Through the Veil 2014

Photo compliments of http://www.cg-photo.biz/

I AM.

Since my first visit to the experience that is Through the Veil I have found myself spiraling into opportunity after opportunity both with the event, and outside of the event. 

It has helped me immensely in all areas of my life. To work harder, love harder, play harder. To think clearer, feel more, see more. Through the Veil has answered questions I feel everyone comes across at some point, and it holds out it's arms and takes in anyone that will allow it to. And it is just one weekend a year. Crazy right?

I am going to try to as briefly as possible explain the event and how my involvement has evolved.
Disclaimer: being brief went way the hell out the window. Way the hell. 

Thanks to my friend from the paranormal group I used to investigate with - fellow investigator (Jordan Duncan) convinced me to give it a try five years ago. My first year was Through the Veil #2. I had reservations about the -woman in charge- the director, Michelle. I had heard several negative things about her (from what I would learn later were very manipulative people) so I had a seriously skewed pre-conceived notion. I came into it judge-y and for that I am regretful. I was pregnant with my daughter at my first event. Had some interesting input from a few people that asked if they could touch my belly, which seemed odd to me at the time (I wish I could recall the face to the name of the woman who said "she" was going to be just fine). I didn't fully submerge myself into all 3 days, but I did hear some pretty amazing speakers in our short stint there that weekend. I was still too busy in the "I'm a new paranormal investigator and I want to believe that it is all just science". The touchy feely, these are spirits, your life has a bigger purpose here, and all the woo woo stuff went straight over my head. Straight over. I didn't feel moved or seriously motivated after that first event. I didn't let it. However, I had found a shop that had been a vendor that year, the Meditating Mantis. I would have NEVER found the Mantis without TTV, and my time spent in that shop until the day they closed their doors for business was invaluable to me. I began regularly meditating. I could write a novel of a post about my experiences and the synchronistic events that came from that. *adds to the to-do list*

The second event for me- Through the Veil #3. I was also sporadically at this one, didn't get down and dirty and go to all of the discussions, panels, and lectures. I was extremely impressed with the opening ceremony, and hearing James Redfield speak obviously led me to checking out the Celestine Prophecy series. I still hadn't quite "gotten it" by the time the weekend was over. I was too involved in life and it's motions, and trying to figure out the new mom thing that I wasn't paying attention.

Third - Through the Veil #4. My paranormal group (of which I had become director of) was a sponsor, and was selected to host the event's paranormal investigation. I organized most aspects of that, including the guest's transportation. I had also been invited to be a part of the volunteer staff that year. I was surprised Michelle actually wanted to have me help out. I had a ton of fun (possibly too much). I would have begged for another volunteer position, but thanks to the wonderfulness of Michelle she invited me back hands down before I even went home that weekend. I actually did a recap post after that TTV event, it can be found here.

Fourth - Through the Veil #5. I had become disenchanted with the pomp and circumstance of paranormal investigating. I felt that my time of sitting in the dark surrounded by gadgets had only answered half of my questions. My heart wasn't in it, and I couldn't be happy with it so I made the decision to resign from the paranormal group. Having resigned from the group I offered a seriously hefty chunk of my time to devote to the event. The day I notified Michelle that I had resigned/was at her disposal she had let me know that her assistant was no longer working with her. Divine intervention if you ask me. I became her assistant and spent the next six months filling the event's vendor area. I second guessed myself the entire time, and I can't for the life of me figure out why. Fast forward to the weekend of. I not only learned a lot from the speakers (I made it a point to hear as much as possible) but I also learned a lot about myself. I also learned a lot about what I needed to do in the year following. I paid more attention to the connections and friends I was making over those 3 days. It was the first time I was physically pained leaving. I also realized there was no real way to thank Michelle for the chances she had given me thus far.

Fifth - Through the Veil #6. The event that ended just a few days ago. I must have done a bang up job on TTV 5 because Michelle kept right on plugging along with me helping as her assistant. Once the vendor area was squared away I was able to help out with other aspects of the event. From helping to prep the props, picking songs for the ceremony, to meeting with hotel staff to help plan the ins and outs. I still can't decide what convinced Michelle to utilize me is the capacity that she has, but I am happy she has.

