Happy Holidays from The Pen in Hand Blog
Attribution: Archives Branch, USMC History Division, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons; https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Christmas_Card,_1_December_1941,_page_2_of_3.jpg
Category:Music
Blue Christmas
Artwork by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter As we were trimming the tree last weekend, my wife asked me to bring in the laptop so we could listen to Christmas music. I complied—as any trained husband will—and set up the sound system in our dining room. And so we trimmed the tree and drank some …
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The Pen in Hand Guide to Spinning Classic Christmas Vinyl
Photo by The Retro Store on Unsplash By Geoff Carter While those of us at The Pen in Hand will always be slavishly devoted to his TV home entertainment center, this week he will be putting down the universal remote in order to turn his focus solely on another entertainment form—music. Part of the reason for this departure …
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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: Review of “Steven Van Zandt: Disciple”
Illustration by Michael DiMilo A Force of Nature: Review of Steven Van Zandt: Disciple By Geoff Carter There are celebrities, there are rock stars, there are music icons, and then there are forces of nature. For one force of nature to exist and work in the shadow of another larger force of nature cannot be …
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Kickass and Oatmeal
Attribution: Pamela Smith, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports that the keeper, being a senior member of the Willie Nelson age group—Willie having just celebrated his 91st birthday, found it interesting to learn that Willie prefers oatmeal for breakfast. The keeper does not like oatmeal and he wonders if …
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Kickass and Singing to the Cows
Attribution: Photo by Colton Jones on Unsplash By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, hears—frequently, the keeper’s lament about not having made music a larger part of his life. The early indications were that his high volume singing to the cows was well received whether they were tightly restricted in individual stalls or meandering up the lane ahead …
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Kickass and Oil Barrel Drums
Attribution: Steelasophical, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, joins the keeper in posing the question: can the senior residents of an Independent Living facility be satisfactorily entertained by a man using sticks to pound on what was once part of a 55-gallon oil barrel? If the facility is Vista …
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The Joey’s Song Concert 2024: A Night to Remember
Artwork by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter I was recently invited to go to the recent Joey’s Song concert in Madison, Wisconsin, by my brother-in-law Michael DiMilo (also a gifted artistic contributor to the Pen in Hand). Michael had been asked to create some of his signature animations for the show, which is an annual …
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Dialogues on Mr Jingles: The Highs and the Manilows
Attribution: PhilipRomanoPhoto, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons Featuring the Fabulous Dadbots: Dave S., Mark M., Mark O., Dennis C., Paul C., and Geoff Carter Listening to Fresh Air again—the dark days of December have arrived. I’ve always cringed, punched the buttons to escape, (back when there were buttons on the car radio), whenever Barry came …
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The Pen in Hand’s Collection of Unconventional Christmas Moments: “Fairytale of New York”
Attribution: John Tenniel , Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons Katzenjammer and Ben Caplan The holiday season is all about family tradition. Whether it’s about going to Midnight Mass, carving the Christmas ham, avoiding the mother-in-law’s homemade eggnog, or sampling Grandma’s oyster stew, traditions are what makes our holidays special. But some people are hurting. Many are …
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The Pen in Hand’s Collection of Unconventional Christmas Moments: “Christmas Card from a Hooker in Minneapolis” by Tom Waits
Attribution: Archives Branch, USMC History Division, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Geoff Carter The holiday season is all about family tradition. Whether it’s about going to Midnight Mass, carving the Christmas ham, avoiding the mother-in-law’s homemade eggnog, or sampling Grandma’s oyster stew, traditions are what makes our holidays special. But some people are hurting. …
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