When you’re buying a new bedroom suit, you consider style, color, size, and a whole lot of variables. But something we never thought about was how comfortable the headboard of the bed would be. The headboard. We bought our current bed three years ago when we moved into this new house, and we’ve slept in it just fine all this time. But there’s an aspect of this bed that’s uncomfortable — when sitting up, to read a book or watch TV, the headboard is aggravating.

Here’s our headboard:

Pretty and decorative, right? Wifegrit picked it out, and I approved of it. (Read: I didn’t care one way or another, so long as she was happy with it.) But notice the cross . . . things? What is that design called? I have no idea. Anyway, whatever that is, it’s aggravating.

When sitting up in bed, to read or watch TV, those cross things hurt the back of our heads. You might think, “Well, just place your head in the center of one of the diamonds.” That’s easier said that done. No two people are the same height, so you have to position pillows and back and shoulders perfectly to fit your head in the exact spot on the headboard. Then you can’t move or shift at all. (Forget turning your head to talk to the other person.) And that’s assuming the perfect position for your head between the cross things is even comfortable to the rest of you, like your back.

Sometimes I’ve found the sweet spot for my head while reading, and then after a while, I’ll slide down a bit to get more horizontal or to get more under the covers, and ow! Dammit, those cross things ruin the comfort.

So now we’re trying to think of a way to fix this problem. Can we cover the headboard with some kind of upholstery, can we replace just the headboard, or do we have to buy a whole new bed? We’ve lived with the aggravation/discomfort for a few years now, and it’s reached a point that we just can’t put up with it anymore.

As I was writing this post, I just started searching the web for a solution. Interestingly, either Bing has already read this text, and therefore knows what I’m thinking about, or we’re not the only ones with this issue.

Bullgrit

These boxes lining the sidewalk in Raleigh are all for various free publications: newspapers, sales flyers, home-buying guides, etc. It just struck me as a bit ridiculous to see so many of these things lined up in one spot.

Bullgrit

While looking up a book that I started to read many years ago, but never got to finish, I came across a list of the Top 100 Science Fiction/Fantasy books posted on the NPR web site. The list made me curious about just how many classic/great sci-fi/fantasy books I’ve actually read in my life. So below is the top 20 books on the list with notes on whether I’ve read them:

1. The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy, by J.R.R. Tolkien — Yes, I’ve read this trilogy. (Of course.)

2. The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy, by Douglas Adams — Yes, I’ve read the four books of this “trilogy.”

3. Ender’s Game, by Orson Scott Card — Yes, I’ve read this.

4. The Dune Chronicles, by Frank Herbert — I’ve read the first Dune, but none of the others in this series.

5. A Song Of Ice And Fire Series, by George R. R. Martin — No, I haven’t read any of these.

6. 1984, by George Orwell — I’m not sure. Did I read this, or is my knowledge just from cultural osmosis?

7. Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury — No, I haven’t read this.

8. The Foundation Trilogy, by Isaac Asimov — Yes, I’ve read this series, and I really liked it. Asimov is probably my favorite sci-fi author.

9. Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley — Yes, I read this because my high school English class required it.

10. American Gods, by Neil Gaiman — I haven’t read this, yet, but it is literally on the nightstand beside my bed right now.

11. The Princess Bride, by William Goldman — I haven’t read this, although I did watch the movie, more than once.

12. The Wheel Of Time Series, by Robert Jordan — I haven’t read this, although I tried to read the first book, for a few chapters.

13. Animal Farm, by George Orwell — I haven’t read this.

14. Neuromancer, by William Gibson — Yes, I’ve read this.

15. Watchmen, by Alan Moore — Yes, I’ve read this graphic novel.

16. I, Robot, by Isaac Asimov — Yes, I’ve read this.

17. Stranger In A Strange Land, by Robert Heinlein — I’ve read part of this. I don’t remember why I didn’t finish it, though.

18. The Kingkiller Chronicles, by Patrick Rothfuss — Never heard of this.

19. Slaughterhouse-Five, by Kurt Vonnegut — I haven’t read this.

20. Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley — Yes, I’ve read this.

So, of the top 20 sci-fi/fantasy books, I’ve completely read 9. Hmm. I expected to have read half the top 20. But as soon as I can get to the American Gods on my nightstand, (right after I finish reading Night Watch by Terry Pratchett), I will hit the half-way mark.

By the way, the book I originally was searching for, that I had started to read when I was young, is Have Space Suit – Will Travel by Robert Heinlein.

Bullgrit