A small distraction in a thread got some of us talking about the things we have on our desk and in our cubicle/office. Besides things for work I only have pictures of my daughters, my wife, and one of my mother. My two favorite are a black and white I took of my oldest when she was in a reflective mood and the other is of my wife right after our wedding ceremony. The only time I take the pictures down is to put up Christmas decorations. Here is a funny thing about my office 17 years ago. I worked in El Paso, TX and I had just moved from Florida. I really missed grass and trees that were abundant before I moved. Also, my office didn't have any windows. I had to put posters of outdoor scenes on my walls and pretend they were windows. It worked.
In the top corner are all 26 of the USS Independence CV(A)-62 cruise books. They stand at the ready in case a shipmate has questions from any of the cruises she made, as I serve as her Cruise Book Historian. I also have the first Cruise Book from the USS America and the last Cruise Book from the USS Forrestal on my desk at this time, as I am helping do some research on both these boats. Next come some photos of my dogs doing agility. A few of my ships mugs, filled with pencils and pens. On top of the desk are my DVD/CD holders, so I have access to music I want to hear while on the computer. Couple of stacks of paperwork, can of spray air. A spot for my drink.
A pc, a mac, a multifunction printer, a phone, a lamp, and waaaaay too much paperwork. All the electronics are on a shelf just above desk height, and all the wiring is tucked away on a lower shelf, hidden behind the desk. All the pictures and cds are on the mac, and the knicknacks (including 4 different scales of Prius models) are in a glass display case.
Let's see if I can properly describe this. A photo would be easier (it would need to be panoramic). My desk is a U shaped affair with a table area to the left, my main computer station in the middle of the U, and a desk/bookshelf/drawer area to the right. Going from the far left to right: A 40 oz bottle of hand sanitizer; a three foot threaded stainless steel rod; a Navy captains visor cap; a couple of fun reading books; some loose CD-Rs; a disorganized pile of trade magazines; a loose pile of paper; an open three ring notebook containing all of my corporate legal papers; a stack of loose print outs on top of that; a CD case containing music CDs; a stack of four decks of gimmicked magic playing cards; more trade magazines; six inches of open desk space; a computer monitor on an expendable arm; and a super tabloid sized inkjet printer. On the middle section, starting at the inkjet printer: a fluorescent desk lamp; two small family photos; a small circuit board I built ten years ago; some petoskey stones; a jumping toy; a blown fuse; a computer speaker; cordless phone and charging base; weather station display unit; a stack of papers topped by an HP-28S calculator; loose receipts and membership cards, most of which I no longer remember why they are there; a small ceramic toad; a 12"x12" Wacom digitizing tablet, covered with loose papers; a 24" LCD monitor; another speaker; keyboard; mouse; cup of tea sitting on a circuit board coaster; a yellow Nalgene bottle with drinking water; another mouse (both still connected); a USB hub; an HP Scanjet IIc flatbed scanner (SCSI), covered with loose papers. On the right hand section, starting with the scanner: an Exebyte 8mm SCSI tape drive (no longer working); a SCSI Jaz drive; an ice hockey puck used as a pen holder; digitizer puck and pen; wooden tops; test leads; one AA NiMH battery; a Microchip MPLAD ICD2 puck; one of my hand held designs currently under test (Epump3); an assortment of test leads; an old DC power supply (still in use); a resistor decade; a MicroCenter mug full of pens and pencils; loose pens and pencils on the desk; several pads of post-it notes randomly scattered about; loose photos from several trips; a couple of photos from one of our climbing trips; a flash memory stick; a small proto board with a quad op amp on it; more test leads; a rectangular Nalgene bottle with a fluid level sensor, connected to the Epump3 and a 12 V pump; my passport; some backup CD-Rs; an old phototube; an A-B-C-D printer switch (no longer in use); a rock featuring my likeness painted on it; a large fluorite crystal; a smaller quartz crystal; some iron pyrite and other assorted rocks; a geode; the ends of two bronze keel bolts from our boat; a 40 W medium based Edison light bulb; a steam valve from a ship wreck; a seal (like a notary's seal); check stamp; some loose membership cards; a folder of receipts; reading glasses; a Mars Plastic eraser; ear buds; a small bottle of hand sanitizer; of piece of sandstone from the Red in Kentucky; my wallet; two 18" metal rules; an LED flashlight; two packages of replacement earbud tips; a plumbing tool for removing Moan faucet cartridges; and two plastic caps for caulking tubes. Above the right section, on the book shelves, I have: stamps, postage stamps, envelopes, tape, two round dies, a hand stapler, business records, checks, and receipts; about 40 computer books, a rubber chicken, magic rope, three cheap "swiss army" knives, a red Swingline stapler (of Office Space fame), two hematite magnets, a vibrating windup toy, a drinking bird with blue liquid, a picture frame with a photo of our boat, loose manuals, a 12 gauge flare gun with flares (all expired), and a windex telltale. That's all I have at desk level. There is a lot more on book shelves and the floor, and the filing cabinet and electronics bench. It's actually fairly clean right now. Sometimes it's a lot worse. Tom
A Mrs. Potato Head wearing a Mets helmet, a devil duckie, a green mug that says "joy" in English on one side and Chinese on the other, a desk calendar with scenic photos from across the US, 2 six-packs of Diet Coke (I stocked up during a recent sale), and lots of papers that look disorganized to the untrained eye.
