Randy Pausch Dies
Randy Pausch — Life Teacher - TIME
There were times I couldn't bear to watch. But then there were others when his exuberance — physical and spiritual — made it easy to convince myself it would never happen, and so I would call up Randy Pausch's Last Lecture on YouTube and watch it with my children, receive the gift he was giving us and reject the idea that it would come at an ultimate price: that Pausch would indeed die one day of pancreatic cancer, as he did this morning, at the age of 47.
We all knew that it had to come at some point but we did not want to really think about it and when it would really happen. Randy was an inspiration to many young people, teaching us that we must work hard for what we want and to not be afraid of falling down a few times trying to get it. We will miss you Randy, our thoughts and prayers go out to your family and hope that they are able to live the rest of their lives just as you wanted them to.
Warren is Coming Home Next Week!
My wife and I just got a new English Springer Spaniel and will be picking him up next week. His name is Warren and he is two years old. I have put a few pictures in the post so everyone can see him! We know he loves toys and loves to play so I'm glad we have a nice big yard for him to run around in. I imagine we will have to fence it in at some point for him but we will see when that will happen. For the time being we will have to settle for a run but I hope we can fix that for him next year or so.
Bush: Let the Overwatch Begin
Yesterday on NPR I heard a story about how we are now going into the "overwatch" phase of the Iraq occupation and it just brought back memories of playing Halflife 2 and the Combine soldiers that Dr. Breen called "Overwatch" as well. It amazes me that we would call this operation a name like this as it is not something that evokes positive feelings by a country, its people or by people who disagree with the whole situation.
In fact the similarities are startlingly similar between the way Overwatch in Halflife 2 operated and the way we are in Iraq now. The US is trying to assert their dominance over a population that does not want to be conquered or converted into something they aren't. Democracy is fine, but they may not want US democracy or even our form of republican government. So instead we try and ram this ideology down their throats and expect them to like it? Force rarely achieve any success in these situations which is something it appears we have yet to learn. I would suggest all of you go play a couple of maps in Halflife 2 and look at the similarities, we may not be aliens taking over a planet, but we are still the outsiders asserting military rule on another state which is essentially the same deal.
Is Hagerstown Improving?
"I have a question for our city fathers. If downtown Hagerstown is being improved so much, why are people moving from that area to the outer edges of Hagerstown, where I live? And people that moved into my area all tell me the same thing: They have to get away from the traffic congestion, no parking and the extremely loud stereos up and down the streets all the time. Now we have a couple (of people ) with loud stereos occasionally driving by, and some speeders, of course, but the times I've driven through downtown Hagerstown, I see no improvements." - Hagerstown
This is an interesting question to ask yourself as you drive through the town center and around 40 East and West. I think the simplest answer to this question is yes, the town is improving slowly but surely. The point I would emphasize though is that the progress is slow due to the state that Hagerstown deteriorated into after the 1970's when the rail yard went away. The economy in Washington County has been so bad for so long that there is no such thing as a quick fix to the situation that we find ourselves in currently.
If you look at the renovation occurring at some of the major buildings around North Potmac street, you will see the face of the Hagerstown to come in the next 10 - 15 years. The transformation will not be overnight, but it will come.
Are their loud stereos in the city? Almost all the time.
Are the streets overly congested? Every weekday rush hour.
Is there a high poverty rate? Absolutely.
For all of these reasons I don't live in the city center. Actually I live very close to Smithsburg because I like the space and the people that live around me. But then again, as more money gets pumped into downtown, it will become cleaner, more affluent and appealing to young professionals like myself who want to be in a more urban setting. Small, well maintained cities are great places to live and there are plenty of people who want to be in that environment. Hagerstown is moving in this direction and will get there in the next several years.
It seems that all too often people forget that improvement on this type of scale is not fast moving, nor does it always benefit the people living in the town currently. To revitalize a city of Hagestown's size takes years and lots of capital from outside sources which means the first companies and people to invest in the area are taking a substantial risk. The investors willing to take this step are not easy to find and like almost any business decision there must be a cost-benefit analysis done before any actions are taken. There is enough new money moving into the area now that this analysis is beginning to look favorable to more investors who are slowly trickling into the area.
Keep watching over the next 10 years and I bet you will see an increasing number of projects cleaning up downtown and making it into a much more trendy and cosmopolitant place to live.
Alcohol!? Let’s Bring Back Prohibition!
"I was reading Mail Call this morning, July 1, and I agree 100 percent with the person that called in about having alcoholic beverages at The Maryland Theatre. I think it's totally ridiculous that we have to have alcohol at any function, such as the blues festival. That was mighty disgusting when we were down there, when we had friends to take down from out of town. We don't need alcoholic beverages for entertainment. I would like to also add it'd be great if we could bring the fair back to Hagerstown fairgrounds, and some craft shows, such as Williamsport C&O Canal and etc." - Hagerstown
OK, so I don't drink much either, but this comment is rediculous. There is no need to ban alcohol at the Blues Fest, if someone wants to have a beer then let them. Are you the same person that was disgusted when there was alcohol at Octoberfest? The truth is, if you could trust people to be responsible with the substance then there would not be any issue with this at all, but at the same time, those that are responsible should not be penalized because of the few that are.
But we banned smoking in public places right? Yes we did, but that poses an iminent health risk to all people around the smoker which is putting the people that don't feel like having cancer at risk. In the case of drinking, just because you have a personal belief that it should not be going on it does not mean that you are really putting others at risk if it is. Whereas smoking truly does put others at risk no matter if you feel like it should or not.
The bottom line is that if people are not responsible drinking then that is when they get thrown in jail. If you don't like drinking because it offends you moraly then I would suggest you stick to places where alcohol is not offered. For example, I would never go to a strip club brcause I don't feel like it is the right thing to do, but I don't go around telling people they should all be put out of business, nor do I care if my friends go. IF you feel the same way about alcohol and where it is served, just stay away.
Hagerstown’s Cafe Dell Sol Waitress Wins National Competition
Erica Conrad (our favorite waitress at Cafe Del Sol) won the national Skills USA championship this past month and is getting a full scholarship to the New England Culinary Institute for her efforts. Not only does she deserve all that she received by winning the competition but my wife and I wish her the best of luck in whatever she decides to pursue. Over the past year we have gotten to know Erica when we have gone to Cafe Del Sol and she is by far one of the best waitresses that I have ever met. Her personality is welcoming and easy going, always able to make the customer feel right at home while she is serving them.
While I am sure her friends and family are incredibly proud of her, my wife and I are as well. We are so excited for you Erica and know you will do well! Congratulations!
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