Entries Tagged as 'brilliant'
Elliott Galloway (1920 - 2008)
A few hours ago, my brother called me and told me that someone he knew from Galloway had just informed him that Mr. Galloway, the founder and headmaster emeritus of my high school alma mater, The Galloway School, had died. He asked me if I had heard anything and if I could verify this information. While local Atlanta news and Google searches proved fruitless, seeing the status messages and notes on the Galloway School Facebook page corroborated the story. I sadly called my brother back and told him that I believed it was true.
That probably seems like a silly story to an outside observer; a tale of Web 2.0 communication and inter-personal relationships in the digital age. But to me, it speaks to how students and alumni of The Galloway School hold together as a community. We all came together because we went to the same school; we stay together because of what we learned there. When you truly believe in that motto to “Play the game of learning and not the game of school,” then it’s not about competing with your fellow students over who has the highest GPA and who’s going to which college. When no one is allowed to get cut from any team or any theatre production, then it’s about being part of a team rather than creating a hierarchy and separating people into groups. This community exists because Mr. Galloway had an idea for a different kind of school and a different approach to learning. For all the amazing people I’ve met through Galloway, I would say it works pretty well. It’s a community that whole-heartedly believes in the creed of “Behave yourself and try,” and laughs together at the school’s other rule: “Always wear shoes.”
I don’t know if it seems callous or even appropriate to share my thoughts on Mr. Galloway’s passing on my blog. I never knew him personally. For me, he was a symbol and his school was a gift that I’ll treasure throughout my life. It’s painful to think that future students of Galloway will only know him as the name on the school and a couple of paragraphs in a pamphlet. Despite retiring as headmaster many years ago, Mr. Galloway was never an abstract in the Galloway community. He came to the musicals and he was still running in Elliott’s Run. The man was 87 years old and still running marathons. I just got winded typing the word “marathon”. That would be embarrassing if it weren’t so inspirational.
My thoughts and the thoughts of the many lives he and his school touched are with his family tonight. Rest In Peace, Sir.
Videogame News That Just Made Me Climax a Little
Today it was announced that Square-Enix will release one of the best videogames ever made, Chrono Trigger, on the Nintendo DS. I still own the original Super Nintendo cartridge which is worth more than you. While they’re not remaking the game in 3D like they’ve done for Final Fantasy III and IV, it’s Chrono Trigger returned. If you’ve ever played this game then this game gives you a reason to survive until the holiday season when it will be released.
Special Comment: “This War Is Not About You.”
I think this is one of his best.
Harold & Kumar Return to Great
I have to admit that the trailers, both regular and red-band had me worried about Harold and Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay. The title alone suggested that it would have a very short shelf-life (although maybe I’m just being optimistic about changing our tactics in the War on Terror) and this was a film that found its audience on DVD which is a double-edged sword because while you have a loyal audience, there’s a temptation to lean on all the jokes that worked before (see Family Guy before its cancellation and after its renewal).
But I can happily say that the sequel is just as good as the original. There are a few nods to the first film, but I’d say about 95% of the material is new and most of it is painfully hilarious. My brother and I were laughing pretty much non-stop throughout the film and there were more than a few gags that had us gasping for air. I’ll have my full review in the May edition of INsite (and possibly this weekend on Collider.com), but just as a heads-up: fans of the original will not be disappointed.
Also, this story gives me the excuse to once again display the greatest poster ever made:
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I Like Traffic
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I Like Stuff
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I Like XBOX 360
