Comments for entry "Persistence" at Dilbert.com Blog

Comment from tenor2

MonPMPSTE_Rthth

Hi, Scott-- I'm very happy to hear of the return--even stronger than before--of your voice. I'm a writer working with Toastmasters Magazine, and the editors have asked me to contact you about exactly that. Would you be willing to do an interview with me about the adjustements you've had to make during the process of losing, and then regaining, your voice? The following from the editors will explain a bit more: "...Kind of looking at what it's like to lose your voice pretty much completely -- how do you communicate with people? And in Scott Adams' case, how did that affect his work? (i.e. , did it make him more creative in his cartoons, since that was his main voice now? Did it give him a different perspective on life, and on the issues he was drawing and writing about?) "Also, what's the process now that he's trying to regain his voice? Does he need to re-learn how to talk, communicate, etc.?" And, of course, we're very interested in hearing about the importance of keeping a sense of humor about it all, and how that likely helped you along the way. What say you? I'm available nearly every day at patrickmott@roadrunner.com. Many thanks in advance for your kind consideration. All the best, Pat Mott

Comment from lostandloster

SunPMPSTE_Rndnd

Hey great post. I love hearing about really successful people getting rejection letters. It keeps me in the game as I am only now beginning to pitch to magazines myself. Thanks for sharing this and I loved the story about your voice. LOST AND LOSTER :) http://lostandloster.blogspot.com/

Comment from trb75252

SunAMPDTE_Rndnd

Congratulations!

Comment from Magnesium

FriPMPDTE_Rstst

Are you sure that Maurice Sendak isn't one of your subconscious influences? It almost looks like Dilbert is the grown up version of the boy who knew where the wild things are.

Comment from BoscoH

FriAMPDTE_Rstst

I dunno Scott. Maybe you just have a face for radio and a voice for blogging. I bet if you put your mind to it, you could be one of the greatest bloggers.

Comment from HumilityRocks

FriAMPDTE_Rstst

Scott, It is a random suggestion, but learn to sing and go get good vocal instruction. If you have an ear for pitch at all, you'll enjoy it... and it is literally amazing what you'll be able to learn to do with your voice. Operatic or classical singers actually use their skulls as a resonating chamber and by thinking in different ways you can alter the sound / quality of your voice by pushing the sounds to different parts of your skull, or sinus cavities, etc... plus you learn to breath differently and all sorts of other things that are counterintuitive to "normal" speaking / singing. Sounds freaky and it kind of is. But when you hit it, it feels like you could knock someone down with your voice... and I'm betting that these things could apply to speaking in certain contexts as well. Plus, the thought of a hot female vocal instructor getting you to sing show tunes, just makes me happy.

Comment from tamsnod27

FriAMPDTE_Rstst

Wow, webgrunt, if they were truly that awful, I am sorry I never attempted to get some! Man, what a great halloween snack--taste these---"So bad, it's scary!" I wonder what special powers the elimination track of hyena would bestow on these rotten potatoes! Great stuff, would read again!

Comment from rebent

FriAMPDTE_Rstst

woo look at me I'm scott adams I have voice problems and I am going to talk about them for the next ten years because I am such a big deal! feh feh feh

Comment from Zowie

FriAMPDTE_Rstst

Congrats! Very happy for you. Keep on keepin' on!

Comment from mohrorless2

FriAMPDTE_Rstst

Congrats on the (apparent) success of your surgery! When can we expect to see you show off your new improved voice on Broadway?

Comment from ScottBennett

ThuPMPDTE_Rthth

Glad to hear the surgery is working so far. I've been very reluctant to pursue irreversible surgery. But just like you experienced, I've been struggling maintaining the Dr. Cooper method. Maybe I'll wait another year and see if this holds up for you. :)

Comment from jcvesq

ThuPMPDTE_Rthth

"If at first you don't succeed, try again! If you fail, quit. No need to make a fool of yourself." W.C. Fields

Comment from rji1963

ThuPMPDTE_Rthth

Scott, Glad to hear that your voice is coming back. I hope it stays. Please keep us up to date. My brother has the same condition. Every update you post I pass along. Bob

Comment from ssk

ThuPMPDTE_Rthth

Hi Scott, Hope you can scream louder than before and may all your dreams come true, but this refers so much to your recent blog entry about , not being content with what you have, and being ambitious as a result. With someone of your intellect and by the way you understand this world [ Gods Debris], you surely must have wondered if Happiness is only a pursuit and never a destination. It is perfectly natural to have ambitions and goals and all that is fine, but this discontent , can it not be the reason there is unhappiness in peoples lives? Can there be progress or satisfaction without struggling to achieve things for yourself ? Can a person simply realize the purpose of his life, and follow it with remarkable dedication regardless of the result? You have done this already, but still you don't cease to have goals. On the surface everyone is quick to say they have achieved a lot and hence they are obviously happy, but I want to know, does achieving a million things ever make you happy? Does it truly make sense to have impossible goals and convince oneself that the discontent is the reason the progress has happened? Can there be action without discontent or ambition? Can there be a blissful human being? Gods Debris is a remarkable book because it resonates with the deepest philosophies in the eastern world, yet the means for its realization is totally different. I guess this comment makes little sense, but its always good to speak to you. Get well soon.

Comment from nWoKevin

ThuPMPDTE_Rthth

My grandmother says her voice improved when she got a hearing aid.

Comment from tsarna

ThuPMPDTE_Rthth

Glad to hear your voice is improving! I have to admit though, every time I read about your voice problems I have a hard time imagining it. I guess this is because I figure that you and Dilbert would sound the same, and of course Dilbert sounds exactly like Daniel Stern. Whenever I read your columns, in my head they sound a lot like a "Wonder Years" narration. Heck, if the treatment hadn't worked, maybe you could have just hired him to follow your around and do voice overs for your real life. It would have fooled me.

Comment from charlesfunnish

ThuPMPDTE_Rthth

Excellent post. On another note, I came across this document today: An Examination of Obamaâ€™s Use of Hidden Hypnosis Techniques in His Speeches Perhaps this is what you were referencing in your hypnosis post a week or so ago? And no, I haven't read all 67 pages.

Comment from Will Von Wizzlepig

ThuPMPDTE_Rthth

I have my own bizarre incurable condition which I have not been able to locate a name for online, and unfortunately, it's a learned response my subconscious seems to have picked up. I had a job 15 years ago working on a forklift, the order picking kind where you go up in the air, so you can get a box and put it on the forklift, instead of having to take everything down off the shelf just to get one box. Understandably, the rig is not wiggle-proof, and, once up in the air, you must get used to standing on a wiggly surface, and also dealing with a shelf which may also be wiggly. It's not too tough to get used to. Apparently, though, how my brain covered this created an annoying side-effect. If I am standing on solid ground, and a nearby object which should not be wiggly is wiggling- say, a table or bookshelf- then >I< feel like I am wiggling. And it's entirely subconscious, so, I usually don't know if there's a wiggly piece of furniture near me or an earthquake for 2-3 seconds. It's faded over the years, but it's still there.

Comment from webgrunt

ThuPMPDTE_Rthth

Nuken4STP wrote: "The way you wrote this blog today infers that you blame affirmative action for your not getting published in the New Yorker. Sad. You suggest that you should have gotten a real dark tan and made your screen name Mohamed." I didn't see anything like that in the interview or in the post. Is this a joke?

Comment from elizabeth

ThuPMPDTE_Rthth

since this post is somewhat health related, I'm curious if you have ever heard of the Weston A. Price Foundation... I'd suggest starting with the Myths & Truths link on the left... http://www.westonaprice.org/splash_2.htm