The two party deception

I have a lot of time on my hands. I also think a lot. That can prove to be a very scary combination. I had planned on posting this to facebook but decided not to and to post here on my blog. I am writing in a little different style than I usually write on here (my blog), but I think that might be good for this one.

I am also writing out of turn. Something happened on my ride from Boston to LA that is the reason I have so much time on my hands. I won't even try and summarize here at this time. I will instead suggest that you friend me on facebook here and you can see there, what happened. Trust me, I have started the post several times, but since I tend to agonize over every word here, it is proving to be more difficult than I would like. I will finish it in the next few days.


Anyway, my friend wrote something on facebook that prompted a response from me that I felt summed up an overall theory that I have, politically. I think more and more people are sensing  this truth, but I don't see it articulated very often. I know I have talked about it many times, perhaps too much, but I feel it is so important that I will risk overstating my case (and annoying everyone) to CLEARLY spell it out.

My friend wrote:

Today I am thankful to be an American. I may disagree with a lot of people for what they say...but I SO STRONGLY believe in that right to say it!!! As a country, we are so blessed and we shouldn't forget that.


I responded:

I agree fully!!! We do live in an amazing country, first, because of the wonderful landscape. I have seen so much beauty, through my travels, but I still feel like I have only scratched the surface. There is still so much to see.

Second, the people that I have met are amazing!! We constantly hear how scary and terrible everything and everyone is out there in the world. It's enough to make you not want to leave the house. But, I can tell you, from all my experiences, that it couldn't be further from the truth. 99.9% of the people I meet are kind, loving and helpful. And they are that way to someone (me) whom they could certainly judge and ignore, but they don't. And here is an important point, they don't know, and I don't know, if they are Republicans, Democrats, conservatives or liberals. It doesn't matter. We are just people. Those divisions are false divisions. The country may be "divided" by a line that serves certain agendas very well... BUT we, as human beings, are not divided. In fact it is quite the opposite. We are all connected.

Third, what we can't forget though, is that this country is great because there were a group of people that hated tyranny and believed in freedom and fought for that freedom. People sacrificed their lives for an idea. It was an idea that had never been tried before. We formed a Union, it wasn't perfect, we still had slavery and we didn't completely believe in liberty and freedom for all people but we put in place a form of Government that would at least give us the means to right things that were wrong. It is the mechanism of that Government that is good and that we have to defend at all costs. It is also the concept of freedom and the basic principles of liberty that are exciting and .... well.... liberating, that must be cherished and defended. We must be constantly vigilant lest we take for granted and lose those liberties. We were warned by the architects of this gift that we were given, how easy it would be to lose it. Trading liberty for security is one of many ways.

The biggest mistake that any of us can make, is thinking that the danger only lies with one party. That it is just "them" that want to "fundamentally change America". That if everyone would just convert to "our party" we could fix everything. Step back and you will see that both parties want to strip us of freedoms or have the government control our lives. They just each want to do it in different areas. It is a very sobering realization once you see it. In the interest of keeping this relatively short, I won't list both platforms and the blatant hypocrisy. Besides, I think everyone knows in the back of heir heads already. That is why, I believe, there is such heated and vitriolic debate. If one "side" was truly for freedom and liberty, across the board and the other  "side" wasn't, would there really even be a debate?  If those really were the two sides of the aisle, would we even need such a large Government? Perhaps, stoking this "division" ensures one thing.. Big government, ironically, to fight big Government. The big government that half of both parties claim they don't want. Is it by design? I will leave that for you to judge.

So why do I say all of this? What is my point?

I AM proud to be an American. We are a great country! We are, for the most part, great people! We need to try and love one another. We need to protect ourselves and our country from the real  enemy. And its not the one you think it is by watching one of the cable news shows or listening to one of the talk radio stations. They are entertainers. Their advertising dollars, hence their jobs,  depend on you continuing to hate the wrong people.

I see a lot of people filled with anger and hate. I was filled with anger and hate for a long time. It is the majority of the reason that I left a pier in CA and ran to the Statue of Liberty in 2010 on my "Run for Liberty". I did find my liberty. I found it by letting go of my hate. I found it by doing my best to find love and joy again. It's been hard for me to reconcile that sometimes though. Do I not fight things anymore because I want to get along? Do I say, "oh well", and never fight for the things I believe in, in the interest of "getting along"?

The answer is simply this. You must fight the REAL enemy. I assure you, if you are a "Democrat" the enemy is not the "Republicans". If you are a "Republican" the enemy is not the "Democrats". No, if you are an American and you TRULY believe in the constitution and you truly believe in freedom and liberty and all the wonderful things that come with those, along with all the scary parts, and how with freedom and liberty come responsibility and faith. If you believe in all of those things, then the  enemy is tyranny! The enemy is all of the forms and threats to liberty and freedom that it disguises itself as.

