Boob Tubin' and Gettin' Movin'

I don't like exercise.

It's one of those things I do because I know I should.  Lately, I've been trying to like running.  (I don't.)

This past week has been hot.  Way too hot to run.

[Side note: I used to think I missed warm summer evenings, but I don't anymore.  Because with warm summer evenings comes warm summer nights, and I have not been sleeping well.  I enjoy the SoCal nighttime cool-down, where I can open the window and sleep comfortably.]

In what can only be described as Perfect Timing because:

A) Like I said, it's too hot to exercise outside, and

B) A coworker and I just "traded" TV shows; she's borrowing seasons of Supernatural from me, and I'm watching Doctor Who on Netflix for her,

I found a workout routine I'm excited about. (Linked by a friend on Facebook... let's see if that "credit" works.)

Doctor Who Workout

Steve and I did it twice this weekend, alternating between the rowing machine and mini-elliptical in between the designated exercises.  And let me tell you, it was a good workout!  My abs are feelin' it this morning.

And then another friend linked to this, a collection of workouts for dozens of TV shows and movies.

I think working out to TV is a fantastic idea.  Especially when I'm trying to power through a show (like Doctor Who), with limited time in my day.  Two birds! 

Ready Reader

I just noticed something about myself: I don't read fantasy books.

That's not to say I don't like fantasy books, because I don't have any evidence to that end.  I might very well love fantasy books if I read them...  I just don't.  If I walk into the library or a book store or click over to Amazon, when given a choice, I choose something that isn't fantasy every single time*.  (There are certainly other genres I don't tend to read.  Self-help, for example.  But most of my friends love fantasy books, so it stands out to me that I don't read them.)

I just finished reading Ready Player One, which was described to me by one friend as 80's-pop-futuristic-fantasy.  Fantasy.  Hmm.  I'm glad I didn't let that deter me, because I was excited enough about this book that I really had to fight the desire to balance my Kindle on my lap at work and sneak-read.

Sure, there's a quest.  There are wizards and supernatural/magical creatures and giant robots and other planets.  But it's all part of a video game.  And somehow, that works for me.  Somehow, the fact that this fantasy world is framed in real-world-as-we-know-it terms, makes it not a fantasy book.

Like Harry Potter.  Steve reminded me that I've read the entire series--more than once--and clearly enjoyed it.  And Harry certainly lives in a fantasy world.  But again, the wizarding world is framed by muggles.  It exists here, and we muggles are just unaware of it.

Maybe I'm too much a realist to want to immerse myself in entirely different worlds.  Maybe I'm unimaginative. 

People have been recommending Game of Thrones left, right, and all around me for years.  I have not heard a single person say they disliked the series, or even that they were eh on it.  Every single person I've ever talked to about it has absolutely raved.  And yet, I can't talk myself into reading it.

It took listening to them on audiobook for me to finally "read" the first few books in the Kushiel's Legacy series, which was enthusiastically recommended.  And even that world is framed in our own history.

I don't know what it is!  But in conclusion: you should read Ready Player One even if you don't think it's your kind of book.




* Obviously I have read fantasy books, as evidence would prove.  In fact, I just picked up (or downloaded, rather) The Princess Bride.