So my answer to the most common question in regards to Through the Veil "What is it?". The answer would be:
It is a place to figure it out.
It?
What it? Well, you get to decide. Maybe you are looking for answers, the next move, how do I, what do I, and so on.
Maybe you have all your answers, you just want to learn something new in general. That can be accomplished. It is thought to be about the bridging of the paranormal field to the metaphysical. This event spans quite a bit more though, in my opinion. I can't bottle it up, I wish I could so you could see exactly what I am trying to put into words. I constantly say that it is a life changing event.
If you let it be.
Things aren't always impossible.

(beautiful art print by the wonderfully creative Paulina Cassidy, whom I met at one of the first TTV events, & was a guest speaker for us this year.)

The power of positive thinking, the laws of attraction, synchronicity, it all works and is all very real. It helped me turn my shy, quiet, stay under the radar, go unnoticed, slide by life feeling mediocre attitude into something pretty crazy. I have discovered that I have a voice, and it is worth being heard. Michelle putting her faith in my ability to get the job done catapulted me into a few other positions that I just can't even wrap my head around yet. You are as lucky as you will allow yourself to be. You are as loved as you will allow yourself to be. You are as happy as you will allow yourself to be. I am happy to report that I am convinced to the fullest that I am lucky, I am loved, and I am happy.

The general theme for this year was I AM and a moving away from a robotic/programmed way of thinking.

Photo compliments of http://www.cg-photo.biz/

Spectacular statue designed by the one and only Shane Garner. I had the best time working with Shane and Michelle on the props this year. 

 We had a board set up where we all wrote versions of what we are. I wrote I AM: honored to be here. First thing to pop in my mind, and I just can't think of what better to say.

One of our guest speakers hit the nail on the head:

I AM ME, AND THAT IS ENOUGH. -Callea Sherrill

What is your I AM?

Can't leave out some of the photos of friends from this year's event, this is the only place I have ever been where new friends feel like old friends, or better yet - family:

My niece Chelsia, and Jordan, the guy who introduced me to it all!

 The lovely Michelle and I.

 Paranormal Illusionist Aiden Sinclair. Always a wonderful time hanging out with him! 

Ms. Sas sang me the coolest birthday song ever. I am convinced she is an angel without wings. She also gave me this:

It is just as beautiful as she is, and she made it herself. Amazing calligraphy work. 

My Farewell

Preface: this post involves my hobby as a paranormal investigator. I have mentioned a few things about it in previous posts.
I set this post up for the team's website, and felt like adding it here as well. 
So here it is:

Death is the only guarantee that life has to offer. 

On that note, it is no wonder that so many people are fascinated with what happens after death. 

I started my journey in the paranormal field about 5 years ago. I won't lie, I was probably more interested in doing what they do on the t.v. shows than I was with actually helping people. I had so much to learn, and learn I did. My personal goals in this hobby evolved over the years, and I would like to think that somewhere along the way I did help a few people out. I have formed some amazing friendships along the way too, and I have never known another group or club to function so much like a family (an extremely professional family at that). 

I started this journey as a believer, I grew up noticing things that weren't "normal" and I knew that there had to be something else to all of this. It isn't black and white, the universe, the whole life after death idea, there is a gray area. This gray area is what has been a topic of concern for dozens and dozens of clients we have been called on to help over the years. Yes, some client situations we could explain away as nothing paranormal. However, I can say that I have added to my arsenal of personal experiences as an investigator. I can't tell you the meaning of it all, I could be on several teams, over several decades, and still not tell you how it all works. There are no rule books when it comes to this sort of stuff.

I do know that there is a fear surrounding this unknown, and that fear is real. I am so blessed to have had the opportunity to work with this amazing team, and to have been able to eliminate that fear in myself. 

Yesterday it was with a heavy heart that I announced to my team that I will be resigning from my duties as case manager, and investigator, on March 31st, 2013. I battled it out in my head for months on what would be the best move for me to make. Maybe just step down from my board position, take a leave of absence, go to the beach, take a hike, fly a kite, you name it. Unfortunately I can't operate that way, as my goals evolved in this field I have managed to turn it into a bit of an obsession, and less of a hobby. I spend hours on the team's message board. I spend hours tweaking forms and methods. I have organized and re-organized enough to probably make the whole team batty. I know deep down that in order to re-direct my focus to where it needs to be I have to just cut all ties. That realization ripped my heart right out.

