Sweatin' to the Oldies

It happens every month when the box of books arrives on my doorstep.  I am forced to multi-task:  reading, outlining, and then writing the book reviews.  I have to rise early in order to read in the morning; I read while I'm eating, read while I'm walking, and then write in every available nook and crannie of time available to me.

This week, I know what I have to do.  Each evening, while I'm at the gym on the stairmaster for 90-minutes, I am also reading a book or two.  For the past two weeks, I've frequently been the first one to arrive at the gym at 5 a.m., and the last one to leave the gym at 10 p.m. (Two gym sessions a day.)  Last Thursday night the manager had to turn out the lights when I was still going at 10 p.m.

Still, it's difficult to turn the pages and/or read while keeping my balance on the stair machine, especially since I'm also sweating on the book I am reading.  But it must be done.  The books must be read, and the reviews must be written.  That's what I signed up for.  It's why the publishers send the books to my door.

On Monday night I managed to read two books on the stairmaster, about 260 pages total, but all of that reading helped to pass the time.  I even managed to outline my reviews before I was finished and I know I dropped at least a couple of pounds in the process. So who says reading isn't an aerobic activity?

The only thing that could make this experience more ironic would be if I was asked to review a biography of Richard Simmons.  Surely there is one out there.  And if there is . . . would that publisher please step forward and send me a copy?  I've got a lot of sweatin' to do.  And Richard can help me. An old guy like me needs a book to sweat to.