I'm freshly back from NYC, along with most of the internet. We were all there for a blogging conference which is just about as dorky as it sounds. But dorky or not, it was a really good time and a great chance to meet people that you've read for years but don't know in real life and see friends that live far away. Anyway, that's where I was this past weekend and I would like to go on record and say that NYC is amazing. If we hadn't just moved, I might strong arm jparks into moving there right this second.
The weekend before I left for New York jparks, Tru, and I headed down to Surfside, Texas for a beach weekend with some friends. It was lovely too, although much smaller and less insane. Unless you call jparks getting tarballed and thinking he would have to shave off his leg hair to remove said tar, insane. I just call it funny.
These two very different weekends, both lovely in their own ways, did have one thing in common: really dark bedrooms. In Surfside japrks and I slept in twin bunkbeds in a tiny cave of a room that had no windows. The tiny room was quick to fill up with air conditioned air making it Arctic and The Perfect Sleep Temperature©. That combined with the absolute lack of light and oh, it was perfection. It was the kind of sleep I've daydreamed about since Truman was born. You can safely assume I was sad to leave the little cave room on the beach.
But then I remembered that I was headed to New York, where I had selfishly decided that I was not sharing my hotel room so no one could wake me up early in the mornings or slyly bump the room temp up a few degrees when I wasn't looking. The first thing I did was set the air for 68 and then draw the black out curtains as shut as they would go. It was pretty perfect until the group of girls I was having dinner with one night told me horror stories and I realized I would probably be murdered in my hotel bed. But that's not relevant.
Now I'm back home and the amount of light streaming through my non-curtainable bedroom windows is unacceptable. I told jparks that I don't care how trashy it makes me, I might be foiling our windows, as well as Tru's, soon. I mean, our apartment complex provides sunshades making it nearly impossibly to install curtains and I'm not even sure I would want to spend the money on them since we might not stay here past our year lease, so foil makes sense, right? Please just agree with me so I can sleep in a black room. Also, I'm going to need you to tell me it's not crazy to buy one of those tower single room air conditioners, because this 74 degrees shit isn't cutting it for me. Must! Be! More! Cold!
Well if the Brazilian gay dude in NYC can do it, so can you!
ReplyDeleteI've never had one of those stand up a/c units work well - they, too, need to be vented (by a long tinfoil looking hose about 6" in diameter, in my case). Not attractive.
ReplyDeleteI'm all for any method of darkening a bedroom. We actually bought a black drape for the window that gets morning light. I am bothered by the lights on the DVD player and a humidifier across the room, though, so I may not be the best judge.
Regan, you should try a sleep mask. I've been thinking of getting one for the exact same reason. We have plantation shutters that don't darken the room enough in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteThe Hubster put tin foil on the windows at our last apartment and we ended up getting a no-no letter from the management about it. Who knew downtown ghetto Austin complexes had standards.
ReplyDeleteGirl, I AGREE! I can only sleep if the room is dark - any method necessary is acceptable b/c momma is not fun w/out sleep! I am also bothered by the lights on the DVD player - man I sound like a diva! We have a tower a/c in out bedroom so we can freeze ourselves out and not the kiddos. I love it! It does have to be vented:( Good luck! Melissa Blondie Cefalu
ReplyDeleteEvery single one of the bedrooms I've had since I moved to Texas has been dark and cave-like. Thankfully, my husband shares my love of bat-like bedrooms. When I see these articles about making your room light and airy I just want to laugh. Dark and cold is key!
ReplyDeleteTry looking at Home Depot for removable sticky film for the windows. We used some in Sydney (it was opaque) to block out the peeping toms from the park across the street. Of course, I had to buy it in California and fly it back to Sydney with me. I think they also sell the sun-blocking ones. Might not be total black-out but might reduce the sunshine a bit. It's a film that you spray soapy water onto the back and it sticks to the window, and when you peel it off, absolutely no residue - and super easy to peel.
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