Someone moved into the empty cubicle next to us yesterday while her office is being painted. In about an hour it was transformed from an empty husk to something with character and function. While I barely knew this woman before, I can tell she likes tea, south park, stuffed animals, and open VMS. (The “I heart OpenVMS” sticker on her monitor was a clue).

It makes me wonder what someone who looked at my desk would think. It would appear I really, really like sunflower seeds. I apparently like coffee, since I have a Mr. Coffee on my desk (which is fantastic for heating water for tea). I collect plastic lids for some reason. He likes the Diamondbacks. But above all, clutter is the order of the day. People who draw conclusions from cluttered desks will have many to draw from my desk.

Some of the more interesting discrete items on my desk:


  • An year old orange, shriveled to tangerine size.
  • A buddha
  • A santa clause monitor cover, the last gift I got from my Mom
  • What was once an orange jello/whipped cream desert cup received as a “gift” about 4 years ago. It looked kind of scary from the start, and now…
  • A bottle of olive oil, from the same gift basket.
  • A thing of jiffy pop, same source.
  • Rear view mirror on my monitor
  • A huge bag of sunflower seeds that dwindles over the course of a few months to a small bag of sunflower seeds, when it is magically replenished by the sunflower fairies from the north.
  • A movie still from Cinema Paradio.
  • A wallet size photo of my nephew when he was maybe 6 months old. He’s 6 now.