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I wish I could remember what I was dreaming about. I am addicted to Comedy Central television. Maybe I’m hanging out with my favorite comedian in my dream.

Since I love to laugh (both awake and sleeping, apparently), I am not going to miss the final weekend of the North Carolina Comedy Arts Festival.

About The NC Comedy Arts Festival

Since 2001, one of the premiere comedy festivals in the country has been happening right in the heart of North Carolina. The North Carolina Comedy Arts Festival brings acts from New York, LA, Chicago, D.C., Boston, Philadelphia, and every city in between to perform, network and develop right here as the next generation of comedy talent.

It all started out as a college comedy festival and workshops called Dirty South Improv. It’s grown to become the first comedy festival in North Carolina and one of the mainstays of comedy in the South.

Who, What, Where & When

This three week festival began in early February and will last until Saturday, February 18th. This being the final week of the NC Comedy Arts Festival, one should expect a lot of laughs.

For the full schedule, artist line-up, locations and tickets, check out Improv Weeks official Show Schedule.

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Photo by Martin Kimeldorf.

UNC Chapel Hill – Best Value Public College

The Princeton Review list identifies America’s top undergraduate schools offering excellent academics, generous financial aid, and/or relatively low cost of attendance.

The list examines 150 undergraduate schools: 75 public and 75 private institutions.  In each group, the Princeton Review identifies the top 10 ranking colleges.

Value of a Good Night’s Sleep Confirmed

Carolina students, faculty and staff are frequent customers at The Better Sleep Store. Students love our large in-store selection of futons. Professors favor memory foam and inner-spring mattresses like Sealy, Tempur-Pedic and Carolina Mattress Guild.

Maybe the value of a good night’s sleep factors into the high achievement in Chapel Hill. Couldn’t hurt.

Princeton Review Top 10 Lists

The Princeton Review “Top 10 Best Value Public Colleges for 2012″ are:

1. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
2. University of Virginia (Charlottesville)
3. New College of Florida (Sarasota)
4. State University of New York at Binghamton
5. University of Wisconsin (Madison)
6. College of William and Mary (Williamsburg VA)
7. University of Florida (Gainesville)
8. University of Georgia (Athens)
9. University of Washington (Seattle)
10. University of Texas at Austin

The Princeton Review “Top 10 Best Value Private Colleges for 2012″ are:

1. Williams College (Williamstown MA)
2. Swarthmore College (Swarthmore PA)
3. Princeton University (Princeton NJ)
4. Harvard College (Cambridge MA)
5. Rice University (Houston TX)
6. Pomona College (Claremont CA)
7. Washington University (St. Louis MO)
8. Yale University (New Haven CT)
9. California Institute of Technology (Pasadena)
10. Hamilton College (Hamilton NY)

More Information

For more information on top colleges, paying for college, getting into the college of your choice and more, visit The Princeton Review.

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Photo by Patrick Talbert.

Dear Jack,

Can you recommend an appropriate pillow for neck pain? A few months ago I lost my balance while on a ladder. I didn’t fall, but I jerked my neck with a whiplash action. I wake up every morning with a painful neck.

The pillow I sleep on now is old and kinda flat. I seem to wake up off and on during the night to readjust the pillow, or fold in half  just to get comfortable. Is it possible that the right type of pillow would alleviate my pain and help me sleep?

Thanks, Pain in the Neck

Dear Pain in the Neck,

The right pillow can make a difference in your sleeping position and thus can affect how your neck feels the next day, particularly if you are getting over a sprain or strain, which is what whiplash is.

In selecting a pillow for neck pain, you will need to carefully choose one that fits you. First, look for a pillow that supports your neck but does not tilt your head forward when you are lying on your back. If you sleep on your side, the pillow you choose should support your head in line with your neck, not tilt your head up or down.

There are many pillow options to choose from. The goal is a pillow that gives you good support as well as a good night’s sleep. The basic rule is to find a pillow that keeps your neck in that neutral position. Here are some choices worth a test drive:

Orthopedic pillows – These are pillows that are designed to maintain the natural curve of your neck.

Feather pillows – The old-fashioned feather pillow may be the right choice for you, as long as you aren’t allergic to down or other feathers. These pillows can be molded to fit the shape of your head and offer less resistance than foam.

Cervical pillows – These are roll-shaped pillows designed to relieve neck stress and neck pain by maintaining the natural shape of your head and neck while you sleep.

Since you are waking up with neck pain and it’s been a long time since you bought new pillows, you might want to stop by and try a few options out. Since you spend a good chunk of your life sleeping, one of the best ways to ensure restful, pain-free sleep is to get the most comfortable pillow you can find.

Pleasant dreams,

Jack

Jack Moody
The Better Sleep Store
Chapel Hill, NC

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Photo by Nuno Dantas.

