I am a squatter.

I am occupying an abandoned desk in the newsroom. It's just a desk and two divider walls. There's an huge old monitor whose motherboard has long since passed to the dumpster. There wasn't even a chair.

A few weeks ago, I moved in. I decided one day - I wanted a desk. I've been working in the newsroom for 21 years and never had a desk. I had a darkroom that I shared, but nothing which was ever "my space". I have shared computers for years. I am so tired of getting bumped off or having half my work on a computer which someone else is using. One day, I just set up my laptop and started working at the unused desk near the photo dept.

It has been an interesting social experiment. Many folks seem to find it amusing that I am a squatter. I keep waiting for someone to tell me to move, but no one has. Every few days I bring something to personalize the space. Today, I put a quote written in crayon from my nephew Sam, "I'm even genius-er than they are...." I have had some housewarming gifts, too. I am now the proud owner of a broken light-up red rhinoceros, a lighthouse snowglobe, and a photo from a party. However, someone did take my chair. I found another chair.


But so far, two weeks have passed and I am still claiming my space. Possession in nine-tenths of the law, right?