Phoenix84
Senior Associate
Joined: Feb 17, 2011 21:42:35 GMT -5
Posts: 10,056
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Post by Phoenix84 on Mar 22, 2013 12:17:12 GMT -5
Describe your office/cube/workspace.
What items in your workspace is company supplied?
What items in your workspace is personal?
Are you happy with where (the physical location) in which you work?
How far out do you have to park and walk?
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Phoenix84
Senior Associate
Joined: Feb 17, 2011 21:42:35 GMT -5
Posts: 10,056
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Post by Phoenix84 on Mar 22, 2013 12:25:06 GMT -5
I work in an office, and the usual suspects are supplied, the laptop, monitors, keyboards, phones ect.
I do keep a clock radio of my own to know what time it is.
My overall "decorating theme" of my office is a sort of chronology of my career, so I have some mementos from the different agencies I've worked for. I have a picture of the submarine NR-1 signed by the chief of the boat, and a painting of the wright flyer from my time with the Air force. I also have a set of hats and mugs from each of the different agencies I have worked for. Several textbooks covering my subject area. Some of them were purchased by work but some are my own. I also have a little American flag that I bought to put on display. As well as my diploma from RCTQS (radconn training from the navy). I also have a little stuffed buffalo to represent the agency I work for. I also have a ulility posting, the chart of the nuclides.
On shelves above my desk I have various work supplied items, my hardhat, safety shoes, two commonly used radiation detection instruments, an emergency spill kit, a backpack.
Overall, I'm happy with where I work. I'm pretty lucky in that I have an office, most people don't as we are trying to save space. Even low to mid level managers are being pressed into cubes these days.
I just park right outside, I don't have far to walk at all.
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NomoreDramaQ1015
Community Leader
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Posts: 47,331
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Post by NomoreDramaQ1015 on Mar 22, 2013 12:25:15 GMT -5
My desk is a giant mess, but I do know where everything is. Shelf above my computer has pictures of Gwen/DH and a collection of stuffed microbials and mice/rats. I also have a lovely bowl of pens wrapped to look like flowers that was given to me by a summer student. Pretty much everything is supplied for me. I did buy my own thumb drive but I probably could have asked for one. I have two labs I currently operate in and I've taken over since it's just me. Lab benches look an awful lot like my desk. I could consolidate into one lab if we had to, but it'd involve my bosses having to get rid of random stuff they've hoarded over the years. I park about two blocks away at the bottom of a steep hill. It SUCKS but parking for employees sucks all over campus. Get any farther out and I might as well walk from home. I'm happy with the location I guess. It's only a 15 minute drive from where I live and I can get here just by taking Dodge so I don't have to deal with crazy interstate traffic in the morning.
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thyme4change
Community Leader
Joined: Dec 26, 2010 13:54:08 GMT -5
Posts: 40,439
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Post by thyme4change on Mar 22, 2013 12:25:35 GMT -5
Brown - poop smear brown. I have a picture on the wall that I bought and brought in to keep the place from being too horrible. It was cute in my old office because the walls were lighter. In this office, it gets swallowed up. I also have a big white board on the wall. It is not exactly in a convenient place to actually use, and I'm not sure what I would use it for, but underneath it is a giant hole from the previous tenant. Easier to put a white board over it than to ask the lady in charge of the building to fix anything. I also have a desk, 2 filing cabinets and a bookshelf. One filing cabinet has a bunch of stuff from my previous position with this company. I should probably toss it. The other one is basically empty, but the coffee pot sits on top of it, so it is a crucial piece of furniture. The bookshelf is mostly 3 ring binders of stuff I no longer need.
But, best of all, giant windows that look out towards a pretty crazy corner. We aren't in the richest area of town, so there are a lot of people who are walking to get to work or the bus, and a bunch of people that look like they just escaped from an insane asylum. We see the best stuff out this window. Every day, one lady comes by. She is always wearing a tiara. You know, her day-tiara. One guy went strolling by in a hospital gown - full on bare ass. He couldn't find his underpants, but he did have a cigarette. One time the building across the street had a gas leak, and we all sat in my office and gawked at the firemen. hubba hubba.
