Mattress Vancouver

Someone really needs to build a city out of mattresses. They could dub the pillowy kingdom: “Mattress Vancouver.”

Miniature cities have been created before. If you go to Legoland in Denmark, they have built most of the major European cities out of Lego blocks.

Remember the Dairy Queen commercials where they used to take you to a land of chocolate and ice cream, with a caramel river flowing through whip cream mountains. Mmm. I think they should do the same thing with Mattress Vancouver, a city made of mattresses, comfortable, welcoming, warm.

I’m actually surprised that a mattress company hasn’t made an ad that has a city made of mattresses. I could see Mattress Vancouver being the first of its kind in that sense.

There have been cities made of newsprint, cities made of cheese, cities made of money – but there has never been a city made out of mattresses.

What do you think? Should Simmons Mattress Gallery create the first Mattress Vancouver?

We are in the final days of the Simmons Mattress Gallery Beautyrest Sales Event. This could be your last chance to get a Simmons Beautyrest for up to 60% off.

So come on down to 101 Schoolhouse Street in Coquitlam or if you need a quality mattress Vancouver address is 1001 West Broadway (and Oak).

We have Queen Sets from an incredible value of $699. Visco and Wool Queen Sets are only $799 and you can enjoy the World Class Queen Set for only $899.

These prices are only lasting for a few more days. So don’t delay.

People are not having as many children as they used to. And the family dynamic is changing. The traditional 2 ½ kids and a white picket fence has been replaced with common law relationships, stay-at-home dads, same-sex marriages and single parents. According to the most recent government stats, the Emmy-winning TV show Modern Family is spot on. As families shrink in size, the need for beds changes.

For the first time, there are now more one-person households than couple households with children. Instead of buying the extra bed for the extra child you never had, consider investing that same amount in yourself. A king-sized bed will mean a better sleep and a more rested day.

With families in Canada shrinking, a moving more and more into urban areas, there is a new demand for space-efficiency. To make your bedroom bigger, ask us about drawer bases below your mattress.

Right now, for those needing a mattress Vancouver has just the store. Simmons Mattress Gallery is in the final weeks of its Beautyrest Sale. It’s your chance to snag a king-sized mattress for up to 60% off.

As a consumer in a capitalistic society, you have choices for what you buy and where you buy it. There is no one warehouse for shampoo or light fixtures and fortunately we all don’t have to buy the same ugly trainers. We are free to spend our money on any product we deem economically superior.

The consumer’s responsibility is product comparison. Finding the lowest price and best terms is a demanding second job. Fortunately, some companies are making it easier for the consumer. Their prices and the quality of their products places their item or service on a level far above their competition.

Simmons Mattress Gallery is one of these companies.

SMG is currently offering up to 60% off on beds in their warehouse. That is a massive markdown that can’t be beat.

They are also offering free delivery. Customers don’t have to lift a hair.

SMG will also remove and recycle your old mattress, an environmental benefit that will help you sleep even more soundly at night.

Save money, buy a quality product and have it delivered. Simmons Mattress Gallery has it all covered.

The recent discovery of bed bugs in a Vancouver library book has embarrassed the city’s lending service and reopened the inquiry into how prolific the bed bug problem is in our city.

The bugs were found in a book borrowed from the Mount Pleasant Library.

Since the incident, the library has done a thorough search of their stacks. Their work has turned up no evidence of further infestation. It may have only been the one book, stored near an infected mattress or couch that acted as a temporary home for the critters – unlucky for the library.

The fact that the bugs were found in an item other than furniture or clothing illustrates how prolific the problem is in our city. Bed bugs are everywhere, but those infected are keeping their mouths zipped.

Unlike a public library, homeowners can silently try to deal with bed bug issues without the prying eye of the public. Victims call a pest control service, they move to a hotel for a few days or go on a ‘vacation’, they buy all new mattresses and when they get back, the Taylors will ‘still’ be sending little Jenny over for play dates. A convenient solution with little-to-no public humiliation.

Until there is a strategy to wipeout the bugs for good, private pest control will be the public’s best option.

Bug Problems

We have just over a month to go till Christmas. Are you ready?

The Starbucks cups were out on the 1st, St. Paul’s Lights of Hope turns on next Thursday and the Christmas Train starts up on December 2nd, Each unique event reminds us of how close we are coming to the family holiday.

And there’s so much to do…

The cleaning is what stresses us out. Vacuuming, scrubbing, dusting, polishing – it all must be done before the family arrives.

Then there are the lights to be hung, the tree to buy and the sweets to be baked.

Finding time to rest over the holidays can be a chore in itself. To improve your horizontal hours, purchase a Simmons Beautyrest mattress from Vancouver’s mattress store. It will be a gift that you can enjoy every day of the year. You can’t say that about the Rudolph-themed slippers you received from Uncle Rob.

So treat yourself to a new bed and counteract the Christmas sleep withdrawal.

Asleep At The Switch

Christmas crafts sales are a one-stop shopping centre for all those people on your list that need something simple but festive. From ornaments, to wreathes, to salt and sweet treats, you’ll find everything under the broad blanket of Christmas crafts.

