Gapers Block has ceased publication.

Gapers Block published from April 22, 2003 to Jan. 1, 2016. The site will remain up in archive form. Please visit Third Coast Review, a new site by several GB alumni.
 Thank you for your readership and contributions. 

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Tuesday, March 19

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Fuel

Kaylee / January 12, 2009 2:48 PM

Outside of the work-related/necessary stuff, I have a solo coffee press and a small yellow/orange gourd from October.

I also have a partially used tissue, my phone, and a mug that is waiting for new tea...

Whet Moser / January 12, 2009 2:48 PM

Computer, various editing offal, Museum of Online Museums mug, mason jar for water, old Dual turntable and old Harmon/Kardon receiver.

Andy / January 12, 2009 2:52 PM

Beautiful orange and yello dried flowers from my wife and a photo of Biz Markie left by a previous employee.

Helen / January 12, 2009 2:53 PM

a giant pile of cookbooks, pink grapefruit-scented desk wipes, a bouquet of flowers from my birthday that i can't bring myself to throw away even though they are basically dead, a huge bucket of assorted individually-wrapped pocky.

Tweatingout / January 12, 2009 2:55 PM

Shoulder bag / fingerless gloves / business cards/ 2 coffee cups / bottle of water / some print outs (11 x 17) / iPhone / tea brewer cup-insert thingy / computer & accessories (mouse, monitor, dock...etc)

Jasmine / January 12, 2009 3:05 PM

Hippo, dundie, Will Burns button, pencil cup, Air Duster, Hello Kitty, Lush lotion, and soy sauce.

erin / January 12, 2009 3:06 PM

six kinds of loose-leaf tea, two empty yogurt containers to be reused, buttloads of paperwork in variously disheveled stacks, coffee cup, a coaster made out of a CD and a coaster from the onion a.v. club, the usual computer/phone setup

michi / January 12, 2009 3:06 PM

an orange with a happy face (my coworker drew on it this morning, making it too alive to eat), mockups for my next CD!

Rachel / January 12, 2009 3:08 PM

reusable water bottle, pictures of my pets and friends, kleenex, cellphone, iPod, laptop, Gourmet magazine and an apple.

m / January 12, 2009 3:12 PM

2 monitors, 3 pretty large rubber band balls, i almost always have at least one glass of water (today, just one), 3 bottles of lotion, a magic 8 ball, and some teletubby figurines that my coworkers and i call "The Army of Darkness" (we rotate hiding them in peoples offices).

also, my ipod and ipod radio converter.

mo / January 12, 2009 3:30 PM

Stainless steel water bottle, tiny tupperware filled with chocolate chips, stack of chemistry related papers, basic office stuff, plastic dinosaurs.

copydoctor / January 12, 2009 4:00 PM

computer; media contact books; recently edited publications; "to do" pile; about 40 CDs storing photographs; iPod and Tivoli Model One radio; Rolodex (yeah, I still use one!); coffee mug; bronze certificate that I climbed the Great Wall of China.

flange / January 12, 2009 4:03 PM

geez. anthony bourdain ate the still-beating heart out of a live cobra, and an orange with a happy face is too alive to eat?

we need more anthony bourdains.

on my desk there is art (made by others and by me), tchotchkes, books, and a computer, monitor, keyboard, and telephone.

and seven coffee mugs. six hold other things.

and a few toys, including a wind-up ladybug and tinkertoys.

Senator Roland Burris / January 12, 2009 4:18 PM

Hm...not much so far. Just a few pens, an issue of The Economist from 1978 and a note that says "want to come by my place tonight at eight?" that's signed by Mark Foley.

But I'm sure I'll make it my own soon. I'll put up my signed picture of Gov. Blagojevich and my "Senate Procedures for Dummies" book and I'll fit right in.

eee / January 12, 2009 4:32 PM

I have: a computer, keyboard, my awesome ergonomic mouse, two plastic dinosaurs, a coffee mug, a glass water bottle, two framed wedding photos, hand lotion, a magnetic giraffe, a Jack Skellington head, the 2007 B-Fest poster, and a pilgrim cupcake topper that looks like Barry Gibb.

