Pencilstorm's Complete Grammy Awards 2016 Coverage - by Ricki C.

I was gonna write a complete minute-by-minute report/review/dissection of the 2016 Grammy Awards show, but then I remembered that I stopped drinking in 1982 and stopped smoking pot in 2000 when I got my first cardiac pacemaker, and realized that I had no proper means to numb/anesthetize myself for the likes of 3 & 1/2 hours of Lady Gaga, Kendrick Lamar & Bruno Mars, so I decided to just flip over during commercials on MeTV to catch the debut of The Hollywood Vampires, the new "rock" concoction put together by Alice Cooper, Joe Perry and 21 Jump Street star Johnny Depp.

And what a debut it was!  I'm puzzled as to how Alice 'n' Joe - two men who wrote some of the finest hard rock songs of the 1970's ("Elected," "School's Out," "Generation Landslide," "Walk This Way," "Sweet Emotion") - chose the leaden dud of a "song" they performed as their nationwide prime-time TV debut (on the Grammys, no less).  The "tune" contained not one ounce of melody, no hooks, lame riff and a spoken-word interlude by Depp of which not one syllable could be discerned or understood.  Talk about not hearing a single.

Then, to make matters worse, Da Boyz essayed a really powerful, kinda great cover/tribute to Lemmy Kilmister of the all-powerful Motorhead rocker "Ace Of Spades" that made it PAINFULLY obvious how lame a song The Vampires had preceded it with.  (Sidenote: Part of the appeal of "Ace Of Spades" was a great vocal from Duff McKagan from the original Guns N' Roses.)  (Further sidenote: Serious question to faithful Pencilstorm reader Jim Johnson, one of Columbus Ohio's GREAT drummers - Is there a worse hard rock/metal drummer on the planet than Matt Sorum?  That guy seems to think he's John Bonham, but he drags every band I see him play with down into the tar-pit-morass/zero-concept-of-swing-or-excitement-sludge-pit he seems to love wallowing in.  No wonder Guns N' Roses sucked after Steven Adler got sacked.)

The only other musical performance of the night that I saw was The Alabama Shakes, who seemed kinda uncomfortable with their transformation from fake Stax/Volt thrift-store-dresses rags-'n'-tatters-indie-rocker chic to Broadway Darlings, complete with gowns, suits, backing singers & a full-time percussionist.  Or maybe that's how Brittany Howard & the guys roll now.  Beverly Hillbillies, anyone?

Oh, and I did catch Taylor Swift pulling open her dress on her way up the steps to accept her Album Of The Year award, the better to show off her purple panties underneath.  Now that's entertainment.  - Ricki C. / February 16th, 2016

Buggy Eyes and a Big Butt, part two: Movies 18-36

Q&A Intro, 1-17, 18-36, 37-51, 52-66, 67-74, 75-87, 88-103, 104-120, 121-131, 132-152, 153-173, 174-187, 188-221, 222-255, 256-287, 288-314, 315-341, 342-366, Index

Ratings key:
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ = I can’t see giving anything that I’ve seen once five stars
★ ★ ★ ★ = get to the theater / move it up in your queue
★ ★ ★ = “three stars is a recommendation” - The Empire [magazine] Podcast
★ ★ = if the remote is too far away, you could do worse
★ = if the remote is too far away, get someone to move it closer then throw it at the TV

018
The Big Short (2015) ★ ★ ★ ★
stars, Christian Bale, Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling
director: Adam McKay

‘member when the banks were pullin‘ that shady shit with the mortgages? Trick question! They still are. This is the story about the guys who saw it coming the first time. (the next time: TBD)

The trailer made the movie look like it’s an Ocean’s 11 kind of gang heist. It’s really a story of three sets of people who either predicted the mortgage crisis and created short trading on the housing market or heard of it and took advantage of their good timing. There’s some interesting sound design in a few scenes where the horrible truths are fighting to be heard through crowd noise and music. It’s also playful with the idea of how “true story” movies dispense their facts.

double feature pairing: The Other Guys

019
The To Do List (2013) ★ ★
stars: Aubrey Plaza, Alia Shawkat, Bill Hader
writer/director: Maggie Carey

Brandy is anxious about going to college with no sexual experience, so she make a list of things to do.

eh, it’s fine. She blindly breaks a guy’s heart and strains a friendship, but no one takes her to task for being promiscuous. That seems unique. It shouldn’t but does.

watch The Diary of a Teenage Girl (movie #27) instead

020
Wild Card (2015) ★ ★ ★
stars: Jason Statham, Dominik García-Lorido, Michael Angarano
director: Simon West
writer: William Goldman

Jason Statham is Nick Wild, a security consultant in Las Vegas. What else do you need to know?

