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.
Nanaimo is quickly becoming the Mecca of education on Vancouver Island. With Malaspina’s transformation from a community college to Vancouver Island University, students from across the country are making the Harbour City their home.
The University has nursing programs, trade opportunities and one of the most respected Ed programs in the province.
But unfortunately, unlike many European countries, education comes at a price. This month scores of students will be looking for ways to pay their tuition, textbook and living expenses.
If you have a child who will be attending VIU or if you are planning to return to school, you may need to look beyond the usual student loan option. A Nanaimo second mortgage can aid you in your quest to come up with the funds.
A Nanaimo mortgage financing package is a viable option for paying for education costs. All that is needed for the loan is home equity.
If you own your home outright or have a current mortgage package, a Nanaimo mortgage credit loan can be yours with a quick five-minute application.
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.
This quirky little nonsense poem by Edward Lear inspired a Bill Manhoff’s Broadway hit that is now showing at the PAL Studio Theatre in Coal Harbour.
The play revolves around an odd relationship between a bookish writer, Felix, and a flirtatious actress, Doris. Through the course of the “Owl and the Pussycat,” the audience discovers the reasons why these two aspiring artists are failing to succeed at their dream professions. The work looks at identity and self-awareness.
Barbara Streisand played the role of Doris in the film adaptation, shot in 1970.
If you have never been to the PAL Theatre, the price of admission is worth the venue visit. Built on the 8th Floor of a residential tower on the North end of Cardero Street, the PAL theatre is an intimate setting that features a 120 seats, a floor to ceiling window of Lost Lagoon, a rooftop patio, and hardwood floor stage.
The show will run until September 3rd. Tickets may be purchased online for $20.
And hand in hand, on the edge of the sand,
They danced by the light of the moon, the moon, the moon,
The Pacific National Exhibition is back to close out summer with a bang. The fun started Saturday and continues until Monday, September 5th.
Poke around the agricultural exhibits, take in the hilarious and amazing antics of the Superdogs and watch the night sky light up with Pop City’s nightly pyro celebration. With tons of activities for families during the day, including family theatre, the nights belong to the musicians. The Summer Night Concerts series will host a different performer every night until the final show on Labour Day. This year’s big draw is Kenny Rogers on Monday, August 29th, the Annual Evening with Elvis on the 31st, hosted by the immortal Red Robinson and the “Pretty Woman” soundtrack makers, Wilson Phillips, on September 1st.
General admission is $20, but all children under 13 are free. VanCity (the bank) is also offering $5 admission for there customers on Wednesday, August 24th. Another way to save on admission costs is to come on August 27th. If you are the holder of a Whitecaps ticket, you will receive free entry into the fairgrounds.
For more information on the Pacific National Exhibition, visit their website or check out their smart phone daily schedule.
You wouldn’t think the airport would be a weekend destination spot, but YVR has other plans. This summer, experience ‘Take-Off Fridays’ at the Vancouver International Airport for games, family events a live DJ and multicultural mingling.
The final Friday event is August 27th. The fun starts around eight in the morning and wraps up around four at night. The festivities are spread out over both the domestic and international terminals.
Activities include face painting, dancing, food specials and the ‘money machine.’ The latter offers each contestant a chance to grab as many YVR bucks as they can. The catch: you need to grab them while standing in a closed wind cylinder. Each ‘buck’ you grab can be used towards purchasing items at stores around the airport.
The backdrop to this event are the finely carved and crafted First Nation artifacts that routinely offer travelers a glimpse at the beautiful history of the first West Coast peoples.
Come and enjoy the richness of YVR with the whole family. Your kids will love it and you will be reminded of how lucky we are to have such an amazing airport to welcome and bid farewell to travelers from all over the world.
Zimbabwe is a country with deep political problems. It’s economy has been suffering for more than a decade and personal freedoms have been being steadily reduced as its president for the last twenty years, Robert Mugabe, struggles to retain control. It is far from a safe region to visit.
This is a tragedy for art lovers around the world, as Zimbabwe is home to Africa’s finest stone sculptors. The word Zimbabwe actually means, ‘Great House of Stone’ in the Shona language.
Fortunately, many of the stone pieces being produced in the country are now part of a traveling exhibition that will be visiting Vancouver for the next month. The works are being shown at the VanDusen gardens. It is the only Canadian stop on the world tour.
Two of the artists behind the works, Passmore Mupindiko and Patrick Sephani, are giving daily lessons on stone art. The two artists are currently traveling with the stones and the exhibitions two curators, Vivienne and Joseph Croissette.
There is no extra cost to see the sculptures or to attend the daily stone workshops.
The Vancouver Art Gallery is currently hosting “The Colour of My Dreams: The Surrealist Revolution in Art.” The exhibition began in May and will run until September 25th. Simmons Mattress Gallery encourages you to inspire your own dreams by witnessing the amazing works on display at the VAG.
Surrealism was a reaction to Sigmund Freud’s investigation into the meaning of dreams. André Breton wrote the manifesto of the movement in 1924 and encouraged artists to create works that focused on the unconscious mind over perceived reality.
Part of the exhibition highlights the connection between Pacific Northwest First Nations art and the Surrealist movement. Apparently, many of the contributing artists looked to First Nations art for inspiration.
Kwakwaka’wakw Headdress from Alert Bay
Another theme of the exhibition is the influence of cinema. Still a relatively new medium in the early half of the 1900s, film was able to put images in motion and create a fluid canvas on which perspective could be manipulated. From avant-garde films to Charlie Chaplin, to Betty Boop, cinema created a fictional world that the surrealists saw as similar to their own artistic ambitions.
Artists on display include: Salvador Dali, Max Ernst, René Magritte, Alberto Giacometti and many more.
Looking for an educational activity for the family this weekend. All Discovery Walks is offering a interactive tour of one Stanley Parks secret bogs. The tour begins at Lost Lagoon at 1:30 and ends around 3:30.
Vancouver Community College Science Instructor, Maria Morlin will be hosting the walk that will focus on the role of bogs and wetlands in forest ecology.
This is an excellent opportunity to subtly get your children back into an academic setting. You may want to research the topic of bogs beforehand with your family, to get them thinking about the subject matter. While on the trail, encourage questioning by modeling. Maria will be happy to answer any questions you or children bring to light.
Educators might also want to take part, specifically those working with students in Grades 3 and 4. ‘Habitats and Communities’ is a big part of the Science curriculum for these grades. Maria’s tour may inspire you to organize your own forest walk in the fall.
If you do plan on attending, you may want to wear appropriate footwear. We suggest boots.
Tickets are $10 and may be purchased at the start of the tour.
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.
What could be more comfortable than a layer of 80 individual pocket coils? A double stack of coil on coil springs to ease your body onto. Add a 360° memory foam encasement and top it with a hi-loft pillow top and you have the finest Beautyrest mattress available in our showroom.
The Beautyrest Exceptionale series is the jewel in the Beautyrest line. It is designed to offer the most comfortable sleep imaginable. No other mattress comes close to the pampering offered by an Exceptionale mattress.
The stack begins with two layers of four-inch coils; that’s a full eight inches of support. The foam layer adds another three inches of cushioning. And the pillow top is half an inch. The total sum: eleven and a half inches of mattress heaven.
Add a Triton foundation, and your bed is suddenly a tower of clouds so soft and supportive, an angel would be envious.
If you feel you deserve the best mattress possible, select the Beautyrest Exceptionale mattress. It is comfort taken to the highest level.
On Friday, August 28th, the Malkin Bowl Summer Concert Series welcomes Ben Harper to Stanley Park. This is one of the most anticipated outdoor shows of the season. Tickets went on sale in May, but there are still some being sold online. If you see one show this summer, catch Ben Harper’s set in the park.
Harper is touring on his most recent album, Give Till it’s Gone. Like most of his previous works, the album contains a strong message of hope, mixed with the pain of life. Always spiritual, Harper’s tracks reverberate with healing and religious conviction. But even with their strong Christian message, Harper’s words attract a strong secular audience that can relate with the pain and joy of love’s handiwork.
If you have never heard Harper’s music, download Live from Mars. Standout tracks include “Please Bleed,” “Women in You” and the quintessential mix-tape track “Walk Away.”
Harper will be playing between the cedars and beneath the stars at the beautiful Malkin clearing. Bring a blanket and some friends and let the one-man choir receive your heart.
Before you come into shop for a new mattress at Simmons Mattress Gallery, it’s a good idea to compile a few notes on the specifics of what you will be looking for in your new bed. This will help the Simmons professionals suggest the perfect mattress for your needs.
Here is a list of questions you should consider:
1. What sort of sleeping position do you prefer? Do you sleep on your back, your side or on your stomach? Some mattresses are specifically designed for certain sleeping positions, so knowing which one you prefer helps with selection.
2. Do you have chronic back pain? Memory foam is an excellent addition for those suffering neck or back pain.
3. Do you and or your partner move around in your sleep? All of the Beautyrest models are made with non-flip pocket coils that help reduce motion transfer, but some are more sensitive than others.
4. What firmness do you prefer? Think about the most comfortable sleep you’ve had. Was the mattress extra firm or was it the softness that made it so cozy?
5. How much room do you have in your bedroom for your new mattress? You don’t want to buy a king size mattress if it will not fit in your room. Use a tape measure and record the dimensions you will need.
6. How much are you willing to spend? Figure out a budget beforehand. Knowing this number will help the mattress professional suggest mattresses within your price range.
Bring all these facts in with you when you visit one of our two locations. Make sure to sleep test at least five different mattresses in our showroom. Again, this will help you decide on what qualities you prefer.
A new baby can turn your sleeping schedule upside down. Finding ways to help your infant fall asleep at times that are suitable for you is a challenge. New research is showing that one of the best aids you can use is soothing noise. This calms the baby and encourages sleep.
