Kickass and Life Expectancy

Max Roser, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, concedes that the keeper has qualified to be an authority on “life expectancy” simply by living a long time; and therefor has a right—the audacity– to seek expansion of “life expectations” beyond simply counting time but to also include acceptance of …
Read

Kickass and Wisconsin Absurdity Contest

Colorado State University Libraries , CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, will be assisting the keeper in reviving the Wisconsin absurdity competition, with first prize to be a free ticket to the 2022 Sauk City cow chip throwing festival scheduled for Sept 2. *Now in the otherwise peaceful north woods, …
Read

New Wave Cinema 2.0: The Films of Jordan Peele

Peabody Awards, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Geoff Carter In The New Wave 2.0 series, The Pen in Hand Blog will be examining the work of today’s most provocative and influential filmmakers, artists whose filmic stylings and compelling narratives have stretched the boundaries of modern cinema. Referencing Francois Truffaut’s definition of an auteur, these …
Read

Kickass and Facial Hair

Jorgenson, Nils C. (1858–1926), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports that the keeper’s recent experience with facial hair ended with him shaving off his month-old beard and retaining only the mustache that he has lived with most of his life. While the beard was beginning to make him …
Read

Kickass and The Carters

National Archives and Records Administration , Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass gets lazy and uses last year’s post, remembering his privileged moments with the Carters and wanting to be that young again!  Kickass, the doorstop dog, says the keeper is undecided about just where to direct his attention: the space race between …
Read

Kickass and Bird Feeder Speculation

Rennett Stowe from USA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, buys the keeper’s contention that life is pretty much a process of ignoring reality and making of the truth what you will.  This approach—now trending beyond all measure, is applied by the keeper to his balcony bird feeder and allows …
Read

Blind Spot

Artwork by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter The January 6th Congressional Hearing has been a study in contrasts, a showcase of the best and the worst of the American psyche. At times, the hearings have been inspirational and heart-rending, but they’ve also been horrifying and embarrassing (but only in the sense that those being investigated embarrass—and …
Read

Kickass and Ignorance Day

Photo by Infrogmation, Mardi Gras morning, 1998, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, is supportive of the keeper’s creation of “Ignorance Day” to be celebrated following “Independence Day,” when the masses beat themselves about the head with explosive sticks provided by narcissistic, money-driven dictators. “Ignorance Day” is yesterday and …
Read