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grin and bare it

A blog by Matthew Dicks

A lack of support

By Matthew Dicks | May 15, 2010

On a recent trip to Florida, I was visiting with some of my wife’s relatives.  Over lunch and dinner, they would inquire about my book, asking questions about plot and character, until finally Elysha’s grandmother…

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Shivering or sweaty

By Matthew Dicks | May 14, 2010

Have you noticed that when dressed for formal occasions, women wear less clothing than at almost any other time in their lives, despite the fact that they are always cold? And that men wear more…

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Amusement rides a little too realistic

By Matthew Dicks | May 14, 2010

In 2001, I went on vacation to Disney World. Prior to leaving, a surgeon examined my knee, which spontaneously bled from time to time since my car accident in 1988. He determined that surgery was…

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Road kill punch

By Matthew Dicks | May 13, 2010

In my younger days, I dated a girl who attended North Adams State College, now known as Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts. In those days, the school was known for its parties, so I made…

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You can be yourself, but only if you wear a tie

By Matthew Dicks | May 12, 2010

Last night I was helping a kid put on his tie prior to a concert. “But I don’t want to wear a tie,” he moaned as I slipped it over his head. “I know,” I…

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Betsy Claypool more interesting than Betsy Ross

By Matthew Dicks | May 12, 2010

Less than a week after I take a shot at Betsy Ross and her “sewing achievement” (angering more than I expected) comes BETSY ROSS AND THE MAKING OF AMERICA, which was reviewed in the Times…

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Some of us don’t need anymore drama

By Matthew Dicks | May 11, 2010

From Derek Sivers blog: Kurt Vonnegut, who happens to be my hero, reasoned that people crave drama in their lives because the typical story arc for a real life person is something like this: I’d…

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I don’t think you exist, but that doesn’t mean you should yell at me in the brief moments that you do.

By Matthew Dicks | May 11, 2010

I often profess a fondness for the belief that the world exists only for me, and that the existence of other human beings, as well as all other things, is predicated upon my ability to…

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Tick tock

By Matthew Dicks | May 10, 2010

This is the worst part of the writing process for me: The waiting. The manuscript is done, and it’s in Taryn’s hands.  I sit and wait, usually for about a week, hoping to hear that…

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Peeing was never so fun

By Matthew Dicks | May 10, 2010

I’m not sure which of these is more bizarre: The Stadium Pal, made famous by a David Sedaris essay, which allows men to urinate without a restroom through the use of an external catheter and…

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