Steven / January 12, 2009 10:33 PM

At work: a heinous HP Compaq PC and keyboard, a bunch of books, a phone with way too many buttons, a fan, various plastic forks and condiment packages and a photo of my Iggies. At home: a wondrous Power Mac tower with 20" Cinema display and Wacom tablet, an ashtray (cuz home is civilized) and a Studio Rosenthal covered dish with doggy treats for good boys.

Carrie / January 13, 2009 9:26 AM

Oh goodness... pictures of family and cat, a fuzzy pen collection that an old boss started for me, pictures of various famous people I think are hot, a calendar, Field of Dreams cup for water and a Chuck E Cheese mug for coffee or tea. A WWE heavy weight champion belt, some company stress squish ball things and pictures of me on a dig to try and remind myself that I don't have to be stuck in cube for the rest of my life. And if you think my desk sounds tacky, it totally is.

jennifer / January 13, 2009 9:30 AM

stacks and stacks of papers in preparation for a ph.d. qualifying exam...which starts tomorrow!

Spook / January 13, 2009 9:32 AM

Pistaio shells, a banna going soft and brown, a globe, spilled coffee, a mug with pistasio shells, a cheap bankers light with a cracked hole on the top, a ficus planet that belonged to a fellow colleague
that I brought back from the grave, phone, computer, check pay stud, NY Times Magazine, scarf, skull cap, wallet

Spook / January 13, 2009 9:53 AM

p.s actually I meant to write large coffee stain as oppossed to spilled coffee

Oh and Andy,
I've got a New Years deal for ya!

I've got three cheap bankers lights, (I don't use the harsh over head fluorescents,)

so I'll trade ya the bankers light with the hole in it for your Biz Markie photo?

What say Ye?

annie / January 13, 2009 10:07 AM

My desk is bordering on disgusting. A dirty spoon, dust on everything..but mostly it's paper, tons and tons of paper and files and manuals. I do have 3 framed pictures, 2 of the dog and one of the husband, but unless I move paper, you would never know they were there. I also have a nice tea warmer thing, but today when I got to work our water cooler is gone, part of cutting back on costs, so I am off to Sears at lunch to buy a Mr. Tea but I have no idea where it will go.

gemma / January 13, 2009 10:47 AM

Sigg water bottle, Sigg coffee thermos, an empty wasabi pea container holding pens and pencils, lots of post-its, stacks of paper pertaining to the grant I am currently working on, three types of loose tea, dark chocolate Altoids, and a jade plant that has seen better days.

M / January 13, 2009 11:13 AM

a calendar, stapler, picture of my sister, grandpa and i, a dwight schrute bobblehead, a small glass sculpture, a tube of kiehl's hand creme, a stack of finals, a stack of papers already graded, and a drawing of the Boston Tea Party done by a former student.

Andy / January 13, 2009 1:31 PM

Ah Spook! That's a sweet offer but I'm not sure if I can make that trade. The Biz Markie photo also states that my computer is "Biz Markie approved" and I'm pretty sure that certification is non-transferable! Thanks though.

Jasmine / January 13, 2009 2:23 PM

Hippo, Dundie, Will Burns button, pencil cup, Air Duster, Hello Kitty, Lush lotion, and soy sauce. Picture is here.

Colin Devroe / January 13, 2009 3:16 PM

From left to right: A homemade bookshelf made from boxes used to ship wine bottles, my travel art kit, a plate that used to have lunch, a copy of The Lord of the Rings, my wallet, my new copy of Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain, a glass of cold water, my iPhone resting in its cradle, a lamp pointed away from me, my keyboard and monitor, my 13" black Macbook on a Griffin iCurve, my sketch book moleskine with an Apple sticker on it, a mead notebook that will be used for something someday, an HD camcorder I do not own, a coca-cola tin for keeping loose change, and a glass bowl containing bit of coral that I illegally collected from a reef off of Oahu, Hawaii.

karen / January 13, 2009 3:52 PM

a giant box of prismacolors, a bottle of airborne, a perpetual calendar from mohawk paper, my laptop & gigantic monitor combo, headphones, lip balm, i heart ny coffee mug, stapler, tape, x-acto knife, and a copy of "how to be a graphic designer without losing your soul".