So, after rising from bed, I decided to make a list of the best places in Chapel Hill to get some BBQ. It will be difficult to decide which place I’ll go to eat first.

Barbecue in Chapel Hill

•  Allen & Son Bar-B-Que, 6203 Millhouse Rd, Chapel Hill – These folks serve good, smokey-flavored pork, coarse chopped with a vinegar-based sauce with some heat. And the sweet tea and hush puppies are the best.

• Jim’s Famous BBQ, 115 S Elliott Rd, Chapel Hill – This is Memphis style BBQ. Awesome ribs, and pulled pork and chicken. And don’t miss the potato salad here.

• The Pig Restaurant, 630 Weaver Dairy Rd, Chapel Hill – An eclectic menu featuring local ingredients. The beef brisket and ribs are yummy. And I love those fried green tomatoes.

• The Recovery Room, 108 Henderson Street, Chapel Hill – I haven’t been there yet, but they have Bart’s Old North State BBQ sandwich on the menu.

• Mama Dip’s, 408 West Rosemary Street, Chapel Hill, NC – The classic barbecue restaurant, just around the corner from Franklin Street. BBQ Chopped Pork, BBQ Sliced Beef, Southern Fried Chicken, Brunswick Stew. Sweet Tea so fine the straw stands up in it. It’s all too good for words.

NC Barbecue Society

Did you know there is an NC Barbecue Society? I did not.

The have a thought-provoking BBQ Trail Map of North Carolina. Must give a shout to Stephenson’s Bar-B-Q in Willow Springs, one of my favorite places – they made the BBQ Trail map!

How Do You Spell Barbecue?

In the course of my exhaustive research for this story, I couldn’t help but notice that barbecue can spelled a bunch of different ways.

• Barbecue
• Barbeque
• BBQ
• Bar-B-Q

This is a comforting thought, like BBQ itself. The flavor changes from place to place, so why not the name? Thank heavens it hasn’t been homogenized into a supermarket product.

No matter how you spell it, we love our barbecue in Chapel Hill.

Attention Yankees: Barbecue is a Noun

In places like New York and New Jersey, barbecue is a verb. “C’mon over and we’ll barbecue some cilantro-marinated tilapia,” you might hear in the Garden State.

But in North Carolina, barbecue is a noun. It is something you eat, not something you do.

When we all fire up the Weber (or a re-purposed trash can) to cook some fish, it’s called grillin’ or smokin’. Yankees take note.

What’s Your ‘Cue?

Do you have a favorite Barbecue joint? Please share that with me. I’ve only listed five places and there is seven days in the week.

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Photo by Alison Mickelson.

About the Museum

Eight thousand square feet seems like a lot of space for a basketball museum. But spend an hour or so in there and you start to wonder how they squeezed in everything. The museum is open adjacent to the Smith Center and features more than 450 artifacts representing the history of Carolina Basketball.

These artifacts include videos, photos, statistical and historical panels that highlight the history of the Carolina Basketball program. The museum experience begins with a six-minute theater presentation and includes video tributes to Dean Smith, Roy Williams and the Carolina Family, Tyler Hansbrough, Phil Ford, Michael Jordan and the history of UNC Basketball.

It also includes interactive presentations highlighting Carolina’s 18 Final Four appearances and 17 Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament championships, and many of the greatest games and most exciting finishes in Tar Heel history.

If you’re the type of person who gets up out of bed, looks out the window on a clear day and says “Tar Heel Blue,” the Carolina Basketball Museum is a must-visit for you.

UNC Basketball Museum Hours

Tuesday-Friday from 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Saturday from 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Up-coming UNC Basketball Home Games

• Jan. 26th at 7 p.m. opponent N.C. State
• Jan. 29th at 6 p.m. opponent Georgia Tech
• Feb. 8th at 9 p.m. opponent Duke (Win Tickets!)

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Photo by Kevin Tsui, used under a Flickr Creative Commons License. Thanks Kevin – you are one talented sports shooter!

Class: Exploring Espresso Beverages

The class is called Exploring Espresso Beverages and it takes place at A Southern Season in Chapel Hill (University Mall) this Saturday.

First of all, I never knew there was anything like a “Barista Champion”. And second, who knew you needed to learn how to “pair” food with your coffee! I think this will be fun. I’m already jazzed up for this class.

Barista Secrets

Lem Butler, Zach Neuman and Daniel Faucette are the instructors. Lem was the 2010 Southeast regional Barista Champion from Counter Culture Coffee in Durham. Zach is the 2011 Brewers Cup Champion from Helios in Raleigh. And, Daniel is a 2012 Southeast Barista Competitor from Jubala Village Coffee in Raleigh.

These baristas will introduce the class to the barista competition and explain how they prepare for one segment of the competition: The Signature Beverage. They will teach how to pair food with coffee to bring out the best in your espresso. Delicious coffees will be sampled and assorted breads and pastries will be served.

