Ask A Genius 1132: What do you mean Carole isn’t a big gamer?
Author(s): Rick Rosner and Scott Douglas Jacobsen
Publication (Outlet/Website): Ask A Genius
Publication Date (yyyy/mm/dd): 2024/10/31
Rick Rosner: This is Carole’s gaming chair.
Scott Douglas Jacobsen: Gaming? What does she play?
Rosner: She doesn’t game, but when we went to the office supply store, they told us not to get an office chair but a gaming chair. They said it’s designed for people who spend 12 hours or more sitting, so it’d be a lot more comfortable for her.
Jacobsen: It sounds like a good chair. I spent $1,000 on mine, but it’s been in storage since I moved out of the barn. I could use it again since I’m writing so much now. It’s in two parts—I need to twist the top. It’s an IKEA thing.
Rosner: I’ve never bought a chair. I usually pick them up from the side of the road because office chairs for home use wear out quickly. This one’s been a loyal servant, but it’s getting to the point where it slowly lowers while I sit, which is annoying.
Jacobsen: So, what do you consider the greatest ergonomic invention ever? Or some of them?
Rosner: I’m not sure, but I have something semi-ergonomic to recommend. I have varicose veins in one leg, and they stripped some of them without realizing that all my veins are varicose, which made the remaining ones worse. Normally, people get varicose veins on the surface if they’ve been standing for long periods— waiters or waitresses for 20 years. But my lower leg veins are incompetent to the bone, so I have one leg that swells if I don’t wear compression socks.
Jacobsen: That sounds painful.
Rosner: It can be. But when I go to bed, I like to have my legs elevated so they can drain. If they don’t, they get swollen and purple. You’ve probably seen homeless people who sleep sitting up, and their legs turn purple and swollen, sometimes even splitting. I don’t want that. My dad had the same issue—he was a workaholic and would fall asleep at his desk every night, which caused his legs to swell.
In his later years, my dad’s legs got all purple, frustrating for the family. We kept trying to get him to stop working so a lot and take better care of himself, but he wouldn’t listen. He wasn’t getting anything done anyway—it was unnecessary. But anyway, here’s a tip: if you still have books—nobody reads books anymore because of social media and the future—but if you’ve got a couple of thick books, at least an inch to an inch and a half thick, put them under the foot of your bed between the box spring and mattress, if you have one.
Jacobsen: Why?
Rosner: Raising the foot of your bed by like 1.5 to 2 inches helps your legs drain while you sleep, so your heart doesn’t have to work as hard. You won’t notice it when lying down, but it makes a difference. It’s a simple but effective thing to do. I made the adment permanent forCarole and me—I added wooden blocks to the slats at the foot of the bed and raised it by two inches. My legs are in pretty good shape now, even though a surgeon messed up one of them.
Jacobsen: That’s a good idea. Any other ergonomic tips?
Rosner: Yes, here’s one more. It’s not an invention, something I learned the hard way: don’t jerk off to internet porn while sitting in front of a computer. It puts a lot pressure on your lower abdomen. Especially if you’re jaded and it takes a long time. Doing that, I ended up reopening an old hernia that had been repaired 35 years ago.
Jacobsen: Ouch.
Rosner: Yes, it’s better to avoid bending at the waist when doing that. It’s not the most natural position if you’re with someone and trying something exotic, fine.
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Rick Rosner, American Comedy Writer, www.rickrosner.org
Scott Douglas Jacobsen, Independent Journalist, www.in-sightpublishing.com
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In-Sight Publishing by Scott Douglas Jacobsen is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. ©Scott Douglas Jacobsen and In-Sight Publishing 2012-Present. Unauthorized use or duplication of material without express permission from Scott Douglas Jacobsen strictly prohibited, excerpts and links must use full credit to Scott Douglas Jacobsen and In-Sight Publishing with direction to the original content.
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