The New Chair
Posted on March 20, 2022 Posted by John Scalzi 17 Comments
Oh, hello. First, I am home for two! Whole! Days! in the middle of the tour, which is not to say that I am not currently touring; I have an online event in a couple of hours from this writing, in fact, with the Poisoned Pen bookstore in Scottsdale, Arizona. If you’re seeing this before it happens, come on by and say hello. But it’s nice to be home, to see the family and pets and to do some laundry and sleep in my own bed before setting off again.
Two, the chaise longue in my office has been replaced due to a decades worth of wear and tear taking its toll and making it less comfortable than it had once been. In its place is the very spiffy new polka dot chair/ottoman ensemble, picked out by Krissy because she has much better taste in furnishings than I do. And to compensate the cats for the removal of one of their favorite lounges, we also got a new cat tree, with three (3) cats beds, corresponding to the number of cats currently in the house. Will they accept this new offering? We shall see!
Also, look, a side table. Let’s not forget that, either.
That’s literally what’s new at the Scalzi Compound. How are you?
— JS
I have lots of places to sit, but wish I had a really nice reading chair right by a window. #envy
I like that side table.
ok, you DO realize that putting the new cat tree right next to the new chair is a baaad idea, don’t you?? I mean, it just screams, ‘Hey, look at the comfy chair I got, while you guys get the, well, less comfy thing..’ Yeah, that cat tree is gonna see a lot of use……
Nice chair (your wife has good taste) but what’s important is how it fits into the room. Here you two placed it perfectly! Near a window for light as you read and to gaze out between chapters to think about what you are reading. Love the bookcase behind you there. Plenty of books. What’s not to love?
Now on the side table gotta place your current read, maybe a nice glass of something to drink, little bowl of nipples.
Perfection!
When you come back from tour, I reckon the polka dots will be complemented by a whole lot of cat fur, of three different felines.
They will however be very grateful…
The dog is going to love it! I mean really, you’ve got three new cat trees, and three new cat beds, right next to the new chair. Obviously the new chair is for Charlie and it’s very nice indeed…
I’m just home from a whole day of roleplaying in the Aliens universe. Now your post got the “all the day long on the chaise lounge, on the chaise lounge all the day long” song stuck in my head, but then I like that song. I like your new reading furniture and it looks super comfy.
I’m feeling better at last. I’m even eating solids (no, Jello isn’t a solid, it’s technically a clear liquid). Risotto and raisin cinnamon rice pudding go down well. The cats have been cooing at me, especially Honor. Achilles has been talking to me also.
I think I’ll finish The Human Division today and move to the sequel. After that, on to the KPS!
Thank Athena for her Sakuraco reviews for me, please. She’s why I subscribed. If she ever wants to give up her jellies, I’ll gladly eat them. Yum! They are better than the US Jello.
Great reading chair, and, as mentioned above, perfect placement. Would you mind revealing the brand/store? I’m shopping for reading chairs now, and a bit disgusted at how expensive chairs are in general.
I’m not sure whether Louis meant to write “nibbles,” or if he has a much different view of, er, snacking habits than most, but it made me smile.
Oh, so glad to hear the schedulers built in a couple days at home mid-tour for you! Constantly traveling and constantly being Up! And! Outgoing! is exhausting, and it was very thoughtful to give you a break in the middle like that.
That looks like a nice chair, and I hope it is comfortable for Charlie. Oh, for you, too, of course, if you ever get a chance to use it, which I doubt.
Based on our experience, the three-bed cat-tree is about one-third of the total requirement for three cats. For our three moggies, we have a two-bed tree, a three-bed tree and a four-bed tree, each by a different window, because each of our spoiled brats prefers a different squirrel-watching perch. If you ever catch all three in the tree at the same time, take photos and mark the day on the calendar.
Relax well, and I hope the rest of your tour goes smoothly!
I suspect the only part of the cat tree that will see use is the top bed, if my place is anything to go by…
Happy break!
I predict the cats will graciously accept your offering of the box the cat tree came in. Because they’re cats, of course!
How am I? I just got my signed copy of your new book! Thanks so much!
I’m good!
I’ve been living in New York City for 10 years now, and I’ve had a good run, and now I’m thinking it’s time to get the F out for a bit, so I can have space and nice furniture and lots of cats in my own Janke Compound. Get one of those cat exercise wheels, build a cat trail from custom shelving like you see on Jackson Galaxy TV shows.
Have a good time on the next leg of your tour!
And I like that you spell “chaise longue” correctly. :)
Cheers,
Andrew
What’s new is Kaiju, received and read. Best cover ever. Story is pretty good, too! If my cats are anything to go by, they’ll huddle together in one of the nests, if the chair is otherwise occupied. Also new this year, a warm enough spring that I can do some weeding and garden prep in March.
If you ever get back to Poisoned Pen IRL, on the flip side of the street they are on, the one with the traffic light, there is a pizza & beer place called Craft 64. It is an award-winning place, just the thing for an award-winning author!
But seriously, really really good pizza. My personal fave is the Fico. Strongly recommend checking them out if you get the opportunity. I’m not a big beer drinker, but their tea is also great.
My wife more than me, but both of us spend a lot of time sitting at our computers, so this past Christmas I bought us a pair of Herman Miller Aeron office chairs. The most comfortable office chair you can buy and they’re easy to sit in for long stretches without destroying your back.
After a day of hard work we retire to a pair of Ekorn Stressless chairs in front of the TV. All told this is about $8K of chairs, so not for everyone, but if you’re going to aspire to the highest quality, most comfortable seating for work or play, you have to drop a few bucks. Well worth it!