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The Captain
Junior Associate
Hugs are good...
Joined: Jan 4, 2011 16:21:23 GMT -5
Posts: 8,717
Location: State of confusion
Favorite Drink: Whinnnne
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Post by The Captain on Mar 22, 2013 12:30:03 GMT -5
Sigh.
I have a private office with a DOOR and two windows. A majority of my furniture is wood. The company has supplied me with my own printer and an oversized monitor. The pictures on the walls are supplied by the company but I'm thinking of bringing some of my own art in.
Personal stuff - I have 6 plants in here. Various peices of DD's artwork attached to the one metal file cabinet. Several of my personal technical books as well as a few pictures on the credenza of DD and DH. I also have a few humorous peices of artwork that is tied into my profession scattered around.
I love my workspace. There is a park two blocks down that I walk to sometimes for lunch.
The only drawback is that my commute is 2 hours each way. The train is about 43 miles in and when I walk (1.9 miles each way) it takes me 20-30 minutes.
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cael
Junior Associate
Joined: Dec 20, 2010 9:12:36 GMT -5
Posts: 5,745
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Post by cael on Mar 22, 2013 12:32:36 GMT -5
My desk is actually 2 desks set up at right angles so I have my own little area... it's piled up with paperwork and files usually and is a terrible mess I have done some organizing recently though. For personal stuff I only have some photos, some origami birds and little bottles of lotion, and my employer supplies me with all the equipment and supplies I need. We park out back, in a teeny terrible parking lot down a hill at about a 50 degree angle - real fun in the snow. My desk is right next to my supervisor, and we're tight so it's good. Our landlord kind of sucks, they never fix anything or vacuum the carpets, but otherwise it isn't too bad. My commute to work is only 5-10 minutes depending on traffic too, so I can't complain about that!
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Phoenix84
Senior Associate
Joined: Feb 17, 2011 21:42:35 GMT -5
Posts: 10,056
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Post by Phoenix84 on Mar 22, 2013 12:34:18 GMT -5
Oh yeah, I forgot to mention I have a window that looks out on the parking lot and the dumpster, so the view isn't that great but at least it's a window . We got TONS of canadian geese around here, so it's not uncommon to see them waddling by outside. The furniture is cheap knockoff wood, light color. The walls are white. My chair is actually pretty nice, it's a ergonomic chair. But it's cloth so I always get a static shock after I get up and touch something.
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spartan7886
Familiar Member
Joined: Jan 7, 2011 14:04:22 GMT -5
Posts: 788
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Post by spartan7886 on Mar 22, 2013 12:38:34 GMT -5
Right now, I've got an office to myself with a wall of windows looking out on the inside atrium.
Most everything is company supplied - desk, chairs, whiteboard, docking station with 2 monitors, filing cabinet, map of the area where my wells are, and all the random little stuff, like pens and notepads (ok, about half of those are from vendors).
Personal stuff is really just a large flag of my alma mater that went up when I used to have an officemate with one of her alma mater. Photos and stuff went home when I moved buildings and just never came back. Oh, and my iPad I've started using for my to-do list since I discovered Priority Matrix.
I like my office now. Next month I'm moving to an outside office across the hall. It will be set up for double occupancy, but that would happen if I stayed too, so I'm looking forward to that. Next year, though, they're moving us all to new buildings on the site that will be all cubes, even for lower level managers. I am not looking forward to that at all. From what I've seen, they're not even full cubes - short walls, almost sharing, just using a table for a divider on one side. It's supposed to promote collaboration, or something like that. What it's actually going to promote is mass exodus from the half of the company that's already retirement age.
I get in early, at 6:30, so I can park pretty close, at the lot right beside the building. If I go out for a late or long lunch, though, and get back after 12:30, I usually have to park in the garage, which is on the far side of campus, about a 15 minute walk (three buildings past mine, then a parking lot, then the parking garage. They've actually opened up a parking lot at the nearby high school football stadium with a shuttle, parking is so bad.
