It's going to be hard to tear myself away from work, now that I have this:

The box says "Do Not Use Sharp Object to Cut Carton Open." So I used a spoon. It's going to take some time to get used to being comfortable.

And since my feet don't reach the floor, I might have to get a stool. Unfortunately, my back is still in jeopardy, because there are so many parts of my job that require me to do things like this:

Collating has to be done on a long, flat surface. It doesn't have to be this low to the ground, of course, but I make do with what I have. So, still some kinks to work out, but situation improving quantumiciously.

Chair or no, we leave at four Saturday morning for a week in Colorado. We're meeting members of the Iowa branch of the family there. It's almost exactly twice as far for us as it is for them, but that's all right. That just improves our chances of all ending up in the same place at the same time. There are three groups coming from Iowa. Suzanne sent them each a map. They lost them all.

We're giving ourselves almost three days to get there, since we can't get the keys to the rental house until some time Monday. If someone else gets there first, they will have detailed instructions in hand about where to go and what to do. So I'm sure they'll have the hot tub warmed up and all their beds picked out by the time we arrive.

Either that, or we'll run into them wandering around in Wyoming, looking for the right road.

I say this with all affection, because if it were up to me, I'd probably start out the wrong way and drive into the ocean. I'm not sure I could find my way across the Sierra Nevada, let alone the Rockies. I've always depended on the kindness of the fully clued.

For example, my new chair would still be a dream if Suzanne hadn't suggested going to Best Buy this morning. We were having lunch at Applebee's after a trip to Border's to look for (ummm, books?) books, and since Best Buy was just across the parking lot, and she had the van, it seemed like a sensible idea. Even if I'd been the one to think of it, it still would've been a good idea.

I sat in every chair they had on display, including some that were more expensive than the one I ended up with. It took about twice as long to find a clerk as it did to pick out the chair. Then it took even longer for her to figure out whether or not they had one in a box. We knew they had it, because we'd found it on a high shelf before she showed up. But she had to check the computer, and then she had to find a ladder, and another clerk to help her, and then we got to stand in one of Best Buy's infamous lines from hell. No need to go into that rant again.

The Boss doesn't know yet that he bought me a new chair today. He'll be pleased, I'm sure, since it means I won't have to walk away from my desk quite as often.