A. Lewellen / January 13, 2009 4:16 PM

From Right to left: various untotable books, Epson scanner, JVC Boom-box circa 1972, sketch book, the first of 2 Altec Lansing speakers, one Lacie 160 GB fire wire drive, 150 GB fire wire Fantom Drive, G5 Tower covered with post its, email print outs and sketches, mini VW bus, acrylic Tsingao beer menu holder, a pack of Penway cap erasers, various sketches to be framed, black Sharpie, 22" Apple flat screen, portable set of Winsor & Newton water colors, four pack of some kind of German tea your supposed to mix with red wine, keyboard and mouse, Classic Dave Berry calendar, more sharpies, two Starbucks gift cards, old office land line, mini bucket of 70 multi colored fibre pens, 5" bust of George Washington, random hunk of concrete embedded with half inch black and white ceramic tiles, lava lamp, various cables, other Altec Lansing speaker, iPhone (being charged), 15" MacBook Pro, 1fl. oz. bottle of Golden Acrylic (titanium white), stapler, cappuccino cup filled with old green tea bags, electric pencil sharpener, picture of my two sons, dead bluetooth mouse, scotch tape, ceramic mug, acrylic zip disk case (used to cover said mug while my green tea steeps), almost empty chap stick and rubber bands.

charlie / January 13, 2009 5:04 PM

http://www.63images.com/photobucket/desktop.jpg

Cheryl / January 13, 2009 5:22 PM

Besides the normal desk stuff:

A light up globe, a Spongbob magic 8 cube, a Nick Swisher bobblehead doll, an antique urine sample bottle (used as a pen holder), 5 books and a plastic liver.

Graham / January 13, 2009 7:29 PM

MacBook, Microsoft mouse, Yamaha minisystem speakers, lamp, large rock with lichen from the hill next to the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colo. (my home town), Bodium teacup, clay teapot, blue pen, iPhone, check from roommate for utilities. Until I finished a paper yesterday, rougly two dozen articles and four books on the public sphere, China, and the Internet. A single hair.

sb / January 13, 2009 10:12 PM

tons of books, stacked vertically in piles. an olympia typewriter. a "brewster" train model from the property i'm working on. (chuggington.com, he's the red train.) a macbook, a dell laptop, a dell server, and some hp monstrosity of a desktop i'm using for testing. oh, and an empty shiner bock bottle.

adam / January 13, 2009 11:10 PM

As of 7 AM Wednesday morning, a new 30" Apple monitor. I won't care what else is on there then.

emilyS / January 14, 2009 3:06 PM

This is the gist of it: http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n285/emilyszopa/work.jpg

But what you can't see is the left side of my desk, which is supporting a pile of replica medieval swords, a nerf gun, five or six French tapestries, a stack of proofs, a water bottle dressed like Brian Urlacher, several tiny resin thrones, collapsable chopsticks and a bag of sunflower seeds. Oh, and a photo of my dog, Bogart.

Spook / January 14, 2009 3:49 PM

Andew next time please specify either home desk or work/office desk as my home desk( a vintage, roll top desk- circa 1918- purchased for a steal second hand) is a lot more interesting then my work/office desk, which now includes every thing as previously listed with the addition of an apple core lift from yesterday.

p.s.

The picture of Biz Markie would have been prominently displayed on my office desk

Sarah / January 14, 2009 4:01 PM

1. Tuttuki bako! A crazy Japanese game you play by sticking your finger in a box.

2. Cute Overload page of the day calendar

3. SIGG bottle

4. Blackhawks paraphanalia

5. Picture of Johnny Depp

6. Dinosaur from a mold-a-rama machine

7. ExploreChicago.org coffee mug

8. Fortune cookie fortune: "You have a curious smile and a mysterious nature"

9. Obama paraphanalia

10. Gapers Block sticker (for reals)

11. My Wu-Tang Clan name written on a post-it

And many other entertaining things.

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