“Just Like the Ones I Used to Know”: The Pen in Hand’s Guide to Vintage Christmas Movies

Photo by Geoffrey Carter By Geoff Carter Well, the Christmas season is upon us in full force. The commercials are everywhere. We’ve seen that ad for the car—or Energizer Bunny, wrapped in a bow and sitting in the driveway on Christmas morning at least one hundred times. Sometimes it’s hard to find the spirit of Christmas amongst all …
Read

Kickass and Cookies

Attribution: Ruth Hartnup from Vancouver, Canada, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, will be sleeping in to avoid being stepped on by the keeper as he–the keeper steps on and off the bathroom scale following cookie day at the weekly Vista West social hour:     “Oh, Christmas cookie we love …
Read

Kickass and Holiday Over-Eating

Attribution: Harry Pot / Anefo, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, passes along the keeper’s tips for watching your weight during the Thanksgiving week:             *Do not apply makeup, deodorant or false eyelashes before stepping on the scale in the morning. Do, however, shave whatever you shave, clip your toe and …
Read

Kickass and Thanksgiving Bird Chants

Attribution: Marie-Lan Nguyen, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports that the keeper has been approached by the National Order of Turkeys–“NOT,” to do something about the traditional Thanksgiving Day menu as well as the dispiriting grey-day November weather. Response from AI suggested eating sparrows for Thanksgiving feasting as …
Read