So, are there 2 sides to all the  issues? Yes, but if you divided it along the real lines. The TRUE lines, it wouldn't be close to the 50/50 division we see in our country, like we see now. It would be more like 95/5 and there wouldn't hardly  be a debate. And, more telling, there wouldn't be a need for such a large Government (and lobbyists, etc..).

So, yes, we need to get along. We need to find common ground. But the common ground cannot be to accept half of each of the big government platforms. Or to compromise some of our liberties in the interest of "getting along". The common ground of both of the two major parties is that half of each platform believes in freedom and what this country was founded on and what it's core principles are. Lets take those 2 parts, the  common ground and adopt them and throw the hypocritical, tyrannical part out the window. Yes, it can be done. After all, our two conventional parties are an invention of politicians and we can choose to shun it just as easily as we have chosen to adopt it.

Paul

Liberty!

I am VERY happy to report that a goal that felt seemingly impossible and started with a tweet "I think I am going to run across the country" in June of 2009, became a reality on Tuesday, Nov. 2nd 2010. Yes, election day :) We certainly didn't plan it that way, but as with everything on this run (aside from the broken feet and 5 month break) things seemed to go the right way.

Before I get into anything (and I have a lot to write) I want to thank everyone for their encouragement, love and support! I can't begin to express how much it meant to me to know that there were people who cared about what we were doing. There are so many people to thank and I want to list them all but I am terrified of missing someone, which would make me feel terrible, so I will hope that you'll all know that every message, tweet, gesture, phone call, meal, place to stay, or donation (even though 9 times out of 10 we were successful in politely declining them, some people are terribly persistent :) were appreciated beyond words and if there was ever a time while we were out there that I didn't respond appropriately, please forgive me, I was probably really tired :) We never expected anything from anyone on this run, so people's generosity, love and support was humbling and inspiring and has changed me in profound ways.

THANK YOU!

Now for some stats.

Our journey from CA to NY ended up being 2,904 miles. We started at the HB pier in Huntington Beach and ended in Battery Park, NY at the ferry station. I didn't run around the ferry like I said I would. I figured I had earned a ferry ride and quite frankly, I would have looked stupid :) Besides, we could have taken a ferry from NJ and ended up with less miles, so I figured running the 13 miles through Manhattan more than made up for me getting to put my feet up the last 2 miles. AND I get to put "NY" on my leg.

Total running time 714 hours, 11 minutes.

Average pace was 14:41 minutes per mile (I was hoping for under 15!) with an average heart rate of 136.

Of the 2,904 miles, 2,336 were completed on the first part and 567 on the 2nd part.

We completed the run in 146 days (on the road) of which 125 days were running days for an average of 23.23 miles per running day.

Comparing the first part of the run to the 2nd:

I averaged 23.12 miles a running day the first 2,336

and 23.64 miles the last 567 miles (not bad considering, pushing the 100 pound baby jogger over the hills of Pennsylvania:)

According to my Garmin, I burned 532,509 calories. That's ALOT of beer!

Speaking of my Garmin, I tracked EVERY step with my Garmin Forerunner and when I post a picture like the one below, it feels great to know that the line represents GPS data that was gathered from the watch on my wrist. I could be very anal at times as I wanted to be able to zoom in on that line and see where my feet touched the ground all the way across the country. I am so happy to say that I was able to do that (except on the ferry:) and if anyone is interested, email me and I can send you the .GPX file. It's pretty cool to do a tour in Google Earth :)

So now that it is complete, what did it all mean? Or, as a friend of mine asked, "Why do you do this to yourself?" Good question and thank you for asking. I know that you specifically are asking why I abuse my body as you were commenting on a picture of my "Cankle".

But, it gives me a really good opportunity to talk about "why" I decided to do this in the first place. And through that, I hope to answer why I do this to myself.

I was asked many times on the run, why I was running across the country. It was always a hard question to answer and I always struggled with it. Even on the website I dance around the issue. I know that we could have done a much better job of conveying a more focused "mission statement" or "call to action" but somehow and for some reason, we could never package it in such a way. My hope was that somehow people would understand, by the things that I did say, why I was doing this. I know there were a lot of people who understood, but there were many people who weren't following the whole run and may not know why. I hope this will explain it. Now that I am done, perhaps this is the first time I feel the freedom to be completely honest. So, hopefully it's not too much of a drag to talk about. If it is, skip down a couple of paragraphs, it will get a lot more positive. And please understand, as I tell this, that I in no way think my problem is unique. I know that many people are struggling right now, many are much worse off than me, with this economy, and many are out of jobs or in a mortgage that is under water. Which makes it even more important that I tell it. So here goes.

