• About the Author
  • Archives
  • Categories
  • Return to Queer Paranormal

    • Archive for March, 2009

    « Older Entries

    Workin’ Nine to Five…


    2009 - 03.31

    Posted in personal, updates, work | Comments Off

    What a way to make a living…

    So, training is a bit more intensive than I expected! I guess this means I won’t be getting much blogging done this week. Hopefully I’ll have enough time to squeeze out a post or two in the next couple of days. Between the technical difficulties and “speed learning” (cramming our brains full of more information than a normal human can process in a few hours), I don’t have much time to think this week. All I can say is my cutoff time Friday is 5:00PM no matter what. There better not be homework that day (yes, they actually call it that).

    There’s a big difference between working to live and living to work. I prefer the former. Yesterday, I wasn’t officially done with “work” until 10:30PM. After being sent all around the region all morning, it made for a long day. But on the bright side, I have a newfound appreciation for the term “going postal”. Is it the intent of every federal job to drive you insane?

    Grinding Out the Troublemakers…


    2009 - 03.27

    Posted in books, ghost hunting, ghosts, laws, mills, news, ohio, paranormal, trespassing | Comments Off

    Many places are rumored to have a ghost or two. But does such a statement warrant a lawsuit?

    That’s the question tossed around in court down in Miami County, Ohio these days. It revolves around the Staley Mill, built in 1818 by Elias Staley and his clan. The Troy grist mill was featured in the book Weird Ohio and has become an attraction for would-be ghost hunters and bored teenagers. One descendant, Melissa Duer, is determined to stop all this.

    Duer filed a lawsuit against people responsible for both the book and a website, Forgotten Ohio. She told local reporters that both her and her husband have been physically threatened when telling people to leave. Melissa has hired off-duty law enforcement and a $35,000 watch dog. A judge ruled earlier this month that Weird Ohio did not paint the grist mill or the family in an unfavorable light. Trespassers were not the responsibility of the author, nor was any emotional distress” brought on by the work. A contributing author and the website owner, Andrew Henderson, may be held responsible for some of the expenses Duer is seeking due to the website.

    So, writing down what other people have been saying for decades is, apparently, a very bad thing. It’s not so easy to sue someone for saying a place is haunted verbally among friends (probably because it’s not easy to track them down). Writing down a rumor that is merely a rumor isn’t against the law, in my opinion. Stating it as emphatic fact, however, with intent to libel, is. Freedom of speech covers most literary work, with the added disclaimer almost every book has. So, why go after a storyteller and not the trespassers? Because it’s easier to blame one than punish the many guilty parties.

    As a writer and teller of paranormal stories, there is always inherent risk that someone will break the law to see a place for him or herself. All we can do is be responsible, let people know that they need to get permission to enter a property (which might be common sense, but isn’t so common), and hope for the best.

    In my opinion, Duer would be better off turning the mill into a ghost tour location and charging people for visiting it. Aside from suing people, what could be more American than earning a fast buck?

    I Haven’t Got Time for the Pain…


    2009 - 03.26

    Posted in life, personal, updates, work | Comments Off

    Bah, scheduling conflicts. I hate them. Everything wants to happen at the same time! I go through periods where nothing is on my slate, then everything wants to happen on the same day! Life would be so much easier if things were spread out, but that’s just not how real life works!

    This coming week, I was supposed to have jury duty. Then, the Census bureau called to say training is the same week. Luckily, some people are more lax about rescheduling, so jury duty has been postponed for one week. Sorry, Perry Mason. Of course, that means my next three weeks are busy, busy, busy! Leave it to fate to make my birthday month the busiest one of the year.

    I’m still fitting in a trip to Dayton afterward, and I have some small things to fit into the schedule here and there. But, sheesh… mass chaos! I shouldn’t complain, though. I asked for it by wanting to be busier. I’ll gladly be too busy than bored to tears. Let’s just hope nothing else decides to pop up and add to the chaos. When it rains, it pours…

    Random Acts of Unkindness…


    2009 - 03.24

    Posted in personal, thoughts, words | Comments Off

    Tell the truth and shame the devil.

