My Mirra chair arrived two weeks early, which means two weeks that would have originally been shortened from my life have been returned. The spine liquifying Office Depot chair is now cradling books instead of butts.

The Mirra chair is very comfortable. It’s a joy to sit in if you’re feeling achey – it gives great back support, and the mesh seat hugs your butt like a fine pair of tighty whiteys. Incidentally, the chair back is pure white, making it look like something a Stormtrooper from Star Wars would enjoy sitting in, if not for the white plated armor pinching them in sensitive areas.

But now I think I might be a mutant or something, because I have a few issues. First, when I adjust the chair just so, with my feet flat on the ground and the elbow rests at the perfect height for good keying, I see that my desk is too high. If my desk were lower I’d be keying and mousing without any unnatural bends in my wrist, but on the flip side, my monitors would be far too low (they already seem low).

I could, you say, easily just raise the monitors and lower the desks, but that would be folly. The desk is solid. It’s not going any lower – a keyboard shelf is in order. The displays are another animal entirely. One is a traditional CRT, and could be lifted easily enough (old Linux book, $6.00 at Powells) but the other display is an Apple Cinema Display, and the only way I think I could raise it is by hanging it from a rope. I’ll see what I can do.