Converted
I am a Randy Pausch convert. As a general (and idiotic) rule, I tend to dislike things that lots of people like. Like The O.C.* Or Barack Obama. Or Garden State. Or, until yesterday, the Randy Pausch phenomenon.
Jeff Zaslow, the CMU alum who wrote the Wall Street Journal column on Pausch that started the hype, lectured yesterday on campus. I went, only because it was on a Monday and we couldn’t find anyone else to report on it.
Anyway, it was amazing. I saw clips of the Pausch lecture from last September that I was too disillusioned (or busy, or something) to attend, and realized that Randy Pausch isn’t one of those dreamily hopeful people I hate — he’s an upbeat, smart, hilarious dude. He reminds me of a lot of my current role models.
Also, the WSJ reporter, Zaslow, was once the editor of The Tartan — like meee! He talked about how much he loved working at the paper, how he graduated with a creative writing B.A. and is now a columnist for WSJ, how he transfered to Columbia for two weeks his sophomore year and came running back to CMU, because it’s better.
And the whole time, I was thinking: I’m so glad I went to this. The thing I love about the newspaper, more than the friends, the free pizza, and the opportunities to write, is that is encourages me to do the things I should be doing anyway. See plays, go to lectures, find out what researchers are doing on campus. It’s all fascinating, it’s all inspiring, and to think, all those opportunities I’ve missed just to sleep in or watch TV. (Don’t get me wrong, I love sleeping in and watching TV, but still.)
In short, new goal: Go to one lecture a week.
Also I bought a copy of Pausch’s book ($20) and stood in line for the WSJ reporter to sign it. I’ve never had a book signed before, but I had to talk to him — editor to editor. I started the book (when I should have been reading War and Peace) and it’s güd.
*Once I actually gave The O.C. a chance, about a year after the initial hype, I feel in love with it (especially the music they play) and have probably seen all the season one episodes about a million times each. Season two was okay, and then it started to suck and I moved on to bigger and better things (read: LOST).
