Illustration by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter We try to keep an eye on the news at our house, particularly the political news. We watch CNN, network news, some of the other more partisan cable shows, and listen to various podcasts and reading independent sources like Heather Cox Richardson. Lately—in the last two months or …
Read
Kickass and Campfire Companions
Attribution: Photo by Honza Reznik on Unsplash By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, poses the keeper’s question of the day: Why DON’T people eat dogs and cats, as has been hinted at by our outrageous demented leaders. It began with the keeper wondering how the dogs and cats came to make such self-serving evolutionary deals as they cozied …
Read
Dialogues on Welcome to the Machine: AI Think, Therefore AI am
Attribution: Photo by Luke Jones on Unsplash Featuring the Fabulous Dadbots: Dave S., Mark M., Mark O., Dennis C., John K., Michael D., and Geoff Carter Sundry sharing. My love/hate with ai took a step in the hate direction after getting taken for a ride. Once bitten twice shy…, fool me once… Both leap to mind. So first that …
Read
Kickass and Being Average
Attribution: Mario Purisic mariopurisic, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, is with the keeper in sensing that dwelling on the downside of getting old is a boring subject and tends to be overdone by anyone over the age of 60. In the extreme upper levels of aging, dwelling on it …
Read
Kickass and the Book Promo
Photo by Bill Stokes By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, having chewed the covers off several copies of the keeper’s recent novel Ah, the Women! finds the book palatable in that it made the point that if a woman instead of a man is on the other end of your leash you are one lucky …
Read
The Pen in Hand Guide to the Movies: Review of “Normal”
The New Normal: Film Review of Normal ★★☆☆ Illustration by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter It’s a familiar story; a stalwart lawman comes to a wild town and tames it. We’ve seen John Wayne, Gary Cooper, Jimmy Stewart, and many other Hollywood sheriffs do it. It’s a time-honored and somewhat worn cinematic trope, as are …
Read
Kickass and THE Birthday Party
Photo courtesy of Bill Stokes By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports the keeper surviving the assembly of his clan to mark his 95th birthday. By all measures it was a rousing success and the keeper thanks all those who had a role in it. And that is it for Kickass today as he tiptoes …
Read
Kickass and Old Age Demonstrations
Attribution: NASA/Carla Thomas, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, will be attending the family gathering today to mark the keeper’s 95th birthday, and suggests that maybe too much is being made of one number in a series that the keeper plans to keep going until decency returns to the White …
Read
Kickass and the Keeper’s Birthday
Photo courtesy of Bill Stokes By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, accepts the fact that 95 years ago the keeper weighed 8 ½ pounds and had a very limited vocabulary. Seventy years later on 9/11 2001 he had gained a lot of weight and his vocabulary had grown to the point that he could …
Read
Kickass Watches the Sunrise
Photo by Bill Stokes By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, watched from his napping position as the keeper crept out of bed sometime before 6:33 am with the inexplicable uneasy feeling that the sun may not rise as usual. As he watched the dark eastern horizon there was the gradual emergence of a red …
Read
The Longest Day
Attribution: UA_Flight_175_hits_WTC_south_tower_9-11.jpeg: Flickr user TheMachineStops (Robert J. Fisch) derivative work: upstateNYer, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Geoff Carter We all remember where we were that day twenty-five years ago. I was just getting to work. It was a normal day, a beautiful day. The school year was just beginning, and an air of optimism …
Read
Kickass Shares the 9/11 Date
Attribution: Yolanl, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Bill Stokes Kickass, the doorstop dog, has not received a personal invitation to sit at the Legacy Table with the keeper and Phyllis today as Vista West celebrates its 5th birthday, but he might show up anyway. This upcoming weekend of marking special dates is a bit overwhelming …
Read