Randy Pausch

Usually my subject titles would be made up of a lyric from a song I was listening to, or a song that I like, but today, it's just the name of a man who was his own song.

Randy Pausch died last Friday after a 22 month battle with the deadliest cancer of all, pancreatic cancer.

More importantly, though, Randy Pausch lived. Until last week, he lived. He was an incredible academic, a wonderful husband and father, and a man who did something big. He called people out on their bad habits, he told people about the times he made changes in himself, he gave advice, did pushups, fought cancer, told jokes, won a hell of a lot of massive stuffed animals, worked for Disney in one of the most elusive jobs in the world, an imagineer, and so many other awesome things.

I'm pretty overwhelmed to think about the family of the late, great, and awesome Dr. Randy Pausch. He and his wife and loved ones had a lot of time to prepare for his death, but I don't suspect that it's any easier.

For those of you who don't know, Randy Pausch was a professor at Carnegie Mellon University and he was awesome. I don't mean awesome in the same way candy is awesome, or in the same way finding 20 dollars in the britches that you wore last week is awesome, but the man inspired 10,000,000 (and counting) people, all by telling stories of his life and relating it all to to treat people and make the best of life's many opportunities.

Randy and his wife Jai have 3 young children. Randy said in an interview with Dianne Sawyer a few months ago that more than being sad for the fact that he'd miss out on seeing them grow up, he was heartbroken that they would miss out on having him around; that they'd grow up without their dad. He used the metaphor "pretty soon, someone is going to push my family off a cliff, and I'm not going to be there to catch them".

Maybe it's lame to sit here on the other side of the world and try to pay tribute to a man who had his own life and his own deal, but, I'm not going to pretend like I haven't been affected by him. He gave some awesome advice. He knew what he was talking about. The effect I'm feeling now is that I'm ridiculously sad for his family. But, they've had him in their lives, so they already have the good spirits and resillience to get back up from this. I believe that.

He left a really amazing legacy, and that's all we can hope to do.



Besides, why would I sit here rambling about myself when the most and least exciting thing I've done all day is make up a song to a 6 line poem about a rattlesnake?

Rest peacefully, Randy Pausch.

You take the money from me I can scrounge, gave me a fever that will not come down.

So. I am unwell. I have spent the past day or two dying in bed with aches, pains, snot, coughs, and a ridiculously sore throat. Not dry, not scratchy, but the feeling which I imagine to be very similar to being punched repeatedly in the throat every single time I swallow. I'm drowning in what is a rather unmentionable amount of green, and I spent last night tripping out on some night time medicine that made me feel pretty sweaty and restless. So much for a knock out, huh?

But, in life, I try my best to be a 'glass half full' type of gal, and being ill sure gave me a good opportunity to watch the entire first season of 30 Rock.



It is hilarious and very, very clever. I love Tina Fey! :)

Of course, yeah, I'm using the "being sick" excuse for being lazy and watching dvds, when really, I watch dvds all the time. But, anyway.

I'm gonna have some soup and make a wish. The wish isn't for the soup, but because it is 11:11. Nighty night.