This weekend hosts a number of Christmas craft fairs around the city. Simmons Mattress Gallery suggests the following sales:

Friday, November 25th

-9th Annual Chilliwack Christmas Craft Crawl

Various times and locations in Chilliwack

-North Delta Potter’s Guild Christmas Pottery Sale

Artspace Studio (11425 84th Avenue)

-Richmond Potter’s Club Christmas Sale

Richmond Cultural Centre (7700 Minoru Place)

Saturday, November 26th

-Dunbar Community Centre’s Annual Craft Fair

10am – 5pm (4747 Dunbar Street)

-Renfrew Community Centre’s Craft Fair

10am – 3pm (Eastt 22nd and Renfrew)

-Strathcona Community Centre’s Winter Craft Fair

601 Keefer Street, Vancouver

-Urban Artists’ Craft Fair

10am – 5pm Roundhouse Community Centre

-Woodside Gallery Christmas Arts and Craft Show

10am – 5pm (2226 Lougheed Highway)

Homemade Christmas Gifts

Since 1998, St. Paul’s Hospital in downtown Vancouver has been creating a public light display to raise funds for various projects and causes connected with the hospital.

This year, the ‘Lights of Hope’ display intends to raise $1.9 million in corporate and private donations. The St. Paul’s Hospital Foundation has already raised a total of $16 million since the conception of the light show.

The set-up for the lights began on November 5th, when a 100 volunteers helped erect the carefully planned display. It is estimated that the lights would span 10 kms, if attached as a single line. That would be quite the sight.

If you would like to donate, visit the charity’s website: http://www.helpstpauls.com The site suggest many creative ways to give, from security stock, to a mention in the will, to a monthly donation. Whatever you can afford to give, they’ll use.

The projects that the hospital wishes to fund are: the purchase of a new CT scanner, two 3D-capable echocardiography machines, bronchoscopy equipment, for the detection of lung disease and the completion of the Diagnostic Treatment Unit.

The official opening of this year’s Lights of Hope display will be on Thursday, November 24th.

Light Up the Stars Tonight

It’s the night before your company presentation and all you want is a few hours of undisturbed sleep.

You have been working tirelessly for three months in preparation. There have been late nights in the office, when the only people in the building have been you, the security guard and the cleaning staff. There have been hour-long Skype sessions with the tech department in Toronto and countless meetings with your team in Vancouver.

You saw your idea evolve from a boardroom discussion to a tangible product. Over thirty employees put their time and resources into its development. Now it is time to sell it to the company brass.

No pressure.

Lying on your bed, staring at the ceiling, you run through the presentation in your head. You have done all you can.

The only thing left to do is receive the seven hours of sleep you need to stay alert and focused.

You roll over on to another lump and openly curse your twelve-year-old mattress.

Give Your Mind a Rest

Innovation starts and ends with the sleep you receive. Purchase a Beautyrest mattress at one of the two Simmons Mattress Galleries in the Lower Mainland. Your productivity is resting on it.

When watching a film, our gaze is directed at a subject that has been chosen for us. We give the director free reign to control our sight line. This exchange encourages new experiences, some of which are cultural.

This week, the Vancouver Asian Film Festival hopes to direct our eyes towards the North American Asian experience.

In their 15th year of operation, the VAFF is intent on providing a cultural bridge between Asian and non-Asian communities. The Festival will run from November 3rd to November 6th, with all shows screening at Cineplex Odeon International Village, near Roger’s Arena.

The films range in subjects from cross-cultural love for the Vancouver Canucks, to a historical documentary on the migration of asian settlers to North America.

Also included in this year’s festival, as a part of Vancouver’s 125th celebration, is an encore presentation of “Love Letters,” the photo and video campaign shown last June. Love Letters was an open call for Vancouver citizens to submit digital records of images and video that conveyed their love for our fair city. VAFF will show Joanna Wong’s entry on the festival’s opening night.

Tickets for all the shows may be purchased online at the Festival site or the day of at the Festival box office. Passes are also available for the true film buffs.

An uninterrupted sleep can dramatically increase your daily health. There – we said it! But the next best thing is laughter.

We’re not 100% sure of the science, but we do know a good laugh is a great way to relieve anxiety. Forget the scented candles and bubble bath, grab a friend and find a local comedy club or check the events calendar for local comics coming to town. Then take a night-off from work/kids/bridge and laugh your way back to health.

This month, Paul F. Tompkins will be visiting the city and performing at the Rio Theatre, only a few km’s from our Broadway location. Tompkins’ humour is a little quirky, but if you have ever listened to his podcast or his appearances on Comedy Bang Bang, you wouldn’t miss this night for your Grandmother’s funeral. Tompkins will be taking to the stage on November 30th. For a little taste of his style, listen to the audio clip below:

http://audioboo.fm/boos/510900-new-dads-paul-f-tompkins

Never been to the Rio Theater? You are in for a treat. Be forewarned, this is an adults only show and as a result, beer will be served. And yes, you may take your cans of PBR into the Theatre.

Another great venue for traveling comedians, as opposed to the community kind, is the River Rock Theatre. Last year, legendary comics Chris Rock and Jerry Seinfeld performed at the Rock.

If a smaller, more casual setting is more to your taste, check out the Comedy Mix in the Century Plaza Hotel downtown.

Out in the burbs? Try LaffLines in New Westminster. Tracy MacDonold, a fine Canadian comic, will be performing on November 4th and 5th.

Get out there and get your laugh on!

Paul F. Tompkins

In the spirit of the Writers and Readers Festival, here is a short ode on a subject dear to the heart of Simmons Mattress Gallery:

Ode to a mattress

Where would we be, without our coiled invention,

Damp on a straw mat, constricted with tension?

Some might give credit, to the mighty steam engine,

But the steam locomotive, is a hot-aired distraction.

Some might say soap, brought us new sanitation,

But it also helped Tyler, fund the club we won’t mention.

