Wednesday, September 16, 2009

When A Fish Is Named Salmon

We had a nice, sauteed salmon for dinner again last night, which reminded me of this unpublished entry (written on August 19th) that I intended to post about a month ago:

A few nights ago, I sauteed a nice fish for dinner. It was already filleted - no handsome head or bulging eyes or stiff tail (thank goodness!) on display, hinting at a former glory as a champion swimmer against a blasting current. It was simply a nice cut of fish prepared with a smattering of olive oil (but I don't think it was EVOO - just the regular non-extra virgin olive oil. Sorry, Rachel Ray.) After I dished a delicious-looking piece of it onto my plate, Annie's eyes opened wide as she exclaimed, "It's a dead fish!"

"Yes, it is. It's salmon," I replied. I was about to explain how tasty it was and that it was good brain food, but before I got a chance to, Annie then said, "Oh, that's his name? Salmon?" And before I could think of what to say to that statement, she rather matter-of-factly informed me "You can't pet him," and went back to eating her own meal.

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Super Novas

"Of course it was impossible to connect the dots looking forward ... but it was very, very clear looking backwards ten years later."

"The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life."

"I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: "If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?" And whenever the answer has been "No" for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something."

"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become."

"Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish."

Excerpts above from Commencement address by Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple Computer and of Pixar Animation Studios, delivered at Stanford University on June 12, 2005.

In a similar vein, Randy Pausch's Last Lecture: Achieving Your Childhood Dreams:



Condolences and God's peace to the family of my cousin, Evan Nebeker.

I also think of my brother-in-law, Derek Jackson, a super nova who burned bright and fast, but whose light yet extends to the earth.

Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish. And here's to all the adventures ahead.