Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Monday, July 28, 2008
Before it ends, it's called LIFE
I'm going to take a moment to write a serious post. It's about life, which is ultimately about death.
In December Randy Pausch, a college professor from Carnegie Mellon University gave a lecture for a series entitled "The Last Lecture". Ironically, it was his last. Randy had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and was given just months to live. He died last week. I strongly encourage you to watch the entire 70+ minute lecture, but for time purposes, I'm posting a short video with snippets of the lecture. (By the way, the last 30 seconds of the full lecture is why I was so moved, and you have to watch the whole thing to understand it. Hint: It's a "head fake").
When I was 15, I joined the Watchung Rescue Squad as a Cadet. From that moment until the day I turned over my pager at 25 years old, I was being shaped into a new me. First and foremost - the people who surrounded me were genuine, caring, fun, responsible and really smart people. Jim, Steve, Diddy, Shirley (rest in peace), Brian, and many others treated me like a brother, a son and a respected friend.
Being that young and experiencing situations that were true life and death, the thrill of the call for help, the emotional effects of seeing tragic death with my young eyes, performing CPR on dozens of people including a child, cutting trapped victims from their tangled cards, and doing things right because if you didn't people could die, and did. I was a crew chief and an officer who was responsible for my team and the members of my squad, and I learned fist hand - that life ends in death.
About 7 years ago, I was in the parking lot of Newark airport and answered a call from my brother Shawn, who broke the news: Dad had pancreatic cancer and was given months to live. It went quick, and since he lived in Massachusetts I was only able to see him two or three times before he died. I was thankful for the opportunity to know that he was going to die. That may sound strange, but I didn’t have a great relationship with my Dad and as I grew older – I realized what he had done for my family and for me. Being given the opportunity to say “Thank you for everything” and “I love you”, and know it was the last time I would say it to him truly meant the world to me. I think about my Dad almost every day.
As a father myself now, my responsibilities are even greater then they were to those people I helped as an EMT. I have to teach my girls how to learn, love, laugh, and live whole and healthy lives. I have to teach them, by example, what a great father-daughter & husband-wife relationship is and most important: have a whole lot of fun while living life!
The point I want to convey is this: This is it, kids! This is life! This is us living it! It could end tragically tomorrow or it could last whole lot longer. Either way, carpe diem! Don’t get caught up in the small stuff, laugh a lot, tell those who you care about that you love them, but mostly HAVE FUN!
As Randy Pausch asked: Are you a Tigger or an Eeyore?
In December Randy Pausch, a college professor from Carnegie Mellon University gave a lecture for a series entitled "The Last Lecture". Ironically, it was his last. Randy had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and was given just months to live. He died last week. I strongly encourage you to watch the entire 70+ minute lecture, but for time purposes, I'm posting a short video with snippets of the lecture. (By the way, the last 30 seconds of the full lecture is why I was so moved, and you have to watch the whole thing to understand it. Hint: It's a "head fake").
When I was 15, I joined the Watchung Rescue Squad as a Cadet. From that moment until the day I turned over my pager at 25 years old, I was being shaped into a new me. First and foremost - the people who surrounded me were genuine, caring, fun, responsible and really smart people. Jim, Steve, Diddy, Shirley (rest in peace), Brian, and many others treated me like a brother, a son and a respected friend.
Being that young and experiencing situations that were true life and death, the thrill of the call for help, the emotional effects of seeing tragic death with my young eyes, performing CPR on dozens of people including a child, cutting trapped victims from their tangled cards, and doing things right because if you didn't people could die, and did. I was a crew chief and an officer who was responsible for my team and the members of my squad, and I learned fist hand - that life ends in death.
About 7 years ago, I was in the parking lot of Newark airport and answered a call from my brother Shawn, who broke the news: Dad had pancreatic cancer and was given months to live. It went quick, and since he lived in Massachusetts I was only able to see him two or three times before he died. I was thankful for the opportunity to know that he was going to die. That may sound strange, but I didn’t have a great relationship with my Dad and as I grew older – I realized what he had done for my family and for me. Being given the opportunity to say “Thank you for everything” and “I love you”, and know it was the last time I would say it to him truly meant the world to me. I think about my Dad almost every day.
As a father myself now, my responsibilities are even greater then they were to those people I helped as an EMT. I have to teach my girls how to learn, love, laugh, and live whole and healthy lives. I have to teach them, by example, what a great father-daughter & husband-wife relationship is and most important: have a whole lot of fun while living life!
The point I want to convey is this: This is it, kids! This is life! This is us living it! It could end tragically tomorrow or it could last whole lot longer. Either way, carpe diem! Don’t get caught up in the small stuff, laugh a lot, tell those who you care about that you love them, but mostly HAVE FUN!
