Sunday, January 08, 2006

Public, voluntary mortification

I'm always one to jump on a bandwagon. Not all bandwagons, but certain ones. Bandwagons that interest me.

Hither and yon and even beyond that, bloggers are posting their workspaces. I thought I'd join up, too.

Here's the thing I've noticed over the years about photographing rooms: they rarely look the same way in the photo as they do to my eye. For instance, my kitchen always photographs a lot classier looking than it actually is (not that classy, but better than it looks in person). More often, rooms look a lot worse, as in the case of my office.

So I jump on this bandwagon slightly reluctantly, because this just might be the Biggest Mess Ever. Other than my son's room, this is yea verily the worst mess in my house. Posting this photograph might be the bravest thing I've ever done. I'm not kidding.




Keep scrolling down.




Keep going.











Good grief. I swear it looks better in person. I swear. (1-10-06 edit: turns out it does look better on the work monitor...)

The thing is, I already planned to start cleaning up today because, um, I don't know where two of my textbooks are, and I need them for classes on Tuesday. And no, I'm not going to show the view in the other direction.

Two things to point out: brand new computer (old monitor). Very happy with it.

On the left, on the bookshelf: the Bush voodoo doll, courtesy of my friend F. You can't see, but the pins are in his ears (so he can't listen to bad advice), hands (so he can't sign bad bills), heart (probably a waste of a pin), and crotch (just because). I skipped the mouth and the brain because someone obviously got to them before I did.

In a few weeks, if not sooner, I plan to post a revised office photo. I'm fairly certain I'll make few changes to the bulletin board, but most everything else will be fair game.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Bitty:

You haven't seen my office: at least yours is tidier than Andy Rooney's!

Alanna

Bitty said...

I have a dream...

50% of that which is in the rest of the room is scheduled for hauling out, but 90% of what's around that desk needs to be kept. Part of my office problem goes back to the days when I didn't really have a work office (you remember those days), so I kept everything at home. And it's still there. Weren't you and J and I talking about the old student papers that are still around years after the students have either graduated or dropped out? And I have dozens of books I really don't want -- I never thought I'd type a sentence like that -- that are old samples sent to me five and six and seven years ago.

But I have a dream...moving in my ugly chair and my extra ottoman from my living room and making this my reading room and my refuge from the cats, who see ME as a piece of furniture to be slept on. Some days I just don't want to be furniture.

I retook the photo when I realized that posted on the bulletin board was a mini-license plate with my real name on it and two photos of you and me.

I was in your office once. I remember it as tidy with tall stacks of books. Maybe there are reasons I've only seen it once, though!

And I suspect that I have many attributes that Andy Rooney doesn't.

Anonymous said...

Your space looks a little more organized than mine! So, you are fine. Besides, I think clean offices are not normal. Glad you are enjoying "Little George"!
F.

Bitty said...

Indeed! Clean offices are NOT normal! They either belong to Monk or to someone not doing any work!!!!

But I still have a plan. Every time I come in here, I deal with at least three things. Office should be spiffy in about two years.

And I love Little George. Another day I'll photograph and wax rhapsodic about him.