Friday, August 24, 2018

The Desk, Explained


This chippy is right up the street from our flat, and despite the fact that it was apparently named in "Courvoisiers book of the best fish & chip shop" (?) we've never been there. One of these days we'll have to go.

You can see Olga's reflection in the left-hand door. She's probably looking at me and thinking, "AGAIN with the stopping!"


My boss tweeted this picture of me at my newly truncated desk at work. Perhaps this will help those of you having trouble picturing what I was saying about my desk being cut in half. The desk used to be a half-circle. Now it's a quarter-circle, and all that space to the right of me that used to be taken up by desk is now open floor. We're going to get a table or something for that area.

Apparently our general philosophy these days is to move away from built-in furniture and toward more portable items and "flexible space." I hope my quarter-circle gets to stay, though, because I like it, and I'd really rather not work at some rolling stand-up pedestal. Besides, the book return -- which you can't see in the picture above -- is built into the desk at the far left.

Anyway, it's been a crazy week of preparation, but I think we're pretty much ready for students to return. I still have today (an orientation day for new students) to get a few more things done before school officially begins on Tuesday. Monday, fortunately, is a holiday, and Dave's sister and her husband are arriving for a visit beginning on Sunday.

20 comments:

crafty cat corner said...

Both of our Libraries in Brighton and Hove were lovely old buildings and I loved to visit. Plenty of staff who were always helpful. Sadly the Brighton Library was replaced with a large glass and all that, building that just does not have the atmosphere of the old one and the Hove one is at this moment having 'renovations'. We have the pedestal stations and places for loaning and returning you books without ever having to talk to a soul, in fact there are only a couple of people to help sometimes. It's a shame and I don't like it.
Briony
x

Alphie Soup said...

I get the picture about your library desk now. :)
Alphie

Yorkshire Pudding said...

How come the floor of your library isn't level? I guess it is a design fault. Does it cause books to slide about on the shelves?

Ms. Moon said...

The picture of you in the library is great. That one I can understand.
Okay. Now I've finally figured out the chip shop photo. One side is the eat-in part and one side is the take-away part. I guess we don't do that so much here but it makes sense.

Red said...

I like the time of getting prepared for the new school year. You look very comfortable with your new arrangement.

ellen abbott said...

are you wearing glasses in that picture? and how can you have not gone to one of the best fish and chip shops?

Anonymous said...

I love seeing you at your desk. Great photo. And Olga is adorable as always in that reflection.

Linda Sue said...

Captain Picard! Looks legit!
Olga must expect, by now, that there will be many stops along the way, She is a good girl!
Looks like you have settled , back at home, for a while.

Sharon said...

I like your desk!
I've had some good fish and chips in London but, I also have had some very bad fish and chips there. The worst I had was at the restaurant at the Tate Modern. Imagine that! The fist and chips there were the worst.

37paddington said...

I noticed your twitter handle and ended up searching out your library there. Seems like a vibrant place!

The Bug said...

Dang - I'd be sad to be missing the rest of your enterprise console! If you're like me you need all the desk you can get - ha!

Catalyst said...

Your spot in the conning tower looks quite neat and official. I've always wanted to work in a library. What type of school is the one yours is part of?

John Going Gently said...

I adore your desk I've always wanted one of my own

David said...

Great photo of you at the desk!

Spare Parts and Pics said...

I don't know, that restaurant looks a little strange. Fully licensed makes me wonder... are some not fully licensed, or perhaps not licensed at all?? I guess you never know until you try it. Cool desk!

e said...

I like this photo of you!

Elizabeth said...

I really envy you your library job. Libraries just make me happy.

Tara said...

That open, flexible space? It's already been proven to be harmful to working. Google it. Employers are soooo behind the curve when it comes to things like this. It's been 'the new thing' in office design for about a decade, and workers are simply not happy with it, and less productive. Keeps a lot of managers busy though, coming up with new ideas for productivity.

I love Olga's reflection in the Chippy window. Patient pup, she is.

Steve Reed said...

Briony: Yeah, those self-checkout stations have become the reality in a lot of libraries. It's sad, isn't it? Going to a library and never interacting with a librarian? Our automated age.

Alphie: Good! :)

YP: It helps us build up our leg muscles, climbing uphill across the floor. It's a fitness thing.

Ms Moon: Yes! Exactly. I don't know why they need two entrances (or three, it looks like) but that's what's going on.

Red: Yeah, I'm getting used to it!

Ellen: Yes, I wear glasses for reading and working on the computer. My eyes have gotten much worse over the last year or so, actually. It's a drag.

Robin: It helps you picture my work environment, anyway!

Linda Sue: It IS very Star Trek, isn't it? I think it's a bit more Kirk than Picard.

Sharon: That's because they're TOURIST fish & chips. :)

37P: Yeah, we have a lot going on, though our Twitter account isn't all that active!

Bug: Actually I did miss having a bigger surface to do some tasks this week, like sorting all the summer magazines and putting together our scheduling book (which requires me to lay out a lot of copied calendar pages).

Catalyst: We're a private school that offers "American education with a global perspective," to quote our mission statement.

John: It is nice to have a little area of my own. I think I'd really miss it if I were simply a wandering library assistant!

David: Thanks!

Spare Parts: HA! I have ALWAYS wondered that about the licensing. Other restaurants don't tout their license so prominently! It's a little strange, as you said.

E: Thank you!

Elizabeth: I enjoy the atmosphere so much, it's true. Even when it's jammed with 100 kids.

Tara: No kidding?! I didn't know that! I'll have to look that up, although it's a little late for my poor desk. :(

Colette said...

You really must try that fish and chips place!