Debt is not an easy thing to talk about. There is a stigma, or at least there used to be, to having a large debt and the stress of owing someone can be very difficult. That is why, with the exception of a few credit cards when I was young, I stayed out of consumer debt. I paid cash for everything and lived within my means. I've always had an independent spirit and always preferred freedom over security. This usually meant that I would prefer being freelance or "self employed" to working for someone. About 10 years ago, I took a big risk and went into debt to finance gear for a recording studio. I struggled for a couple of years but then through perseverance, spending most of my time honing my craft and lots of faith, I started getting some clients. I set up my studio at a Post facility, they had a good amount of work and my risk started to pay off. I paid my taxes but, due to bills, child support, etc. I wasn't making estimates. So, I would be behind and have make an installment agreement. I never missed a payment. But, still, I owed. It was small the first couple of years and it was manageable. But I had a couple of good years, right about the time that I paid off my gear. NO WRITE OFFS!!!! Uh oh! I still lived within my means, but was able to do a few extra things like rent an apartment and pay for my daughter to be in her dorm. Still, nothing extravagant, and no consumer debt. The first year it happened, it put me over the limit of a simple installment agreement and then the second year it became completely overwhelming and unmanageable. Of course, with a tax debt, you are paying interest and penalties and it can spiral out of control very quickly. Mine has "spiraled" to the tune of about $63,000.

Again, I do not say this to elicit a "Poor me" response. I am far from alone. I am just so analytical and anal that I spent so much time analyzing what went wrong and more importantly what is wrong with our system that it drove me to drastic measures. Why didn't I just "shut up" and pay what I "owe". Well, therein lies the crux of the matter. The income tax is based on what a person produces, not on what he consumes. If a person not only gets taxed more because he produces more, but gets taxed at a higher percentage, how could that NOT be a disincentive to produce? I realize that is a pretty broad argument and may fall apart to some degree when you are talking about people who make millions or perhaps billions of dollars. But, when you are comparing people who make $30,000 compared to $80,000 a year and punish the people who make more with a higher tax rate, to me that is the redistribution of wealth. Plain and simple.

Secondly, As anyone who is self employed knows, there is a "Self employment tax" which is the money you pay into Social Security, which is supposed to be for your own retirement. When you are self employed, you pay twice the amount that a person who is employed pays. To add insult to injury, if you owe back taxes, you now must pay interest on your "retirement fund". It is a wonder why anyone still has the stomach to be an entrepreneur in this country. And perhaps that is why so many can't make it. It begins to look awfully appealing to just get a job and be "safe" rather than take any sort of risk. I actually believe that that is what we are seeing in this country. People throwing up their hands and asking why? I believe this is a huge part of our problem. I have thought on occasion that I would be better off getting a low paying service industry job, then to try and pay off what I "owe". Can anyone see the problem with this? It is an unintended consequence of our system.

It's also worth mentioning the problem with "withholding". Most people work for an employer and have their taxes "withheld" from their checks every week. They never see their gross pay so they don't realize that the market will pay whatever they get paid before taxes. They never see that other money, so they never miss it. I have said it for a long time and am now hearing other people say it. If everyone got paid their gross pay and then were required to write a check for their taxes every paycheck, our income tax system would last about 1 week and there would be MANY more people in my situation. Perhaps that is why self employment is discouraged.

The taxes I am talking about is the Federal Income Tax. I want to make it clear that I understand that as a society, we have to pay for things. I want to pay my "fair share" and my belief is that my "fair share" should not be based on what I make. It should be based on what I consume or services that I use. If I go into a store, I am charged for what is in my basket. Can you imagine if your bill were not based on that, but based on your income? That is the income tax.

Our system is broken. Most of us know it. Our country is bankrupt. Even from the time that we started planning this run until now, things have gotten much worse. We are grasping at straws. There is moral hazard everywhere. Our debt has become so large, it almost doesn't mean anything anymore. It is frightening.

There are so many more political points I would like to make but this post would never end. Instead, I will answer the question that I was asked so many times. "Why are you running across the country?"

I originally ran because I was angry at my tax debt for all of the reasons above. I wanted to illustrate a point. If you punish the people who are willing to sacrifice everything, then, as Margaret Thatcher said "You eventually run out of other peoples money". No one will feel the incentive to produce. Everyone will take the "safe job".

That is the reason that I started the run. But as I made my way across the country, many things changed for me. I became less angry (and believe me, I was angry). I looked inside of myself and saw things I liked and things I didn't like. I talked about some of that in my last post. But mostly, I came to realize what really mattered in life. And that I can be angry at our politicians and let it poison me or I can try and change it. If our Government is truly of and by the people, then it is US that need to change.

I saw a beautiful country full of people that have become way too comfortable. We want everything easy. We want to watch other people live their lives on TV rather than go out and live our own. We need to start pushing our lawnmowers instead of sitting on them. We need to start producing more and consuming less. We need to stop looking to the Government to solve all of our problems. We need to take responsibility for ourselves. We all need to strive for something exceptional. We all need to dig down and remember when we had a dream and we need to do something to make it happen. There is nothing special about me. I have only been running for 5 years. I am an average runner at best. Too many people say "I couldn't do that". I am proof that you can do anything that you set your mind to. We need to regain the American spirit that once drove us to be pioneers and hope that we will be rewarded for it.

