Thursday, May 2, 2013

Too Many Clothes and Not Enough Bedroom

The commercial and residential building trend for today is more living area space and less bedroom space. When an apartment complex has to compromise - the large bedroom and its accompanying storage space will be the first to get the pink slip.

Lack of storage space is a flash from the past, when storage was not in walls or in shelving but in massive pieces of furniture each had a specific purpose and the grouping seemed to take up the whole room. As a renter - you'll have to supply your own storage.

What's the solution? Consider how America used to live. Small bedrooms herald back to way before the fifties, when people accumulated fewer things and consumerism was less focused on the individual and more on the common good of the family. That changed substantially after World War II and the birth of the "Me" Generation - better known as baby boomers. An exhilarated nation lavished new goods bought cheaply from around the world on its families, children and grandchildren, and consumerism has never taken a step back. No longer are we happy with one of everything (one winter coat, one TV) - now we have been enculturated to appreciate variety over value.

Increased availability and reduced prices for consumer goods has created an enthusiastic consumer for collecting small goods - clothes, trinkets, and accessories. For those who love to shop at The Gap and The Limited , and can afford to buy a whole new wardrobe every season, lack of closet space and smaller bedrooms can be a real inconvenience.

If space is a problem, look to the past on how to solve it and make it work for you in the meantime.

1. Revamp Your Wardrobe.

How did our grandmothers manage with those tiny closets and fancy carved wardrobes that we now use to hold our TV's? The answer is simple - they had fewer clothes and they took better care of them.

Throw out anything you have not worn in over a year. Be brutal. Clothes hanging in your closet won't give you any additional value, they just keep getting limper until you never wear them at all.

Assess what is left for wear and tear. Weed out some more. Again be brutal.

Try to make a mix and match plan with what remains. Any item that doesn't go with at least two or three other items, you don't need. A blouse should go with at least a skirt and a pair of pants, and perhaps, jeans. A sport coat should complement at least two different pairs of slacks. Some clothes can traverse the seasons and work layered under other things. A T-shirt can add warmth to a medium weight sweater that will get you through most cold days.

2. Buy fewer clothes and take better care of them. Any new item you buy automatically makes at least two items in your wardrobe obsolete. Don't believe me? Do the math. You'll likely wear a new item as often as twice in the first week you own it, then you might wear it as often as once a week or more for a few weeks more. You'll also stop wearing items from the same "era." Why? The psychological associations are simply too strong. If you really want to buy something, look at how long the season is to wear it - 3 months to six months depending on the climate in which you live then divide the number of wearings (once a week) into that period. That is a quick way to decide if you realize that the great blouse you just found is going to cost you $30 a wearing because the seasons are about to change.

Joan Crawford was right. No more wire hangers...ever. The thin wire wears a groove into clothes and causes unsightly lumps in anything with a knitted fabric. Knits should be folded and stored. Wherever possible, get your hands on coat hangers or plastic hangers and use those for your hangables.

3. Decorate with some of your favorite wearables. Is your hat collection taking up too much room? Hang one on your bedpost, make an arrangement on the wall. Accent with bunches of upside down dried flowers. No way to keep your ties neat? Create a rack on one wall or use as a headboard. Ties can add color and style. Add to your collection with funky ties from the back of Dad's closet or the Salvation Army.

4. Put everything on the walls that you can, including lighting. Lamps take up a lot of room on small bedside tables, room you may need for other things. Brace small shelves on the wall on either side of your bed and present your lamps like works of art. Invest in shelves that you can take down and take with you when you move. Create vignettes on the shelves that can be useful and bring color and urban wit to your bedroom - books, memorabilia. Decorate with items that are distinctively you.

One of the most charming decorative items from the past are wall shelves, brackets and sconces. If you go into new furniture stores, you will see that wall storage is making a huge comeback and at very expensive prices.

5. If your bedroom isn't large enough to accommodate the kind of furniture you really want, paint a tromp-l'oeil version of what you want. Tromp-l'oeil is the art of painting or fabricating something so that it looks like the real thi ng. One decorating style book suggests painting a canopy on the wall and ceiling behind and above the bed to give the illusion of elegance. Rooms with small windows can be similarly fooled with paintings that feature windows and pictures of beautiful views.