That’s about all I knew, which set me up for a little cinematic whiplash. The first third is what you’d expect. The middle swings around for a character piece about a guy with a gambling problem. The final third swings back for more punching. Oversimplified, of course, but the movie could have integrated the two halves better.

Remember Heat? No, not the good one. No, that’s The Heat. The one starring Burt Reynolds. Yep, this is the same story. I tried to watch it last year during my Burt Reynolds retrospective. Terrible. Stopped watching after 15 minutes. I never bought into the “hard boiled” Burt.

double feature pairing: Saint John of Las Vegas

021
Laura (1944) ★ ★ ★ ★
stars: Gene Tierney, Dana Andrews, Cifton Webb
director: Otto Preminger

Detective Lieutenant McPherson investigates the murder Laura, a swell gal by all accounts.

What a great movie. Even though it’s effect is lessened by the countless thrillers that have followed in the 72 years since its release, it holds up incredibly well. The finale is still very effective. I suspect McPherson is a relative of Columbo. He engages in questionable police procedures, like bringing one suspect along to question another.

double feature pairing: Murder by the Book

022
Busting (1974) ★ ★ ★ ★
stars: Elliott Gould, Robert Blake, Allen Garfield
writer/director: Peter Hyams

Vice detectives Keneely and Farrel do their best to fight corruption in New York City.

Some cop movies of the 70’s don’t look too fairly on anyone not straight, white and male. This one is something of an exception. While gay bars are raided and names are called, the movie takes time to run a parallel to the struggle Keneely and Farrell will soon face. During the arraignment of the gay men, where the judge openly mocks them, we meet the lowly defense attorney who shouts above the gallery’s hysterical laughter his objections to police harassment and the abuse of his client's civil rights.

There are some great action sequences, in particular a foot chase that leads to a marketplace shoot out. I'm still humming the score. It ends in the strangest way. Really, I've never seen a movie end like that.

You can read the highlights of the bluray’s commentary at Film School Rejects.

double feature pairing: Cutter’s Way

023
The Enemy Below (1957) ★ ★ ★.5
stars: Robert Mitchum, Curd Jürgens
director: Dick Powell

It’s World War Two! Ship versus submarine! Place your bets!

It’s good. Some tense moments. The internet says this was the first movie to show a German soldier in a more complimentary light. The U-boat commander has no love for Hitler and there isn’t a swastika to be seen. Reminds me of Das Boot in that way.

double feature pairing: The Hunt for Red October

024
Hot Pursuit (2015) ★ ★
stars: Reece Witherspoon, Sophia Vergara
director: Anne Fletcher

Uh, there’s a by-the-book cop... and the wife of a drug lord... and they are on the run because corruption? And... the mob doesn’t want her to testify, I think. I don’t know. It’s been a couple weeks between watching it and writing about it. In one eye and out the other. I was hoping it'd be funnier. It wasn’t, even though Witherspoon had a moment or two. I also know it cost me a dollar to rent.

watch Smokey and the Bandit instead

025
Mississippi Grind (2015) ★ ★ ★.5
stars: Ben Mendelsohn, Ryan Reynolds
writers/directors: Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck

Gerry meets Curtis at a casino. There’s a bond and soon a plan to earn enough money to enter a high-stakes game in New Orleans.

A really good movie that makes you as uneasy as you think it might, as well as providing a turn or two you might not expect. Boden and Fleck, makers of Half-Nelson and It’s Kind of a Funny Story, are proving to be names to follow.

At this time, I’d like to address my new pet peeve: the whistling tea pot. Used to represent tension, presentation of the whistling tea pot is rarely anything less than forced. The last two times I’ve seen it used, I saw no pot, just a sound added to the mix that was preceded by someone asking "do you want some tea?" If there is tension in a scene between two people, the actors should be able to do it themselves. In both recent cases, Mississippi Grind and Love & Mercy, they didn’t need the help.

double feature pairing: The Color of Money

026
Pay the Ghost (2015) ★ ★
stars: Nicholas Cage, Sarah Wayne Callies, a g-g-g-ghost!
director: Uli Edel

Mike and Kristen’s kid is abducted on Halloween. It might not have been a human that did it.

