If all is right with the world, today will find me at Winter Park for a Developmental Camp practice in the morning then onto The Boy's® preschool for a special field trip. As long as the weather cooperates, I’ll be posting photos from Developmental Camp as the day progresses.

But until then, how about we discuss something else to entertain you? Have you ever noticed when they print those By My Bedside features in magazines (you know, where the famous personality is asked to list the books on their bedside table), that they never admit to enjoying anything really popular or remotely common? Every last one of them is re-reading Proust’s A la recherché du temps perdu, or tucking into some deeply impressive modern novel. There’s never a mention of The Da Vinci Code. They might confess to Penelope Lively or Muriel Spark at the most, but they’ll never say Robert Goddard or John Grisham.

Well, it’s understandable I suppose. They want to be thought deep and intellectual. There’s little kudos to be garnered from admitting that you are a science fiction fan and have the complete works of Star Trek in your library.

The same is true, to some extent, in the world of the common sports fan. All right, so confessing that you have all the George Halas ‘how to’ books on your shelf can become sort of retro-chic, but you can guarantee that when the football cognoscenti are asked to name their favorite tomes George Plimpton, Vince Lombardi, and Buzz Bissinger (Friday Night Lights) will all figure largely.

I thought it was time I came clean. I will not pretend that my bedside table is piled high with erudite tomes. In fact, if you give me a second I will go and look right now and tell you what is there. Honestly. Back in a minute…..

Here goes: a copy of The Best Alternate History Stories of the 20th Century. Well, that is for when I wish things could be different, you see.

Then there is Robert Heinlein's Stranger in a Strange Land. That one will always be there because that's the first book The Wife® and I read 'together' and we even have the inscription "may you never thirst" on our wedding bands.

The Winter King by Bernard Cornwell takes us on another journey into the Arthurian Legend. And I love Britain and King Arthur..so why not?

Speaking of The Wife®, she currently has Creating a Perennial Garden in the Midwest on her side of the bed and I dare say she's putting the book to good work by look of our gardens as of late.

And The Boy® has piles of books by his bed as well. Tom and Jerry Meet Mr. Fingers Big Little book, Justice League: The Swarm, and The Dumb Bunnies seem to be his fav's right now.

Not a very impressive list of books by our beds, is it? But then bedtime tends to be just that, and we do almost all our reading in the living room near the library where the shelves are lined with books.

So, in order to make this entry of some slight use, rather than just being the ramblings of a middle-aged bibliophile, I'll tell you the books that are the most thumbed on my library shelves.

Yes, I have the football books needed by all Vikings fans tucked away safely in the haven of the library. My two cherised ones are Purple Hearts and Golden Memories: 35 Years with the Minnesota Vikings by Jim Klobuchar. This one is special because I got it from the Vikings and they had it signed for me by Alan Page, Bud Grant, and Fran Tarkenton. Nice, huh?

The other one special to me is Cold Wars: 40+ Years of Packer-Viking Rivalry by Todd Mishler. Special to me because I'm in the book! Pages 152 - 155 to be exact.

I'm going to Winter Park now. I'm hoping the weather holds and the boys can pactice outside for the best opportunity to take pictures. And I might stop at a bookstore along the way and see if anything catches my fancy. The library still has plenty of room.

Posted by maasx003 at June 14, 2005 07:27 AM | TrackBack