My pinkies have been numb since February. I thought it was carpel tunnel, so I got a new ergonomic keyboard. No change, and it seemed to be getting worse. I finally went to my doctor and he said "you lean on your elbows a lot don't you?" Why yes, I do. Apparently when you lean on your elbows too much, you can inflame the tissue around your ulnar nerve and your pinkies and the outer half of your ring fingers can go numb.
Here's the problem: my computer desk is too high. It's not really a computer desk, it's actually a library table from about 1930, made out of quartersawn oak, in the mission style. I found it in an antique shop in Richmond, IL about a decade ago. It was in good shape except the only drawer which had a bad bottom. I paid $100 for the desk, fixed the drawer and I really love the table.
Today I went to Crate and Barrel to see if they had a computer desk that I liked. I found a couple, took a catalog and then made my way home. I stopped at a Staples store to look for a desk chair. My current chair is a $20 piece of junk from Ikea. It's a kitchen table, sorta. It's really junky, but I haven't found something I really like. Remember dinettes? That's what I want. A kitchen set. Not another dining room set.
Anyway, at the Staples, I found a chair that was a knockoff of a very expensive ergonomic chair. It had a mesh back, arm rests that go up and down. The chair tilts forward and back, the seat back tilts back and forth. It has lumbar support. It was $150. A light turned on in my head. IF I got a chair that raised me up high enough, I wouldn't have to buy a lower desk! And, I could put my feet on the shelf from the library table, or get a footstool. Since my legs are really short and they barely reach the ground when I sit on a regular chair. AND, if I had ARMRESTS, I'd have somewhere for my elbows to rest, besides on the DESK. I needed this chair.
But the only one they had had a box that looked like it was falling apart. I left.
Got home about six pm, and talked to my brother a while. Brian was out at a business dinner and I had to pick him up at the train station at 8:50pm. At 8:10, it dawned on me that I should go to the closest Office Max and see if THEY had a chair like the one from Staples. I would get there at precisely 8:20, and then have until 8:40 when I would have to leave. I didn't want Brian to be standing around the train station wondering if I forgot to come get him.
I walked swiftly into the store, looking for the chair. Didn't find it. But I found a LEATHER chair, with all the adjustable parts. But it was on a pedestal. And there was a sign saying not to climb on the pedestal. Luckily just then, a very nice salesclerk came by. I told her that I wanted to try out this chair, could she help me take it down?. She said "Well, you'll just have to climb on that pedestal." I pointed to the sign, she laughed, took the chair down and I sat right down on it. Then rolled myself over to a desk to test the height. Perfect. AND it is made by Sealy, the bed people. AND it was on sale, $150, marked down from $205. Leather for $150 is much better than mesh for $150.
I told her I had to leave at 8:40 exactly, could she bring one to the counter and check me out in time? She could. And she did. And she helped me to the car.
And I got to the train station just as Brian was getting off the train.
We put together the chair and I'm sitting in it now. The desk is at the right height, my elbows are bent at the right angle. The chair is very cool, we played around tilting it in all directions, adjusting the armrests, etc. I love the chair. I feel like Captain Kirk on the bridge.
I'm all set to see what Apple announces tomorrow, on 9/9/09. My favorite number is 9. My birthday is April 9. which is the 99th day of the year, unless it's a leap year, then it's the 100th day. I should buy a lottery ticket.
Oh, and I stopped at the Apple store to buy Snow Leopard today. Tried to get the salesguy to tell me if they had boxes of new stuff waiting for tomorrow. No dice. Not even a smile about it. But he did answer all my questions about Snow Leopard compatibility with my current software, and he listened to me babble about how much I loved the shuffles that came in different colors, as opposed to the current version which is BORING.
