-=> Ardith Hinton wrote to James Bradley <=-   
      
      
    AH>  For those who aren't so hung up on convention I'd be   
    AH>  more than delighted to explain how I've modified my   
    AH>  computer desk & chair at no extra cost....  :-)   
      
    JB>  I'm almost afraid to ask,   
      
    AH>           Oops.  I see you've got my number... [chuckle].   
      
   L!!! Let's look up Wits End, shall we?    
      
      
    AH>           Short explanation:  I keep my elbows close to my body... as a   
    AH> physio advised when I had problems with the other   
    AH> shoulder... and I've found a way to support the elbow on   
    AH> the currently injured side while using my computer.  In a   
    AH> perfect world, I might have an executive armchair.  In this   
    AH> world, I duplicate the effect as best I can with rolled-up   
    AH> towels or whatever else comes to hand. But it all sounds so   
    AH> simple I wonder why I didn't think of it earlier....  :-)   
      
   As long as you've thought about it now.   
      
    AH>           Long explanation:  my computer desk is actually a   
    AH> small table with a drawer in the centre, which my father   
    AH> built for me as a study desk while I was in my teens.  It's   
    AH> plain, unimaginative, but made to last... just like him!  I   
    AH> can use the pulled-out drawer as an arm rest with complete   
    AH> confidence that I'm not causing any structural damage &   
    AH> that it quite literally won't let me down. With the   
    AH> addition of two bath towels I can bring it up to desk level.   
      
   Having never met the man that built your desk, I doubt he was *that*    
   unimaginative. Heck, he raised you to think outside the box after all.    
   Besides, I often check my flights of fancy with some down to earth "What    
   the .... was I thinking?" and often too late. I *need* to let the    
   imagination step aside for common sense and *much* earlier so I don't have    
   to waste so much time, effort and material as I am accustom to.   
      
    AH>           Now, here's where things get really weird & you   
    AH> might want to ensure you have an adequate supply of your   
    AH> beverage of choice on hand... [grin].   
      
   Shoot... The coffee cup was left downstairs. (Try to blame *that* on the    
   cat! |-) One minute while I....   
      
   OK, as you were saying.   
      
    AH>           Long explanation continued:  For whatever reasons, my chair   
    AH> seems to be an SJ magnet.  It's what some folks refer to as a   
    AH> "mate's chair"... i.e. it has arms which are shorter than   
    AH> those of a captain's chair or executive chair. Our living   
    AH> space is just as crowded as yours & that is all I have room   
    AH> for.  I must add that our personal computers are located in   
    AH> a main traffic area.  When somebody wants Dallas to play   
    AH> computer guru, we offer them Nora's chair... but SJ's don't   
    AH> like to cause any trouble & they think they know better.   
      
   Oh, *those* kind.   
      
    AH> They park their fannies on my chair so I can't use my   
    AH> computer.  Then they move my chair into the middle of the   
    AH> room, because otherwise they can't see what's going on. (I   
    AH> could have predicted that... but they didn't ask me!  The   
    AH> last one even put his backpack on the floor in front of   
    AH> him, thus making it almost impossible to go back & forth   
    AH> whilst preparing Nora to go out.)  Meanwhile they don't   
    AH> notice they've knocked down a bunch of stuff which would   
    AH> take approximately six hours to return to its original   
    AH> location.  I don't have six hours to spare.  But all things   
    AH> work together for good.  My chair is now at an odd angle   
    AH> because that's the best I can do to restore order within   
    AH> fifteen minutes.  OTOH, the distance between the arm of the   
    AH> chair & the pulled-out drawer is quite manageable.  The   
    AH> addition of another bath towel makes up for whatever else   
    AH> may be lacking.  :-)   
      
   Maybe a stick of gaffer's tape, or a zip tie or two is what's missing so    
   your cushions stay in place? I'm at a point where a landslide is another    
   opportunity sort and toss more stuff. (I really *should* be working to move    
   that fridge, now that you mention it. P-)   
      
    AH>  I start to worry about you when I haven't heard a peep out   
    AH>  of Calgary in two months because Kevin's system is down.   
   ...   
    AH> doesn't you're welcome to call our BBS.  We still have a   
    AH> POTS line....  :-)   
      
   To confound things, the evil internet arrived here also, so ebay has been    
   swallowing up all sorts of my time and available credit.    
      
      
      
   ... James   
   ___ MultiMail/Linux v0.49   
      
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