The makers of baby related products have reacted to this research and have started producing high-end white noise machines. These little items might make great shower gifts, but for those mothers who don’t receive one, the cost can be a little excessive. Babies are an expensive enterprise and finding ways to cut down on costs is a necessity for new parents.
Good news! A new app for your android phone called Relax and Sleep Plus can play soothing sounds through the speaker in your phone for a fraction of what it would cost to buy a white noise machine. The app costs $2 and is available at the Android Marketplace.
The app lets you set how long you want the ambient noise to run. It also has a number of various sounds to choose from. You can mix them together, or have them play one after another. Examples of available sounds are: acoustic guitar, aquarium sounds, ocean and rainforest. There are also animal noises such as frogs and birds. The most bizarre option is the sound of wolves howling, for those Farley Mowat fans.
Consumer guides suggest setting the volume at a low level and keeping the phone well away from the sleeping infants head; the debate on cell phones and stimulating brain cancer is ongoing.
Another tip is to set your phone on airplane mode. You don’t want your infant interrupted by one of your friends calling or texting.
Unfortunately for iPhone users, this app is not currently available on Apple products. We’re sure they will make something similar in the coming months.
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 Canadian Open returns to Shaughnessy Golf and Country Club this weekend. Some of the best in the game have already arrived in Vancouver and sampled Shaughnessy’s grueling fairways.
The talk surrounding the course is that the rough is extremely thick. Many in the field believe the difficulty of the course will level the playing field.
“I would say this is probably one of the toughest or the toughest course I have ever played,” said Anthony Kim, former U.S. Open champion. “I don’t think it’s so much the golf course length or the way it’s strategically laid out, it’s just that the rough is six or seven inches deep and we’re hacking out sideways.”
The world’s No. 1-ranked golfer, Luke Donald will be trying to return to form, after missing the cut at last week’s British Open. Donald played the course on Wednesday and commented that the rough was an issue, but the length was the more daunting feature. “It’s been a long time since I’ve had that many yardages of 200 and over into a lot of these holes and the ball is going short.”
Whatever their gripe, the men will need all their clubs this weekend, not just their low irons and wedges.
The tournament concludes on Sunday at 3:00pm. Global, TSN and the Golf Chanel will be sharing the coverage.
Summer is the perfect time to curl up with a good read. You can spread out on the back lawn, take in the sun and be transported to the Manchurian plains. At night, while the cushioning coils of your Simmons support your lower body, you can flip through the new bestseller and walk the back alleys of nineteenth century London.
Finding an appropriate book, that won’t be a waste of time, can sometimes be a task. To aid you in this process, Simmons Mattress Gallery has two suggestions for summer reads.
1. Various Positions
Dance positions…
This is a novel by a Canadian author living in Toronto. With similarities to last years Oscar darling, Black Swan, Various Positions, explores the physical pressures and suppressed sexuality of the ballet world. Like Swan, the protagonist is a young girl striving to make an impression on the artistic stage. She falls in love with the artistic director, but decides to hide her feelings and focus on her craft – the one thing she can control.
2. The Help
Almost every book club in North America has added this title to their list. The Help is set in the 1960s, in Mississippi. It revolves around a young female writer who returns to her hometown around the time a law is set in place forbidding black workers (the help) from using the bathrooms of their employers. Skeeter, the protagonist, exposes the absurdity of this bill by writing a novel about the many essential services provided by the black women who raise the children of white families. The movie will be out on August 12th.
At home, the only people who have to deal with your nocturnal noises are your family and or your roommates. But what happens when you travel? Do the rest of the guests have to suffer through your snoring bouts, as the nasal noise reverberates around your room and out into the hall?
The Crowne Plaza hotel chain has created a room to minimize the effects of your snoring, so both you and your partner can enjoy a sound sleep. Anti-snoring pillows and white noise encourages your body to sleep quietly. With sound proofing on both the walls and headboards, noise that is made, is contained so that other patrons are unaffected.
Other popular hotel chains are implementing measures to identify and deter noisy sleepers. More than ten hotel chains in Europe and the Middle East are hiring night watchmen to act as snore patrollers. These men and women walk the halls and check for noise disruptions. When they find a culprit, they bang lightly on the door to wake the snorer, pulling him or her out of their slumber and temporarily relieving the noise.
The watchmen keep track of which patrons are being unintentionally disruptive. Like a medical annotation, your sleeping history follows you. After three disturbances, hotel staff can suggest an area of the hotel where noise is permitted.
Back home, on your Vancouver mattress, you can be as loud as you like; or as loud as your partner permits.
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.
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.
“If you wish to be a success in this world, promise everything, deliver nothing.”
-Napoleon Bonaparte
Napoleon was a man of infinite energy who made alliances with those he needed and crushed those he didn’t. The ‘Little Corporal’ was a terrier when it came to diplomacy, constantly hustling, solidifying his power in the name of Revolutionary France. His battle strategies are still being studied in military academies around the world for the innovation.
But where did all this energy come from? The answer: naps.
Napoleon could fall asleep anywhere, in any condition; some attribute this ability to be linked to his over the top self-confidence. A quick catnap and the pint-sized leader could be up and ordering troops within minutes. During battle, his naps allowed him to go days without a full night’s sleep. At the end of a siege, Napoleon could sleep up to eighteen hours to bring himself back up to speed.
Would this be considered a healthy lifestyle? No. But it does illustrate the power of a quick bit of shut-eye.
In our modern world, napping is a curious topic. We often partake in naps to make-up for the sleep we missed the night before. A short nap can give us the energy we need to finish our day’s work. A longer nap can cause us to be anxious and interfere with our regular sleep schedule.
Using naps to the degree Napoleon did is ill advised. Using a nap instead of an afternoon coffee, is much more reasonable.
A new study, produced by Christopher Barnes of Virginia Tech. University and published in the Harvard Business Review, suggests that individuals who have their sleep reduced by thirty minutes or more a night are more likely to cheat on work related issues.
The study was conducted with a control group and a sleep deprived set. The study asked volunteers to report their scores on different tests they were given. The higher test scores were rewarded a larger monetary prize than the lower ones. The incentive to cheat was there, but the number of individuals who actually fudged their numbers to increase their financial advantage was much higher from the sleep-deprived set.
The study defends a theory that managers who push their employees to work overtime may be doing their company a disservice.
The best thing you could do for your staff is to help them keep their working hours to an eight-hour day. Showing them more effective ways to work is much more productive than having them work increased hours.
If it is imperative you push them, why not offer a new mattress as a perk at the end of the month. They deserve it.
Simmons Mattress Gallery professionals are always being asked the same age-old question: “How do I fall asleep at night when my body won’t turn off?”
Are answer always starts with a question: “What kind of mattress are you sleeping on?” After suggesting a switch to an ultra-comfortable Beautyrest, we widen our advice to include a few tips that have been passed down to us from our many satisfied customers.
One tip is specifically formulated for those nights when you have an important business meeting or presentation the following day.
Our anxious nature occasionally inhibits our mind from slipping into a state of unconsciousness. For those nights when we are consumed by the pressure of our work, we offer this tip:
Don’t lie in bed trying in vain to fall asleep. Get off your mattress, go to your desk or kitchen table and take out a pen and paper. Do not work on the computer; that will just add more distractions. Write out everything you will be doing the following day. Include all the details you can think of. If need be, include a timeline.
With that done, return to bed and switch your brain from logical functioning to creative. Imagine a picture or scene and place yourself in it. Let your mind relax and drift away.
When plumbing problems occur, it’s often not the pipes or the plumbing work itself that is costly; it’s the collateral damage.
If the pipes to your kitchen, after years of use, suddenly burst while you are at work, it could be hours before you are alerted to the problem and shutoff the main water line. During that time, your hardwood floor could undergo irreparable injury.
With water gushing freely, gravity could lead a stream out of your kitchen and down your stairs. You could arrive home to an unanticipated indoor pool in your rec room.
The expense to take care of these problems will be far greater than the cost of the plumbing bill. You will also have to deal personally with the cleanup.
A better solution is to have your pipes routinely checked and serviced by a Vancouver plumber.
Hiring a Campbell Care professional will help ensure you never return home to a burst water line. Their upfront pricing will show exactly what you are paying for. All our work is 100% satisfaction guaranteed.
With a consistent maintenance package, you will never have to pay the ridiculous fees that come with collateral damage.
Two weeks ago, we posted a story on Randy Gardner, the official Guinness record holder for the number of consecutive hours without sleep. The young man attempted the feat as part of a science experiment.
Since writing that article, Simmons Mattress Gallery has received a number of emails about other famous insomniacs.
One story that stood out from the others was the story of Peter Tripp. Tripp was a disc jockey, who in 1959, stayed awake for 201 hours as part of a promotional stunt for a New York radio station. The stunt took place in a glass booth in Times Square.
Unlike Gardner, Tripp used pharmaceutical stimulants to stay awake. Doctors, who should have known better, supplied these.
By the fifth day of the stunt, witnesses claim Tripp took on a crazed look. He began to hallucinate, claiming to see kittens and mice scurrying around the makeshift studio. He also became spooked when a man in a trench coat visited. Tripp believed the man to be an undertaker and ran out into the street in fear. He was dragged back to his turntables.
The stunt was successful in raising money for the March of Dimes, a charity whose mission is to promote the health of young infants. Tripp’s health, however, declined after the stunt. Years later, he would complain of recurring headaches and emotional instability.
We think a car wash would have been a much healthier fundraiser.
In a province where you can ski the slopes in the morning, golf in the afternoon and spend the evenings on the beach, BC residents know that a comfortable mattress is an essential element to a busy day of west coast fun-and-play.
With the variety of activities that fill our waking hours, it is nice to have a consistent reliable mattress to collapse on when the sun finally sets.
Simmons Mattress Gallery has been providing BC residents with quality beds and exceptional service for years. In the last seven, we have distinguished ourselves from the competition by achieving the Consumer Choice Award for mattress store.
