Murphy James

National
Summary:
Mr. Gates has been working up on Saddleback Mountain for over 25 years. What could keep a man of 52 years up in a mountain for so long? Fire watching. Mr. Gates lives in a glass shack above 6,000 feet sea level. Throughout his career he has spotted over 100 fires; 2 within this past September. Mr. Gates is an observer, and loves to gaze at the landscape. He does have a winter home in Florida, but the lifestyle there is nothing compared to the majestic view from the lookout.
Opinion:
When I am older, I really hope I have a passion like this man does. He goes weeks without speaking to another human being, or seeing any fires. He has peace and rest. He serves a purpose, and one of my biggest fears in growing old is that I will lose purpose. If it is at all possible to find something like this, I would take it in a heartbeat. I am jealous of this man.

International
Summary:
The Paramount has been a symbol of many different things to many different people from the time of its construction in the early 20Th century. The Paramount started out as a casino for the wealthy business men in Shanghai, but then it trickled down the social ladder. When communism took the stage, the building was re-named the Red Capitol Cinema, a place where Socialist videos were shown. Eventually the building became vermin-filled and desolate. Then, a Taiwanese man invested 3 million dollars in the building to be restored to its original grandeur. Now, people of all sorts of ages and social classes come to the Paramount to dance their worries away. When one is in the ballroom, the age is forgotten and the past swirls up around the visitor like a reoccurring dream.
Opinion:
This place sounds amazing! I really really really want to visit there. I LOVE TO DANCE! and I think it would be amazing to stand in a building so full of history, Asian history especially, which I am not so familiar with but will still leave an impression on me. These are the types of things I live for. Small moments and places in the vast expansion of life that make it all worth while.