Attribution: yoppy, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports that the keeper agreed with Phyllis that in the interests of remaining as relevant to the flow of life as possible it would be a good idea for him to learn a new game—something called “Mexican Trains” which is played …
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Month:September 2024
Kickass and Taylor Swift
Attribution: Cosmopolitan UK, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, notes the keeper’s less than stellar record of relating to female singers beginning with Dale Evans, including Kate Smith and moving on from the Andrews Sisters to Billie Holiday and Sarah Vaughn. Somewhere when the pop musical focus went from …
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The Pen in Hand Guide to the Movies: The Legacy of Keanu Reeves
Attribution: Governo do Estado de São Paulo, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Geoff Carter Over a career that has spanned nearly four decades, Keanu Reeves has done a little bit of everything. With films like Speed, Point Break, Matrix, and John Wick, he has established himself as one of the industry’s most bankable action stars. His early …
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Kickass and New Glarus
Attriution: jgagnon, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, notes that 9/14/24 was one of those beautiful sunny September Saturdays when everyone had a mission, for the keeper and Phyllis it was to head for New Glarus for a late afternoon lunch at “Glarner Stube” which translates to “Living room” …
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Kickass and the Gout
Attribution: James Gillray , Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, passes along information from the keeper that for sheer mind-cleansing, along with gaining the surprise ability to assume a laser-like concentration, nothing beats a nighttime attack of gout. With no warning whatsoever, in the middle of the night, a big …
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Kickass and Friday the 13th
Photo by Bill Stokes By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, notes, along with the keeper and Phyllis, that before this Friday the 13th, 2024 could be trashed by the dominating destructive species, there was a prolonged competition between the crows and the gulls as to just who had parking lot patrolling rights. In a …
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Kickass Signs New Contract
Attribution: Panini!, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports that the keeper, having signed a new contract for another year as back-up blabbermouth, will be joining the practice squad as it completes drills following the recent presidential debate. As a seasoned veteran—really overly seasoned at wearing #93, the keeper assumes …
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The Most Horrible Terrible Thing Anyone Has Ever Seen…
Illustration by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter Written September 7, 2024 Donald Trump and Vice-President Kamala Harris will be meeting on the debate stage this Tuesday, September 10th, an event sponsored by ABC News. It is being billed as the verbal match of the century. Ms. Harris is a former attorney general, US Senator, and …
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Kickass and 93rd Birthday
Photo by Phyllis Stokes By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, notes that the keeper having laid claim in a pre-birthday post to being the world’s oldest sometimes-naked accordion player, takes the occasion of his actual 9/11 birthday to announce his retirement from further campfire performances—naked or otherwise, in part at the behest of Phyllis …
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Kickass and Birthday Numbers
Photo by Phyllis Stokes By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, noting the keeper’s concern with the approach of his 9/11 birthday suggests that when you are as old as he is you cannot be trusted to be accurate with age numbers, grocery lists or travel instructions. Fortunately, there is a cultural mechanism that kicks …
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Kickass and River Birthday Party
Photo by Bill Stokes By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports that the family did a bang-up job with a pre birthday celebration for the keeper’s 93rd birthday which occurs 9/11/31. Hosted by Rick and Becky and Mike at their river side digs, the event featured limitless stories from the keeper’s four sons about their growing-up …
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The Pen in Hand Guide to the Movies: Review of “Kinds of Kindness”
Illustration by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter Cruel to Be Kind: Film Review of Kinds of Kindness ★★★★☆ Yorgos Lanthimos creates films that balance on a razor’s edge between pain and pleasure. They are generally funny—sometimes wincingly so—but can be extremely difficult to watch. They can be as labyrinthine as the Villa Pisani, as puzzling …
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