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Showing posts from June, 2011

Western Spirituality: A Joke?

" I'm so fucking present, I'm like ahead of my time ." " One hand clapping, fuck that, yo! " " It's so dope when I focus on my breath ." " I'm the sickest Buddha and I'm kickin' Buddha butt !" " All these mother fuckers trying to hate on all my serenity! " I am ridiculously proud to be an American. I felt that way every Christmas when my father would make us celebrate his home country's Christmas and eat Norwegian Smorgasbord. Thank you for coming to American, Thorvaldsen family! I'll take In and Out over pickled herring and lutefisk ( don't ask ) any day! That being said, a huge country with lots of resources isolated from the countries of origins is kind of like a teenager moved out of mom and dad's home. He at first enjoys the freedoms and doesn't consider having furniture or decorating or even saving for retirement. Hell, he wants to par-tay! Eventually, the establishment of a government

Surviving a Zombie Attack

Perhaps the best part of zombie movies is the part where the audience screams “ Dummy! Don’t do that! ” and when they talk amongst themselves about what they would do in that scenario. When I was a kid and first saw “Night of the Living Dead,” I wasn’t impressed with a farmhouse, but I did think a condo high rise in the city might not be too bad. I'd get some folks I trust, we'd take furnishings from the second floor and fill up the lobby, totally clutter it with shit and then nail shut the doors just in case, so we could have the other 20 or so floors to ourselves and all the supplies in them. Everyone considers what they’d do. I went online to find that there’s actually a huge group of people hypothesizing how to handle the zombie apocalypse. In the book “Infectious Disease Modelling Research Progress” by Canadian mathematicians Jean Michel Tchuenche and C. Chiyaka they presented the scenario of a zombie attack and used mathematics to determine that the best way to deal it is

"Fringe-ology" Book Review--Must Read!

I was contacted by the publishers of a book being released called " Fringe-Ology (How I tried to Explain Away the Unexplainable And Couldn't)" by Steve Volk. I usually end up having to turn down book reviews. Not that I don't like books, mind you, but I'm in the process of writing two now and have two more on the back burner, a full-time job, ghost hunting, and several blogs. Still, when I heard the synopsis of this book, I was eager to get a copy and check it out. I am so glad I listened to my instincts! Basically, a reporter has some unanswered questions about the world of the unexplained, psychic skills, ghosts, consciousness outside the brain, near-death experiences, and more. So, he sets out to try and prove that the unexplained does not exist. The problem along the way is that, well, he couldn't! Anyone who's read my own book "Was That a Ghost?" that helps people know if they encountered the paranormal, will know why I love this book so mu

Netflix Instant Watch: Zombie-Theme

Some zombie flicks on Netflix Instant Watch if you find yourself in the mood... "Zombies, Zombies, Zombies" Come on, pimps, prostitutes, zombies. How can you go wrong? "Aaah! Zombies!" This is a story told from the zombies' point of view. It's listed as "quirky." "Redneck Zombies" Campy and Raunchy "Zombieland" is a favorite of most zombie lovers, witty and scary. "Valley of the Zombies" gets a pretty good rating including a creepy estate and cemetery and is listed as witty and scary.

Conspiracy Theory Tuesday: Electronic Poverty?

The Theory of Electronic Conspiracy is said to be a variant of modern New World Order conspiracy theories. The theory consists of the belief that a secret group has attempted for centuries to reach worldwide dominion, even if the result by design would be world destruction. According to this theory, the worldwide dominion has been planned from antiquity and follows the following phases: 1. The substitution of precious metal-based coin currency by paper currency. This process began in the Renaissance, with the beginning of the use of tickets which allowed for people to have a tangible good (such as silver or gold pieces) by paper—a more virtual, but comfortable, medium which the state was committed to provide the equivalent amount of precious metal if such was required. 2. The appearance of virtual money, with credit cards: money approaches wholly virtual status. Money is no longer a tangible paper- or metal-based object but rather a series of numbers recorded in magnetic stripes. 3. T

Sex and the Single Ghost Hunter: What Do Boys Want?