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thyme4change
Community Leader
Joined: Dec 26, 2010 13:54:08 GMT -5
Posts: 40,439
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Post by thyme4change on Mar 22, 2013 12:44:13 GMT -5
I have reserved parking. They decided it was better for us to all have assigned parking because the spots are very small and a lot of people drive large trucks, so instead of letting us duke it out, they put us with small cars next to people with giant trucks. One day I had to drive my husband's SUV in, and I couldn't get into my spot, so I parked in visitor parking and begged for mercy from the person in charge of facilities. Of course, she drives a small car and parks next to 2 people who also drive small cars.
My walk in 25 yards to the elevator.
My personal stuff includes a few pictures of my kids, the award I won (employee of the year) and my framed diplomas. I also have a board where I can post things. I have a bunch of snarky, yet appropriate quotes that I post there. I used to change them often, but no one comes to see me anymore - so I just put my favorite one up there and let it ride.
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movingforward
Junior Associate
Joined: Sept 15, 2011 12:48:31 GMT -5
Posts: 8,363
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Post by movingforward on Mar 22, 2013 12:56:40 GMT -5
I honestly LOVE my workspace. I have my own office in the back with a door and 3 windows. Most everything is company supplied with the exception of my bottle of hand sanitizer, lotion and small personal laptop that I bring for personal business during lunch and I also use it to listen to my itunes some days while I work. I have never been one to keep personal stuff like pictures, etc. in my office. I like that stuff in my home rather than with me at work.
As for parking, we have our own parking lot and it is probably less than 20 steps from my car to the office. The only problem I have with our parking is that I wish it was covered. We have a lot of trees so 8 months out of the year there is bird crap on my car and I am constantly trying to clean it. They are talking about building onto our office and they are getting quotes to include covering our parking lot. Oh, I work in a very small office so at most we might have 10 cars in our parking lot. There is metered parking in front of our office for visitors.
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teen persuasion
Senior Member
Joined: Dec 20, 2010 21:58:49 GMT -5
Posts: 4,057
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Post by teen persuasion on Mar 22, 2013 13:05:01 GMT -5
I don't have an office - there is "the office" that we pop in & out of all day for a million things, I stash my bag in there and have an inbox, one cabinet, & a bit of counter I've taken over . Everything is provided by the library. Most of the time I'm behind the circ desk, unless it's story hour time. Then I'm upstairs in the community room in my big chair planted in front of the puppet theater. If it is summer and Drama Club practice, then I'm w/ the kids in the Parish Hall three houses down. Any decorating is done for the current holiday all over the library, usually by one of the other librarians who is the best at it. I tend to decorate the upstairs to match my weekly theme; I also decorate the children's section for the summer to go with the SRP theme. I have been adding some bookpage art here & there around the library, and the booktree on the safe opposite the circ desk is my creation. I park on the street outside the library (no lot), and I only have a 3 mile commute, but I'm still envious of the other librarians that live in the village and can walk to work everyday. I love the location - from work I am walking distance to the MS/HS campus, PO, CU, bank, coffee shop, church, canal and towpath...
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alabamagal
Junior Associate
Joined: Dec 23, 2010 11:30:29 GMT -5
Posts: 8,121
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Post by alabamagal on Mar 22, 2013 13:30:25 GMT -5
I have a nice large office 10x15' with a desk and side table and another desk that I use for overflow paperwork. Unfortunately my office area is also a walkway in our maze of an office, so when the people in the next area need to go to the front door, they walk through my office. Also, our receptionist quit a few weeks ago so I have to let people in the front door about 4-5 times a day (~15 feet from my office).
The WORST thing about my office is that it stinks (literally). We make natural products and food flavorings, and a lot of them smell really bad when we are making them. One of the products we were using a couple weeks ago smelled like vomit. Our receptionist (who left) was always trying to improve the smell by putting in room deodorizers so it smelled like room deodorizers and vomit.
I am 10 minutes from home, and I park less than 50 feet from my office (on a positive note!)
