Ghosts aren't inherently evil. Grandma doesn't become a psycho killer and Uncle Milton doesn't transform into an ax murderer once they say "adios" to this existence. Now, let's flip that coin; John Wayne Gacy and Ted Bundy don't become choirboys, either. Unless Gram and Uncle Miltie had it in them while living (and admit it; you always suspected he did), they'll have the same personalities at their new address. And, unless Johnny and Teddy get a much-needed ass whoopin' over there (which I'd very much like to believe is the case), they'll be every bit the slime they were when breathing. The good news? While Gram may no longer be able to bake her brownies (curious how happy you always felt immediately after eating Gram's brownies), she can and probably will stop by occasionally to say "Hi". Even better news? There's not much the latter two can physically do to you; their hands are tied tighter than those of their victims. And Uncle Milt? Well, who cares; he always creeped you out anyway.

Ghosts don't scare as much as startle; even Mother Teresa would be somewhat unnerving if she suddenly made her entrance at the foot of your bed at 3:00am. However, you never have to set your security alarm for these spectral intruders. And that, my friends, is why you really do have more to fear from the living than the dead.

Hey! Spring is here! Now turn off your damn computer and head outside to enjoy the fresh air :-)

Welcome to my second installment of The Booo! Blog. I'm glad you're here!

 

When I created my website, I knew it would very likely cause a small commotion in the New England paranormal community. Based on my years of experience and observation in the paranormal field, I wanted it to be informative, helpful and brutally honest, and with that honesty sometimes comes controversy. While the response from the general public has been overwhelmingly positive, what I was not expecting was the sheer volume of vitriol and venom on the part of some paranormal investigators and ghost hunting groups, not only in New England, but across the country. The public has access to the Guest Book section of my site, and a few of the negative comments are printed there. With limited exceptions (use of profanity, personal attacks on others, naming individual investigators or groups) I have made it a policy to print the positive and the negative. I do not have the capability to edit posts but do manually approve them, so if yours violated one of my few rules and did not appear, please accept my apologies. However, the vast majority of nastiness has been sent via private email and that, of course, will never be reprinted on my website without the consent of the sender, as it would be a violation of their privacy.

 

I mentioned this a few times on my site, but the message and sentiment may have become a bit overshadowed, so it bears repeating: There are some very reputable and well-established paranormal investigators and groups in New England. That being said, as in any field, there are those that (for lack of a more accurate descriptive term) really do suck at this. A sizable portion of my website is devoted to helping you, the reader, recognize the difference, hopefully choose the former and, at all costs, avoid the latter. My concern is for those who may be experiencing a paranormal problem and, yes, even for the 'ghosts' involved. If you happen to find yourself smack in the middle of a genuine, honest-to-goodness haunting and believe your uninvited guest(s) were once living, breathing, compassionate beings, it should be the concern of your chosen investigator or group as well. Needless to say, the 'I learned everything I need to know from TV' sledgehammer approach favored by many weekend ghost hunters is far from the nuanced, knowledgeable and experienced attempt at a solution that you and your resident spook require and deserve.

 

While remaining independent of any paranormal group or organization has afforded me a huge advantage in the unique way I can approach and tailor an investigation to a client's individual needs, some who have read my site may find it surprising that I have never declined a request to assist other individuals and groups in this field. Yes, I am opinionated. Yes, I am brutally honest. However, I am not (as some email has suggested) an "a**hole". Actually, that was one of the milder accusations; I had to Google a few of their 'colorful' word choices just to understand what some New England paranormal investigators and groups thought of my website :-) Regardless, I have happily supplied advice, expertise and equipment on numerous occasions, especially when consulted for more difficult cases, and will continue to do so. Please never hesitate to contact me if the need arises...I don't bite.

 

So, there you have it, and that'll do it for this month's edition. Have a happy and safe holiday season, and we'll talk again in 2012!

 

 

Whew! The rush is over! October has always been the busiest month for anyone in the paranormal field. It's been my intention to add a monthly blog to my website, but this is the first chance I've had to do so. I'll use the opportunity to give a quick update of what has been happening since the site went 'live' almost two months ago.

 

Apparently, the arrival of my site has ruffled a lot of feathers, struck a few nerves and bruised some egos in the paranormal community, not only in New England, but the entire country. I must say that it took me a bit by surprise, as I honestly intended and wrote the site for the New England area. I guess that just shows the power and reach of the Internet. While the vast majority of comments have been overwhelmingly positive, those negative have been particularly vicious. I've made it a policy to make all comments (with some listed exceptions) posted to my guest book available. However, I will never make private email comments or inquiries public, as that would not be fair to the writer. As Martha Stewart would say, that's probably a "good thing", as the language used in some would put any demonic entity (if they actually existed, of course) to shame. To all of those who chose to leave positive comments, I thank you. To those choosing to leave negative nastiness, I thank you as well. Really, I do. I've enjoyed them immensely.

 

I'm also extremely surprised (and pleased!) how quickly my site has climbed the search engine rankings. Very little search engine optimization was done, primarily because I'm technologically challenged when it comes to that area. Yet, it continues to ascend, despite competition from some very well-established New England paranormal websites. While it will probably never be in the top three on Google because of the site's name and other factors, I feel proud in that I wrote it, not to please the search engines and rank highly in their results, but to say what I wanted to say and the way I wanted to say it (damn...that's a mouthful!) I can only assume people like you have found my site, liked it, and that traffic is somehow affecting how Google and the others rank it. I'd like to say 'thanks' to all of you.

 

I've received many inquiries concerning the music on my Images page, as well as some who were convinced that I must have done some type of Photoshop manipulation on the photos. Let me address these points in the order presented:

 

The song is Fear from the television series One Step Beyond (aka Alcoa Presents: One Step Beyond) which aired on ABC from 1959 through 1961. It was an anthology series similar to The Twilight Zone, except the stories were exclusively paranormal in nature. The music was written, arranged and conducted by Harry Lubin, and performed by The Harry Lubin Orchestra. I have the original CD on Taragon Records, but it has recently been re-released by Red Bitch Music (yes, that's really the name) and available from Amazon.com on CD and MP3 download. Please note that, being a soundtrack from a series, not all the music has the same creepy vibe, but there are a few. It's definitely worth a listen, as there's nothing else like it being recorded today.

 

As for the images, no manipulation was done, except for some minor sharpening, lightening or contrast enhancement. The weird coloration on some is just the nature of how a particular camera records the UV and IR spectra. I could have converted all of them to black and white but, again, I wanted to do as little manipulation as possible. There are many more to come; I just need time to compile them from over the years, then upload them to the server.

 

Each monthly edition of this blog will tackle a single topic relevant to the paranormal. Some may not always like what I have to say, but if you've perused my site, you've undoubtably come to the realization that I'm not bothered by that fact ;-) I hope you will continue to check it out.

 

Thanks!

 

 

Legal Disclaimer: All information, opinion and theories on this website and blog are published in good faith and for general information purposes only. I do not make any warranties about the completeness, reliability and accuracy of this information. Any action you take upon the information on my website and blog is strictly at your own risk, and I will not be liable for any losses and/or damages in connection with its use. All opinion and theories are strictly my own, and should not be construed as fact.