Now With Added Hotness

Thirty days, baby!  Thirty days.  Thirty days ago is when I made a deal with myself that I would not buy any more books until I had worked out for thirty days in a row.

And this I have done.  It’s been kind of hard.  It absolutely stunk to be doing great, around Day 20 or so—but instead of getting to reward myself for doing great, I was still punishing myself for not having yet done well enough.

The best thing about this challenge, though, was the steadily decreasing difficulty.  The workouts themselves stayed pretty freaking hard, but getting up the motivation to do them became easier and easier the farther I got.  It was that whole “in a row” clause.  By Day 8, the idea of missing a day and having to start over was pretty excruciating; by Day 20, it just wasn’t going to happen.  I worked out at midnight with a pounding headache just to keep my skin in the game.

It reminds me of something I once read: that you don’t use your will power to make a big change in your life; you use it to create the environment in which making that change is easier.  Like, you don’t use will power to diet; you use it to throw out your junk food and stock up on broccoli.  You don’t use will power to exercise, you use it to make a silly bargain with yourself and tell people about it so that if you fall down on the job you’ll wind up with egg on your face.

I did cheat one other time that I didn’t mention.  Mark and I are in Gatlinburg this week for another bridge competition.  When we were getting ready for the trip, I said to him, “It’s such a shame that I don’t get to buy a new book to read in the hot tub.”

Then Mark’s eyes melted in the way they only do for me.  Because reading books in the hot tub may well be my favoritest of all favorite activities.  And then he went out and bought me Soulless by Gail Carriger, which I was Into.  It’s full of steampunk and sexy werewolves, and has already been devoured.  Thanks for being my enabler, sweetie!

So, now that my thrity days are over, there are two questions before me.  Where to I go from here?  And, what should I buy?

As for where do I go from here, I think I’m going to take one or two days to rest up, and then launch a new thirty day deal.  I am feeling stronger, slimmer, and more stamina-tastic, and I’m not willing to give any of that up.  But I want some new terms, maybe something not quite so punishing.  I’m thinking less stick, more carrot.

As for what I’ll buy, here are the candidates:

Changeless, by Gail Carriger. Sequel to Soulless.  Oh, who am I kidding.  I’m getting this one.

Self-Editing for Fiction Writers, by Renni Browne and Dave King.  I swear I own this, but I haven’t been able to track it down in three years.  Maybe it’s time to buy a new copy?  There was that one box of unidentified items that never made it out of California…

The Fire in Fiction, by Donald Maass.  Absolutely loved Maass’ Writing the Breakout Novel.  If this is half as good, I need it.

Danse Macabre.  Stephen King’s book on the horror genre.  While I don’t write horror, I love reading about other genres.

Snow White and Rose Red, by Patricia Wrede.  Read this in high school at least twice, and for some reason heave been itching to read it again lately.

I’m Just Here for More Food.  Because I am an Alton Brown fangirl and a half.

I can’t get them all, because if I do that I’ll finish one or two and then buy something else and forget these completely.  (Isn’t it nice being old enough to know yourself a bit?)  So, where do I start?  Or is there something else I should be buying with my new found freedom?