We are proud to carry all the top models from the Simmons Beautyrest line, a mattress series defined by the revolutionary non-flip pocket coil.
These are the profound words offered by James Maas, Ph.D., coauthor of Sleep for Success! Like eating right and getting adequate exercise, the hours you spend asleep are critical for the maintenance of a healthy lifestyle.
When we are behind on our sleep, we often neglect our healthy habits. We start making poor choices due to our fatigue.
These poor choices could include missing various appointments for physical activity. This can have a snowball effect and before we know it, two months have passed since we’ve made a trip to the gym.
With a lack of sleep comes a lack of energy to prepare nutritious food. Instead of making a stir-fry and a summer salad, we hit A&W for a double teen burger and onion rings. Poor choices…
We also suddenly crave quick hits of caffeine to keep our mental activity alert. Again, this has a compounding effect. The crash is inevitable.
To avoid this dangerous cycle, make time for at least seven hours a night. The necessity, not the luxury.
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).
Does the name Randy Gardner mean anything to you? What about the number 264?
If you’re not an insomniac, Guinness record holder enthusiast or sleep analyst, they probably don’t mean much. But 264 is the number of consecutive hours Randy Gardner stayed awake in 1964. His tally still holds the world record, although, a few individuals have since claimed to have broken it.
Gardner was seventeen at the time of his ill-advised experiment. He attempted the feat as part of a science fair experiment. Two of his fellow students kept him awake with activities from television to basketball.
Dr. William C. Dement, a scientist from Stanford University, who was intrigued by the young man’s experiment, supervised Gardner’s record. Dement claimed that Gardner only suffered moodiness and a slight loss of concentration.
Dement’s findings, however, are contrary to the behaviour documented by Gardner’s health monitor, Lt. Cmdr. John J. Ross. Ross maintains that Gardner suffered multiple hallucinations, symptoms of paranoia, and short-term memory loss.
In one experiment, Gardner was asked to subtract seven repeatedly, starting with 100. Gardner got to 65 and promptly forgot what the task was. This was on the fourth day.
Other standout incidents include hallucinating that a signpost was a person, believing that he was a college football pro and forgetting how to speak.
After the initial party on April 6th, Vancouver is planning a summer festival in Stanley Park to continue our city’s 125th birthday celebration. ‘Summer Live’ will take place over three days – July 8, 9, 10. The festival will showcase a number of artists, including an impressive line-up of local musicians.
The music will be the big draw of the weekend, with The New Pornographers, Said the Whale and Mother Mother sharing a stage. Local singer songwriter, Dan Mangan, will also play, along with the collective sound of Vancouver’s Symphony Orchestra.
Admission is free and the organizers promise that the event will be family friendly.
Party in the Park
The city chose Stanley Park as the site of the festival because of its beautiful setting, picnic capacity and its history with Vancouver’s city council.
Fact: The area of land now known as Stanley Park was delegated park space at the first Vancouver city council meeting in 1886.
There will also be a sports day like atmosphere, with hilarious relay races.
So don’t plan any getaways during the second weekend in July. You’ll want to stay home and enjoy this one with the rest of your fellow Vancouverites.
Fans of the UFC might be sad to learn that Brock Lesnar has pulled out of the main-event fight for UFC 131 in Vancouver. Lesnar was set to battle Junior Dos Santos, but the heavyweight star has fallen ill, due to a digestive disease known as diverticulitis.
This is the second time the disease has sidelined the big man. In 2009, Lesnar was scheduled to fight Shane Carwin at UFC 106, but pulled out. It was later explained that the heavyweight star was suffering from the above-mentioned intestinal disorder.
Lesnar was quoted as saying: “There isn’t a fight in this world that’s more important than my health.” Lesnar is considering surgery for a second time to deal with the illness.
With his health in limbo, one thing is certain – Lesnar will not be flying to Canada for his medical treatment. Lesnar has openly-criticized Canada’s health care system after receiving emergency treatment at a hospital in rural Manitoba.
Vancouver MMA fans will still be treated to a show on June 11th. Dana White has now booked Shane Carwin to fight Dos Santos at Rogers Arena.
The Queen of pop, Rihanna, has released a brand new video on a subject close to our hearts. Rihanna’s new single, “California King Bed,” details the relationship between two lovers who, even though they share a bed, are separated by an emotional distance.
The red-haired singer laments, “It feels like more than distance between us / In this California king bed / We’re 10,000 miles apart.”
In the video, directed by Anthony Mandler, Rihanna is seen lying in bed with a muscular model. As the song progresses, the bed widens and a physical separation appears between the couple.
Ironically, a California King, the largest mattress in the Simmons Beautyrest line, is four inches longer, not wider, than a regular king size mattress. Our Simmons’ mattress professionals recommend this mattress for individuals taller than 6’’.
The Barbados pop star measures in at 5′9”, a height that probably does not require the extra four inches in length. Our suggestion for Rihanna, go with a Queen size. It will bring you and your significant other closer and still allow for extended, after-hours play.
We understand her choice though, as ‘California king’ works more effectively as a symbol for her conflict and her lover.
The official video was released on Monday, May 9th. The single, we’re sure, will be the radio hit of the summer, adding to the list of hits that Rhianna’s Loud album has already generated.
Vancouverites will be able to see the singer live when she performs two sold out shows in June. We already have our tickets. Fingers crossed she encores with “California King Bed.”
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Are you looking for a unique theatrical experience that will arouse your senses, bring you to tears with laughter and inspire your passions at home? Of course you are!
This week, our city hosts the Vancouver International Burlesque Festival. For three nights, international stars will join the performers of Vancouver’s growing burlesque scene on two different stages.
On May 5th and 6th the show will take place at the Rickshaw theatre. There will be three performances each night, with single and ensemble acts.
On May 7th, the action moves to the Vogue Theatre. This night will include a long line-up of stars that will perform from 8:00 on.
If you are curious about the burlesque artistry and would like to get involved as a participant, there are workshops being offered on Saturday May 7th at the Chicken Coop at 2280 East Hastings. Tickets are $20 per class. There are three classes being offered at this location along with a make-up class at the Prophouse Café.
General Admission seats for the nightly performances are $20. There is also the option to purchase tickets at fourteen VIP tables.
So pull out your fans and your fishnets and take in some sultry theatre at the 6th Annual Vancouver International Burlesque Festival.
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.
This year, Simmons is introducing Smart Response Technology to their traditional pocket coil mattress. This revolution in design took the existing Beautyrest model that customers have appreciated for years and improved on it.
The Smart Response functions like two springs balanced on top of each other. The top half of the single spring is tapered to conform to the sleeper’s shape. The lower half of the spring is more rotund, offering support and the traditional motion separation that Simmons’ customers have come to appreciate. The new shape provides consumers with an undisturbed rest and a durable bed that will last for years.
These new springs can be found in Simmons’ new line of the Beautyrest NxG mattresses and our Beautyrest Elite collection.
Come in and try one this week. Your upgrade to Smart Response technology will affect your night’s sleep immediately.
A Simmons mattress is a quality product. We have built our company name for over a hundred years making beds for families across North America. When customers see our brand, they know they are buying a dependable product that offers the industry’s highest level of comfort.
But we aren’t the only ones with a Simmons moniker. There are three individuals in the entertainment industry that share our famous surname.
There is Russell Simmons; a legend in the hip-hop community for his co-founding of Def Jam records. Russell is also the brother of legendary hip-hop star ‘Run’ Simmons, from Run-D.M.C.
There is Gene Simmons; the mighty tongue from Kiss and failed Celebrity Apprentice star. Gene may have seen a lot of different beds in his lifetime, but we highly doubt he had any hand in creating them.
And of course there is Richard Simmons; the pint sized personal trainer with a fondness for AM radio favourites. See the video below for one of the funniest TV moments ever recorded.
Simmons Mattress Gallery is proud to share our name with these three men and we feel honoured that many of you think of mattresses first whenever you hear the Simmons name.
The Demon
You can rock’n'roll all night, but eventually you’ll gladly return to your Simmons pocket coils.
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.
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.
The Waldorf Hotel has seen a resurgence in recent years, becoming the place to be seen for young hipsters around town. The redone Tiki lounge is the main attraction, serving pineapple swirly-strawed girly drinks alongside PBR’s.
Last week, the hotel added another hat to its already crowded rack. The latest enterprise, by the rejuvenated Vancouver landmark, is a film series being shown every Wednesday. The title of the series is “Vancouver Sometimes Plays Itself.” The weekly series will feature films shot in Vancouver between 1964-1988, the years before the X-Files got its claws in the Vancouver Film Industry.
The weekly MC will be the series creator, Elvy Del Bianco. Bianco will introduce each film explaining the areas where it was shot along with relevant history and trivia. Bianco will also be joined by a number of guest speakers including UBC professor Tom Scholte.
The films will be shown every Monday night. Last week’s feature was “Sweet Substitute.” This week will be “Explosion.” The following week is “That Cold Day in the Park,” a Robert Altman sexual thriller.
The series wraps on Monday, June 13th with the film “The Squamish Five.”
Maybe a stockbroker? Dealing with millions of dollars in stock each day would have to be ulcer inducing. You’re up, you’re down, you’re gambling with other people’s money. A whole company’s fortune could be lost in a day if you mess up.
What about a journalist? You would constantly be required to come up with new stories even when there was no ‘news’. Always under the gun…lawsuits pending…no job security…
How about the personal assistant to Naiomi Campbell? No explanation needed.
Well, the most stressful job, according to most surveys done around the world is air traffic controller. With dozens of planes circling some major airports, traffic controllers are responsible for literally thousands of lives at any given second. They can earn between $57,000 and $123,000 per year. The stress can lead to shorter careers than a NFL defensive lineman.
Shockingly, there have been a number of recent cases of these highly stressed individuals falling asleep on the job. Maybe they can’t fall asleep at night, due to their fear of accidently bringing down a jumbo jet. Whatever the case, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration has issued new rules to prevent any further cases. Along with other measures, traffic controllers are now guaranteed one extra hour between shifts.
