A Piece Of My Heart

Desk Tour!

"30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" 
Make a List of Ten Things on Your Desk

Oh! I have to jump in on this prompt! I do not have a desk at home and tend to write either in bed or on the couch with my laptop in my lap, so I'll be writing about my desk at work, where I spend most of my days anyway.

My work desk is a lovely, dark red mahogany in an "L" shape. I have a laptop and a separate monitor so I'm able to work on dual screens. I sit in my desk facing a window, which is my favorite part because my previous desk did not have a view of the outdoors. I share my office with another lady, who sits in the opposite corner from me and has her own window as well. The office door is behind me at about 5 o'clock and there is a filing cabinet blocking my direct view of the door, which also means I'm not too distracted by what's happening outside my door and people walking by don't get to creep on me, which, I admit, is a bit of a pet peeve of mine, so I'm happy for the privacy.

As to the items populating my desk, I of course have the usual array - laptop, laptop stand, monitor, various laptop cords, iPhone, phone charger, earbuds, keys, wireless keyboard and mouse, mouse pad, office phone, pen and pad, stapler, tape, business cards, mug with writing implements, and tissues. Besides those things, I have some more personal and unique items:

1. My water cup. This is not an ordinary cup that can be bought at a store. No, this one is completely unique - only one in the world. It is ceramic, handcrafted by my mother to perfectly fit the shape of my hand. It is glazed in my favorite sea foam teal color and has ripple-like waves around the outside surface. The lip and base are perfectly smooth, which is soothing to my OCD. In meetings, I like to rub my finger over the bottom of the cup in a circular manner. The cup is approximately the size of a small mug, but does not have a handle and fits intimately in my cupped hands like it was always meant to be there.

2. My water bottle. My water bottle is new as of last month when my sister went to college. It is a Nalgene, 1000mL/32oz bottle in dark blue with my sister's school logo on one side. I use it to fill up my cup rather than drink directly from it. The bottle itself actually has a story for how I acquired it. When dropping my sister at her college, we were walking around campus touring the various buildings and saw an abandoned bottle on an outside table. We said if it was still there when we came back this way, we would grab it. All the new first-years were given a bottle, which were normally $20 (probably ... maybe an exaggeration). But, low and behold, when we returned to the table, the bottle was still abandoned there. My mother who was with my sister and I said, "Didn't you forget your bottle over there?" And, well (I think I'm admitting to a crime here), I took it. I mean ... yes, I was wrong to take it, but I was just teaching a valuable lesson to a new adult about the value of their property, especially at a college in a big city. And now I have a good story, ha!

3. A replica cornerstone gargoyle from the west facade of the Cathedral of Notre Dame. You might be thinking, "What the heck? Why?" and you would be absolutely justified in that response. In fact, I had the same thought when it was given to me. In my office, the newest employee receives this gargoyle from the previous newest employee, so when I started my job, he was passed on to me. Someone has even taken the time to color his eyes red. Now, he sits in my stack of books in the corner of my desk. He reminds me to get back to work when I want to slack off.

4. My environment-related book collection. The gargoyle rests of a stack of books related to my work. Some I've read, some I've yet to read, and some are for reference, but they form a nice totem to the work I've found my passion in. Here is a list from top to bottom: "Animal Tracks of Minnesota and Wisconsin," Peterson's "First Guide to Wildflowers," Aldo Leopold's "Sand County Almanac," "Drawing Life in Motion," Rachel Carson's "Silent Spring," Doug McKenzie-Mohr's "Fostering Sustainable Behavior," "A Fierce Green Fire," and the "Project WET Curriculum and Activity" textbook.

5. A "Thank you" note card. The card is the size of a business card, yellow, with an image of a light bulb with a plant growing in it, and has the words "Thank you for lighting the way for education about our environment." I received it after hosting a table at an event for youth at a local nature center. It was a complete surprise, and even though the organizers of the event gave the cards to every agency at the event, I've kept mine and display it leaning against my stack of books.

6. Three Hanayama puzzles. Hanayama is a company that makes the best, in my opinion, fidget puzzles out there. The three I have are the Coil, Donuts, and Vortex (which is basically impossible - do not recommend that one. It does look pretty on display though). I can do the Coil with my eyes closed after practicing so many times and learning the sequence, but I like offering it to visitors to my desk to see how they fair. Donuts is a little trickier, because it takes more hand/eye coordination, but fun to twirl without even solving it. They are a odd and interesting addition to my desk.

7. Hand-painted miniature calendar by one of my friends. This one isn't actually displayed yet because it is a 2019 calendar, but it will come out when the new year hits. Each calendar month is a separate sheet of paper and a separate painting. Each day on the month is hand-lettered and numbered, and each is adorned with a unique painting of different leaves and other foliage.

Okay, I know that was only 7, but I've listed literally everything on my desk, so that should be satisfactory.

'Til next time!
-Emily