So, I'm out there in the single world 32 years after I exited it. When I stopped dating, I was still in adolescence. Boys took me to Burger King before we sneaked into a drive-in movie by hiding in someone's trunk so we didn't have to pay. My last official date? The prom. I won't tell you the year, but I vaguely remember that some idiot hired one of the kids from school's band that played super loud very hard rock music and no one could dance. I'm guessing not much has happened since then. The singles world seems to be swamped with people desperate for sex. It's pretty ironic because when I was married for 26 years, I always thought my single friends had it made, got tons of sex, were exhausted with their social calendars. Not so, apparently. So, imagine you are single and middle-aged male. Put the top 3 qualities a woman MUST have in the order of most important to lesser. Girls always have lists of the ideal man, but honestly I was always the girl who just

Nightvision: The Best Things Happen at Night!

( I just got myself a jiffy little Vivitar pocket video cam with IR and got a still shot of me at the cemetery after dark ) Do you want proof that the best things happen at night? Vampires come to life Werewolves bay at the moon Bats take to the skies in swarms Mardi Gras participants flash the crowds Full moon eclipses Meteor showers dazzle Stars twinkle and hover UFOs make shocking displays Lovers tangle in sheets Ghost hunters wander unlit buildings Bonfires send sparks into the black air Trick-or-Treaters knock and screech Fireworks smoke the sky Christmas Lights twinkle blindingly New Year's Celebrations send music into the air Prom goers sneak off to after hours hideaways Nightclub jazz shows beckon people inside Horror movie plots keep watchers on edge Halloween parties promise a night of make-believe Bigfoot hunters listen keenly Lightning bugs flicker silently Haunted attractions draw in screaming crowds Corn mazes isolate the wanderers Camping sites come to life around a

Finding Bigfoot Reviewed

Best quote: " That sounds squatchy! " Seriously, I really needed this Sunday off and knowing that at night, I could turn out the lights, turn up the air-conditioning, hide under a woobie ( blanket ) and watch "Finding Bigfoot" go some place snowy and cold to search for my furry cousin, I was quite delighted. In fact, if you tried to call me last evening, I did not answer. Nothing gets in the way of me and searches for Bigfoot. I like the variety of ways they go about things. I appreciate that as an investigator because I don't like to go in and do the same thing over and over again. Each location, each situation is different and you need to adapt. I simply love to see these guys in the woods. I'd love to see an extended one where they maybe do a 2-hour special or a 2-part special of an expedition of hiking and camping. I'd even have them throw in perhaps two more members for an episode like that ( I'm not saying one of them should be a sassy redhead

We've Got Dry Beaver and We've Got Wet Beaver

I'm talking about the State of Arizona, for crying out loud, people, get your mind out of the gutter! ( Wet Beaver Creek, AZ. And, no, it's not just for the estrogenized youngsters. ) ( Dry Beaver Creek, AZ; a sign that always makes people wince, both male and female. And, no, it's not just for the postmenopausal. ) The Wet Beaver creek has bass and catfish and water. Now, you can imagine what the Dry Beaver Creek offers: Sand, sand, and more sand with occasional seasonal rain filling it up. I get the distinct feeling that when settlers stopped in Arizona, tired of the wagon train experience and thinking things might get worse if they kept going west, they just plopped down in this barren land and decided to poke fun at their new territory. I know I do all the time. It helps one survive the heat, sunshine, dry climate and inhospitable cacti. Well, they started naming things just about the weirdest shit you can imagine. I picture it like this; they leaned back against a wag

Adventure Sunday: Meteorite Hunting

A meteorite is a piece of iron, stone, or stony-iron composite that has fallen to Earth from outer space. Most meteorites originated within the Asteroid Belt between Mars and Jupiter, and were once part of a planet or large asteroid. A few meteorites come from the Moon and Mars, and a few others may possibly be fragments of cometary material. Meteorites are attracted to magnets. Meteorites contain a great deal of extraterrestrial iron, even the ones that look like terrestrial rocks (stony meteorites). Just like a common nail or ball bearing, they will easily stick to a magnet, but they are not magnetic. Test your find with a good hardware store magnet, or a rare earth magnet. Very few are not attracted to magnets. Meteorites are heavy. Most meteorites are much denser than ordinary Earth rocks. The thing most people say when they hold a meteorite for the first time is, "Wow! It's so heavy!" The unusual weight is due to high iron content. How and where? From this site's

Scary Music Videos

I love when they haunt me long after seeing them... Tool "Sober" Marilyn Manson "Sweet Dreams" Here's my questions for you: Has there ever been a song that you loved until you saw the video and then hated it? Has there ever been a song you didn't like until you saw the video? That's the power of music videos, leaving a kind of mental virus that's disturbing or inspiring.