    I find myself using that phrase quite a lot. While we desire to live by that phrase, we often live contrary to it. Truth can hurt and cause strain or argument. It can be a lot uglier than a lie. It’s easier to say, but a tough pill to swallow.

    So many times in our lives, we have the opportunity to open our mouths and let something spill forth. It often does. We later worry that those words will travel through the cosmos, or even casual banter, to the very ears they weren’t meant to reach. But it does happen occasionally. Why? Because people like to talk. People don’t act as we think they will all the time. Sometimes, words become weapons. Not always a dagger thrust into someone’s chest, but a grenade tossed idly by the roadside. Still, it can find its target.

    Always be careful what you say. Words haunt us worse than ghosts in the host haunted house known to humankind. While ghosts fade, words ring in the ears for all of time. Sometimes, karma is listening. Sometimes those spoken about. A person need not respond to digest the vocabulary. But they often don’t forget. It can happen in a random moment on a random day years after the fact. Words do not have an expiration date.

    We all have the ability to be wicked or evil in deeds and spoken sounds. Most of us suppress it. But we all slip. And when that minor loose tongue wags and its voice finds the appropriate ear, unrelated things make sense, sometimes. Puzzling equations become rudimentary; simple arithmetic makes a blunder. A new reality is formed… and it’s up to the possessor to decide what, if anything, to do with it.

    Peeking Through the Lens…


    2009 - 03.24

    Posted in cuyahoga valley, flickr, hauntings, houses, ohio, photography, photos, weekend | Comments Off

    Those of you who know me well know that I love photography. I may not do it as often as I’d like, but I enjoy being behind a camera. I did fight the digital revolution (and still prefer 35mm), but digital is easier when you’re dealing with the internet. Scanning regular images, as well as all the expense involved, makes it something I save for what I deem most important. Some sightseeing and paranormal adventures require tangible photos worthy of frames. The rest, well, I’ll settle for a digital.

    I’ve been a member of Flickr for a few years now, I think. It was only recently that I actually bothered uploading any photos onto the site. It’s easy and a good way to get some exposure for any images you’ve captured… and, for some, a way of sharing other people’s photographic work. For me, it’s a way of sharing some of the things I’ve photographed (and bothered saving the images for) with new people, friends, and anyone else. I’m very picky about what I place on it.

    But today, I finally uploaded some new images from this past weekend. I had the great pleasure of going to a small family gathering (not my family) in Valley View at one of the “haunted” places in the Cuyahoga Valley: Edmund Gleeson House. I was invited by a Gleeson family descendant who still lives nearby, and took the chance to get a sneak peek inside the rehabilitated home. I met the owner, listened sheepishly as the Gleeson descendant went on and on about my book to everyone (she even gave they mayor of Valley View a copy… I shook his hand), and poked around the old farmhouse. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and I went for it.

    Everyone was pleasant. A few of the teenagers in the room immediately wanted to know more about the “ghost”. The other Gleeson house down the road (occupied by the descendant) is also haunted, apparently. I maintained my usual speculative distance from any firm answers about the hauntings. I’ve never experienced anything nor have I investigated anything, therefore it could just be legend. We had an interesting discussion of local legends, like “Hell Town“, as well.

    I didn’t overstay my welcome and had plans, so the visit was brief. But I did get to snap a few photos inside before leaving. I gave the owner a copy of the book as well, for curiosity’s sake. The National Park Service did an incredible job on the home. I would have taken more photos, but the place was packed with guests and family and I didn’t want to intrude too much.

    To see these and some of the other photos from the Cuyahoga Valley (as well as other random images from the past few years), just go to my Flickr photostream.

    A House of Cards…


    2009 - 03.24

    Posted in friends, personal, tarot, thoughts | Comments Off

    Today is just… odd. Yesterday’s plans dissipated. And I’m feeling a bit strange about everything. I haven’t heard from my friend in over 36 hours.

    I canceled on Monday night with a bad stomach ache and some slight uneasiness. Perhaps I nodded off for a while, but I swear I heard the muffled sound of someone calling my name three or four times around midnight, but I could chalk that one up to arguing downstairs neighbors. Last night, I decided, for old time’s sake, to drag out the old tarot deck. I pulled three cards at random.

