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    Running on Empty…


    2008 - 05.31

    Posted in friends, life, paranormal, personal, restaurants, television | Comments Off

    In case you hadn’t noticed, I haven’t felt too much like blogging much lately. I’ve just been feeling a bit worn out and drained lately with so many things. Not in a negative way, just in the sense of feeling exhausted.

    Last night, the paranormal group had a bit of a meeting. Though we all decided to remain friends, we reached an agreement that it might be best to split off and form two separate groups, based on region. It isn’t easy for everyone to travel to everything and many of us have different views and opinions. So instead of risking the loss of friendships, we’ll act as two separate entities… and then get together here and there to spend time as friends. One thing I have learned in life is mixing business with friendship or anything else for that matter is never easy… and often ends in disaster. But I’d rather lose a business associate than a friend.

    After a very late dinner at the Boneyard, we watched Big Gay Sketch Show until around 3:30 AM. I had a difficult time getting to sleep, and had to be up early this morning. I made it home, tried staying awake, but felt too sick from the lack of sleep. I took a long nap in the afternoon. I feel somewhat rejuvenated, but still not quite human.

    Still, I have a feeling a nice cool shower will do wonders…

    Queer Paranormal Road Trip: Trax Bar


    2008 - 05.30

    Posted in california, gay, gay bars, haight, hauntings, paranormal, san francisco, spotlight, united states | Comments Off

    Known for being the “gay mecca” of the world, San Francisco is rich with history. The infamous Haight-Ashbury neighborhood saw the rise of the “hippie culture” in the 1960s… and has its share of spooks.

    Right on Haight Street, you can find Trax Bar, a local gay watering hole in the middle of it all dating back to 1974. With it’s “easy to get to, hard to leave” slogan, you can tell it’s worth a visit. The drinks come cheap and the fun never ends. Yet there seems to be other spirits in this establishment, beyond those shelved behind the bar.

    The bar itself dates back to the 1940s, when it was known as The Question Mark Cocktail Lounge. An old photograph discovered by workers hangs in the foyer, showing the original pub during the one-year anniversary. When the owner saw the picture, he noticed something familiar about it. He had seen the man who was pointing at the camera before… inside the bar.

    There have been haunting rumors surrounding Trax for quite some time. Customers and employees have reported strange sightings. An ethereal man has been seen sitting at the end of the bar, watching the patrons. The same apparition has been spotted walking through the bar, into the office, and out the door. He doesn’t seem to be an unfriendly presence, just a casual observer.

    Perhaps a former patron who loved the atmosphere? Or even an old manager who refuses to leave?

    Nevertheless, Trax has earned a spot on the Haunted Haight ghost tour and has more than it’s share of visitors. If you can get beyond the drink specials, drag queens, and loud music, you just might find yourself face to face with the mysterious figure yourself.

    Either way, you’re guaranteed to have a good time!

    Fortunes, Forecasts,… and Homoscopes…


    2008 - 05.28

    Posted in astrology, books, gay, horoscopes, websites | Comments Off

    What do the stars hold in store for you?

    Even though most of us take astrology with a grain of salt and treat it solely as a source of entertainment, it can be quite a fascinating pseudo-science. Most of us would like to believe there is some order to the cosmos as well as our own lives. Yet traditional horoscopes seem to lack that one thing: a gay slant.

    Believe it or not, there have been many gay and lesbian astrologers over the years. And I’m not talking about Miss Cleo.

    Still today, you can find them anywhere on the web. One of the best resources is AstroQueer. It’s a free site jam-packed full of anything and everything astrology-related for the GLBT community at large. And then there’s Homostrology, another online site featuring gay horoscopes.

    Personally, I’ve been visiting AstroBarry over the past few weeks for a little amusement. He’s quite an amusing (and often funny) individual… and his weekly forecasts are certainly worth a read.

    And sometimes, a little too uncanny.

