About

Greetings! My name is Paul and (as the title of this blog suggests) I live in Asheville, NC.

I like to blog about training, both corporate and personal, running, hiking, CrossFit (I’m a former box owner), politics (I’m a diehard liberal), and relationships, as well as our dog, Luke, and our (bad) kitties, Meg and Zac.

A few more things about me:

• The very first thing that I notice about a person is if she or he is right- or left-handed. If left-handed I will inevitably say, “You’re left-handed.” Uhm, as if she or he didn’t already know that.
• I transpose the sequential placement of masculine and feminine forms of language, e.g., she or he, women and men, wife and husband, dad and mom, Jill and Jack.
• Since I began wearing a watch at around the age of 12, I’ve always worn the watch on my right wrist. It wasn’t as if anyone told me to do so; I just naturally placed the watch on my right wrist. Someone (an older brother, perhaps) informed me that a watch was to be worn on the left wrist so that the watch wouldn’t get in the way when you write or draw. I attempted to wear the watch on my left wrist and quickly discovered that I couldn’t tell time.  You read the correctly: I couldn’t tell time, regardless of whether the watch was analog or digital. I’ve concluded that I am exceedingly right-brained, and as the left hemisphere (logical, rational, sequential) of the brain controls the right side of the body, it is necessary for me to wear watch on my right wrist. I need all of the help I can get. (And I will still sometimes switch hours and minutes, e.g., it’s 10:11 when the clock reads 11:10.)
• I didn’t discover running until my late 30s. Running comes very naturally to me. I find great solitude in running, and I truly enjoy solitude. Yup, I’d much rather run solo than with a group, and I’d much rather run trails than roads. I unequivocally state that there is no other physical activity that I enjoy more. I never listen to music whilst running, as I want nothing to potentially distract me, well, from running. I focus on posture, lean, lift, and—most importantly—breathing.
• I am an introverted extrovert. When I’m surrounded by people I can be quite entertaining and often insist upon being the center of attention. However, I’d much rather not be around people. Jeff says I could easily be a hermit. He may be right. I know many acquaintances but have very few close friends. And I’m okay with this.
• I play the piano and, like running, music comes very naturally to me. I began playing the clarinet in the sixth grade after my family moved to West Virginia. This was the first opportunity I had to take up a musical instrument. Why the clarinet? Because I tried carrying my father’s trombone to and from school and the case and instrument were just too damned big and heavy and a clarinet was the only instrument the public school had left in inventory. Keep in mind that I didn’t weigh much more than 90 pounds and we had to walk a mile (yes, a mile) up a hill to get to the bus stop. What was I talking about? Oh, the piano. In the past I have gone months and even years without touching a keyboard, yet can sit on the bench and play four octaves of both major and minor key scales. I can also easily play songs in my repertoire. There’s something to be said for muscle memory.
• I perceive people who are slightly taller than me as being my height or even shorter than me.
• I love to swear, and do so quite frequently. My most often used words are fuck, shit (my father’s favorite word), and, although not a swear word in this country, idiot. I usually say “idiot” when I’m driving, and it’s usually preceded by “fucking.”
• I often dream of flying, and I’m often lucid whilst dreaming of flying. When I fly I merely take off from the ground and remain vertical; in other words, I don’t look like a superhero, you know, with my arms overhead and a cape moving in the wind. One recurring dream I have is that, whilst running a long-distance race such as a marathon, I’ll run a few miles and then fly to the finish.
• I have an irrational fear of mannequins.
• I enjoy running through spiderwebs. I don’t in the least bit mind when spiders crawl on my skin.
• Out of sight, out of mind. For example, if I purchase a shirt but place it where I can’t see it I’ll forget that I even purchased said shirt. The same can be said for sheet music, electronics, shoes, etc. Unfortunately, the same can also be said for friends. If a friend moves and/or I no longer see her or him regularly I’ll kinda sorta forget that she or he exists. I don’t stay in touch with others very well. Or at all.
• I am exceedingly auditory and very sensitive to sound. I sleep wearing earplugs but will nonetheless find myself wide awake if I hear the softest of sounds. I can’t recall the last time I slept through the night. I’m apparently visual as well, based upon the sheer number of pics I take and my keen observational skills. Get a haircut? I’ll notice. Wear new shoes? I’ll notice. Given how much I enjoy running, CrossFit (at least in the past), and playing the piano, I’m likely quite kinesthetic as well. I don’t, however, like hugging. I fucking hate high fives. I fucking hate fist bumps even more.
• I used to read myself to sleep but now I watch documentaries instead. I particularly enjoy documentaries about the solar system, galaxies, the universe, and multiverses. I even enjoyed a documentary about String Theory. I don’t, however, enjoy nature documentaries as inevitably footage of an animal being killed will be shown.
• There are more galaxies than there are grains of sand. We are insignificant. This is not necessarily a bad thing.
• I began saying “whilst” a number of years ago and now I can’t stop. Or maybe I just don’t want to.
• I have never had the desire to procreate. I think this is for the best, as we’re leaving our descendants a terribly shitty mess.
• I’m confident. My confidence is often perceived as arrogance. I’ve been told on many occasions that I come across as intimidating. Whilst not my intent, I’ve come to accept this. Oh, and don’t fuck with me. Or my husband, our dog, or our cats.
• I can’t say “Philly cheese sandwich.” I say “Chilly feese sandwich” instead.
• “Show me the boy at seven and I’ll show you the man.” When I was in the second grade I wanted to be a teacher. I suppose I am!