Chapter four was about how precious time is, and how Randy felt it was best implemented. In his mind, time was like money, and should not be squandered on things that were less than worthwhile don't waste time on telephone recordings, and plans are a good thing. They can always be changed if need be; provided you have one. Delegation is also important. Know how and when to share the work. Time is saved by all in this manner.
Randy felt that the best way to spend time was to enable the dreams of others. His crowning acheivments, in his mind, were the dreams he enabled. Tommy Burnett got to work on the last three Star Wars movies, hundreds of students have benefited from the courses and programs he helped to develop. He brought an entire college together with a single class (BVW) and his Entertainment Technology Center has gone world wide. The really cool thing to me is that Travis has worked with another of his programs, Alice, and was surprised when he discovered I was learning about one of the people who helped develop it.
While short, this chapter was interesting. It showed the large-scale impact that one person can have on the world, and that maybe we aren't as small as we thought.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
The Last Lecture Chapter 3 Response
Chapter 3 began with how Randy and Jai found out that Randy had cancer, and exactly how serious his condition was. He discovered in 2006 that he had cancer and quickly learned as much as he possibly could about it. The doctors were initially optimistic thinking that he could be saved. After performing the "Whipple Treatment" they thought they were successful. However, in August of 2007, Randy came out of remission. Here, we really got to see what kind of man Randy was because shortly after counting his own tumors, all he could think about was why there weren't any tissues in the room. Then, a short while after receiving the news, a coworker saw Randy driving his convertible and was shocked to see how happy Randy seemed. Randy knew that moping and feeling sorry for himself would get him no where, he needed to really live what time he had left; not squander it with "what if"s.
Randy then, in an effort to make himself seem less a saint, went on to describe his less meritorious days back in college. Apparently, he can be arrogant and is quite capable of offending anyone he meets. He was comfortable in this fact until Andy van Dam, a professor from college, pointed it out to him in the nicest yet most cutting words Randy had ever experienced.
Next we discover that Randy's neice and nephew speant a lot of time with him as children. They went on trips and did other fun things together. But the major memory Randy chose to share was when he took the kids out in his new red convertible. His sister (their mother) made it very clear to them that they had to be careful not to make a mess in his new car. To teach the children a lesson and make them feel more comfortable about getting in the car, Randy proceeded to dump soda all over his back seat. He wanted the kids to know that people come before possessions. This turned out to be a good thing, because his nephew did not feel as terrible when he threw up in the back seat.
Upon discovering his condition, and realizing that this meant he would not be there to raise his children, Randy asked his neice and nephew who are now adults, to take them out from time to time. He wanted them to spend the kind of time with his children that he speant with them; and to allow some accidents because afterall, they were children too once.
Then came his biggest brick wall ever; Jai. In his younger years, Randy was a very content bachelor and wound up getting himself a reputation for being a bit of a player. Then he traveled to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to give a lecture on virtual reality technology. There he met Jai who was to be his host while at the college. He immediately liked her. Jai turned out to be as skittish as a colt; having just left one relationship she was not enthusiastic about taking more chances.
But, Randy won. After seeing each other for a little while and getting her to move to Pittsburgh (a true challenge) they wound up getting married. Their wedding was an event of course. After the ceremony, they departed in an air balloon and wound up nearly getting hit by a train when they landed.
Apparently, Jai had a thing for being tumultuous, because early in their marriage, she accidentally backed into Randy's car while he was at work. She was so worried that he would be upset that she arranged the perfect evening to come home to, and then broke it to him. To her surprise, he was not angry. He looked at the damage, they decided both cars would still run, and Randy declined the idea of fixing the dents. If the cars weren't broken, why fix them? Not everything has to be shiny and new. For a short time, Jai didn't understand this. But later, the dented cars came to be a symbol of that to them.
