You know what I love about The Weekend? That's an easy one, it's The Weekend! And I regularly look forward to a Friday night when our mate Galen pops a post with a series of prompts. In looking through them this week, I knew exactly what I'd be doing: opening up my bedside draw for the world to see. This is the results, nothing was touched or moved - be prepared to get an insight into my bedroom and my world: warning - you may find this shocking!
So on approach - looking at my first image, you'll notice an awful lot of dust! A thin layer over everything - including the leaves of the Anthurium. As you can see, we're clearly not dusters in the bedroom. I'll be honest, this is feeling a little bit embarrassing - but let's slow down, before the inevitable opening.
#1 The Pink Anthurium.
Ok - so in our house we have way too many indoor plants. Over the years we've killed a lot, but also found species that tend to thrive - and the top choice are anthuriums. Around the house we must have five or six different varieties of this guy. Our motto: if you're on to a good thing and they're not dead, keep buying them. This one actually started life as a pup, multiplying from another plant - and he's grown. I actually rather like them, looking at him now - but, I confess, he's probably a bit on the neglected side of things.
#2 Drink Bottle
This is pretty much a standard item on my bedside. I fill it up, I drink it, it's empty, I fill it up.
#3 Stack of Books
You know, I am an English teacher, and I do read from time to time. In truth, not as much as I should - I do audiobooks, and go through one a week in the car (I commute 90 minutes per day - that's a lot of books in a year!). Want to know what's on this stack?
'The Giver' by Lois Lowry - it's a novel for Year 8 students, the bookroom lady at school, Karen, offered me that I should read it. I have to be honest, I was given it last November, and I havn't opened it.
'Good Bones' by Margaret Atwood - I do love me some Atwood, and I use a number of her texts in Year 11 and Year 12. This one is a book of her short works, poems and short pieces - her wit is delicious, and the way she uses language, divine. I got about half way through this one; I remember one or two things jumped out, but I need to re-visit it.
#3 The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. Allow me to be blunt, if you havn't read this book, you're life is incomplete. It was written during WWII, and it is very much in that modernist mindset - developing threads from Eliot, or Yeats or Pound. You would read it in about 2 hours - and I read it every year, and every year I end up with tears streaming down my cheeks. I cannot recommend it any more. Just read it!
#4 - Mystery Pills!
Ok, not so much of a mystery, they're Mersynofen - an ibuprofen and paracetamol combined. One of these tablets will kill any headache you get. I got onto these about 2 years ago, and I am a fan. For those in Australia, YES - You buy them at the chemist without a prescription. WIN!
#5 - Eye Mask
You know how sometimes you just can't sleep because it's too bright? Solution: EYE MASK! We have a massive window in front of the bed looking out over the ocean in the distance - there's no way we're putting a curtain in front of that.
At work, I've often joked with colleagues - just imagine the romance of getting into bed, and both putting on an eye mask. Pushes sexy to a new level, I'm sure.
And now, the moment we've all been waiting for (me too, actually, as I undertook this challenge, I had no idea what was in my drawer. I probably only open it three or four times a year):
Is it what you were expecting? It's MESS!
#1 - Three cloth face masks
I guess everyone has cloth face masks around the place, as it turns out, I threw all of mine in the drawer. Pretty sure I'll throw 'em in the bin next time I do a clean out - and hope to never see them again.
#2 More Books!
In this stack, I have another novel for Year 7 students I was reading back in 2020. I think I was going to set it as a class reader, but in the end, I didn't and I didn't finish it either. Underneath that one is 'The Picture of Dorian Gray' - not a bad little read.
#3 Creams and shit
Turns out I have two half used tubes of SAVLON - It's an antiseptic cream - you use on it mozzie bites and stuff. It's good stuff, and I always lose it - I am sure I have another two opened tubes in the medicine box in the kitchen. Always good to be prepared! There's also a Coles version of Vicks Vapour Rub - when you get a cold, you put it on your chest to open the airways. The other trick is, you put it on the bottom of your feet (then put socks on) - when you have a cold you always wake up with snot everywhere, but if you do this trick, it does something to your circulation and you wake up feeling better. Trust me - google it! It doesn't work on everyone, but I have the feet for it, apparently.
#4 Eye Mask
If you thought one eye mask was sexy, imagine seeing a second!
#5 Travel bag tag
I forgot I had this, it's a tag you put on your luggage. Not sure I ever used it, but this is where it lives apparently.
So there you have it - I've been exposed as a pretty normal English teacher, with a bedside full of books for teenagers - and thanks, because I am going to take these back to the school library! Always good to do a clean out, and otherwise, you learned that I must be a pretty boring kind of guy! - but with a nice set of drawers. Seriously - my wife seen this online, and I had to do a 10 hour round trip to pick them up a couple of years ago! It's probably the most interesting thing in the photos!
Why not get on THE WEEKEND concept yourself, here's the link:
@galenkp/we102-weekend-engagement-concept
Photos taken myself, .gifs from TENOR - embedded free from PeakD editing tool.