Remember Arshad Chowdhury? I wrote about him years ago when he invented something called a sleep pod, a high-tech structure that can still be seen in several airports around the country.
Crawl into the enclosure, and you can catch 40 winks in the middle of the day for about 20 bucks, or about 50 cents a wink. (Before we all got so politically correct, I’d have made a funny joke about my reputation of innocently — and inexpensively — flirting with the ladies.
Chowdhury has enjoyed great financial success since I first wrote about him, despite problems in the beginning: many customers could not successfully nod off while nesting. Some travelers just stared into space with their eyes wide open, something most people can already do at their place of employment and actually get paid for it.
My brother has always promoted the benefits of taking a siesta while at work. He has lost a few jobs because of his naps, but now he’s an Uber driver and his passengers just love the fact he isn’t always yakking at them. Admittedly, his snoring has cut down on the tips.
Mr. Chowdhury writes a blog, another fool-proof way to put people to sleep quickly. His newest entry just last week has an intriguing title:
MY WIFE AND I HAVE SLEPT IN A CAVE FOR 10 YEARS
Wow, talk about the bear necessities!
Apparently, AC and his wife bought a new home several years ago and discovered it had a windowless, soundproof den tucked away inside. The Chowdhurys then labeled this their sleep cave, although the police have since told the Chowdhurys that the former owners had called it their meth lab.
AC wanted to see what would happen if the couple slept in a room that was pitch black and totally silent. Of course, they could have just slept in their own bedroom, turned off the lights, pulled the shades and ditched their cell phones. Yes, they could have done that, but that would have made their blog seem even less interesting — as if that were remotely possible.
The Chowdhurys have slept in their cave every night in complete darkness since 2007. They are sleeping great, but they admit there are a few drawbacks. First, rumor has it that AC and his wife continually overslept for all nine jobs they’ve been fired from over the past 10 years.
Plus, Mrs. Chowdhury was a morning person who used to gleefully bound out of bed when she awoke, bolting for the front door, eager to start her day. This is tough in a sleep cave. Friends and neighbors had a lot of questions for Mr. Chowdhury about his wife’s frequent head and facial bruises.
While the Chowdhurys still claim to be sleeping soundly most nights, two years ago they had a little baby boy. Here’s the problem. Lately he’s been crying and keeping them awake. He’s not frightened of the dark so much, but the bats are scaring the heck out of the little guy.
