Blank Slate

[BentonGrey]

Howdy gents, I, for the first time in my career, have my own office.  Even though I'm an adjunct, my involvment in the ESL program (teaching ESL comp) has landed me in my very own, all mine, office.  I'm pretty excited about this turn of events, but I find myself somewhat at a loss when it comes to what I should do to decorate this new space. 

I've got this on my door:
http://data7.blog.de/media/218/5968218_aaadb6a427_m.jpeg

But I'm having a hard time deciding what other awesome stuff should be displayed.  I love literature, the classics, the british Romantic poets, and Arthurian lore.  I love 80's cartoons, and I'm a huge nerd...but how does one crystalize all of these things into an office space that is awesome, yet professional?

I've recently found some of my old Ninja Turtles action figures from when I was a kid, so it seems like one or two of those should make an appearance...but there are too many options!  Ha, do y'all have any advice?  I'll post a picture soon.

[Cyber Burn]

I'd say maybe one full shelf of old stuff should suffice, it's people know that your human, you know?

[detourne_me]

Go nuts man! My favorite prof in undergrad had the best office ever.  posters everywhere from WWII propoganda to Moebius and The Iron Giant.  Students would even bring in knick-knacks for him.   His office was just an extraordinary environment,  I can't count how many times a number of students and I would be in there chatting about stuff over a cup of tea.

My office on the other hand is utterly devoid of stuff.  I'm just kind of spartan as it is, but I share my room with another prof, and at least he has a chess set and some airplane models.

[Podmark]

I would definitely put some figures down. Not really sure what else.

I'm like DM, pretty spartan, but I do have a bubble head and a comic strip in my cubicle right now. People gave me those though.

[Reepicheep]

Hammer all the furniture upside down to the ceiling. That would be awesome.

[thalaw2]

I've had my own office for more than a year and havn't put a thing on the walls.  I ain't got the kinda money to decorate an office.  It's kinda like getting a tattoo or getting married.  I don't know if I want to look at something that was once inspirational and find I'm bored with it...just kidding (my ex dumped me).  Think I'll go out and get a hammer and some nails. 

[Panther_Gunn]

I would say a framed selection of Calvin & Hobbes strips, an action figure or two (mix genres), a good music poster (might be hard to come by on the cheap, but you can always check out Spencer's Gifts (or god forbid, Hot Topic) for something "retro").  Perhaps some copies (framed or otherwise) of quotes by famous people -- would be best if they were literary in nature, bonus points if it's anyone that's going to be in the material you'll be teaching, and even better if they're humorous, ironic, or unexpected, considering the source.

And I like the sign you've already got.

[Mr. Hamrick]

I've no idea.  I'm just shocked they gave Benton his own office that didn't have padded walls.   

Seriously, I'd put a few figurines above or near the computer on a shelf and maybe one or two posters or pictures that are humorous.  And check with someone to see if the pictures are humorous or not.

[Tomato]

... If you have to ask for what my opinions are to displaying action figures anywhere, you've clearly not paid attention to anything I've ever posted.

[thalaw2]

Yeah yeah....get "action figures."  Then when students come in while you're playing with them they can say "No, sir, I didn't see you playing with your dolls again."

[Tomato]

Yeah yeah....get "action figures."  Then when students come in while you're playing with them they can say "No, sir, I didn't see you playing with your dolls again."

In all seriousness here though, people aren't gonna care about something like TMNT... He-Man might get you some funny looks *looks at TUE* but TMNT is one of those figure lines that people still respect just for the nostalgia of it all. Even non toy collectors are going all googly eyed over the new figures.

[BentonGrey]

Haha, thanks guys!  Yeah, I suppose that folks aren't going to care much.  DM, that sounds pretty cool!  Ha, I've always liked my prof's offices when they were heavily decorated and customized.  I totally need ot get an electric teapot...

Reep, as always, you bring a unique perspective to the conversation....hah, brilliant!

PG, that's awesome!  I am DEFINITELY going to find some good Calvin and Hobbes strips.  I'll have to give some thoughts to good quotes too.

Thalaw....I don't know what you're talking about.....you must be imagining things....


