Look Around. What Do You See?

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
21

In front of me.

One Keyboard and monitor. One Desk.
On top of Monitor. One Kakhi (Light Brown) baseball cap w/no logo. One CD “The Tractors”, Jatran bus schedule, one painting with the word “Amore” on it.
Moving to the right now, we have Speaker #1 (Playing Original Sin, by Meatloaf) sitting on top of my Ryrie Study Bible (For GD) and the mouse. MOving on, there’s the AT Mid tower case which holds my computer, sans cover. On top of that is one Wine magazine, Crutchfield Catalog, and one cordless phone with headset and 17 cd’s, most being either drivers for computer parts, Linux CD’s, or Music. And a Alice Cooper “The Last Temptation” CD in its case.
Moving off the main computer desk, I have a Tandy 1000 sitting on the printer stand. The tandy has no disks, otherwise I’d find a use for it. Then there’s two boxes, full of random stuff. One door to the living room.
Then there’s the closet. Full of dead monitors, empty boxes, one tricycle sans handlebars and the handlebars and other stuff. One rolled up maroon carpet on the floor behind me, with a box fan on it (unplugged).

Dang, this is a list.

So, in the back left corner, I have old clothes, two fold up chairs, one supporting my previous, 15 inch POS monitor. One door to the bathroom, then we have a window to the backyard. the blinds are drawn. One bookcase, with an Amiga 1000 in need of cleaning and boot disks. Cordless phone base unit, caller ID unit, More CD’s, two AGP video cards I can’t use with my motherboard, Picture of my wife with her Grandparents which raised her, she’s about 12 in that pic, I think. On top of that bookcase is a dead printer, can of bug spray, and 3rd edition DM’s guide and a first aid kit.

Another window, and we finally reach my desk again. On the top shelf of my desk is the subwoofer to my speaker system hooked to my computer (Now playing Ozzy’s “Perry Mason”, at least the bass part of it.) My checkbook, my 17 year old desktop lamp, with the third lightbulb I’ve put in it. (Love Neon Lights) One universal remote, one glass with stuff in it that isn’t liquid, but more along the lines of beard trimmer and the like. 17 CD cases (May or may not have CD’s in them) and one ADSL modem (Not working right now).

Going to the main level of the desk, we have the other speaker (Now playing Alice Cooper’s “Poison”) and we are back to my monitor, where I’m finishing typing this mammoth inventory.

And to think I Cleaned the other night. :smiley:

22

a tabby cat on my computer desk.

a long haired tabby cat on my green couch.

a white cat on my kitchen counter.

a computer desk strewn with little bits of paper, pens, two cameras, a calendar, address book, answering machine, textbooks, and stapler (and the cat, already mentioned).

a cage with two rats in it, on the floor next to the computer desk.

a window overlooking the parking lot, and my car outside.

a messy kitchen.

three shadow boxes on the wall, holding little trinkets and 3 urns containing the ashes my my pets that have passed away.

a decorative post-it board with black and white cat postcards on it.

an overstuffed green chair, that matches my couch, with a siamese mix cat on it.

a tan carpet that needs to be steam cleaned.

23

We’re in temporary office space until our new building is completed, so I’m in very cramped quarters.
On my desk is my computer, keyboard, a huge calculator with a printout, and a stack of folders with the projects I’m working on. Some of them are blue (ones that haven’t been through their first meeting), others are purple (the ones that have been through their first meeting!). I also have: an apple, an orange, a box of herbal tea, two coffee mugs (one’s the travel kind), a picture of me petting a kangaroo, a stapler, a tape dispenser, a huge pencil “cage” (that’s what they called them in the supply book!) that has pens, pencils, glue, and pliers. I also have a Leatherman sitting here. A bottle of water in a koozie. Gum. Pamphlets detailing our new benefits.

I am lucky enough to have a window, though! It looks out on the parking lot of some sort of contractor business. They have a vise out there and various burly men are always there fixing their trucks (one of which has a Confederate flag front license plate) or cutting pipes. I also have a view of the smoking area, but no one in my building smokes (unbelievable, isn’t it?).

I won’t give you details about the rest of my office because it’s just a big, piled mess of boxes, filing cabinets, and white boards.