Some might praise books, and the print of a German,

But one needs a bed, to relax and read fiction.

No, praise the mattress, don’t fall for deception,

You deserve the best, a Simmons sensation.

Our rhyme scheme might stray, but our love for the mattress is unwavering. Come visit one of our two locations in the Lower Mainland to sample the large selection of Simmons mattresses on hand.

How often do you wake up minutes before your alarm goes off?

With the right sleep conditions, our bodies naturally wake up at a similar hour each day. If you are sleeping on a Simmons Beautyrest, this event is probably a common occurrence.

Until recently, scientists had trouble determining the cause of this natural phenomenon. The scientific community was roughly aware of the mechanism that prepared us for sleep, but little was known about the way we wake-up.

Now researchers at the Salt Lake Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla California have located the gene that triggers our body to wake-up at a given time.

Researcher, Satchidananda Panda, claims, “the body is essentially a collection of clocks.” These clocks subconsciously trigger our brain and other organs to carry out involuntary actions. Our body’s natural drop in temperature before we fall asleep is one example.

With the ‘wake-up’ gene located, sleep scientists can now expand their study of sleep disorders. There is also hope that the discovery can aid research into chronic illness and aging.

Shah Rukh Khan is one of the biggest movie stars on the planet. Appearing in over 70 Hindi films, Khan is considered by many to be the King of Bollywood.

With his new science fiction film, “Ra.One,” premiering on October 26th, the world media is obsessed with everything Kahn.

This week, an article in “Harper’s Bazaar” published some interesting facts about Kahn’s sleeping rituals.

Kahn was asked by Mala Sekhri to describe his bed attire. The middle-aged star, often referred to by his acronym SRK, revealed that he prefers to ‘dress up for bed.’

“I like to wear clean, really nice pair of clothes, so like my Dolce and Gabbana shorts, I will sometime . . . wear my Lululemon track pants and I’ll wear a nice, crisp white T-shirt.”

Kahn also went on to comment that he enjoys putting cologne on before crawling beneath the covers.

Cologne? Dress shirts? DG boxers? The ‘King’ knows how to push the boundaries of extravagant living. And a little shout-out to a local company.

We only hope his mattress is on par with his sweet-smelling wardrobe.

SRK

Summer is winding to a close and fall is starting to show on the leaves. This is great news for corn lovers in B.C. as the fields are filled with this year’s crop. It’s also the time of year when farmers with an entrepreneurial artistic side, can turn their land from simple fields of corn into complex harvest labyrinths.

One of the largest mazes in the Pacific Northwest is located in Pitt Meadows. Appropriately titled the ‘Meadow Maze,’ this year’s design boasts 6.3 kms of pathways. The theme is the Vancouver Zoo. Previous themes include: the PNE, the Golden Ears Bridge and ‘eat local.’

The corn maze design begins on a computer, where a designer creates an image and then maps out the pathways. The maze is then cut when the corn is a foot high using a tractor with GPS compatibility. Before the cut, there are nearly 1 million plants in the field.

Visitors to the maze are encouraged to bring water and a hat. The Pitt Meadows location occasionally closes when the temperature is too high. The average walker takes about 1 1/2 hours to complete the maze. The fastest time for this years design is 35 minutes.

The Meadow Maze also boasts a full concession and market area, plus a petting zoo and hay rides.

Pitt Meadows Maze

*From Experience: Do not watch “Children of the Corn” before a trip to the Pitt Meadows maze.

Amateur and pro cycling enthusiasts around the Lower Mainland have been training, tuning and timing for months in preparation for this weekend’s Gran Fondo ride from Vancouver to Whistler. The ride is 120 km, along one of the most beautiful highways on the planet. Take part or encourage a friend or family member as they climb towards Whistler Village.

This is the second year of the mass cycling event in Canada, a phenomenon that was born in Europe and given the Italian name of Gran Fondo – roughly translated as ‘Big Ride.’ The event is not a race, but awards are given to the top finishers. It features riders from a variety of skill levels and backgrounds. This year’s amateur category is sold out, but the pro category still has room for last minute entries.

The race will start at Thurlow and West Georgia at 7:00 am, with amateur riders staggered back to Seymour Street. The race will finish in Whistler Village, with the finish line closing at 4:00 pm. There will also be a celebration event afterwards, featuring the music of 54-40.

Vancouver is blessed to have so many diverse ethnicities infused into its kaleidoscope culture. Celebrating specific regions of origin helps Vancouverites appreciate the richness of our multicultural society.

This weekend, the city is proud to host Taiwanfest. With a variety of events planned around the city, Taiwanfest hopes to offer a sampling of the entertainment, food and art from the island of Taiwan and Mainland China.

Free musical performances will be held all weekend around the Vancouver Art Gallery. One of the anticipated highlights of the Labour Day weekend will be the Musou Girls. Starting at 8pm on Saturday, the Musou girls will play a mix of modern and traditional Chinese instruments. The music is composed by the founder of the group, Mr. Xue Xuan Liu.

For a deeper look into the Taiwanese culture, checkout the four documentaries that will be showing around town. Simmons Mattress Gallery suggests “Faces of Taiwan.” This film is made up of five mini docs that focus on overcoming adversity.

On the edible menu will be Vancouver’s first street banquet. This event is being sponsored by the city as part of Vancouver’s 125th celebrations.

Taiwanese ceramics will be on display at the Roundhouse theatre from September 3rd to the 10th.

Enjoy the festivities!

For a more detailed schedule of events click here.

