LJ Idol S 8 Week 4 What does narcissism have to do with me?
I have in my possession a pretty old and rare book. I daresay it is one of a kind. I have determined it to be about 68 and ½ years old almost to the day.
It is approximately 4 ½ by 6 inches in size. A red and black leafy-patterned leather covers the book and shows some very minute age cracks, probably from dryness. The edges of the binding are slightly frayed. The golden clasp that wraps around from the side is intact, although a bit tarnished. Considering its age though, the book is still in quite good condition. The front of the book is embossed with fancy gold lettering that says: Five Year Diary
The first part of the book contains several interesting topics titled Horoscope, Weather Wisdom, Standard Time, Weights and Measures, Legal Holidays in the Various States, The Distances by Boat Between New York and Other Seaports and Words Frequently Misspelled. Given the age of the book, some of these facts are quite amusing by today’s standards.
The dated and lined diary pages were sectioned off to have allowed for five years’ worth of entries but this diary was only written for one year. Some entries covered the entire page. The first actual notation says:
To read about me--day after day--please start on page marked May 11. That was when I was born.
You see, this rare and very valuable book is a diary my mother wrote for the first 366 days of my life. It is all about me. Each entry is written in mom’s beautiful Palmer-Method longhand writing with mostly green ink but sometimes blue. She phrased every entry as though I were writing it myself.
Dear Diary,
Today I was born at 11:05 P.M. My daddy was the first one to see me. The nurse was taking me to the nursery. He was very happy.
I don’t recall exactly when mom gave me the diary but I suspect I had it stored away and forgotten until after she passed away several years ago. How I wish I had read it earlier. I would have loved to talk with her and learn more about some of the things “I” wrote.
The entries detail my coming home from the hospital and who came to visit and brought me presents. There are, of course, hundreds of remarks about me being so cute, so smart, so quick, a clown, curious, and so adorable.
I have been totally fascinated reading how my personality was forming all those years ago. I have the record of all my developmental milestones for that first year, getting three teeth, walking 8-10 steps, weighing 20 lbs. and standing 28 inches tall.
There was actually information not just about me but indicative of the times and pretty remarkable in today’s economy as these next excerpts show.
June 18 1943
…War blackout tonight. I had to have my 10 o’clock bottle in the dark. Daddy lit matches.
---
January 13 1944
…Daddy bought a new car yesterday. A black 4 door Ford V8 sedan. Daddy paid $1000. for it. We hated to stop driving the (gray 4 door 1940) Plymouth but this car is newer and not many miles on it and during war time Daddy tho’t he’d better change because you can’t buy tires or anything.
---
March 6 1944
…I got my first tooth today. Mummy struck it with the spoon while feeding me breakfast. Daddy bought a 1941 Pontiac today. He might keep it and sell the Ford.
---
March 9 1944
…Daddy sold the Ford today for $1250-we are going to keep the Pontiac that cost daddy $1200.
---
March 18 1944
…I saw my Grampy for the first time. He came on the train from Portland. He said I was sweet, small, fat, rugged, smart and quick as a flash.
My Grampy died when I was five and my daddy died when I was 12.
I am pretty sure that when my mother wrote the diary, she had no idea how much I would come to cherish reading about me and the encounters that I had. I appreciate that she was so thoughtful to write for me never knowing that I would someday come to write for myself. Because I am so special, my baby diary will become part of my memoirs and my legacy.
It is approximately 4 ½ by 6 inches in size. A red and black leafy-patterned leather covers the book and shows some very minute age cracks, probably from dryness. The edges of the binding are slightly frayed. The golden clasp that wraps around from the side is intact, although a bit tarnished. Considering its age though, the book is still in quite good condition. The front of the book is embossed with fancy gold lettering that says: Five Year Diary
The first part of the book contains several interesting topics titled Horoscope, Weather Wisdom, Standard Time, Weights and Measures, Legal Holidays in the Various States, The Distances by Boat Between New York and Other Seaports and Words Frequently Misspelled. Given the age of the book, some of these facts are quite amusing by today’s standards.
The dated and lined diary pages were sectioned off to have allowed for five years’ worth of entries but this diary was only written for one year. Some entries covered the entire page. The first actual notation says:
To read about me--day after day--please start on page marked May 11. That was when I was born.
You see, this rare and very valuable book is a diary my mother wrote for the first 366 days of my life. It is all about me. Each entry is written in mom’s beautiful Palmer-Method longhand writing with mostly green ink but sometimes blue. She phrased every entry as though I were writing it myself.
Dear Diary,
Today I was born at 11:05 P.M. My daddy was the first one to see me. The nurse was taking me to the nursery. He was very happy.
I don’t recall exactly when mom gave me the diary but I suspect I had it stored away and forgotten until after she passed away several years ago. How I wish I had read it earlier. I would have loved to talk with her and learn more about some of the things “I” wrote.
The entries detail my coming home from the hospital and who came to visit and brought me presents. There are, of course, hundreds of remarks about me being so cute, so smart, so quick, a clown, curious, and so adorable.
I have been totally fascinated reading how my personality was forming all those years ago. I have the record of all my developmental milestones for that first year, getting three teeth, walking 8-10 steps, weighing 20 lbs. and standing 28 inches tall.
There was actually information not just about me but indicative of the times and pretty remarkable in today’s economy as these next excerpts show.
June 18 1943
…War blackout tonight. I had to have my 10 o’clock bottle in the dark. Daddy lit matches.
---
January 13 1944
…Daddy bought a new car yesterday. A black 4 door Ford V8 sedan. Daddy paid $1000. for it. We hated to stop driving the (gray 4 door 1940) Plymouth but this car is newer and not many miles on it and during war time Daddy tho’t he’d better change because you can’t buy tires or anything.
---
March 6 1944
…I got my first tooth today. Mummy struck it with the spoon while feeding me breakfast. Daddy bought a 1941 Pontiac today. He might keep it and sell the Ford.
---
March 9 1944
…Daddy sold the Ford today for $1250-we are going to keep the Pontiac that cost daddy $1200.
---
March 18 1944
…I saw my Grampy for the first time. He came on the train from Portland. He said I was sweet, small, fat, rugged, smart and quick as a flash.
My Grampy died when I was five and my daddy died when I was 12.
I am pretty sure that when my mother wrote the diary, she had no idea how much I would come to cherish reading about me and the encounters that I had. I appreciate that she was so thoughtful to write for me never knowing that I would someday come to write for myself. Because I am so special, my baby diary will become part of my memoirs and my legacy.