When I decided to stop in May, it was the most devastating decision I have ever had to make. I don't regret it because I learned more about myself during those 5 months than if I had tried to keep going. Going back out and finishing the run was always the plan but when it came time to do it, I was deathly afraid! I have to thank Chris and my parents from the bottom of my heart because if it hadn't been for them, I am not sure I would have gone back out there. This was the defining moment. And the point is, fear is normal. It is what you do with that fear and whether or not you let it rule you, that determines what you become.

So, what is next for me? Well, I have a bit of a tax debt that I will be working to pay off. Luckily I love what I do, so I will continue to work in sound. I want to start working on some music again and perhaps go out on some auditions for some acting gigs. Also, along the run, I developed a great love for photography. Being on foot gives you a unique perspective and I was able to take pictures in a way that is not practical from a car going 70 MPH down the interstate.

I plan to publish a coffee table book of my favorite shots from the run. I also plan on writing a book about the run that I hope will inspire people. There is so much more I want to say and haven't written about that I believe would be of interest. Like how I dealt with and eventually overcame my panic disorder after facing it head on in Tucumcari, NM. I'll continue to run, but perhaps some nice little short races for awhile :) I would like to do some things for charity. A fellow crosser Ashley Kumlien is planning a cross country relay for MSRuntheUS and another crosser and friend Jim McCord is planning a coast to coast charity relay in 2012. Chris is busy working on the Documentary, So, even though I believe we could have done more while we were out there to have a more coherent message, I pray that we have a shot at making a difference now that we are finished.

So, finally, to my friend that asked me "Why do you do this to yourself?" I say, it is because I always want to push myself. I always want to be the best I can be. I always want to strive for something better and magical! I want to live life to it's fullest! And I know that those things don't come unless you take risks. It may be uncomfortable, it may hurt, you may even fail, perhaps many times. But if you pick yourself back up and learn from your mistakes and keep going, you might actually make it. And it is liberating!

Paul

Sponsors, charities and endorsements

We are 105 days away from starting the run. It is getting very real and very exciting! I have finished the route and already know there will be some minor changes, such as planned rest days and some detours here and there to hit the local Brewpubs. But it is a good starting point.

As the day approaches, one question grows louder. How are we gonna pay for it? I wrote the paragraphs below to help answer that question. It is going on our website, on our "Sponsor" page. Oh and if anyone knows of someone who needs an RV transported from CA to NY and doesn't mind it taking 4 months, let us know. Another win/win :)

A friend of mine recently offered to donate $100 to the run. It was an odd moment. I was extremely grateful that he would believe in what we are doing enough to give us money to help us accomplish it. But, it brought up some interesting thoughts, regarding charities, sponsors and endorsements.

Let me start by saying, this is in no way a judgement on anyone else, or in any way questioning anyone else's motives. There are many people who do things for charity, as I have in the past, and I am sure that their reasons and motives are genuine. I am now speaking only about myself and our upcoming journey.

I have very specific reasons for wanting to run across the country. They are, by and large, a matter of self preservation. Which, stated another way, could be called selfish. I do hope that through what we are doing, many positive things come out of it and it helps and inspires other people. That part is not selfish, but to try and find a charity to somehow make it seem selfless, would be disingenuous. It would be much easier to sell to people and would probably look better in local newspapers, but it would not be true.

We could put a PayPal link on our website and take donations... for... US. But that would be the antithesis of what we believe in. Working for what you have in life. I certainly don't want to be a charity. It could be argued that spreading the message of personal liberty and less Government is a valuable message and very important to a lot of people, therefore a lot of people would be willing to donate to something that they themselves may not have the time to do. But, again, something just doesn't feel right about asking for money. So, no PayPal link.

So, how do we work our way across the country? Chris and I are in production. We are shooting this for a Documentary and we are posting webisodes as we go. Naturally, there is a good opportunity for companies to sponsor the run in exchange for exposure. Ahh! The old win/win. A mutually agreed to contract, the way it is supposed to be. I believe that we can fund our journey through sponsors. But, with sponsors brings potential pitfalls. Do we have to temper what we say? That doesn't sound good. I can understand a large corporation not wanting to be affiliated with certain things that don't align with their customers views or beliefs, but does a sponsor have to agree with everything I say? Chris and I, as much as we are like minded, do not agree on everything. In fact, we have gotten into a healthy debate or two about a certain subject, but that doesn't stop us from working quite nicely together. Sadly in our current society, it seems the threat of boycotts and the ever present state of "political correctness" has served to strip everyone of their voice, in fear of offending someone. Besides, if a company that makes a Hydration Pack sponsors me, it should be because I use their product and it helped me get across the country, not because of who I voted for in the last election.

