grin and bare it
A blog by Matthew Dicks
Teach people how to deal with you
I was speaking to a business associate last week. She and I exchange a great deal of work regularly. We have quite a few ongoing projects at the moment. Amid the conversation, she said, “Is…
Read MoreJD Salinger: Bullets, bombs, and a book
A client recently told me that he can only write at a particular time of the day and only on certain days. This was not the result of a tight schedule or the demands of…
Read MoreLove and hate can coexist
Is it possible to both love and hate an idea simultaneously? Yes, it is. A group of citizens from Valdez, Alaska, is attempting to raise $125,000 to install a life-sized bronze statue dedicated to William…
Read MoreAnother memory of Danny
My friend, Danny, passed away a little while back. On Saturday, I attended his memorial service. I expressed my condolences to his children and brother and said goodbye to my friend. On the long drive…
Read MoreFourteen years later, I am still right
Fourteen years ago, Elysha and I had a disagreement over a crock pot. We had recently bought our home and were merging our belongings, and the issue of my crock pot arose. Specifically, Elysha took…
Read More“Separate but equal” still alive and well in Hollywood
I’m listening to a lot of interviews in the campaign season for the Oscars: Actors, actresses, and directors are putting their names in the zeitgeist, hoping to garner more votes. As I’ve listened, I’ve found…
Read MoreMeetings are terrible. Also correctable.
Data from the newsletter “8 Bits Make a Byte” from my good friends at Bedrock Data Solutions: 55 million meetings per week / 11 million per day / 1 billion per year 33% of employee’s…
Read MoreMarking my life through The Simpsons
In 1989, I was eighteen years old. I’d just graduated high school and quickly moved out (not entirely by choice) on my own. I lived in a townhouse in Attleboro, Massachusetts, with two friends. Bengi…
Read MoreMarathon singing with Danny
Another story about my friend, Danny, who recently passed away: Danny and I were camping with our Boy Scout troop on an autumn weekend. We had hiked deep into the forest off a dirt road…
Read MoreDanny gets me a job and changes my life
My friend, Danny, passed away recently. On Saturday, I’ll be attending his funeral. Danny and I spent thousands of hours together as teenagers, doing what teenage boys do once they get a driver’s license and…
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