Cleaning the office

[ksmith]

My desk looks pretty good...if you ignore the large box of stuff behind my chair that's holding everything I removed but have yet to sort.

Do I *need* 3 pencil cups? Which one should I keep? The black wire one would be easy to eliminate, but the spinning oak and black metal one that matches the desk *and* holds the stapler, the staple remover, and the scissors? The gargoyle that can hold a pencil in its mouth?

Does anyone else out there keep an electric pencil sharpener on their desk? Does anyone else out there *own* an electric pencil sharpener?

The wooden tea box filled with old convention badges and buttons? Those damned little figurines Small Dog sends you with your order? The rack of CDs for software I might need someday?

We won't even discuss the paperwork that requires sorting and filing.

One problem...or maybe it's a salvation, is that my desk has no drawers. It's a fake oak stealth wing corner thingie that belongs in one of those Crate & Barrel offices with white walls, bare oak flooring, and wireless network. White gauze curtains floating in the breeze. One clear glass vase with a single calla lily. Not a piece of paper to be seen.

Instead, it's in an 8x10 third bedroom with a 4-drawer file cabinet , three overfilled bookcases, and a doggie bed the size of France complete with sleeping dog. Granted, the walls are a nice celery green and serve as home to a nice Renoir still life. There's also a signed copy of the classic Mad Bluebird photo because haven't we all felt like that at times?

I see cobwebs in one corner. C&B offices do not suffer from cobwebs.

I need a bigger office, sans cobwebs. But right now, I need to figure out what to do about this box...

Comments

[kristine-smith.livejournal.com]

I use mine to sharpen color pencils for editing. And I did have some regular No 2s, but have pretty much gone over to the mechanical pencil side of the Force.

The top of my file cabinet is now *CLEAN*. Dusted, even. The wooden crab jigsaw that toppled over months ago is still in pieces behind the cabinet--the last few bits fell yesterday when I removed the CD holder and jogged them loose. I probably should move the cabinet and pick up the pieces before declaring the office well and truly clean, but that will take some muscle and it guaranteed to scratch the floor.

I do have hardwood floors in this office. They badly need to be refinished, but still. We could say I'm going for the old NYC loft look, my living in a small town in northern Illinois notwithstanding.

[barbarienne.livejournal.com]

I, too, have an electric pencil sharpener, for the exact same reason you do. We who have to work on your manuscripts appreciate a well-sharpened colored pencil. (I also have a Secret Stash of Col-erase purple pencils, which are almost impossible to find now. Col-erase kicks ass.)

[kristine-smith.livejournal.com]

Staples sells them for $10.99 a box--I will be getting them. Assorted colors. Thanks for the tip!

I had been using artists' pencils, but those leads are so soft that I was sharpening after every entry I wrote.

[kristine-smith.livejournal.com]

Here's a question--does this mean I should avoid using purple pencil for editing purposes? I avoid using the colors that my editor and CE use--tries to recall if last CE used color pencil or regular--but have always wondered if there is a set Color That The Writer Should Use.