*sigh* Of the recent Nicolas Cage VOD dumps, this isn’t the worst. It’s a decent ghost story. Sadly, the opportunities for a spooky tone are ruined by cheap jump scares. I was eventually bored and found myself rooting for the ghost. She had a pretty good case to be upset. Sure, she took it too far, but still...

watch The Ghost and Mr. Chicken instead

027
The Diary of a Teenage Girl (2015) ★ ★ ★.5
stars: Bel Powley, Alexander Skarsgård, Kristen Wiig
screen writer/director: Marielle Heller

MInnie, a teenager and aspiring artist, starts an affair with her mother’s boyfriend.

Sounds like a pretty creepy movie to watch, right? It isn’t. All because of Minnie’s narration. Her struggle to understand relationships as well as her artistic and sexual growth are presented in an honest way. A great cast. Nice use of illustrations.

double feature pairing: Memoirs of an Invisible Man

028
Anomalisa (2015) ★ ★ ★.5
stars; David Thewlis, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tom Noonan
directors: Duke Johnson, Charlie Kaufman
writer: Charlie Kaufman

Michael is bored. He sees nothing that inspires him. Until he meets Lisa.

Charlie Kaufman’s play is presented in stop motion animation. It is a story of minimal plot and an expansive exploration of human behavior. And a puppet penis.

double feature pairing: Up in the Air

029
A New Leaf (1971) ★ ★ ★.5
stars: Walter Matthau, Elaine May, Jask Weston
screenwriter/director: Elaine May

Trust fund baby Henry Graham has no more money. He resolves to fix this to marry a rich woman then kill her.

It took me a bit to get used to Walter Matthau as a rich snob. Doesn’t really fit, but he made me laugh. I read afterwards that the studio took the movie away from May and cut it down considerably, excising an entire hitman subplot. While what we were left with is dark, the original cut sounded much darker. No sense in crying about it. It doesn’t make me like it any less. There’s one visual that will make me laugh forever.

double feature pairing: I Love You to Death

030
Infinitely Polar Bear (2015) ★ ★.5
stars: Mark Ruffalo, Zoe Saldana
writer/director: Maya Forbes

A portrait of growing up with a bi-polar father.

Can’t imagine why you wouldn’t want to watch Ruffalo break off some acting. Sadly, this movie doesn’t have much else going for it.

watch It’s Kind of a Funny Story instead

031
The Late Show (1977) ★.5
stars: Art Carney, Lily Tomlin, Bill “Damn These Glasses!” Macy
writer/director: Robert Benton

Ex-gumshoe Ira Wells is drawn back into the P.I. racket when his old partner is murdered.

Was Art Carney a bad actor? I only know him from The Honeymooners. Or was he miscast? That guy was very unconvincing with film-noir speak. The story is pat and not very interesting. After a while I was just watching for Lily Tomlin. I was amused that she was served a Pepsi after she asked for a Coke, and she could tell the difference. Because you can! Pepsi is gross.

watch Brick instead

032
The Third Man (1949) ★ ★ ★ ★
stars: Joseph Cotten, Alida Valli, Orson Wells
director: Carol Reed
writer: Graham Green

At the request of his friend Harry Lime, novelist Holly Martins arrives in post-WWII Vienna to learn Harry has died. Martins thinks something is rotten in Vienna, so he looks into it.

Holt shit, this is great. They were right. Orson Wells has one of the greatest entrances in movie history here. They were right again!

double feature pairing: The Spy Who Came in from the Cold

033
Klute (1971) ★.5
stars: Jane Fonda, Donald Sutherland, Roy Scheider
director: Alan J. Pakula

John Klute goes to the big city to investigate his friend’s disappearance. First stop, the prostitute he frequented.

Why is a movie called Klute not about a character called Kulte? This is a Jane Fonda vehicle. It's her movie. She monologues more than engaging in conversation, while Sutherland, aka: John Klute, aka: the title role, says very little and isn’t a very good detective that I could tell.

This was a struggle to watch, and it gave me a lot to think about. It’s a decent character study of Bree, aka: the true focus of the movie, and could be better if remade today.

watch the remake of Klute whenever they make it instead

034
Deadpool (2016) ★ ★ ★ ★
stars: Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin, T.J. Miller
director: Tim Miller

Wade Wilson is a mercenary. Wade Wilson has cancer. Wade Wilson undergoes an experimental procedure. Wade Wilson is now virtually indestructible. Wade Wilson is Deadpool, the Merc with the Mouth.

