Home Away From Home

Monday through Friday I spend 20 hours in the classroom. That means 1/6 of my time on the weekdays are spent here:

Welcome to my desk. It has a smooth top surface for lightning-fast writing, sturdy legs that will withstand the pressure of those who prefer engraving on paper over writing (you know who you are), and a lovely shelf to hold your extra books barrier to keep anyone from comfortably using the desk.

OK, maybe I'm being a little too hard on the desk. It might be the chair's fault. But in either case, this is clearly a chair-desk combo. The chair came with the desk.

My only guess is that the chair designer at the factory and the desk designer didn't work together; thus, the chair was made too high and the desk was made too low. Or perhaps they did work together, and a third guy came along after the desk and chair were made and had the brilliant idea to add a shelf.

At first one might think that this is only a problem for really tall people. But take a closer look. The problem isn't the length of my legs – as it is trying to sit on the bus:

The problem with my desk is the gap between the seat of the chair and the bottom of the shelf. Imagine how thin your upper legs would have to be to fit between that gap.

And if you're lucky enough to have pencil-thin legs, there is a lovely shin-barrier that will keep you from scooting in too close. I might add that this barrier also keeps me from extending my legs so that they fit under the desk.

Solution? I have three.

1. Sit "normal" and hunch over to reach the top of my desk
2. Extend my legs sideways into the aisle
3. Get rid of the desk altogether and do my work in my lap

And lest you pity me too much, you can rest assured I'm not in this alone. Nearly all of my class faces the same problem.

My teacher told me that there are some other desks on campus that are even worse, so I guess I should consider myself blessed. Just be prepared for me to come home with an arched back.