My desk is messier than yours....

[howtobrew]

Just for your amusement, here is a picture of my desk. I suppose it is a bit cluttered, but there is plenty of room for my arms to reach the keyboard. Oh, and my new Zivkovic handles were hidden by the brewing magazines in the foreground.

Anybody else want to share?

[Cipher]

My desk used to look about like that when I had a desk... sigh. So how are you liking your Zivkovic handles? I have a BII on my epee but I don't like it so much. I like the K2 on foil though. Which ones did you get and do you like them on epee? .... oh, and just as a fair warning, I read your book and am planning to start brewing after summer, so you might want to make sure I can't PM you with a billion questions of why this and why that. Just kidding. I love to experiment. By the way, your book is excellent. The best I have ever seen on brewing.

I wish I had a pic of my old desk. It was stacked high with parts I was designing. Used to be a plastic injection mold designer. You could find everything from cell phone parts to air bag explosive retainers to cigarette dispensers on it. A messy sight indeed. Hmm... if I can find a pic of the cigarette dispenser I designed, I put a link to it. They are in a lot of convenience stores around the US. That's my one obscure claim to fame.

[telkanuru]

I would, but no camera. Mine is worse, though. I swear, if anything gets added to it, it will achieve critical mass and implode to a singularity. The destruction of the world would ensue

[Louweasel]

Can't post a picture but here is a list of what is on my desk, from left to right:

A plastic carrier bag containing two magazines and two cakes (I've been baking as I am going camping this weekend)
A pot of low fat yoghurt and a tupperware container of homemade chicken soup
My handbag
Two in-trays with various documents and folders
A large ring binder containing training course material
An A5 page-per-day diary
An empty porridge bowl (just finished my breakfast)
A stapler
3 CD-ROMs of photos
A phone chair
A Jonny Wilkinson bookmark
A mug from Prague
A pad of post-it notes
A biro
A computer
A telephone
A framed phot of me and Mr Louweasel
A card index
A box of tissues
A pile of scrap paper
Various foreign dictionaries
Various acts of parliament
A cake tin (I bake cake for my colleagues sometimes if they are good)
An umbrella
Some more post-it notes
Ooh, I've found my ruler!

And my office is supposed to operate a clear-desk policy!

[Have At You]

At least your piles are stacked neatly, and you have shelves and cubbies where things are organized. Having only a large flat surface, I have stuff spread all over the place and on the floor. Looks like the cops executed a search warrant in here.

I do have many drawers to put stuff away in, but they are empty, because if I don't need something in front of me to refer to it, I don't need it in my office in the first place and it gets filed somewhere else.

[Zelda]

Ok....if you just want my WORK desk...there is a portable phone, a mobile, 3 pencil cases, a tub of hair conditioning treatment, lavender oil, a magazine rack, the ever growing pile of note cards, staples but no stapler, the broken thong from my amulet, 2 large pads of post it notes, a drawer thingy with stamps etc in it, 2 calculators, a pen tub, my MP3 player, my laptop, a microphone that doesnt work properly, 2 prs of earrings (I really should take them upstairs), a massage ball, OH theres the stapler, a pile of papers on digital cameras, a book on 50 family walks around hobart, a book on birds, scissors, my watch, an appointment card for my hairdresser, a hair brush, the modem,notepaper and sticky tape.

If you want all the desk surfaces within reaching distance add my digital camera, a video tape, a map of tasmania with various towns highlighted, another pencil case, 2 vases of flowers, 3 candles, approximately 150 purple consent forms in various piles, 5 sheets of white cardboard with hand drawn calenders, a sharpie, a weeks worth of unopened mail, my diary, my hand bag, my purse a ruler and 2 ink cartridges for my printer....

I think this means I need to tidy up!

[Bayou Bum]

I can't believe it. You actually have "How to Brew" books on the bookshelf! Truthfully, did you place them there just for the photo?

The Bum

[Moonitic]

I have to say thank you to everyone who talked about their messy desks. Makes me feel better about having one of my own. There's wood under there...somewhere... With rehersals starting, I fear I'll never see it again!

[esskreemr]

I cleaned mine up a few months ago. I have yet to be able to rebuild it to its former disorganized stature. I have a bigger desk, more space, shelves, and a filing cabinet nearly twice as big. I don't think I'll ever be able to justify the clutter again

[swordwench]

Originally Posted by esskreemr

I cleaned mine up a few months ago. I have yet to be able to rebuild it to its former disorganized stature. I have a bigger desk, more space, shelves, and a filing cabinet nearly twice as big. I don't think I'll ever be able to justify the clutter again

You may not be able to justify the clutter, but you will indeed get it back again. There will just be more of it. I'm sure someone out there has done scientific research on desk/work area messiness in relation to personality. If you are a messy desk person, you are destined to always have a messy desk, even if you experience some short-lived lull in the clutter. You can't change this, so don't bother trying. Rejoice in it!

