The first time I visited Raleigh was in April 2012 for a job interview.On the drive to my hotel from the airport, I noticed how light the traffic was on the highway. The hills were covered in trees and reminded me of Pennsylvania. I saw groups of deer running parallel to the treeline. As we…
Author: Steve Ainslie
Chasing The Dragon With Food
I was fat for most of my life. Until the age of 5, I was an average skinny kid. I was fat from 2nd grade until 9th grade. I was never the fattest kid in school but I had a fat belly, a double chin, and big flabby love handles. From 14 to 20, I…
Everything Ends
Someday, every one of my concerns will be gone. Nothing is permanent. I have to remind myself about this when I get too wrapped up in my head.
That Day Will Come
I spent much of my life waiting for something better. In preschool, I couldn’t wait until I was a first-grader. After Sunday family dinners at my Grandmother’s house, I couldn’t wait until an hour had passed so we could go swimming. In high school, I couldn’t;t wait until I graduated and went to college. In…
If It Doesn’t Work I’m Sending It Back
I buy almost everything from Amazon. While I despise some of its business practices, I am enthralled with its logistical superiority, its broad inventory, and its convenience. When possible, prudent and practical, I prefer to buy from specialty shops that offer great customer service like REI, Marmot and Sweetwater. In general, though, I hate buying…
You Can Commiserate Or You Can Plow Forward
Sometimes I want to wallow in self-pity and victimhood. When I feel this way, I know what to do. I keep moving forward. Usually, within a few minutes or a few hours, I feel better. But there are days when that bad feeling is inescapable. I had one of these a few weeks ago: Whenever…
Why Did I Wait So Long
As soon as I was on the other side of my 2nd hernia surgery, I thought “Why did I wait so long?” The surgery took less than 4 hours total and my hernia is gone. Of course I know why I delayed this for months : I was loving my extreme fitness and knew my…
How To Lose Weight
As a former fat kid who struggled with his weight for most of his life, I’ve found my answer to weight loss. Exercise a lot. Eat less. I used to control my weight by exercising more and more. But I could never outrun a bad diet. Here’s why I stayed fat: I wanted to drink…
Most People Aren’t Assholes
Most people aren’t assholes, but you might not realize this if you read comments online and on social media. Online, many people are snide, sarcastic or just plain rude. They over-identify with groups, politicize too much and use the opportunity to knock others down. I often think, “You would never say that in-person”.
Of Course The Vaccination Process Is A Mess
Note: I started this post back in February 2021, when Covid vaccinations were just rolling out in the US. Of course the Covid-19 vaccination process is a mess. How could it not be? We’re not built to handle surges and mass volumes adequately. Our systems, people and processes are bound to be overwhelmed. Here are…