We need sponsors so I can run. I am not running to get sponsors. I have been using certain gear since I have been running and unless I legitimately feel like switching to something else I will continue to use them. That is not saying that other products aren't great, I just believe in being honest. I will list the products we use and I would love it if some of them decide to sponsor us. But even if they don't, I am endorsing them. I think that is the way it should be.

Oh, and my friends $100... I told him to keep it. But, if he absolutely insists... well, I can't be rude :)

Paul

Just a quick thought

To think.... Not even 20 years ago, a movie asked the question "would you cheat on your spouse for a million dollars?" Now... It seems like a silly question and I'd venture to say 80% would not hesitate to take the money. Add a reality show and I bet you could snag the another 19%. At least in America anyway. Here's to the 1% who know the true cost of whoring yourself out, not being able to look at yourself in the mirror.

Paul

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone]

The "24 Hour Fitness/ Barefoot" incident

I have thought long and hard about whether or not to post what I am about to write. As the events, which I will explain in great detail in a moment, were unfolding, I said to myself. "This is ridiculous! The minute I get home, I am going to write about this and post it to my blog for the whole world to see". Well, if there is one thing that I have learned after being on this planet for 43 some odd years, is that it is wise to NOT make crucial decisions when angry. So, I decided to sleep on it and see if I felt the same way in the morning. The following day, I felt that, before I went blogging and perhaps adding fuel to a fire, I would wait to see if the situation could be resolved without having to broadcast the drama from the highest mountain I could find (in this case, this here blog). Besides, I really love life and I try my hardest to not be negative (it doesn't always work) and I would much rather write about cool and inspiring stuff, than use this space as a bully pulpit. But, dammit! They just couldn't leave it alone.

As much as 24 Hour Fitness or "Big company that doesn't need little customer" (as I like to call them) has led to this posting, the real clincher was a Tweet that I received today. It said "Asics customer service is awesome!!!! They're replacing my sneakers 4 free rush shipping, bc 1 shoe made incorrectly." That got me thinking. Wow! With that one small gesture, that customer service person has created something called "goodwill". And the effect of that goodwill will have residual effect. As anyone who knows anything about business will tell you, "word travels fast". In this day and age, it travels even faster. The question is, what do you want those words to be? I would say that in Asics making Cassandra a happy customer, and the residual effect through word of mouth, that one action could boost Asics bottom line as much as a small magazine ad or sponsoring a small race would have. Pretty cheap advertising.

Sadly, in the case of "Big company that doesn't need little customer," they chose to handle matters in a different way. Before I get down to the nitty gritty, I do want to say that I am aware you are only hearing my side of the story and well, I am biased. It is partially why I hesitated to report the events that transpired. I do however have a knack for seeing the "other point of view;" almost to a fault at times. I am actually relieved when I discover that I am flat out wrong about something because if I am right and someone else fails to use any logic, it makes me mental. But more often than not, I find that the truth, or solution, lies somewhere in the middle. So, with that full disclosure and without further ado, I give you...

The "24 Hour Fitness/ Barefoot" incident.

Last Wednesday, my oldest daughter Brittany and I went to the gym. I have been a member of "Big company that doesn't need little customer" since '05. I pay my dues monthly. Brittany has been a member since '06 and she has a prepaid 2 year membership that I purchased for her as a Christmas gift and she is now in the 5th month of the 2 years. My younger daughter is also a member and she is on the month to month membership plan as well. Sorry if I jump around a bit, but this information will have significance as the story progresses. The three of us definitely get our moneys worth at the gym. I go 5-6 days a week. Brit goes 5 days a week and Jasmine goes at least 3 days.

Anyway, back to Wednesday. Brittany and I both had the day off so we decided to go to the gym together. She usually lifts and you can usually find me on the treadmill or stationary bike. Brittany hates the treadmill and prefers to run outside, with one little twist: Brittany runs barefoot

Now I know that to some of you that may sound weird, insane, kooky, even dangerous. Before you bombard me with all of the usual questions that get asked, I invite you to do some research here and here as they will do a much better job of explaining the benefits of running au natural.

After she lifted, she selflessly (I love running with her) grabbed the open treadmill next to me. Before we went, she mentioned to me whether or not I thought she could run barefoot on the treadmill. I said that I couldn't imagine that it would be a problem . So, she took off her shoes and started her run. As much as it can be argued, the cost/benefits of barefoot running, running barefoot on a treadmill is almost a no brainer. There's nothing to stub your toe on and no glass or rocks to cut your feet on. Its a nice, soft, predictable surface that allows you to just run. Sounds reasonable to me.

