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grin and bare it

A blog by Matthew Dicks

Goonies never say die

By Matthew Dicks | June 8, 2010

It’s the twenty-fifth anniversary of The Goonies this week. I loved the film, as all children of the 1980s should, but I always had one big problem with it. At the end of the film,…

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No credit deserved

By Matthew Dicks | June 7, 2010

In graduate school, I learned about the way in which researchers use the Likert scale in order to determine personal preference. If you’re not aware, the Likert scale is the one that asks respondents how they…

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Ultimate business conversion

By Matthew Dicks | June 7, 2010

CHICKEN SHACK features a funeral home turned fried chicken restaurant and was inspired by the conversion of Blackstone Potato Chips to a funeral home in the town in which I grew up.  I’ve written about…

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I’m a present-tense hedonist.

By Matthew Dicks | June 7, 2010

A week ago I posted a fascinating ten-minute video on how time perspective differs within people. To further the discussion, Jason Kottke summarized the six different time zones in which people live rather effectively: Past…

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First instincts usually correct

By Matthew Dicks | June 6, 2010

When I first saw this guy on his bike in the McDonald’s drive-thru, I thought, “Look at this guy riding his bike through the drive-thru. What a dork.” But as I sat there, waiting to…

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All-access pass

By Matthew Dicks | June 6, 2010

For the price of one million dollars per year, you can have the home telephone number and 24-7 access to self-help author and motivational speaker Tony Robbins.  I realize that I am not yet on…

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Farmer’s tan

By Matthew Dicks | June 6, 2010

A few of my friends were recently bemoaning their farmer’s tan. Basically, it’s the tan that one acquires by wearing a tee-shirt in the sun. Quite common for those of us who play golf and spend…

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Tooth fish are tasty

By Matthew Dicks | June 5, 2010

I distrust flowery, ostentatious names, as well as any name that attempts to make something sound more cosmopolitan or international than it actually is. In this spirit of distrust, I questioned the authenticity of the…

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Martin is not obsessive compulsive. He’s like me.

By Matthew Dicks | June 4, 2010

I often receive emails from readers who tell me how much they enjoyed SOMETHING MISSING because of the sympathetic and honest portrayal of a character who is suffering from obsessive compulsive disorder. These same readers…

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Blame my distaste of broccoli on advertising. Or the lack thereof.

By Matthew Dicks | June 3, 2010

I have always believed that massive amounts of money are wasted on advertising. The highway billboard, the late-night restaurant commercial, and the scented magazine ad have always seemed ridiculous to me. Intelligent people like me…

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