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Now that my living situation is somewhat under control (I’ll be moving on September 1!), I’m starting to worry about the new job.  And it’s not even the job itself that’s worrying me!  I met with my supervisor yesterday so he could tell me about some of the projects with which I will be involved and I’m incredibly excited to get started.  So that’s not it at all.  Rather, I’m worrying about my office.  I mean, I’ll have an office!  With a desk and a window (maybe)!  What do I do with all that space?  What do I need to make the most of my time in there?

I’ve been looking online to see what other professionals keep in their offices.  Based on a couple of blog entries I’ve found, I’m compiling a hefty list of things that I think I’ll keep in/around my desk.  Aside from the standard office artillery (staplers, pens, highlighters, scissors, etc.), here’s what [I think] I need:

• Headphones (big ‘uns!)
• Headset w/microphone (for videoconferencing and tutorial-creating)
• Lamp
• Visitor’s chair
• Fan
• Space heater (because every library office is freezing, especially in the summers)
• iPhone/iPod charger
• Shawl (’cause, honestly, I get cold after sitting still for hours at a time)
• Houseplant(s) (even though I’m awful at keeping them alive, I think it’s important to have something green in the office)
• Bulletin board & pins (or white board & markers — whichever the college provides, really)
• Toys & trinkets (for distraction purposes)
• Personal items (photos, inspirational notes, posters, etc.)

Of course, I’m also thinking of having an “emergency drawer” because I was incredibly grateful when my supervisor at my previous job had a spare pair of pantyhose for me to wear to an interview when my pantyhose ripped.  In this drawer, I will keep:

• Eating utensils:
  • Spoon / fork / knife
  • Chopsticks
  • Plate(s)
  • Bowl(s)
  • Cup(s)
• Pantyhose
• Spare clothing:
  • 1 pair of socks
  • 1 shirt
  • 1 sweater/cardigan
  • 1 pair of shoes
  • 1 pair of slacks
  • 1 skirt
  • 1 blazer/jacket
• Sewing kit
• Umbrella
• Spare sunglasses
• Mints / gum
• Lint brush
• Hair brush / comb
• Hair elastics / pins
• Mirror
• Lip balm
• Excedrin / OTC painkillers
• Band-Aids
• Cough drops
• Baby wipes
• Tissues & napkins
• Hand lotion
• Snacks:
  • Nuts
  • Dried fruit
  • Chocolate
  • CLIF bars
  • Cookies / candies
  • Tea bags
• Reusable shopping bag
• Hand sanitizer
• Tide stain pen
• Flashlight
• Toolkit (screwdrivers, pliers, etc.)
• Petty cash & change

Am I missing anything crucial?  What does an academic librarian (whose responsibilities include coordination of the e-book program and creation of instructional modules on the web, as well as reference, instruction, and collection development) keep in/on/near her desk?

I kinda hate that I’m worrying about this but it’s there and it’s real and I’m trying to deal with it the only way I know how: by making lists.  I mean, clearly, I will not be hauling boxes of this stuff with me on Wednesday (first day! eek!) but, instead, acquiring these things over the weeks and months that I’m on the job… However, it helps me to write this down so I can clear my head for the next paranoid OCD adventure :)

This is the reason I don’t finish my knitting projects as quickly as I should:

Dixon comes over and naps in my lap, taking up all my knitting space.  (I started a sweater vest last night that’s 15% finished already!  It’d be farther along if the purr monster kept away from my lap.  It would also help if he kept my yarn out of his mouth.)

He’s also the reason I got the apartment in Brooklyn.  When I found out that my prospective landlord rescues animals (and because she asked about him when I told her I have a cat), I sent a photo of Dixon with my rental application.  When the landlord called to say that I’m in, she said my move was “shameless, shameless!”  Then when I went to sign the lease, she again said how that was a shrewd maneuver.  I pimped out my cat to get an apartment and I’m not ashamed!  If you had a cat as lovable and huggable as Dixon, you’d do the same.

After searching on craigslist for a week or so, I found an apartment!  It’s a small one-bedroom in the Crown Heights neighborhood, near the border of Prospect Heights.  The building is a brownstone on a quiet, residential street.  The apartment is on the top floor with southern exposures.  There are windows in the living room, bedroom, and kitchen; there’s a skylight in the bathroom.  Like I said, it’s a small apartment so I will be using the bedroom as an office and getting a pull-out couch for my sleeping needs.  (It really makes much more sense since I really need an office.)  Since it’s a walk-up, the landlord is letting me keep my bike in her garage.  The neighborhood is fantastic: there are coffee shops, bars, restaurants, laundromats, greengrocers, bakeries, supermarkets, and juice bars within walking distance.  The Central Brooklyn CSA covers my neighborhood and distribution occurs three blocks away (although registration may already be closed for this year, since they only operate June through November).  There is a public library one block away and a gym that’s within biking distance.  The subway is a 13-minute walk away and then it’s a 1-hour ride to work.

I’m incredibly excited!  However, I’m not looking forward to packing up my stuff into cardboard boxes and moving it all.  The process will be made worse by the fact that I’ll be moving during the last weekend of August… which is the weekend immediately after I begin my new job.  That’s going to be one incredibly stressful week.  In preparation for that craziness, I’m trying to pack and clean up now.  (I think everyone should move every few years to unload all of the crap they accumulate.)  I’ve already packed up three large garbage bags of clothing, shoes, wearable accessories, CDs, and small electronics to be donated.  My bookshelf produced a 30 lb. bag of recyclable paper waste.  Most of my books are already packed away in 5 boxes.  I’m anticipating at least 6 more boxes for the rest of my books, notebooks, magazines, DVDs, and various other knickknacks.  Then there’s all my knitting and sewing stuff.  My clothing will take up a bunch of boxes.  My kitchen things will also require at least half a dozen boxes…

Ugh.  Who knew one girl could accumulate so much stuff?