24

Straight ahead: A computer on a water-stained wooden desk with two out of three the drawer handles missing. Two plastic cups, an empty Coke can and juice bottle, and a copy of The Faber Book of Modern Verse are lined up on the edge of the desk. A calendar with illustrations from a medieval book of hours hangs on the wall (property of Holly, my office-mate).

To the left: Windows, looking out onto Cameron Street and a handful of students waiting at the bus stop. Holly’s desk, piled high with books on St. Augustine and a fourteenth-century mystic named Richard Rolle. A pot with a very dead plant.

To the right: A couple of crates of books; a bookcase housing office supplies, a few reference works, and, inexplicably, a stack of Spin magazines. On the wall are reproductions of paintings by the Limbourg brothers and Jan van Eyck (probably Holly’s), some Victorian domestic scenes (property of another grad student who has since moved on) and an Irish Writers poster (mine).

Behind me: The desk I share with my other office-mate, Maria. A stack of books on Eudora Welty (Maria’s); an editorial on gun control, two copies of the African-Amerian Review, a Latin edition of Ovid’s Amores and Christopher Marlowe’s translation of the same, and a bag of Jolly Ranchers (all mine). There’s also a Thomas Wolfe poster on the wall (presumably Maria’s).

Yeah, we’re nerds.

25

trac-ball mouse
some degi-cam cords
half-pack of starburst (2 weeks old)
red pen
about 50 sticky-notes with “important messages” from my boss
a computer HD that I shot with a .22
a coffee mug with pens and pencils
12 copies of the “Bylines” a newsletter from work
a copy of PC magazine
a Coca~Cola coffe mug
a bottle of Jolt Cherry Bomb cola
a pair of scissors
a sticky-note pack
a check-stub ($280)
a perconal CD player
photo album with my Sunset shots
a free Mello Yellow® bottle cap
1984 newspaper clippings
tube of chapstick
paper clips

26

Computer
desk
diet pepsi
work-related papers
bills
bookcase of software
big yellow male lab
two printers
scanner
fax machine
router for T1 line
my husband
window with blinds open
ducks and geese outside the window
miniature horse foal outside the window also

Those who are too smart to engage in politics are punished by being governed by those who are dumber. - Plato

27

Computer sitting on industrial shelving. HD, monitor, printer, scanner, speakers and assorted other bits of magic-making. Half-full ashtray. Empty pack of cowboy-killers. Grrrrr…gotta do something about that. Assorted lighters. Two eggs of silly putty (one purple glitter, one colour-changing). Broken bracelet. Assorted crap like catalogues, maps to friends houses, blue disco-ball pen, etc.
On the window ledge to my left: Three framed pictures that I took. Two of the Cathedral of St. Paul, one of some bizarre sculpture from a local art college. One almost empty 20 oz. Dr. Pepper. One almost full glass of water.
In corner to my left: Pool cue in case. Assorted software packages dominated by YDKJ series.
On floor to right: Sunday paper. Two bowls, one from homemade soup, one from ice cream. Checkbook. Hat. Phone book. Guitar. More catalogues.
On floor to left: Platform cowboy boots.

And all that within a four foot radius. Don’t even ASK about the rest of the room.

28

Did I say next week? I should have said the next couple hours.

here’s what’s around me in my new office:
mess
mess
BIGASS WINDOW!!!
mess
mess
mess

:smiley:

29

Right in front of me:
Ikea computer desk with desk lamp, computer & monitor, a vase filled with pens & scissors, a bowl full of desk-type odds & ends, a stack of bills that I’m trying to ignore, my Hot Foods Production notebook that is due tomorrow (and trying to put all the finishing touches on).

To the right:
Another desk (my mother’s) completely covered with pictures and family treasures, a vacuum cleaner tucked in the corner, a day bed covered with about 2’ of clothes & linens.

Behind me:
A love seat, coffee table, the door to the garage, a sliding glass door to the back yard, and a small TV (that is turned on to ABC news for election coverage.

To the left:
A door to the bathroom, and two large bookshelves stuffed full with books & knicknacks–to the point that if someone brushes by the shelves, something usually falls out.

Under me:
A very uncomfortable Ikea chair and my 12-year-old golden retriever named Max.

30

I see a red bird looking at me.

Red bird, red bird what do you see?

Oh, sorry. Too many bedtime stories here.