As Randy Pausch asked: Are you a Tigger or an Eeyore?
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
I read the entire internet so you don't have to.®
My new blog tag line.
This screen shot is basically like a patent search and NO ONE HAS IT! Ahahahahahaaaaaa, now it's reserved for me!
Bwaaaa haaaaa haaaa
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
A Font Conference
CollegeHumor.com has really done a great job lately with their videos. This newest one from a Font Conference is really good.
Am I the only one who finds this stuff funny?
Am I the only one who finds this stuff funny?
Slydial Lets You Avoid Awkard Calls, Go Straight To Voicemail
It's Friday night, you've got a blind date in an hour, and the last thing you want to do is make small talk with a stranger. You'd like nothing more to cancel, but there's no easy to do it. Text messages and emails are out of the question - they're too cold and impersonal, especially with so little notice. So you call, hoping with every ounce of your soul that the message will go to voicemail. Of course they pick up after one ring, and a hopelessly clumsy conversation ensues.
Slydial, a new service from MobileSphere, is looking to offer users a way to avoid this situation. The service allows users to call any mobile line and go directly to voicemail, without the awkward conversation. Their phone will actually display a missed call from your original number, but they won't have a chance to answer it.
To use the service, dial 267-SLYDIAL (267-759-3425), and enter your contact's number (note: this isn't a toll-free call). Slydial works with all US wireless carriers, and users can make the initial call from either landlines or mobile phones. And, if you really hate talking to people, you can make an account on the company's website and use a contact list to leave voice messages from your computer.
Slydial seems like a service that is ripe for abuse, but it's still great to have (I just saved it to my contacts list). Sure, it's devious and impersonal, but at least it isn't a text message. And voicemail is dead anyway, isn't it?
Crunch Network: MobileCrunch Mobile Gadgets and Applications, Delivered Daily.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Me as a cartoon
And no comments from the Peanut Gallery!
Check it out here http://www.befunky.com/cartoonizer/index.php
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Today, I introduce to you: The Vacationeers
http://www.youtube.com/user/thevacationeers
I am a google lover, and after watching this I can see why they are quickly becoming Evil. Watch, you'll see!
I am a google lover, and after watching this I can see why they are quickly becoming Evil. Watch, you'll see!
Friday, July 18, 2008
First time camping with the fam.
My ladies and I went to Hickory Run State Park last weekend for our first camping together. We did all your regular camping things: tent -check, fire -check, marshmallows -check, skunk -check, hiking -check.
Yes SKUNK. Beck and I were enjoying the fire in the pitch dark when I heard a rustling coming quickly toward us. I knew it was headed right for our camp site, so I yelled "HO!" and grabbed a flash light only to shine it on a skunk the size of a labrador. Needless to say I RAN LIKE A GIRL.
My favorite part was the Boulder Field
The field comprises about 16.5 acres, which is 0.026 square miles. The top of the boulder layer is virtually level with the approaching path. The immense weight of the boulders has compressed the underlying soil 12 feet or more.
The boulder field was created about 20,000 years ago during the most recent glacial period. My understanding is that because this was the freeze/thaw line of the glacier, when the edge of it thawed then melted the water trickled down to between cracks of the bedrock and when it froze again cracked into smaller rocks.
Then as heaving occurred as another natural part of freeze/thaw these boulders raised to the top of the earth. How cool is that?
Yes SKUNK. Beck and I were enjoying the fire in the pitch dark when I heard a rustling coming quickly toward us. I knew it was headed right for our camp site, so I yelled "HO!" and grabbed a flash light only to shine it on a skunk the size of a labrador. Needless to say I RAN LIKE A GIRL.
My favorite part was the Boulder Field
The field comprises about 16.5 acres, which is 0.026 square miles. The top of the boulder layer is virtually level with the approaching path. The immense weight of the boulders has compressed the underlying soil 12 feet or more.
The boulder field was created about 20,000 years ago during the most recent glacial period. My understanding is that because this was the freeze/thaw line of the glacier, when the edge of it thawed then melted the water trickled down to between cracks of the bedrock and when it froze again cracked into smaller rocks.
Then as heaving occurred as another natural part of freeze/thaw these boulders raised to the top of the earth. How cool is that?
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Monday, July 7, 2008
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Friday, July 4, 2008
stars and stripes and drops
Happy fourth of July, America.
Visit Steve's photostream and enjoy more great shots.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Clever pick up lines
- How much does a polar bear weigh? Enough to break the ice. My name is _________.- My boys over there bet that I wouldn't be able to start a conversation with the most beautiful girl in the room. Want to buy some drinks with their money?
- Excuse me. My friend over there is a little embarrassed. He'd like your phone number. He wants to know where he can get a hold of me in the morning.
via
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
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