jr conlin's ink stained banana

Mattresses are a scam.

i know that. Every time i hear an ad from one of the dozens of mattress retailers in the area, i know that. Every time i think about the fact that there are several dozens of outlets for said dozens of retailers offering a wide variety of selections that make me quite convinced that they could carpet the Santa Clara valley with $1000 King Sized, pillow top beasts, easily outnumbering the number of residents who might need to actually get a new mattress, i know that.

Yet, as i wake up every morning on a 7 year old, $800, pillow topped mattress feeling like i've run a marathon with a very angry midget strapped to my back, i realize that i probably do need to consider getting a new mattress.

Thing is, i've obviously failed at the fine art of quality mattress determination. Something i suspect a great many folks have also failed at. i mean, there's a sizable difference between spending 10 minutes laying on a mattress while several slowly circling sales people try to "up-sell" you on the memory-foam space mattress that is filled with freshly fluffed orphan dreams, and waking up from six to eight hours of rest. Plus, there's no guarantee that those delightfully cozy fluffy bits and sturdy springs won't give out after four or five years of dealing with your mass on a nightly basis.

Adding to the mess, it's not like there's a good resource for mattress reviews. They may be priced like fine automobiles, but it's not like there's tons of unbiased sites that can steer you away from a somnolent Yugo. Inevitably, most of the review sites have a decided agenda based around the idea of getting a percentage of the "top rated mattress" they so helpfully link to at a top price.

i know that one friend of mine (who apparently stays at finer hotels than i do) is thinking about buying one of the mattresses they use. (i wonder if i also get a selection of the little soaps and hand lotions with that?)

Sigh. There are certain things in life that one really wants to avoid, dealing with car salesmen, being audited, sitting in jury duty, and shopping for a mattress.

Oh well, it's late. Guess it's time to strap on the midget and go for a jog.

Every Tuesday is the group Work from Home day. It's a chance for us all to avoid meetings, hunker down and really focus on the tasks. As an added benefit, it also means that we don't have to drive in to work that particular day.

i do anyway.

One of the things i hate to admit about myself is that i'm not a particularly good "work from home" candidate. Maybe it's because when i'm home i spend an inordinate amount of time in my "office" as is, or maybe it's the mind shift that changing locations brings, but i just find myself being more productive "at work" than "at home".

When i'm home, i've got a set of completely different projects i'm working on, and even through the wonder of virtual desktops i can always shuffle them to the side, i've got plenty of physical notes about to remind myself to check out this library or scan that list for additional info. Heck, my browsers, readers and desktops are configured differently between work and home because of this.

Mind you, i love the distraction free day. It's amazing what one can do in eight hours when not being pulled into a meeting, regardless of where i happen to be. i guess i'm just weird.

i play hooky and go to work.