Category Archives: Words

May 15, 2013

There may be things that are fun to squeeze, but this umbrella ain’t one of them.

I don’t hate this new umbrella design. I just don’t think it solves an existing problem. I just don’t think people are suffering from an inability to text in the rain while holding an umbrella. But my real complaint is … Continue reading →

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April 24, 2013

I can’t spell “Slow down.”

My four year-old daughter shocked me today by spelling the words “stop” and “go” on the way to school. “But Dad!” she yelled. “I can’t spell slow down. It’s so frustrating.” I thought stop and go were pretty impressive.

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April 20, 2013

Kid words for future characters

I keep a list of all the invented and divergent words and phrases that my daughter uses in hopes of sprinkling these gems into future dialogue. Two that I recently added to the list are pancholeen and last day. Panchleen … Continue reading →

Posted in The Writing Process, Words | 1 Comment
March 12, 2013

The definition of silly.

I found this hanging on the wall of my daughter’s preschool. Each child in her class was chosen to represent a specific emotion, and she was picked for silly.  I’ve never actually seen her make this face before, which made … Continue reading →

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February 26, 2013

Dicks serves a purpose

My last name has not always been the easiest thing to live with. It’s resulted in teasing, the occasional crass joke and even a smattering of confusion when people over the phone ask me to repeat my last name two … Continue reading →

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February 22, 2013

A demanding public

A kind but somewhat questionable reader wrote to me today and said: Please please please tell me you have written some more books – or at least one!!!!! I’m strongly opposed to the use of the multiple exclamation point, but … Continue reading →

Posted in Family, Words | 1 Comment
February 21, 2013

My wife’s only parenting blunder involves the potentially hazardous use of scissors.

My wife is quite nearly a perfect mother. She worries a little more than is necessary, but this appears to be a prerequisite to mothering, and her car is littered with the detritus of tiny people, but I suspect that … Continue reading →

Posted in Critic, Family, Words | Tagged , , | 3 Comments
February 17, 2013

Thanks. Ouch.

My friend (who is under 30 and lives in Brooklyn) referred to me as a  “42-year old hipster” in his happy birthday greeting to me yesterday. I don’t think I’ve ever felt so complimented and insulted by the same statement.

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January 16, 2013

So I guess there’s no practical use for the word then…

Thanks to Twitter, I have been informed that to “decimate” does not mean to obliterate or wipe out. It means to destroy one-tenth of something. Great. There have been untold number of times in my life when I have needed … Continue reading →

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January 3, 2013

I’m not anti-feminist. I just don’t like stupid.

For the record, my persistent use the word “mankind” has nothing to do with my support of the patriarchy. I just think the word “humankind” sounds really, really stupid.

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