For the safety of millions of airline passengers around the world, we really believe these highly stressed workers should be finding their rest on the best mattresses possible; Simmons mattresses. Sleeping on a Simmons allows you to wake in the morning after enjoying a full night of undisturbed sleep.
If you’re finding you are losing sleep to stress, try a Simmons. We guarantee results.
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.
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.
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.
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.
It’s official, the Canucks are the President’s Trophy champions. Currently holding 113 points they have the best record of any team in the National Hockey League.
Their remaining games are inconsequential. All they have left to play for is pride and statistics.
The Sedins have never been hotter, Luongo is clearly in the zone and the injured winter soldiers are slowly returning to the line-up.
Daniel has a firm grip on the scoring title with 102 points, Henrik is leading the league in assists with 74, and Luongo has the most wins with 38. Hamhuis should be back in the line-up this weekend after his second concussion this season and Samuelson has already started skating with the club. Alexander Edler could also see action by the end of the week, in time for the final game of the season against the Calgary Flames.
With the Western Conference still in limbo, it could take until Sunday for the Canucks to know whom they will face in the opening round. A loss to Calgary on Saturday could set the stage for Vancouver to ultimately face their old rivals from Alberta.
More than likely, our boys will be matched against the Blackhawks, the team that has secured our quick exit from the playoffs for the past two years. However, a series win against Chicago could be the perfect catalyst for a push to the finals.
No matter what the match-up, the Canucks are ready and willing.
(Sorry, we’re a little selfish. But like the rest of you who cursed that goal post in 94, we believe our city deserves this and we want to be there for the celebration!)
If you happened to go for a beach stroll along English Bay last Friday morning, you may have noticed some extra “wrapping” around some of Vancouver’s public sculptures. Five figures were wrapped with plastic ribbon to announce the sad, expected departure, of the 40 pieces of public art involved in the Vancouver Biennale outdoor exhibit. The ribbon was labeled with the phrase, ”It’s not the same without sculpture.” The situational irony is heavy, as Vancouverites will have to say goodbye to a number of massive sculptures that shared their community for the last two years.
Commissioned for the years surrounding the Olympics, the Biennale art added a sense of humour and fun to a city that has often been lacking in both of these areas. The project reflected cultural influences from around the world by using the work of 37 artists from 15 different countries. The pieces lined our beaches, sat in public parks and spoke to us from the sidewalk.
Now with the project timeline coming to a close, the sculptures that many of us enjoyed on a daily basis are being auctioned off. The proceeds, collected from the sale of the current figures, will finance future projects, educational packages and artists in residence programs.
Simmons Mattress Gallery’s three favourite pieces from the first round of sculptures were:
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!
At Simmons Mattress Gallery, we deal with royalty on a daily basis. Kings, Queens, we work with them all. Of course we’re talking about mattress sizes.
But what about the actual royal figures around the world? How many kings are still wielding power out there? What countries still have a royal patriarch as their leader. Well, we did a little research and this week we thought we would share with our readers some of the most noteworthy Kings still ruling in the 21st Century. Of the forty-four monarchies still operating in the world, here are some of the most influential men still holding on to the title of King:
1. Mohammed VI – King of Morocco
-Mohammed has held the throne since 1999. A forward thinker and a progressive Muslim, the King has sought to end poverty in his country through reforms and job creation. Mohammed also created a new family code that gave women more rights.
2. Harald V – King of Norway
-Harald has very little power as a ruler, but enjoys all the pomp and historical prestige that comes with being king. He is also an avid sailor. His crew won the World Championship in 1987.
3. Bhumibol Adulyadej – King of Thailand
-Bhumibol is probably the richest monarch living today. In 2010, Forbes estimated his wealth at over $30 billion US. Fact: Bhumibol holds the world record for the most honorary degrees with 136.
4. Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud – King of Saudi Arabia
-Abdullah is one of the oldest reigning monarchs at 87. He topped the list of the 500 Most Influential Muslims in 2009 and again in 2010. A powerful friend to the United States, Abdullah was the leading gift giver to the Obama family, donating over $300,000 in jewelry, artifacts and rare books.
5. Mswati III – King of Swaziland
-Mswati was made King at 18. He is worth over $200 million US. With a love for the ladies, Mswati has 13 wives. Do you think they each get a king size bed?
So we covered the Kings pretty well, but what about all the Queens? How many royal ladies are currently holding power in the world? Do they sleep on King size mattresses? Well we couldn’t come up with that information, but we did find a little info on a few of the world’s most powerful women:
1. Elizabeth II – Queen of the United Kingdom
-She is all over our money and for many Canadians, an important link back to European ancestry. Elizabeth is wort $650 million US. She is currently 84 years old and a mother of four. She is head of the Commonwealth
2. Beatrix Wilhelmina Armgard – Queen of Netherlands
-Beatrix may not be Queen for much longer. It is rumoured that she may step down to make room for her son, Willem-Alexander. Her net worth is in the 300 milion US$ range. Fact: It is illegal to quote any statement that Beatrix utters. This law was put in place shortly after her inauguration. (Maybe she stutters? Geoffory Rush might be able to help her.)
3. Margaret II – Queen of Denmark
-Margaret is the first Danish monarch to be female. She has ruled since 1972. Margaret is fluent in Danish, English, French, Swedish and German. She is an established painter and costume designer. She also is said to have a strong addiction for nicotine. This is very evident on her teeth. You think a Queen could afford a better dentist.
4. Oprah Winfrey – Queen of American Media
-Well not quite royalty, Oprah is the reigning leader of a commercial empire that has its fingers in almost every form of media there is. She was the world’s first black billionaire and is rated by many to be the most powerful woman in the world. An endorsement from Oprah is more valuable than a 30 second Super Bowl spot, 2 million YouTube views or top spot on Google. But like the rest of us, she puts her pants on one leg at a time. She also needs a good eight hours of sleep each night to keep her head in the game.
“Think like a Queen. A queen is not afraid to fail. Failure is another steppingstone towards greatness.” – Oprah
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.
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.
When a couple move in together, they often stumble upon the issue of a new mattress. ‘What size should I get, what firmness, what make?’ These are all important questions to consider, especially if you consider you will spend the majority of your time together sleeping on your new bed.
Well let’s tackle the last question first. ‘What make,’ that’s a no-brainer: Simmons. They make the most comfortable, durable, technologically sound mattresses in the business. With their non-flip pocket coil springs, a Simmons mattress will also limit the amount of motion transfer between sleeping partners. Rest easy and undisturbed on a Simmons.
The firmness question is a little more difficult. Try the different firmness ratings at your nearest Simmons Mattress Gallery. Try to compromise on a bed that is somewhere in between your ideal compression. If you both enjoy the same level, you’re set!
Then there is the question of size. Twins are out of the question. You want to be close, but some nights you’ll need your space. Especially when your partner has a cold. King size? You still want to be close enough to spoon. The perfect solution: a queen. A Vancouver queen size mattress will give you just enough space, while still offering an intimate sleeping surface.
Come down to one of the two Simmons Mattress Gallery locations in Vancouver to find your queen.
What’s the hottest team in Vancouver right now? Ok, the Whitecaps have won one game and yes it was impressive, but the hottest team is definitely the Vancouver Canucks.
With a 105 points, our boys are leading the league in points. THE LEAGUE!!! And who’s guiding that ship? Our very own Swedish twins, Henrik and Daniel.
The twins are hotter than a Cajun cookout. Henrik, last years Hart and Art Ross trophy winner, is leading the league in assists by a hefty margin. Our captain is also third in the NHL in points. Daniel is the league’s top offensive producer with 95 points. He is also second in goals behind Steven Stamkos. Never have two brothers dominated the league in such a manner. Thank god they play for us.
But with all the talk centering on Henrik and Daniel, we here at Simmons think another set of twins should get their fair share of time in the spotlight. Can you guess what we’re going to say next? Yes, exactly, twin mattresses. Twins are perfect for small college dorm rooms, spare rooms and couples that may need separate beds to receive a full nights rest. Spatially, they are amazing. Comfort wise, they offer the patented Beautyrest, non-flip pocket coils, that make every Simmons mattress a dream to sleep on. They also come at a considerably lower price than a king or a queen size mattress.
They may not originate in Sweden, but a Simmons twin is just as remarkable. When the playoffs start in April, rest up for the big games on your own twin. Head into a Simmons Mattress Gallery location to pick up your twin today.
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.
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.
Dreams. They come to us at night while we sleep soundly. They float into our minds while we spend the day doing simple tasks. They infect our soul and force us to face the question: “What if?”
But for many, these questions, brought on by dreams, are stifled with the so-called ‘realistic advice’ of friends or family members. This is discouraging.
Dreams come to us because we know there is a better way to live, to enjoy each day, to find employment and to act on our passions. Don’t be discouraged by others. And never settle for average.
John Maxwell, a leadership author, claims, “being exceptional demands extra effort, sustained inspiration and uncommon discipline.” Fulfilling our dreams is never easy. So be prepared to fight for them. Your soul will thank you.
In times like these, a little laughter is good for the soul. This week Ryan Kesler was providing Canuck fans with just that.
The athletic jokester was the key element in a montage video released by the Canucks. The video featured interviews with players from Vancouver’s team. The common thread between the interviews was Kesler’s appearance in the background.
In some of the tapes he is simply walking around shirtless, staring at the camera. In others, he is pranking the player being interviewed. The young American star asks Raffi Torres if he would like any pizza. In an interview with Cory Schneider, Kesler dons Luongo’s mask and walks into frame, testing the will of the interviewers themselves. In another, he skirts by with a popped collar and aviator shades.
Cluster Bomb
The collage video was added on Friday and was a viral sensation before the weekend was out. Kesler added to the hype on Saturday, when he appeared in a Daniel Sedin interview, slowly rising from behind the Swedish star.