I can’t remember the last time I went into a movie not knowing how I was going feel about it. The preview showed a go-for-broke attitude (good) and a sense of humor that relied on quantity over quality (concerning). Well, context is everything. There are a lot of jokes, and they work for an overall tone. Some times you can’t capture a movie in two and a half minutes. There is charm and terror, and it’s just fucking fun.

double feature pairing: Super

035
The Accursed (1957) ★ ★
stars: Donald Wolfit, Robert Bray, Christopher Lee
writer/director: Michael McCarthy

It’s the evening of the annual dinner for a group of former resistance fighters during WWII. They honor the passing of their former leader and learn it was one of them who did him in.

Nothing to get too excited about, and yet it’s a decently made who-done-did-it confined to the mansion’s grounds.

watch Clue instead

036
Hail, Caesar! (2016) ★ ★ ★
stars: Josh Brolin, George Clooney, Alden Ehrenreich
writers/directors: Joel and Ethan Coen

It’s the old trailer bait and switch. The trailer thinks this is about a star’s kidnapping and the studio head who pulls together a group of actors and directors to find him. Nope. It’s a movie about an overworked studio head who tries to manage fires during a 27 hour period. There are music numbers, gossip cover-ups, an actor’s remaking. Sometimes funny, sometimes not, generally interesting.

double feature pairing: The Big Picture

Counters:
36/366 movies
7/52 movies directed by women

THE TOP THREE

Q&A Intro, 1-17, 18-36, 37-51, 52-66, 67-74, 75-87, 88-103, 104-120, 121-131, 132-152, 153-173, 174-187, 188-221, 222-255, 256-287, 288-314, 315-341, 342-366, Index

Valentine's Day Playlist For The Broken Hearted

By Pencilstorm Contributor Wal Ozello

It's Valentine's Day. The day you snuggle up to the one you love, make romantic love, and create lasting blissful memories. You softly turn up the stereo and listen to Journey’s Faithfully, Zeppelin’s Thank You, Eagles' Peaceful Easy Feeling, or Firehouse’s Love of a Lifetime – all depending on your flavor of rock.

But if there’s one thing that rock teaches us is that love is complicated. It’s messy, at times disappointing, and even a lifetime full of love can be littered with a rocky journey. So with that said, I'd like propose an alternate Valentine's Day rock playlist - one for the brokenhearted and one that's more reflective of reality.

For those of you who are longing for more out of your relationship, may I suggest this song from Cheap Trick.

Looking for something a little more physical? Maybe a bit celebratory about last night’s adventure?  Look no further than this classic by AC/DC.

Maybe it's been a little long since your ex left you but you still can't get over her. You seem to be going out of your way to run into her. Others claim you're stalking her. She's put out a restraining order on you. This is probably your theme song.

Pining over your ex? Even though they've moved on? How about some Scorps.

Maybe you’ve finally come to terms that your relationship wasn’t supposed to be? You were living one big lie.

This rock classic captures the pains and heartbreaks of love in a way no other does.

Here’s the ultimate Valentine’s Day Rock Anthem. Whether you’re alone today or in a long lasting relationship, I’m sure you’ll at some point in your life you've agreed with this song.

Finally - how about a laugh this Valentine's Day? Here's special version of a hit from the 80's made famous by Bonnie Tyler. Trust me - watch it all the way through. 

Wal Ozello is a science fiction techno-thriller novelist and the author of Assignment 1989 ,  Revolution 1990, and Sacrifice 2086. He's a resident of Upper Arlington, Ohio and a frequent customer at Colin's Coffee.

Kobe v LeBron: Requiem by Ben Galli

I'd never been to a NBA game.  Surprising even to me since the opportunity was always there, but I guess LeBron leaving for 4 years probably put a damper on a lot of people's intentions.  Back in November, I got an email about a potential trip to Cleveland to watch the Lakers game on February 10th.   You didn't have to remind me this would pretty much be my only chance ever to see Kobe Bryant in a Lakers uniform.  I was "all in" as the kids say nowadays.  Stupid kids.

My waning hope as I fell asleep Tuesday night was that there wouldn't be some weather forced cancellation.  My first sound as I awoke the next day was the soothing buzz of an incoming text and then instant dread.  When I finally woke up, woke up I checked my phone and sure enough, it was about the game.  The news was palatable though, informing me that one of our group of four had to bow out last minute.  After multiple nearly successful attempts to find someone to take the ticket, the three of us left downtown Columbus, 3:30pm that afternoon.  Right around the time we were slowly traversing an impromptu blizzard in Ashland, we found someone who'd take the fourth ticket.  Everything was coming up Milhouse.

