The Comet and The Tornado by Don Marinelli

     Don Marinelli discusses his account of forming Carnegie Mellon University's Entertainment Technology Center in The Comet and The Tornado. He also calls upon his time spent with the late Randy Pausch. Don (the right-brained tornado) sheds light on the struggles and triumphs of working with Randy (the left-brained comet) in their creation of CMU's dream fulfillment factory.

    The Comet and The Tornado is a short-read that could be accomplished in a couple of hours. Short but meaningful. For me, Don Marinelli's book did three things:

1. Gave examples of the importance of story telling, something I am currently studying. One realization that Don has is that Randy's life resembled that of the monomythic hero, in which transformation is required for the hero to become legendary.
2. Painted a well-rounded picture of Don Marinelli, someone who I hope to meet someday.
3. Reminded me of the most important thing in life, love. It really is that simple. You never know how much time you have left. Life is too short not to love what you're doing and who you're with.

     Don's final four chapters discussing the end of Randy's life and the legacy he left behind had me in tears (in a coffee shop in downtown Pittsburgh no less). Randy's courage in the face of death, his care for his family, and the love Randy showed others exemplified how life should be lived. Thank you Don and thank you Randy for reminding me and millions of others about the important things in life. The Comet and The Tornado has been a worthwhile read; one that I shall not forget.