Only a Chair

When I went online to see what I could find on purchasing a good chair, I discovered that I am not alone in my sitting angst.  Actually sitting in any chair is very uncomfortable unless the mint chocolate chip ice cream pleasure overrides the sitting pain.

The above unique dining chairs fit in with our lifestyle.  They were on sale.  The price was right.  We had to take the table that went with them.  The second set of four had to be ordered from Kansas City.  I was charmed by the colorful insets.  At first I thought they were stone, but with closer inspection I suppose they are ceramic tiles. I wouldn't be too surprised if they are concrete.  Beware if you are charmed by a chair. 

The Kansas City four had to be assembled at home.  I am very fortunate to have had a "handy" man in the house for going on 57 years.  He had them assembled in no time..actually he started in the afternoon and it was nearly dark when he brought the last of them into the house.  He assembled them on the tail gate of his pick up.

Around the table (no, not the new one which is much too small for company) they retained their charm until we tried to get up.  The back legs caught on the carpet and had a tendency to fly over backwards.  It was alarming and we tried to move the table so they wouldn't break the sliding glass to the back porch.  Shopping for slides and attaching them to the 16 back legs was a bit of a chore in itself.  It took a power drill and some Gorilla Glue to get them to stay put.

As I was dusting them, a Safety Usage Sheet called "Chairs" came down from under the seat of one.  It was interesting:
1. Make sure to follow all assembly instructions provided
2 NEVER stand on the chair (not my bold and caps)
3. DO NOT sit on the edge of the chair.  Sit only in the center.
4. DO NOT lean back with excessive force as chair may tip over
5. Keep fingers AWAY from swivels, tilts, and castors, as well as any sharp edges
6. Make sure to routinely check and tighten all screws, nuts and bolts
7.  GRASP CHAIR FIRMLY BEFORE SITTING
8. Any defects that could cause bodily harm should be reported to place of purchase immediately.

How we sit relates more to culture than anatomy, and many cultures are chair-free. Gandhi sat on the floor as a way to resist “Westernization” and honor local customs. The hammock originated 1,000 years ago in migratory cultures of Central America—woven from the bark of the Hamack tree, it traveled light, floated above the ground to fend off insects, and breathed in the humid air.
Pasted from <http://www.onegoodchair.com/competition/2009/> 

 The spine “works” well when a person stands, curving gently inward at the lower back and neck and outward between the shoulder blades and at the pelvis. When a person stands, the disc pressures are lower than when the person sits.  There is little disagreement about this basic fact: The human spine

and muscular/skeletal system are two areas most vulnerable to the stresses of sitting.  
You no doubt notice that this site had a design competition in 2009.  I noticed that a few of the designs could have doubled as Inquisition Torture apparatus.

No doubt Gandhi had the right idea.  But then he apparently never had a bad knee or arthritis.