Hotness and my bedroom

(The subject of this post sounds misleadingly scandalous.)

Today is supposed to be the hottest day of the year so far. The prediction is something like 102° F (depending on the source), and it's currently 98. But at least it only feels like 94. :) Actually, having a few days of hot weather each summer is common here, and I don't necessarily mind too much. I grew up in a much hotter climate. The difference was we had air conditioning growing up (at least most of the time).

My place does not have a/c, and though every year there are usually a couple of days when I swear I'm going to buy a window unit for next summer, I never actually do it. I have fans and plenty of windows, and with the temps going into the 50s and 60s most summer nights, it's not a huge deal 95% of the summer.

But when it does heat up, I have to do all sorts of things to keep my home as cool as possible. This year I tacked old comforters over the larger windows that let in a lot of heat. The place looks like a cave now, but it'll be worth it tonight and over the next few days.

What I hadn't planned on, though, was losing power. It went out at around 9:30 this morning while I was watching Veronica Mars in my cave. I went outside to bring out the trash and overheard a neighbor saying they called and learned it would be out for about two hours. I hadn't planned on going out so early in the day, but I went ahead and did some shopping. When I returned at almost 2pm, the power was still out. Now I'm at my office, where the a/c is crazy.

How did you like that long update on my day? As a reward, I have pictures I've been meaning to show you.

A couple of months ago, my coworker alerted me to some Ikea nightstands on Freecycle that were in really good condition. I've never used Freecycle in my life, but I decided to snatch them up for my bedroom, since I've never had two matching nightstands before. (Don't be fooled by the godly stack of books. Most of my bedtime "reading" involves catching up on Words With Friends.)

I used the new nightstands as motivation to slightly rearrange and organize my bedroom. A friend of mine also hosted an organization challenge, so I had to take these photos to show my handiwork.  No, I'm not going to post my "before" photos here in public. Sorry!

I know what the ladies (and probably my dad) are thinking right now: why are her walls blank? Well, I tend to put my bedroom last in terms of decorating priority, so I have not hung anything up. It takes time and money, and I just haven't felt like doing it! Plus, I actually don't mind the clean, sparse look of the walls.

Those of you who have seen my room might remember that this dresser was on the other side. It was also pretty cluttered and had a small TV (that I never use anymore) on top. I decided to clear out as many things as possible.

I also hung some cheap curtains just to soften the windows. It makes such a big difference even though they are a plain color. 

I love the new arrangement. The best part is that it created more room so that my twin air mattress fit right at the end of the bed when my niece came to visit. We had a nice little slumber party setup in there without causing many problems with getting around. Here's how it looked.

Eventually I will put up some pictures (if I don't move first), and I'd really like some nice matching lamps for the nightstands. I have shopped for them a few times, but then I never feel like spending the money on something that won't matter that much. (Sometimes I wish I didn't live alone just so I'd be more interested in finishing touches.)

Now, fellow bloggers, I challenge you to show us your bedroom! It's fun to see living spaces, and the nice part about putting up photos is that it's a great incentive for me to clean. My bedroom definitely doesn't look like these photos all the time.