6. Change the way you study, pay bills, or work at home. Move the "home office" out of the bedroom and find a convenient place in your more spacious living room area.

Psychological studies show that when you study, read or do work that requires concentration, you will perform better away from areas associated with relaxation and sleep. The reverse is true also. You will sleep better away from demanding reminders of projects due.

7. Keep it simple. A few large pieces of furniture will have more utility than scaled down versions of more items. Use one nightstand instead of two, but make it a large one. Use a large dresser that can accommodate all your foldables. Out of season items can be stored in boxes and put in the closet or under the bed.

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Another Reality TV Show or a Reality Check?

Quote of the month: *The secret weapon for success is knowledge, so what you don*t know can hurt you. - Geela

These days there is a growing trend towards reality TV shows that are based on external shallow values. With the appeal of junk food, it has a powerful hypnotic effect even on the strongest minds. But while reality TV may seem like a harmless form of entertainment, the damage (which is done so subtly) is very powerful and therefore it deserves a closer look. So the question is *Do we really need another reality TV show or perhaps it*s time for a reality check?*

The popularity of reality TV shouldn*t come as a surprise considering the fact that we live in a culture that worships vanity, rather than virtue, and lives by the mantra of *He with the most toys lives,* rather than *He with the most joys lives.* It*s been said that circumstances don*t make a man, they only reveal him. Likewise, reality TV is merely a reflection of what our society has become - a materialistically driven society where the love of power and money overcomes the power of love. It*s a reflection of a society that is not only devoid of a solid wholesome value system, but is also separated from spiritual roots. It*s also a culture that thrives on living on the edge, characterized by thrill-seeking and addictions (including the addiction to stimulation).

So here is the true reality behind reality TV. Reality TV, which is in the business of making us feel good rather than be good, actually contributes to the growing problems in our society by celebrating human weakness rather than human excellence. Reality TV doesn*t empower us, but rather overpowers us by taking our innate power and inner knowing and spirituality away from us, leaving us feeling insecure, inadequate, less fulfilled, isolated and confused by virtue of the promotion of anti-social behavior, excessive self-indulgence, self-entitlement, greed, compromised integrity, obsession with winning at all costs, and erosion in morality.

When you consider the magnitude of the challenges that are facing America today, it becomes obvious that what we need is certainly not another mind-numbing reality TV show, but rather a good reality check. Whether we recognize it or not, America is in desperate need of healing and true revival. It needs a jump-start, not only in the economy, but most importantly a jump-start in the spirit. After all, we are only as strong as our spirit, because when the spirit is weak it*s easier to become overwhelmed by what life throws our way. But when the spirit is strong, no turbulences can effect us, much like a ship in the vast ocean that can sail smoothly as long as there are no holes in it to make it sink.

America could use a reality check if only to reexamine our value system, which is out of balance and has led to social ills and failing systems and institutions. In a conflicted state of uncertainty, doubt and fear, it*s only natural for people to feel overwhelmed, wishing to escape from reality. However, reality TV proves only an artificial relief. It*s obvious that we are looking for love (real joy, fulfillment, meaning and purpose) in all the wrong places. In a culture that demands instant gratification, and relief from everyday anxieties, a quick fix (for coping), seems to be the chosen drug of choice.

So now for that reality check. The reality is that the prevailing mentality in American society today is *more is better,* acquiring external riches as opposed to internal riches and that you can get something for nothing. There is a sense of entitlement and an expectation of wanting the good life without having to work hard for it. This is reinforced, glorified and perpetuated by the media with shows like *The Lifestyle of The Rich and Famous.* When all you see is glamour, but not the hard work and sacrifice that goes into achieving success, it only inspires more envy and the desire for a *get rich quick* scheme leading to the erosion of morality and integrity.