I wish the best of luck to all of my teammates, my family. I also wish the best of luck to all of our past, present, and future clients. If you are a potential client reading this and navigating through the website to find a team to help you, you are at the right place. I cannot think of a better group of people to take care of you. 

The paranormal field has offered me so many great memories, and I thank each and every one of you who I have had the pleasure of meeting through this adventure. 

A Review of Destination Truth: Memoirs of a Monster Hunter

It is summertime, which means that I can somehow find time to work on summer reading lists. I picked up and zoomed through this awesome book in just a few short days. This is no small feat for me between work, mommy duty, and fighting crime (alright, so I made that last part up). At any rate, myself and some of the other members from our paranormal group have been watching SyFy's Destination Truth for years now. Albeit, I have skipped around and missed a few episodes, but for the most part I have been a pretty consistent fan of the show. I won't lie - over time I have grown fonder of the travel highlights on the show more than the actual investigations. I am going to chalk that up to the fact that I do very similar stuff - sit in the dark for hours and wait for something to happen. I just have the option to do it in a comfy climate controlled home or business; and not in a jungle covered in snakes, spiders, and killer creatures. The book covers some amazing behind the scenes stories and tales of adventure that are just hilarious, and down right crazy. Josh Gates is just as entertaining through word as he is on the show.

If you are a fan of the show I would highly recommend this book. If you aren't? 

A-What are you waiting for (hello Netflix unlimited stream) 

and:

B-Read the book anyways, because it will in some way or another, change the way you view a little something called travel. 

       For me it also changed the way I view certain aspects of the paranormal field. I would like to call this a "skeptic revival" of sorts for me. I am inching closer to the 5 year mark for my involvement in the paranormal field. As time has progressed I have gone from 3 parts skeptic: 1 part believer, to 3 parts believer: 1 part skeptic. There isn't enough time in the day to argue with anyone on which of those is healthier. Now, I am not saying that Josh has completely swayed me back to the former, but he does raise some excellent points. He lays out several assumptions for all things paranormal (if you want a full synopsis of such assumptions please check out the book!). He states, "All of our assumptions speak to the larger problem: the methodology of paranormal research is largely experimental." He also makes another excellent point, "There must be repeatable results in order to draw conclusions." That was it, that last point - repeatable results. I can say that in almost 5 years of doing this that audio evidence hasn't perfectly duplicated, personal experiences haven't perfectly duplicated, it is rare occasion that the same exact locations are revisited frequently enough to produce duplicates of anything. 

Is what we do a sham? Absolutely not. I can count numerous occasions where we have legitimately helped clients and their families out. Whether it be with advice, knowledge, or what we know as evidence. For that I cannot say that we have wasted any time. 

        I would also like to point out that the mid section of the book has pictures. Who doesn't like a book with pictures?! It is this section that keeps my 18 month old attempting to steal my copy at all odds so she can drag it around the house making wild animal noises, and sticking cheerios inside its wonderfully crafted pages while looking at said pictures. It was possibly one of the roughest copies Josh has ever had to autograph.

The best part about getting to enjoy this book was the fact that I got to hear one of the most important excerpts from Josh himself. He read a chapter straight from his book for the conclusion of his panel at Through the Veil event. It was rather outstanding. I won't divulge and quote a lengthy portion of that chapter, for that you can buy the book. Chapter 19 will have you hopping up to pack your bags. Follow this link to purchase a personalized autographed copy. Which is almost as awesome as mine.

     Some of us PGI ladies with Josh, I am the 

    hobbit to the right:

Disclaimer: I am writing this review of my own free will. Josh didn't pay me with money or travel treasures, I just felt like highlighting an awesome book for our group's blog, as well as my own. No FTC disclosures needed. 

Through the Veil

---disclaimer - this isn't chock full of witty and funny quips, laying that to the side for just a sec.