Inspirational Saturday: MacGuyver Your Life!

In Deepak Chopra's Book "Ageless Body: Timeless Mind" he mentioned one of the important qualities to people who lived past 100; adaptability, acceptance of change. This brings to mind older folks walking around with cell phones, dinking around on Facebook and listening to current music, but adapting to change doesn't necessarily mean being up-to-date on technology. Adaptability to change means that you know life will be filled with changes all the time, roadblocks, detours, and giant brick walls with smooth surfaces that say "Dead End!" You know those disaster movies of the 70s like "Poseidon Adventure"? You had your folks who feared moving from their spot on the dance floor ceiling and those who realized that to stay there was to be deeper in the water and to climb was to get closer to the surface. Some folks stop in the midst of a change in their plans and either freeze, unable to make a decision, or stubbornly stay with the course they were on,

Lonely on a Friday Night?

Hey, ya'll. I'm in this evening. If you want to jump on and chat, please do so.

When They Prove Ghosts: What Next?

**Be sure you saw my earlier post today, a video, the first in my series of "candlelight tales" every Friday** Suppose you’re watching TV when you get home from work, flipping through the channels and see a “Special Report” message. You stop and wait to see if it’s some disaster or shooting somewhere. No, this ends up being introduced not by a local, but a national reporter. The tone is serious. The message is stupifying, it must be a prank! “A press conference is about to begin. Scientists from Yale University are going to discuss a finding that, well,” his voice deepens, “this is hard to say, but reportedly proof of the afterlife has been discovered and these top scientists in their field will be making an official announcement.” The reporter turns to the other reporter at the desk. “Did you ever think this day would come?” The other reporter clears his throat. “I-I can’t imagine what can constitute proof of afterlife, but apparently we’re about to hear. They’re ready to sp

Candlelight Tales: The Weird Neighbors

This is a new series of candlelight tales done on video where I tell y'all by candlelight and some wine, a spooky story from my life. **Don't miss this afternoon's post about what would happen if ghosts were proven. Also, don't forget, tonight is Lonely on a Friday Night, come on and comment!**

Focused Intent: Is It In Our Genes? In Bigfoot's?

You're sitting in a waiting room, reading a magazine when without noise or prompting, you look up at the chair just to the right of you and the person is staring at you. Did you see them in your peripheral vision? Nope . Did they make a noise? Nope . Somehow, you knew someone was focusing his intent upon you. You're in a haunted location and you're wandering from room to room when you enter a parlor and stop and turn and gaze into the corner. You feel as if you're being watched. You can feel the intent upon you as if it were a psychic touch to your subconscious, something stroking your "warning" button ever so gently. You are coming home from work and find yourself pulling into the parking lot at the Chinese restaurant. You don't recall having a forethought to get supper and bring it home, but you simply felt compelled to do it as if something almost OCD catastrophic would happen if you didn't complete the action. You bring home supper only to find you

New Point-Comfort: A Southern Tale of Haunting Part 3 of 3

( Above: Graves in the grass, house in the distance ) Across from the summer home was a cemetery. When we were kids, we'd forget it was there because the grasses would grow up and no one would cut them back. Each summer we'd arrive and rediscover it as if we forgot it even existed. There weren't many headstones, but they were scattered out and if you ran through the grass and didn't know it, you could whack into one and knock the wind right out of you. More than a few times, I would get tackled by one. In the evening around twilight when it was more dark than light outside and the lightning bugs cradled the pecan trees outside the turret bedroom, I would sit there and brush out my long hair and sit on the bed, studying the direction of the cemetery. It didn't happen all the time, but upon occasion, a blue ball of light, perhaps the size of a baseball or softball would float around in the graveyard, going up and down, weaving in and out of the grasses, obscured by a

