What's On Your Desk?

I promise, after this post we'll get back to business and talk about writing, reading and roughing it on the homestead. 

Probably half the posts on the blogosphere today will gush about Valentine's Day, so let's talk about something else. 

First, I want to direct your attention to the FAQ page. Looky! I put some of your questions in there. (The least embarrassing ones anyway.) I'll leave those up for a few months and change them out to something new later on. 

If you'd like to embarrass me further, you can always ask a question here or email me. If I choose your question, I will link back to your blog.

Secondly, since this is a day of gifts and candy, I want to show off one of my oldest and fondest gifts from the husband. It has been the center of many a debate and was once held for ransom. It used to sit in my office at work and total strangers would threaten to steal him. (The cads!) He's the Robot from Lost In Space.

Through it all, the Robot survived to come home with me when I retired. He talks, he lights up, and he swings his body around. He even has a sensor that will turn him on (get your minds out of the gutter) when someone passes in front of him. I don't know where Greg got him, but he's one of my favorite toys. 

I keep a myriad of toys around my studio. You can see several of them in this photo. I collect dinosaurs, gargoyles, dogs (of course) and in this particular picture there's also a gruesome zombie woman that looks remarkably like me before caffeine.

I don't know how I started collecting these things, but I've never bought a single one. They've all been gifts from coworkers, loved ones, or friends. Each one has a story, but only the robot was ever kidnapped. 

Am I the only who collects these things? What sits on your computer desk?

UPDATE: Really sick. Will be back soon.

Comments

Dru said…
I used to collect stuff, but with lack of space, it hard..wait, I collect books.

I have a stack of author's bookmarks, my e-reaader, pens, post-it-notes on my computer table.
Joanne said…
I do have a couple small collections, but they're not on my writing desk. One is a collection of old illustrated novels, Jane Eyre, Rebecca, among other classics. And I have a small doll collection of various dolls of significance I've come across over the years.
Marianne Arkins said…
I have several cards from my daughter and a stuffed rat (I love rats). :-)
Sarah Ahiers said…
i had a friend/roomate who had a Bender from Futurama action figure that was often left in compromising positions. Which only worked well as comedy when she'd find him while she was drunk. Drunken confusion is hilarious
Linda Leszczuk said…
Let's see...there's a wooden baseball from the Red Sox 2004 World Series Championship, a picture of Fenway Park on a small wooden form, a Trot Nixon (former Sox right fielder) bobblehead, a baseball with a picture of Fenway Park on it...

I do SO have some non-Red Sox stuff! There's a nice picture of my three guys in formal dress at oldest son's wedding, a plastic slinky to play with when I'm thinking, a rubber squishy thing for the same purpose, an old picture of my parents when they were just married (he was 17, she was 15), a clock that was an award of some sort, a picture of the whole clan (kids and grandkids included) from our Disney cruise a couple years ago, numerous stacks of paper and...you know, there's an awful lot of junk on this desk. No wonder I can't get anything done.
Angela said…
Love, love, love the robot!
Sherri said…
Love that robot!

I'm surprised he doesn't live in that spaceship house down the street from you :)

My desk :snort: I don't really have one.

Happy Valentine's Day to you and yours!
Melissa McClone said…
I love your robot!

There's no room on my desk for anything due to too much junk. I've been writing in bed, which my dog and cats love. I do collect castles. Those are down in my office. I started before I was writing. Even then I loved fairytales and something about castles just appeal to that inner princess!

Happy Valentine's day!
Angelina Rain said…
I love your robot story, and he is sooo cute! I collect animals, so I always get animal figurines and statuettes. Mainly it’s lions and elephants though. I also collect books (I’m really bad at that, a true addict). If you were to see the to-read page on my goodreads account, you’d only see a part of what’s on my e-reader and only the top shelf of one of my many book shelves. My public library has a book store inside it where books are very cheap and I just can’t resist digging for treasures. I’m the only one in that library who once bought 100 dollars worth of books (where each book was 50 cents).


Happy V-Day!
Unknown said…
My desk is too cluttered with paper, coffee mugs (I'm a real slob) and books. However, I am surrounded by photos of loved ones. Sitting on my shelves are a quirky guardian angel given to me by a good friend, a stuffed dog and a tatty teddy bear given to me by my husband.

Love the robot!
Rula Sinara said…
I collect so many different things I wouldn't know where to start. I'm a collector at heart (not a packrat...there's a difference LOL). I love your robot!
Ellie Garratt said…
I want robot! Stamping feet. Seriously, he's so cute.