This past weekend I volunteered for the 4th annual Through the Veil event. In all honesty when I first arrived I was nervous, as this was my first time attending as staff and I really didn't want to mess anything up. Registration was a breeze thanks to my handy dandy iPhone. I checked people in without a hitch. It was neat to help the vendors and guest speakers get settled in to their vendor spots. I would like to point out that I also had a general nervousness about all of the new people. I have been told before that I am either intimidating to a degree, or come off as a bitch to people, which is disheartening to hear because I don't mean to be either. Making new friends isn't my forte. (Which is funny because I actually met a very lovely couple who's last name was Forte this weekend).

That I would say was the one thing I hands down successfully accomplished this weekend, I made some new friends. The energy that these people had was nothing short of amazing. I have come to the conclusion that the reason I have a hard time making friends is because I have a hard time meeting real people that have good intentions. I have been around too many fake people with irrelevant agendas. I got it right this time, not sure how I managed to get there and which steps led to which parts but I am glad because I was at the right place at the right time. Taking a look around online the days after I saw that they had also enjoyed my company, and their sweet messages were so nice that I literally cried at being lucky enough to now know them. 

Tiny bit of background - the paranormal group was how I knew of the event, and we had decided to be a sponsor this year and have a vendor table. The group was lucky enough to host an investigation with Ben Hansen (Syfy's Fact or Faked show). I donated some passenger vans to get everyone to and from and the night went off with nary an issue. 

The guest lineup for this event is always so amazing, there are too many to list. This year was no exception. One new guest that I hadn't seen before was Travis Walton, the man that Fire in the Sky was based on. Brett had mentioned that the movie had really jacked him up as a child, so a few weeks before the event we watched it (thank you Netflix) just for good measure. 

Some of the panels that I had door duty for were also wonderful. I enjoyed seeing Chris Moon and Paulette Huff (some of the most heartfelt tarot readings I have ever seen). Chip Coffey's panel was both hilarious and mind boggling, as he is such a funny man. Before I describe the next panel that I was scheduled for I would like to say that I actually agreed to be volunteer staff just days prior to this guest confirming. Not that that matters, but that guest was the icing on the cake. Some time ago around the time of this post - I started watching a show with my paranormal peeps. It came on right after our beloved Ghost Hunters. Destination Truth. They went to amazing places, and they showcased how hairy travel can really get. Obviously Josh Gates makes for a hilarious and perfect host. So a few days after I had started prepping in my head for what sort of stuff would need to be done before the event (and I had just thrown my bestie Amanda under the bus for volunteering her full time as well) what are friends for right?! Then it was announced that Josh would in fact be a guest speaker, and I almost fell in the floor. I thought in my head "I wonder if I can get his autograph sometime over the weekend?!" Hahahaha oh boy I hadn't a clue. 

Long story short? fast forward to about 9:00ish p.m. last Saturday night and we are hanging out with Josh and Travis in the Sundial, looking out at the lights of Atlanta. I was laughing on the inside at the sheer craziness of it all. That is where the pic is from, and I have no idea why we all look possessed, but the waitress didn't take any other pictures so I'll roll with it.  A few things to note - regardless of what your stance is on what Travis's story implies he is one cool guy. He was a mix of my dad and my father in law, very quiet and to himself, but there is a sense of humor in there somewhere you just gotta dig a little. I started asking him about grand babies and in no time we were buddies and he was showing me pictures of his little crew like any proud grandpa would. Fast forward some more and we are all hanging out at the hotel bar exchanging stories and drinking beers (Travis had water with lemon and turned in soon after). We sauntered in and out of the karaoke room and back to the bar, and so forth. While in the karaoke room we saw a group of people take off running and some yelling so we followed suit, we followed up into the lobby where we learned that a man was trying to steal a purse. One of the guest speakers, Larry Flaxman actually chased him down and took him out! You can see the news video about it here. We watched as the guy got sat on by 3 security guards and I just turned to Josh and said "Welcome to Atlanta!". Back to the karaoke room, back to the bar, etc etc. The night ended around 3:30am with the hotel staff closing down the bar and putting the chairs up all around us. Amanda and I stumbled back to the room and just giggled, I just turned to her and said that did just happen, didn't it?

Haunted House

To get into the spirit of Halloween I thought I would share a lovely story about my adventures to a staged haunted house. I have to say staged, because with my hobby (paranormal stuffs) I actually visit alleged haunted houses. Which I am surprisingly totally cool with.

But staged haunted houses? no thank you.

