because my thursdays are hectic this will be to the point:

* Ghost hunters ROCKED last night...although I disagree with their interpretation of the second EVP they captured...they heard "I will do this."  Do we all become Shakespearian actors when we die?  I certainly don't know anyone who speaks that way.  I heard "I will..." and then a word that begins with a "th" sound.  They should seriously consider bringing in a speech pathologist as a consultant...they would, without a doubt, be able to more accurately decipher EVPs since they specialize in recognizing speech patterns.

* My mom was sweet enough to swing by my house this morning with a cup of coffee from McDonalds for me...and I hate to admit this, but McDonalds sugar-free vanilla coffee blows Starbucks version out of the water.  *hangs head in shame*  Those of you who know me, know I despise chains like McDonalds, Burger King and the like for numerous reasons, but I'm afraid I will have to lift my boycott and make an allowance for their coffee.  Delicious.  Seriously.  Yum.

other things i'm loving right now:

*Smith's Rosebud Salve:  great multi-tasker...it makes you lips soft and shiny, makes my cuticles and nails (and i have a habit of picking at them when i'm anxious) look amazing, makes my elbows nice and soft, looks great on the cheeks for that dewy look and it smells fantastic.  The only way this stuff could get any better is if it changed flat tires and did laundry.

*David Lynch:  I have been resisting the urge to go on another Twin Peaks bender...whether this is due to my friend Charlene's recent visit (we would have TP marathons in high school, complete with coffee and cherry pie) or because my mother and I were talking about Kyle McLaughlin (sp?) I do not know.

*Spray Paint:  it's ability to simplify crafting projects is AWESOME.

*Special K protein water:  as a vegetarian I am always looking for a little extra protein.  Since I started drinking this once a day I have noticed I have more energy...who knows whether it's due to the extra protein or the fact that it is LOADED with b vitamins.

Hope you all have a smashing Thursday.

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I LOVE Wednesdays.  Wednesday nights I geek out on my paranormal crack:  Ghost Hunters.
I have been obsessed with ghosts since, at least as far as I can remember, the age of 2.
I have no recollection as to what sparked my interest, but since my childhood I have had many interesting
experiences involving many different aspects of the paranormal.  I even lived in a very active haunted house complete with disembodied voices, multiple interactions by multiple people (myself included) with a full bodied apparition and the usual "poltergeist"-esque activity (slamming doors and the like) when I was in my early 20's and living in San Marcos, Texas.  Once he and I established our personal boundaries (like no scaring the daylights out of me by banging about the house in the middle of the night, or the middle of the day for that matter!) he actually proved to be the best
and most respectful roommate I ever had...he never ate my food or drank my beer or Bushmills.

I love visiting haunted locations.  For those of you that are interested, here are some of my photos and links to my favorite "haunts:"
(sorry, but the pun simply HAD to be made.)

The Myrtles Plantation, St. Francisville, Louisiana:




Rosedown Plantation, St. Francisville, Louisiana:
     

Jefferson Davis Memorial Hospital (now artist lofts), Houston, Texas
*photo taken prior to renovations*


La Carafe, Houston, Texas


Bath, England

 

Tower of London, London, England


Warwick Castle, Warwick, England


The Driskill Hotel, Austin, Texas
*note:  this photo is from http://www.showcook.co.za/ *


If you would like to discover haunted locations in your area (or a wealth of information on other paranormal topics ranging from UFO's to cryptozoology) then check out this GREAT reference site:
The Shadowlands main page
The Shadowlands Haunted Directory

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(March 27) - A 57-year-old man will serve 20 years in prison for molestation charges after pleading guilty in a Virginia court for his attempts to solicit 13-year-old boys over the Internet.

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Daisy,

I think I have an answer for the bed picture but have a few questions first.  Is there a window in that room?  What kind of camera do you have and what setting was it on?

Ghostgirlie

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Twins
Originally uploaded by CheshireMoon

Meh. Feeling my lack of sleep from the weekend today; yesterday I was running on caffeine so four hours' sleep felt ok. Besides, I wanted to visit with Jimmy before he had to head home, so that helped motivate me to stay awake. Today though, they don't make a cup of coffee big enough to pump me up.

I know that I said I'd write more about the night at the Spanish Military Hospital, but you know...what's to tell? I could tell you about the people who said they were pinched, or poked or grabbed or heard something. But that's nothing that I experienced, and since I don't really know the sources I take it with a grain of salt.

I'm hoping that someone caught something on tape that will make chills run down my spine, but so far, nada. One member commented that with so many people there and talking that anyone who was trying to record EVPs was SOL, and she is most likely right.

I'd like to go back with a much, much smaller crew. 5 or 6 people max. Actually, I'd much rather go to the Light house. It's $800.00 a night to get in there, though.

This coming weekend two different groups are meeting at the Huguenot cemetery in St. Augustine and crossing over to the fort. One group is doing a full moon ritual and meditation and the other group (the paranormal research group) will be there to gather data and document any changes in temperature, electromagnetic readings, etc. I may go for a while - depends on the weather, and whether or not I convince myself that the hassle of parking in St. Augustine on a Saturday night is indeed one I'm up for facing.

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A few pics of orbs. Big whoop. Those could easily be moisture. Nothing at all on the recording - in fact, I don't really have any usable footage from that since there were too many of us and people kept walking in front of the camera.

Valerie while asking questions.

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Out behind the building.

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Above bed #3 ( "hot spot" for this group in an earlier investigation.)

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Not sure. We tried to recreate this effect using the infrared lights on our headlights and couldn't. Photo was taken without a flash.