I'm a toy collector too. Currently on the shelf above the computer is a statue of Neil Armstrong, a Spock Bobbledhead, a tricorder and phaser. Can you see a connection yet?
Margo Benson said…
I adore your robot! I mostly write on my lap so am accompanied by a cat (sometime both and my armsare at full stretch!)

I pick up small momentos from travels, near or far - little memories.
Kaye Manro said…
On my computer desk? Since I travel a lot, my notebook is my computer and a bed is my work station.

Your robot looks like the same one used in Forbidden Planet, that campy old Sci-Fi movie! Maybe they did use the same robot for the movie and the Lost In Space tv series?
Charlie said…
I love your robot!
I keep lots of toys and mementos at my desk. I have two star fleet miniatures (the Reliant and the Excelsior) and a Klingon Bird of Prey. I also have PsyDuck (the Pokémon character that always complains of a headache - perfect for me). There is an elephant to commemorate my first published short story about Dolly the elephant match maker and a bottle of bubbles to annoy my cat when he annoys me. I also have a pig with wings to remind me that I can accomplish all the things that other people tell me will happen when pigs fly.
Maria Zannini said…
I'm sorry, guys. I'm very sick right now. I'll answer your comments and visit your blogs soon.
Unknown said…
So sorry to hear you're sick. Take good care of yourself and get well soon.
Marian Perera said…
I just saw the update. I hope you feel better soon. *hug*
Mike Keyton said…
What's on my desk is really exciting: a battered copy of Roget's Thesaurus I've had for forty years, and a 'Buy one get one free' offer for compost bags from Raglan Garden Centre.

But more importantly, how are you? I hope it's a passing ailment though even those are bad enough
Bookewyrme said…
I collect My Little Ponies, and they usually sit on my desk (when I have one). One even inspired a story once. :D

~Lia
Get well soon.
At present a cold cup of coffee. lol. A signature bear signed by Nora Roberts, Valerie Parv, and lots more authors. My hawaii doll. lol. A feather pen, a photo of my husband, a printed manuscript, pens and all the paraphernalia associated with a writers life.
Rula Sinara said…
Sorry you're sick. Get well soon!
Jackie said…
Darn it Maria you just got better and now for Valentines you got sick! That sucks a big one and love the robot...

I have things collected from gifts from my Mom, tidbits of stuff from past jobs and a few gazillion pieces of paper on my desk where I have my bills and other stuff that needs to be filed and or taken care of...

Get well and this time let the chickens go for a day or two, they will survive!
Maria Zannini said…
Dru: I bet you have so many books you could open a library. :)

Joanne: I love illustrated novels. They're like works of art.

Marianne: I swear, I would never take you as a rat person. It boggles the mind.

Sarah: I had a bendable alien that I would insult in the same way.
Sadly, I bent him one too many times and he lost a leg in action.

Linda: My desk gets crowded too, though every once in a while I clean everything off. It does help my production.

Angela: Isn't he cute? I should have shot a video so you could see him in action.

Sherri: The robot does go hand in hand with the flying saucer. If only I could buy it.

Melissa: I can imagine using those castles in a Christmas diorama too. I hope you'll post some pictures on your blog. I'd love to see them.

Angelina: Wow! Now that is an addiction. But I can't resist a good buy either. You can't pass up 50 cent books.

Shirley: I'd like pictures of my loved ones around me too. That's a very good collection.

Rula: We're sisters under the skin. As I get older, I'm more careful to collect only things I love, but yeah--I collect.

Ellie: What? No Shatner bobblehead? I'm shocked.

Margo: I wish I could write on a laptop. It's hard for me to get comfortable. But it sure would be convenient.

Kaye: Ref: Forbidden Planet.
Oh, that was Robbie, the robot. He was taller and bulkier.

Charlie: I love your toys! We think alike. Now that's scary. LOL.
Maria Zannini said…
Feeling better. The devil had to go back empty-handed. :grin:

Mike: I don't know what I'd do without my thesaurus. Yours is a bit older than mine. :)

Bookwyrme: My Little Ponies? That's sweet. Those are the ones that are all different colors, aren't they?

Suzanne: Ooh, I'd like a Hawaii doll. That would fit perfect next to my zombie woman.

Jackie: Not to worry. This time Greg was here, so I could decompose in peace. :)

Don't remind me about filing. I need to do that asap.