A great collection AND Four Film Collection (Cabin Fever / Cabin Fever 2 / Descent / Descent 2)

A great collection AND Four Film Collection (Cabin Fever / Cabin Fever 2 / Descent / Descent 2)

Lionsgate deserves plaudits for their excellent four film collection series on DVD. I usually buy only blu rays now, but at this great price this was too good an offer to pass up. Even with international shipping, it was highly affordable.

I was surprised to find that the four films came in four separate discs, instead of two-fers or flippers. Disc art is minimal though. Lionsgate has not skimped on the extras either, with a decent amount of valuable supplemental material. One of the films had four commentaries, in fact. Again, I did not expect any extras or even SDH subtitles at this low price for all four films. Lionsgate has somehow managed to fit in all four discs in one standard DVD case, so do not worry about shelf space.

As for the movies themselves, the price of admission is worth for Cabin Fever and Descent alone, both excellent movies. The fact that their not-so-well-known sequels are included is a real bonus. Again, don't expect the sequels to live up to the originals, but they are nevertheless a good way to spend 90 minutes or so. The picture and audio quality of all four films are very good, especially if upsampled on a blu ray or an upconverting DVD player.

If you are a true horror/thriller fan and do not have any of the films featured in this collection, you should add this to your cart post-haste. This box set is highly recommended for all movie fans out there. I can hardly wait to sample the other four film collections issued by Lionsgate, which really has an excellent slate of horror movies. Note that some of the films are available on BD and DVD individually for perfectionists, but this is a real bargain that you will not want to miss.

A great collection AND Four Film Collection (Cabin Fever / Cabin Fever 2 / Descent / Descent 2)

How to Avoid Seasonal Affective Disorder: SAD Season is on the Way

That time of the year will soon be on us again.  Winter  Blahs may be called by any number of names, Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), Cabin Fever, and Post Holiday Blues. These are types of depression or the blues that occur during winter months.

SAD is the most serious. It is more then the blues but is actually a depressive disorder, although perhaps less severe. Symptoms of SAD (and any depression), include: feeling overwhelmed, frequent crying, and irritability (being easily annoyed). Sleep disturbance may be experienced as either sleeping too much, or having trouble sleeping. Appetite disturbances can also go either way that is, losing your appetite and weight loss or increased appetite and weight gain. Post Holiday Blues is a phenomenon of being let down after all the excitement and activities of the season. For those of us who live in the north, the view from Jan 2 tends to be one of three long months of cold and gray. Cabin Fever usually refers to boredom and restlessness that occurs after a time of decreased activities and hum drum days and evenings in a limited space.
How to Avoid and Treat Winter Blahs

For SAD the most successful treatments are Light Therapy and or antidepressant medications.

Light therapy allows the brain to receive the light it needs to decrease the nighttime hormone of melatonin and increase serotonin and other neurotransmitters in the brain. This relieves depression, in the same way that antidepressants do. Light therapy can be had for free by going outside before 12 noon for 30 minutes every day, without sun glasses. This works even on cloudy days. To use artificial light you can buy a light box for about three hundred dollars, or you can make one. To make one you need to follow certain principles. You can use standard bulbs or fluorescent lights, full spectrum light is no longer considered necessary. The bulbs must produce about 10,000 lux of light. Lux is a measurement of the amount of light that gets to the surface of your eye. To make such a lamp with incandescent bulbs would take many bulbs and produce a lot of heat. One simple way to make a lamp is to mount eight 4 four foot fluorescent tubes in a shop light. This will supply 10,000 lux at about 3 feet. The lights should be covered with a diffuser and use the kind that doesn't buzz! Remember, the light should be in front of you. Do not look directly at this or any bright light (including the sun) instead read or complete some other activity in the reflected light. Keep your eyes open. Thirty minutes in the am should help, but it needs to be done daily and before 12 noon. Relax under the light with your morning beverage and a newspaper.
For other ideas and specific plans go to either:

http://www.ehow.com/how_4805812_use-light-box-depression.html

http://www.ehow.com/how_5033581_make-light-boxes-sad.html

In terms of antidepressants the SSRIs (selective serotonin uptake inhibitors) are the most common. These include medications such as Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil, Celexa and Lexapro.   Some recent research with Fish Oil indicates that 3-4000 mg a day may work as well as prescription antidepressants. Fish oil is also good for many other areas of your health.