Vancouver is a haven for public art. From “The Birds” at the Olympic Plaza in the Athletes Village complex, to the “A-maze-ing Laughter” men at English Bay, to the “Equestrian Monument” at the Yaletown Roundhouse Skytrain Station, art surrounds us.

Now BC Hydro is adding its own touch to the public art scene in our city. Hydro boxes are now being decorated with vegetation scenes, children’s art work and graphic design pieces. ‘Function’ is giving ‘design’ an opportunity to paint on its metal canvas.

Instead of random tags and garish graffiti, the boxes now display images that are more reflective of the community they are located in.

Often commissioned, public art is a way for large corporations and city planners to probe the imagination of commuters, homeowners and travelers. The installations encourage an interaction between the observer and the artist. They make us value our streets.

So lift your head from your smart phone browsing and take in the installations that pepper our city streets. They may inspire a response that could change your day.

The fireworks have come and gone, but there are still a number of free public events being offered around the city. The most popular are the Fresh Air Cinema screenings being shown around the Lower Mainland.

“Jaws” aired on Tuesday in Stanley park. Word has it there was more laughs then screams. Still a classic that everyone enjoys. The defining line: “We’re going to need a bigger boat.”

This Tuesday the classic urban Cinderella story comes to Stanley park with the screening of “Pretty Women.” We’ve never really been big Julia Roberts fans, but when Richard Gere snaps that jewelry box shut and Julia flashes those pearly whites, just for a moment we can see how she rose to fame. What a smile!

"Snap!"

The film we are dying to see airs on August 30th. “Stand By Me,” the quintessential end of summer/innocence film will closeout the summer series at Stanley Park. From “Chopper sick balls,” to the ‘barfarama,’ to the rail-tie sing-a-longs, “Stand By Me” has it all; even a few tears. Bring the family or a date and relive your youth in the open air of Stanley Park.

Acute illness is usually connected with the winter months, when our bodies react to the change in temperature. The common cold usually strikes us somewhere between the months of October and early December, when our immune system is weakened due to the seasonal climate change.

But the summer months can be just as deadly on our immune system. During summer, we often treat our bodies with less care. We indulge in greasy food, we neglect the gym and we also sleep less. Reducing our sleeping hours is the major cause of summer immune deficiency.

The temptation to sleep less is high in July and August because of our activity loaded days and nights. A fireworks show, two barbecues, a staff party and a wedding can run a hefty sleep debt. It is important to make time, even when the weather is nice, for a few early nights.

A consistent eight hours of sleep can keep our bodies running at maximum capacity. This may mean going home a little early from the party or declining the odd invitation for dinner, but it could also mean not getting sick.

Do your body a favour and make time for sleep this summer.

Summer Sickness? Get More Sleep!

This Saturday, the sky will once again be lit by exploding pyrotechnics, as the Celebration of Light returns to English Bay. This will be the twenty-first year Vancouver will host the event. It has become one of the must-see spectacles of the summer and major draw for tourist booking their Vancouver holiday.

The organizers of this year’s event are hoping to make a little more revenue by selling grandstand, V.I.P. seating at English Bay. The tickets are $45. The early bird seats have already sold, but Tickets Tonight is still selling.

Other changes include a shorter program. Instead of the standard four nights of explosions, this year’s festival will have only three; July 30, August 3rd and August 6th. Canada will perform on the final night.

A panel of judges chosen from the events corporate sponsors will evaluate the competing countries.

For more information on the Celebration of Light, check out their website. There is a really interesting section on the history of fireworks. There is also a full explanation of how the barge is loaded and prepped for each night of action. Apparently it takes a crew of 16 people, three days to prepare the show. There may be 2,000 to 4,500 bombs (that’s what they call them) used in one night’s performance. That’s a lot of gunpowder.

And just remember, if you are coming down to watch the fireworks downtown or at any of the beaches around English Bay, leave the alcohol at home. This is a family event and we want to keep it going for years to come. Enjoy Vancouver.

The Lights of Summer

Mattresses are one of those things you only need to shop for every five or six years. They are dependable to a point and then it is in your best interest to replace them. When your current mattress reaches that mark, look to Simmons Mattress Gallery to supply you with a new bed.

Simmons has been making beds for the last 130 years. Our beds are leading the industry in mattress innovation; they are also leading to repeat customers.

A Simmons owner knows that their new bed will offer them an undisturbed sleep every night of the week. They have experienced the comfort of a well-crafted product and their choice to buy another Simmons is an easy one.

An easier choice is where to buy their Simmons. With seven consecutive years of being named ‘Best Mattress Store‘ by the Consumers’ Choice Awards, Simmons Mattress Gallery is the number one Vancouver mattress store.

The mattress professionals at Simmons Mattress Gallery can help recommend the perfect bed for your lifestyle. Explain your sleeping preferences, test-lie a few beds and walk away with your favourite.

We won’t see you for a few years, but we will be here when it’s time for another new one.

British Columbia issued license plates for the Olympic year with the slogan, “Best Place on Earth.” Many Easterners saw this as another west coast hyperbole that proved the level of our conceitedness.

But for those of us who call BC home, the phrase holds more truth than the sharp-tongued retorts of the critics.

BC is one of the most diverse provinces in the country. It has the mildest winter weather and the least humid summers. It is is home to the country’s most beautiful city, Vancouver, and It is also the proud parent of the Vancouver Canucks, the only Canadian team to get past the opening round of the 2011 NHL playoffs.

Our province has some of the lushest parks in the country, the most epic skiing conditions and one of the only stretches of shoreline worth surfing in Canada.