We parked near the arena ($25) around 6pm, grabbed some paninis at Panini's, and headed to our seats.  We'd paid $55 a pop for our tickets a week before Kobe announced his retirement plan.  Now, tickets in our section were going for about $175 so we were happy.  We were also literally 3 rows from the very top.  But Quicken Loans Arena or the Gund if you're like me and not a shill, has a giant scoreboard.  It's the largest HD scoreboard of any arena in the country. You could actually feel the flames on your forehead when they burst out in thunderous celebration.  As far as any Kobe tribute, there was a nice video highlighting his past dominance and a heartfelt standing ovation but no jewel encrusted black mamba or honorary plaque in Comic Sans. The real joy would be to see two of the greatest players of all time go at it for the last time in Ohio. 

Photo Credit:  Joel Bishop

As soon as the game started, I became pleasantly surprised by how easy it was to follow the dance on the court.  Kobe and LeBron started off guarding each other. Give the people what they want. Kobe's 15 footer answered a Kyrie jumper early in the game.  But the Cavs went on a 16-4 run after that (despite Kevin Love missing 3 straight shots from 3 point land) mainly because the Lakers don't play defense.  Not sure if that was on orders from their Tank Commander, Byron Scott, or not.  Kobe took his difficult and sometimes ill-advised shots as has been his MO pretty much his whole career.  He didn't hit again until making a trey with three minutes left in the first.  He was replaced on the next break by Metta World Peace, the Artest formerly known as Ron.  Cavs led after one, 35-25.

The 2nd quarter saw D'Angelo Russell shine.  In a two minute span, the rookie from Ohio State drained three straight pretty 3-pointers to cut the Cavs lead to 6.  It begged the question, why won't they let him play more?  Russell did finish with 15 points on 5-11 shooting in 28 minutes.  Most impressive may have been his +11 plus/minus. The Lakers struggled after that and the Cavs took advantage, coasting to a 64-47 halftime time lead on the strength  of 54% shooting from the field versus the Lakers dismal 36%.  Kevin Love was not impressive the whole half and did not come back into the game after suffering an apparent injury to the shoulder (yes that shoulder) late in the period.  The team (and Love) says it is not serious.  What is serious is that KLove went 2-9 with 8 points and 6 rebounds in 20 minutes.  That's not even beating the Rockets.

The 3rd quarter was memorable because Anderson Varejao played some quality minutes and did not look too bad.  It's also always nice to see World Peace in action.  Most memorable to D'Angelo Russell (in a very bad way) was the fastball he took from LeBron in the, ahem, gonads.  Poor guy was laid out on the court in pain for a good five minutes.  The Cavs led coming into the 4th, 93-74.  Not much was expected the rest of the game but in the latter half of the 4th, amid "Kobe" chants from the considerable number of Lakers fans in attendance, the Lakers sprang to life.  A 4 point play from Bryant cut the Cavs lead down to 9 and a couple minutes later, Kobe got fouled on a 3 point attempt, sinking the trifecta of free throws.  L.A. was down 8 with 3 minutes plus left but that would be as close as they'd get.  

In an overall fantastic experience for me, Cleveland won the game 120-111 behind 35 points, on 15-24 shooting, and 7 assists from Kyrie Irving who found little resistance.  LeBron James played a great game with 29 points (on 12-22 shooting), 11 assists, and 7 rebounds in 37 minutes.  Kobe finished with 17 points (5-16 shooting) and 6 rebounds in 33 minutes.  Not what he once was, but deserving of respect nonetheless.  There will still be time for a proper Kobe send-off on these pages but there won't be many more wins for this Los Angeles squad.  Of course, this could all be part of the plan to get in position to draft Ben Simmons in June, instantly skyrocketing the future of this proud franchise, reduced to a miserable rubble these past few years.  

The Cavs were there, during LeBron's "college years" but they're in a whole new stratosphere now.  This win was expected and perhaps too close against the team with the 2nd worst record in the NBA.  From now on, every success and mishap for the Cavs will be scrutinized against the backdrop of the ferocious West where the Warriors and Spurs are both making runs at the greatest season ever.  Should they have fired the coach, was Kevin Love the right choice, is LeBron done, does J.R. Smith have Periscope?  Much has been made of LeBron's leadership or lack thereof.  This season will be strong testimony to who he really is.