From environmental pollution to spiritual pollution, we can no longer ignore our failing systems and institutions. From an Enron economy with ballooning budget deficits (which is really a reflection of a deficit in integrity) and a vanishing social security system (which creates social insecurity) to politicians doing what*s politically correct instead of what*s in the best interest of the community, to a failing education system as reflected in poor test scores which lag behind those of other nations, to the break-down of the family system (where kids find themselves home alone growing up with their peers, gangs or TV without nurturing parents to instill in them solid wholesome values system), we are planning to fail by default.

Our spiritual bankruptcy is evident practically in every facet of our lives, resulting in social ills from perversion, to the phenomenon of people going from being heroes to zero. We can no longer ignore the senseless violence in our schools and crime on our streets, increased teen suicide (often due to hopelessness, low self-esteem, lack of direction and a solid, wholesome value system) and substance abuse. Americans are more stressed out today than ever before despite the fact that we have the highest standard of living in the entire world. The true reality is that America is going, slowly but surely, from being a nation of producers and innovators to a nation of insatiable consumers (even the holidays are too commercialized to enjoy) while drowning in debt just to support a lifestyle we can*t even afford. All of these problems can be traced to the pursuit of materialism, which is a by-product of the American Dream.

But rather then play the *blame game,* it*s far more productive to approach the reality TV issue in terms of what you can do to improve your own life. A reality check is a good starting point. Remember, the true spirit of the American Dream was all about perspiration, innovation, risk and reward with the focus on a wholesome values system, integrity, a strong work ethic, community and being of service. All of which creates total prosperity (from health to wealth) with purpose, meaning and real joy. Now that*s a reality worth striving for!

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Wednesday, May 1, 2013

A night at the sleep lab

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A night at the sleep lab

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Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Sleep Paralysis In African Americans

Sleep paralysis, also known as isolated sleep paralysis, affects people all over the world, regardless of race or social position. Research shows that most people experience it at least once in their lives. African Americans, however, experience recurrent sleep paralysis at a much higher rate than anyone else. When compared to whites it is 59% to 7% according one study.

The significant difference in the frequency of sleep paralysis between the two races has been attributed to factors such as poverty, racism and genetics. I believe it has more to do with ancestry than anything else.

While asleep one night during a recent trip to Ghana I experienced an attack. The next day, I talked about it with my driver. I told him I had been experiencing it all my life; waking up paralyzed, unable to move or speak. He seemed surprised that I had brought the subject up, but went on to say that this was very common in Africa, especially Ghana.

He said Ghanaians don't refer to it as sleep paralysis or consider it a medical condition requiring treatment. They know it is an evil spirit attacking them at night. Many even see the spirit. He told me that the reason they have these sleep attacks so much is due to the practice of witchcraft throughout the country.

A great number of African Americans are descended from Africans transported from the slave castles along the Ghanaian coast. When their ancestors came to America, the spirits causing the paralysis traveled with them and continued their activity among their descendants. People descended from Europeans who immigrated from countries steeped in fairy lore and witchcraft have had spirits passed on to them as well.

While social factors play a role in how often sleep paralysis occurs in an African American's life, they should not be seen as the cause. They only contribute to more mental activity at night, which increases the time an individual drifts between states of consciousness. This drifting leaves the individual more susceptible to demonic attack. Sometimes they dismiss it as a dream. Sometimes they forget about it completely. Others know something unusual took place, but don't see it as anything to be concerned about.

I was sharing one of my sleep paralysis stories with an African American friend who suddenly remembered having an experience of her own. It was like a forgotten dream that came back to her in full detail. She was afraid once she realized what it was, but when I explained how to handle it, she seemed okay. The fear wasn't totally gone, and I don't know if she would have preferred staying in the dark about it, but I felt like I'd done her a big favor.

Regardless of our race or ethnic background, we need to be aware of sleep paralysis and know exactly what it is and how to overcome it. Demons don't care what color their victim is. And whatever they're doing to us in the night, it's a lot more complex than just riding our chest or back. I have a theory and I'll share it in the future. For now, let's just realize that we're at war. And when it comes to sleep paralysis, we wrestle not against flesh and blood.

Charles Allen is a writer of urban and paranormal fiction, and author of the novel The Gangsta Prophecy. His website is http://www.thegangstaprophecy.com.
Blog: http://www.sleepparalysis411.com

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