We showed the world we could host a party in 1986 and we did it again in 2010.  The BC acronym is synonymous with a higher level of living that folks from all over the world recognize.

Part of that living experience is the proximity to the most elite mattress store in the country, Simmons Mattress Gallery. The BC mattress store, offers the top Simmons Beautyrest beds at prices that are worth the drive from St. Johns.

If you’ve never slept on a Simmons, you’ve never experienced the west coast. Come see why this truly is the best place on earth. We’ll be waiting with a mattress, two free pillows and some of the BC’s finest (mattress professionals).

Support comes from beneath. It stabilizes the main structure. It is the foundation on which outstanding achievements are made possible.

For the Vancouver Canucks, that support is the tireless playoff performance of Ryan Kesler. Bloodied and bruised, number seventeen is currently leading the NHL in playoff points, but most nights it is his work away from the net that is earning him respect around the league.

Killing penalties, winning faceoff’s and banging the boards, Kesler is giving it all this post-season. He is supporting a team whose top players (Daniel and Henrik) have mysteriously disappeared. He has stitches across his lip from an errant puck in Game Five; when asked if he wanted anesthesia for the wound, he refused it, saying it would only slow him down.

His fearless play and defensive stamina earned him over twenty-one minutes of ice time in Game Six against the Nashville Predators. Setting up both goals, Kesler earned the praises of Predator Coach Barry Trotz: “As I said when I was going by him, if he doesn’t play that way we’re probably going to Game 7 and we might win the series, but he played to a level that few people can reach in a series.”

Kesler, in a post-game interview with Scott Oake of the CBC, claimed that Trotz’s comments were humbling.

Now the assistant captain is carrying the Canucks into the Western Conference Finals, a feat managed only three times by the franchise.

Without him, the Canucks might be counting the clubs in their golf bag. With him they are the most powerful team in the NHL, destined to play for a chance at the Stanley Cup.

Lead on Kesler. You have a whole city on your shoulders.

Why is it important to get a full night’s rest each and every night?

Here are five firm reasons to secure at least seven hours a night.

1. Falling asleep at work could cost you your job. If your boss happens to catch you taking a power nap, you better have your desk cleaned out by the end of the day. Drool is also terrible for keyboards.
2. Falling asleep at the wheel could cost you your life. 17% of fatal car accidents involve a sleepy driver. Turning up the radio or opening the window won’t help. If you are consistently experiencing drowsy conditions on your daily commute, it’s time to put aside more hours for sleep.
3. Your health. Simmons Mattress Gallery has written numerous articles on the negative health effects of limited rest. From diabetes, to heart failure, to lower life expectancy, there is a long list of sleep related health problems that occur with individuals who neglect their downtime.
4. Your mood sours dramatically when you haven’t gotten enough shut-eye. People who are sleep deprived often are quick to lose their temper and are less able to deal with pressure situations. Their mood often sours their relationships at work and at home.
5. Our brains need a break. Even if your other organs could handle continuous nights of less than three hours of sleep, our brains would eventually slow down to a crawl. Each night when we doze off, our brain reverts to an energy-saving mode. Different areas are called upon to fuel our subconscious, but the area we count on for our most intense processing is given a break. Run anything for 21 hours a day and it will eventually self-destruct.

"Wake up!!!!"

Good morning! Two words that sneak from our lips, but often mean far too little.

What is a ‘good morning’? Is it a greeting, a statement of fact or a question?

Well if the Viagra commercials are to be believed, it is a state of being; a post-performance glow. It has gentlemen in suits leaping over hedges, bounding down sidewalks and freely swinging their briefcases.

According to The Beatles it is a mundane rundown of your average day, mixed with a flirty skirt and a barnyard serenade.

Here at Simmons Mattress Gallery, we believe a ‘good morning’ is the product of a peaceful night’s sleep on our superior, non-flip pocket coil mattress. Nothing prepares your mind, body and soul for taking on the new day than an undisturbed rest. And quite simply, that is what a Simmons mattress provides. Our Beautyrest line will provide more spring than any blue pill will.

Try a Simmons today and you will never look back. You will greet your staff with a boastful ‘How was your sleep last night? Mine was amazing!’ That is how to start the day. Leave the chickens and the pill popping to the ill informed.

"Now look to your right..."

It’s your parent’s anniversary. Thirty-five years of marriage and they are still sleeping on that old mattress they bought just after you were born.

Surprise them with an anniversary gift they will cherish through their golden years. Buy them a Beautyrest mattress from Simmons Mattress Gallery, Vancouver’s mattress store.

They deserve it. They’ve been through a lot, but they stuck together and always supported you. Now is your chance to repay them.

You will look like the golden child. Those memories of when you wrote-off the family car will be magically erased. In its place will blossom years of ‘thank you’s’.

You can purchase their new mattress at our Broadway location in Vancouver or at our Schoolhouse store in Coquitlam.

Not sure what mattress to choose. Make an event out of the gift. Tell them you need their help picking out a new hardwood floor. Drive them to either of our locations and have them spend an afternoon trying out our beds.

We guarantee they will leave with a smile and a spring in their step.

How much money do you spend at the pharmacy each month on products designed to improve your looks? Close to a hundred dollars probably. You need to buy shampoo, bodywash, facial scrubs, toothpaste and beauty products – it all adds up. What about for your interior organs? You probably buy at least one multi-vitamin and maybe one package of stomach relief.

Did you know that a good night’s rest could change your daily complexion and help you fight off illness?