My work area is a constant sh**hole. It's generally very clean (dust issues), but it's impossible for anyone to find anything but me. I usually know where everything is in the clutter, but I can't keep anything put away for any length of time. When I finally clean it all up, I stash things into bags and boxes with the intention of separating the good from the bad, but for months, stuff then stays hidden in bags and boxes. (This is especially bad when it's time to explain to the IRS why you're late filing your taxes.) SO why bother.

Expanding your work area is akin to buying a bigger purse. You figure, your old one was smaller, and this one is huuuuuge, so there's no way you're ever going to have it full of junk again. (Plus, you just spend several hundred dollars on it, so how could you mess it up?) Before you know it, you're trading up to a full-size backpack. Desks are like that, as are bookshelves.

[D+F+P=Hadouken!]

Man, you win. My desk is bad, but not THAT bad.

[Soldier]

Mine's not that bad, but it currently extends over to cover my entire bed, too.

[Westley]

I just remebered something. Soldier, you say use a Dell Laptop, right? Well, and I mean in this in all sincerity, although you probably know this- Keep it off your lap!!! You use it a LOT. Not that I want to see anymore of you flying around.

And BTW, you have all made me feel much better anout my desk. Thank you very much.

[howtobrew]

Originally Posted by Bayou Bum

I can't believe it. You actually have "How to Brew" books on the bookshelf! Truthfully, did you place them there just for the photo?

The Bum

Hah! no, those are a) a Working copy (with notes and ideas) and b) one that was damaged in shipment that I set aside. There are also print-run samples scattered around. Lets see, I count five HtBs total around here.

Oh, and my Work desk is like this too, just 3 times bigger.

[Soldier]

Originally Posted by Westley

I just remebered something. Soldier, you say use a Dell Laptop, right? Well, and I mean in this in all sincerity, although you probably know this- Keep it off your lap!!! You use it a LOT. Not that I want to see anymore of you flying around.

And BTW, you have all made me feel much better anout my desk. Thank you very much.

What the hell are you talking about?

[esskreemr]

Lets make it into the form of an equation:

Laptop + Power/heat = portable spermicide...

[Soldier]

Then I'll worry about that in several years when it matters to me.

In any case, it's most often on its docking station on my desk, or alternatively on the desk of whatever calss I'm in.

[howtobrew]

Originally Posted by Cipher

So how are you liking your Zivkovic handles? I have a BII on my epee but I don't like it so much. I like the K2 on foil though. Which ones did you get and do you like them on epee? ....

I just got them yesterday. I bought the K and Z grips, so I could see which one I liked better, and Bran said I could return the other one. I like the Z. The K is nice too, but for me, it puts too much pressure on my ring finger, which the Z doesn't. I am primarily a French gripper, so I don't really want to "feel" my ring finger and pinkie when I am holding the blade. (time out to move a donut) I had modified an Uhlmann pistol grip to do much the same thing (you can see it in the picture) and I will mount the Z in it's place and try it out. I like this combination on an LP nonFie blade - it's very lively.
The french grip you see in the picture is my Vniti FIE and like others have said it is a whip or fly rod. I can see where others have commented (guy from Oregon...?) that they have progressed to much stiffer blades to get better/faster point control, and I can see what they mean. I almost feel like I need bowstring vibration dampeners mounted to the blade! But it does flick really well.

Originally Posted by Cipher

oh, and just as a fair warning, I read your book and am planning to start brewing after summer, so you might want to make sure I can't PM you with a billion questions of why this and why that. Just kidding. I love to experiment. By the way, your book is excellent. The best I have ever seen on brewing.

Thanks! That is always gratifying to hear. Anytime you have a question, just ask.

Originally Posted by Cipher

I wish I had a pic of my old desk. It was stacked high with parts I was designing. You could find everything from cell phone parts to air bag explosive retainers to cigarette dispensers on it.

Cool! it is always interesting to hear these unique facts about people.

[Inquartata]

Bah, that's not a messy desk! Look, you can still see a few inches of it!

I have a desk. Somewhere. Haven't actually seen it in years, but I believe it's still there...

[swordwench]

Originally Posted by Inquartata

I have a desk. Somewhere. Haven't actually seen it in years, but I believe it's still there...

Kinda like my toes? (ooh, points for the self-inflicted insult.)