Dream Bigger
Second banana, again
For the second year in a row, a big-name celebrity has been recruited to help spread the word about sleep — specifically, the importance of regular, sustained doses of it. And for the second year in a row, the Sleep Blogger finds himself feeling like Paul Shaffer after a bigger star has come onstage to [...]
Here's one guy sleeping well these days
Before the Sleep Blogger was the Sleep Blogger, he was the Dream Blogger. (Same line of work, different specialty.) As such, he had the pleasure of spending a big chunk of the summer of 2009 in Stephenville, Texas, to chronicle how the residents of one small town kept their dreams alive as they grappled with [...]
Jewel and Sleep Better. Dream Bigger in NYC
The Sleep Better. Dream Bigger project landed in the center of Manhattan on October 14th. Scores of fans lined up to meet Jewel and get an autographed copy her newly released Lullaby CD at the brand-new Manhattan JCPenney.
Furniture Today Covers Jewel and Dream Bigger Campaign
STEPHENVILLE, Texas — She’s the newest Ambassador for Better Sleep, and she’s a hometown gal. Singer and songwriter Jewel, who lives on a 2,000-acre ranch here with her bull-riding husband, Ty Murray, was one of the stars of Carpenter Co.’s latest better sleep campaign, “Sleep Better. Dream Bigger.” “Carpenter and I have a lot in [...]
The life and dreams of one small town
In July/August 2009, Carpenter Co. — a Richmond, Va.- based maker of “comfort cushioning,” among other things — undertook a groundbreaking campaign to publicize its line of pillows and mattress toppers. Using the slogan “Sleep Better, Dream Bigger” as its starting point, the company sought to determine whether Americans grappling with economic setbacks still dreamed [...]
The curtain comes down on a great gig
My month in Stephenville, Texas has concluded. By the time this is published, I’ll be on my way home. It might be the moment when you expect me to clear my throat, wait for the crowd to quiet itself, and then launch into an extended sociological analysis of Stephenville, teasing out lessons and drawing profound [...]
Dreams — big, small and perverse
In the foyer of the Oxford House, where I have lived for a month, sits a cork board upon which dozens of small pieces of paper have been pinned. Every person who visited during that month was asked to write down his or her dream and attach it to the board, under the belief that [...]
Where dreams hit critical mass
This photograph was taken yesterday, August 12, shortly before noon. The school semester in Stephenville doesn’t start until next week. Put those two facts together — high school football practice in the middle of an August day, before school is even officially in session — and you get an idea of what is expected of [...]
A visit to a quiet place
Cemeteries are contemplative places, and therapeutic, too. Whatever blues have overtaken you can be cured by the reminder that all things pass, particularly us. But municipal cemeteries also tell you something about the values and priorities of the town in which they’re found. I realized, as my days in Stephenville wane, that I hadn’t yet [...]
Who moved the cheese (shop)?
In defiance of every unwritten rule of retailing, Stuart and Connie Veldhuizen are making a nice living operating a cheese store so far from civilization that it practically requires a GPS device to find it. Apparently, you should forget about building a better mousetrap. If you want the world to beat a path to your [...]