Archive for August 2019
YOLO is not new
A twenty-something explained on a podcast that her generation doesn’t believe in allowing things to pass them by. “You know,” she said. “YOLO. That’s where that word comes from.” Just for the record: YOLO is an acronym popularized by Drake in his hit song “The Motto,” but it’s certainly nothing new. “You only live once”…
Read MoreDiscount men
Every year, Space Telescope Science Institute in Maryland fields thousands of requests from scientists all over the world to use the Hubble telescope to advance their research. Only 200 proposals are accepted. In 2014, the Institute realized that 21.9 percent of proposals written by men were being accepted while only 16.9 percent of proposals written…
Read MoreI am not experiencing enough stress (at least according to others)
Important (and astounding) information on aging from NumLock: Telomeres are protective caps that prevent damage to DNA. They also shorten each time a cell replicates, and when they get too short cells know it’s time to wrap it up and self-destruct. This plays a role in the aging process, and every year telomeres shrink by…
Read MoreMy little girl is a storyteller
My family and I have been in Seattle for five days now, and it’s been quite the whirlwind. In addition to playing golf, walking beaches, eating delicious food, and visiting with friends and family, I have also been doing a bit of work. On Thursday, I had the pleasure of visiting with a book club…
Read MoreI don’t return stuff
I can count the number of things that I have purchased and then later returned in my entire life on two hands. Maybe one hand. I know that this makes me different from most people, but especially the Germans, who like to order stuff online and then return it at a rate unmatched by other…
Read More“They call me Matt” is apparently no good
At the very end of the song, “Light My Candle” from the Broadway musical Rent, Mimi and Roger exchange names. Roger sings, “I’m Roger.” Mimi responds, “They call me Mimi.” Driving in the car, listening to the song the other day, I turn to Elysha and say, “I’ve always wanted to introduce myself to people…
Read MoreWhy I respond to Donald Trump via Twitter
Last week, a listener to our podcast and a reader of my books wrote to inform me that he would no longer be listening, reading, or otherwise engaging in my work as a result of the way I write about Donald Trump and respond to him online, specifically via Twitter. The man was polite and…
Read MoreAnother review of Twenty-one Truths About Love
Another early review of Twenty-one Truths About Love from another important outlet – Booklist. ____________________________________ Dicks manages to create tension, pathos, humor, and some searing melodrama in a novel written entirely in lists. Daniel Mayrock, soon to be a father, quits a dull teaching position to open his own bookstore. Following the advice of his…
Read MoreI know these men exist, but I don’t know any of them
You know those guys – it’s always a man – who drive in the third lane of the highway at high speeds, flashing their lights at any car that get in their way? Who are these guys? I’m serious. In my entire life, I don’t think I’ve ever known a man who would do such…
Read MoreI am not a monster
Over the weekend, friends and I were discussing a recent revelation on social media: There are couples in this world who do sleep on the same side of the bed every night. When someone on Twitter revealed this last week – obviously a monster – Twitter went crazy. People couldn’t imagine choosing random sides of…
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