Sunday, September 28, 2008

We're Back

Well the ‘Daily Dose’ has been a little dark for the past few months what with our office’s mandatory ‘take the summer off’ policy, followed immediately by ‘get back to work to pay off those summer bills’. But we’re back up and running now and hopefully back on a regular posting schedule.

I’d be remiss if I let this weekend’s sad news go by without a mention. Anyone who knows me, knows that I have been a Paul Newman super-fan for many many years and the sad news this weekend that he had lost his battle with lung cancer is still touching my soul tonight. More than just celebrity ‘hero-worship’ Paul was a man who truly represented what I’m trying to extol here on the blog, in my book and with my daily actions. He was someone who did not just talk the talk. He put his money, his time and his reputation on the line for helpless children who are suffering from disease. He did it all with dignity and class. He did not live in a glass tower and look down those he was trying to help—he was there, in the trenches. He was a truly passionate individual that took a hobby for driving fast and turned it into a second career that delighted him until his final days. He was a truly brilliant actor—so good that I don’t think people truly realized his talents, thinking that maybe he was truly that roguish cad from Hud, or that sly trickster from The Sting. In fact, he is probably a little of each of the characters he played, but none is a complete picture of the man.

The world is a little sadder now that he is gone, but I hope that his legacy lives on. Thanks for the memories, pal.

(LA Times posted the official obituary here)