Archive for February 2024

A friend recently found himself in the emergency room for a thankfully minor injury. While telling me about his adventure, he said, “That might’ve been the first time I was ever in the emergency room as a patient.” I nearly fell out of my chair. “What about when you were a kid?” I asked. “Not…

An update on a previous post about eliminating the distraction of phones in school: School districts across 41 states have spent $2.5 million over the past eight years to buy the pouches from Yondr. But most of that has come in the past year and a half as schools try to find new ways to…

Exciting news! I’m rich! The website allfamousbirthday.com has a page dedicated to me, and the information listed is quite surprising. The website accurately lists my educational background, birthday, place of birth, and all eight books that I’ve published, but it also says: “Matthew Dicks is one of the richest American novelists from the United States. According…

For the record, this New York Times story from 2009 on famed news anchor Walter Cronkite, known for his adherence to the facts, is comprised of exactly 1,000 words. The corrections to the story take up another 267 words. This ratio would indicate that every fourth word of the story was inaccurate. It’s an imperfect…

The reason why I don’t like Wes Anderson films is a simple one: I want to forget that I’m watching a movie. I want to get lost in the story. I want to feel like the characters and plot are real. I want this when watching a movie or television show, reading a book, or…

Thin-skinned monsters roam the Earth. They are the kind of people who fall apart at the slightest criticism. Can’t make fun of themselves. Can’t stand being the butt of any joke. Claim to be strong and powerful but can only boast, brag, and compliment themselves. I once worked for one of these monsters – thankfully…

Every month, I report the progress of my yearly goals to monitor progress (or the lack thereof) and hold myself accountable.   The following are the results from January 2024. PERSONAL FITNESS 1. Don’t die. Still alive. Crushing it. 2. Lose 10 pounds. I weigh exactly the same amount today as I did on January…