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sheilaincali
Senior Member
Joined: Dec 19, 2010 17:55:24 GMT -5
Posts: 4,131
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Post by sheilaincali on Mar 22, 2013 15:07:02 GMT -5
Because I do all the bookkeeping and human resources so my office has everything. I have a large combination safe (that holds the blank ap checks), 3 upright file cabinets, a small 2 drawer file cabinet, a big horizontal filing cabinet and of course my desk, chair and visitors chair. Plus I get to have all of the servers in my office and the supply closet is in my office. It's not so bad- it's a small office with only at most 6 people other than me working in the building at a time- most of our employees are production type and they work in the plant or on jobsites. Company provides everything for me- laptop, huge monitor (because I have to do take offs on plans and blueprints), fancy calculator, desktop deposit system, etc. Only personal items I have is my calendar (this year it's Toki Doki) and my Unicorno collection lined up on the horizontal filing cabinet. I just moved into this office like a month ago. Prior to that I was in a huge room with a big window and an exterior entrance. But there were no heating or ac duct work in there so I froze all winter and melted all summer. Now I'm in the land of heat and central air Parking- I guess it's like 20 feet from the parking lot to the front door of our office building.
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Phoenix84
Senior Associate
Joined: Feb 17, 2011 21:42:35 GMT -5
Posts: 10,056
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Post by Phoenix84 on Mar 22, 2013 15:23:55 GMT -5
"I have two labs I currently operate in and I've taken over since it's just me. Lab benches look an awful lot like my desk"
I've got a lab too, I recently consolidated into a lab about 1/3 of the size I did have so things are still a mess. It's mostly a place to store most of my analytical equipment. Geiger counters, liquid scintillation counters, the gas flow proportional counter, the floor monitor ect. I also keep my radioactive sources in there.
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midjd
Administrator
Your Money Admin
Joined: Dec 18, 2010 14:09:23 GMT -5
Posts: 17,719
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Post by midjd on Mar 22, 2013 15:34:16 GMT -5
Almost all our attorneys have a window office, but mine has one of the better views - 2 down from the corner office. I weaseled my way in after one of the senior attorneys retired. Our office has a nicer setup than most other agencies in the area - a few years ago I interviewed at a place where several mid-level supervisors were still in cubes. We are pretty lucky on that front. I don't have a ton of personal decoration - my diplomas, a few framed pictures, and some paper-mache flowers. I'm kind of a minimalist, having a bunch of stuff lying around (along with papers scattered everywhere) makes me tense. They supply everything - my office has 2 bookcases, a 5'x 4' filing cabinet, L-desk, chair and 2 guest chairs, laptop dock and dual monitor, phone, print/scan/fax machine. There are a lot of empty cubes and hallways filled with filing cabinets, so if you need more space you can always go claim an area. Only downside is the 2-hour roundtrip commute, but at least it's fairly scenic.
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NomoreDramaQ1015
Community Leader
Joined: Dec 20, 2010 14:26:32 GMT -5
Posts: 47,331
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Post by NomoreDramaQ1015 on Mar 22, 2013 15:37:14 GMT -5
It's mostly a place to store most of my analytical equipment. Geiger counters, liquid scintillation counters, the gas flow proportional counter, the floor monitor ect
You forgot all the outdated random assortment of stuff that you "might need" someday or inherited from another lab and never actualy bothered to get rid of. I've joked they need to make a special edition of Hoarders. The Lab edition. Seriously people it's BROKE, let it go you can buy a new one cheaper!
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Deleted
Joined: May 18, 2024 4:59:35 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Mar 22, 2013 15:37:35 GMT -5
My cubicle is right by the window (floor to ceiling windows). EVerything needed for my work is supplied by my work. The only personal stuff I have are pictures of my son and my dogs hanging and my professional engineer license. I park next to the building in an enclosed garage (that is not attached to the building).
