The second first step

The Witty Subtitles

Asheville sits in a big bowl at 2,300 feet, surrounded by mountains, lush forests, and rivers.

But who knew it also has a great cultural scene? I mean, not counting the nine million or so people who visited last year.

With tons of music, restaurants, and local breweries (the height of culture), the only thing Asheville's missing is... a great comedy club.

Maybe that's where I come in. I'm not sure.

A few years ago, when I was having a very difficult time sleeping, I would lie in bed wondering if I missed being on stage or not. For more than a decade, I'd been pretty gosh darn dedicated to improvisation. I'd napped in the basement of the Annoyance Theatre, studied/argued with legends, and sprinted from show to show to show on Friday and Saturday nights. Those were some of the best moments of my life.

But as quickly as the magic appeared, it disappeared.

Gone.

For the last six years or so, the itch has returned. It's not the all-consuming desire it used to be, but I definitely feel the drive returning. Especially every time I ride my bike past this little gem of a building that's practically begging to become a comedy club.

And it's only a 10 or 15 minute walk to downtown!

Doesn't even need to be painted

So yesterday, I checked my ego and walked up the street. My long road back began in a church at noon in Asheville.

I improvised with six other people, a few who were doing so for the second or third time.

My favorite person is Irene, a 70ish transplant from New Jersey. She's pretty funny, but when she threw herself on the floor, none of us thought we'd be able to put Humpty back together again. To everyone's amazement, she popped right back up.

Kind of.

So I'll let Irene be my inspiration. Doesn't matter how old you are or how much experience you have, just throw yourself out there and see what happens.

Or, simply take that first step. Again.

***

In other news
I'm a little miffed. I went trail riding again at Bent Creek yesterday and when I returned home, I realized  I had the perfect component to make the PolPro work. (Deleted expletive)!

Doesn't care. Next weekend, you'll get to see the finest downhill dippity-do's this side of the ol' Miss. I swear.