    Of the 78 cards in a deck, odds are slim that the first card pulled out would be one specific one. I felt a prolonged and uneasy “oookay” escape my lips. Half of me says, “It’s just a tarot deck,” while the other half thinks back to the several times they’ve been dead-on. The point of me bringing it up in the first place isn’t some “believe… believe in the tarot…” rant or anything like it. I just would rather mention it ahead of time, just in case. If I said anything after the fact, it could lose its charm. Not that such a word is a good choice.

    In some ways, “it’s all a bunch of hocus pocus”. Anyone who has ever read tarot can tell you that it’s wide-open to interpretation. No card says any one exact thing. They give a variety of choices. You arrive at your own opinions from them, and see what happens. Deep down, I have two scenarios for the disappearance of my friend which won’t go away. But I’ll wait until something definite is said before I assume anything.

    Sometimes, not knowing is a bad thing. But knowing can be worse. Ignorance is bliss, while those who are aware of everything tend to be more miserable from having such opened eyes. For now, I don’t know anything about the past two days. And until I do, I’ll try my best to be blissfully ignorant.

    Saturday Night’s Alright…


    2009 - 03.23

    Posted in akron, friends, personal, updates | Comments Off

    Saturday evening was a reunion in so many ways. And old friend, Steve, and his new boyfriend came in town, so we had an opportunity to catch up on the past several years. I haven’t seen him since… oh it must be over six years. Needless to say, there was a lot of catching up to do.

    Overall, it was a fun night of revisiting the past and old haunts. Along our sojourn through Akron, I saw many old faces and caught up with several people. Some haven’t changed, others have gone through serious overhauls. For old time sake, we stopped at a nite club for a short time. As we were getting ready to leave, Steve stopped to chat with the owner. Perfect timing; I ran into another friend from the more recent past (Dan) and had a chance to catch up briefly, yell at him for reading emails but never replying, and exchange a few hugs.

    I am a bit of a nightowl, but nothing really prepared me for being out that late. It was after 4:00 AM when I made it home and crawled into bed. I was supposed to go out last night late and meet up with a few other ghosts of my past, but my stomach just wasn’t in the mood. I was a walking billboard for Pepto Bismol. I still feel quazi-sick, but I’m not going to let that cancel any plans for a second day in a row. As long as my nose stops running and my stomach isn’t tied in knots, I should fair well.

    Tonight’s jaunt will be to Cleveland. I’m assuming dinner, drinks, and a show, but I’ll find out for sure what’s happening a little later this afternoon. Meanwhile, I have a bit of catching up to do with a few odds and ends. And then I could use a little down time before getting wrapped up in a few other things later in the week. March has been flying by… some of it, I’ll be gllad to be done with while the other, more enjoyable things will be over before I know it.

    Just Passing Through…


    2009 - 03.21

    Posted in personal, updates, writing | Comments Off

    No time for a post today, though I have several things to write about. I’ll have some news stories to discuss and adventures to mention tomorrow if I have the time. It’ll be a busy few days for me. But in a good way. Luckily, in spite of some ‘blah’ moments in the past week or so, things are going good right now. And it’s always better to be too busy living than writing…

    Ghost Property Going Bust?


    2009 - 03.19

    Posted in bed and breakfasts, business, charities, florida, foreclosure, ghost hunting, ghosts, hauntings, paranormal, television, youtube | Comments Off

    Foreclosures still plague the United States as our economy maintains its frightening slump. Everyone is susceptible. In Florida, one allegedly-haunted bed & breakfast is the newest victim. But if a group of ghost hunters has their way, the house won’t face any wrecking ball.

    The Seven Sisters Inn on Ocala’s Fort King Street was built in 1888 and remains one of the few magnificent Victorians still standing in the area. The owners, Bonnie and Ken, ran the guest house for 20 years before facing a financial crisis. A failed sale led to the banks demand for total payment, which could not be met. in October 2008, foreclosure proceedings began.

    But they’re not going down without a fight. Southeastern Paranormal Investigations (SEPI) has helped create a website, Save the Seven Sisters Inn, where visitors can sign a petition and make donations to help the cause. The National Register of Historic Places lists both houses for their historical value. Charity events are being planned in hopes of doing anything possible to avoid disaster. A buyer is desperately wanted by the owners for the two-house B&B, which is priced at $1.3 million.

