Soft embalmer of the still midnight

I usually try to practice what I preach, medically speaking. Things like "don't smoke" and "eat dessert only a couple times a week" and "try to cut down to one dime bag a day" aren't a problem, but I consistently fail at "biting your nails can increase your risk for paronychiae" and "if you're interested in improving your sleep without the use of medication, here are some tips for good sleep hygiene." Case in point: my desk chair isn't all that comfortable, so I usually do my work recumbent in bed.

Bear with me while I get to the relevant part of this story. So there's a girl who lives on my floor and periodically leaves large bags of clothing by the industrial-sized recycling bins down the hall. The clothes are always neatly folded and usually in pristine condition. Many of them are quite expensive to boot. I usually harvest what I want/what fits me and donate the rest to Goodwill or use the worn-out shirts for rags. And then a few days ago she left a pair of shoes, some assorted turtlenecks, and this:



Andy and I were mystified at first as to how one might use this. At first we thought it was a massage chair, but it has wheels*. We kept it hoping that when Andy's parents arrived on Friday, they'd be able to identify it, and sure enough, it's a kneeling chair. You put your rear on the higher platform and knees on the lower one. I look like a total dork in it, but it might be the most comfortable chair I've ever sat in. I'm already feeling its magical productivity powers; no more reclining in bed browsing Tastespotting and NEJM! I will sit at a desk like a real grown-up and Do My Work, then go to my bed-that-is-used-only-for-sleeping and have an unprecedentedly good night's rest!

Making garlic soup for dinner. Forecast tonight: 35 deg F, overcast, 0% chance of vampires.

*Awesome idea incoming: wheeled massage chairs. "Get your cardio in while giving your loved ones the massage of a lifetime!"