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Below are actual excerpts from my notebook and facebook feed and twitter and etc on the process of getting used to a treadmill desk if you (like me) are a klutz. Feel free to read the whole thing aloud in your best Captain Kirk voice.

Treadmill desk log, day one: I got a treadmill desk! (Actually I scored my in-laws dis-used treadmill and stuck a board on it: fortunately I’m short, so that’s all it takes.) This is day two of typing and walking at once, and frankly I expect to end up plastered against the back wall of my writing office. Also I can hardly type and think this whole thing might be stupid. But everyone tells me I’ll get used to it.

Treadmill desk log, day three: I still haven’t injured myself. Typing is improving slowly. The “second nature” thing that was promised has not yet appeared. Basically this is annoying and if hadn’t been endorsed my klutzy friends, I’d quit it.

Treadmill desk log, day four. Treadmills make my hips and knees feel weird in a way that walking doesn’t. What’s up with that? Typing continues to improve. I do think a separate keyboard and a boost for the monitor may be necessary.

Treadmill desk log, day seven: I think I could grow to love this thing. My brain seemed to work so much better this aft, strolling, than it did this morning, sitting and flailing. (Of course, this morning was dayjob and I’ve got a fundraising project. Still.) It helps to turn up the speed to 1.4 or 1.5 km/hr. 1.0, the lowest speed, seems artificially slow. Would I rather have a dog? Yes. Does this beat sitting in a chair? Um… I think it might.

Treadmill desk log, day ten: The treadmill desk is becoming comfortable and easy. Case in point: Today I’m in my writing office but have forgotten my shoes, which makes treadmilling dicey. And yet I feel a genuine urge to get up there; a feeling that things would feel better if I were strolling along. Me having an urge to exercise is one of the signs of the apocalypse.

Treadmill desk log, day 17: The treadmill is clearly smarter than me, and I still haven’t learned to program it. But I have learned to access the pre-set programs, and the one called rolling hills, that varies the incline, is making treadmill desk working much better. It does get a little steep in the middle, but my old sore hip feels better than it has in years. Making the same stride over and over again wasn’t helping, but this is.

Treadmill desk log, day 20: I’m on retreat, loving it. Walking hours through the woods. And yet I do miss my treadmill desk. Stock up on canned foods, everyone: I miss a piece of exercise equipment. The Mayans were right. THE MAYANS WERE RIGHT!

Treadmill desk log, day 25: Today I investigated who at the dayjob might approve me getting a treadmill desk there, too.

Treadmill desk log, day 30: Today I hit 50 miles, and officially became annoying and evangelical about treadmill desks.

I’ve been asked for a video, so here is a video. I wrote a script so I wouldn’t be all “Buh, my desk moves.” James filmed me rehearsing it, then refused to film it again. He says it’s fine. I guess it’s fine. (I hate videos.)

Here’s a video of me on my personal connection between literature and science: both are simple-minded, monastic, and willing to dig deep. Simple-mindness is a virtue to me. Want to know why? Here:

I’m addressing the Knowledge Integration Students at the University of Waterloo: students who decided to integrate a number of different passions instead of narrowing themselves to one. They are an impressive and exciting group and I was honoured to get to talk to them. The book I mention researching is Sorrow’s Knot.

This is up online thanks to the good folks at The New Quarterly (hi, Melissa!) who edited this down from an hour. The edit is so good it makes me wonder what else I said. Over at their “QuArc” issue (a joint issue with Arc celebrating the intersection between science and literature) you can see more video from this talk, and read my essay on the history of the names of quarks.