As you can probably guess by now, "Big company that doesn't need little customer" did not feel the same way. I have several points to make about what happens next. I will try to keep my commentary to a minimum and address them more at the end. So, here are the facts.

About 10 minutes into her run, one of the "Group X" trainers came by and told her that she must have shoes on. Then she walked over to a girl a few machines down and told her the same thing. I am pretty sure that the other girl wasn't barefoot. She was probably wearing sandals or some other type of "opened toed shoes". The trainer (who I've never seen before) came back and told Brittany again, "you have to put shoes on". I said no. I fully expected to see a manager real soon :) Next up, about 5 minutes later, was a trainer that I do know. He said "Hey, she's got to wear shoes on the treadmill". At this point I was ready for a rational conversation, so I said "She likes to run barefoot; I don't see any sign that says you have to wear shoes, but I realize that you guys are probably worried about liability and I understand that. She is willing to sign a waiver that releases you guys from any liability". He looked and me and said, "OK, let me go talk to someone".

I need to interject something at this point. I fully understand that in society we must have rules and laws. It has always been my understanding that rules and laws are designed to prevent someone from hurting someone else or infringing on someone else's rights. In our litigious society, I fear that our rights and freedoms are slowly eroding away under the guise of "for your own safety". Which really means that everyone operates under the fear of "what ifs" as in "what if this or that happens and I get sued." It is a slippery slope because I can make a compelling argument for just about anything and therefore strip anyone of their freedoms "for their own safety." And now with our sensationalized media, something only has to happen once and suddenly all rational thought goes out the window and we legislate to the lowest common denominator to make sure it doesn't happen again. So, to prevent an accident, we legislate any behavior that "might" lead to a similar accident. I feel that a rational solution to this is to release the other party from liability and would be right.... right??

If only it were that easy. Next up was one of the big managers. She said, "Come on, she can't run on the treadmill barefoot." I tried to explain my case again and said that I was sure that it wasn't dangerous and if they were worried that she was going to get hurt, she would sign a waiver. She said they didn't have any waivers. I said we'd write one. She said "a rule's a rule." I said that she would finish her run. Now I will admit that this was a bit combative but, there was NO sign and I didn't see any danger. We certainly weren't hurting anyone else, so I was sticking to my guns. I am also aware that as a business, they have the right to refuse service to anyone. But I ask, "at what cost?" which I will talk about later. At this point, I wanted to see the rule so I knew what I was debating and whether or not I had a shot of changing the rule. This would also prove to be extremely difficult.

We finished up the run shortly after the manager left. Brittany got off the treadmill and started to walk away to put on her shoes. I said she should put them on right there because I felt she should confine her disobedience to only the treadmill. She did :). We went downstairs, I took a shower while she reluctantly waited for me in front of the men's locker room ("Daddy, don't leave me out here alone").

After my shower, I met Brit in the lobby and I found the manager that we had spoken to before. I said, "Can you show me the rule that says you can't run on the treadmill with bare feet?" She pointed to the sign at the front desk that says "Rubber soled, close toed shoes must be worn at all times." I was in my flippy flops, like I usually am (hey, I grew up in Huntington Beach, it's practically a law) and I said, "Does that mean I am not in compliance?" At this point, I just needed to understand the rule. She said no, It's ok here and in the pool area and the yoga area. Wow, I didn't even think of THAT. So I said, "Well, then are those places marked?" And she said, "No, it's common sense." Hmmm..... I have a bit of a lawyer streak in me and this was nothing short of me brushing up on my debating skills. "If it says AT ALL TIMES, but then is allowed in other areas, it should be clearly marked or else it is arbitrary." She had a really hard time understanding this, and it was frustrating. If I at any point was wrong in the course of this whole incident, it was at this point. After trying to explain to her my line of reasoning, to the point of exhaustion, only to hear over and over that "it is the rule," I said, "try to use your brain." If I could take that back I would, and the following day I apologized for speaking to her that way. Anyway, this was clearly going nowhere so I said, "Show me in the contract your shoe policy," as she said that we had signed a contract saying we would follow the rules.

Quick reality check. We are the customers of this business, we were hurting no one. Now, back to the story.

She left and went into an office with the other "Big Manager Dude". She was in there for about 10 minutes. She came out about 2 or 3 times, going to the printer then going back into the office. I would think it would be pretty easy to show us this rule if it existed. I finally went over to her and said, "Why do you keep going to the printer? Are you rewriting the contract?" She didn't say anything. The "Big Manager Dude" came out with a photocopied piece of paper and handed it to me. The only thing that was highlighted was something about '24 Hour's responsibility to ensure a safe and positive environment for everyone.' On the side of the page, they wrote in their own writing, "See Cardio Room Rules Regarding Footwear." Now we were getting somewhere. I had no intention of flagrantly ignoring a rule. My plan was to find out the rule and then try to show that for Brittany "Appropriate footwear" is NO footwear. If I was unable to get the managers to see that, then I figured I would take it up with the people at the "Big company that doesn't need little customer" Headquarters. If we were unable to come to an agreement then perhaps Brittany would decide not to go there anymore, since all she does is lift and she could pick up a weight set and save the drive to and from the gym. Sadly we would never get to that point.

