Broadcasting from the New Holand

In Mexico, Felipe and I practiced something we called “sticks and mud technology” we made it work with what we had, which sometimes was sticks and mud.

I had several “offices”  that were built on this principle, with crossed fingers and a lot of walking in search of a signal.

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My cow pasture office. I once had internet stick.

My desk, and internet stick in the cow pasture office.

Sometimes I worked out of internet cafes, they had their benefits and challenges. Benefits; chairs, food if one has money, pretty good signal. Negatives: usually, a really smelly bathroom, vicious mosquitos that breed there, and video games played at sonic volume at the computer next to you.

El Studiant, ‘office’

Internet office Tehuitztla

This was a particular favorite of mine, the hazardous waste desk. It was behind the clinic in La Tigra and just happened to have the best signal in town.

My Bioharard office behind the free health clinic in La Tigra

The hazardous waste office made me feel really dedicated to my craft.

-my super fancy home office in Nicaragua, complete with an actual office chair

But, things are quite a bit cushier in Nicaragua, I have an office chair!

I got the office chair because my back was bothering me, and it did help, but the problem persisted so I went back to the sticks and mud approach and asked Felipe to make a sofa desk for me. Just like the one I had at the Piedra Rahada. I wrote three books and over 200 posts with this little desk made of a sawed-off plastic garden chair.

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I briefly had internet in my home.

Here’s my new sofa desk, complete with Beagle.

Even with the new office chair, and sofa desk I found I was having back pain. The solution? A standing desk! An end table topped sofa desk! Sticks and mud at its finest.

I would love to hear how you make yourself comfortable working at home. I’m also up for advice on back health for writers.

Hasta mañana!