School started this week, and that meant that last week (and some this week), I was settling into my new office. Kind of. I’m going to leave lots of boxes packed, because we are moving again in August, and I’m lazy. So last Saturday Chris came and helped me get the boxes as out of the way as they can be.
All in all, I like the new office. Apparently it’s a big deal to hang stuff on the wall, no painting is allowed, etc., so this, too, will stay pretty sparse until I’m in my more permanent space. But aside from the institutional feel that will bring, I have a much bigger desk than I’ve ever had, and things seem ergonomically much better, too. As much as I liked my old, old desk, it is nice to have shiny, new stuff, too.
Here are a few views:

That’s a locker back there–to hold my coat and snacks, very important things. One nice difference is that things are more contained in this office. My purse and other bags can be concealed beneath my desk instead of piled up in front of all to see every day.
Here’s the view from my desk to where students will sit (Chris in the role of student). This is also very different, as now the desk is a barrier. After all these years, I now tend to think that the less homey feel is best, as some students don’t have the best professional boundaries, and I think this will help invoke that some:

[Notable aside: Chris wore this shirt for the first time yesterday, and no less than four strangers complimented him and asked him where he got it. These people were all youngish, too, so he felt quite hip, as did I, by proxy.]
And here is basically the rest of the office. I’ll fill a couple of these shelves, but likely leave the rest boxed up.

There are really only two main drawbacks to the new digs that I can see; one I’ll write about tomorrow, and the other is that there is now a window in my door. At times, it’s important to be in my office but not advertise that I am there, especially now that I am right by the main office–as in, the dept. copier is right outside my office. If these first two days are any indication, the traffic to my office is going to increase greatly. How bad would it look to cover the window, especially if I’m the only one in the office suite who does? (I realize how unwelcoming this may sound to those with a different job, but I think people who aren’t in this field don’t realize how much work we have to get done even when our days are filled with student appts., meetings, etc.).
Thanks for being a part of the tour.