Confusing Action with Motion

I don't know which is more... distressing: reading Kerouac while in bed or while working out. Like the work of Dave Eggers, there is a distinct emphasis on movement. If I had my book with me, I would nerd out here and put some quotes, but for now, just believe me. So if I'm just lounging in bed, I feel like such a waste. I should be out in the world, experiencing things. At the very least, I should be moving. Not so, however. I have been taking On the Road with me to work out in the morning. This is more frustrating! A theme I have been toying with in Kerouac's work is that his emphasis is on traveling, but his experiences are when he isn't moving. One nerdtastic example is that the title is a recurring phrase... spoken right when he's going to leave one story and venture on into another in another place. When he's literally "on the road", we mostly don't hear about it. That gives the book a darker spin than it is intended, but reading his later work, the theme starts really becoming obvious.

So picture me pondering this, while working for all I'm worth on a crosstrainer, but not actually moving. Trippy, I know. It works much better to read back issues of Cosmo and New Woman because it's all about body image. Why not throw yourself in all the way, mind and body? It's much more distracting than Keroauc. Moral of the story? Choose reading material for the gym very carefully.

SIDENOTE: This is a reason I should be a writer for a show like Futurama, Simpsons, or Family Guy (or I watch far too much of the aforementioned shows). I was getting ready for work and putting my boots on. With my work out this morning, my left calf was getting a bit big again and I said, "Stupid calf." Then I pictured me looking up to see a baby cow in my flat and just trying to stammer out an apology. Haha. I crack myself up.