Matthew Dicks's Blog, page 729
October 29, 2009
Strange days
A friend of mine suggested that I post this, which I wrote a couple years ago. Might be a good way for readers to get to know me a little better. I have edited the original piece slightly to reflect changes in my life.
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Here are some strange things about me:
I haven't vomited since the riding on the Music Express at Rocky Point Amusement Park in 1982.
When I was a kid, I had an imaginary friend named Johnson-Johnson, named after Johnson & Johnson's...
Free
I find myself with more than a hundred books that I'd like to eliminate from my life. They are excellent books, classics, bestsellers, collections of essays, etc. I just don't have any reason to keep them in my house anymore. There are too many books that I have not yet read to ever imagine going back and rereading these.
There are some that I have kept. I've held onto my Vonnegut, my Twain, all of my poetry, and a few others for which rereading might someday happen, but the Marquis de Sade...
October 28, 2009
Adulthood overrated
Blogger Jason Kottke recently wrote about the differing approaches to "being an adult." In his post, he establishes two kinds of adults:
A: Those who have set aside their childish ways
B: Those who rebel against the lack of freedom of childhood.
"Basically opposite approaches," he writes. "Responsible adulthood and irresponsible adulthood."
Kottke continues:
The A people feel that being an adult means eating healthfully, being financially responsible, dressing to meet the expectations...
October 27, 2009
Worst million dollars ever
The now-defunct USFL Gamblers sponsored a contest in 1982 that gave away one million dollars to one of their fans.
The terms of the deal:
$50,000, paid out over twenty years, beginning twenty years later, in 2002.
Unbelievable.
Wash, rinse, dry, repeat
Tim Burton and Johnny Depp are together again in the film adaptation to ALICE IN WONDERLAND, a book that I found to be utterly unreadable.
Tim Burton and Johnny Depp in Alice in Wonderland…
Haven't they made this movie at least once already? And perhaps twice if you count the animated version of the film?
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October 26, 2009
Once more with feeling, for all you Buffy fans
I love this stuff.
Stupid name
So my Yankees will be playing against the Philadelphia Phillies in the World Series starting on Wednesday.
I don't want to sound mean-spirited, but what kind of stupid name is the Phillies?
The original name of the franchise was the Philadelphia Philadelphias, a name that is quite ridiculous and even worse when said aloud, but is Phillies any better?
Imagine if other major league teams took Philadelphia's lead and started name their team similarly.
The New York Yorkies.
The Boston...
Many hands make light work
Writing is not always a solitary process.
In addition to a crew of faithful readers who are kind enough to read my books as I write them, chapter by chapter, I also have a stable of readers who are nice enough to help me with my blog as well, offering me editing and revising suggestions when needed. My wife is often my first line of defense against my typical typos and other blunders, but lately, others have joined in the fray. A European reader has most recently been the first to fire me...
This is my new favorite photo of my daughter
The presence of my wife in the photograph is just a bonus.
