About Paul

As my yoga instructor says, "Take what you need; leave what you don't."

I have an odd collection of hobbies.  Some days I'm going on a trail run, and others I'm building a circuit for a modular synthesizer.  I hope that one or more topics on this blog resonate with you, and that you can find something to take with you when you go.

Here are a few notable things about me:

• I have been performing music all of my life.  I started off on saxophone in junior high school band, switched to baritone horn so I could play with the Aggie Band at U.C. Davis, then picked up bassoon and clarinet after college when I went through my pit orchestra phase.  These days, I take music theory lessons and compose electronic music.
• Speaking of Davis, I earned my B.S. degree in Microbiology there and worked in the biotech industry through most of the 1990s.  I switched to software engineering in 1998 and am currently working at Amazon on a team that helps non-profits with their data and infrastructure problems.
• I started brewing beer in 2011 after some mixed results with fermenting cider.  Brewing keeps me connected with my biology background and provides some nice things to drink as well.
• I trained for and completed my first triathlon (the Wildflower half) in 2006 with Team in Training, the fundraising arm of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.  I've also completed a 100+ mile bicycle ride around Lake Tahoe with TNT. In 2022, I completed the Brazen Racing Ultra Half Series: six trail half marathons with elevation gains over 2,000 feet.  Came in 21st out of 46 in the men's division, too!

We have all of the good and bad news in the world streaming to us through our phones and computers.  It demands so much of our attention!  As I've gotten older and gained experience points (yeah, I do play TTRPGs), I've realized that we have a finite amount of time and attention and we have to be mindful about where we choose to spend it.  I've chosen to spend mine on family, my work, and the creative and healthy activities that you'll read about on this blog.  I hope that you find these posts funny, inspiring, or helpful in some way.  Thank you for spending a little bit of your finite attention here with me.

Take what you need; leave what you don't!

Start your own thing

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The Socials

Gave up Twitter in November of 2022 after it was acquired.  I'm connecting with folks on Mastodon: