a quick search of Doug’s desk yielded the following items: leftover buttons from installing the new light switches, velcro wire holders, a clamp, a wooden puzzle, a washcloth a set of screwdrivers, a cat brush, and a disembodied thermostat. None of which are all that surprising, if you know Doug.
on Amanda’s desk
one of the fun things about working at the museum is that if you need to get the creative juices flowing or just have a change of pace for your brain, you never have to go far. The Art Studio is a good place to go, for example. This is our Birthday Party Guru, Amanda, holding up a paper sculpture that another employee made for her.
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BONUS PICTURE:
This is a salamander. Salamanders are amphibians, like frogs, but people often think they are lizards. Among other differences, salamanders do not have scales, like reptiles.
at Lok’s desk
Lok runs the toddler room at the museum and spends her days with babies and very wee children. She loves it. She also has a yellow furry blood-tipped claw at her desk. It’s the dichotomy of Lok.
from Kacy’s desk
The first thing I spotted at Kacy’s desk was the giant ant on the cabinet behind her. But when I asked her to pick an item, she chose this giant flower. The story is she was doing an event that needed decoration, but balloons weren’t allowed. She got these flowers, and liked them enough to keep one.
from Tim’s desk
Tim and I used to share an office. It was his first, and when I moved in, I pretty quickly got used to the huge collection of odd things in there, including some that were living. Tim is in a smaller office of his own now, but he still has some unusual things around. I expect nothing less.
in Paul’s office
Paul is bit of a geek (which is kind of like saying Everest is a bit of a mountain). He’s well aware of and proud of this fact, and happens to be a really nice guy. It’s not all that surprising that he’s got the Enterprise in his office; what I found amusing was that he felt it necessary to point out that the Enterprise is deliberately positioned over Canada. I’m not really sure what that’s about.
desk at home
The theme this week, inspired by a conversation at work, is “weird shit people have on their desks.” This will feature mainly my coworkers, but even my desk at home has some non-traditional items among the mail.
hey Ali, it’s your birthday!
we celebrated Ali’s birthday at the House of Blues Gospel Brunch today. The “minister” of the show/service brought all the birthday folks up on stage for a little fun and song. 
net
I got hold of this black plastic netting. We’re going to use it to block off access to the little ledge at the very top of our stairs. We don’t want the kitties getting out there; if they lose their balance it’s a two story drop. We’ve been using a cardboard box for this purpose, but I think this stuff will work out just fine.
kitchen science
How to Make Cabbage Juice pH Indicator
Boil about 4 quarts of water.
Shred a small head of purple cabbage
Pour boiling water over cabbage
Let stand for an hour or so
Remove cabbage
The purple water (top left) will indicate if something is an acid by turning pink (right), or a base by turning blue or green (bottom left) when you add it to the cabbage juice.
ain’t science cool?