I have a small collection of novelty toilets, a couple of pictures of my bike and a pile of irrelevant work crap.
Some standard stuff: Computer monitor, speakers, phone, mouse, ipod cable. Some non-standard computer gear: Wacom tablet w/ stylus and extra mouse, a USB hub, microphone and iSight, post-it notes with the "Initech" logo and the inspirational phrase, "Work Sucks" which was handed down to me by the previous inhabitant of a cube I previously occupied. Some non-computer art gear: A pencil sharpener, a pencil and some pens, a drawing pad, tracing pad, a ball of kneaded eraser. Things: Slinky, small blue Totoro with a sack over his shoulder, frog, Kodama, MaoMao, ChubChub, Giant Robo, WeePri, juggling balls, dice: one extremely large and on extremely small, a robot's severed head, a Wiffle ball, and an imitation Wiffle ball. Other things: Books and magazines, including Maya manuals. Bad demo reels from prospective employees, dry erase markers, eraser and cleaner. And of course, my prized possession: A framed picture of Pat Sajak holding up handfuls of letters in front of some large mail bags. Actually, it's not mine and I don't know how it got onto my desk. I haven't found a suitable way to rid myself of it yet though.
Well, there's that 4-inch-tall George Washington bust I mentioned in the Prius/women thread (all stoic and serious - hahaha). There is a betta fish named Alex (whose arch enemy is a green pen), a painted elephant from Mexico (I collect elephants - kind of ironic, huh?), several pics of my son and boyfriend, lots of paper and folders, my cell phone, and all the normal stuff - desk phone, stapler, paperclips, etc.
Computer, printer, phone, radio, clock, pictures of my girls and of my mom. A small aquarium with Zin my Betta fish and his fish food and two bamboo plants. Various things pinned to the walls, a file sorter, in box and stacks of papers. A roll of packing material and a display board from an interior designer with textile ideas for our office. T-shirts that I need to pick out for company logo shirts. Oh and my Amy Brown Fairy calendar.
I learned the last time I was let go that there is nothing more humiliating than having to pack all the stuff from your desk while security watches and people walk by giving their regards. For that reason, I have very little personal stuff and only what will fit in one paper box. Single-cup coffee maker and tin of ground coffee. Wire cutters / strippers cross-over cable USB thumb drives and hubs and extenders A few books: Tao Te Ching, some professional reference books, The Whack Pack Two desktop fountain pen sets and four pocket pens Everything else I can walk away from.
OOOpppss, I forgot to mention my cat, Wizard! He is my constant desk companion while I'm on the wiz bang box.
mostly a whole lot of paper items. paper stuff stuck to the walls, papers piled up in stacks by what they are, paper images and charts that display important information i use frequently but is too specific for me to remember it all. and pictures- wedding picture, engagement picture. and the usual daily utility stuff like computer and lunch bag and phone and stuff that comes home with me at night.
I solved that issue by owning the company. That's part of the reason I have so much crap on and around my desk. On the down side, I do have a fool for a boss. Tom
I have two desks. (Three if you count the one at home.) At the Circulation Desk I have the Library PC with scanner, a cordless telephone, hand cream, stapler, picture of dog, pencil cup with pens, pencils, etc. Post it note holder with post its and more pens, eyeglass holder, small vintage ashtray to hold paper clips, small piggy bank, small file holder for date due slips, textbook plates, passes, referrals and other paper, a large rotating pencil holder with highlighters, scissors, ruler, pencils, staple remover, letter opener, glue, box of golf pencils for loaners, tape dispenser, box of rubber bands, stamp pad, date due stamp, school address stamp, discard stamp, coffee mug. Water bottle (Fiji). And piles of papers, catalogs and clip boards.
Told you so. Here's my desk. It's a little neater than it normally is because I had to clear some things to find the camera:
I have an official, swingline Red Stapler, full size. When I worked, it sat on my desk. Since I am no longer a slave to the corporate demi-gods, I don't have a 'desk'... my laptop is at home on the dining table, where I can look out the bay windows at our little corner of the world. I have a glass of water near me.
