Night and Day, or Dark and Light; Or How Have you Flip-flopped Since Childhood?
This is pretty deep. Prepare to be impressed. I was contemplating awhile back the intrigue in how tastes change. Specifically, mine. I was thinking about this as I tossed and turned one night, enduring another bout of insomnia. I often can't get to sleep at night, so I have plenty of time to think. And in my particular dorm room on a college campus in VA, it dawned on me how much my tastes have changed since childhood. For I was trying to sleep in a room that had quite a bit of ambient (I think that's the word I want) light in it, seeping in through the window--albeit shaded somewhat by a venetian blind. The streetlight or whatever it was outside that was so bright was making the room far brighter than I was comfortable with. In fact, I hated the brightness. It's a wonder I ever got to sleep during my stay there.
It occurred to me how different my sleeping tastes are now versus in my childhood. Now I like it to be pitch black in my room. Any light other than the digital clock is a nuisance. I can deal ok with a little bit coming from a window, but my tolerance level is really low. I like the dark. I like not being able to see my hand in front of my face. This is how I sleep the best nowadays.
But when I was a kid, I always had to have a night light. Don't know that I can say I was afraid of the dark like some kids are, but I certainly didn't like it to be pitch black. I always had to have a night light, there had to be just so much light coming into my room from the hall, etc. I think my sleeping habits changed a bit when I got my own room. If I recall correctly (though it's funny how little I do recall), I started to sleep with the door closed. Still, there was light from the hallway, so it wasn't completely dark.
I don't remember when exactly the change happened, and I became such a darkness addict. But it happened. I am interested how my tastes have changed so drastically. Can't quite say it's been a 180 degrees change, because it's not like I was sleeping with the light on in my room before. Still, things are very different.
This makes me curious about how other people's tastes may change drastically from childhood to adulthood. Anyone out there have a similar story? What preferences or tastes did you have as a young one that are now totally different?
Hmmm. This also makes me wonder if the amount of light in the room is a source of marital tension, or at least something that needs to be worked out between spouses? Any married persons out there experience conflict in their marriage over this? :-)
It occurred to me how different my sleeping tastes are now versus in my childhood. Now I like it to be pitch black in my room. Any light other than the digital clock is a nuisance. I can deal ok with a little bit coming from a window, but my tolerance level is really low. I like the dark. I like not being able to see my hand in front of my face. This is how I sleep the best nowadays.
But when I was a kid, I always had to have a night light. Don't know that I can say I was afraid of the dark like some kids are, but I certainly didn't like it to be pitch black. I always had to have a night light, there had to be just so much light coming into my room from the hall, etc. I think my sleeping habits changed a bit when I got my own room. If I recall correctly (though it's funny how little I do recall), I started to sleep with the door closed. Still, there was light from the hallway, so it wasn't completely dark.
I don't remember when exactly the change happened, and I became such a darkness addict. But it happened. I am interested how my tastes have changed so drastically. Can't quite say it's been a 180 degrees change, because it's not like I was sleeping with the light on in my room before. Still, things are very different.
This makes me curious about how other people's tastes may change drastically from childhood to adulthood. Anyone out there have a similar story? What preferences or tastes did you have as a young one that are now totally different?
Hmmm. This also makes me wonder if the amount of light in the room is a source of marital tension, or at least something that needs to be worked out between spouses? Any married persons out there experience conflict in their marriage over this? :-)
posted by redsoxwinthisyear at 10:58 PM
4 Comments:
Brad has a digital clock that is so bright it can light up the room in a sinister, blue, neon glow...so for my sake, he turns it at an angle that reduces the overall glare in the room...
One thing that I have had as a constant since childhood is a noise maker. Except for drastic blue digital clocks, it's not so much a light factor that affects me - it's a noise factor and my trusty "sleep-mate" machine helps to create a somewhat uniform background noise that lulls me to sleep. I can fall sleep without it, but I prefer not to.
So how does Brad feel about this noise monster? Is he quietly suffering insomnia for putting up with it?
I developed a white noise habit myself, but a littler later than childhood. But I use a fan.
He has accepted the noise monster as his own and is quite used to it.
And re: your comment - you like House? I'm crazy about it. No- no connection to the naming thing- I just think Baron Von M. is a charming appellation. Was there really a cat in Season 2 called B.V.M? I don't remember it...
I'm getting into House now, currently watching through season two...
And no, no cat named Munchausen. But there's an episode where a woman kept on making herself sick in order to get admitted to the hospital. It's a mental illness called Munchausen's syndrome, at least if the House creators know their medical stuff. Thought maybe you took a shining to the name through that...
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