Details

Exploring Espresso Beverages

Jan 14, 2012 –  11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Cost: $20

A Southern Season, University Mall
201 S. Estes Drive
Chapel Hill, NC 27514

(919) 929-7133

Dear Jack,

I just got married and bought a home. Right before the wedding, my wife had purchased a new queen mattress, so we got rid of my old comfortable bed. The problem is, she loves her hard firm mattress and I need a soft place to sleep at night. I wake up all night long and every morning stiff from sleeping on this solid bed.

Like her mattress, my new wife can be hard-headed and won’t let us get a brand new softer mattress when her’s is only a few months old and perfectly fine. This mattress is so uncomfortable to me, I may have to start sleeping on the sofa!

So, I was thinking about getting one of those memory foam mattress toppers for my side of the bed. Is that possible? What do you recommend?

Help!

From the soft new husband

Dear Soft N.H.,

Fist of all congratulations on your recent wedding. Like marriage, buying a mattress can take just as much compromise! A mattress topper, especially the memory foam toppers, are a great solution.

The vast majority of my customers have told me that these topper pads and overlays have helped them with their pain or sleep problems. Often they had tried other pads, such as “eggcrate” pads, without much relief. I’ve been told by customers that they sleep longer, awaken fewer times during the night, and their backs hurt less. Others just like it because it’s so comfortable.

Advantages of Memory Foam Toppers

• Improve your mattress without replacing it – and at the fraction of the cost of a new bed
• Adjusts to conform to the shape of your body, giving better support
• Greatly reduces the pressure points that cause you to toss and turn
• The heat and pressure sensitive foam reacts to your body’s weight, so that it molds to your exact body shape
• Your weight is more evenly distributed and your spine can remain in a more neutral position

Features of Memory Foam Toppers

• Made of 100% visco elastic memory foam
• Available in 2, 3, and 4 inch thick models
• Sizes to fit any need: personal size, twin, twin xl, full, queen, king, and California king toppers

Stop on by the store, and lets pick-out the right one for you and your wife.

Pleasant dreams,

Jack

Jack Moody
The Better Sleep Store
Chapel Hill, NC

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Photo by Paul Meidinger.

The Varsity Theatre has been a landmark of Chapel Hill and Franklin Street for over 50 years. Since the Sorrell building was built in 1927, it has always housed a movie theater, starting with the original Carolina Theater and then the Village Theater before becoming home to the Varsity.

The Varsity has that old time feel and makes it a perfect place to catch a movie, especially during a charming, old-fashioned Christmas.

What’s Playing at Varsity

50/50 (R)
Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen

Wednesday at 7:00 & 9:20 p.m. ; Thursday at 9:20 p.m.

A Christmas Story (PG)
Staring: Melinda Dillon, Darren McGavin

Wednesday & Thursday at 7:10 & 9:30 p.m.

Beginning Friday, December 23rd the Varsity will be showing:

The Ides of March (R)
Staring: Ryan Gosling, George Clooney

Moneyball (PG-13)
Staring: Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill

For show times and more information call (919) 967-8665

This holiday season, why not consider giving yourself a gift that keeps giving night after night?

Feather Your Nest and Feel Your Best

The National Sleep Foundation says a comfortable bedroom is key to getting a good night’s sleep, according to the results of the National Sleep Foundation’s Bedroom Poll. The poll results show that Americans love their bedrooms!

We all know that to function at our best during the day, a good nights sleep is necessary. So why not make sure your bed and bedroom become the serene, relaxing haven away from all your daily stresses?

Simple indulgences in the bedroom matter. Clean sheets with a fresh scent, the perfect pillow, and the right mattress can all impact how you feel about going to sleep.

The good news is that we can all make our bedrooms great. Having a comfortable and clean bedroom could help you get a better night’s sleep. Love your bedroom, and improve a third of your life!

The Gift of a Good Night’s Sleep

Here are our Top 4 ways to make the bedroom your favorite room in the house.

1. Put up some light blocking curtains
2. How about a brand new pillow? (down, fiber or memory foam or even one that is contoured)
3. New sheets that are %100 cotton with a thread count over 200 and are soft to the touch
4. A mattress topper with memory foam can be like sleeping on a cloud

But if your mattress is more than 10 years old, if it has formed annoying peaks, valleys or lumps, or if you wake up stiff and sore, it’s probably time for a new one. So maybe instead of stressing this holiday, think about giving yourself the gift of a good night’s sleep.

Feather your nest. Make your bedroom the one place just for you. The best place to rest, restore and rejuvenate.

Go back to bed and snuggle up. After you’ve have a restful night’s sleep, you can think about what to get your mother-in-law for Christmas.

Drop By

Come see us in Ram’s Plaza off Highway 15-501 in Chapel Hill.