I think if I were on a therapist's couch I would have to say that it is a childhood memory that has scarred my desire to ever go to a haunted house.

I recall (to the best of my ability) having to go to a haunted house when I was, hmmm 4? or 5? I am sure I will find out once this is posted. My sister must have thought it would be a cute idea to take me to one. All I can remember is clinging to her friend, hiding in his shirt and screaming crying. The entire time. I love my sister, but that was possibly the worst Halloween idea for her little sister. I am not sure why they even allowed that, Don't those places have age requirements? Height requirements? Anywho. I hate those damn things now.

Fast forward to 2008. Brett and I are invited to go out with his sister and her friends to a haunted house in Dahlonega. I am a little reluctant but decide that I can do this. I am a big girl now! oh boy was I wrong. I was getting freaked out just waiting in line, you know they always have the dressed up people wandering around to spook you before you even go inside the place. So, we dole out our $20+ to get scared and we make our way in.

I had a great plan for tackling this place. Brett is like a wall, so if I hide behind him I can slide right through this joint unscathed. I decide that I will just bury myself in the back of his shirt and zoom past all the spookies. And this plan actually worked for the most part. I would say I had sneaked by about 70% of the haunted house hiding on his coat tails. However, all good things must come to an end. I didn't prepare myself for a break in the line, which caused some lag and then everyone walking fast picking up the pace to cover the break. I didn't see this gap, or the need to speed up, because I was hiding in Brett's shirt so when he sped up I lost my grip and was on my own...

And then I had to open my eyes...To what you may ask? Well, as you all know, the haunted house employees look for people like me. The blatantly scared shitless. So I open my eyes to find no Brett, just a group of killer clowns and a creepy ass zombie chick trying to grab at me. So what did I do? I let my instincts kick in, and I reared back, and punched her. Right in the face, and ran back to my safety net, aka Brett's back side!

I think those guys need to be taught a lesson anyways, it is obvious the people like me don't want to be in their establishment anyways, so just leave us alone! Let's just say I got my moneys worth that night. And so did everyone with me. So now we all laugh about the time I decked the chick at the haunted house in the face. But no one has tried to sneak up on me or spook me, so I would say that is a win.

I now politely decline all invites to go to staged haunted houses, it is for their safety. Because I am nice like that.

Trying to be Diplomatic - But it hurts!!!

As you can tell from an earlier post. I am now the director of PGI. So far so good I believe. We are all still enjoying ourselves, and getting a few investigations down for the books. I want my main objective as director to be to motivate and facilitate a lot of the ideas we have all been pushing for for years. We are a close knit crew, and we all want the same things so it is a breeze working with everyone.

But- there is something else I get to do. I am the contact for the southeast that fans from all over the country who watch Ghost Lab can find via the Everyday Paranormal website. Which is fine and cool. I appreciate the support for their show - and it is neat that they want to reach out to me.

BUT. Of course there is a but right? I can't for the life of me figure out why 99.9% of the emails that come in arrive in my inbox in such sad shape. Sad shape? Yes, sad shape.

Maybe it is just because I am used to emailing people for work related things, but even with new acquaintances I always ALWAYS proofread my emails before clicking the send button. It is polite and courteous to send a nicely constructed note to someone - especially if you have never met them before.

Alas, some of the emails that come into my inbox are so jumbled up and incoherent that I don't even know what they are asking of me half the time. The spelling and grammatical errors could make Agadore Spartacus cringe (who is my 8 lb Maltese if anyone didn't know). And if they are accompanied by an attachment, I know without a doubt that when my server finally finishes downloading the 2,000,000,000 KB size image that I could use for a roadside billboard that it will almost always be of dust orbs. Almost always. I then get to explain (as scientifically as possible) that they have snapped a shot of dust, water droplets, or some other airborne particle. And then I get to explain that it might not be a dead woman in a white dress after all.

But then what? Then I am the bitch that told them their ghost photo wasn't real. And that part sucks, but I guess it is in the job description. I hate to be that bad guy and I really don't want to complain - if anything emails like these motivate me to educate others about our field. Unfortunately it looks like we might have our hands full.

My early days as a cryptozoologist.

While getting my hair done at my aunt's salon yesterday I learned a few things about myself. Mainly? I was a ridiculously funny child. My aunt was telling me story after story of the shenanigans I got myself (and those around me) into.