Directly ahead of me is my giant computer armoire, which is covered, every square inch, with stuff. Some of it important, some of it empty soda cans, some of it junk mail…

to my right is the window into the back yard, looking out onto the bird feeder. I fill the birdfeeder through the window so I don’t have to go outside.

To my left is most of the living room and the hallway to the front door, and in that hallway the doors to the basement and bathroom, in that order. There is a decorative dresser filled with stuff like kids books and construction paper, and piled high with stuff that we wanted to “get off the floor” or “keep out of the dog’s reach”… unfortunately it ususally ends up being those object’s permanent home.

Behind me is the couch, the table, the rest of the living room, the sliding glass door and the entrance to the kitchen. Also behind me is another computer desk with Nicky’s computer on it and the entertainment center with the tv, vcr, dvd, etc. There is a vhs tape cabinet which usually has a pile of un-shelved tapes on top of it and a few scattered on the floor where they’ve fallen off/out and haven’t been put back yet. (Nicky is the one who usually goes through the tapes).

above me is the ceiling, and what a ceiling it is. It’s off white. Below me, a fuzzy substance that was carpet at one point, before it got all matted down and stained. Occassionally one finds a cat or dog under the chair or desk as well.

31

A computing classroom…

I am in a row in the back - 3 computers per row - 5 rows.
The laser printer next to my computer - desktops.
A lot of windows on the left - the wall could use some paint.
One student in front of each comp. Constant bitching going on and the teacher who has no clue about why the comp does what in the middle bitching at all those people who know better than her.

Looking out of the window:
grey-green fields, grey-blue skies. You can easily see that it is a cold day in november.

dodgy

32

Weeeeeellllllll, since I awoke really early and still no election results, here’s a glimpse into my home office area (formerly known as my living and dining rooms).

In my immediate area:

Computer (with all the fixins) on a very disorganized computer desk (living on top of the monitor are 3 buffalo (one Beanie Baby, and two more generic stuffed toys that Roommate found).
On the desk - change jar with assorted coins, note paper, a tv remote control, 9 books that need to go back on the bookshelves, an unopened Christmas card from last year (I just found it), a cup of coffee (mug from from Kennedy Space Center), various desk organizing trays, bins and jars filled with assorted things that ought be there, several CD-Roms and CDs, bills in various stages of payment.

Dining table and chairs (using one of the chairs for the computer workstation).
On the table - sewing machine, skirt that needs a seam repaired, papers from tour guide manual and more new updated research, shortwave radio, more books wating for me to buy another bookshelf, and small space for me to actually eat dinner.
On one chair - HyperKitty, semi-asleep in the oddest contortion I have seen to date (sort of on her back but twisted like a croissant, one back leg stretched out, the other crossed over, one front paw behind her head and the other snagged into the chair [making no attempt to remove it], head twisted in the opposite direction of the back legs). (If only I had a digital camera right now!)

On the walls:
Large framed poster of the ‘Space Shuttle Cockpit Upgrade’
Framed ‘antique’ photos of Roommate and me in Civil War dress (North AND South, thank you very much).
Clock (so I do not stay up til 3 in the flippin’ morning playing ‘RollerCoaster Tycoon’ again!)
Framed photo of ‘deflated’ jack o’ lantern on decrepit porch (broken bannister, peeling paint).
Large framed photo of the Rose Window at Notre Dame de Paris.
Framed poster of an antique map.
Framed autographed posters from local theatre productions.
Framed photo of Bald Eagle with misshapen beak (like the one at work).
Caracature of Roommate and me as scuba diver and mermaid.
Caracature cartoons of Shamu and other sea life.

Rest of area is covered in bolts of fabric and camping equipment (going camping this weekend - woohoo!).

33

Well, I’m sitting at someone else’s cubie-desk right now because I’m doing a job that requires me to monitor equipment I can’t see from my desk.

But when I’m at home (my own desk) I see laptop in docking station, monitor, mouse, keyboard in tray, kleenex box (major necessity with my allergies), coffee cup with warmer, notes and a whiteboard on the cubie walls, a plastic slinky, a stress-squeezy thing, and a stuffed animal of some sort from a Happy Meal. I used to have lots of toys and stuff in my old job, but I had a full-sized cube then, instead of this little 4’x2 1/2’ desktop with little short cubie walls on the sides and in front. Now I have no room for all those toys, because I can’t stand clutter when I work.

