Randy Pausch

I was sad to hear that Randy Pausch passed away today. He died of pancreatic cancer, the same type of cancer that took my dad's life nearly two years ago. Pancreatic cancer is a beast. It took less than 9 months from the first sign of symptoms for my father to lose over 100 pounds and become an empty shell of the man he was. I still get numb when I think of the devastatingly quick and vicious way it consumed my dad.

I read Randy Pausch's The Last Lecture on my way to the April 2008 RKC. It was given to me by my mother for my birthday, as my birthday fell on the Sunday the Cert. ended. It's a great little book that can be burned through in a matter of hours, and there is a lot of useful wisdom which is amplified by the fact that it is being told to you by a man that has months to live. It kind of gives you no excuses to bitch about stupid stuff and the direction to focus on the positive aspects of your life.

Thank you Dr. Pausch for reminding me that, "Brick walls are there for a reason. They let us prove how badly we want things." My prayers are with your family and all families suffering from the loss of a loved one.