Reading technology books at the gym

Ok, so I made these two New Year's resolutions: that I'd reduce the size of my butt and I'd increase the strength of my brain by learning more about asp.net and Longhorn. Mostly because I hate also sitting around (on my butt) feeling stupid in the presence of intellectual giants. Which, not to be too Pollyanna about it, will indeed happen at Microsoft.

In the old days when I was taking my sys admin class, I'd sit on the recumbent bike and as my legs droned on and on I'd try to absorb stuff about config files and DNS and what ports are sacred, and after an hour my legs would be tired and my brain would be too, and it would be a great workout. So, I figure, what the heck and thought I'd try it today.

At the gym near Microsoft, I'm sure none of this would have raised any eyebrows (sweaty geeks and their families own the joint practically) but I also belong to a rather California-style place in Seattle where I must summon my inner personal trainer, “Raoul, “ to tell me I look fabulous as I lift very puny weights to the throbbing beat of techno. Now,  I *like* techno, and its all very metrosexual, even if I am a chick, but I got there and realized that my *tech book* was too fat to fit on the bike. It's bad enough that you are worrying about your own girth, but then there's skulking back to the locker with your FAT RED ASP.NET book, cause the body of knowledge is too big to fit on the Trendmaster 9000, or whatever these things are called.Sigh.

So I watched mindless re-runs of sports shows on the multiple blaring TVs and my inner Raoul told me I looked fabulous and to work it harder under the glaring lights and the silver and steel riveting all around the mirrors, and I vowed: in an Internet cafe tomorrow, I will work the brain. I will work the *brain.*