Here, I was reminded of life with my fiance. Travis finds it amazing, since we've been together, a wide variety of things household related items have wound up breaking, and he's learned that I am quite accident prone. The list of broken items includes two doors (I swear,the first one was not my fault, it fell on me! I did not break this one!), a window (that one was my fault), a shower rod, and a handheld mixer as well as several pans. My accidents on the first day of visiting him alone include getting a bloody nose within 10 minutes of arriving, being stung in the shoulder by a wasp, and being bitten between my toes by a fire ant. This was all in the same 45 minute period. And last night, he learned that I can twist my ankle stepping down no more than 10 inches (I fell, made lots of noise, and blushed like you wouldn't believe). But somehow knowing I'm not the only one makes me feel better.
Then came New Years, and with it the birth of their first son. Jai went into labor, but there were complications that put both she and the baby in danger; and she had to have an emergency c-section. Dylan was born pissed off; a very good sign. He stayed in ICU, and was later released to go home. They learned that keeping your head, even when you want to break down, can be the difference between a good turnout and a disaster.
This reminded me of my youngest brother, Robert (Bear for short, thank you.) Bear and Marian (his twin, my youngest sister) were born November 26th, 2000. While in the birth hospital, both were given formula that was on recall and Bear wound up with a bad infection. Robert was home for only a day or two before he was being airlifted to Buffalo with a high fever and the beginning of what has been a nightmare for the family. The fever was inducing seizures. Unfortunately, they were not diagnosed for almost a year. I can not begin to describe for you the horror of his screams after an attack. No child should ever have to make those sounds. My mother figured out what they were, and even what his diagnosis was, on her own. Unfortunately, none of the doctors would listen to her, and it cost my brother dearly. It took a seizure in the office of his pediatrician during one of his routine checkups to get the doctors to listen. My brother had Wests Syndrome. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_syndrome Due to how late he was diagnosed and a relapse when he was around 2 years old, the seizures did a considerable amount of damage. He and Marian are 8 now. Marian is in third grade, and the most bright, talkative, energetic child you will ever meet. Last year, she was awarded a medal in school for passing her elder sister Marcia's high score for how many books she had read. Bear on the otherhand, made a rather large acheivement himself. For my father's birthday, he stood on his own and took two steps unsupported. It's the first time any of us have seen him walk without assistance. We're still working on getting him to take normal food again, but the feeding tubes from the hospital made it so bottles are the only thing he's comfortable with. He communicates without words, and spends a lot of time in a tripod position. The contrast between them tore my mother to pieces, but she still held strong and tried to get her child the care he needed. Were it not for her and her ability to keep her head, who knows what Bear would be like now.
While at his mother's home going through his father's things shortly after he passed, Randy made a discovery. His father had been awarded a the bronze star in WWII for valor. Randy asked his mother why he didn't know about this, and she replied that she didn't know about it. Throughout their marriage, it had never come up. Randy learned that humility was a virtue, and his father had it in excess.
The final lesson of this chapter was that Randy learned that his diagnosis had in fact, enriched their year. If he hadn't been diagnosed with cancer, they wouldn't have done half the things or had half the fun they did. Always keep things in a bright light.
Randy then, in an effort to make himself seem less a saint, went on to describe his less meritorious days back in college. Apparently, he can be arrogant and is quite capable of offending anyone he meets. He was comfortable in this fact until Andy van Dam, a professor from college, pointed it out to him in the nicest yet most cutting words Randy had ever experienced.
Next we discover that Randy's neice and nephew speant a lot of time with him as children. They went on trips and did other fun things together. But the major memory Randy chose to share was when he took the kids out in his new red convertible. His sister (their mother) made it very clear to them that they had to be careful not to make a mess in his new car. To teach the children a lesson and make them feel more comfortable about getting in the car, Randy proceeded to dump soda all over his back seat. He wanted the kids to know that people come before possessions. This turned out to be a good thing, because his nephew did not feel as terrible when he threw up in the back seat.
Upon discovering his condition, and realizing that this meant he would not be there to raise his children, Randy asked his neice and nephew who are now adults, to take them out from time to time. He wanted them to spend the kind of time with his children that he speant with them; and to allow some accidents because afterall, they were children too once.
Then came his biggest brick wall ever; Jai. In his younger years, Randy was a very content bachelor and wound up getting himself a reputation for being a bit of a player. Then he traveled to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to give a lecture on virtual reality technology. There he met Jai who was to be his host while at the college. He immediately liked her. Jai turned out to be as skittish as a colt; having just left one relationship she was not enthusiastic about taking more chances.
But, Randy won. After seeing each other for a little while and getting her to move to Pittsburgh (a true challenge) they wound up getting married. Their wedding was an event of course. After the ceremony, they departed in an air balloon and wound up nearly getting hit by a train when they landed.
Apparently, Jai had a thing for being tumultuous, because early in their marriage, she accidentally backed into Randy's car while he was at work. She was so worried that he would be upset that she arranged the perfect evening to come home to, and then broke it to him. To her surprise, he was not angry. He looked at the damage, they decided both cars would still run, and Randy declined the idea of fixing the dents. If the cars weren't broken, why fix them? Not everything has to be shiny and new. For a short time, Jai didn't understand this. But later, the dented cars came to be a symbol of that to them.
Here, I was reminded of life with my fiance. Travis finds it amazing, since we've been together, a wide variety of things household related items have wound up breaking, and he's learned that I am quite accident prone. The list of broken items includes two doors (I swear,the first one was not my fault, it fell on me! I did not break this one!), a window (that one was my fault), a shower rod, and a handheld mixer as well as several pans. My accidents on the first day of visiting him alone include getting a bloody nose within 10 minutes of arriving, being stung in the shoulder by a wasp, and being bitten between my toes by a fire ant. This was all in the same 45 minute period. And last night, he learned that I can twist my ankle stepping down no more than 10 inches (I fell, made lots of noise, and blushed like you wouldn't believe). But somehow knowing I'm not the only one makes me feel better.
Then came New Years, and with it the birth of their first son. Jai went into labor, but there were complications that put both she and the baby in danger; and she had to have an emergency c-section. Dylan was born pissed off; a very good sign. He stayed in ICU, and was later released to go home. They learned that keeping your head, even when you want to break down, can be the difference between a good turnout and a disaster.
This reminded me of my youngest brother, Robert (Bear for short, thank you.) Bear and Marian (his twin, my youngest sister) were born November 26th, 2000. While in the birth hospital, both were given formula that was on recall and Bear wound up with a bad infection. Robert was home for only a day or two before he was being airlifted to Buffalo with a high fever and the beginning of what has been a nightmare for the family. The fever was inducing seizures. Unfortunately, they were not diagnosed for almost a year. I can not begin to describe for you the horror of his screams after an attack. No child should ever have to make those sounds. My mother figured out what they were, and even what his diagnosis was, on her own. Unfortunately, none of the doctors would listen to her, and it cost my brother dearly. It took a seizure in the office of his pediatrician during one of his routine checkups to get the doctors to listen. My brother had Wests Syndrome. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_syndrome Due to how late he was diagnosed and a relapse when he was around 2 years old, the seizures did a considerable amount of damage. He and Marian are 8 now. Marian is in third grade, and the most bright, talkative, energetic child you will ever meet. Last year, she was awarded a medal in school for passing her elder sister Marcia's high score for how many books she had read. Bear on the otherhand, made a rather large acheivement himself. For my father's birthday, he stood on his own and took two steps unsupported. It's the first time any of us have seen him walk without assistance. We're still working on getting him to take normal food again, but the feeding tubes from the hospital made it so bottles are the only thing he's comfortable with. He communicates without words, and spends a lot of time in a tripod position. The contrast between them tore my mother to pieces, but she still held strong and tried to get her child the care he needed. Were it not for her and her ability to keep her head, who knows what Bear would be like now.
