Comments on: Randy Pausch, 1960-2008 http://eppsnet.com/2008/07/randy-pausch-1960-2008 Online journal based in Orange County, CA. Hilarious anecdotes tempered by the icy chill of certain death. Tue, 16 Mar 2010 20:31:30 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Dem http://eppsnet.com/2008/07/randy-pausch-1960-2008/comment-page-1#comment-330246 Dem Fri, 10 Apr 2009 19:18:29 +0000 http://eppsnet.com/?p=1534#comment-330246 HW, you have the right to your own interpretation and opinions. They are all yours, processed through the prism of your own life experience/s, character, ethics and moral frame. It is obvious that the way you interpreted Pausch's pabulum in his lecture and book came from your cynical mind. To this, one of the commentators [MS] said better than I'd have said myself: >>What he had to say was not unique, original or even unconventional wisdom, but it was still wisdom. It was what most people need to be reminded of from time to time as much as they need to be reminded of common sense.>> What bothered me in your comments though is the fact that you sliced out sentences from the quoted article in The Wall Street Journal, leaving out the thick of the content. Thus your statement that Jai is a "famously" (why famously? she's not a celeb) self-absorbed woman, leaving out Randy's own comments about his wife (her pure, total devotion to him and the family). And you know what? She was right. I would be fiercely protective of my beloved spouse, in a similar situation. You left out the fact that Jai and her husband had decided to live a normal life in whatever time was left, and tried to behave like two normal people who might leave a dish on the table. No one is perfect and neither is any member of the Pausch family. Respects. HW, you have the right to your own interpretation and opinions. They are all yours, processed through the prism of your own life experience/s, character, ethics and moral frame. It is obvious that the way you interpreted Pausch’s pabulum in his lecture and book came from your cynical mind. To this, one of the commentators [MS] said better than I’d have said myself:

>>What he had to say was not unique, original or even unconventional wisdom, but it was still wisdom. It was what most people need to be reminded of from time to time as much as they need to be reminded of common sense.>>

What bothered me in your comments though is the fact that you sliced out sentences from the quoted article in The Wall Street Journal, leaving out the thick of the content. Thus your statement that Jai is a “famously” (why famously? she’s not a celeb) self-absorbed woman, leaving out Randy’s own comments about his wife (her pure, total devotion to him and the family). And you know what? She was right. I would be fiercely protective of my beloved spouse, in a similar situation.

You left out the fact that Jai and her husband had decided to live a normal life in whatever time was left, and tried to behave like two normal people who might leave a dish on the table.

No one is perfect and neither is any member of the Pausch family.
Respects.

Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0

]]> By: Dee http://eppsnet.com/2008/07/randy-pausch-1960-2008/comment-page-1#comment-329722 Dee Sun, 15 Mar 2009 16:46:46 +0000 http://eppsnet.com/?p=1534#comment-329722 I think those are extremely harsh statements to have made about Jai. You have no right to call her self absorbed,Its easy to look at a person whos going through such pain,from the outside and make comments about them. Get a life! I think those are extremely harsh statements to have made about Jai.
You have no right to call her self absorbed,Its easy to look at a person whos going through such pain,from the outside and make comments about them.
Get a life!

Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0

]]> By: Kay http://eppsnet.com/2008/07/randy-pausch-1960-2008/comment-page-1#comment-329013 Kay Tue, 27 Jan 2009 01:39:57 +0000 http://eppsnet.com/?p=1534#comment-329013 HW- You are way too harsh on Jai. My husband was 48 (and very fit and youthful looking) when he was diagnosed with cancer, and our three kids were 6 and under (the youngest was not even a year old). Trying to survive the horrors of cancer treatment, AND do all the daily "normal" stuff with the kids (who didn't know until the morning of my husband's surgery that anything was wrong with daddy) was a nightmare in every way. In fact, I don't think any of you out there can imagine just what a horror it was unless you have lived through cancer as a young adult in the prime of your life. You THINK you know what a nightmare it is, but you have no idea just how bad it is. All I wanted to do was lie in bed with the covers over my head, but the show must go on - someone had to make breakfast, tie all the shoes, buy the diapers, do the housecleaning, and cope with all the normal living stuff, which is hard enough when you have a healthy spouse. Keeping on top of the tests, the doctors, the endless research on new treatments, and trying desperately to keep my husband's emotional health together on top of everything else was overwhelming. I can understand a dirty dish literally pushing you over the edge. It's not the dish, it's that the dish represents ONE MORE THING that you have to deal with, and you are dealing with more than you can handle at the moment. Any of you out there with three kids under the age of 10? It is stressful. Add a terminally ill husband who you love dearly and can't imagine living without, and it is a miracle this woman is still standing in one piece, especially with the glare of publicity now on her. Unlike poor Randy, my husband survived and is alive and well, though no one except the two of us know what permanent emotional damage cancer has done to both of us. The small scar on his body is nothing compared to the personal hell we lived for a year. Had Randy lived, I am positive that the small irritant of the "dirty dish" would have still been irritating to Jai - (as it still is to me) but also a reminder that Randy was still around to irritate her in that small harmless way. Jai will miss the inconvenience - if she doesn't already. As for the book, I finished it today, and while I have to agree that this book would not be a bestseller but for Randy's terminal illness, it is worth reading. It certainly makes you think about your priorities in life, and about prioritizing time. As I tell my family - yesterday is history, tomorrow a mystery, but today is a gift. HW- You are way too harsh on Jai. My husband was 48 (and very fit and youthful looking) when he was diagnosed with cancer, and our three kids were 6 and under (the youngest was not even a year old). Trying to survive the horrors of cancer treatment, AND do all the daily “normal” stuff with the kids (who didn’t know until the morning of my husband’s surgery that anything was wrong with daddy) was a nightmare in every way. In fact, I don’t think any of you out there can imagine just what a horror it was unless you have lived through cancer as a young adult in the prime of your life. You THINK you know what a nightmare it is, but you have no idea just how bad it is. All I wanted to do was lie in bed with the covers over my head, but the show must go on – someone had to make breakfast, tie all the shoes, buy the diapers, do the housecleaning, and cope with all the normal living stuff, which is hard enough when you have a healthy spouse. Keeping on top of the tests, the doctors, the endless research on new treatments, and trying desperately to keep my husband’s emotional health together on top of everything else was overwhelming. I can understand a dirty dish literally pushing you over the edge. It’s not the dish, it’s that the dish represents ONE MORE THING that you have to deal with, and you are dealing with more than you can handle at the moment. Any of you out there with three kids under the age of 10? It is stressful. Add a terminally ill husband who you love dearly and can’t imagine living without, and it is a miracle this woman is still standing in one piece, especially with the glare of publicity now on her.

Unlike poor Randy, my husband survived and is alive and well, though no one except the two of us know what permanent emotional damage cancer has done to both of us. The small scar on his body is nothing compared to the personal hell we lived for a year. Had Randy lived, I am positive that the small irritant of the “dirty dish” would have still been irritating to Jai – (as it still is to me) but also a reminder that Randy was still around to irritate her in that small harmless way.

Jai will miss the inconvenience – if she doesn’t already.

As for the book, I finished it today, and while I have to agree that this book would not be a bestseller but for Randy’s terminal illness, it is worth reading. It certainly makes you think about your priorities in life, and about prioritizing time. As I tell my family – yesterday is history, tomorrow a mystery, but today is a gift.

Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0

]]> By: Name http://eppsnet.com/2008/07/randy-pausch-1960-2008/comment-page-1#comment-328793 Name Sat, 17 Jan 2009 19:32:29 +0000 http://eppsnet.com/?p=1534#comment-328793 Perhaps Jai was writing about the annoying aspects of Randy to help her cope with the fact she was losing a her best freind, her husband, her lover. Good luck with your son, family, freinds and community. Perhaps Jai was writing about the annoying aspects of Randy to help her cope with the fact she was losing a her best freind, her husband, her lover. Good luck with your son, family, freinds and community.

Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0

]]> By: MS http://eppsnet.com/2008/07/randy-pausch-1960-2008/comment-page-1#comment-319963 MS Tue, 05 Aug 2008 04:24:39 +0000 http://eppsnet.com/?p=1534#comment-319963 oops, I mean ">", not ? Doh. oops, I mean “>”, not ?

Doh.

Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0

]]> By: MS http://eppsnet.com/2008/07/randy-pausch-1960-2008/comment-page-1#comment-319962 MS Tue, 05 Aug 2008 04:23:18 +0000 http://eppsnet.com/?p=1534#comment-319962 To HW-<blockquote><i>Wouldn’t you write down things you cherish if you knew you were going to lose someone?</i></p?</blockquote> No, I don't think I would. I don't. I already know I am going to lose everyone eventually, and I don't write about what I cherish, I write about what frustrates me. I do, however, take a lot of pictures to help me remember things I cherish. A picture is worth a thousand words, right? Maybe I'm being lazy, or am I being efficient? <blockquote><i>My wife would totally do that, but I bet there are some women would use the journal to record things they cherish about their terminally ill husbands.</i></blockquote>Still doubtful. The very idea may be the male equivalent of the female fantasy of the "perfect" wedding or the "magical" wedding anniversary. Besides, when people write in a journal, they write about themselves and what they're feeling. I would imagine the spouse of a terminally ill person with two small children would be overwhelmed nearly all the time, knowing they will soon be shouldering all the responsibilities of a household alone sooner rather than later. Maybe the positive thoughts aren't as plentiful as the negative ones. It's the terminally ill people who write about what they cherish, as if the act of writing it makes them more permanent than they are. To PE-<blockquote><i>HW is right — parents keep photo albums and scrapbooks and things of their kids instead of writing in journals about how annoying they are …</i></blockquote>That's a bit of a non sequitur, but I'll pretend I didn't see it. The parent/child relationship is significantly different than the spousal relationship, at least at the ages we're discussing don't you think? To HW-
Wouldn’t you write down things you cherish if you knew you were going to lose someone?</p?

No, I don’t think I would. I don’t. I already know I am going to lose everyone eventually, and I don’t write about what I cherish, I write about what frustrates me. I do, however, take a lot of pictures to help me remember things I cherish. A picture is worth a thousand words, right? Maybe I’m being lazy, or am I being efficient?

My wife would totally do that, but I bet there are some women would use the journal to record things they cherish about their terminally ill husbands.

Still doubtful. The very idea may be the male equivalent of the female fantasy of the “perfect” wedding or the “magical” wedding anniversary. Besides, when people write in a journal, they write about themselves and what they’re feeling. I would imagine the spouse of a terminally ill person with two small children would be overwhelmed nearly all the time, knowing they will soon be shouldering all the responsibilities of a household alone sooner rather than later. Maybe the positive thoughts aren’t as plentiful as the negative ones. It’s the terminally ill people who write about what they cherish, as if the act of writing it makes them more permanent than they are.

To PE-

HW is right — parents keep photo albums and scrapbooks and things of their kids instead of writing in journals about how annoying they are …

That’s a bit of a non sequitur, but I’ll pretend I didn’t see it. The parent/child relationship is significantly different than the spousal relationship, at least at the ages we’re discussing don’t you think?

Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0

]]> By: PE http://eppsnet.com/2008/07/randy-pausch-1960-2008/comment-page-1#comment-319693 PE Thu, 31 Jul 2008 15:23:13 +0000 http://eppsnet.com/?p=1534#comment-319693 HW is right -- parents keep photo albums and scrapbooks and things of their kids instead of writing in journals about how annoying they are ... not that kids aren't annoying -- they certainly are -- but they're gone before you know it and you want to remember the good stuff. HW is right — parents keep photo albums and scrapbooks and things of their kids instead of writing in journals about how annoying they are … not that kids aren’t annoying — they certainly are — but they’re gone before you know it and you want to remember the good stuff.

Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0

]]> By: Hostile Witness http://eppsnet.com/2008/07/randy-pausch-1960-2008/comment-page-1#comment-319668 Hostile Witness Thu, 31 Jul 2008 07:08:32 +0000 http://eppsnet.com/?p=1534#comment-319668 Hi MS -- <blockquote> <em>No one I know would write about how much they cherish someone in their journal unless they were wishful of a situation they weren't in ...</em> </blockquote> Wouldn't you write down things you cherish if you knew you were going to lose someone? My friend PE told me one time that he writes down things about his son because as the boy grows up he feels like he's losing him a little bit every day and he doesn't want to forget anything. <blockquote> <em>I think most people write to get their frustrations out, especially "Hostile" frustrations. </em> </blockquote> OK, you got me there. Hi MS –

No one I know would write about how much they cherish someone in their journal unless they were wishful of a situation they weren’t in …

Wouldn’t you write down things you cherish if you knew you were going to lose someone? My friend PE told me one time that he writes down things about his son because as the boy grows up he feels like he’s losing him a little bit every day and he doesn’t want to forget anything.

I think most people write to get their frustrations out, especially “Hostile” frustrations.

OK, you got me there.

Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0

]]> By: MS http://eppsnet.com/2008/07/randy-pausch-1960-2008/comment-page-1#comment-319643 MS Thu, 31 Jul 2008 01:36:23 +0000 http://eppsnet.com/?p=1534#comment-319643 The cancer brought his speech to the attention of more people than it would have done otherwise, yes. What he had to say was not unique, original or even unconventional wisdom, but it was still wisdom. It was what most people need to be reminded of from time to time as much as they need to be reminded of common sense. I haven't read the book, but I have seen the full lecture, and I imagine the book would pale in comparison. It was the combination of his situation and his enthusiasm during the delivery of the lecture that made it the sensation that it became. I imagine the wife's journal entry was more about her overall frustration than the dish. No one I know would write about how much they cherish someone in their journal unless they were wishful of a situation they weren't in, like a pre-teen writing about their crush on Donny Osmond. I think most people write to get their frustrations out, especially "Hostile" frustrations. Maybe your mom sent it to your son knowing he wouldn't read it and you would? Pretty sneaky, sis. The cancer brought his speech to the attention of more people than it would have done otherwise, yes. What he had to say was not unique, original or even unconventional wisdom, but it was still wisdom. It was what most people need to be reminded of from time to time as much as they need to be reminded of common sense. I haven’t read the book, but I have seen the full lecture, and I imagine the book would pale in comparison. It was the combination of his situation and his enthusiasm during the delivery of the lecture that made it the sensation that it became.

I imagine the wife’s journal entry was more about her overall frustration than the dish. No one I know would write about how much they cherish someone in their journal unless they were wishful of a situation they weren’t in, like a pre-teen writing about their crush on Donny Osmond. I think most people write to get their frustrations out, especially “Hostile” frustrations.

Maybe your mom sent it to your son knowing he wouldn’t read it and you would? Pretty sneaky, sis.

Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0

]]> By: Anti Hostile WItness http://eppsnet.com/2008/07/randy-pausch-1960-2008/comment-page-1#comment-319461 Anti Hostile WItness Sun, 27 Jul 2008 19:53:24 +0000 http://eppsnet.com/?p=1534#comment-319461 Every ray of sunshine needs it's cloud.....you are that cloud on this obvious ray of sunshine we all need, no matter what kind of inane drivel you think it is. Every ray of sunshine needs it’s cloud…..you are that cloud on this obvious ray of sunshine we all need, no matter what kind of inane drivel you think it is.

Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0

]]>