Author Archives: charlesprogers

Bedtime Stories: Chomp

Chomp by Carl Hiaasen.

I’ve heard a lot about Carl Hiaasen. Lots of monosyllabic titles. Darling of the state of Florida. Hoot, Flush, Chomp, Scat are among his children’s titles. I read Chomp because it was what happened to be available. The story tells of a boy by the name of Wahoo Cray. He and his father Mickey are professional animal wranglers. Since a head injury involving a dead iguana falling from a tree, Mickey has been unable to work and Wahoo has been taking up the slack. As you can imagine, animal wrangling is not a very financially stable career so when Derek Badger, the obnoxious, chubby star of a reality survival series shows up needing a gator and a snake to “encounter” Wahoo is more than happy to comply.

Although he has always faked the show, Derek’s encounter with the gator, in which he almost dies, is inspired to make this show for real and hires the two to lead him into the Everglades. Accompanied by Wahoo’s friend Tuna (their immediate bond is their unfortunate fish-related names) their short trip to the swamps turns into a real survival show, as well as a manhunt and much more.

Hiaasen is a pretty funny writer and clearly knows his home state, not to mention its flora and fauna, very well. I’m going to go read Flush next. I’ll let you know how it is.

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Movies in Bed: Doctor Who

Post by Mark T. Locker.

All of nerd-dom has been all a-twitter about the 50th—FIFTIETH!!—anniversary of that darling of Cardiff, or should I say of the planet Gallifrey, Doctor Who. Since 1963, this unique science-fiction show has been taking viewers around time and space in the telltale blue police box the quirky disguise for the spaceship/time machine the TARDIS. In 2005, BBC relaunched the show after a 16-year hiatus. One of the handy features of the Doctor, the last of the Timelords, is that he is eternal and also he takes on a new form—and with it a new personality—regularly! So it manages to stay fresh by replacing the main character every couple years while at the same time keeping the main character. We have just been introduced to the 12th Doctor. People have been geeking out about it for months.

The reason this show is front and center in my mind is that my son discovered it, quite by accident. I dropped a couple dollars on Lego man-sized figurines at the local comic shop. He was instantly taken with the two evil robots I unwrapped: a Dalek and a Cyberman. Eventually, they became his. He has since read through several Doctor Who books and learned more than I know about the show. Last week, during his winter break, he finally got to watch the first episode of the relaunch. About 2/3 of the show is simply too scary for him but he absolutely loves it. And no nightmares yet!

It has retained a bit of the hokiness of its early days, it’s a little bit silly and a little bit awesome. Fun to watch in the evenings.

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Things We Like: New Year’s Resolutions For A Better Night’s Sleep

Post by Kyle St. Romain.

I hope that you all had a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! It seems like 2013 flew by towards the end there, and now we’re on to 2014: a new year filled with boundless possibilities and opportunities. That is, of course, until 2015…

Given that the tradition of making resolutions is as old as celebrating the New Year itself, I wanted to share with you a handful of my favorite tips that you can use towards fulfilling a resolution to get a better night’s sleep.

  • Exercise. Probably the most popular New Year’s resolution is to exercise — even if the effort rarely lasts through February. In addition to exercising for a fitness goal this year, try exercising for better sleep. You’ll still have a chance at fitting in that favorite pair of jeans you wore back in college, and will definitely sleep better.

  • Color-shift your computer screen. I’ve written in the past about the benefits of color-shifting your computer screen using a free and lightweight program called f.lux. Without going into too much detail, color-shifting turns your screen from a bright white to a warm red as the sun goes down. The warmer light is easier on your eyes, and also helps prepare you for sleep (light is a stimulus that tells your brain to stay awake). I’ve been using the program for a couple years now and can’t imagine life without it.

  • Eat a light snack before bed. While you don’t want to eat a large meal and immediately go to sleep (it would be bad for your digestion), a light snack about an hour before bed can help you sleep soundly through the night. The best snacks are those with a mix of tryptophan (the amino acid found in turkey that we blame for Thanksgiving drowsiness) and complex carbs. A great sleep snack that’s easy to make is peanut butter and crackers. The carbs from the crackers mixed with the tryptophan found in peanut butter helps your brain create serotonin, which helps you feel more relaxed and ready to sleep.

