here (and I honestly don't know where Wayne finds this stuff....but I'm glad he does). Anyway, I started thinking about people's sense of humor, and was reminded of the movie "About Last Night". One of my guilty pleasure movies, "About Last Night" is a coming-of-age love story with Rob Lowe, Jim Belushi and Demi Moore (and, as a side bar, if you REALLY want to see Demi Moore's breasts, this is the movie.....STRIPTEASE sickened me to see what she'd done to her beautiful body). Anyway, it's a story of a boy and girl who get together, fall in love, and end up disintegrating from the pressures of life. Jim Belushi is Rob Lowe's amiable sidekick and, in one scene where they're walking along Lake Shore Drive, Belushi's drunken character pulls Rob Lowe aside and says: "Never lose your sense of humor, Dan. Never lose your sense of humor."

Good advice, I think.

To get back to the John Waite tie-in. the end sequence of love reborn is augmented by one of my favorite John Waite songs, "If Anyone Had A Heart." Great song...sadly, he didn't play it last Saturday.

Hope everyone is doing well. More later, Roger

Ain't it funny how time slips away ...again

Well, Memorial Day is upon us. Last night, I went to Herrinfest to see John Waite. Waite is best known as the lead singer of a 70's group called The Baby's. They had hits like "Isn't it time?" and "Every time I think of you." Mostly ballads, but well crafted ballads. He had a huge solo hit with a song called "Missing You" that he remade with Allison Krause a couple years back. I highly urge everyone to hunt down the video of the song on the Internet. Allison Krause looks gorgeous in the video and that version is awesome. He also did one of my favorite Baby's songs, "Midnight Rendevous". As an encore, he did a decent reading of Led Zeppelin's "Rock n' roll". All in all, a show well worth the five bucks admission.


Anyway, my vacation ends on Tuesday and it's back to the ol' bump and grind. Just thought I'd let everyone know I'm still kicking.

Roger

Vacation, all I ever wanted, vacation, have to get away...

Yup, like that GoGo's song from a better, simpler time, I'm on vacation until the 27th. Not sure what I'll do since cash is kinda tight at the moment, but I am considering making a roadtrip to Frankfort, Kentucky next Friday night to see the one and only Bonepony perform. It's been years, literally, since I heard the unique sounds of this awesome band. Might spend the night and do a little sight-seeing, too. Otherwise, I have intentions of doing some much-needed work around the house, beautifying the old dump. I'll probably try to watch the Indiana Jones trilogy in anticipation of the new movie coming out. Otherwise, it's forget about work and relax.

I'll probably be so bored I'll make daily posts.

We'll see.

Myspace

I just started a myspace page. www.myspace.com/rogerdaletrexler

Considering letting the "real" website lapse.

We'll see.

Allegiance, Love and Other Modern Myths

Been thinking about allegiance and love a lot lately. Seems they're both in short supply these days. Recently, a local musician I know had the displeasure of his wife leaving him. They were kinda like two peas in a pod, virtually inseparable, before this and it made me wonder...what the heck is going on? Doesn't anyone commit to someone else anymore? Don't they say "I love this person and I want to spend the rest of my days with them, being happy and making them happy?" It seems to me that people discard each other like used underwear these days. If you're not kissing arse well enough, they'll run off and leave you for someone who is. It makes me sad to think the world is such a cold, indifferent place. Allegiance is just another word. A word that means nothing when uttered. Or so it seems. Jeez, where is Mrs. Cleaver when you need her? These days, she's probably at the bar trying to get picked up. Not to worry, though....Mr. Cleaver's across town doing the same thing.

Guess equal opportunity still means something these days.

Just a thought. A bad one, probably, but a thought nonetheless.

JUST SO YOU KNOW

I guess it's National Breast Awareness Month. Lord knows, I'm aware of them. Just figured you should be, too.

Twofer

Two blog entries in two days? Yet another sign of the coming apocalypse. Well, just a quick note to tell people I will be at The Bookworm, one of Carbondale's premiere used book sellers, for a rare signing and author gathering, a week from Saturday, May 10th, from 2-6 p.m. I urge anyone with the urge (or cash in their pocket) to come out and buy a book or two (preferably from me!). I will have copies of TALES FROM THE CELLAR, TRUNK TALES VOLUME 1, IN-FLIGHT MOVIE, (hopefully) CLOSE ENOUGH FOR SCREAMS, ALL SUMMER LONG and a surprise or two as well. I like to do volumes that are uniquely associated with the signing, so I might actually produce a few volumes of THE MAN WHO TOUCHED THE STARS, a story I wrote for my bookbinding class almost a year and a half ago and/or GAS STATION ROSE, a poetry volume that will be dedicated to the wonderful Ms. Stephanie (mentioned in previous blogs extensively). GSR might not be ready by then, though. Not really sure if I'll have the time.

Also, I will sell books from my publishing venture, Annihilation Press. There are three volumes available at present: FIENDS BY TORCHLIGHT by Wayne Allen Sallee, JUST NORTH OF NOWHERE by Lawrence Santoro and HELL IN THE HEARTLAND, an anthology of Illinois-based horror and dark fantasy written by Illinois writers (co-edited by the lovely Martel Sardina). I'll probably offer a bundle package for people who want to pick up all three...kinda like buying them at a yard sale, I reckon.

Anyway, hope everyone can make it.

Roger