What's on Your Desk?

I was reading Heather's blog, Stepping Heavenward, last week, and she had posted a meme that included a list of questions to answer to reveal a bit about your personality. The meme had quite a few questions, and I had answered an email forward with many of the same questions before, so I didn't "consider myself tagged" and post it here (sorry, Heather), but it got me thinking: Who comes up with these memes? There can't be some meme-generating organization out there, right? Someone sitting at their computer, probably someone with writer's block or being paid on salary, comes up with a meme, posts it on her blog, tags five people and, thus, a new meme is born.

Well, I have writer's block (although I'm posting this on Sunday when I just take off and chill, but we'll ignore that for now), I have a blog, I know five people. Hey! I could create a meme!

So, here's my meme:

What's on your desk?

You can tell a lot about a person by the state of their desk and what they keep on it. So, share what's on your desk. You can take pictures, take an inventory, or do both. Don't have a desk? That's okay, just give us a glimpse into the space where you pay bills, write letters, grade papers, study, or work on the computer.

When you've finished your photos or inventory, post it on your blog and tag five more people to do the same. Don't forget to share the rules with those you tag and ask them to share their posts with you when they are done.

My desk:

Actually, I have two desks. I have my grandfather's secretary where I keep all my bill-paying items, household paperwork and various office supplies like my stapler and 3-hole punch. However, we couldn't position it close enough to an outlet so that I could use my laptop there and I like to spread out when I work and the surface was too small for that. I still pay bills there and write the occasional letter there, but the majority of my work is done at the make-shift desk in our bedroom. It is made of a door laid atop two TV tray tables, so it gives me a nice long surface on which to spread out. Unfortunately, it also provides plenty of room to dump stuff. Last Monday, when I came up with this meme idea, I went to sit down at my desk to work, and this is what it looked like:



Scary, huh? Since there's so much stuff on there, I'll give you a short run-down of the junk that found its way on there.

Right side: (roughly left to right)
-bowl of cold tea
-some DVDs (you can see What's Eating Gilbert Grape on top)
-Latin for Children A DVDs/CDs
-instructions for our new weather alert radio
-copy of Mother Earth News Magazine
-envelope to send to Angel
-clipboard of text edits for Science for Children: Book 1
-keychain thing with foreign language flashcards from Sonic
-pile of papers to send with bills to alert companies of our new phone numbers

Left side:
-a couple of Terzo's handwriting worksheets
-pile of papers that need to be filed
-Terzo's Tiger Cub cap
-Valentine from Secondo
-blown light bulb
-shirt
-copy of The Well-Trained Mind
-books for work (which you can barely see)
-more papers to file
-copy of National Audubon Society First Field Guide: Weather
-a couple burnt-out matches

I'm not sure what you can learn about me from that mess... except that Frodo and I have been fighting the flu, so I haven't been working at my desk much recently.

The one good thing about this meme is that it inspired me to clean my desk.



Isn't that so much better? Now I can spread out. There are no shadows cast by the piles of junk. You can see the pictures of Frodo and I in college and my grandparents (taken a few months ago) and the lovely flowers that Terzo picked for me. Don't you love the vase he picked? Nothing says, "I love you, Mom" like daffodils in a college football cup. Seriously, nothing. You can also see my coaster that a new, dear friend of mine made for me. Actually, Belle, who directed the Christmas play at our church, made Frodo and I a set a four coasters as a Christmas gift; she put a photo of each of our kids in their costumes in each one. I love them... and now I can actually use my Secondo-decorated one because now I can find it! The envelope for Angel is still there in the photo, but I typed up my note (my handwriting is terrible) and dropped that in the mail Saturday. I am very happy with my desk. And now that I am feeling better (at least well enough to sit up and work at my desk), I'll get the maximum benefit from it... or at least have a clear space to bang my head or place my elbows while I stare at my computer screen (and its lovely U2 wallpaper) trying to stave-off writer's block, or editor's block depending on which I'm working on.

Alright, time to tag.

Heather at Stepping Heavenward
Angel at Aduladi' & Co.
Amy at The Foil Hat, Inc. (if she survives the flu)
Brittney at King Alfred Academy
Chris at A Mountain Homeschool

Tag! You're it!

Well, there it is. My first meme. Enjoy!