Thanks to Herman Miller

A symbol of the rise and fall of the dot-com industry in the late 1990s, the Herman Miller Aeron Chair has been regarded as one of the most well-designed chairs in recent generations because of the way it combines comfort, support and design. So much so that it was inducted permanently into MOMA's Architecture and Design collection. Jude and I lust after it every time we see it on display at Three Chairs downtown, but know that we can never afford it because with the groundbreaking design comes a prohibitively expensive price-tag. The base model goes for at least US$950 first-hand, and if you want to customize features, it can go all the way up to US$1400. It was just something we knew we would never be able to buy, at least not on a grad student budget.

Until today.

So on New Year's Day, while stomping through the snow, I threw out my back and it's been hurting ever since. The pain was most unbearable for the first few days until I went to see the doctor, got some medication, and started physical therapy. My therapist says I need to significantly modify the way I stand, sit, walk, and move around in general if I want my muscles to heal quickly. Which is why we've taken to sleeping on the futon instead of the bed because it's firmer, and I've had to switch out of carrying my back-pack to carrying a side-sling messenger bag instead. And being the dear that he is, Jude has also been browsing online for a better chair for me since I spend so much time working on the computer. And that was where we found it: a second-hand original Aeron chair on Craigslist for sale in Dexter, 20 minutes away from us. Because it's second-hand, it's SIGNIFICANTLY cheaper than what we would have paid at Three Chairs, and because it's a Herman Miller, we figured that if we eventually decide to sell it, its resale value would still be higher than if we had invested in a brand-new mattress and had to sell that.

Oh, it is such a piece of design heaven, I have to admit... I'm sitting on it right now as I type, and my back hasn't felt this comforted in weeks. Almost every piece of this chair is adjustable; for example, the arm rests can be elevated such that it supports your elbows as you type. Ingenious, I tell you... ingenious. And the ergonomic slant of the back support means I don't have to prop a pillow behind me like my therapist suggested- the chair is designed to cradle the curve of your back, forcing you to sit in an optimal position.

I may never work in school in again... :)