34

Pretty similar, but I’m down by the mainframe, so I don’t have a window. A window gives you hope there is an outside world, so I win.

35

I’m surrounded by cubicle walls, no window. First, I see my 21-inch monitor. There is a note that says “Have you checked your messages?” 'cuz I always forget to check my voicemail. On top sits a metal EDM-cut state of Texas with my company logo on it. To the right is my computer tower, with a poster of a subsea oil field in West Africa, and my mouse and mousepad. I have a dirty coffee cup, and old, cracked on top, plastic cup from Pizza Hut, a fork, and yesterday’s Coke can in my Bowler of the Week coozie. Also an emery board, some files, my purse, and an umbrella. Looking up, I see technical books, my angel and my gorilla. To the left on my desk are papers and drawings all scattered about, pens, a calculator, the phone, various office supplies like a stapler, hole punch, and tape dispenser. Also a shot glass from the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado, where they filmed The Shining. On the cubicle wall are a calendar, a decimal equivalency chart, the company holiday listing, and my little collage of bowling awards. Behind me, partially blocking the extra wide doorway to my cube, is a bookcase full of old stuff I should throw out. Also a little table, a guest chair, and project posters on the cube walls. Also one of those little erasable white boards with a pen hanging from it. And right outside are two doors to the hallways that open and shut constantly. A lot of stuff for a 10 x 10 cube!

36

Well, I’m stuck in a bland gray government cube so I don’t
so much “see” as much as I hear:
Behind me the guy I refer to as “Slingblade” continues to ask inane questions to anyone who’ll listen (Example:
Anyone vote in that election???)and watch me with his beady-eyed slack jawed stare while he fills his trash can up with thousands of tissues from his constant phlegm fest.
Then next to me is a cacklin’ menopausal frump who sends
sleazy e-mail to other co-workers and in between her T.B.
hacking fits graces us with her way off key singing jags.
Then of course there’s the new guy across from me all
green and happy to be here and eager to please with
his nervous laugh and (Oh Joy!!!) another nasal blowing fool. And finally there’s Hillbilly Boy with a most annoying twang and guess-how-much-change_i-have-in -my-pocket routine and real atroscious clothing selection.
But what all these gnats have in common is not just the fact that they drive me up the fuzzy cube wall, they all manage to herd, at least once a day, directly behind me and gab and guffaw up a storm to the point where I can’t even
hear my phone calls.
It seems I’m the only one working in this area.
I know, boo-hoo. Sorry. I just had to vent.
Ooooh, I see a lovely letter opener…

37

Well, as most of you know, this is my 5th job in two years so I haven’t acquired many personal effects here yet.

Straight ahead:
monitor for my Gateway 'puter
bulletin board (under modular furniture “above desk” shelf with door) with picture of my adorable niece, a copy of “Doctor Your Digital Images”, and a print out of emoticons to use on my MSN IM.
A tin of Mango Ceylon tea
My tea strainer and spoon
green marbled coffee cup with my husband’s company’s logo on it in gold
speakers playing some Latin internet radio statio

To my right:
HP Scanjet 6300C
“In” Box for scanning
Basket with potted plants from my grandfather’s funeral
Large picture of Mickey Mouse surfing
Two chairs
A pile of mail I have to sort through

To my left:
One croton houseplant with gnawed on leaves (had to bring it from home - cat was grazing)
Big woofer for speakers
Plant in a McCoy planter
Picture of good friend Carmen and I on Mackinaw Island
Picture of me and hubby 5 years ago
Empty Pepsi can
PageMaker 6.5 Plus User Guide
“Classroom in a Book” for Adobe Pagemaker
Calendar for next year
Draft copy for nursery newsletter that is my current project
Two, count 'em, two windows. One with an air conditioner, one that actually opens! How did I rate that? :slight_smile:

Behind me:
“Closet” room with printer, fridge, microwave, assorted junk and voice mail computer.

The whole office really could use a good coat of paint in some warm color but I doubt the University will let me do that!

38

I was hoping this thread would be filled with biting exitentialist commentary.

Oh well.

39

“E x i s t e n t i a l i s m (eg"zis-ten’shel-iz-em) n. a humanistic philosophy stating that each person is
responsible for forming his or her self and must with free will oppose an uncertain, purposeless, and
seemingly hostile environment”
- Webster’s College Dictionary

How do you figure this isn’t an existentialist thread?