Matthew Dicks's Blog, page 729

All good news

News of a possible sequel to THE SHINING is big, but I think that The Guardian has buried the lead.  Almost as an afterthought, writer Alison Flood mentions that King has an idea for a new book in his Dark Tower series

"The working title for the eighth book in the series, King announced on his website, would be The Wind Through the Keyhole, but he added that he hadn't yet begun writing it and it would be "a minimum of eight months" before he did."

King fans know that as great as a sequel...

What to say?

I'm still looking for a clever, witty, possibly subversive message to replace my standard "Thanks for reading my story" when singing a book.  

My wife likes "Buy another one" or "Makes a great gift". While I love her for comments like this, even I may pass on this suggestion. 

Any ideas?

Tick tock times a wasting

As a result of my many brushes with death, I make a serious attempt to live every day to its fullest, knowing full well that my existence could end at any time. I have constructed a life in which I attempt to get the most out of each day and not wasting time on immaterial and unimportant matters.

This means that I am a planned procrastinator, putting off tasks until they need to be finished in order to take better advantage of the day. If I have three weeks to complete an assignment, I will...

Why?

When I was in high school, I carved my initials alongside those of my girlfriend into a willow tree in the Japanese garden in Roger William's Park. 

Not the nicest thing to do to a tree but fairly romantic, especially for a sixteen year old.  

But why carve these same boyfriend-girlfriend initials into a the wooden frame of a sign hanging above the urinal in the men's room of a local restaurant?  The girl is never going to see them, but countless men will have the opportunity to gaze...

Write a book

Earlier this month, Nathan Bransford asked:

"Can anyone with enough practice be a good writer? What about a great writer? Is there a part of writing that is innate or can it be learned by anyone?"

As a teacher, I have to believe that with enough work, any reasonably intelligent person can become a good writer.  It's what I tell me students, and it's what I believe.  Give me a hard working, dedicated student and enough time and I can help that kid become a good writer.

Writing is hard...

I demand that she be fired! said the moronic dolt.

New rule:

Dissatisfied customers, angry clients and anyone else who demands that an employee be fired should be immediately terminated from their own employment on the grounds of petty stupidity and a failure to understand how a job loss can impact a family. 

One bad experience or one poor decision does not justify the demand for the possible financial ruin of an individual. 

Customers complain and receive refunds and compensation if the complaint is valid and the business is...

Can I put my hand on your butt without offending?

This morning I played pick-up basketball with a woman, a former college player who was shooting around at the gym.

Playing one-on-one with a girl who you don't know is always a little complicated, especially in the beginning.  This girl was a solid player with a decent outside jumper and she was capable of driving to the basket with both her left and right hand.  In order to play defense, especially in a one-on-one game, I was going to have to make a certain amount of physical contact with...

Empires fall

If you're a history buff, or more importantly, if you are appreciate the way that media can convey a complex idea, this is for you.

If you are none of these things, you should be, so watch it anyway.

Visualizing empires decline from Pedro M Cruz on Vimeo.

A Thanksgiving offering

I honor of Thanksgiving, I offer a gift for all of you who look forward to football just as much as you do the turkey, and probably more.

If you are a serious football fan, this is a must-read essay by the sometimes annoying but more often brilliant Chuck Klosterman.  It comes from his new book, EATING THE DINOSAUR, which I just finished and loved. 

It's the kind of essay that football fans will bookmark and refer back to for years to come, and it is guaranteed to increase your grid-iron...

In need of a copyeditor. And a brain.

In suggesting that the shooting at Ford Hood be labeled a terrorist attack (and implying that the Obama administration was rejected the label for political reasons), former Bush press secretary Dana Perino said no terrorists attacked the US while President Bush was in office.

"We did not have a terrorist attack on our country during President Bush's term. I hope they're not looking at this politically. I do think that we owe it to the American people to call it what it is."

I realize that...