Artwork by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter Last week, my wife and I traveled down to visit my brother and his wife in Santa Fe, New Mexico. It’s a long drive, but after we get past the rolling hills of Iowa and the endless horizons of Nebraska, we were awed by the sight of the …
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Month:April 2023
Kickass and Oldest Sibling
Attribution: personal archive, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, notes that both the keeper and Phyllis are the first born in their respective families which gave them special authority on the recent national sibling day–April 10–to pass along the following guidelines for the proper treatment of an older sister …
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Kickass and the Rancher’s Daughter
Photo by Phyllis Stokes By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, has fond lets-pretend memories of being a cowboy in New Mexico, and later of naming a book–“Hi-ho Silver Anyway,” as part of that recall; and always there was a love interest in which the keeper rescued a beautiful rancher’s daughter and rode off into …
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Kickass and Jessy’s Gifts
Photo by Phyllis Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, marvels at the keeper’s good fortune in having grandchildren like Jessy who wisely and kindly anticipate his “equipment” needs and provide him with the means to do whatever activity is important in his life at the time. So, Jessy came bearing a gorgeous Afghan that she had …
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And Justice for All: The Cultural Work of Film Violence
Photo by Krists Luhaers on Unsplash By Geoff Carter Movies are by far the dominant popular art form in American. Books have become nearly passe. Theater is hanging on, not quite dead yet, but definitely not the force it used to be. Sports, particularly football and basketball, are still popular, but the laconic and deliberate former national pastime—baseball—has …
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Dialogues on Corrupting Influences: My War Was Better than your War
(Special Feature from ChatGPT: “AI, AI, AI, Ohhh…”) Sgt. Felicya Adams, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons Featuring the Fabulous Dadbots: Mark M., Dave S., Mark O., Dennis C., Paul C., and Geoff Carter Bots, Ross Douhat, conservative columnist for the New York Times, asks the question in his most recent column: Was Iraq a Worse …
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Kickass Takes Morning Off
Photo by Geoff Carter By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports that the keeper will be taking this Beautiful Easter morning off from his duties of saving the world and making Phyllis’s life perfect; to wish everyone well, and to rest up for the intimidating daily task of putting on his shoes. Photo by …
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Kickass Hosts Ava
Photo by Bill Stokes By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, assists the keeper and Phyllis in hosting Ava, a laid-back and laid-down beagle owned by Todd, Phyllis’s son who is off to a card-collector show. Ava’s mission in life is to pack as much sleep into a day as possible, preferably on the soft …
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Kickass and Liquor Store Injury
www.Pixel.la Free Stock Photos, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, apologizes for the keeper today as he–the keeper ignores the Tennessee/Texas outrages and makes a blatant plea for sympathy: he was unloading a box from the liquor store when the wind blew his hat off just as the automatic back …
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Kickass and Cataracts
Bin im Garten, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, joins the keeper in celebrating the now commonplace cataract surgery as both his wife Phyllis and son Mike undergo the procedure. The keeper remembers an elderly relative undergoing an earlier version of cataract treatment that involved a much less effective …
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A Better Life
Artwork by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter We’re planning on taking a trip soon, driving out west through the rolling plains of Iowa and Nebraska, land of the eternal horizon, past the spectacular Colorado skyline and into the beautiful—and sometimes surreal—landscapes of New Mexico. It’s a long drive but a beautiful one. The first time …
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Dialogues on Pigs at the Trough: How Green was my Valley
Flying Logos, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Over_$1,000,000_dollars_in_USD_$100_bill_stacks.png Featuring the Fabulous Dadbots: Dave S., Mark M., Mark O., Dennis C., Paul C., and Geoff Carter Hey Bots, Same shit different day. Fortunately I really let ‘em have it. This should fix things once and for all. –Dave S. –Dave Ah yes, the cry of the …
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