Hey everyone, I apologize for the lack of posts as of late. I had just settled back into the swing of things then I promptly fell off the wagon. There are a few reasons for this, but the major reasons are Home Improvement and My Office.
Home Improvement
You may recall awhile back that on my list of things to improve on our house was to redo our windows. We actually had the consultation/estimate/etc. done about 6 months ago. It was also decided that we would take the time to replace our front door and install a better metal security door (to replace a screen door) at the downstairs entrance. All of the windows/door/security door are fabricated on the mainland and take between 4-6 months to come in. The windows were actually done about 4-6 weeks ago, but I wanted to wait for the doors and install them all at the same time.
Well, the doors came in last week and the earliest install date was end of last week. I am a fan of just “getting things done”. As such, we opted to have the install done. This required me to be available for any questions and make sure things were going according to plan. It wasn’t really easy to sit down and write a blog post. This isn’t a great excuse, but that’s what happened.
So how did it go?
Anyways, the windows and doors went in, and to be honest, my wife and I are really happy with them. The original windows were probably from the early 90s when our house were built and these ones seem much better. They really do a great job blocking out sound but allow for good airflow when open.
Also, one my pet peeves about this house was that our front door was an old style with a significant amount of glass. While it looks really nice, I am just not a fan of glass from a security standpoint. Additionally, it creates a lot of reflection on our TV because of where it is versus the sun. For that reason, we opted for a door without any glass this time around and we’re pretty happy with it. I think it’s safer and sealed better. Also, the dreaded reflection from the sun is gone. We also took the time to change the locks on the front door as well. After a lot of research we opted for a Schlage doorlock.
For those interested, there are a ton of reviews about the “best doorlock” and “most secure doorlock”. Schlage usually comes out on top. Also, for those wondering, I am not a fan of the keyless doorlocks and didn’t look at those.
Also, for those who didn’t see my previous posts, I still use this for extra security against “bump keys”.
The Lock Locker Bump Proof Deadbolt Door Locker
What about the Home Office?
Well, after a lot of time, it seems like I’m going to be working from home for the foreseeable future. As such, I’m trying to make my home office more ergonomic. My current setup works fine, but it was mostly a temporary setup to just be able to work. However, now that this is probably my “New Normal” I felt it was time to make some adjustments.
Here are some recent purchases I made, why I made them, and my thoughts about them:
Vitesse 55 inch Gaming Desk Racing Style Computer Desk with Free Mouse pad
Ok, don’t worry about the “Gaming Desk” moniker. I was just looking for a good wide desk, 55″ to put into the back part of my office. This would allow me to move my personal computer off my built-in desk. Then, my work computer (which has a lot of parts) will have its own dedicated space on my built-in desk rather than sharing it.
Why not a standing desk?
After much deliberation, I decided against a standing desk. We have had standing desks at work for years and I can count on one hand how often I’ve used it to stand. I think a standing desk is best for people who can commit to standing for part of a shift and sitting for part of it. Some of my colleagues are really good about it, changing positions every 2 hours or so over a 10 hour shift. However, over these years, I’ve realized that’s just not me.
I don’t think that either standing or sitting all the time is good for you. I used to stand at work for 8 hours when I worked retails — that’s actually horrible. It’s all about moderation, as in all things. As for me, even though I sit mostly, I’m usually pretty good about getting up from my chair every half hour or so. There are a lot of articles about standing desks and whether they are necessary or not. My takeaway is it depends on how you use it.
Anything else for the home office?
My office chair which I used for my personal computer was ok. It’s this one:
Amazon Basics Mesh, Mid-Back, Adjustable, Swivel Office Desk Chair with Armrests, Black
Honestly, it’s not bad. I really prefer mesh back chairs for air flow. That said, it doesn’t have much in terms of cushion for sitting. Also, the arm rests not being movable kind of irk me a bit. As such I’ve decided to try another chair. This one:
It gets good reviews from a few different sources. I also like that the Arms Flip up for when you want to push the chair in, or if you just don’t like the arm rests down. Also it has a mesh back as well with good lumbar support. It hasn’t come yet, but I am cautiously optimistic.
Anything else?
Well, I also bought a riser for my desktop tower, since it will probably need to be on the ground under the new computer desk. You really don’t want your tower to be flat on the ground. It decreases airflow and also tends to pick up a ton of dust/lint/etc. As such, I bought this:
Monitor Stand Riser – 3 Height Adjustable Monitor Stand
It should be plenty to get the tower off the ground and keep it from attracting too much dust/lint. Technically, you can put your tower on the floor as long as you are diligent about cleaning out the dust from your tower regularly. However, I prefer to just try to prevent dust buildup in the first place so I don’t have to clean quite as often.
I also gave this lumbar support a pillow a try in my current chair:
Lumbar Support Pillow for Office Chair
It actually works pretty well. My daughter really likes it in on her chair. She currently uses the same Amazon Basics chair I linked above. Unfortunately, you do lose a little bit of the mesh back airflow when you use this lumbar support pillow, but I think it’s worth it. I may or may not use it with the new chair. We’ll see.
Any other random purchases?
LOL — too many to recount, but here is a quick rundown of recent highlights:
Amazon Basics Tritan Wine Glasses – 20-Ounce, Set of 4
We kept breaking wine glasses (mostly me), so we opted for these ones made out of Tritan. They’re “unbreakable” but obviously not glass and so not fancy at all. However, they hold wine just fine and I don’t have to worry about breaking them on accident anymore. Long story short, they work for our purposes.
My kids wanted to play Minecraft all of the sudden and then really got into it. I set up a world for them in Creative to just give them an idea how the game works and they were like fish to water. So I bought them this book to teach them how to play in Survival mode someday, as well as teach me what to do to help them out. Overall, I think Minecraft is a great game for kids to create their own world and let their imaginations run wild. I think just letting them do whatever they want in Creative mode is great so far. I think what makes Minecraft so great is that the game is all about empowerment… the “I can do anything in this world” mindset.
OXO Good Grips Multi-Purpose Kitchen and Herbs Scissors
OXO Good Grips Good Gravy 4-Cup Fat Separator
I’m quickly becoming a fan of all things that OXO makes. So far everything I’ve bought from them has worked well and seems to be high quality. These Kitchen/Herb Scissors are no exception. They seem to be well-built and are made to be taken apart and cleaned/dried every night so they don’t rust. My mother-in-law loves them.
We haven’t used the fat separator yet, but once again it looks well made and like it will do what it’s supposed to do. It also gets a ton of excellent reviews all over the internet. As you know, my in-laws are Italian so we have Pasta/Gravy all the time so this Fat Separator will get a lot of use.
TL;DR
More Home Improvement, and my thoughts.
Making my Home Office better, and my thoughts.
Random Amazon purchases, and my thoughts.
-Sensei
Agree? Disagree? Questions, Comments and Suggestions are welcome.
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