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Phoenix84
Senior Associate
Joined: Feb 17, 2011 21:42:35 GMT -5
Posts: 10,056
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Post by Phoenix84 on Mar 22, 2013 15:47:38 GMT -5
It's mostly a place to store most of my analytical equipment. Geiger counters, liquid scintillation counters, the gas flow proportional counter, the floor monitor ect
You forgot all the outdated random assortment of stuff that you "might need" someday or inherited from another lab and never actualy bothered to get rid of. I've joked they need to make a special edition of Hoarders. The Lab edition. Seriously people it's BROKE, let it go you can buy a new one cheaper! Well, I do have lots of broken and surplus and broken instruments, but it's not as bad as many scientists. But it is true I really only use three handhelds and two pieces of analytical equipment, the rest is all stuff I keep in case someone needs it "one day." But yeah, the hoarding scientist is a running joke around here too. They never want to throw away ANYTHING because they "might need it someday." They have tons of random crap in their labs and many of their offices are no better. What really sucks is when they retire and they leave radioactive, chemical, or biological waste that someone has to go clean up. Another thing I've noted about scientists is they always arrange their offices in such a way so no one can see them.
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NomoreDramaQ1015
Community Leader
Joined: Dec 20, 2010 14:26:32 GMT -5
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Post by NomoreDramaQ1015 on Mar 22, 2013 15:50:36 GMT -5
What really sucks is when they retire and they leave radioactive, chemical, or biological waste that someone has to go clean up
No kidding. I made sure when my former PI's lab closed that I meticuology recorded and properly disposed of everything. Apparently I am in the minority according to Environmental Safety. They said don't worry though, they find them and bill the crap out of them.
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Chocolate Lover
Distinguished Associate
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Posts: 23,200
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Post by Chocolate Lover on Mar 22, 2013 16:09:47 GMT -5
I have a nice big office and my own bathroom and kitchen area, the only thing I hate is the glass door. I don't want people staring in at me all day from the lobby.
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Sum Dum Gai
Senior Associate
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Post by Sum Dum Gai on Mar 22, 2013 16:25:05 GMT -5
I have an open bullpen style cubicle in half of a good sized office. There's another two cubes on the other side of the room with a small conference table in between. I'm the half of the cubicle right inside and facing the huge north facing windows on the fourth floor of an office building right on the coast of the Monterey Bay. We're just far enough from the beach, and I'm low enough in the building that I can't see the waves break on the beach, but I can see the entire bay from here. Getting the windows also means my back is to the door unfortunately. As far as shitty old government offices go, you can do a TON worse.
My actual desk surface is very sparse and almost disturbingly clean and organized. Monitors, keyboards, laptop, phone, and a single spiral bound notebook next to the phone. Other than that the only thing on my desk is a single picture of my daughters. It desperately needs to be updated. They must be around 5 and 6 in the pic and they're both in the double digits now.
The physical location is alright. The commute is getting old, but we wanted to be closer to San Jose so we purposely didn't buy near work.
Parking is actually pretty decent considering how many people work in the building. I have to walk maybe a hundred yards tops on a bad day to get from the car to the building.
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Deleted
Joined: May 18, 2024 4:59:35 GMT -5
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Mar 22, 2013 20:25:30 GMT -5
I really miss having an office!
I love my job (English teacher at a prestigious business university) but I don't have an office. I share the teacher's room with a bunch of other teachers. All I have to call my own are three shelves, a small drawer, and a bookshelf, all of which are impossible to decorate lol.
However, the building I teach in is underground, so no windows. I absolutely HATE that, and it's one of the reasons I am reluctant to work more hours there.
I have a parking spot which is convenient sometimes but I usually take the train (13 min). It's the only place I've ever worked where it's quicker to take the train than to drive.
As far as I know I am the only adjunct with a parking spot. So I keep quiet about it, because it does come in handy when I'm lugging things around.
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violagirl
Familiar Member
Joined: Aug 17, 2011 11:04:54 GMT -5
Posts: 703
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Post by violagirl on Mar 22, 2013 21:43:41 GMT -5
I'm not sure I have really noticed what my workspace looks like. It is a cubicle. I'm not sure i even remember what is in it. I have a monitor and a stand for my laptop... there might be a cubbyhole to put stuff like paper or something but I've never used it.There is a small pile of random papers in one corner of my desk. You know those papers that are not important enough to file but not junk enough to shred? The only item that is personal is a 365 day calendar of Cute Overload. I keep things sparse.
