New Digs
I got my new office! I am teaching this fall, once again, but this timeI said I would not do it unless my office was closer to the research lab where I work. So, here I am, in the basement. This is my new desk, with my computer. Looks pretty nameless and personality free!
The building is getting old, and there is evidence of past flooding, as below. I hope these is not too much asbestos or other toxins from a building built during WWI!
The person who had this office before me taught for many years in our department, and had quite a reputation for teaching. He cleaned out most of the office, but what interests me is what was left behind. He was quite a fan of the West, as these stickers demonstrate. I have never been to any Alaska State Parks, and feel a bit odd advertising for them on my filing cabinet.
He was also quite a fan of dogs. He always had two or three labs..... and you can tell that from looking at the office chairs, covered in dog hair. A closeup is below. I brought my own chair.
But he left a nice Lab calendar. This month's entry says: "Labrador Retrievers are big, beautiful, and all personality. They are also friendly and loving, courageous and proud, tenacious and athletic. And most of all, they are faithful." Hmmm. maybe that is why there are so many Labs, they have good PR.
Since he had taught for so long, he had accumulated many science-related things. Here is a small fraction of the books he left behind. Biology Today from 1972. The Mitochondrion from 1964. I doubt I will be using those in class. If I had time it would be interesting to browse through the books, seeing what was current in 1964.
And there are other, smaller artifacts of past lives. A set of beautiful blocks for printing images, from a box labeled "Zinc cuts for lab manual." I imagine this is what people used for replicating images a LONG TIME AGO. I am old enough to remember mimeographs, but not this.
A box labeled" Condensor fur Dunkelfeld", which is a condenser for a drak field microscope. What I like about this is the beautiful box, it is leather-covered wood, and lined with satin and velvet. They don't make 'em like that anymore.
I am sure I will have more fun seeing what was left behind, when I am not looking out my window. I have quite the worm's eye view.
The building is getting old, and there is evidence of past flooding, as below. I hope these is not too much asbestos or other toxins from a building built during WWI!
The person who had this office before me taught for many years in our department, and had quite a reputation for teaching. He cleaned out most of the office, but what interests me is what was left behind. He was quite a fan of the West, as these stickers demonstrate. I have never been to any Alaska State Parks, and feel a bit odd advertising for them on my filing cabinet.
He was also quite a fan of dogs. He always had two or three labs..... and you can tell that from looking at the office chairs, covered in dog hair. A closeup is below. I brought my own chair.
But he left a nice Lab calendar. This month's entry says: "Labrador Retrievers are big, beautiful, and all personality. They are also friendly and loving, courageous and proud, tenacious and athletic. And most of all, they are faithful." Hmmm. maybe that is why there are so many Labs, they have good PR.
Since he had taught for so long, he had accumulated many science-related things. Here is a small fraction of the books he left behind. Biology Today from 1972. The Mitochondrion from 1964. I doubt I will be using those in class. If I had time it would be interesting to browse through the books, seeing what was current in 1964.
And there are other, smaller artifacts of past lives. A set of beautiful blocks for printing images, from a box labeled "Zinc cuts for lab manual." I imagine this is what people used for replicating images a LONG TIME AGO. I am old enough to remember mimeographs, but not this.
A box labeled" Condensor fur Dunkelfeld", which is a condenser for a drak field microscope. What I like about this is the beautiful box, it is leather-covered wood, and lined with satin and velvet. They don't make 'em like that anymore.
I am sure I will have more fun seeing what was left behind, when I am not looking out my window. I have quite the worm's eye view.
posted by Shelly at 11:14 AM
5 Comments:
What a bizarro post! Close-ups of chair seats.... Interesting archaeology, however. I now wish I have never gotten rid of my little box of rock samples from some geology class.
I think it was in contrast to the office I had last year. When I moved in there it was EMPTY. This one clearly had a past occupant with a personality. I feel a bit like an invader, but then again,it was his decision to leave so many things.
Wanna come over and see my zinc cuts, baby?
Ooooh! I'm gonna tell M that you are trying to entice people into your office.
Totally unrelated to anything - our office has been invaded. Fruit flies. They're really annoying!
I tried getting the dog hair of the chairs with tape, but it was so stuck that it would not come off!!!!! Tape always works! Those chairs are useless to me now.
Ok - not fruit flies, fungus gnats - attracted to the moisture around your mouth so that's why they are so annoying. Came on some plants a prof bought for the office.
Maybe if you make your students sit in the hairy chairs they'll either take the hair with them, or knock it off, wear it out?
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