    Here’s a brief excerpt of this week’s Aries horoscope. I think it’s quite fitting to some parts of my life!

    “The jumping-off point from last week’s horoscope that I want to begin with is the idea of getting up and walking away, should you find that some shit-stirrer or drama-queen wants to drag you into their shit or drama. The moment you begin to sense traces of a ridiculously irrelevant power struggle brewing, that’s your cue to move it along. And why stay put, Aries? With all the people and possibilities out there, there’s no real need to overstay your welcome in any one place—particularly if it’s just not very friendly. Perpetual social motion is one of your best pals this week, to be sure…“

    If you’re really into astrology, check out the books Queer Astrology for Menand Queer Astrology for Womenas well…

    Death of a Sorcerer…


    2008 - 05.27

    Posted in england, harry potter, london, murder, news | Comments Off

    An 18-year-old was fatally stabbed Saturday in South-East London after an altercation over mobile phones.

    The victim was Robert Knox, who was at Metro Bar that night celebrating the end of filming on Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. Knox played alongside Daniel Radcliffe as Ravensclaw student Marcus Belby in the new film and had recently signed to appear in the sequel.

    Only a week earlier, Knox had confronted the man and told him to stop stealing his friend’s mobile phones. Several friends who intervened also received stab wounds and were treated for their wounds. Police and witnesses believe Knox was targeted because he was defending his friends.

    This marks the 14th teenager murdered in London this year.

    Friends and family members have been leaving flowers and small memorials at the scene of the crime this week.

    They’re Chasing Amy…


    2008 - 05.27

    Posted in amy winehouse, celebrities, england, ghosts, london, news | Comments Off

    Some people believe that Amy Winehouse is in serious need of an exorcism. Amazingly, they just might be right…

    According to news reports, Winehouse fled her North London flat early Thursday morning. She was terrified… and had scratches on her arms (well, other than the usual ones we would assume). She has told friends that she refuses to return to her home until it has been exorcised.

    Winehouse believes the ghost of a little boy who may have died in the flat haunts it. She has told friends that she believes he has brought in other ethereal friends who wish to harm her. It all originates in the spare room she was planning to redecorate, with it’s “creepy airplane wallpaper”.

    For now, she is staying at a Chelsea Harbour hotel.

    Nevermind that she was caught on camera smoking crack not too long ago. These ghosts must be real…

    … and they might want her to do heroin.

    Buy Your Own Bottled Spirits?


    2008 - 05.27

    Posted in bottles, florida, ghosts, merchandise, news, united states | Comments Off

    Most of us prefer to buy bottled spirits at a liquor store. But now, you can buy a different form of bottled spirits online.

    Jon Deese of St. Augustine, Florida is selling bottles. What’s in them? Well, ghosts… or so he claims. He says he contracts with “ghost catchers” from around the country who catch spooks in bottles which he offers on his website, Ghost in a Bottle.

    “They’ll go in and catch them from haunted establishments, cars, hotels, maybe even graveyards,” says Deese.

    How do they get them in there? That’s a good question… and not one that Deese is willing to elaborate on. But he does tell his customers to open them at their own risk. While some say it makes for a nice conversation piece, others have claimed unusual activity when they opened the bottle.

    Twenty dollars for a haunting? Surely it’s a bargain price.

    Supernatural Spotlight: Dougall Fraser


    2008 - 05.26

    Posted in books, california, gay, los angeles, psychics, spotlight, texas | Comments Off

    Is there such a thing as a gay clairvoyant? The answer is yes more often than you may think. And one of the better-known gay psychics is Dougall Fraser.

    Fraser lead a very different life from most people. He realized at an early age that what he could see was different than others around him. At the age of 8, he gave his first psychic reading. Over the years, he studied massage, psychology, meditation and healing to build on his abilities. He left New Jersey for Dallas, Texas in hopes of becoming a massage therapist. Those plans fell through, but his psychic work gained momentum. By the time he was 20, he was voted Best Psychic in Dallas.

