My Room

There's something magical about my room. Most people get that I suppose about their own hiding spots. Walking around, I look at everything, and realize that everything doesn't mean very much to me without the stories behind it.

On the back of my door is a Beatles Palladium Poster. Underneath it is an attempted acrylic paint mural of Wish You Were Here. Every time the door opens it squishes my wonderful maroon bath robe, black cape (a combined gift from my aunts Karen and Jeanne), and the '07 drumline uniform. The nightstand holds a tiny, slinky filled stuffed rabbit I got at the now empty Zany Brainy, a solar powered bobble head I got from Noop Dawg for my birthday, and a tiny Spongebob stuffed square that fell off of Lala's sock. My favorite, literal, albums are also there. Wish You Were Here, Animals, Rubber Soul, and three I got for Christmas, The DOORS Greatest Hits, Greetings from Asbury Park, and Born in the U.S.A. In the first drawer nightstand is my music binder from 6th and 7th grades. A YAMAHA soprano recorder. Some old hair clips. The second drawer contains what used to be my jar of "beautiful things." Things nobody really wanted. Discarded earrings without mates, foreign coins, and loose, cheap, fake gold pendents. My Junior Park Ranger Badge and Pin are in there too. My broken Nortel phone, Eguardo, is in there. He was free from the teacher's lounge. The entirety of tourist stuff Hetty gave me is in there too. My yellow, "brown heroine" looking dirt/sand is in a mint tin. All of the Prado advertisements are in there too. I once tried reading their Summer collection in Spanish. I got pretty far. That last drawer also holds my Valentine's day present from Joe. Above the nightstand is a metal shelf, with the book I have permanently "borrowed" from my aunt Andrea. "The God Delusion" by Richard Dawkin, that I "temporarily" traded Scott for my copy of "god is not Great." A recycled-paper diary that looks really cool that my mom's friend Eileen got me from Disney World. My lightsaber and practice mallets are up there too. Plus, my all time favorite jar of dirt. The summer cover on my bed has been there forever, and the winter cover, which I received as a gift from my aunt Jeanne and cost an extravagant $92 and I couldn't believe I owned something that expensive that wasn't a Gameboy Advanced, is in storage. The heavy blanket I've had so long I used to sleep under it back at my kindercare, Mr. Jim's, is under that. The sheets are a light blue satin that I got for Christmas. Under my mattress, I occasionally store quarters or a wish I've written down on paper. I don't think there's anything there now. Under my bed, there are two boxes. There also lies my two pairs of chucks. One clear, plastic box used to contain those little frogs you get at stands in the middle of the mall or on vacation. The other is my memory box. In it are my baby booties, and a broken Mardi Gras beaded necklace that my brother won from a baseball game and gave to me. I don't remember breaking it.

On top of my large armoire is a picture frame I meant to give to Katie in sixth grade. Because of a misunderstanding, she thought I was just showing it off, and I didn't have the heart to tell her I had bought the cheap crap on sale at Old Navy for her. Also, an egg with a tiger painted on it housed in a glass box that's been in my house for as long as I can remember. My dad was going to throw it away, but I kept it. The parasol I got at the Renaissance Faire with Katie and Ally W. is also up there. Inside is my old scarf collection. I've lost most of them, and I don't know where to. Beneath that is my "Pokemon Drawer" with action figures, drawings, and overall information I've hoarded over the years. Then comes the "Christmas" drawer. I'm going to send out the cards someday. Then comes folders and old school supplies. Various art supplies, whatever I've thrown in there. Below that is my figurine collection. Some Siamese cats, a porcelain lady, and a turtle that I sculpted and have no idea when. Next to this armoire is new table with drawers. There's not much in it yet, but on it is the old, rusty saxaphone I found on my rainy day adventure. On top of its case in my crappy little keyboard.

On my cork board, there is a collection of old photos. One of my mom as a 17 year old. Her and my pop-pop. Me in 4th grade. Darrell took that picture at recess and I was avoiding him all day and it was cold and windy so I'm scrunching my face, but I was wearing my favorite dress. Movie tickets from the last 10 or so movies I've seen. The ticket stub from the Phantom of the Opera on Broadway. The stub from riding the Ferris Wheel in Toys 'R' Us. My Dresden Dolls concert ticket. A paper doll that my aunt Jeanne made for me when I was four. I got the blue ballerina's dress, and my cousin Laura got the pink one, and I was jealous. I'm glad now. Some old comics I find applicable to my life, my birthday horoscope from the last two years. I'll be putting this year's up there when I get a chance. The tag from one of my Pokemon shirts is up there too. Above it is a framed section of Newspaper, right after 9/11, where my poem made it into a compilation of sympathy.

My desk. I don't know when I got it, but I think my dad picked it up out of some trash. It's fantastic. I was so amazed, because it had both and adjustable lamp and heights. On that is my rock collection, my thimble collection, a porcelain cat that I chipped, some recycled paper we made in Mrs. Nic's class in 6th grade. The gold bracelets my aunt Jeanne gave me are in a little box. My other jewelry box contains a wheat penny, a Centennial Quarter, a Susan B. Anthony, and a broken earring I won from Katy in a bet when she still lived in VB. Under it is my Hi-Q stuff, several sketch books and assembled venting journals. A pink, circular hat box that I never received a hat in contains my old iPod accessories. There's also a plastic, white series of drawers. In the first one, there's my music. The second one is silly things, like my Pokemon and Yugioh cards, a rainbow bouncy ball I got from the dentist, and some more action figures. I gave away all of my Pokemon cards to Camille in 5th grade. Possibly the dumbest thing I've ever done. The lowest drawer holds everything Darrell ever gave me. The note we had to write in Penmanship thanking a friend. I hope I thanked him. If not him, Kirsten.