What is it about some people that they are so interested in being right that they can't discuss something rationally? If "Big Manager Dude" could have said, "I see what you are saying, it is ambiguous, call the corporate office and see if they can change the rule or have her sign a waiver," then we could have come to a resolution. Instead he said, "24 Hour Fitness apologizes for caring about the safety of your daughter." I trust I don't have to translate what he meant by that. I was able to keep my cool but did give him a look that said, well..... you know. In fairness, he did apologize for that. We then went on to debate the virtues of running barefoot, which was beside the point. He kept saying, "It doesn't make any sense!" I'm not sure what didn't make sense to him. He said his wife runs barefoot on the beach and I said, "You shouldn't let her" and he said "Why?" I said, "Because she could cut her feet on glass" and then, "Oh, I apologize for caring about the safety of your wife." Hey... what do you want from me... I never said I was perfect!

We then debated the sign issue. He said that there was a sign near the treadmills that says shoes are required. We went upstairs (I was still in my flippy flops, clearly a violation) and there wasn't any sign. I sort of felt bad for him at this point. The fact is, they are just employees of a big corporation. I don't think they get paid to think. I realized that the only way I would get this resolved, was to call corporate headquarters and try to clarify the rule or get it changed, if it is in fact against the rules. At this point, I'm not even sure. If they tell me that the rule is up to the interpretation of the manager who happens to be there at the time, if they ever hire a barefoot running manager, we are good to go! Otherwise, they define the rule and post signs accordingly; or of course, we sign a waiver. Regardless, I would have to make a phone call.

Another reality check. We are the customers of this business, we were hurting no one. Brit was running barefoot on the treadmill. Now, back to the story.

I called the headquarters of "Big company that doesn't need little customer" and spoke to a very nice Indian woman. I explained to her the situation in detail. She was very cordial and said that someone would look at this and get back to me in 3 to 5 days. Thank you!

Then, on Saturday I received this....

I have blocked out my address and membership # and also my last name (It is different than my professional name and well.....)

I know this has been an incredibly long story but I felt it was necessary to give all of the details so this letter could be put into context.

Let me say again that any business has the right to refuse to serve someone or have them as a patron. It is clear to me that the managers most likely called member services and had them draft this letter. I am sure that they made it sound as if I caused a huge ruckus. I have asked Brittany if that was the case and she said "No..." (well, she is my daughter, what do you think she'd say? :) But I will tell you that I never cursed or yelled or caused a scene. If anything, I made them frustrated and probably feel a little stupid. But that was it.

The several issues with this letter? First of all, there is no return phone number. If I sent letter like this, I can assure you that I would put a direct line so the person could contact me. Second, this letter goes beyond saying 'You must wear shoes or we will revoke your membership.' If it said that, I would consider that an official policy and then deicide whether I wanted to continue to go to that gym. No, it goes way beyond that and implies many things that, in my opinion, gives them the right at anytime to revoke my membership. That wouldn't even be so bad, if it were not for the fact that Brittany has 1 1/2 years left on her membership and when you cancel there, they continue to collect dues for an additional month. So needless to say, I wasn't happy about this letter.

So why do I write this? Am I trying to make sure Brittany can run barefoot on the treadmill at "Big company that doesn't need little customer?" No, in fact after thinking about it and a couple recommendations from some friends, I was going to see if these would qualify as acceptable footwear. Am I trying to make myself right to the managers there? No. Do I think that "Big company that doesn't need little customer" should make exceptions just for me? No, if they don't want to change the rule, which is their right, then I will simply take my business elsewhere. Although, that will prove to be hard as there are NO Mom and Pop gyms in our area. Only the really big corporate ones. But that is a topic for another post.

So, why did I spend the last 4 hours writing this? Because when they sent that letter, they forgot one thing and assumed another. They forgot that I am a paying customer and they assumed that I didn't have a voice.

Paul

Why do an Ironman?

I have been asked this question along with, “how far is that?” I start out saying “the swim is 2.4 miles” as soon as I say that, I usually get interrupted with “2.4 miles, are you kidding, I can barely get to the other end of the pool......” At which point I say, “wait there’s more, then a 112 mile bike and a marathon at the end”. Most people just shake their heads and say “that’s crazy, I could never do that”. I guess that is the interesting part to me, and what I find fascinating. I now that they can do it if they wanted to. Just about anything (within reason) IS possible, you just have to commit yourself to it, believe and be willing to follow the steps to achieve your goal. You can run, or walk, across the country if you want to. It might take some people a little longer than others, but, IT IS possible. I think where we as humans get hung up is, looking at the whole distance to our goal, whatever it is, and getting overwhelmed and intimidated, then start feeling like we can’t measure up in our current state. I have a couple of areas in my life where I am battling this. I am training for the Ironman to remind myself that the seemingly impossible Is possible.

