View from the Top

I always want to take pictures at work, of the cool, interesting people I work with, of the games that clutter up our warehouse, of the oddities around the office........but I never do. Well, this morning, my boss' camera in hand, I looked at my desk and thought, "What a sight!!" I really can't believe that I look at this same crap every day. These files piled up, busting out of the holder. Could I just file them and get them off my desk? Sure, I could. But that would break the oath I made to myself, to never take a job with filing duties again. So, there they sit, just waiting for the perfect day to topple over, probably spilling my coffee right into my lap. Oh, you conniving files!!

Then, there is the mug 'o pens and junk. It sits right in front of me at my desk. It holds the most important instruments of my job.....the pens. It also has the last remaining pair of scissors in the office, they just seem to disappear. To ensure that this pair does not wind up in someone else's hands, I have carefully labeled them as though I am in 4th grade again. I do the same with pens if I really love them. There is also the blue highlighter, an important tool in this field. Apparently, appraisers love to be alerted to problems in a report by means of a blue highlighter. Not yellow or green...only blue. Made the mistake of ordering yellow once, that will never happen again!
These important tools are housed in a mug my boss brought back from Israel about 4 years ago. It says something in Hebrew and Jerusalem across it. Never even drank out of it, just assumed it should remain here and hold the pens.
When people ask me what I do for a living, which comes up more often than you would think, I usually respond with, "What do you think I do?" This most often would happen when I was teaching classes at the Big 'A'. I was curious what people assumed or thought I did based on what little interaction they have had with me. Most often, they would say teacher. I get that alot. Makes sense though, I was originally a special education major (irony) and could have been very happy in that chosen profession. Sometimes I get sales person or drug rep.....some sort of shmoozing job. Also makes sense, I guess. After the initial guessing period and I explain that I work for a real estate appraiser in this boring office, everyone usually has the exact same reaction......."Really?!?!??" Makes me think. Especially as I look around and see the mug and the files tipping in my direction, how DID I end up here? Looking at this stuff should be the exact motivation I need to get off my butt and DO SOMETHING!!!
So you'd think.