Your gym membership costs more than half your pharmacy bill and you still have to put in the work.

An undisturbed rest is free on a Beautyrest.

Those Sudoku puzzles you do to keep your brain active are rather time consuming. The first four were fun, but numbers really aren’t that interesting.

Eight hours of sleep is the perfect amount of rest needed to maintain your mental potential throughout the working day.

Seems like you could save a lot of time, money and stress by upgrading your mattress set. A Simmons may not freshen your breath, but it will do wonders for your health. Try one today at Vancouver’s mattress store, Simmons Mattress Gallery.

Sleep First

“Loveliest of trees, the cherry now

Is hung with bloom along the bough,

And stands about the woodland ride

Wearing white for Eastertide.”

-A.E. Housman

Pink is the colour of spring in Vancouver. It floats above our heads and flutters to our feet. It lines our streets and patches our parks. It brightens the grey skies of April and whispers in our ear, “May is not far off.”

The Cherry Blossom Festival is a unique celebration of Vancouver’s relationship with the pink flowers of the Japanese Cherry Tree. This year the festival is running from March 26th until April 22nd. On April 16th, at the VanDusen Botanical Garden, the city will distribute 3,000 new cherry trees to property owners who have paid a reduced rate of $40 per tree. The trees are being sold as part of the celebration around Vancouver’s 125th birthday. They are the pink candles on our cake.

The festival is also hosting a public bike ride on the same day as the VanDusen handout. ‘Bike the Blossoms’ will begin at 11am at Devonian Park in the West End. If you can’t make this date, you can download a PDF of different blossom bike routes for your own private viewing.

Need to express your love of the pink? Enter the Haiku Invitational poetry contest. Put your thoughts into three simple lines of 17 moras and submit your poem before the May 31st deadline. The winning submissions will be featured on Translink spaces around the Lower Mainland.

So get inspired Vancouver and enjoy the yearly offerings of the cherry blossom.

On Monday, May 2nd, Canada will return to the polls to vote. The current Conservative government was forced to call an election after the Liberal Party’s no-confidence motion passed on March 25th. The popularity of the Conservatives has remained strong in the wake of the Liberal attack and it seems, even with a failed budget, the populace is prepared to have Stephen Harper maintain his position as Prime Minister of Canada.

But these are early speculations.

If you are wondering where your vote should go, it may be in your interest to log onto the CBC website and use their helpful tool to find out which party’s platform is closest to your own interests. The tool is called the ‘Vote Compass.’ It works as an extended questionnaire. The answers you give are matched with a party and a position on the political spectrum. So far, over one million visitors have used it.

It will be interesting to see if Canadians will move away from their traditional allegiances. Will the results provided by the CBC’s tool really affect their vote? I guess we will need to wait until the 2nd to discover the answer.

Find out where you stand.

Where do you stand?

Visit: http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canadavotes2011/votecompass/

The National Hockey League has announced the schedule for the 2011 NHL playoffs. Your Vancouver Canucks will face the Chicago Blackhawks in the first round. The series begins on Wednesday, April 13th, in Vancouver at 7pm PST. Game two will start at the same time on Friday night. The Canucks will then have to fly to Chicago to prepare for Sunday’s bout, which will begin at 5pm PST. Game four will play out on Tuesday, and with any luck, that will be the last game of the series.

A Canucks sweep would put to rest the demons of the 2010 and 2009 NHL post-seasons. It would also be a major springboard for the Canucks to advance deeper into the playoffs.

To see how the drama unfolds, we will have to patiently wait for Wednesday’s opener. This may be easier said than done – especially since this town seems to be living off the current exploits of their favourite sons.

But don’t fret. If you’re finding it hard to sleep as the aniticipation builds,, you can always upgrade your mattress set. It may not alleviate your anxiety, but it will make the nodding off experience easier.

Come check out the mattress deals on now at Vancouver’s mattress store, Simmons Mattress Gallery.

Believe...

This Wednesday, April 6th, marks the official start to Vancouver’s 125th Birthday celebration. There will be an all-day event at Jack Poole Plaza, the site of the Olympic Cauldron. The festivities will begin at 2pm and continue until 10pm.

The opening event will be a drop-in street hockey tournament. This will be followed by an organized youth tournament featuring teams from Thunderbird, Sunset, West End, Britannia, Riley Park and Killarney communities.

From 6:00 to 7:00 will be the Official Ceremonies, with a giant birthday cake and speeches by Mayor Gregor and other dignitaries.

The big draw will be a performance by Vancouver’s own classic rockers, 54-40. They will hit the stage around 8:45 and will play until 10:00. During the performance, the plaza will become the backdrop for a video and light installation titled Time Drifts, by Berlin-based artist Phillipp Geist.

In the spirit of our ever-loving cycling mayor, there will be a bicycle valet option for those of you choosing the two-wheeled commute.

Gregor has also promised to unveil other events as the year progresses.

The Olympics were just the beginning Vancouver! Let’s celebrate who we are and where we came from!

Blow Out The Candles

Where are you reading this right now? At the office? At home? Can you get to a window? Can you see the local mountains? Grouse, Seymour, Cypress – They are all still covered in snow! In fact the white stuff is dusting the higher areas of North and West Vancouver. Winter is still here and that means there is still time to board and ski for at least another month.

Want to get in on the action and save on your pass next year. Grouse is once again offering their Y2Play package that lets you carve for the rest of this seson for free, while getting your pass for next year at an 80% discount. It’s a complete win/win. The adult rate is $355, for a pass that is regularly $825. That’s a grand savings of $470, plus the ability to ride the rest of this season for free. Crazy!