Coming Soon: The Pencilstorm Hall of Fame - Colin G.

Do you know what everybody loves? A good Hall of Fame. Actually, some people hate a good Hall of Fame. Ironically, some people love a lame hall of fame, but hate a cool hall of fame. Either way, out staff at Pencilstorm couldn't help but notice that every time we hang around the "water cooler" (Natty Keg) at work, some sort of debate about some sort of Hall of Fame breaks out. 

Cheap Trick this.. Dave Concepcion that... and Ricki C... always with the Mott the Hoople. And don't get Wal started on Journey. Or Big $ about Bernie Kosar.

So after one particularly loooooong night around the "water cooler," we decided to start our own Hall of Fame. The rules are simple: It can be any person, record, place, anything or whatever makes this world cooler. Not like global warming cooler, but just cooler in the Fonz definition of the word. You know, things that make life better.

We welcome your feedback on what/who YOU  think should be nominated for the Pencilstorm Hall of Fame. Our secret committee will promise to seriously consider your suggestion before totally ignoring it.  

Snow - Then vs. Now by Andra Gillum

Snow - Then vs. Now      

By:  Andra Gillum

I know I’m getting older when I repeatedly tell my kids how much harder things were back in “my day.”  Take snow for example…..

How about snow days at school?  Although I’m sure it’s not true, I remember getting like one day off per year…and that includes the blizzard of ’78.

When I was in school, we had to wake up and switch on the clock radio to find out if school was closed.  They read school closings in alphabetical order, and I would always tune in about 30 seconds too late.  I went to Dublin schools, for example, but usually turned on my radio just as they were reading Eastmoor.  

These days, we get an automated call by 5:00 AM.  It’s great…until the home phone rings, then my cell phone rings, then my husband’s cell phone rings, then the voice mail alerts start to ring…on so on.  Really, one alert would be fine.

We never called them calamity days either.  Even when school is cancelled, they’re working to expand the kids’ vocabulary.  These common core standards have really raised the bar.  

My kids still love sledding, just like we did.  But, think of how much better the sleds are these days.  Remember those super heavy all-wood toboggans?  My sister and I would always fight to see who would have to lug that beast back up the hill!

These days the plastic sleds are ultra-lightweight and aerodynamic.  Somehow my kids still want me to haul them up the hill... while they sit on the sled!

Kids still like to build snowmen, but the accessories have all changed.  They searched our fridge for a carrot nose, but all they could find were peeled baby carrots.  Not quite the same.  And where would you even find a corn cob pipe these days?  In 2016, Frosty is more likely to smoke a vapor pen.

Back in the day, we never really knew when the snow was coming.  My parents tried to catch the news at 6:00 or 11:00 to get the weather forecast, but the meteorologists weren’t even sure.

These days, you can check your phone, TV or computer 24 hours a day to get the up to the minute forecast.  Standing in front of their Super Doppler Weather Tracker Storm Spotter, today’s meteorologists are like rock stars.  Their fans like them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter.

Remember snow tires? We would have to sit in the boring lobby of the tire shop every fall while they installed ours. My kids don’t know how lucky they are to have all-season radials.

Even the snow gear is much better these days.  Remember the big rubber boots that buckled over your shoes?  The kid from Fat Albert wore his year round.  The advantage was that they were big enough to buckle over any size shoe, so they lasted forever.  These days, we crazy parents buy new snow boots every year!

We also had those mittens on a string that wrapped behind our neck until someone discovered that we could strangle ourselves.

And what about the one-piece snowsuits that snapped all the way up?  Not the bib overalls, but the all-in-one coat and pants.  Girls today don’t know what tough is until they try to go to the bathroom in one of those things without dipping their sleeve in the toilet.

Things have certainly changed over the years even when it comes to snow.  I can only imagine what things will be like when my kids are parents.  I am picturing some sort of self-propelled, hovercraft sled that won’t even require a hill…or snow.  But where’s the fun in that?  Here’s to the good old days!

Andra Gillum is a free-lance writer and author.  She lives in Upper Arlington with her husband, two kids and two dogs.  Andra’s columns periodically appear in the Columbus Dispatch.  She is also the author of the children’s book Doggy Drama, and its sequel, Puppy Drama, to be released in late 2016.  Learn more at www.doggydrama.com or contact Andra at andra@doggydrama.com.