So, part of the reason getting a new computer is such a pain for me is that I have to worry about stuff like the exact height of my monitor and how wide my keyboard is. (The old keyboard works with the new computer, BTW. The box for the "MADE IN THE USA!!! USA!!! USA!!!" shelving unit, which was supposed to contain two shelves and two end units, actually contained one shelf and four end units ("USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! We've got the best weed!!!"), but with the help of my trusty screw gun/drill, I was able to turn it into something even better suited to the task than the original.)

Anyway, you might think that stuff like that isn't worth it to worry about. I had a boss like that once, about 10 years ago. That's why I have to wear wrist braces while I type.

Actually, that's both too mean and far too kind. Said boss wanted to help. Everybody who heard about how my workstation was hurting my wrists (it was set up so that my wrists were bent as far back as they could go, and there was no apparent way to adjust it) thought that was really bad and really wanted to help fix it.

Unfortunately, it was a completely dysfunctional office, so of course my wrist pain (like everything else) had to spark a major turf war that took SIX MONTHS to resolve.

You heard me: SIX MONTHS.

Of course, by the end of it, my wrists were permanently damaged. And I took shit for wearing wrist wraps, despite the fact that at least two-thirds of the staff wore wrist braces of some sort, a level of RSI that I have never seen in any other workplace.

That, by the way, was the very last full-time job I ever worked.

I've been my own boss since then. I wear braces when I type, I'm careful about my set up, and as a result I no longer have constant wrist pain.

When we talk about writing--how to write, writing habits--we often don't talk about the fact that we're as dependent on our hands and wrists as any athlete. Don't assume, like I did, that the soreness will go away--stop it from happening to begin with. However much control you have, exercise it so that work doesn't hurt you. Don't try to tough it out or assume it's nothing worth worrying about. I wish I had started wearing stiff wrist braces the very first day, when I looked at that keyboard setup, thought, "Jesus! This is a mess!" and could not fix it. It would have cost me less than $30, and it would have saved me a world of pain and worry.