Jasmine is doing GREAT with her swimming. We went Monday night and she did 10 laps. There was a coach at the pool that coaches at Marina High school. She gave Jasmine a couple of pointers and couldn’t believe that this was only her second time swimming. She seemed a little discouraged at first and said “by the time I do my 1280 laps, no one will even want an IPhone anymore” I thought that was pretty funny and cute. By the end of our session she seemed more encouraged and I told her that I think she will get up to 30-40 laps per session and at that rate, if we go 3 times a week it will only take 10 weeks or so. That sounds much more manageable. And that, I think. is the trick. Break any goal down to manageable tasks and do them. Just do them, anything to get you towards the finish line. But, you gotta start the race.

So to answer the question “Why do an Ironman?” I guess the real answer is that I think I am not training as much for the Ironman distance as I am training to remember that I can truly reach any goal that I set out to accomplish. So after IMAZ, I will apply this to those other two areas of my life. That is why I’m doing the Ironman.

No news is good news

I remember when I was young, I would hear people say “I can’t watch the news, it is so depressing.” It almost sounds strange to say or hear those words now. I mean how can we possibly stay away from the news?

For those of you who weren’t around back in the 70’s or early 80’s, there was a time when there were only about 7 channels to chose from on TV. They showed cartoons in the morning soap operas and game shows in the daytime and sitcoms or dramatic shows in the evening. The news was for the most part shown 2 times a day. At 7:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m.. It was very easy to avoid watching the news, you simply didn’t turn on the TV to any news channels during those times.

Then came CNN. All news, all the time. It seems like it would have been a good idea. To keep people abreast of news and developments across the globe could only make us more informed and socially aware people, right?

Well, I have many thoughts on the subject. Where do I begin?

First of all, I am not so sure that we as humans are equipped to handle the BAD news that is fed to us on a daily basis. If you could transport yourself back to a time before there was no television or radio. The only way you heard about “news” was through word of mouth or perhaps a publication such as a newspaper. But if we go back even further when there weren’t any newspapers. The only way that you saw any disturbing images or experienced trauma or devastation, was seeing it or experiencing it first hand. I think God equipped us with certain mechanisms to protect us and to help process this stimuli in a way that is palatable to us and our own situations and environment. We are able to see a traumatic event and analyze it and relate it to the probability of it happening to us. So, in turn we can put it in perspective. When we see these images on “The news channels” (and I use that term loosely, more on that later) I believe that it has to have negative effects on our psyche. I believe that we as humans are put into a sort of fight or flight state. A state of panic or at the least on the edge of panic. We are sure that the big tornado or the devastating earthquake or the huge tsunami are just about to strike and rob us of our family, happiness or even worse our very life. How could we not think this, we see it constantly and it is happening all around us, to everyone around us. Or so we are lead to believe.

So, why are we shown bad news all of the time instead of good news? Well, I believe it is simple really. Human nature. We love dirt and dirt sells. Remember “All news all the time”. That is a lot of hours to fill and to keep a channel on the air costs a lot of money. How does a television station get money? They get it by “Sponsors”. “Sponsors” are companies that sell products. They buy time to air commercials that show their product to you in hopes that you buy them. Very simple. If you have a TV station, you can sell time on your broadcast. The price of that time is set based on the number of people who watch your show, or “ratings”. The higher your ratings the more money you can charge and the higher your profit. Again, very simple economics. I am not trying to demonize the media. When you look at this business model it is perfectly morale (in my opinion) when it is applied to a network that is airing sitcoms and game shows. But, remember I am talking about “news”. Well unfortunately these same rules, or this same business model, applies to our “News Channels”.

What you are watching is not “News”. It is entertainment. For the most part, there is no more journalism, only sensationalism. No more restraint, only “the end justifies the means”. No more class, only news about Britney Spears. Again, I am not actually blaming the media. They are a business and businesses have to make a profit. I am just sad that they do it at any cost, but I don’t expect the world or the people in it to change any time soon.

So what CAN you do about it? Simply turn it off! Don’t watch it. Seriously, do everything you can to avoid it. It will be hard. You will notice right away, It is EVERYWHERE! But you can ignore it. I started about a month ago and I have already noticed a huge change in my state of mind (hey, there has to be a reason so many people are on antidepressants). Trust me, you can survive without knowing the latest on so and so’s rehab stint or this and that’s custody battle. It is so refreshing. I have quite a disdain for pop culture in general. So, to not have to be constantly kept abreast of all the “celebrities” that we worship, hearing their names day in and day out. That, In and of itself has made a happier person.

Paul