On my bookshelf, I have my few CDs. My favorite is my "totally not pirated, that's not a sharpie cover" Dark Side of the Moon from Matt. There are two music globes with turtles in them next to it, followed by my favorite literature. The War of the Worlds, The Communist Manifesto, My Survival Guides, The End of Faith, my Roget's Thesaurus, America: A Citizens Guide to Democracy, two copies of 1984, Brave New World, Catch-22, and Animal Farm. Above that is my CD Player/Radio that changes colors. Next to it is my collection of Teenie Beanie Baby Bears that surround a music globe with bears in it that Mike Farah gave me for my 9th or 10th birthday. The top holds a Valentine's bear I got from my favorite teacher at Mr. Jim's, Ms. Valerie. I think it has a note attached to it, but I'm not sure what it says. There's a pom-pom I found at a football game my freshman year at Sun Valley. I remember because they had a really good snack bar. Hanging off the top are my many, many Mardi Gras beads I "earned" at Sarah's b-day party. At the bottom of all this is my "summer themed shelf." There's a conch shell with some gum on it. I didn't put it there, in fact, I can't remember it not being there, and we've had it since before my parents were divorced. There's a monkey I got in a Happy Meal. A family picture of my mom, brother, and I. One of those plastic weight holders that's filled with glitter and shells I stole from my brother. It was given to him by my Nana after her and Pop-pop went on a cruise together. I got a hemispherical paper weight with a dolphin and glitter in it. I took it to school once, and a boy broke it. It's actually oil in it, so it got everywhere. The teachers thought I broke the boy's toy, and I temporarily hated them for it. I took my brother's. He's never noticed, nor does he remember. There's a small bottle of water from "The Fountain of Youth" that the friend who got me the journal picked up for my mom who then gave it to me.

On my dresser is a deck of UNO cards, a Penn State stuffed basketball I wanted to give to Mr. Knight, two back massagers I got on the same Christmas from different relatives, an Edgar Allen Poe action figure I got from Katie, a framed picture of me and my mom at a Super Bowl or New Years party, a picture of my brother and I being little, a box of aromatic bath soaps I've never used, some lavender hand wash, a picture of Darrell and I at Chuck E. Cheese, even though we were supposed to go to the Crayola Factory, but his mom had promised Kimmy we would go there. That was fine with me I think. The picture of my mom and I used to have a picture of me and a lot of other girls I didn't know who were older than me at a party sitting in line on an exercise machine. I look like a crazy person with a full toothed smile. My fake year books from 7th and 8th grade are there too. The Bug Vacuum my uncle Mike got me as a gag gift for Christmas once is there too.

Above my headboard is The Who poster, with everyone looking a tad bit sultry, confused, or child molest-y. On the wall bordering my bed that is not above the headboard, is my Led Zeppelin, "Plane" poster, where everyone's pants are a tad too tight. Above me is my favorite poster, Abbey Road. Next to my keyboard is some Pink Floyd Pop art with painted women. My mom was gather proof of me being a lesbian with that poster. If only. Above my desk is a World Map. I've got three more posters on their way up from Myrtle Beach, S.C.. A black and white Princess Bride, a colorful sketch of Jim Morrison, and another black and white of Bob Dylan. I still need the Stones, Jimi Hendrix, and maybe Bruce Springsteen. Above my book shelf is a colored drawing I did in K-4 with a patriotic raccoon and rabbit. One is playing a drum, but I'm not sure which. It has a sticker on it from a TV series I watched when it was on PBS. I don't remember it's name, but it was basically a cartoon Aesop's Fables with a buffalo and other (woodland?) creatures.

My stuffed animals are scattered all about my room. My two most important, that I've had since before I had reached my first birthday, are Bobbers and Mr. Bear, also known as Bear Bear. Bobbers was a 1993 Crayola/Hallmark Easter Holiday bunny that my nana got me. I managed to find a replication on eBay and I bought it for 17.50 by Money Order. That one, which I renamed Bobeese because I gave the original to Gabrielle C. the summer before third grade on the condition we both bring them to school on the first day. She changed schools that year and I only saw her one more time. I saw her mom once, and I recognized her. I think she gave me her number, but I lost it. The bear I got from Joe for Valentine's day is there. His name is David. I've also got a large stuffed dog I received from the Wallace Twins for my 11th birthday. A stuffed kitten and rainbow Beanie Baby fish I got on the same day from them. Two kittens I got at Candy Kitchen in Rehobeth with my mom and brother. A fuzzy black lab named Toby with a Pound Puppies collar, even though he's not that brand. A stuffed rhinoceros I got from "the dentist" a.k.a. a round-about gift from my mom to get me to stop sucking my thumb. An orange Beanie Baby tiger. A tiger I got from Darrell on the last day of 4th grade. It was supposed to be a birthday present, but Darrell found out he was going to Dallas during that week. We hung out some other times that summer. A snow tiger I got from Toys 'R' Us, a bigger snow tiger I got on a different trip, and one my brother won at a carnival. A singing, shaking pumpkin I got for Halloween from my pop-pop. I got mad once and threw it, and it stopped vibrating and I might have cried because he had died. Another time I tried it and it was working again. There's a smaller pumpkin I got on the same Halloween from him. A Mini Mouse Darrell got for me on his trip to Disney. He also got me a necklace with my name on it. I lost it once, and I felt horrible. However, on the week I could've gone to Disney with Katy, she got me the same necklace, so I pretended it was from him still when he was around.


I'm sure I can't express anything close to how amazing and detailed everything is. I'll have to take pictures when I go to college, because I might not be able to come back.