Matthew Dicks's Blog, page 724

Talented teenager

My former student has been creating some stop-motion videos that are both ingenious and highly entertaining.  She was brilliant when I taught her in third grade, but seven years later, she's even more impressive.  Please take a moment and check them out.  They are sure to bring a smile to your face.

I'm actually thinking about asking her to create a stop-motion video trailer for my next book, UNEXPECTEDLY, MILO, similar to the stop-motion stick drawings that she did in the third video.  I...

Look! A Democrat who speaks like a Republican!

I try not to be too political on this blog, but sometimes I can't help it.  I'm a registered Democrat who longs for a Republican party of the Barry Goldwater era in place of the socially conservative, right-wing, anti-intellectual religious insanity that now dominates the party.

I simply cannot join arms with people whose mantra is "Drill, baby drill." 

Until Limbaugh, Beck, Fox News, and the Christian Coalition cease to have power over the party and there is a return to sensible...

The story of our engagement

Five years ago today, I asked my wife to marry me.  My goal was to give her a proposal that she would never forget.  Here is the story:

Elysha's favorite room in the world is Grand Central Station, so I had decided to ask her to marry me there. I also wanted the proposal to be a complete surprise, so I picked December 28th, right in between Christmas and New Years and about two weeks before her birthday. I figured that if Elysha was suspecting a proposal, she might expect it to happen on...

Rise up, my brothers and sisters!

Mark Wilson and I are simpatico when it comes to handling movie theater talkers.  I agree with everything he suggests. 

On Wednesday my friend and I plan on seeing Avatar at the local IMAX theater, and if anyone dares to speak during the movie, I will take immediate action, employing some of Wilson's suggestions with my own if necessary.  Normally, a simple but stern reminder regarding theater etiquette is enough to quiet down the average movie talker, but on more than one occasion, I have...

Nothing good can come of it

When I am helping a friend or colleague prepare for a confrontation with  a coworker, boss, family member or similar individual, I often ask the same question:

What is your expectation for a reasonable outcome?

For example, if you know that your supervisor has strong, seemingly unwavering feelings about a decision that he has made, but you disagree with that decision, is it reasonable to expect that you will be able to change his mind or alter the way he makes decisions in the future by...

I dont care if Glenn Beck is on your Christmas list

An excellent question from Kate Ward of Shelf Life in regards to gift-giving etiquette:

"Is it possible to feel good about spending $20 for a book that you despise but know your loved one will devour?"

For me, it depends upon where the profits from the purchase are going.  If my loved one has asked for a copy of Virginia Woolf's TO THE LIGHTHOUSE or Edith Wharton's ETHAN FROME, two novels that I despise, I would have no reservation about plunking down $20 for the gift.  While Woolf and...

Another review to close out 2009

Hartford Magazine reviewed SOMETHING MISSING for their January 2010 edition, which arrived at my home this week.   

Marion Dooling writes that "Matthew Dicks's tale about OCD thief Martin Railsback and "'his clients' is a fun, quirky book that kept me reading far beyond regular bedtime.  His sense of humor and off-beat storyline often made me smile and share passages with friends."

A nice holiday treat for me!

A bounty of Christmas goodness!

My wife is the best gift giver ever, and particularly the best stocking stuffer of all time. 

My gifts from Christmas morning included:

1.  A signed first edition of Kurt Vonnegut's A MAN WITHOUT A COUNTRY, with a rare illustrated signature.

2. Several clever golf accoutrements

3.  Christopher Myer's modern adaptation of the Lewis Carroll's THE JABBERWOCKY.  I recite this poem from memory to our daughter quite often, so now I'll have some images to go along with the words.  And hoops...

The Simpsons and me

Twenty years ago, I was eighteen.  I had just graduated high school and had quickly moved out on my own.  I was living in a townhouse in Attleboro, Massachusetts with two of my friends.  One was going to college and the other worked in manufacturing.  I was managing a McDonald's restaurant.  None of us had much money, and our typical meal consisted of elbow macaroni and canned soups.  During our first winter, we could not afford to turn on the heat and stayed warm by sitting side by side on...

What woman buys this stuff?

This product litters the counter of my local 7-11, and it's always half-empty or better.

I don't get it.