    An episode of Ghost Hunters was recently filmed at the structure and hopes are high for it attracting paranormal investigators in an effort to save the building. Events are still happening at the inn, including the Seven Sisters Haunt in April, so it’s not dead just yet. Allegedly, the haunted activity is tied to the land, not necessarily the houses. In the 18th century, a hospital was built on the grounds and treated many injured soldiers who apparently refused to leave.

    For an overview, here is part of the Ghost Hunters episode, aired this past fall:

    Click here for Part Two of “Ghosts of the Sunshine State”.

    "Hello. I’d Like to Have an Argument."


    2009 - 03.19

    Posted in beliefs, opinions, paranormal, people, rants, skepticism, thinkers, thoughts | Comments Off

    It’s been another one of those crazy weeks. People disappearing, people popping up out of nowhere, health problems with people around me, and the usual insanity I call my life. And then, I made the mistake last weekend of answering a question on an online forum: do you believe in ghosts? I said more than just ‘yes’.

    In hindsight, it was a bad idea. Many people respond in grunts, syllables, or not at all to statements that they know will lead to arguments or complaints. One-word responses leave little to fight over. But some people just like arguing.

    What followed was a prolonged attack since, apparently, stating that I’m a “paranormal investigator” automatically means I speak on behalf of every parapsychologist, researcher, professor, scientist, writer, ghost hunter, and anyone else (alive or dead) in any way connected to the field. The same old arguments rehashed a billion times flung at me, demanding ultimate “proof”. But, of course, it wasn’t in a polite discourse; it’s the typical heckling of someone who, no matter what is presented to them, remains convinced that you’re an idiot.

    I see we haven’t changed much since the Puritans. Witch hunts are still happening. Different is bad. In only a few sentences stating my opinions, I instantly turned into Frankenstein’s monster. What do you do? If you walk away, you’re supposedly admitting “that they are right”, but if you stand and defend yourself, you’re “absurd”. It’s a lose-lose situation. But it comes from speaking your mind and being a part of this field. Opening your mouth makes you a target of torch-bearing townsfolk rallying to “burn the witch”.

    I hate arguing. Especially when it’s pointless or when someone belittles your words because “they know everything”. Real stupidity comes from believing that you’re omniscient and omnipotent. Only wise people know that they don’t know everything. but I let it go on for a while before stopping and thinking, “what the hell am I doing?” Discussing something with someone who can’t see beyond their own window to the world is the most wasteful thing anyone can do.

    I like letting people make their own informed opinions, as everyone should. Don’t just spit out what someone else told you; review everything and form your own opinion. And if it’s different from someone else’s, big friggin’ deal! Guess what? Everyone has an opinion, a belief, a perspective. Being loud doesn’t mean you know more than someone else; it just means your mouth opens wider.

    Humankind has the capacity to become rabid dogs. People like to gang up with viciousness to feel inflated about their own superiority. But, when the attack is on them, everything is very different. That’s just mean! Well, that’s just human nature. Evil doesn’t come from supernatural demons, it comes from the depths of humankind. Humanity has a tendency to be inhumane. And it circles itself; call it karma if you wish, but the stream of putrid words we sometimes spill out come back at us in a different form. And when they do, we have no right to complain. We did it once ourselves.

    Agreeing to disagree or seeing another viewpoint is a challenge for many people. But we all see the world differently. Every man or woman is the product of his or her collective beliefs, experience, and thoughts. More time is wasted on pointless back-and-forth banter than actual reasoning. In a way, it’s comical. If people could see the humor in it, of course.

    I guess what bothers me most is, being an open-minded person, I expect to be treated as I treat others. I could be cruel and nasty many times, but I choose to let most things slide. I try to make people think and reason, prepare for what is coming, yet it is labeled “non-conformity”. So what? I’m not a conformist. I’m an individual. If I’m the only one not running with the herd, it makes me an independent thinker not an anarchist. Different is good; different brings about revolutionary thought and ideas. If it weren’t for outcasts, nothing would ever change. Ideas are what separate us from our inner animal. If being a non-ape makes me a bad person to somepeople, I’ll settle for that.

    « Older Entries