As you can learn from a previous post - I spent a lot of weekends camping in Alabama. I didn't really have anyone my age to play with as I grew up. My sister is 16 years older than I am, and all the cousins were closer to her age. So I either had to entertain myself, or con the closest adult into partaking in my antics.

One of my favorite pastimes at our lake front property was simple...I liked to slay all of the dragons that were lurking in the trees. All dainty little girls do that right? right?? I would round up the nearest adult and tell them they were to help me capture and slay all of the nearby dragons.

Catching the dragons was the easy part-or so I told everyone. You leave food out for them, duh!

What do dragons eat? To my 4 year old mind that was easy too - they eat artichokes.. aka pine cones.. they look the same to those stupid stupid dragons. Who knows how I actually "killed" the imaginary buggers, but stories like this show me how crazy our kid could possibly be.

One night after a long day of slaying these beasts I was sitting on the dock with my aunt. The only light was a tiny sliver of moonlight. Soon we spotted something out in the water. It was really long, slow moving, and had a seemingly curvy/slick body.

My aunt: "Uhhhh what the heck is that?!"

4 yr old me: "IT'S A DRAGON!!!!!"

My aunt: : "No really, that thing is huge, we should get back to the camper."

4 yr old me: "DRAGON -DRAGON - DRAGON!!! I told you they were real!"

---just before my aunt scoops me up to haul me away from this weird thing in the water...

Creature: "Quack! Quack! Quack!"

Yup, a line up of large ducks fooled us for sure that night.

I still catch myself watching shows like Monsterquest and Destination Truth and going, wow that is cool-What if???

To new beginnings

I am happy to announce that as of yesterday afternoon- I get to start a brand new adventure within our paranormal crew. I am now the director of EPGA.

Now, I am not a title hungry kind of gal, but I knew that nominating myself to be the director would allow me to really use my creative noggin to get things going for us. I knew that with the death of COL I would be able to use that energy for the paranormal group. The projects and ideas are endless.

But, at the end of the day I know that I really genuinely love what we have been doing for years. Talking to people about the field really is an great feeling because a lot of people don't understand how or why we do what we do-and getting to explain the awesomeness is well, Awesome.

The best part? My new partner in crime/Assistant Director is an amazing lady too. May we have a very successful year!

possibly the coolest hobby ever

After a pretty spectacular investigation this weekend, I felt the urge to post about ghost hunting. I can't disclose info about what the team saw this weekend, so I figured I would post something that I wrote for our team's little blog (that hasn't quite taken off yet!)

so enjoy!

---------------

Things That go Bump in the Morning?

Why do investigations take place at night?

Why am I only seeing stuff at night?

Why do I hear strange things after I go to bed?

Why does blood drip from the wall after midnight?

Ok, so I made that last question up...but the others are legitimate questions we have heard throughout the years. They are good questions because there does seem to be an interesting correlation between paranormal activity and evening hours.

One theory we are kicking around is so simple we must share it first. People don't experience activity in there homes during the daylight hours because they aren't home. I hope that simplicity didn't offend, but it is true- if you are busy getting the kiddos to school and then do your 9-5 thing how do you expect to experience activity somewhere that you are not?

And oh how I would love to talk science to you all for the next theory - But I would rather let these guys explain the next idea. The following information is the reason why we, like many other groups, document solar and geomagnetic activity occurring in our little universe before every investigation.

http://www.liparanormalinvestigators.com/solar.shtml

So there you have it, ghosts aren't picky about what time of day it is - you just have to be at home to see or hear the usual activity in the home. The same things that go bump at night could go bump in the morning. And that just sounds weird, so I am closing on that note!

-Stefanie Jones, charter member

Have something you would like to see discussed? Email Stefanie@everydayparanormalga.com

Thanks Long Island Paranormal Investigators for the wealth of information!

I love me some Wednesday

Ok, so the picture is a little silly, but I can't really post pictures from an actual investigation...

I wanna talk about Wednesdays.

Wednesdays are designed for two things in my mind: getting my nails done, and going to my friend's house to watch Ghost Hunters. Originally she had designed it so that our entire paranormal team could come over and watch the TAPS team in her home theater. (Usually that equated to 3 of us being a part of the fun)

Over the last 2+ years (wow, have I really been doing this for 2 years?) Wednesday nights have evolved into something else, and I have no complaints.