And it doesn’t stop there. With your pass you will receive 20% off on your rentals, lessons, retail purchases and your mermaids elixir at Starbucks. And in the summer, 20% off Zipline tours. Enjoy the mountain for over a year!

This is an incredible offer and the packages are already 80% sold. So get in on the savings and enjoy the remainder of season at Grouse Mountain.

You grew up with little, but you dreamt of a better existence where money was not a concern, just a commodity that trickled in as a result of your hard work. You paid for school on your own, worked harder than your classmates and graduated at the top of your class. You spent years as an associate and finally earned a partnership.

The house you live in is bought and paid for, your children are almost through school and retirement is edging closer.

Question: Why are you still sleeping on a queen size mattress?

You have proved your royal worth over and over. You are the benevolent ruler who leads your household. You have an army of staff below you at work. You have succeeded in climbing to the very top of your profession.

It’s time to spread out and enjoy your nights on a king size bed. If anyone has earned the space and comfort that a king size mattress provides, it is you. Treat yourself at Simmons Mattress Gallery and buy a new bed for you and your Queen to spend your nights.

Congratulations. You deserve it.

Bedroom Royalty

As the world tries to come to grips with the damage caused by the recent earthquake and resulting tsunami in Japan, here at home, people are starting to fear that the next big quake could occur somewhere in the Pacific Northwest. This has many Lower Mainland residents thinking very seriously about their preparedness level.

To address these concerns, citizens can visit the British Columbia Earthquake Preparedness website for tips on what to have ready and what actions to take in the event of a massive earthquake. The site is an excellent resource for preparing your loved ones for an environmental disaster.

Remember to Hold On!

Here are a few quick tips for your family to work on:

1. Know the safe areas of your home that can be used for cover.

(heavy tables, desks, archways)

2. Know the dangerous areas of your home.

(near windows, beside large appliances, near shelves)

3. Signup for a first-aid course.

4. Plan and practice safe evacuation routes from your home.

5. Have a plan in place if your family is separated. Organize a contact number of a family member or friend who lives in another area of the Province.

6. Make sure every member of the family knows how to turn off the gas incase of a leak.

7. Have a list of emergency contacts posted near your main phone. You can also add these numbers to the contact list on your cellphones.

8. Prepare emergency supplies for at least 72 hours.

This should include: first aid kit, tarp or small tent, water (lots of it), water purification tablets, non-perishable food, flashlights, am/fm radio, batteries, toiletry items, fire extinguisher, wrench, shoes, gloves and if possible, sleeping bags.

At Simmons Mattress Gallery we accommodate all comfort levels to find our customers the perfect bed for their lifestyle. In the food world, this task is often a little more difficult, especially if your chosen lifestyle is vegan. Finding goods that meet your ingredient standards can be a difficult task. Finding baked goods – almost impossible.

Well that is all about to change, with the opening of Edible Flours (cute little pun), the first all-vegan retail bakery in Vancouver. The bakery will launch in late March, on Broadway, between Vine and Yew. Edible Flours will offer sweets of all sorts that are dairy and egg free. This includes cupcakes, cookies, muffins, loaves, brownies and even birthday cake. All the sweeteners used in these products will be un-refined.

Their menu will also include items for specialty diets, with the option of gluten, wheat, soy and sugar free products.

Unfortunately, the bakery will not initially produce bread, but co-owner Paul Briggs claims it may be a possibility further along.

Briggs and Alli Neville started the project with a make-to-order bakery a year ago.

Divine Vegan Treats

Romance is thick in the air this week, as lovers across the Lower Mainland profess their undying love for one another with heart felt cards and more than one or two sad clichés.

But if you are one of those absentminded folk, who may have forgotten to grab some overpriced flowers for your shmoopie, it’s not too late. For the flowers, maybe, but there are other gifts that can get you back in the good books with your significant other.

Our suggestion to you: head over to Simmons Mattress Gallery for a great deal on a new bed. Nothing says, ‘baby, I know I messed up, but I want to fix it so we can get back to having fun,’ like a new passion platform. Simmons has a massive variety of beds in ranging sizes, firmness and extravagance. Upgrade from your Ikea cast-off to a bed that will keep you and your loved one comfortable for years to come. Buy it before Friday and he/she will never remember your epic fail.

Want to make a romantic evening out of it? Pack some sexy nightwear, for both of you, and head into our showroom to sample some of our beds on display. We won’t judge your tiger print and we promise not to stare at your partner’s visible parts. Just hold off on the physical stuff until you get home.

Happy Valentines week, from your friends at Simmons Mattress Gallery.

All Smiles

Justin Bieber and Drake were denied Grammies this Sunday, but their more mature compatriots – Neil Young, Michael Bublé and the Arcade Fire – managed to nab a few of the show’s top awards.

Bieber and Drake both lost out to American bassist and vocalist, Esperanza Spalding, in the new artist category. This was a crushing blow to the Bieb Army and to the many fans of Degrassi: The Next Generation.

But it was the Arcade Fire from Montreal, who pulled off the biggest upset of the evening by taking home the award for album of the year. After the announcement of the award, the ensemble group played an encore of “Ready to Start,” with the ironic lyrics: “all the kids have always known / that the Emperor wears no clothes.” Guess they never thought their indie pop would ever land them on a stage with a naked Eminem.

Neil Young proved his resilience, winning in the best rock song category with his track “Angry World.” It was Neil Young’s first Grammy for music.