Kesler has referred to his cameo technique as ‘videobombing.’
Good to know the Canucks are so loose heading into the playoff stretch.
The Westender Magazine has just published its annual Best of the City reader’s choice awards. From dining, to shopping, to health and fitness, the results are in and some of them are a little surprising.
In the people section, Mayor Gregor Robertson seems to be in every category. He’s third in the Most Wonderful Vancouverite category behind David Suzuki and our timeless captain Trevor Linden. He’s first in the Most Trustworthy Politician, in front of Spencer Chandra Herbert and ‘None’. But Robertson is also second in Most Spectacular Failure and second again in Biggest Windbag. Conflicting messages from the voters…
The city’s new bike lanes also seemed to be a dividing issue, with people either loving or hating them. The bike lanes won Best Use of Taxpayer’s Money and also came first in Worst Use of Taxpayer’s Money. The lanes also won Most Spectacular Failure, ahead of the wonderful HST.
Clear favourites in the foody section were Tojos for Chef and Japanese and surprisingly, the White Spot, which showed up on a number of the categories for casual fare.
We were a little surprised that Mattress Store was left off the list. We know it’s not nice to brag, but we’re pretty sure Simmons Mattress Gallery would have received top honours.
Interested in the historical past of many of Vancouver’s most prominent streets and sites. There is an excellent book out in publication called “Namely Vancouver.” It is written by Tom Snyders, with the help of Jennifer O’Rourke. The book is organized alphabetically and lists almost all of Vancouver’s street names and neighbourhoods. Each entry includes the origin of the name and when possible, a brief history of the site. You can flip through and look up different street names you’ve always wondered about, or look up all the areas you ever lived, or just start on page one and work your way through. Some of the entries are a little dense with their historical references, but the real gems are the stories that Snyder includes.
Jericho (Beach) – Named after Jeremiah (Jerry) Rogers, Jericho was once a thriving logging camp. Jerry ran the camp and according to Snyders, treated his employees with dignity and provided fair wages. The camp was given the nickname Jerry’s Cove. It seems that over time, maybe through slurred after work libations, the name morphed into Jericho. Jerry would later become a justice of the peace.
Jericho Beach (Looking Towards Downtown Vancouver)
Wreck (Beach) – This popular nudist spot is named after the man-made breakwater that was built in 1928 using three log barges, a floating grain elevator, four former U.S. World War I freighters and an ore carrier.
Broadway (Home to Simmons Mattress Gallery) – 9th Avenue was changed to Broadway in May of 1909, in hopes that the area would take on a New York Broadway kind of feel. The name change was also instituted to encourage American investment in the area.
“Namely Vancouver” is published by Arsenal Pulp Press
One of the most alluring aspects of Vancouver is our dedication to the Arts. All around our city, there are indoor and outdoor installations featuring the work of local artists. From the public statues erected for the Olympic year, to small galleries on Granville Island, to the always-inspiring work of Bill Reid at the Museum of Anthropology, Vancouver is proud to display the talents of Canadian artists.
One of the smaller galleries that is making a name for itself for its historical and cultural exhibits is The Pendulum Gallery. The Pendulum is located at the base of the HSBC tower. It is a seven story, glass-covered atrium, created with the help of the City of Vancouver to promote cultural and historical exhibitions.
Last month, the Pendulum showed a photography exhibit titled “Swedes in B.C.,” which documented the life of Swedish immigrants.
This month, the gallery will be showing the work of Taizo Yamamoto. Yamamoto has produced an exhibition of intricate drawings titled “Shopping Carts and Recent Drawings.” The works present artifacts and single subject sketches of downtown life. The shopping carts are presented as still lifes, a vehicle holding the possessions and survival instruments of absent figures. The detail is truly amazing and worth the trip downtown.
So come out and support the work of local artists. You will walk away with a new appreciation for your own community and the projects it inspires.
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.
Were you enamored by Kurt Warner’s dance moves away from the huddle? Does Marry Murphy’s scream move you to tears? Maybe it’s time to take in the real thing.
The Vancouver International Dance Festival begins on Tuesday and runs until the 19th of March. Professionals from all over the world will be strutting their stuff on the Roundhouse Stage and the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts.
There will be daily performances and Artist Talks where fans can interact with the performers and learn more about their craft.
This year’s line-up includes:
EDAM (Vancouver)
Yvonne Pouget (Germany)
Trial & Eros / Deborah Dunn (Montreal)
SiNS Dance (Halifax)
Cruceta Flamenco (Spain)
Marc Boivin / Ichigo-Ichieh (Montreal / Nelson)
Kokoro Dance / Vancouver Symphony Orchestra (Vancouver)
battery opera (Vancouver)
The Source (Vancouver)
Arts Umbrella (Vancouver)
Khambatta Dance Company (USA)
T42 (Swizerland / Japan)
Tickets can be purchased in advance at the Festival Website. A number of the performances are free with the $3 VIDF annual membership card.
The festival has been in operation since 2000, with performances and workshops being offered around Vancouver.
Mattresses can’t change the world – They make it easier to sleep at night.
Mattresses offer us layers of cushiony comfort. They provide a surface to share with our loved one (so we can spend our nocturnal hours closer than our waking ones). They are the setting for breakfast in bed, afternoon naps, late night movies and page-turning novel sessions. They are the stage on which, most of us, were conceived. They are the most used piece of furniture in our homes; thanklessly chosen every night to hold our weight. And they do it without protest.
Mattresses are not filled with blood, they cannot scream when they are oppressed and they will never fill entire city squares in solidarity. They will never topple a government. They will never die for simple basic rights. They will never change the world. The only ones who have that power are the men and women who seek them out for rest.
Egypt Shows The World The Power of the People
Mattresses offer us a comfortable place to spend our nights.
What do you wear to bed on a nightly basis? Simmons Mattress Gallery wants to know.
Each one of us has a certain bedtime uniform that we feel the most comfortable in after-hours. Some of us retire to our bed wearing half of what we wore that day. Others spend each night in pajamas. Others still, sleep in boxers and a t-shirt.
Feeling sexy? There is always that lingerie at the back of your sock drawer. Feel like a fabric hug? Pull out the hoodie from College. Cold feet? Those wool socks you bought for skiing in 2007 are great!
And then some of us feel the most comfortable with nothing on. Commando!
Simmons Mattress Gallery would like to conduct a poll of what the majority of British Columbians wear to bed. Join our Facebook group and post your answers on our wall. Following us on Twitter? Send us a message or @mention us on your own feed. Just give us a brief description of what you wear on a regular night when you go to sleep.
Feel like doing some mattress shopping in your nightly garbs? Bring them down, change in the back and try out some of the finest beds in the business in your most comfortable evening attire. We won’t judge.
For the fifth year in a row, Vancouver has been voted the most livable city in the world! The poll was conducted by the Economist Intelligence Unit. The group uses three broad categories to make its decision: stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education and infrastructure. Vancouver received a perfect rating of 100 in the categories of healthcare, education and culture and environment.
The second place finisher, just 2.3 percentage points below Vancouver, was Auckland New Zealand.
But what would Vancouverites say when asked ‘what makes us the best’? They would probably mention the cleanliness of our city, the mild weather, the security (you can basically walk down any street and feel comfortable), the dining options, the Olympics, the proximity to the mountains, the transit and bike lanes, the parks (Stanley being the jewel) and the people.
There is an infinite number of reasons why Vancouver is such an amazing place to live, but we like to think it’s the mattress shopping. Simmons Mattress Gallery has been providing quality beds and professional advice to Lower Mainland residents for years. This service has sent thousands of citizens off to work well rested and happy with their lives. We’re not saying we did it all, but we certainly played a part.
Tossing and turning with a basketball glued to your stomach is a difficult task!
Simmons Mattress Gallery would like to make your pregnancy more comfortable. A quality spring mattress with a memory foam top is just the thing for finding the ideal sleeping conditions during your nine months of growth.
A Simmons non-flip pocket coil mattress will keep you properly supported through the entire night. With individual springs, your mattress will respond to your movements with soft fingers of compression. The coils will reduce motion transfer, so your partner can sleep through the night as well.
For an extra layer of comfort on top of your springs, take the memory foam option. Nothing moulds to your changing figure quite like memory foam.
You may find that you will require additional firmness at points during your pregnancy. Just remove the foam top and store it carefully in an elevated area of your closet.
One thing you definitely don’t want to invest in is a waterbed. Though the idea of floating while sleeping may seem intriguing, waterbeds do not supply nearly enough support for pregnant women. They can also be dangerously hard to get out or off of. Stay away from the 80’s fad and live in the present with the latest innovations from Simmons.
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.
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.
Watching the Black Eyed Peas perform at the Super Bowl this last weekend was painful. What were the producers thinking? Maybe they went a week without sleep, and sometime during the wee hours of the eighth night, an intern from the back of the room suggested a ‘Tron’ theme, “Well, I guess if there are no other ideas, we go with that.” And sure enough, they did.
But, after a few rehearsals and light checks, they thought, ‘maybe we can bring this up a notch. Add some grit.’ And who knows, maybe it was that same intern from the back, that in a soft voice suggested; “We could always hire Slash to join the Peas on stage. I’m sure he would love to do a version of “Sweet Child of Mine” with Fergie.” And with that, an epic disaster was set in motion.
Throw in a little Usher, some terrible choreography, a blinking suit on one of the two insignificant Peas and top it off with Fergie’s hesitant, sloppy, out of tune vocals and you have a halftime show you wish you could forget.
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.
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.
Every night you enjoy the comfort of your Beautyrest NxG series mattress. Its advanced memory foam crowns the already cushioning cradle of non-flip pocket coils. With an ultra 360° foam encasement, it has a surface sleeping area that goes right to the edge of your bed. It is a mattress to come home to. A mattress to wake up on. A mattress that inspires each new day.
