Chair Hunting

After more research, including reading a few in-depth articles about upscale chairs from thewirecutter.com and lifehacker.com, I decided that chairs, no matter what the cost, should suit one's individual needs. When I thought about the ideal chair build in which to park my butt for hours at a time, I decided I needed one that would work for: 

1. Vertically-challenged folks - with adjustable lumbar support
2. A habitual sloucher - with adjustable tilt to move the chair slightly forward
3. "Lazy Elbows" - with flip up armrests so as not to use them as a crutch

Since I'm currently not made of money, I needed to keep it under $250. I've been saving up for this for awhile and I'm really tired of having a sore butt and back from painting in this chair, though I added a cushion (don't laugh!)...

IKEA.com

Thinking it must be easy to find a chair better than my $25 IKEA chair, I searched for "ergonomic armless chair" and came up with some strange results, including these:

from Officemax.com

from IKEA.com

from Overstock.com

After practically a full day's worth of research and not wanting to drive around in the pouring rain on my day off looking for a chair (and probably dropping too much money on one because, frankly, I crack under the pressure of an aggressive salesperson), I found this: Office Star's Professional Light Air Grid Back Chair with Eco Leather Seat. It has the adjustable lumbar support, flip up arm rests, and adjustable seat. It looks pretty sleek too. I also kept my budget goal. I saw this chair in places for quite a bit more, but you couldn't beat Amazon.com's price of $207 with free shipping. 

It should arrive right around the Fourth of July where I'm taking a 4 day weekend. I'll be painting diligently that weekend and will no longer be subject to the $25 IKEA Chair of Shame. 

Painting Withdrawals

Work has been intense while I've been running point for my team during a new store opening. I've encountered long days and I haven't had a day off for two weeks. Any downtime has been spent watching the World Cup (yes, I'm a soccer fan) or taking a late afternoon trip to Beaumont  to "get away". In fact, I'm writing this in a race against the clock since I need to get on the road. I'm helping facilitate panel interviews today. 

Needless to say, I haven't painted. And it makes me creatively itchy. I've thought about it often, but knowing how much caffeine is coursing through my system to support my effectiveness at work, I've decided it's a bad idea. My next day off is June 28th and I'm going to paint the &#@% out of some minis. I still need to patch up Maralise after her untimely basing mishap. I've bounced back from my failure funk and I'm positive I can salvage her.

[Update: I did it! Check her out here]

In the meantime, I've realized I need a new painting setup. Currently, I'm painting at an unfinished pine table I bought for $70 at IKEA in 2010 along with its matching chair. It's not a long-term solution. I've been saving up for something better ever since I read Meg Maples' blog post about ergonomic desks & chairs. I've learned many insights from her Arcane Paintworks site and I can't wait to try some of her suggestions!

I admit, I've spent some of that desk/chair money on minis-- in fact, a box showed up yesterday for me and I thought "Wait, this isn't mine!" and when I opened it, they were minis I'd bought on eBay that I'd forgotten about #HoarderProblems.

However, I'm committed to finding a more sustainable desk & chair setup. I want to learn from others' successes. I want to put into my hobby what I hope to get out. It's worth it. I'll take some pictures along the way in my hunt for a new desk & chair-- I'll let you know what I find! 

The Beaumont Book Stan'

This weekend, I took a trip to Beaumont. The trip was scenic during both good and bad weather with plenty of memorable sights along the way. The best part? The signs:

"Denny's Bingo 24 hours" - Since Bingo is mentioned before the "24 hours" part, I'd like to imagine they have bingo going all day, every day. Rock on!

"Stop in and try a ostrich burger" - Fuddruckers, I hope the Ostrich Burger is just what it's called, not what it's made out of. Not sure why that creeps me out, but I'm not about to Google it. Strangely enough, I was most bothered by the use of the wrong article adjective "... an ostrich burger... " Yep, I now feel like a snob and a jerk.

I wish I had a picture of another favorite: "Guitar and Banjo Studio". YES. I've always wanted to take lessons and pick up the classical banjo! (Also, the ukelele but that wasn't advertised at that particular location).

While we were there, we had to make a stop at The Book Stan' -- a comic book, tabletop gaming, and huge warehouse gaming store that opened in 1979. At length we perused the walls of miniatures, boxes and boxes of comics and wargaming books, and the incredible selection of tabletop board games. The Book Stan' also sells collectible figurines, cards, and shirts. One could spend hours just looking. We were able to keep our visit between 1-2 hours.

It was tough, but I finally narrowed it down and purchased "Samurai Sword". It's part of the BANG! Game System line. I was amused to find that it has original directions in Italian with the English translation (I took just enough Italian classes in college to get myself in trouble). I admired like the artwork on the box & cards from Werther Dell'Edera. It reminds me a lot of "Samurai Seven", one of my favorite anime series based on Akira Kurosawa's 1954 classic "Seven Samurai". Can't wait to play it! But it takes at least three people. Darnit. Time to use an excuse to catch-up with friends in order to play this game!

While I do wish The Book Stan' would have had more miniature hobby related products (i.e. paint, basing materials), I understand they're focus is more on comic books, gaming, and collectibles. I'll definitely be back if I'm ever in the area. It's the place you could visit many times and always discover something new that you didn't see before. Given the convenience of online shopping, it's really nice to know that "mom 'n pop" stores like the Book Stan' are still around!