IMG_1646.jpg

I'll write more about the actual experience there later on.

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Black Leaves
Originally uploaded by CheshireMoon

Well, I managed to sleep in...til 10AM. Damn, that's the best I can do these days it seems. I remember when I was a teen sleeping in til noon was the norm for weekends; not so now - I guess that too many years of the same schedule has set my internal clock permanently. That and my cat Tula thinks the world is ending if I haven't fed her by 9:30.

I kept really busy today - did a load of laundry, changed Sushi's water(my Siamese fighting fish - he so deserves an entry of his own! I will tell you more about him soon) then I went to every pawn shop within a five mile radius of my home looking for DSLRs. I didn't find them. I found crappy little 3.2 MP digitals and a bunch of 35 mm cameras. I'm sorely tempted to go back and grab one of those, but I really did want to avoid having to develop rolls of film every week. Holga being the exception to that, of course. But I don't see that becoming a huge amount of film.

Thwarted there, I decided to drive down US 17 and see if I couldn't find some good shots. I did - or I think so, at least - this being one of them. I took this photo in a seriously scary place, but it was right on the road so I couldn't not stop. The house back behind this big shed reminded me of "House of 1,000 Corpses" though, and this dirty little boy with black teeth came running out to see what I was doing. I almost snapped the kid, he was so potentially creepy. But then I thought better not, since I couldn't tell what was being pointed at me from behind that dirty window to the house.

I then laid in all the supplies I might need for tonight: spare batteries, a flashlight, those glow in the dark sticks. I even bought one of those headlamp things that sportsmen wear! I am gonna look like a total idiot; my one comfort is that so will everyone else, as headlamps are apparently part of the recommended gear for ghost hunting. I packed up my tripod, camera and camcorder, I'm taking a gallon of water and TP (because there's a bathroom, and between the pot of coffee I'm drinking, the water and adrenaline I'll be running to it) and now I am basically sitting here wondering what to do for the next two and a half hours, as we meet at 10.

Shoulda gotten a movie!

I'm already sleepy. It's friggin' 7PM and I'm yawning. I know it's probably psychological - I have my mind on not sleeping so I want to sleep.

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Ghost
Originally uploaded by CheshireMoon

Starting to get excited now...less than two hours to go before I'm free for two whole days! I get to pick up my camcorder tonight after work so I'll have time to figure out how the blasted thing works before I go trying to use it tomorrow night.

Big ghost hunt tomorrow night! This AM I woke up thinking I might not go, but oh yeah, I am so going. A little adventure is just what I need. I'm gonna try to stay up late tonight so that I don't fall asleep in the middle of it tomorrow and miss something good. heh I don't need a psychic to tell me there is lots of coffee in my near future.

I spoke earlier about getting my ducks in a row...along those lines, I've decided to upgrade the digital camera too. If I get a better quality camera I can try my hand at stock photography and see if I can't make a little cash from this hobby...er, obsession of mine.

Oh, come on. What is a hobby if not an obsession? If you're not obsessing I think you're doing something wrong. You must not really mean business.

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Charleston2 016

Hey All-

A couple of thoughts for you.  I don't know how big the meetup group that did the investigation was but sometimes when you have a big group of people who do not know eachother very well, you can't tune in to the energy in the place that you are investigating.  A couple of good rules of thumb for the investigation are not to go in one BIG group of people to one area.  Split up.  If it is a fairly small area, use groups of two.  Have one person record information such as temp, conditions, happenings, emf readings etc.  Have the other person operate that equipment and take pictures.  Set a time limit for that area, i.e. 15 min, then switch areas.  Have the other group do the same thing.  If possible- Set up cameras and let them run.  (yes sort of like ghost hunters)  You can get special filters and light attachments for most video cameras that will help with night shots.  I know that my camera's night shot is kind of crap.  When you are recording or doing evp, use two recorders.  I use digital because sometimes if you use magnetic tape, it gets distorted and sometimes, you can pick up internal noise as well like the reels winding the tape. 

Go through ALL of the evidence before making an assesment.  Write reports and keep them to refer back to or reread if you investigate the same place more than once.  Compare your notes in a group setting a week or so later.  You may have had the same experience as someone else and can validate the event. 

As far as pictures go------  If you feel like there is something in it, there probably is.  Play around with it, lighten or darken it, adjust the contrast and color.  You may be able to pick something up.  Take hundreds, thousands, millions of pictures.  You can always erase your sd card if they are all crummy but the more you take, the better your chances are. 

Don't discount personal experiences.  Don't rush to judgement but pay attention to what is happening and how things around you feel.  Make sure to write it down and take pictures of the event if possible. 

Also, Old does not equal haunted.  New does not equal not haunted.

I Am checking into the Serial Killer Tapes for you all.....More info to come.......

Blessings

Ghostgirlie 

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Church
Originally uploaded by CheshireMoon

I took this shot a few weekends back when I went downtown for the afternoon looking for something other than flowers to photograph! I should visit downtown more often; there is some beautiful architecture there. It reminds me of Philly - not that the buildings there are as old as some you can find in Philly, most of the buildings in Jacksonville date back to the late 1800's or early 1900's. But that's okay - art deco was a beautiful architechtural movement!

Speaking of old buildings, on the 23rd of this month I'm spending the night in the old Spanish military hospital in St. Augustine. It's allegedly a hotspot of paranormal activity, particularly the second floor. One of my oldest and dearest friends, Jimmy, is driving down specifically to go with me. I'm really looking forward to it! I'll have my camcorder and be ready to roll! I know what to do, I've seen Ghost Hunters! ;)

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