While at his mother's home going through his father's things shortly after he passed, Randy made a discovery. His father had been awarded a the bronze star in WWII for valor. Randy asked his mother why he didn't know about this, and she replied that she didn't know about it. Throughout their marriage, it had never come up. Randy learned that humility was a virtue, and his father had it in excess.
The final lesson of this chapter was that Randy learned that his diagnosis had in fact, enriched their year. If he hadn't been diagnosed with cancer, they wouldn't have done half the things or had half the fun they did. Always keep things in a bright light.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Last Lecture Response 1
Chapter One began with Randy discussing the preparations he and his family had made for their life after his departure, and how he had finally decided to do (and received the okay for) his Last Lecture.
Initially, the chapter depicts a meeting with their therapist where Randy and Jai (his wife) are trying to decide whether or not Randy is going to do the lecture. Jai obviously has qualms with the idea, given the short time they have left together and the large amout of time the preparation would take. Also, the Lecture would mean that she would spend her last birthday with Randy alone; a scary concept given the years to come.
I really connected with Jai here; with more than one expirience. I must admit, I had a hard time not crying through this segment. A couple years ago, my father was diagnosed with COPD, and was told that he only had at most six years left. I was still in highschool when I heard this. All of a sudden I got hit with all of the things my father would probably never get to do. My mother had just given birth to my youngest siblings Robert and Marian; would he get to see them graduate? Would he be able to teach them all the things he had shown me as I was growing up? What about we the older children? Would he ever see any of his girls become brides? How about teach his son how to drive? It was scary, and a lot to take in at once. Soon after, my eldest sister offered to let me go live with her in Boston; my original home. It's something I had wanted since I moved to New York; I wanted to go home. I chose to stay in New York to stay closer to my father. Knowing how little time he had, I didn't want to leave and then regret not having that time with him. Even now, my boyfriend (fiance to be) and I decided that rather than travel to get married, we are staying local so my father can see at least one of his little girls is taken care of.
My boyfriend is my other connection with Jai. From September 27th (my 18th birthday) to January 24th, he was away more than he was around. He would be home for a short time, and then gone for a far longer one (the most extreme example being home for an hour, then gone for 2 1/5 months) When he was home, I didn't want to share his time with anyone. The idea of how much it was going to hurt when he left again was indescribable. When during my mid-day astronomy class I received a call that he was on his way, and he didn't have long I hung up the phone, grabbed my things, and simply left class. I walked into the office and signed myself out, then walked off of school grounds to wait for him. I was with him for an hour, then he was gone. I hurt bad enough that when my best friend's brother/my tae kwon do instructor/ one of my best friends (all the same person) made a comment of happiness that he was gone, I started hitting him as hard as I could anywhere I could and did not stop until my friend pulled me off of him. He was thankful for that which made me want to curl up and not come out till my boyfriend came back. He and I have not spoken since. I was only losing my boyfriend temporarily, even if it was going to be a long time; he'd be back. I can only imagine how much agony the idea of losing time with Randy must have been.
But Randy also had several points; he needed to make his mark and he needed to leave a message for his children. In that context, Jai consented to Randy giving the lecture.
Again, I made connections here. The main connection I made was when I damaged my knee in 9th grade. My at the time friend (now fiance) and I had been sparring, and he had wound up tripping and landed full weight on my knee. My kneecap slid out of its tracks and never went back in correctly due to my musclular structure, a problem commonly known as Runner's Knee. Unfortunately, I couldn't take it to a doctor given the lack of transportation and time. That same week my gym teacher started the track unit and did not want to hear that I could barely bend my knee much less run. So, he pushed me hard. It looked like I was going to avoid any further damage until during the mile run when my knee gave out beneath me. I was taken to the nurse and spent three months in physical therapy only to be told there was nothing to be done. I could no longer participate in competitive sports; something I dearly loved. Then my best friend's brother offered to teach me Tae Kwon Do. Given that it mainly focuses on the legs, it may help improve my muscle strength. My parents were both very against it because neither wanted me to injure my knee further. I had to do it. It's funny, at both of my belt tests I was honored by the heads of the Quiet Society for being not only competent and willing to learn, but unwilling to accept 'oops' as an excuse. If I messed up, I got mad. When I left the society, I had just received my Green Belt and was supposed to be going to the first competition that the society had competed in for many years. Even wounded, I had to shine.