The Beasts of Gevaudan

I love werewolf stories, but the best is always the original... In the mid 1700s in the province of Gevaudan in France, huge reddish colored, horrible-smelling wolf creatures began attacking and killing the citizens, tearing open their throats and thus started a massive scare amongst the people. Over 200 people died. This strange pack was described by witnesses as something most unusual from your run of the mill wolves with a female in the pack who did not participate in the attacks and partial eating of human beings. This case not only helped spawn the concept of werewolves but has piqued the interested of cryptozoologists from the accounts made by people who often saw wolves and should know them when they see them. It was speculated the beast was a hybrid of a mastiff and a wolf given its unusual size and color. Some of these beasts were killed and found to be very large and unusual. The legend of the silver bullet came from the second beast killed (Wikipedia) The killing of the crea

New Point-Comfort: A Southern Tale of Haunting Part 2 of 3

The New Point-Comfort Lighthouse. It was a favorite sneaky getaway. Whenever we could hijack someone with a motorboat to ride us, we kids loved this place. The lighthouse was abandoned at the time, just sitting atop a rock island in sad and sorry state, but still a magical retreat! One time, my brother and I sneaked away to it. We climbed the steep stairs with no railing. We'd put a hand on the wall to guide us as we climbed up, our eyes turned skyward in wonder of the more narrow passage as we got near the top. I remember as a kid, sitting there at the top, my brother playing lookout for pirate ships, when I would hear the heavy steady footfalls up the stairway. It almost reminded me of the footsteps at Aspen Grove, but the boots were different, not hard on the bottom, perhaps rubber soled and the steps were taken in a steady cadence, without missing a step. It took some time for the sounds to come up the winding stairway, but they would always end before coming to my perch at the

Conspiracy Theory Tuesday: Barcodes

This is a new Tuesday series. We're going to focus on some lesser-known conspiracy theories. From this site: Some conspiracy theorists have proposed that barcodes are really intended to serve as means of control by a putative world government, or that they are Satanic in intent. Mary Stewart Relfe claims in "The New Money System 666" that barcodes secretly encode the number 666 - the Biblical "Number of the Beast". This theory has been adopted by other fringe figures such as the "oracle" Sollog, who refuses to label any of his books with barcodes on the grounds that "any type of computer numbering systems MANDATED by any government or business is part of the PROPHECY of the BEAST controlling you." (from) Mary Stewart Relfe, The New Money System 666, 1982 "The Prophet John identified this Cashless System of Commerce 1900 years ago as one in which business would be transacted with a 'Mark' and a Number; the Mark will obviously be

New Point-Comfort: A Southern Tale of Haunting Part 1 of 3

( Above: Old vintage picture of the summer home in New Point-Comfort, a quiet town on an inlet of the Chesapeake Bay near a dock on a place called "Doctor's Creek." ) ( Above: Not much different when we owned the place ) My father was retired from the Navy, having been in the Asiatic Fleet during WWII and Korean Wars. He was a water-loving boy from Norway. He needed to be on the water. So, my parents found this charming Victorian home on the southern part of the Chesapeake in Virginia, complete with a dock and a 37-foot cabin cruiser called the Vixen II. ( Above: Vixen II ) The home was interesting. It was on some stilts which was a good thing because a few times we went down to board up the home for a hurricane and ended up having to sit it out inside. When we bought it from a well-to-do older bachelor, he let us having the contents of the house too which was furnished with amazing antiques and a library filled with books from the 1800s. The floors were all yellow pine.

Bigfoot Project

I don't know if it's all hype, but I've been hearing about the "Erickson Project" for some time now. Supposedly, the early underground talk was that it was a documentary being made that would include things no one had ever seen, evidence that would rock the world. Of course, Biscardi said this when "Bigfoot Lives" came out, as well. Check it out , tell me what you think.

"Paranormal Challenge" Reviewed

So, Zak Baggy Pants started another show. There is something to be said about his ambition, but even more to be said about his lack of creativity. The show puts together two teams that are pitted against each other to get "evidence" of a haunting in a famously haunted location. I won't even comment on how lame and boring it was or how funny it is to hear Zak try to speak like a grownup and act like he knows what he's talking about. I hated the show. In fact, like the godawful "Haunted Collector," you will not hear me review or plug the show again. If someone sent me in to salvage the show ( the only way I'd ever see it again ), I would tell them--you're doing it all wrong! Here's some things that could perhaps revive the show: Set up something that will make a shadow or a phantom sound and see which team debunks it. Set a team of psychics against a team of traditional ghost hunters and see if there's any advantage. Let the teams bring their o

