I’m a professional cook, and I have my own personal set of knives. Does that count?
It would have been more interesting if you hadn’t mentioned the cook part.
-A bunch of pictures of my dogs & cats, taped together like a collage
-A small fan
-a box of tissues
-a bowl of peppermint candies
-a teddy bear given to me by a friend
-a little stuffed owl that my floor manager covets and will stand and pet
-a teeny stuffed Gordon Setter with a rose in his mouth
-a tiger figurine with her cub in her mouth
-a small garden gnome ‘trophy’ I won from some silly game at work
-a mug full of pens & pencils
We don’t have assigned seating here in the mosh pit so at the moment I have my water bottle, cell phone and $5.84 in US currency that I need to put back in my wallet. Oh, and my purse and briefcase on the floor beside me.
Almost none. As I work in a maximum security prison, I don’t display anything about my home life. A few cartoons and copies of my bona fides may be apparent. And two stress balls shaped like red blood cells. And a Catbus poster.
Also my “Tim the enchanter” hat, but that’s for ceremonial/ritual purposes. Usually accompanied by the playing of my musical medical anoscope (which is not on display, but kept locked up.)
Ipod, Ipad and dock/amplifier
Tax paperwork
Colin Prior picture of Glen Coe
A book shelf of books, all work related subjects
Metal insulated coffee mug, if it wasnt for that, I’d have died from chemicals the coffee leached out of styrofoam cups.
The laptop case I carried in this morning and my laptop.
There’s also a water glass I got from the break room cabinet this morning & will return to the break room dishwasher at the end of the work day. Some days there’s also a coffee cup, but I already put that in the dishwasher earlier today.
Why would anyone have anything else in their work place? Work is for work.
Same here. I’ve had the same office for 14 years, and don’t have one stitch of personal adornment on my desk, my walls, filing cabinets or door. A new person wouldn’t have to move or discard anything, or even clean up. I’d walk out with what I walked in with; the jacket on my back.
In my home office, the only item I consider personal, not counting files and other paperwork, is a green Gumby that I have in a sitting position in a mail slot above my desk. I’ve had my Gumby for over 30 years. I’ve thought about taking it to work, but as I’d have no choice but to torch the place when someone played the inevitable practical joke and hid him from me, I figure it’s best not to chance it. What? That’s not insane at all.
Yeah, I’m not a knick-knacky person either. I was at my last gig for almost three years. The extent of my personal belongings fit into something the size of a shoebox. It consisted of a calendar, desk fan (horrible, uneven cooling system in the building), candy and cards people had given me for various holidays I don’t celebrate, but never threw away. I guess I should have thrown them away then, but it might’ve seemed rude amid their going away well wishes. I’ve actually had several co-workers ask me why I didn’t have a photo of my husband on my desk or on the wall. I don’t know – because I know what he looks like?
My apt walls are bare too, and contain nothing other than a calendar. It’s not because I just moved here either; I lived at my last place for years and only had a calendar as well.
Make no mistake, though. I’m not some hyper-organized, neat freak minimalist. I’m a slovenly, chronically disorganized minimalist.
Well I don’t really have my own space so how about stuff that comes to work with me every day. Travel mug filled with herbal tea, ibuprofen, spoon, hand lotion, spare undies/socks, pen and spare, stethoscope, reflex hammer, trauma shears, pregnancy wheel, pen-light, Maxwell guide, pharmacopia, Sanford guide and other reference sources, female sanitary supplies and probably some other stuff that I’m forgetting right now.
Can I shadow you for a week or two?
Heh. MY stapler IS red. 
First time ever working in a cube farm. Been here about a year. Blech. On the plus side I work from home Mondays and Fridays.
The Cube is home to:
Five plants of varying kinds – all of which are hardy enough to survive The Office Environment. The philodendron is plotting a takeover of the world, I think. Healthiest damn plant I’ve ever seen.
Three pictures, one of which was painted by my cubemate who is a very talented artist.
A radio/cd/cassette tape player.
Pix of sis and her family.
The ubiquitous Humane Society of the United States calendar (June’s kitten pic is cuteness overload to the max).
A menu for ISushi, a local sushi joint (the cubemate and I are long-time sushi addicts).
Magnets and assorted sticky notes of interest on the metal overhead file doors.
A mint chocolate chip candle sitting on a candle warmer plate (no lit candles allowed).
Assorted papers, officy things like a pencil holder, etc., and how-to software manuals.
A bottle of Bath & Body Works’ stress relief body lotion (infused with meadowsweet extract? The hell is that?)
Two file holders for my projects.
Two small humidifiers
A seat cushion I no longer use
A bottle of water
A candy dish
A bust of Athena, goddess of wisdom (I work at a university)
A Barack Obama action figure (he can wave and shake hands)
A magnifying glass
Two bottles of hand sanitizer
Tissues
A book of fill-it-in puzzles
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (re-reading)
Three photos of Josue, a young man in the Dominican Republic whom I am sponsoring (although not for much longer)
Pens, pencils, a pencil cup
Stamps
I don’t have a desk where I work (lecturer at a university), but my wife has a whole menagerie of small animal figures that we’ve accumulated from places we visit. There must be 25 of them or so. I think there are also a few things that she’s melted in the autoclave up there.
Mouse Mat - HEX - Pratchett one. Coaster - Scotland 1 and Pictures of my kids (3 in 1 frame)
so 3 things…
On the desk:
Green “best Daddy Ever!” mug with broken handle
Bright orange squeezy stress toy in the shape of one of the Pac Man ghosts. He normally hibernates peacefully inside the mug until I am consumed by rage and the overwhelming desire to throttle the ever-loving shit out of him.
Inside the desk:
A Jar of vegemite
Massive tub of chocolate-flavoured whey protein supplement powder (almost never used - relic of a forgotten health kick)
A plastic Met-RX measuring/drinking cup with sports cap for chuuging protein shakes (ditto)
Frisby
Free promotional t-shirt (red)
few bits of personal paperwork (payslips and the like)
That’s about it. Surprisingly little when you add it all up. iPhone, charger and headphones come home with me each night.
A coffee cup. I like to keep it simple.
A fountain pen.
And everything that I need for cooking tea.
None, I don’t want to have to collect anything in case I get canned.
Hanging on the cube wall:
A Syracuse University basketball jersey
A New York Yankees baseball jersey
A Syracuse Crunch hockey jersey
In the desk drawers:
Assorted individual sugars, ketchups, jellies, creamers, etc
A fork, knife, spoon, and bowl
On the desk:
Two bottles of vitamins
A bottle of Aleve
A picture frame w assorted pictures of kids and wife and pets
On the overhanging desk shelves:
Tech books
5 assorted style of New York Yankees baseball caps
Seven years of handwritten notes from previous technical issues and daily snapshots