04/10/2009
Each morning, while it's still dark outside, I pour a cup of strong coffee, snuggle into my favorite chair and mentally prepare for the day. No matter how haywire the day goes, it always starts out right, thanks to my comfy chair.
Need a chair to help you face all that life dishes out? Here's how to find one that suits your seat perfectly.
Don't settle for anything less than a high-quality piece. Poorly made furnishings may look great on the showroom floor, flashing their seductively low price tags, but after going 10 rounds with your family, pets and guests, their beauty will quickly fade, and you'll be left with a "bargain" that creeks and sags and is split and warped.
When you invest in a high-quality piece, your chair will look new for years to come. Before you buy, make sure the chair seat deck has eight-way, hand-tied steel coils that are supported by polypropylene and steel strapping. Double-check to see that the frames are made of kiln-dried hardwoods and that the joints are double-doweled, with every corner blocked, screwed and glued.
To pick the right chair, you have to determine what role it will play in your home and in your life. Where will the chair be located and how will it be used? For instance, will this chair be a statement piece in your formal living room — or will it be in your casual family room, hosting popcorn-eating TV watchers?
Who will be sitting in it on a regular basis? Rarely do I find a chair that fits a man as perfectly as it does a woman or a child, so my advice is to choose the person who gets dibs on the chair and select one that fits him or her just right.
The chances of finding the chair of your dreams dramatically increase if you know exactly what features you want. Here are a few questions to consider to focus your search.
.What type of cushions do you want? Seat cushions are a lot like mattresses: Some people like them firm, and others want them sink-into soft.
.Do you want a chair with a tight back or cushion back?
.How high do you want the back of the chair to reach? High enough to rest your head against, or low enough to see over? Wingback chairs are all the rage again, and some people (mostly women) love how this cozy classic envelops them in a hug. Others (mostly men) find wingbacks constraining because they block their field of vision.
.How wide and deep should the seat be? Some people like wider chairs so they can tuck their legs up next to them. Most of us want chairs deep enough so we can comfortably touch the floor.
.How high do you want the arms to be? A lot of folks love English club chairs with arms perfectly positioned to allow you to read the newspaper.
.Skirt or exposed legs? Unless you're just crazy about skirts, I recommend getting a chair without one because fabric skirts get dirty easily. For variety, I like to fill my rooms with chairs that have a wide assortment of leg styles and finishes.

March 25th, 2009
Still using a lot of tape? Well now you can have your tape and data too, all in one place, with this USB Tape Holder. This very useful device will hold a standard roll of tape and it also sports 4 USB ports.
It's a great space saver for the home office desk. The USB ports are on the opposite side of the dispenser so it's easy to plug in all of your gadgets. Sure, it isn't all that flashy, but desk space is important, you messy slob. Time to clean up your act. It's only $9.

That's pretty damn cheap if you ask me. Plus these make great boring and practical gifts. And I know some of you really like giving boring and practical gifts.(Shakes fist at all of you.)