I've been giving this some thought, and I've come up with something I definitely want...unfortunately, I can't find it.  I have been searching for something that I know exists...or at least it did once. However, I can find no trace of it. Maybe someone here remembers it.  It was a poster from many moons ago, with all of the Ninja Turtles in their red masks, and they were positioned along a series of rooftops, looking up at a spaceship/flying saucer.  Though it was night, there was a lot of light, spotlights and such, and the saucer was lit up with lights of its own.  It was done in a smoother style than the classic TMNT art, though it was clearly of that era.

This is a similar piece, but smaller and without the ship:
http://www.gophoto.it/view.php?i=http://criticsight.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/nesboxart01.jpg
The art seems pretty familiar, though.  Apparently that is box art from the NES TMNT game.

Does anyone know what that was or where I could find it?  I'd love to put that on my wall.

[oldmanwinters]

I've been giving this some thought, and I've come up with something I definitely want...unfortunately, I can't find it.  I have been searching for something that I know exists...or at least it did once. However, I can find no trace of it. Maybe someone here remembers it.  It was a poster from many moons ago, with all of the Ninja Turtles in their red masks, and they were positioned along a series of rooftops, looking up at a spaceship/flying saucer.  Though it was night, there was a lot of light, spotlights and such, and the saucer was lit up with lights of its own.  It was done in a smoother style than the classic TMNT art, though it was clearly of that era.

This is a similar piece, but smaller and without the ship:
http://www.gophoto.it/view.php?i=http://criticsight.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/nesboxart01.jpg
The art seems pretty familiar, though.  Apparently that is box art from the NES TMNT game.

Does anyone know what that was or where I could find it?  I'd love to put that on my wall.

That TMNT art was drawn by Michael Dooney and originally functioned as the wrap-around cover for the reprint of Mirage Comics' TMNT #4.  It is a scene where the TMNT are fighting Utroms inside the TCRI building, but they accidentally stand on the Intergalatic Transmat device and get beamed across the universe.  It was later adapted for the boxart of the first NES game.

I don't know if it was ever printed as a poster proper, but I did own that image on a large piece of cardback as a kid.  I draw the Ghostbusters logo on the back of it.  Unfortunately, I haven't seen that thing in years, so I don't know what I ever did with it.

[BentonGrey]

Thanks Winters!  I'm wondering if my memory of this poster has taken on a life of its own, and if this piece of art was, in fact, the object I remember from all those years ago.  It was made into a poster apparently, but I could have sworn there was another one.  Ahh well, either way, I don't think I can find this thing.  So, switching tacts, I'm thinking about getting some of these posters:

I really love this painting, but another faculty member has it, so I sort of don't want to just ape that fellow:
http://www.allposters.com/-st/Wanderer-Above-the-Sea-of-Fog-Friedrich-Posters_c77186_.htm

So, I might do one of these instead.  Turner is one of my favorite painters, but I'm having a devil of a time finding any my favorite works available in an affordable format:
http://www.allposters.com/-sp/Dartmouth-Castle-1824-Posters_i4055468_.htm
http://www.allposters.com/-sp/Norham-Castle-an-Illustration-to-Sir-Walter-Scott-s-Marmion-1818-Posters_i4253856_.htm
http://www.allposters.com/-sp/Richmond-Yorkshire-Posters_i4051539_.htm

I wish I could find a poster version of his Apollo and Python:
http://www.victorianweb.org/painting/turner/paintings/python.html

I might try to find one of my favorite Monets, too.

Next up, I think I may have to get one of these, since I can't find my Turtles poster:
http://www.allposters.com/-sp/Transformers-The-Movie-Posters_i7938409_.htm
OR
http://www.allposters.com/-sp/Transformers-The-Movie-Posters_i8081900_.htm

I'm trying and failing to find an inexpensive version of the original Star Wars poster, but I might go with this one:
http://www.allposters.com/-sp/Return-of-the-Jedi-Posters_i8034883_.htm

I wish I could find this:
http://www.posterart.com/ourposters/images/starwars.jpg

I'm thinking about putting this one on the back of my door, so that when my door is closed he'll be pointing straight at any students who have come to see me...:
http://www.allposters.com/-sp/Return-of-the-Jedi-Posters_i8034883_.htm

What do y'all think?

[Deaths Jester]

I'm with Reep on how things should look..though I'd definetly add a few devices of torture to it...say a formally used eletric chair for the student to sit in, maybe a couple of bloodied hammers....things that just scream "This is a comfy office!"