HAUNT JAUNTS » Archive for February 2010
Haunt Jaunts Welcomes Guest Blogger Jen Blaney!
When I welcomed soon-to-be Haunt Jaunts guest blogger Shanna Riley, I alluded to another anticipated guest blogger lined up thanks to Twitter. That guest blogger would be Jen Blaney (@JenBlaney). Much like Shanna, it was also because of a Tweet Jen sent me that I got the idea to extend a guest blogger invite to her. (In fact, I sent her a guest blogger invite first, and then when Shanna later asked me a similar, “Hey, Haunt Jaunts have you…” question, the light dinged to then ask if she’d be game writing too. That’s how it’ll end up we’ll get treated to two more Haunt Jaunts guest blogs!) Anyway, Jen’s Tweet was: “Have you ever visited the Bridgewater Triangle in MA? I don’t live too far from there, lots of weird paranormal … Read entire article »
Filed under: Apparition Attractions, Guest Bloggers, Haunted Places, Massachusetts
Friday Fun: Guess the Followers HJ 1 Year Anniv Bash Contest
Okay, here it is: the official Guess the Number of Followers game I mentioned in my post about planning Haunt Jaunts 1 Year Anniversary Bash. HOW TO PLAY Leave a comment below with your guess about how many Twitter followers Haunt Jaunts (@HauntJaunts) will have come Tuesday March 30, 2010. (Before you do it, see “Hints” below for some perhaps helpful info, especially if you’re not on Twitter. Which you don’t need to be to play the game!) DEADLINE Guesses … Read entire article »
Filed under: Contests, Haunt Jaunts - General
Haunt Jaunts Welcomes Guest Blogger “skatoolaki”!
I don’t care what anyone says. Time waster that Twitter may be for some, it’s been a freaking connection gold mine for me. Haunt Jaunts has two more guest bloggers lined up because of it. The next one is set up for now under the mysterious/exotic sounding username “skatoolaki.” (Also her Twitter handle, a.k.a. @skatoolaki.) But her real name I discovered is Shanna Riley. When she’s not Twittering, she pens a blog called Digitopus, “a digital blog of epic proportions.” Between that tag line and this disclaimer at the bottom of her website: “This page brought to you by our hard-working staff of one-legged, hunchbacked, hair-lipped gnomes with psoriasis,” I do believe we’re in for quite a treat from skatoolaki! And what is it she might be writing about? The Myrtles Plantation. She zipped me … Read entire article »
Filed under: Guest Bloggers, Louisiana, Spooky Stays
Beyond Ghosts: Para-Historian Preservationists
I want to be BFFs with Beyond Ghosts. These are my kind of people. I’ve been itching to write about them ever since I found out what Beyond Ghosts is really all about. Which was early last week. I actually knew of them before that, though, via Twitter (@BeyondGhosts). And somewhere along the line I had also become a fan of theirs on Facebook. (Heck, for all I remember it could have been either Patty or … Read entire article »
Filed under: Educational, Ghosts, Historic Haunts, New York, Paranormal Events, Paranormal Tourism
Friday Fun: A Game of “What Are Your Paranormal Preferences” Tag
A couple weeks back (or possibly even longer than that) I saw a funny Tweet saying something about “swimming, ghost hunting, fried eggs?” (or some such) with a link attached. All I know is it piqued my interest enough to click the link. I was taken to a blog with a post of a girl who had videoed herself answering random questions. She’d then posted it on YouTube. The blog’s owner had found it and included it, … Read entire article »
Filed under: Friday Fun
“Spirit”tual Connections
Today I’m feeling deeply humbled and more optimistic about humanity than I’ve felt in a while. It’s easy to get caught up in the news and the politics (especially bozos I disagree with) and feel alone, outnumbered, and misunderstood. But I’m a big believer in focusing on the positive. It’s funny when I start to fall in a funk, or think people are ruthless, petty and in it for themselves that something inevitably happens to remind me of how good and giving people also are. What the heck am I talking about? Well, I had a bad day yesterday. A really bad day. I saw the lesser side of humanity and it kind of bummed me out. No point going into details. What’s done is done. But today was a new day. It started … Read entire article »
Filed under: Off Topic
Movie Monday – 30 Days of Night: Dark Days
Dang it, dang it, dang it! I was so excited when I stumbled across some info about a 30 Days of Night sequel last week when looking up Kiele Sanchez. (I LOVED her in A Perfect Getaway and wanted to find out what else she’d been in.) Anyway, I happened to notice one of her upcoming projects was 30 Days of Night: Dark Days. I instantly set about trying to find more info, a trailer, anything. Here’s … Read entire article »
Filed under: Uncategorized
Friday Fun: Planning HJ’s 1 Year Anniversary Bash
image from stock.xchng Okay, normally I wouldn’t go all out on a party for my blog. After all, whoopie. I’ve been at it almost a year now. Big deal. Join the blogging crowd with all those who have accomplished the same thing. I appreciate that. The thing is, I’m grateful just to be alive. And Haunt Jaunts has EVERYTHING to do with that. Celebrating HJ’s anniversary is celebrating my New Life Birthday. So…I’m going to do it up … Read entire article »
Filed under: Contests, Haunt Jaunts - General
How To Treat Your Love To a Bloody Valentine’s Day
I’ve heard of My Funny Valentine, but this year the theme I’m coming across again and again is my Bloody Valentine. Not that I’m complaining. It’s great for those of us whose hearts beat to a more macabre drum. Here’s some of the ways I’ve found to tell your Valentine just how bloody much you love them this Valentine’s Day. CARDS What would Valentine’s Day be without the cards? Better yet what if they were green-friendly and free, yet … Read entire article »
