Take a second and breathe. So we made it through the holidays. We made it through the long lines, the pushy shoppers, and the family gatherings. We made it over the mountain of gift wrap, the barrage of holiday cards, and the incessant trips to the store for batteries and chargers. Let’s give ourselves a round of applause. December can be exhausting, but it’s finally over. The new year is almost here, and unless you’re planning on watching Jersey Shore’s Snooki dropping inside the ball at midnight on the 31st (Editor’s note: This is really happening.), going to a party, or watching the annual Twilight Zone and/or Honeymooners marathons, we’ve got the solution. Popcorn, juice, and candy. We’re talking about movies in bed, here. You stock up on the supplies, and curl up in bed, and we’ve got the movie. Now you’re gonna want to put the kiddies to bed before this one. Some of the themes and language in it are well beyond their years. In honor of New Year’s Eve, this week’s movie in bed is 200 Cigarettes.

The plot of 200 Cigarettes goes like this: It’s New Year’s Eve. It’s 1981. Monica (played by a brilliantly self-deprecating Martha Plimpton) is throwing an epic party. Everyone’s invited, but everyone seems to be having a world’s worth of trouble getting there. Monica’s underaged cousin Val has snuck out of her Ronkonkoma home to brave the once-mean streets of Manhattan’s Alphabet City to get to the party. It’s Kevin’s birthday, and even though he is depressed from a recent break up, his friend Lucy convinces him to come out for the night. Cindy and Jack head out to a hilariously ill-fated dinner before they hit up the party. Monica’s ex, Eric, heads to the party to ask her why girls keep dumping him. So on and so forth.

All of the various plotlines in 200 Cigarettes are beautifully intertwined in sometimes cringeworthy, but always hilarious ways. Even the film’s most awkward moments are chased with a dash of tongue-in-cheek laughter to make them go down smoothly. 200 Cigarettes has a great plot, a great soundtrack (early 80s new wave for the win!), and a cast brimming with talent. The 1999 film stars Paul Rudd, Christina Ricci, Courtney Love, Jay Mohr, Kate Hudson, Ben Affleck, Janeane Garofalo, Dave Chappelle, most of whom would go on to respected careers, and a very special guest appearance from Elvis Costello (as himself, of course!). The goofy, madcap antics that go on throughout this movie will remind you why you decided not to brave the drunken, glitter-riddled masses in the first place.

Tags: Charles P. Rogers, Martha Plimpton, Movies, movies in bed, Snooki

Ease of access

Sofabeds and futons require varying amounts of heavy lifting in order to get them from “chair” position to “bed” position. Daybeds do not. Daybeds naturally sleep one, without any sort of handiwork, and if you need more sleep space, you can add a trundle with a mattress, which simply rolls out from under the daybed, for a second bed. Pop-up trundles can be easily lifted to match the height of the top daybed mattress and can be situated side by side to create what is very nearly a king sized sleep surface.

Futons are generally designed with their practical functions in mind first and foremost and as such, the look of the thing can often take a back seat. A little more time goes into the look of a sofabed, but on the down side, you are tethered to the one look for as long as you own the bed. Daybeds, on the other hand, are more versatile in terms of design as well as dressing. You have many choices for color, material, and look, and even after you buy it, you can dress it up with comforters, duvet covers, and bed skirts.

Mattress quality

The nature and design of sofabeds and futons require mattresses are folded most of the time, and that can be problematic in terms of the comfort of the mattress. Futon mattresses often have that “beanbag” feel as many of them are made from layers of cotton, foam, and any number of other materials. Sofabed mattresses tend to be thin in order to remain pliable enough to fold into the couch when not in use. Daybed mattress are far and away the highest quality. They never have to fold, and this allows for more advanced support systems to be put in place. You certainly feel the difference.

Tags: Bedrooms, Charles P. Rogers, daybed, mattress

Tags: Breakfast in Bed, Breakfast Recipe, Charles P. Rogers, Eggs, Hashbrowns

Post by: Murry B. Image credit: Photo courtesy of Kenn W. Kise, morgueFile.com

Most color schemes for bedrooms involve one or two primary colors as well as a couple of accent colors. Using complimentary colors in bedroom decor adds depth to the room and gives it a feeling of looking ‘finished.’ However, if there is one particular color that you really love, that doesn’t mean you have to spend hours with a paint fan deck choosing other colors that match. Why not create a monochromatic bedroom color scheme? Here are a few tips on going solo:

Choose the Right Color

Since you’re only using one color in your decor scheme, make sure you choose one you’ll enjoy being surrounded with for years to come. Gray, blue, green and purple are often successful in monochromatic schemes, while warm shades like red or orange may prove overwhelming without a complimentary shade to balance them.

Avoid Washout

Once you’ve chosen your bedroom color, be sure that you carefully coordinate the shades for your wall color and bed linens, as these are the largest surfaces in the room. If they are about the same shade, they will appear to blend together and leave the room feeling flat and blah. Make sure to choose a bed spread of a lighter shade if your wall color is deep, and vice versa. Even if you choose to go with a neutral scheme, you can use shades in the range of off-white all the way to chocolate brown and still qualify as ‘monochromatic.’

Incorporate Texture

When you’re relying on one color for an entire room, the best way to add variation is by incorporating texture. The most common way is through choice of material. For example, suede leather has a lush texture as compared to smooth, sleek silk. Wood can range from rustically finished to highly polished. Try to incorporate a range of such textures for contrast.

Tags: Bedroom Design, Charles P. Rogers, Colors, Home Design, Paint

Margaret Wise Brown: the ultimate bedtime storybook author? Post by M. Locker.

Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown. Illustrated by Clement Hurd.

This book is widely recognized as one of the great classics of children’s literature. Written in a gentle, rhythmic, lyrical style which made Brown so beloved, Goodnight Moon’s very cadence is sure to lull children right to sleep. For those who have managed to get this far in life without reading this, it tells the simple story of a young rabbit wishing every item in his room a good night. Some reviews suggest that this is a dark book in disguise, discussing the existential crisis of a child watching the world fade into darkness around him, I think it’s just a sweet and lovely little tale. We have this book in both board book and original hardcover. The board book is far too small to fully appreciate the detailed illustrations provided by Clement Hurd.

The Big Red Barn by Margaret Wise Brown. Pictures by Felicia Bond.

I had never heard of this book until it was given to my son last year. It has the same soothing rhythm as Goodnight Moon. It tells the story of all the animals living in and around a big red barn. Throughout the book, we are introduced to all the animals on the farm and we see them play together throughout the day. As the sun begins to set all the animals go to bed, until “only the mice were left to play/rustling and squeaking in the hay/While the moon sailed high/In the dark night sky.” What I love about this book is that as the story slows down, you can read it quieter and quieter, until the last few lines can be read in barely a whisper. It’s not as well-known as Goodnight Moon but it should be.

Tags: bedtime stories, Charles P. Rogers, Goodnight Moon, Margaret Wise Brown, The Big Red Barn