Sunday, January 27, 2008

Fun Monday - What's In Your Nightstand?

Angela at The Lurchers isn't really nosy, but as she puts it, she's just interested in people. So as host of this week's Fun Monday, she wants to know what's on, in, or under our bedside tables? She says: "So open those drawers and bare your soul to us! Is there anything special there that has a story or a memory that you can tell us about? Books that you keep there to delve into from time to time? Trinkets that you don't know where else to put? Let's see."

OK, here's my night stand...

Lovely isn't it? And that lamp! Pure elegance, AND there's another one just like it on Downtown Dad's side! It has taken us years to acquire a 'grown up' bedroom set. There are my reading materials - The Name of The Wind, Bear's recommendation, kind of a wizard-ish saga, pretty good; Get In The Game, some group sales rah rah crap, I'm only pretending to read it; Better Homes and Gardens magazine. What's that? Boring you say... well, maybe on the outside... lets have a look in the drawer...
Well, that's a little more interesting... Breathe Right Strips, throat spray, chapstick, my foot sander and Kerasal cream, a journal and a few pens, some Burts Bees hand cream and a coaster, so my Sleepy Time Tea, or other nightcap doesn't leave rings on my aforementioned lovely night stand. I guess all you can tell from this is that I'm trying to keep from snoring and I have calluses on my feet. Still boring? OK, open up the bottom cabinet...

There it is... that's what you were looking for! A rolled up heating pad! Yes, you've found me out! My dirty little secret is that I have back pain! What? You want to know what that other thing is... well, OK, but it's really nothing... just an old cardboard shoebox that holds my journals from 1972 through 1975. I literally wrote something every day of my life in 1973 and 74 going on and on about the three things in my life I spent the most time thinking about - boys, getting high, and hating my dad. Then, in 1975 my dad found my journals, took them, read them and hid them from me. I took them back, bound them up in this shoe box, taped it up, wrote some vaguely ominous threats to anyone who might try to open it and then wrapped it in a blanket and hid it in my cedar chest. I've opened the box since then. Sometimes I pick a year and read a couple of months worth of entries... it's like going back in time to visit the 15 year old me.

41 comments:

Ev said...

I don't have an "in" to my bedside table. it's a wrought iron and tile table I has made in Mexico when we lived in Tucson. But ON my table is the usual stuff: an alarm clock, a reading lamp, the book du jour, a box of tissues and the large economy bottle of lube. And still, when I'm groping for it in the dark with my glasses off...STILL I can never find it!

Kwachie's side is about the same, but also has the receipts from everything we've bought in the last six months. I've got the sex and she's got the money. We're good!

Barrie said...

Hmmm....old journals can be very, very interesting! It's so weird to find stuff you've written, but can't even remember doing it. :)

Aoj and The Lurchers said...

I always wish I'd kept a diary as a child...they would be wonderful to read back now!

Hootin Anni said...

Yes!!!! The lamp is elegant. And the lighting is very dramatic with the dark tones of the wood!!!

Happy Fun Monday. I hope you can find time to drop by for a visit today.

Sayre said...

I love your lamp - I feel like I'm cruising/shopping for nightstands as I actually need one or two!

Anonymous said...

wow...those journals must be strange to read now :)

Faye said...

Good marks for your significant other that you feel okay about leaving your journals in a relatively open place. It is very revealing to go back and read them--two steps forward and one back. . .

I'm seeing a pattern in this snooping--we all are concerned about rough winter heels! I just found the winner I think--the Aveda foot plane--it's like a belt sander!

Sandy said...

I love your lamp! I have a couple of old ginger jar style lamps from 30 years ago and they are that wonderful shade of sage that goes with everything/nothing!

Tiggerlane said...

I have the EXACT SAME lamp at my office (we have a cozy lobby), except the floor version. It is TOO COOL! You are the second FMondayer that uses the Burt's Bees stuff - is it magical?

Megnificent said...

Grownup bedroom furniture, how nice! We're working on that. We just got grownup living room furniture, though, so the bedroom will have to wait. Beautiful lamp. And gorgeous paint color!

Anonymous said...

I was hoping for something more spicey than a heating pad from you!!! :D

I still have my old journals out in a box in the garage somewhere. As I recall they were mostly about my current crush and how much I hated my father. Thankfully, he never found them (as far as I know) and that we are finally friends.

ChrisB said...

I agree the lamp is lovely. What fun to be able to go back and read your journals. I never kept a journal because it would not have been private and I certainly didn't want to give my father any ammunition!!

Anonymous said...

I still don't have 'grownup' bedroom furniture....probably because I spend all my spare money on either books, my kids, or books for my kids! I do like your lamp, though!

Jill said...

i dont care what the 15 yo me would say... is that bad?

Alison said...

What a treasure having all your old journals!! I love your lamp also, it is very elegant!

