January 16, 2012
I have chronic "tennis elbow" from working on my work laptop. It is sporadic and treatable (with Advil, and Vicodin when it gets really bad), but annoying.
I'd never had problems until I worked on a keyboard that was up too high. So, last year, when it got really bad, I searched the Internet for a portable desk that I could use at home and at work that would put my laptop at the EXACT height I need (23 inches) to prevent the pain. Well, long story short, that didn't work. Regardless, I found a way to sit at work that reduced the pain and, for the most part, I haven't had an unrelenting problem for a while.
Until yesterday. Oh.My.Goodness. That searing, burning pain is really quite uncomfortable. So, this morning, I was back on the Internet, looking for solutions, since throwing money at a problem is my first line of defense:) Nothing. Everything I looked at failed in some requirement: It must be adjustable to 23 inches; my feet and chair have to be able to get all the way underneath it; I have to be able to prop my feet up about two inches. Ridiculous, I know. But, at least I know what works, right?
Working against my brains preference for throwing money at problems, I stopped surfing and started thinking. Was there anything around the house that already fit all these requirements? Aha! I remembered the little kid table that I bought years ago - that would be perfect. Except then I'd have a table in the middle of my already-cramped office and I know full well that I would never move it in and out. Also, it was being effectively used as a holder of stuff in the attic. Ugh. I do not want to do that.
I continued thinking and looking around. Wait! The hutch we use to store winter accessories was originally designed as a computer hutch. It has pull out shelves! Yay! After measuring and thinking and pondering, I figured I could move the one shelf down 2 inches and, voila', I would have the exact same keyboard setup that I have with my desktop.
Now, I am a competent person. I was single until I was thirty and have worked with my share of power tools. We did all the painting and staining of our house. I can figure things out. Right?
I unscrewed the shelf "guides" that the shelf moves in and out on. Grrrrr. They did not use wood screws. I wonder why? If you have pointy screws, then all you have to do is hammer a little hole with a nail and then force the screw into the cheap wood. Well, I'll assume there was some reason.
So, I go in search of the drill. Again, I am a competent person, but I have been married for 17 years to a man who is far more competent than I, and I have been happy to relinquish to him all power tool activities. Where is the drill. I do know that he bought a cool cordless one. But, I have no clue where it is. So, I found my old drill (yes, I came to the marriage with a drill:), the bits (which were spilled out in the bottom of a file cabinet drawer), and the bit-loosening thingy (I said I was competent; I never claimed to remember the names for all the thingys:)
I know enough to know that the secret to these kinds of repairs is to start small and work up. I do not want to have to find different screws. So, three bit sizes later, I got the perfect hole. My husband would be proud to know I measured twice before I drilled. Personally, I think it is quite impressive that it only too me three holes to get two that worked perfectly. One side done. Whew. I even attached the guide and checked the shelf on the one side, just to make sure I had done that side correctly. Looked good.
On to the next side. WOrking on the right was a lot more awkward. My back started to hurt more than my arm, from all the twisting and turning. I was beginning to wonder if I wasn't going to mess something else up on my body in an effort to eliminate the tennis elbow. I gave thanks that no one was video taping my contorted efforts. I laughed. Then, I realized if I just took out the shelf that I was wrapping my body around, it would be a LOT easier. Duh. I crawled into the bottom of the hutch and drilled straight holes. The first one worked. Yay. I got the second hole drilled (oops, all the way through the wood). Oh, well.
I proceeded to screw the guide in and somehow all my pre-measuring didn't work out. quite. right. Still, six holes for four screws. I'll take it. I slid the shelf onto the guide. Worked like butter. Yay.
Now, I'm pretty sweaty and my back is killing me from all the circus moves. But, I'm not stopping now. I set up my laptop, turn it on and...blue screen. What? You've got to be kidding me. That lasted about three seconds and I reminded myself of one of my favorite sayings, "It's not a thing till it's a thing." I pulled the battery and restarted the laptop. All was well. Yay.
I had already checked to make sure my laptop cord would reach to an easily accessible outlet. I hadn't thought about checking the INternet cord because of COURSE that would be long enough. (I don't use the wireless with my work laptop because it isn't quite reliable enough.) Well, it was NOT long enough. More tugging and twisting of the cable (that comes from the basement and up through the floor (hope I didn't mess anything up down there) and it.just.reaches. Yay.
So, that's it. Six holes. Four screws. Tight cable. Working laptop. It only took me an hour:)
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