But while the NxG can guarantee you an undisturbed sleep, sometimes your schedule does not allow you to spend the optimal 8 hours in its comfortable womb.
Yes, we know you’ve been working rather hard these last few months. But thank goodness you have those two vacation weeks coming up. An all-inclusive resort in Jamaica?!? You’ll be sure to catch up on your sleep there.
Or will you?
Our advice. Be pro-active. Call ahead and find out what sort of mattress you will be spending your vacation nights on. Ask to speak to the hotel manager and find out what brands they use and how old the beds are. If you’re not happy with the answers, it may not be too late to change hotels. If rebooking is not an option, explain to the manager that your nocturnal comfort is extremely important. You might want to name drop the bed you lie on every night. That will get his attention. If all else fails, and you’re up for a little white lie, tell him you work for Trip Advisor.
We want you coming back rested and ready for the spring. So call today and make sure you will be sleeping on a Simmons.
And it’s no secret, a new mattress will help you reach that 7-8 hours of needed rest.
But what about the other two, a healthy diet and daily exercise? Those, our dear readers, are up to the individual. We can only help you during your sleeping hours. The rest are up to you.
Looking for inspiration? Check out CBC’s new program, “Village on a Diet.” Shot on location in Taylor, British Columbia, “Village on a Diet” documents an entire town’s commitment to shedding one ton of excess weight. There are 1,400 residents and it is estimated that at least 60% are overweight.
To help the Taylor residents meet their mark, the Canadian Broadcasters have supplied the town with two highly respected trainers from Vancouver; Mike Veinot and Garfield Wilson. Maria Thomas, who has signed on as the town’s dietician, joins Mike and Garfield.
The show airs every Monday at 9:00. So set the PVR to record it during your workout, or do some after dinner squats in front of the TV, and check out Taylor’s commitment to healthy living.
The City of Vancouver has announced plans to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games this February.
The party will begin on the February 11th weekend. Free events are being planned that will take place at different locations around the city. Yaletown will have a nightly light display created by local artists, the Creekside Community Centre in the Athletes Village will be hosting a hockey sledge race and other Olympic activities for families, and Granville street will be closed between Smithe and Dunsmuir for the over 19 bar crowd.
The city will be announcing other events, closer to the date, at Vancouver.ca.
Some of the employees at Simmons Mattress Gallery are planning on reliving the magic of the Gold Medal Hockey Final by watching a taped copy of the game with a few friends. Remembering Crosby’s goal in overtime still brings shivers. The pride displayed that night by millions of Canadians was enough to warm the hearts of the most hardened separatists. That moment will never fade with time. It will always bind us as a nation; Canada’s Gold.
So pull out your red mittens, paint your face and share some memories of those two special weeks that we all shared together.
Simmons Mattress Gallery has written more than one blog about the need to separate your working hours from your personal life. When there is no division between work and home, your working mind never gets a chance to rest. This affects your sleeping patterns, has the potential to damage family relations and needlessly increases your daily blood pressure.
We're sure his drool will do wonders for his keyboard.
You need a break. You need that separation.
Apparently, this message is lost on many of the political representatives from the country directly below us.
In a new study by the broadcast station CBS, a fifth of the newly elected members to the House of Representatives are spending their nights sleeping in their Washington D.C. offices. 19 of the 87 new Republicans and 2 of the 9 new Democrats have admitted to living in their place of work. Many of the representatives are from out of state and don’t see the need of spending an extra $20,000 renting an apartment in America’s capital. Instead, the politicians are choosing to spend their nights on cots, couches, air mattresses and rollaway beds.
Many of the polled representatives believe that by sleeping in their offices, they are showing their constituents that even though they are working in Washington, their home is in their elected State.
Seriously. Bite the bullet and rent a bachelor suite. These men and women are doing a disservice to the folk who elected them. By sacrificing a comfortable sleep on a proper bed set for a pullout couch, the Representatives are compromising their mental capabilities. Their symbolic stand comes at a cost far more valuable then the price of rent.
Don’t follow their lead. The office is for work hours only. If you work out of the home, make sure to make a physical separation between your work and sleeping space. Your body and your professional decision-making will be better off.
The answer: Yes. Oversleeping can prove to be detrimental to your health.
As much as you love your new mattress, there are a few reasons to leave its warm embrace.
The most significant reason is the threat of diabetes. This metabolic disease that comes in many forms, is having a devastating affect on the world’s population. The body’s inability to properly control insulin levels is strongly connected to our diet and our body’s general health. If you are oversleeping, your body is not receiving enough physical exercise and can become especially susceptible to type 2 diabetes.
Depression is another possible side effect of oversleeping. Most people believe insomnia to be at the root of depression, but it can also work in reverse. Almost 15% of people suffering from depression sleep too much. Rise and shine, welcome the day and take only 7-8 hours of required rest.
With an over allotted sleep schedule, you may also run the risk of developing heart disease. A study found that women who slept 9-11 hours a night were 38% more likely to have coronary heart disease than those who slept 8 hours.
If you are sleeping more than eight hours a night and are concerned about your health, make sure to contact your local doctor. It is also important to note that your sleeping needs will change over the course of your life. The rest you needed in high school is probably significantly different than what your body demands in your adult life.
If you are consistently sleeping more than 8 hours a night, consult your doctor.
As a society, we are so hooked on caffeine that we are constantly finding new products to add it to. Some of the most bizarre caffeinated products currently on the market are:
Soap – Products like “Bath Buzz” contain 2400mg of caffeine in every bar. We guess this product is intended for those people who don’t have enough time to brew a morning cup. But mixing it with soap? What next? Morning caffeine toothpaste?
Oatmeal - Answering the question above, Sturm Foods has produced an warm breakfast cereal with a cup of coffee’s worth of caffeine. “Energy Instant Oatmeal” comes in three heart-racing flavours: cranberry apple, mixed berry and peach cobbler.
Inhaler – Yes, they’ve done it. Why bother drinking a mug of Columbian, when you can puff it back in less than a second. Buzzaire has created a puffer to blast 150mg of caffeine into your system with each depression. The manufacturer warns that no more than four doses are suggested in a 24-hour period.
But we’ve saved the best for last….
Pantyhose – Slim Fit 20 has a line of tights with sewn in caffeine microcapsules that release with body heat. The really alarming fact about this product is that the developers are trying to sell it as a weight-loss inducer. Somehow injecting caffeine into your legs will increase metabolism.
We Dare You To Keep Your Leg Still!
Our suggestion, avoid them all. The ONLY reason people need caffeine is to artificially stimulate wakefulness with increased adrenaline production. The only natural answer to daytime drowsiness is increased sleep at night. For those of you running on five hours each night, you are doing your body a daily disservice. Find the rest you need on a mattress from Simmons Mattress Gallery.
It started over drinks at Bin 942. They had been set-up by a mutual friend who thought their mutual love for indoor climbing and after-dinner mints made them a perfect match.
They shared the ‘picnic on a grilled flat bread’ and a bottle of Heartland Shiraz. The music was low and bass driven and the date ended with a kiss; a soft kiss, with the hope of more to come.
Three months later, after many trips to Cliffhangers and a plethora of after dinner mints from some of the cities finest restaurants, the two decided to move in together. But both had terribly small beds; being single for that long has its effect on furniture choice.
On the advice of one of the many in-house mattress professionals, the two finally decided on a mattress from the Cartier line; a king size bed, designed to eliminate motion transfer between couples and provide the ultimate in undisturbed sleep. With the non-flip pocket coil design, the Cartier would be their foundation for play and rest.
The first night of use, he made the bed and left a small mint on her pillow.
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?
With the dramatic rise and fall of temperatures that we have been experiencing over the last few weeks, it’s a miracle that we aren’t all out with the sick bug. For those few who haven’t been affected, Simmons Mattress Gallery would like to provide a few strategies for retaining your health.
1. Wash your hands regularly.
-There is a great commercial for Science World, where these four business exec types meet up in an office and instead of shaking hands they each exchange open mouth deep throat greetings. The text reads: “shaking hands spreads more germs than kissing.” The final tag line: “Science World – We can explain.”
2. Eat healthy foods
-One more reason to stick to your New Years diet. Keep your immune system well nourished with a variety of fruits and veggies. Skip the McDonalds lunch.
-Have your first glass with the vitamin. Then at least one glass with lunch and dinner. If you have a relatively strong bladder, drink another before bed.
5. Go to sleep early
-Nothing wears out your immune system like a lack of sleep. Fight the cold bug by tucking in a few hours early. If you can’t fall asleep, chances are you’re sleeping on an uncomfortable mattress. UPGRADE at Simmons Mattress Gallery and work through the winter strong and cold free.
In the City’s continuing effort to reduce landfill waste, a new surcharge will be laid on any mattress being discarded at the Delta landfill. The charge is $20 per bed.
Mattresses will no longer be considered general garbage at all Vancouver Transfer Stations and landfill sites. There will now be a limit on the number of mattresses that one customer can drop at a time. The mattresses will also be left in a separate area from the regular waste. These limitations were put in effect on January 1st.
Simmons Mattress Gallery would like to applaud the city for implementing these measures. Mattresses are almost 100 percent recyclable or compostable and make up a significant portion of the waste dumped in our local landfills.
If you have just purchased a brand new Simmons and are looking for an ethical way to dispose of your old mattress, contact Mattressrecycling.ca. They are the first and largest mattress recycler operating in British Columbia. The price for a mattress drop-off is $14. The warehouse is located at 7885 North Fraser Way. If you would like your mattress picked-up, Mattressrecycling.ca charges $55.
Though the boom years of the “X-Files” are over, Vancouver still is being sought as a shooting location for film and television productions. This past week, the big news around the city was that “Mission Impossible 4” had begun shooting. Tom Cruise was spotted at two public locations doing action scenes. The first was underneath the Burrard Bridge, just up from the Aquatic Center, in the West End. Tenants in the towers surrounding the set were able to watch Cruise perform a number of action sequences. The paparazzi arrived late and were under-the-gun to capture a shot of the megastar.