"Finding Bigfoot" Reviewed

" That's a squatch !" The new buzzword. I must take it to my ghost hunts and freak out my partners. If I say it just right, maybe follow it with a mock Bigfoot call, I might raise the dead, huh? Last night's episode of "Finding Bigfoot" was in my favorite state in the Union-- Oregon! If there is nirvana, it is Oregon! It has it has it all, it's magnificent every inch of it, the people are artists, open-minded, organic, intelligent, and real. I need to quit trying to sell the state or everyone will rush there and ruin the beautiful countryside and beaches. One creature, however, is brilliant in choosing it for his home--Bigfoot. Oh, another brilliant creature, Cliff, calls it home, as well. Hey, Cliff, shopping for a Bigfoot hunting girlfriend??? McKenzie River footage captured what might be Sasquatch on the shores of the river or perhaps a fisherman? That is what the team went to figure out. They found the environment to be suitable and even took a raft

Sinking Islands, Underwater Ghost Towns

Ever since I saw the movie "In Dreams" ( awesome scary movie with Annette Bening and Robert Downey Jr) with a scene of divers diving in a like where a town was underneath, swimming amongst headstones and a church, I have been fascinated with the idea of abandoned sunken ghost towns. Smith Island Chesapeake: This island in the Chesapeake is lost to time. It is 3 miles long and 1 mile wide and at sea level. It's lost a good deal of its citizens to poor crabbing and fishing conditions. The graves are topped by heavy stones so when there's a high tide or flooding rains, the bodies don't wash away to sea. At the rate of shrinkage, the island will be gone by the end of this century. Sharps Island: Around the beginning of the 19th century, Sharps Island was a roughly 600-acre (240-hectare) farming and fishing community at the mouth of Maryland's Choptank River. At one time it boasted schools, a post office and a popular resort hotel, where vacationers from Baltimore

Adventure Sunday: Haunted Tours

I don't know about y'all, but I am soooo getting Halloween fever. I do this every June when we reach peak temperatures. I want to close the blinds, turn up the air-conditioning and watch horror movies and get all giddy thinking of candied apples, corn mazes, pumpkin carving and all things Halloween. With most of the country have sultry temperatures in the daytime, the idea of a nighttime ghost tour sounds pretty nice. Take advantage of the great nights and maybe even book a room downtown ( haunted hotel preferably ) and sign on for the ghost tour. Here's just some you can find around the country: Philadelphia A candlelight nighttime walking tour including alleys, parks, and cemeteries. Detroit A 3-hour tour with transport and ghost hunting tools in the metro area. Boston This one is led by costumed actors in creepy garb giving a very moody tour. Baltimore Tours include the waterfront maritime area and the historic cultural area. Atlanta they offer a walking tour and a

Numerology

What is numerology? Basically, it's a mystical belief that there are numbers in living things and these relate to characteristics. Any math major or scientist would tell you that, it all comes down to math. In the practice of numerology, one takes their birth name and uses it to find out what their number is. It's very similar in categorizing as astrology and birth signs. So, taking your birth full name and plugging it in here , figure out what your numerology number is. I came out a #1. You have the tools to become an original person with a creative approach to problem solving, and a penchant for initiating action. Jeez, I think all my friends will shake their heads and laugh at this one. I not only find something crazy to do in a new way no one does it, but I actually do it! I hate to just talk about shit. You have little need for much supervision, preferring to act on your own with little restraint. You are both ambitious and determined. Self-confident and self-reliant must

Inspirational Saturday: Laugh!

I've never been accused of taking life so seriously that I had a sour face, an angry disposition or a "this isn't fair" attitude. It's a decision to laugh when others would cry, scream, or break something. Some ways I'm able to laugh about life: When I see people do asinine things, I can't help but think of comedians who point out what idiots human beings can be. I feel like I want to turn to someone and say, " did you see that? " Yup, just more evidence of what a crazy world we live in, in which no one does what you expect them to do and upon occasion do things so stupid, it's incredible. According to The Journal, a teenager was arrested by the Pennsylvania police and charged with felony daytime burglary. How did they find out? Well, the victim noticed that someone had broken into her house through a bedroom window. She also happened to check her computer…which had the burglar’s Facebook account still open. Apparently, after snatching two ex