    Being 6′6″ tall, overweight, gay, and a psychic made for turbulent teenage years. Yet Fraser learned to cope as many of us do through humor and a positive outlook. In 2005, he wrote down the memoirs of his earlier years in the book But You Knew That Already: What a Psychic Can Teach You About Life. He may not be any older than I am, but from the sound of it, he has lived enough to fill a book!

    Fraser now calls Los Angeles home, where he moved with his husband David last year. He is still a popular psychic consultant. He was featured on X Zone Radio in April and will be traveling back to Texas and New York City in the coming months.

    Whether or not you believe in psychic ability, he is certainly a fascinating individual. And of course, if you’re in the market for a clairvoyant, he’s certainly someone worth checking out…

    These Boots Were Made for Walking…


    2008 - 05.26

    Posted in cemeteries, friends, personal, weekend | Comments Off

    What a looong weekend.

    Friday evening, I went hiking with a small group at Indigo Lake in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. It was another late-night haunted hike… and I finally crawled into bed around 1:30 AM.

    Saturday was another busy day. After keeping busy all morning, I went for a walk with Bill, Evelyn, Natasha and Robin in Lakeview Cemetery in Cleveland. We started out in the Garfield Monument, viewing President Garfield’s tomb, climbing the stone spiral staircase, and enjoying the view. Trust me, it’s not a small cemetery. I do believe we walked a few miles and we didn’t even see the entire graveyard. And somehow, we managed to avoid most easy inclines and stairs, choosing instead to walk up and down the steepest part of the many hills. By the end, my feet were sore and I was feeling dehydrated.

    Evelyn, Bill and I stopped at Tommy’s in Coventry for a healthy dinner and browsed a few shops. I haven’t visited that area of Cleveland in years, but it was just as nice as I remembered it. Plenty of interesting people to look at… and a bit of eyecandy as well.

    We returned to Bill’s for a few strawberry mudslides, movies, and a very late-night game of Trivial Pursuit. I crashed around 3:00 AM.

    Sunday was a late start. I mowed Bill’s lawn while he did laundry (with a manual reel push mower, mind you) and collapsed on the couch downing water like crazy. It was quite warm outside, yet we still went for a bike ride at Cuyahoga Community College. I wasn’t on my customary bicycle so between the blister from the mower and the seat hurting my rear, I only did one loop around campus. after pizza, I went home again, exhausted. I’m still a bit sore today!

    I won’t complain, though. It was a nice weekend to be outdoors. It seems that the weather is finally improving… hopefully for good.

    Dead Disco Drama Queens…


    2008 - 05.24

    Posted in comedy, france, gay, gay ghosts, movies | Comments Off

    A creepy old, run-down house and a young straight couple. Sounds like an A-typical Hollywood horror movie, right?

    Not quite.

    A French film titled Poltergay changes everything. Homeowner Mark is awakened by loud disco music only he can hear. Winged penises appear on walls, bare butts poke through walls, and a polariod camera snaps a picture of him in the shower. Yet his wife Emma and his best friend don’t notice anything out of the ordinary. Apparently, 27 years prior, there was an explosion at a gay nightclub at the same site. Five of the victims now haunt the house!

    Yes, it is intended to be a comedy. The characters are stereotypical and the storyline intriguing. If you can get beyond the subtitles, be sure to check it out! Of course, finding a copy of it might not be very easy… I have yet to locate the 2006 film on DVD.

    Check out the trailer for yourself:

    Bend It Like Beckham?


    2008 - 05.24

    Posted in beckham, england, humor, photos | Comments Off

    Sometimes, it’s the little things in life that make it more amusing. And sometimes, we all need a little giggle to make our day better.

    British comedian James Corden decided that a classic image of David Beckham from an underwear ad could be done a little better…

    Heat Magazine gave us all a peek this week.

    Here is the original photo:

    And here’s Corden’s rendition:

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