"My Desk"

I read a list of writing prompts the other day. One directs to tell about the contents of your desk.

In a thoroughly self-focused way, I'm going to write about my desk.

After a quiet day of working relatively hard with no one else in the office, I have both my work computer and my personal computer on my desk. And two legal pads--because it's not enough to have two computers to write on, you see.

There's a thing of pens and a tissue box that an office elf donated last week. My lunch bag. 

I have a lamp, but it's never on. Since the new gal started, she turns on the hazardous fluorescent lights, but today, I survived with the natural light from the huge windows.

I have my mug, the one that reads H with a sub-4, like a periodic element. Lots of people look at this, confused, until I explain that it's Scrabble. A few scientists have taken a couple extra minutes to digest this.

My mug still has a chip on it from when, at my past job, Meathead tossed a box of concrete cylinder molds above the curing room and missed, and the box toppled down, nearly missing me. Got my mug instead.

I was not thrilled, but now the memory makes me smile.

I haven't even mentioned the sticky notes.

The random Post-its on the Apple box from my new work computer:

• lists of music groups to listen to--right now I'm listening to Interpol
• "There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed." Hemingway
• "There would be no dance, and there is only the dance." T.S. Eliot
• Ways to write good headlines
• Ways to write compellingly
• Choose your outcome (apparently a great call to action)
• edits for blogs
• A pamphlet on how smoking sends young girls to hell (I'm not kidding--my co-worker got this on the street outside)
• Sockpuppets, meatpuppets, bots, and astroturfing--if you don't know what these mean in terms of media, look them up.
• More call to action phrases
• A business card from a hypnotyist for whom we do marketing
• "I measured out my life in coffeespoons." Eliot (one of my favorite quotes)

And the last few I have randomly hung on the blank wall behind my computer:

• "I think the reward for conformity is that everyone likes you except yourself"
• "I wung it--I wanged it" (some mispronunciation for "winging it")

Your turn. What's on your desk?