Bruce Allen’s protégé, Michael Bublé, took home the award for Best Traditional Pop Album, with “Crazy Love” and housewives across the globe swooned simultaneously.

Better luck next year Biebs!

Believe it America!

The new trend in mattress shopping is the inclusion of memory foam. More and more consumers are requesting memory foam tops on their mattress purchases. The foam layer adds a pillowy softness that conforms and retracts to the users body shape.

At Simmons Mattress Gallery, we offer Visco memory foam on all our top lines; including Beautyrest World Class, Beautyrest Exceptionale, the NxG series and the jewel in our crown, the Beautyrest Black collection.

Our memory foams respond quickly to body movement, dissipate heat and a consistent sleeping surface. With the 360° foam encased edge, support is provided right to the edge of the mattress.

For those with back pain, the extra foam layer cradles the problem areas to allow a comfort filled sleep.

The only problem with purchasing a memory foam mattress is once you’ve spent even one night on one, it will be hard to go back to anything else. But if you feel you are ready for the ultimate in comfort, stop by a Simmons Mattress Gallery to test sleep one of their prized mattresses. Your body and your partner will thank you.

Embrace the foam and start sleeping better.

Visco Memory Foam

Well Vancouver, it has almost been a year since the opening of the 2010 Winter Olympics. How do we feel? Are we proud of the job we did on and off the podium? Were we gracious hosts? Will we be remembered for the party?

This week, Simmons Mattress Gallery would like to look back at those two weeks in February to see how our games measured up:

-Millennium Line built on time.

Athlete’s Village squeaks in just under the wire.

-John Furlong and the rest of the VANOC team prepare the city for the crowds.

When the time comes, Vancouverites are so fearful of traveling by car that the streets are near empty.

-Beautiful weather makes for excellent conditions down in the city.

Lack of snow on Cypress results in a convoy of trucks transporting snow from the interior to the local mountains.

-Venues shine with the colours of the Northwest.

Tragedy hits before the games even begin, as a Georgian luge competitor dies while practicing on the Whistler track.

-The Opening Ceremonies are a huge success, showcasing Canadian talent and large scale media theatrics.

Three out of four torches light.

-K.D. Lang sing “Hallelujah.”

Hedley lip synch.

-Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir steal our hearts and the gold in ice dance.

Dutch Speed Skater, Sven Kramer, makes a major lane mistake that costs him a medal. His coach is blamed.

-Canada’s women destroy their competitors in ice hockey and the men take it to overtime, with Sid the Kid ending the game for Canada.

Apart from a few speeches and Neil Young’s performance, the Closing Ceremonies were tragic.

"Long May We Run"

All and all, we here at Simmons feel the good well out weighed the bad. Fingers crossed that Sochi doesn’t pull it together on time and the games return to Vancouver. Just kidding. We’re sure the Russians will do a great job!

Simmons mattresses are a pleasure to sleep on. In a world of counterfeits and knock-offs, nothing beats a night on a pocket coiled Simmons. The masters of eliminating motion transfer, Simmons beds guarantee you and your loved one a sound sleep.

Well that is to say, ‘we guarantee a motionless sleep.’ All ’sounds’ that come from the two of you are your own. But we know that involuntary oral escapes can be a problem. Especially for the silent partner, the one who gets to enjoy the steam whistle every night.

For that lucky individual we have compiled a list of five snore remedies to try with your partner:

1. Ask your partner, in the nicest way possible, if they wouldn’t mind sleeping on their stomach. Sleeping on your back causes your throat to relax and block your airway.

2. Help or encourage your partner to butt-out. Smoking is one of the leading causes of snoring.

3. Use a humidifier to keep the air in your bedroom moist. Dry air can lead to a dry and irritable throat.

4. Ask your partner to try different throat exercises. Strengthening the muscles in your upper respiratory tract can help with the noise.

5. Try a new diet with your partner. Eating habits can directly affect your snoring. A diet of junk food leads to poor muscle tone and extra fatty tissue. Both of these contribute to snoring.

At least someone is sleeping...

*Nothing working. Time to talk to your doctor. Chances are he might recommend a Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) machine. This is a rather large commitment. Apart from being very pricey, the CPAP machine is fairly physically obtrusive in the bedroom. But if you can’t sleep…

Good luck with those tips. Try a few. And don’t worry. We’ll still keep on making quality beds for you to enjoy when that silent night finally comes.

And when we are standing at the gates, who will judge us?

Apparently Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez.

The two aging megastars will be joining Randy Jackson on the three person American Idol panel. The judges will be critiquing the talent of the lucky few who make it past the initial screening process. Ultimately, they decide who will continue in the competition, until it is left up to the voting public.

Both Tyler and Lopez are expected to show a softer degree of criticism. The plan is to move away from the opinionated bullying often shown by judges from earlier seasons. Tyler and J. Lo are hoping to provide encouragement and career advice to the young up-and-comers. So look forward to a more cheerful production.

Gone from this years judging line-up are Simon ‘Always Negative’ Cowell and Paula ‘Fully Crazy’ Abdul. Both Cowell and Abdul are moving on to promote and star in their own televised talent shows. Cowell will be working on his own version of Idol in the U.K. The show is known as “X-Factor” and follows relatively the same format as Idol. Abdul is producing and starring in “Live to Dance.”

The first episode of this season’s American Idol will air Wednesday, January 19.

American Idol Panel (Plus Ryan Seacrest)

Oh and Ryan Seacrest is back… Was there even a doubt?