But then again, I've lived in my house for almost 10 years and have yet to hang a picture...
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amishgal
Established Member
Joined: Dec 20, 2010 14:47:37 GMT -5
Posts: 368
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Post by amishgal on Mar 22, 2013 23:28:19 GMT -5
We just moved into a renovated building last July so it still has new paint & carpet smell. I have an office with windows looking into the reception area, but those windows are to the outside, so I have a nice view of the courthouse across the street. It gets interesting sometimes because it's where protestors tend to gather. Everything is company supplied, but I do have some pics of the kids and a few other personal effects on my bookshelves. I keep a few of my own mugs there for coffee & tea, hate the styrofoam ones they supply. I have a big cork board where I tack up thank you notes, etc. I park directly behind the building, just have to go up a set of stairs outside which can be tricky in the winter. My commute is almost an hour each way, but I have a pleasant work environment so that really helps.
We moved from a small building that just housed our organization (non profit) to a huge building where we now have 5 or 6 other tenants. It's weird to run into other people in the lunch room, it's an eclective group.
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amishgal
Established Member
Joined: Dec 20, 2010 14:47:37 GMT -5
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Post by amishgal on Mar 22, 2013 23:30:44 GMT -5
O and when we moved we all got to choose the paint color for our offices, I went with a boring beige, now I wish I had something warmer as the lights can be kinda harsh.
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Phoenix84
Senior Associate
Joined: Feb 17, 2011 21:42:35 GMT -5
Posts: 10,056
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Post by Phoenix84 on Mar 23, 2013 2:45:55 GMT -5
What really sucks is when they retire and they leave radioactive, chemical, or biological waste that someone has to go clean up
No kidding. I made sure when my former PI's lab closed that I meticuology recorded and properly disposed of everything. Apparently I am in the minority according to Environmental Safety. They said don't worry though, they find them and bill the crap out of them. That's one issue I'm dealing with right now, trying to dispose of legacy waste from scientists long since retired and the organizations they worked for don't exist anymore either. But in my organization, we have with held pension checks because someone retired and left their lab a mess. So yep, we'll hunt you down.
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Phoenix84
Senior Associate
Joined: Feb 17, 2011 21:42:35 GMT -5
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Post by Phoenix84 on Mar 23, 2013 2:46:39 GMT -5
I have a nice big office and my own bathroom and kitchen area, the only thing I hate is the glass door. I don't want people staring in at me all day from the lobby. Wow, you have some pretty sweet digs , you must be a hot shot at your place of employment.
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Jake 48
Senior Member
keeping the faith
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Posts: 3,337
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Post by Jake 48 on Mar 23, 2013 7:51:21 GMT -5
My work space has lots of chrome, flashing lights, bells and whistles, weighs 46,000 lbs, has a 450 hp diesel engine, can pump 1500 gpm, carries 1000 gallons of water and a large assortment of extrication and firefighting equipment. I have a 7 mile commute to work and get to park behind the building.
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swamp
Community Leader
Don't be a fool. Call me!
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Post by swamp on Mar 23, 2013 7:58:59 GMT -5
i hate my office. the firm is the first floor of a historic old brownstone row building, so there is no light. It doesn't flow well, adn it's just plain ugly.
It was also horribly renovated in the 50's to cover up the brick walls, hardwood floors, adn tin ceilings.
my actual office has no windows, paneled walls, ugly carpet, and is small. i do have a nice cherry desk, though.
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Deleted
Joined: May 18, 2024 4:59:35 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Mar 23, 2013 22:27:47 GMT -5
Office with window and ocean view. I wish the windows would open to get that ocean breeze in, but no luck. I have a desk with a round side table with chairs around it. I brought in my own mini fridge and toaster oven. I have a huge conf room size whiteboard taking up 1 wall and I bought some "fat head" landscape shots for the other walls. Work provides a laptop and 2 22" monitors.
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