  • Get in a routine. Setting a regular bedtime routine can help you sleep better. Easier said than done, I know. In addition to the time you go to bed, there are other nightly rituals that can also help prepare you for sleep. For example, some people find that taking a hot shower or meditating right before bed helps them sleep better. When developing a sleep routine, don’t neglect the other half, i.e., waking up, which is just as important as your bedtime.

  • Make your bedroom your sanctuary. The Charles P Rogers blog is filled with tips and tricks for making your bedroom the sanctuary of your dreams. So if you’re looking for design inspiration, don’t be shy about browsing through the archives. Whatever your style, however, a luxurious bed is critical to getting a good night’s sleep and looks great in any décor. Without one you’ll always be missing something in the sleep department. 2014 is a perfect excuse to treat yourself to the comfortable bed you’ve always wanted.

While you may not have thought to make your New Year’s resolution “getting a better night’s sleep,” the above tips are general enough that you may have already resolved to do one of them. Now you have yet another reason to stick to your goals and make 2014 the best year yet!

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Breakfast in Bed: Eggnog French Toast

Post by Alison Hein.

Please forgive me! I purchased too much eggnog this holiday season. Last year, we went through it like water so I wanted to be prepared. Don’t get me wrong – I absolutely adore eggnog (see the recent Eggnog Waffles post. The trouble is, with too much eggnog on hand and not enough milk, I was forced to concoct another once-a-year holiday breakfast treat – Eggnog French Toast.

Rich and golden, eggy and sweet, it only takes a few minutes to prepare enough for your whole family. This thick, yellow batter works best with stale bread – allow it to sit for a few minutes to fully absorb the pure eggnog flavors. If you like, sprinkle in a dash of cinnamon or nutmeg, for holiday cookie-like flair. Cook the bread somewhat slowly (medium-low heat) and you’ll achieve an all-over golden brown glow on your French toast. Start off the new year right and let the kids help on this one – it’s super easy and almost foolproof. Your children will delight in creating this egg-a-licious meal.

So, if you didn’t try the recent waffle recipe, and find yourself (like me) with an overabundance of eggnog in your fridge, perhaps you might whip up a batch of Eggnog French toast for a lazy New Year’s Day breakfast in bed.

Happy New Year!

Ingredients
1 cup eggnog
2 eggs
Dash of cinnamon (optional)
8 slices day-old bread
2 to 4 tablespoons butter

Preparation

In large, shallow bowl, whisk together eggnog and eggs. Stir in cinnamon. Dip bread slices into the eggnog mixture, turning once to completely saturate. If bread is very hard, let it soak in the eggnog mixture for a few minutes until softened. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in heavy skillet. Add soaked bread slices and cook over medium to medium-low heat, turning once, until golden and cooked through, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add more butter as needed. Remove from pan and serve warm with real maple syrup.

Makes 4 servings.

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Bedtime Stories: Big Appetites

Post by Mark T. Locker.

Big Appetites: tiny people in a world of big food by Christopher Boffoli.

My favorite, and also the most challenging part of the whole Christmas shopping thing is taking my 5.5-year-old out to pick out presents for his mom. It’s funny: he never wanted to go to the perfume counter or look at jewelry; I guess he knows his mother too well. He felt most inspired at the book store. Although I put the kibosh on the book of poetry supposedly written by a cat (it was even worse than you might imagine; this cat is not only not real, but a terrible poet to boot. Think of someone who is not a poet trying to sound poetic. And then filter that through the lens of a cat. You get the idea) his next selection was definitely worth a look.

Perhaps you have the the art of Christopher Boffoli. Microsculptures of all kinds of people doing all kinds of everyday activities placed in an environment of food. The cover depicts a tiny person “mowing” an enormous orange. Suddenly, such a pedestrian task as cutting a green bean becomes as big a job as cutting a fallen tree. Two lumberjacks toil over the bean. A little crawdad become a beast on the loose.Someone must have told the artist to add captions to the pictures, maybe to beef up the size of the book. Personally, I think these take away any open-ended interpretations of the images. I prefer to ignore them and let the pictures speak for themselves. Big Appetites is a funny and easy coffee table book.

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