Later in the week, the crew set up outside the brand new Vancouver Convention Centre, across town. The neighbourhood was given a redress, standing in for an unknown city in India. Filming went late into the night, with Cruise performing a dramatic chase scene through parked traffic.
If you are looking to see Cruise in the flesh, you won’t be directed to set with giant signs that say Mission Impossible. The production company has chosen the code word ‘Aries’. So if you’re in the hunt, keep your eyes open for small white signs with green or orange arrows and the title “Aries” in the center.
Tom Cruise On Set In Vancouver
Other productions, currently shooting in Vancouver, are “Apollo 18,” a sci-fi picture concerning NASA’s last attempt to land on the moon and “The Grey,” a film about a group of stranded men who are stalked by a pack of wolves. “The Grey” stars Liam Neeson. It is expected to be released sometime in 2012.
There were many great stories in 2010. The Wikileaks escapade saw the world’s dirty laundry aired out for all the masses to read. Tiger Woods got busted without the help of Julian Assange. BP sprung a leak. Sabres were rattled in Korea. Miners were freed in Chile. And the Olympics were a huge success here at home, with Canada winning Hockey Gold.
But what about the movies? Simmons Mattress Gallery would like to spend a little time this week looking at the shining celluloid moments of 2010. Here are some of our favourite films from the year that was:
1. Inception
Christopher Nolan comes through again. Following his Blockbuster achievement with the Dark Knight, Nolan wrote and directed a sci-fi movie about dreams that had all the ingredients of a masterpiece. Like the Matrix, it pushed the limits of CGI while offering an engaging hypothetical storyline that was believable from its first ‘inception.’ If you haven’t seen this film, cross your fingers that they release it on the big screen. Our hat is off to you Mr. Nolan. The only question is: What will your next trick be?
2. The Social Network
A movie about a website that has become more addictive than cigarettes for its more than 500 million users. The film concerns the story of Mark Zuckerberg, ‘one’ of the handful of college students who helped create Facebook. It documents the many lawsuits that followed the websites release, when the world recognized the genius of a social networking tool that lets you stay updated with friends and associates from around the world. The movie has an excellent pace, intriguing characters and most importantly a heart. Even though Zuckerberg comes across as a total narcissistic —hole, he still, like all of us, just wants to be accepted for who he is.
[Friend Request Received]
3. Black Swan
From the director of ∏ and Requiem for a Dream, comes a movie that delves into the heart of madness. Natalie Portman is a ballerina who is vying for the lead role in Swan Lake. Perfectly suited for the white swan role, Portman must examine her darker side to come to an understanding of the black swan. There will be no question as to who will receive the best actress nod on Oscar night. It almost makes us forget those terrible scenes from Star Wars. Almost…
Feel free to comment and add your own review of a movie that moved you in 2010.
After publishing our Mattress Maintenance article last week, Simmons Mattress Gallery received some interesting questions from our readers. We thought, instead of answering them individually, we could share a few in a blog post.
1. “If I am unhappy with the support my box spring is providing, is it appropriate to add a layer of [plywood] between my foundation and my mattress?”
-NO! Absolutely not. If your foundation is so bad you need to beef it up with plywood, it’s time to buy a new bed set. You should never have to add anything to your bed set. Sorry to be so blunt, but your bed is not a sandwich.
2. “How do I prevent picking up bedbugs when I’m traveling?”
-Bed bugs are making a resurgence around the globe. Travelers can easily spread these annoying creatures. One way to minimize your chances of collecting bed bugs is to always store your luggage on a table or countertop. It may not be aesthetically pleasing to have your suitcase piled on the table, but the chance of bug collection dramatically decreases when you elevate your personal items. It is also a good idea to do a quick check of the mattress itself. Remove all the bed coverings and do a quick surface check. Bed bugs like the folds of the mattress, so always examine the hem lines just below the pillow top
Check Your Cracks and Folds
3. “My neighbour is offering to sell me his deluxe mattress of three years. What is an appropriate price to pay?”
-Zero. If it is a deluxe mattress, then there should be no reason why your neighbour would want to part with his bed after three years. He/She has probably damaged it. Either that, or it is not as deluxe as he/she claims. If you want to improve your sleeping conditions, purchase a ‘new’ mattress from a mattress dealer. If you want the best sleep possible, purchase a Simmons.
This was probably the comment made by many iPhone customers who failed to wake-up on time for work this past weekend. Apparently, a glitch in the iPhone’s iOS 4.0 operating system caused the alarm feature on the phone to malfunction. The single wake-up feature did not work on the phones after midnight on December 31st. If customers had set their phones for a certain alarm time, the gadget, that claims to make everyone’s lives easier, would not have responded.
Many customers, mostly young people who use the phone for organizing their hectic lives, rely on the alarm feature instead of a traditional alarm clock.
This is the second issue with the new iPhone’s alarm that has occurred in less than two months. The first was an issue with the daylight savings time change on November 7th.
iPhone customers took to the web to voice their grievances.
“Stupid iPhone alarm clock went off an hour late. What a great start to the week.” Messages like these were all over the social networking website known as Twitter.
Apple claimed to have fixed the problem by Monday, January 3rd.
Our advice. If you have a highly unsympathetic boss or an important meeting to attend, always use a back up. Alarm clocks cost less than twenty dollars and can be equipped with a battery incase of a power outage.
We know you love your sleep, but keeping your job is even more important.
With thirty-five games ticked off, the Canucks are nearing the halfway mark of the season. They are finishing up a stellar December that saw them lead the league in power-play percentage. Their goaltending is two-tier, there seems to be strong leadership in the dressing room and one of their only losses this month was one of their best games (Dec. 22 / Detroit).
For a team that has gone its full existence, forty years, without a cup, it finally seems like Vancouver has put together a winning line-up. Not since the days of the West Coast Express, has Vancouver looked so poised for a deep playoff run.
And… we know it’s early and any number of things could happen to disrupt the near perfect chemistry that the team is currently showing, but really, if ever there was ever a time… this is it.
Well here’s a list of ten reasons why 2011 might just be THE year.
1.Luoooooo
-He may not be Captain, but he is still the pivot point on which the Canucks turn.
2. Super Twins
At the time of writing, the Sedin twins sit fourth and fifth in league points. Out of the bunk beds and onto a Beautyrest Black, the Sedins are showing the world that they have finally come of age. Thank you Sweden!
3. Malhotra in the Face-off Circle
What a pick-up! This guy is dominating the circle with the second highest percentage in the league. Don’t think that face-off percentage is an important stat? Back to your European handball.
4. Kes
That deflection goal last night was sick! And then one post away from a hat-trick. With none of the pressures of being Captain, Kesler is leading by example. We’ll forgive him for those few offhanded remarks he made about Canadians during the Olympics.
5. Fortunate Son
The son of former great Steve Tambellini, Jeff Tambellini is part of the new young breed energizing Vancouver.
6. Coach V
In his fifth season behind the bench, Alain Vigneault isn’t putting up with anything. Quick to send players down and even quicker to change line combinations, Vigneault is still keeping it fresh, while maintaining that mischievous grin.
7. German Efficiency
Christian Ehrhoff is giving the Canucks blue line a scoring touch. Night-in and night-out Ehrhoff stops them at one end and adds an offensive presence in the other.
8. Big Mike
All Mike Gillis needs to do is to maintain a steady course. “Please Mike don’t dump a bunch of contracts and snap-up another has-been like Mats. Just let the boys you have play.”
9. The Green Men
Nothing says intimidation like two dudes in full-body, fluorescent green, spandex suits. “What silly antic will they think up next.”
10. 40 Years
Enough is enough. It’s been FORTY YEARS! The time is now. The window is open.
The New Year is almost upon us. What changes will you make in your life this year? Is it time to finally kick the smoking habit? Or maybe lose that winter weight? What about shaving the unibrow? Or at least trimming it? We kid, we kid…
No, the men and women at Simmons Mattress Gallery got together and thought long and hard about a doable resolution that any citizen living in the Lower Mainland could accomplish. So after hours (minutes) of discussion and debate, we finally settled on one action that could positively alter the daily comfort of every individual who tried it.
Yup, shoes with no laces! Velcro is an option, but we were thinking penny loafers.
Kidding, again.
We thought, that if everyone decided to go out before January 1st and purchase a new bed, this could be the year of the mattress.
Think of it, an entire population of sound sleepers. No road rage. No employees falling asleep at their computers. No seasonal affective disorder.
Coffee sales might drop dramatically, but gym memberships could sky rocket.
Simmons Mattress gallery suggests vacuuming your mattress at least once every two months. We won’t get into the details of what you need to vacuum up, but lets just say the largest organ in your body tends to shed.
A Quick Vacuum Only Takes A Few Minutes
If your mattress is not a Simmons, you may have to flip it every year. Simmons owners will know that their beds are made of advanced non-flip pocket coils that maintain their support year after year.
If you accidently spill a liquid that you fear might stain the bed, pull off the mattress pad and wash it on its own. If the spill made it through, use a mild soap and rub lightly. Do not soak your mattress.
During your bimonthly vacuuming, check the mattress for signs of wear. If you do notice a problem, consult your warranty. If your mattress is more than five years old it may be time to look for another.
Simmons Mattress Gallery is your best option in the Lower Mainland for quality mattresses at moderate prices. Come see what you’ve been missing in comfort. Take home a Beautyrest this week before you go back to work.
“Every time a bell rings an angel gets its wings.”
With holiday consumerism in full swing, it’s nice to have classic Christmas tales to remind us of what is truly important – family, friends and community spirit.
George Bailey may not have the perfect life, but what he does have is all the ingredients for a ‘Wonderful Life.’ With help from his guardian angel, Clarence, George realizes that even dashed dreams of travel and higher education are meaningless when compared with the shared experiences and support of the loved ones that populate our waking moments.