Robinella said...

Breathe Right Strips have given me the most nights sleep...the hubs wears them, thankfully. what a log cutter.

And I have three words for you. Flexitol Heel Balm. A dab will do ya. Overnight callous removers.

Attie said...

love your journals!1 I recentaly got to read someones who was very dear to me and I have since started writting one too!! I think tonight I shall move it to my bedtable!!

Anonymous said...

Yes, I'll have one straight up and "extra" dirty AND I'll have that heating pad, too.

Beckie said...

You make me laugh! Can I borrow that heating pad - my back is killing me today after shoveling snow.

Your journals - keep them forever - safe right where they are.

I wish I had a grown up bedroom set....

Anonymous said...

Ha~! My journals are in EXACTLY the same place (second drawer down) from EXACTLY the same years (1973-74) complaining about EXACTLY the same thing (your dad)!!!

ellen b. said...

So our paths have crossed without us knowing it... If you were still in close proximity to Anacapa we could meet for a brew :) Or if you're ever in Washington (my main house is still there) We could meet for a Mac and Jack at most any restaurant. :) blessings...

Serina Hope said...

It is my dream to one day have my very own furniture..that I ownwd first.
A grown up bedroom suit is definetly part of that equation.

kitten said...

Lovely lamp! About my CPap, I had 2 sinus surgeries before they ever put me on the CPAP.

Celeste said...

A beautiful night-stand.

My journals are in the closet -- I discovered that someone else discovered them (sometime during their authorship) and removed some of the pages. Probably good for posterity......don't know why I keep them. There was a phase when they were important, but not certain about that anymore.

Betty said...

Hi Linda,

That is a pretty lamp. I like it a lot. You sure are neat, unlike the drawer in my bedside table. Those are tapes of sermons. I need to do something else with those.

Thank you for visiting me and leaving a comment. I hope you will visit often

Grandy said...

Lady...I don't think people wanna know what's in my nightstand.

I love what you're doing with the site. I'm impressed!!

Peter said...

I don't think I would much like the 15 year old me, just as well there are no journals.

Andre Veloux said...

Your dad read your diary, that's really bad. Any quotes from them worth putting up on your blog?

Molly said...

I like your lamp shade. In fact I bought one just like it the other week. My heating pad is not neatly rolled up in a drawer. I have been keeping mine plugged in by the bed. The heating pad helps me sleep many nights. I am not sure that my 15 year me would be fun to visit. It is neat that you still have the journals so you can visit your earier self.

laurie said...

entirely too neat!

Kim said...

I have a notebook full of things that I wrote when I was in high school and college. It's no where near my nightstand, though. I haven't looked at it in years.

I may have to go find it now.

wakeupandsmellthecoffee said...

God, we're the same age! And I kept a journal in 1975 too but I threw it out long ago. Too many bad memories from that year. Hey, you're pretty neat. I didn't show my drawers because they are even worse than the surface.

Anonymous said...

Hello :)
You have a very beautiful bedside table! I didn't think mine was nice enough for a picture.
It is very interesting visiting in other people's bedrooms. What I've noticed along the way is that there are some quite interesting remedies for people who have trouble breathing when they sleep. I'm going to pass them on to my mum - my dad snores so loudly that you can hear him downstairs!
I have some holiday diaries from when I was about 10 years old, they are quite funny to read again. Whether I feel older and wiser is another thing though...
Thanks for visiting my blog for Fun Monday.

Sauntering Soul said...

My mom went through my room one time and found a note my high school boyfriend (now ex-husband) and I had written back and forth to each other and it said something about her that wasn't very nice. I decided I shouldn't write journals for her to find after that.

I love Burts Bees products!

Kaytabug said...

I heart Better Homes and Gardens and I'm not sure why...I don't want my home to look like a show home!!!
I am addicted to burts bees...have you tried their foot products?? I will use no other chapstick but BB's!

My ex step mom found my diaries and showed them to my dad and then he tried to take shared custody away from my Mom saying she was unfit. He lost that battle!
Great post!!

-Ann said...

Very organised - I love it.

Fiona said...

Very Brave!! Writing AND keeping diaries....bet they are facinating to read too?

Karina said...

I love that you have those journals. I recently found a bunch of my journals from high school and college and got lost reading them for hours. It's fun to revisit our thoughts from when we were younger, isn't it?

Unknown said...

Your drawer looks SO tidy!! Wow!

Gattina said...

After having seen hundreds of bedside tables thanks to game my conclusion is that in all drawers there a things which witness a looooong time of marriage. Pills, cremes, earplugs, plasters, sleeping masks etc but I have never seen only one packet of condoms or THE pill ! Fortunately no research teams made the relation between sex life and the content of bedside table drawers !

karisma said...

My goodness, how clean that looks. And only one book, is it not lonely?