Tuesday Thoughts

Well, I'm back, and am mostly recovered from Saturdays' Read-a-Thon. The cold that I hoped I wasn't getting, I now have. It's super fantastic, coughing your lungs out every 10 minutes or so. Someone called and asked me why I wasn't working today. Um, because I don't think clients would appreciate a barking cough during their massage, that's why. It's not exactly restful and relaxing, believe me.

And as promised, here's my final wrap-up of the 'Thon.

It felt indulgent and naughty to stay up and read for 24 hours, like I was skipping out of school. I kept expecting neighbors to wander over at 3AM, wondering what I was doing, but of course that didn't happen. In my over-planning for the event, I got myself too excited about updating every hour, doing mini-challenges, reading and commenting on others' blogs, wondering what snacky food to eat next... next time around, I'm going to simplify. I also thought I'd get to read (and review) two ARC copies I have, but just getting through the first one took longer than I thought. In the end, I should have picked books that I knew I wouldn't have to be intensely vigilant about paying attention to, and I should have tried to work out a better way to read the graphic novels I had as well.

For next time, I'll have a smaller pool of books (or just pick 2 or 3 I really want to read) instead of 40, I'll make more of an effort to spend more time actually reading, and I'll try to change up my reading locations. Nothing wrong with the good old couch, but that's where I spent all of my time. Also, I'll clean my house the day before, so I'm not tempted to sort through a stack of mail or do dishes instead of read. (Those of you who know me may think you mis-read that last sentence, but I assure you, my bin of dirty dishes was a real distraction. I know... I think I'm losing my mind too.)

The one thing that really surprised me (aside from how I didn't meet my personal goals - ugh!) was how many people out there have book blogs. I read so many, and had a lot of nice comments, from people all over the world! It was so much fun to read about what other people were reading! And it has been fun to go back and check out many other blogs in the aftermath of the 'Thon. I'm really looking forward to the next one in April!

Alright, back to coughing and cleaning up for me! Hope you are all doing well.