The Standup Office

I’ve been reading a lot lately about how important it is to stand up. Long hours sitting in place, the jobs most of us do these days, is very bad for ones heath. We need to not only move, but also to stand. Apparently even the most active of us (a category that does not include me) is doing their health no good by sitting at a desk most of the day.

I’ve heard about standup desks and treadmill desks, and when my friend Charles Benoit posted a picture of his new stand-up office, I figured I’d give it a try.
Yesterday was the first day. I set my Netbook computer up on a half-wall between the kitchen and dining room. I decided I’d give it half an hour to start.

I worked like that for 3.5 hours.

I loved it.

Not only did I scarcely notice that I was standing, but it gave my writing a real boost. When I lifted my head to think, instead of shifting in my chair and then hitting the Facebook or e-mail key, I took a few steps, swung my arms around and came back to it.

Today I stood again. The time whizzed by almost as fast as my fingers typed. Now I’m sure the increased productivity is due more to the shift in working environment, as minimal as it is, than the actual position. No doubt things will slow down back to normal soon.

But I’m delighted that I’d tried this.

I’m lucky that the half-wall is at exactly the right height. I’d advise anyone to take care as to the position of the computer to try this. Too low and your back will feel it. Too high and you’ll strain your shoulder. You probably also want to be sure you don’t have your computer wobbling on the top of an impromptu stack of books.

The above picture shows my new set up. Nothing fancy at all.

.99c Special Continues

Amazon is still offering In the Shadow of the Glacier on Kindle for only .99. I thought the special was running just to the end of January, but whatever...

So, if you haven't read the Constable Molly Smith series yet, here's your chance to give it a try. In the Shadow of the Glacier is the first book in the series. Click here for Kindle.

The second book is titled Valley of the Lost and I had a really nice trailer made for that book. Here's the link to the trailer for Valley of the Lost. I'd forgotten how good it is.

Klondike Friday: Women in the Klondike

With the publication of Gold Mountain, the third book in the Klondike Gold Rush series only two months away, I’m mentally back in the Klondike.

Today, I’m going to recommend some books that I used as research for the history of the time. The definitive book on the subject is Pierre Berton’s Klondike: The Last Great Gold Rush. A highly readable popular-history book, it’s well worth starting your historical investigation with. One thing about Berton though, is that he does gloss over women’s participation. (Hardly the first historical record to do so). It’s estimated that about one-sixth of the people who went to the Klondike were women. And not just prostitutes and dance hall owners either. But businesswomen, shopkeepers, nurses, nuns, newspaper reporters, wives and mothers. They carried their babies up the Chilkoot trail or lugged pregnant bellies and tried to make homes out of the wilderness and created successful (or not-so-successful) businesses. They supported themselves, or they supported their families.

Charlotte Gray’s book: Gold Diggers: Striking it Rich in the Klondike, examines, among others, Belinda Mulrooney, prominent businesswoman.

I’d recommend Also Gamblers and Dreamers: Women, Men,, and Community in the Klondike. by Charlene Porsild

And Goodtime Girls of the Alaska-Yukon Gold Rush by Lael Morgan for a peek into the demimonde.

And now, a word from our sponsor: Pre-orders are important to build interest in a book (and usually at a reduced price) Gold Mountain is available for Pre-Order at a reduced price.

From Amazon.ca, From Amazon.com, From Chapters/Indigo. Also your favourite independent bookstore.