In the next section, Randy had to come up with his topic; he knew he did not want the lecture to be about his death, but rather about his life and what made him unique. In the end he decided to give his lecture about his childhood dreams.
For the lecture, Randy did not wear the standard attire. Instead, he opted to wear his imagineer shirt; a blatant symbol of one of his numerous accomplishments.
(To be continued)
Initially, the chapter depicts a meeting with their therapist where Randy and Jai (his wife) are trying to decide whether or not Randy is going to do the lecture. Jai obviously has qualms with the idea, given the short time they have left together and the large amout of time the preparation would take. Also, the Lecture would mean that she would spend her last birthday with Randy alone; a scary concept given the years to come.
I really connected with Jai here; with more than one expirience. I must admit, I had a hard time not crying through this segment. A couple years ago, my father was diagnosed with COPD, and was told that he only had at most six years left. I was still in highschool when I heard this. All of a sudden I got hit with all of the things my father would probably never get to do. My mother had just given birth to my youngest siblings Robert and Marian; would he get to see them graduate? Would he be able to teach them all the things he had shown me as I was growing up? What about we the older children? Would he ever see any of his girls become brides? How about teach his son how to drive? It was scary, and a lot to take in at once. Soon after, my eldest sister offered to let me go live with her in Boston; my original home. It's something I had wanted since I moved to New York; I wanted to go home. I chose to stay in New York to stay closer to my father. Knowing how little time he had, I didn't want to leave and then regret not having that time with him. Even now, my boyfriend (fiance to be) and I decided that rather than travel to get married, we are staying local so my father can see at least one of his little girls is taken care of.
My boyfriend is my other connection with Jai. From September 27th (my 18th birthday) to January 24th, he was away more than he was around. He would be home for a short time, and then gone for a far longer one (the most extreme example being home for an hour, then gone for 2 1/5 months) When he was home, I didn't want to share his time with anyone. The idea of how much it was going to hurt when he left again was indescribable. When during my mid-day astronomy class I received a call that he was on his way, and he didn't have long I hung up the phone, grabbed my things, and simply left class. I walked into the office and signed myself out, then walked off of school grounds to wait for him. I was with him for an hour, then he was gone. I hurt bad enough that when my best friend's brother/my tae kwon do instructor/ one of my best friends (all the same person) made a comment of happiness that he was gone, I started hitting him as hard as I could anywhere I could and did not stop until my friend pulled me off of him. He was thankful for that which made me want to curl up and not come out till my boyfriend came back. He and I have not spoken since. I was only losing my boyfriend temporarily, even if it was going to be a long time; he'd be back. I can only imagine how much agony the idea of losing time with Randy must have been.
But Randy also had several points; he needed to make his mark and he needed to leave a message for his children. In that context, Jai consented to Randy giving the lecture.
Again, I made connections here. The main connection I made was when I damaged my knee in 9th grade. My at the time friend (now fiance) and I had been sparring, and he had wound up tripping and landed full weight on my knee. My kneecap slid out of its tracks and never went back in correctly due to my musclular structure, a problem commonly known as Runner's Knee. Unfortunately, I couldn't take it to a doctor given the lack of transportation and time. That same week my gym teacher started the track unit and did not want to hear that I could barely bend my knee much less run. So, he pushed me hard. It looked like I was going to avoid any further damage until during the mile run when my knee gave out beneath me. I was taken to the nurse and spent three months in physical therapy only to be told there was nothing to be done. I could no longer participate in competitive sports; something I dearly loved. Then my best friend's brother offered to teach me Tae Kwon Do. Given that it mainly focuses on the legs, it may help improve my muscle strength. My parents were both very against it because neither wanted me to injure my knee further. I had to do it. It's funny, at both of my belt tests I was honored by the heads of the Quiet Society for being not only competent and willing to learn, but unwilling to accept 'oops' as an excuse. If I messed up, I got mad. When I left the society, I had just received my Green Belt and was supposed to be going to the first competition that the society had competed in for many years. Even wounded, I had to shine.
