Don't Wait

I waited too long to get to know Randy Pausch. I'd been forwarded links to his talk, The Last Lecture many times over the last 10 months or so, and watched the first few minutes before moving on. An hour and 16 minutes just seemed like a long time to focus.

I watched it Monday, in the wake of his death, as well as his presentation on Time Management, which is also a strong topic for a dying man to discuss.

Now, I never would have met Randy had I seen these earlier. I wouldn't have wanted to waste his time, for one thing. That's not the point. The point is, why did I wait? Hearing his lecture would have been useful 10 months ago.

Its amazing how many things we decide are more important than others. How many times did I spend 76 minutes watching a ballgame (on the internet, no less), or reading meaningless articles on Slate or Rotten Tomatoes? I decided Randy's lecture was too much to deal with - too hard to make time for - much like the unread books in the shelf by my desk.

Randy was not unique in the fact that he was dying, just in the fact that he had a better grasp of it. He could have died in a car accident 6 months ago, however, just like you or me. We are all dying, every day. What Randy says, among other things, and what I hope to remember, is that every day we are also living - if we so choose.

Dark Knight

The biggest movie of the year has started out with record setting box office numbers in its first day. In fact, it's midnight showing alone took in 18 million dollars.

Part of the appeal may be a choice made by its co-star, Heath Ledger, to overdose this winter. The interest in this film was already high, but with his James Dean-esque appeal, it has taken on a new glow.

No one, including him, I'm sure, would have made the choice he made knowing the consequences. Whether it was calculated, miscalculated, or in-the-moment - the choices Heath Ledger made have affected his legacy, the 2008 box-office, the Oscar race, and, hopefully, the conversations of parents with their teens.

It is the last of these, the conversations, that could truly represent the legacy of Ledger and even the Dark Knight, in the months to follow. Drugs are dangerous. Risky. Unpredictable. Success does not create invincibility. A posthumous Oscar brings no joy to the recipient.

Go ahead - go see the movie. Enjoy it for what it is - 2 1/2 hours of escapism. But don't let Ledger's choices go to waste. Have the conversation with your tween or teen. Don't wait until you experience your own dark night.

I Love Reading Amazon Reviews

Everytime I run across a new book (or new to ME), I run to Amazon to see how cheap I can buy it. The reviews are always interesting - often mostly positive, with one or two 1 or 2 star reviews. Take a look at Joel Bauer's How to Persuade People Who Don't Want to be Persuaded, for example.

It shows 11 five-star reviews, and 1 each for one, two and three stars. The lesser reviews tend to say Joel's ideas are old hat, or too narrow for wide usage. The positive reviews are all glowing and complimentary, in some cases, overly so: "So, In a nutshell if you interact with people for a living, you can?t live without this book.(sic)" by Kerwin.

This can be seen in almost any book buying page, though some books carry a little more controversy, such as The Secret, which has generated over 1700 reviews - including 865 five-star and 378 one star reviews.

Without debating the merits of either book here, I do want to point out the value of perspective. Who do I believe? One-star reviews often tend to be accusatory, short, and occasionally aggressive or mean. Five-star reviews can be a simple white-wash of the contents.

In choosing what I read or listen to in the business and self-help genre's, I ask myself one thing - do I know all I need to know on this subject yet? Even if I only get one idea, its probably worth the price of the book. Even if Mr. Know-it-all has already seen these ideas, and says they are elementary in his review, if I haven't heard them, they can still help ME. We can't all be exposed to all the ideas in the world - and not learning them because someone says we should already have learned them is ridiculous.

And then, once you've read the book - post your own opinion!

Life Begins...

Brooklyn Grace joined our family yesterday. She has 3 older sisters, and 2 older brothers - all of whom are ecstatic with her existence.

A day old, she is no longer a blank slate. She has experienced hunger, discomfort, confusion, as well as caring, caressing, breastfeeding, warmth, and communication. Every day she will experience and learn more - and I and my wife are primarily responsible for whatever goes into her brain, and fills up her slate.

What are you filling your slate with? It's not empty until you die.