Now on Wednesday nights it is just the two of us. We hang out, tell each other about our crazy weeks, talk smack/ maybe complain, and most importanly...laugh. This evolution may have occurred because we became disenchanted with TAPS after leaving our affiliation with them. I think its 1 part that and 3 parts we just became really good friends.

Like I said, I am not complaining - just glad that our interest in the paranormal (and a group that inevitably fell apart) allowed us to cross paths.

It's funny how things happen isn't it?

Oh.My.Con.

197 days until the biggest 4 day party I generally partake in goes down.

That's right, I go to Dragon Con.

Usually we wander around with our paranormal crew. It is the one weekend that I take no responsibility for my wardrobe, what I eat, what I drink, or where I wander off to. It is amazingly spectacular. I generally like to stock up on Goodfellas cheese pizza and enough beer to sink a tiny ship. This year I kinda mixed it up a bit, as you can tell from a few messages I may have sent out!Oy! These messages and shenanigans prompted this Christmas gift:

Which was possibly the best Christmas gift ever!

The next step for planning this years trip...what or who do I want to be? I kinda want something ninja/catsuit-ish. (But I can't be too stealthy or Brett won't be able to keep up with my drunk little ass) Decisions decisions. Last Dcon I made a princess lolly costume. Which was quite efficient, tiny, and cute. Dcon occurs in September...in Georgia = ungodly hot and humid. So less is more when it comes to costuming!

Any ideas or suggestions for costumes for me or the big guy are welcome and appreciated! I can never seem to con Brett into playing dress up. Sigh.

32 rules of ghost hunting - Part I

ok ok ok so I stole the idea for this post from Zombieland.

Columbus (the main character) basically has a little scribble pad that he has listed the 32 rules needed to survive Zombieland. They consist of some common sense rules like wearing your seatbelt, the double tap, limber up, etc...

So I figured I would make a silly set of rules for ghost hunting. (and no I didn't come up with 32. yet.) Some of the same rules apply, they have an * marking them.

Rule #1: Check the area for clients.

99.9% of the time the client is much scarier than the ghost that is in their house. Be sure they aren't around during the investigation or someone might get hurt!

Rule #2: Watch your head.

Obviously if you are wandering or crawling around in a dark place you should be cautious. If for some reason a client sneaks into the hunt you had better watch for arms and legs coming at ya. Helmets may be a nice touch.

*Rule #3: Travel in groups.

Since when do you waltz into a joint you know may have some super creepy shit going on...Alone? Aside from the fact that this is what we do, it is still nice to have company while you sit and wait for the ghosties to come out and play. Besides, partners in crime always have stuff like extra flashlights, or batteries in case you are a doofus and forgot yours.

*Rule #4: When in doubt, get the hell out. (Or like the movie, know your way out)

There is nothing like a client mid banshee seance coming at you and you are wedged in between the couch cushions un-expecting. Not cool. Not cool at all.

Rule #5: Never hunt on an empty stomach.

Sitting in a pitch black room waiting for the slightest sight or noise of a spirit, and you hear a satanic death growl from the pits of hell and you may just wet your pants. Ironically empty tummies (or tummies full of mexican food) make the same. exact. noise. Just ask my buddy.

Rule #6: Check the closets.

A-for unexpected clients

B-that is where the hair pulling spirits like to hide, or so I have found to be true. Get those asshats outta there before you begin! Or you may be in for a real hair raising experience...

Rule #7: Look big or tall.

This may be a tough one to do, but I have found that the smaller you are-the more you get picked on. Take Brett for instance, in 2+ years of hunting he has never so much as been touched. Me? hair pulled-check, punched in the stomach-check, general poke/ tap or what not - check. (This does not include any injuries possible incurred from clients!)

Rule #8: Always carry a flashlight.

this goes along with Rule #2 Watch your head. You are in the dark, so watch your step! Who knows what you could trip over! Could be something you really don't want to be touching like:

can you say whatthecreepin creeper

is that?! Imagine getting dive bombed or tangled

up with one of these guys?!?!?! Flashlights....