  Cabin fever and winter blahs usually can be easily managed with changes in routine.

For post holiday blues and to avoid cabin fever I suggest you have a gathering of family or friends around you. If you can only tolerate one or two that is ok. Have a comforting supper (chili or soup and bread) watch an upbeat movie or play a few games.
 Going outside is great if you can participate in an activity to keep you warm such as: walking, snowshoeing, skiing etc. Even short walks by you in the light can be helpful.  If you just can't bring yourself to get outside, find a place inside with lots of light. It can be a spare room or basement I like my garage. Set up a table to do projects, crafts, refinish furniture, sewing, paint, draw, anything you like to do. Make sure this a place you can leave things lying around so you can go back to it any time you have a few minutes without having to set up.   Even small changes in your routine can help. With a little planning and effort you can avoid the blues and even enjoy yourself this winter, and remember spring is not far off.

How to Avoid Seasonal Affective Disorder: SAD Season is on the Way

Cabin Fever

How to Avoid Seasonal Affective Disorder: SAD Season is on the Way

How to Avoid Seasonal Affective Disorder: SAD Season is on the Way
How to Avoid Seasonal Affective Disorder: SAD Season is on the Way

Cabin Fever

Swedish Cottage Style Cheers Up Dreary Climates

Suppose you lived in a place where the climate was cold and gray most of the year. Wouldn't you want to cheer up you home with light? That's exactly what Swedish Cottage style intends to do.

Swedish style became very fashionable in America in the mid-1800s, when many Scandinavians immigrated to the United States. Ironically, many of them settled in the Upper Midwest, where the climate came closest to what they knew in Sweden, Norway, Finland and Denmark. So naturally in a land of cold gray winters and short days, they reproduced their light, bright, airy decorating style in a new land.

The first rule of Swedish Cottage decorating is to think airy and pale, to reflect as much light as possible. There's lots of white, offset by pastel blues, but no other colors on the walls, floors or moldings. Instead, pale greens, lavender, yellow and rose are used in decoration and accessories to bright up the room.

If you've ever been to a store or seen a catalog from IKEA, then you have a good idea of what Swedish furnishings look like. In general, wood is light and lines are simple and unadorned. Natural woods include birch, alder, white pine and beech. They may be stained, bleached, distressed or painted in white, cream or light grays. Sometimes the furniture is decorated with stenciled designs.

Table tops often have edges detailed in beads or carving. Couches are typically wood-framed with upholstered seats and loose back cushions. Slipcovers and loose cushions make it easy to change the look inexpensively.

Floors, like furniture, are also plain and without much decoration, although again stencils may be used to create shapes or stripes. Flooring also is usually wood, also distressed, bleached, pickled or whitewashed. Area rugs should be simple, such plain blue rugs with flat pile or loose weave.

Window treatments also are plain and simple. Molding around windows may be painted with pale blue and left uncovered if privacy isn't an issue. Roman shades would be a good way to ensure some privacy. The shades could be flanked by light sheers or draped with white muslin or linen.

Swedish Cottage style bedrooms may be casual or quite formal. A white draped canopy hung from a coronet or rings could crown the bed in your room. A matching padded headboard would finish off the look.

The simple elegance of this style makes it an ideal background for surprise elements that enliven the decor. For instance, a bedroom might be finished with an antique treasure box and a white vase of red and gold flowers. Mirrors in every room bring added light reflection and keep away cabin fever in winter by making rooms seem bigger.

Faux framing is a unique element of Swedish design. Instead of putting a picture inside a frame, you simply paint a frame on the wall and hang the picture inside it. The only caution is to be sure that's the exact spot where you want the picture.

For those who love calm simplicity with a touch of surprise, Swedish Cottage can be the perfect decor.

Swedish Cottage Style Cheers Up Dreary Climates

Cabin Fever

Swedish Cottage Style Cheers Up Dreary Climates

Swedish Cottage Style Cheers Up Dreary Climates
Swedish Cottage Style Cheers Up Dreary Climates

Cabin Fever