Day 681: Six Legacies Worth A Salute

originally published November 11, 2013 You’ve probably never heard of Charles Davis Lucas. Like most recipients of the Victoria Cross, the highest honor awardable to members of the British and Commonwealth military forces, his name is far from household. But that’s what today is about: slapping a virtual high-five with the ghosts of wars gone […]

Day 680: The Forgotten Four-Legged Heroes

originally published November 10, 2013 Every few years Remembrance and/or Veterans Day drops itself beside a weekend, giving us an extra day to lie on the couch while watching a TLC marathon of Say Yes To The Dress while eating Ovaltine with a spoon. But this holiday is different – it’s not a throwaway day […]

Day 679: Cinematic Candy

originally published November 9, 2013 A long weekend shackled with sub-zero temperatures means a full-arm scoop of old movies to pass the hours. This is where problems arise – my years of scholastic film study have nurtured my snobbish instincts, thus distancing my criteria for an enjoyable feature from those of my family. Stupid and […]

Day 678: Alas, The Cheese Hath Been Cut

originally published November 8, 2013 Oh but for the crack of a wicked breeze, to damn the olfactory to the fleeting abyss of that which was wrought through the machinations of yesterday’s cabbagey broth. I fail to suppress this rumbling squeak and for that my fellow rail patrons afford me a banquet of scowls and […]

Day 677: Pouring A Frothy Pint O’ Culture

originally published November 7, 2013 As the cast of characters in my young adult life glide into the final act, preparing for their bow and subsequent re-emergence in the sequel (Middle-Age: The Saggening), I find myself reflecting on the various story arcs that brought me here. The salient plot point of alcohol has been a […]

Day 676: That Forbidden Buzz

originally published November 6, 2013 I need to preface today’s topic by pointing out that we at 1000 Words Industries endeavor to produce family-friendly articles, whether our topic is murderous castles or candy that needs to be flushed from the world. Also, we tend to do a fair portion of our research at what is […]

Day 675: Checking Into Chicago’s Murder Castle Hotel

originally published November 5, 2013 As we collectively shuffle our feet away from the dark shadow of Halloween, some of us can breathe a little easier knowing we’re a year away from those days of spooks and scares. But just because the light has tilted a little doesn’t mean those murky footsteps will recede. The […]

Day 674: How To Screw Yourself Over In One Simple Temporal Paradox

originally published November 4, 2013 So Marty McFly shows up back in 1985, the timeline restored and the set-up in place for a whacky epilogue. His parents are now confident and healthy, his brother has an office job and his sister no longer dresses in thrift-store rejects. But wait… why does his brother still live […]

Day 673: A-Buttoning The Atrocious – Worst Video Games Part 2

originally published November 3, 2013 Philistines may mock and deride, but some of us possess a truckload of warm memories playing bad video games. I remember when my friend Josh obtained a questionably legal Japanese multicart (that’s a single game cartridge with dozens of crappy games on it) for his Nintendo Entertainment System. We were […]

Day 672: Sir Ranulph’s World

originally published November 2, 2013 Were I to sit before this screen with the intent of writing my autobiography, I fear I would become intimately entwined with a snow-blank page for an unconscionably long time. While my life is not wholly devoid of anecdotes, humorous reveals and egregiously minor suburban adventures, it would most certainly […]