“It’s a Wonderful Life,” is all about love, loss, hope and the realization that everyone makes a difference.
This timeless holiday film is now being preformed as a theatrical production at the Arts Club Theatre. With snippets of Frank Capra’s original film seamlessly integrated, the production is not to be missed. Bob Frazer does an amazing job in the role of George, filling the boots of the immortal Jimmy Stewart.
Peter Birnie, of the Vancouver Sun gushes that the play “soars on angel wings of innovation.”
Don’t miss your chance to get tickets. The production ends on January 2nd.
So take the whole family down to Granville Island and enjoy a classic story that resonates with everyday emotional truths.
With one week left before Christmas, you still don’t have gifts for your sister and her new husband. They got married in October, a beautiful fall wedding in the backyard of a family friend. With over a hundred guests, they received every gift known to man – from the slapchop to an electric lawn mower to edible organic massage oil.
Now it’s time to buy them a more practical, but still intimate gift.
Organize a group gift. We know it’s a little late, but we’re sure the rest of the family is on the same page.
Buy the newlyweds a gift they will use 365 days a year. A gift that will enhance the likelihood of family extension. A gift that will soften the impact of the first-year-speed-bumps that occur in every new marriage.
The NxG series mattress is the perfect mattress for a couple going through the early stages of married life. Like all Simmons mattresses, built with the patented non-flip pocket coil design, the NxG offers the very best in motion separation innovation. If your sister’s new husband is a nocturnal squirmer, your sister will never feel it. The advanced memory foam will provide a quick recovery surface that won’t leave crater indents after passionate moments. The 360° Foam Encasement will provide support to the edge of the bed on nights when space is needed. Most of all, the comfort supplied by the NxG will guarantee that your sister and her new man will look forward to heading to bed each night.
It’s the perfect gift for two young people just starting out.
Simon and his fiancé are traveling from Calgary. Brenda, Scotty and the kids are coming in from Oshawa. Fran is making her way from Nova Scotia and Frank and Laura are flying out of Cranbrook.
It’ll be a packed house.
The turkey has been bought, you’ve planned dinners for both Christmas Eve and Boxing Day and the presents are wrapped. The only thing left to do is to figure out where everyone will sleep.
2nd Bedroom (Jules’s) – Your two kids and Brenda and Scotty’s boys. They can squish. You have three extra foamies plus Jule’s bed.
3rd Bedroom (Mathew’s) – Simon and his finance. The bed’s small, but they’re in love. Well, newly in love, so you assume they still enjoy holding each other at night.
Office – Fran. It’s small as well, but there is a mattress in the garage that fits perfectly into the room. She’ll also be closer to the computer, which you’re sure she will appreciate.
Basement – Brenda and Scotty. They need a break from their little monsters and that’s the furthest spot away you could offer them.
Den – Laura and Frank, your husband’s parents.
But wait, you replaced the hide-a-bed last year with that new couch from the Brick. It doesn’t fold out! OMG! You can’t make them sleep on the floor…. Frank’s back is always bothering him. Plus, Laura would never forgive you. She’s still sour about the spaghetti incident from last summer.
What now?!??!
Don't Leave Your Loved Ones On The Floor
The quick solution: buy a spare mattress from Simmons Mattress Gallery. They’re open all week till six o’clock. You can make it to the Coquitlam location after work on Tuesday. You’ll have the mini-van and you can tie the mattress to the roof. Best of all, Laura can’t complain about the quality of a Simmons!
They say that fear can make us see the world in a more beautiful way. And that being love-struck is also associated with danger.
There is a reason that survivors of tragedies and close-scrapes are often quickly smitten with one another. It’s a psychological condition. And knowledge of this is the secret weapon of every great lover.
So for all you romantics, take heed. Here is a surefire way to open the heart of the one you hold dear this Christmas season.
But first, some background.
A psychology experiment once attempted to prove that emotion was tied to physical arousal. To put this theory to the test, the psychologists were drawn to the breathtaking Capilano Suspension Bridge. Spanning a steep ravine, the bridge is well known for elevating heart rates and stirring souls. The experimenters were interested in how the adrenaline rush of the treacherous fall and wobbly walkway triggered the emotional state of arousal.
To examine the ability of danger to conjure romantic feelings, they had a beautiful female interviewer ask men questions on the bridge. When the swaying, exhilarating interview was done, she would leave her phone number in case they wanted to follow up.
Male subjects were more likely to call for the results (or to use the call as a pretext for a date) if they were on the Capilano Suspension Bridge than an ordinary, less scary bridge.
The conclusion drawn: fear and love, in the heart, are actually the same thing.
So women, take note: This fantastic bridge holds the key to the secret spell. And men, take heart, for while this experiment was never tested on women, there is a good evidence to suggest that arousal in your counterpart will be reciprocated.
So it’s worth a shot. And there has never been a better time to fall in love over a hungry ravine.
Capilano Suspension Bridge is now hosting Canyon Lights. Come for an enchanted evening to enjoy lights in the forest, along the bridge, illuminating the whimsical backdrop of one of the most exhilarating and lovely places on earth.
Guests will also be treated to gingerbread cookie decorating, seasonal music from the Christmas band, glass ornament blowing with Malcolm MacFadyen and of course, the splendor of magical twinkling lights throughout the park.
Admission is free for members. $15 for adults, $5 for children (6-12) or $35 for a family (two adults, two children). Proceeds from admission will be donated to the BC Professional Fire Fighters Burn Fund, with a goal of raising $20,000 for the organization to support Burn Awareness Week in BC elementary schools.
Why, you ask? Well, here are a few reasons why the best shopping is done at Simmons Mattress Gallery.
Their sales staff is as supportive as their mattresses. Count on friendly, non-pushy and informed sales agents to help you get the best possible bed for your personal comfort preference level.
The prices. Simmons maintains a Lowest Price Guarantee.
Delivery. You won’t have to worry about renting a truck. Their competent drivers will bring your baby to you with all the care of a stork.
90-night comfort guarantee. That’s right. If you are not creating beautiful dreams and rejuvenating yourself completely every night within three months, they’ll let you trade in your bed for a new one.
And last but not least, they have won Best Mattress Store for 8 years in a row. The Consumers’ Choice Awards has graced them with this honour for almost a decade now!
To visit this hidden gem, go to 3510 Blanshard Street, in the Saanich Plaza in Victoria, BC.
Ever noticed how mattress stores in Vancouver insist on calling themselves Mattress Vancouver Stores? It has a little to do with outright marketing and more to the way Google searches of these blogs.
Now, we’ve been trying to present you with informative and intelligent articles about things to do in Vancouver, and the exciting ways that you can keep this city your own.
However, the sad truth of the Internet is that most of the articles are read by search engine optimization spiders that find the relevance through syntax, and not necessarily relevance.
Here’s the skinny. Most people search for a Vancouver mattress store by typing in “mattress” first. This will take them to a page that has every mattress in the world. Hardly convenient if you are looking for a mattress store in Vancouver, and not London. So, usually, the next search most will do is for “mattress Vancouver.”
It is for that very reason that mattress stores describe themselves at Mattress Vancouver Stores. Simmons Mattress Gallery included.
If Christmas carols crackling from shoddy speakers in supermarkets and teeming throngs of holiday shoppers have exorcised all Christmas cheer from your soul, then it might be time to lift your spirits with something with a little more substance and style.
Simply going to the playhouse to watch a ballet is a magical event in itself. The dressing up. The candlelight dinner. Walking hand-in-hand through the snowy streets. The time-honoured culture of ballet always promises an evening of enchantment.
Yet despite 25 years of history, BC Ballet is not what it once was. They’ve discarded the frilly tutus for a contemporary look, and lavish sets and decorations now adorn the stage, complemented by falling snow and beautiful costumes once unfamiliar to the tradition.
The ballet has evolved beyond that of an art form. It is entertainment as well.
The Nutcracker will premiere in Vancouver from December 29-Jan 1, 2011. Tchaikovsky’s timeless tale of true love, sprites and Christmas cheer has never been so theatrically expressed. Alberta Ballet will be behind the lavish performance under the musical accompaniment of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra.
In the words of BC Ballet, the new production promises “a fresh, vibrant magic to the mix, where every cent of the $1.5 million budget is displayed through the stunning set designs and elaborate costumes.”
As a mattress retailer, we’ve always wondered what kind of beds the stars sleep on. If you’ve ever been forced to spend the night on a sagging mattress, you know the creaks and cracks your bones can make the next day. Imagine that as a ballet dancer? It could be rather distracting.
If any of you know what kind of bed our prima donna sleeps on, we’d love to know. We’re guessing it’s a Beautyrest Black – and if not – it should be!
For more information about Ballet BC, go to the website at www.balletbc.com
One of the best ways to drift off to dreamland is in under the spell of a captivating novel. Vivid with imagery and wrought with passion and big ideas, a compelling work of fiction can paint new worlds in our mind for us to explore in a lucid state. Or, an inspiring biography can fill our dreams with new ambitions and insights to the obstacles in our way, and offer solutions to overcome them.
However, there are only a few positions to read comfortably in bed. You can stack up pillows behind you and lean against the wall. This can prove to be difficult if you have castors on your bed frame. Also, it demands that you sit almost completely upright, which is not as languid a state as some fiction requires.
Another option is to lie completely flat on your back and crane your neck upwards to the page. The problem with this approach is that it can get rather uncomfortable, and give you quite the neck-ache in the morning.
Any voracious reader should seriously consider an adjustable bed. Equipped with a remote control, an adjustable mattress can reposition itself effortlessly to maximize your reading comfort. Your back will be pleasantly reclined, and your feet nicely supported at the knees.
It’s a gentler, more relaxing way to read your favourite stories in bed, without straining your neck, or disrupting your partner.
To find out more about adjustable beds in Vancouver, mattresses in Victoria, BC, or beds in Coquitlam – simply go to www.simmonsmattressgallery.ca
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