In the next section, Randy had to come up with his topic; he knew he did not want the lecture to be about his death, but rather about his life and what made him unique. In the end he decided to give his lecture about his childhood dreams.
For the lecture, Randy did not wear the standard attire. Instead, he opted to wear his imagineer shirt; a blatant symbol of one of his numerous accomplishments.
(To be continued)
Thursday, December 4, 2008
On Course Chapter 5 Summary
Chapter Five centered mainly around interaction with people and the level of maturity displayed by each variety.
Basically, there are four varieties: Dependency, Codependency, Independency and Interdependence. When you are dependent, you believe you cannot acheive your goals without the assistance of others. Codependent people tend to put the needs and goals of others before their own. Independent people prefer to work alone; thereby assuring that their own needs and goals are met. Interdependent people work in groups to ensure that the goals of all are met. As a person progresses from one to the next, they become more mature. Dependent people are at the lowest rank of maturity, while interdependent people are the most mature.
I had to disagree with this. Yes, those who are dependent on others are are far less mature than those who do not. But, when it comes to whether independent or interdependent people are more mature; it is a matter of personal preferance. Not all independent people are incapable of working with others, many of us simply choose not to. I would much rather be responsible for myself rather than have to depend on someone else to be responsible for even part of my grade. Why should I be graded based on someone else's work? It's like asking a peer to review my work; if they have errors on their work, how can I possibly expect them to catch the ones in mine? Or if they are unfamiliar with how I think, how can they hope to correctly interpret what I have written into what I meant to write? I have my 'editor' who knows me and how I think, and he does an excellent job of aiding me in turning what I write into what it's meant to be. I personally see no need for 'class feed-back'.
Yes, the ability to work in a group is essential, but it is not required that a student find this to be the best manner in which to get through school.
Chapter Five also explained the importance of active listening and effective communication. The sum of it all was that a person must listen to understand; not to merely look for a chance to insert their own opinion and they must be assertive in communication, but avoid arrogance.
All things considered, I feel this chapter was at least somewhat beneficial, if only people could get past their bias towards herd-mentality.
Basically, there are four varieties: Dependency, Codependency, Independency and Interdependence. When you are dependent, you believe you cannot acheive your goals without the assistance of others. Codependent people tend to put the needs and goals of others before their own. Independent people prefer to work alone; thereby assuring that their own needs and goals are met. Interdependent people work in groups to ensure that the goals of all are met. As a person progresses from one to the next, they become more mature. Dependent people are at the lowest rank of maturity, while interdependent people are the most mature.
I had to disagree with this. Yes, those who are dependent on others are are far less mature than those who do not. But, when it comes to whether independent or interdependent people are more mature; it is a matter of personal preferance. Not all independent people are incapable of working with others, many of us simply choose not to. I would much rather be responsible for myself rather than have to depend on someone else to be responsible for even part of my grade. Why should I be graded based on someone else's work? It's like asking a peer to review my work; if they have errors on their work, how can I possibly expect them to catch the ones in mine? Or if they are unfamiliar with how I think, how can they hope to correctly interpret what I have written into what I meant to write? I have my 'editor' who knows me and how I think, and he does an excellent job of aiding me in turning what I write into what it's meant to be. I personally see no need for 'class feed-back'.
Yes, the ability to work in a group is essential, but it is not required that a student find this to be the best manner in which to get through school.
Chapter Five also explained the importance of active listening and effective communication. The sum of it all was that a person must listen to understand; not to merely look for a chance to insert their own opinion and they must be assertive in communication, but avoid arrogance.
All things considered, I feel this chapter was at least somewhat beneficial, if only people could get past their bias towards herd-mentality.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