Filed under: Apparition Attractions
The ParaFactor: Talk Radio That Abducts and Probes You
I yet again have Twitter to thank for bringing to my attention a new-to-me paranormal experience. This time: The ParaFactor (@TheParafactor). Their Twitter bio was the first thing that piqued my interest: “Live Paranormal Talk Show …with a naughty side.” Naughty? What kind of naughty are we talking about? So I clicked their web link and was taken to their site. That’s where I was smacked in the face with their tagline: “talk radio that abducts and probes … Read entire article »
Filed under: Uncategorized
Hunting ghost in Poland
If you think investigating the paranormal looks everywhere the same, think again. As a person dealing with paranormal in Poland, I have a lot of problems each day. Sit down kids and listen to the story uncle Nathan prepared for you about hunting ghosts in Poland . Getting cases Before you can go and investigate a haunted location, you have to find it first, meaning you have to get yourself a case. And here is our first problem – how to get the case if no one really think that paranormal is real? OK, I admit – there are people who believe in paranormal activities, ghosts and things like that, but most of people isn’t aware of things that are going on even in their neighbours’ flat. They simple see no … Read entire article »
Filed under: Poland
Welcoming Guest Blogger Nathaniel from A State of Mind
I was glad to see Susan of Caper Company Tours and Haunt Spots Tours posting here again this year. I always look forward to her guest posts and love having her as a guest blogger. But I’m also excited to introduce another guest blogger, Haunt Jaunts first new one for 2010: Nathaniel from A State of Mind. If either of those names sounds familiar it’s likely because, yep, it’s that same Nathan from Parts 1 and 2 … Read entire article »
Filed under: Guest Bloggers
People’s Reactions to Haunt Spots Research
The day job calls today. I have a Haunt Spots research route that takes me to 4 libraries in Ozaukee County, Wisconsin today. Oh, hurt me. Let’s see if I have as much luck as I did in Cedarburg, WI last week. I never know what I’m going to encounter when I introduce the “P” word (paranormal) into conversations. The range of reactions are fastinating… Nuts. I don’t mind if people think I’m … Read entire article »
Filed under: Guest Bloggers, Paranormal Tourism, Uncategorized, Wisconsin
Jaunt Over to The Horror Digest for Wolf Man Contest
While I was scrolling through my Facebook Home page this morning to see what was happening in all my friends’ worlds, Chad, a.k.a. the Crypt Kicker and mastermind behind Chateau Grrr, had posted the following title and link: The Horror Digest: Announcing the Wolf Man Contest! Like so many others, including The Horror Digest‘s lovely and sassy Andre Dumas, the Wolf Man’s on my list of most highly anticipated movie releases for 2010. I know from conversations I’ve had with many of you, or comments I’ve followed that you’ve left on other blogs, that you felt the same. And that some of you are huge werewolf fans. So when I saw this contest I knew I had to spread the word. I copied contest details from The Horror Digest and pasted them below. With … Read entire article »
Haunt Jaunts Boos and Hisses Airlines Charging for Blankets and Pillows
This morning on the news I heard a story that made me mad: how some airlines are now charging for blankets. At first, I thought maybe I was dreaming. After all, I wasn’t quite awake. My husband had turned on the TV to see if he could get a weather update. I was in that just-waking-up haze. But, nope. I Googled it and right off I found a story from the Dallas Morning News: American Airlines to … Read entire article »
Filed under: Travel - General
Why Can’t We All Just Get Along?
Lately, I’ve been a thinking about something Autumnforest touched on in “Are Ghost Hunting Shows Ruining Belief?” and Terri pondered in “Regulating the Paranormal Field” –the effects the (many) ghost hunting shows are having on people. It started off good. It got people interested in and talking about the paranormal. But now…now it’s getting nuts. “WE’RE BETTER THAN YOU” In addition to the glut of shows flooding the marketplace, which seems to be increasing skepticism and apathy, I’ve … Read entire article »
Filed under: Ghosts on TV
Movie Monday: The Innkeepers
I’ll warn you right off, I have no trailer to share for today’s Movie Monday feature, “The Innkeepers.” All I have is Alison’s post about it that I read on Screamstress last week. It hasn’t even started filming yet, but she’s got me all excited about it’s possibilities! Here’s her post. You might put “The Innkeepers” on your “Movies to Watch For” list after reading about it too. If there’s one director I couldn’t be more anxious to see more from, it would be Ti West. He blew me away with his satanic, 80’s throwback The House of the Devil and wooed me with his web series, Dead & Lonely. Now he’s dishing up a story about a haunted hotel in The Innkeepers. West wrapped a deal he made at Sundance on Sunday … Read entire article »
Filed under: Uncategorized
The Belangers: The Kennedys of the Paranormal Realm
Maybe I’m a little slow, but I just realized something interesting: Michelle Belanger, “That psychic chic from Paranormal State. Author of The Ghost Hunter’s Survival Guide.” (as her Twitter profile puts it), and Jeff Belanger, founder of GhostVillage.com, the host of 30 Odd Minutes, and the author of many books on the paranormal, both share the same last name. But they also share something else: a connection to some of the more recognized ghost hunting TV shows. I already mentioned Michelle’s affiliation with Paranormal State. But I’ve also seen Jeff’s name on the credits of Ghost Adventures. Now, I don’t know if they’re siblings, married, or what (I scoured both of their sites trying to find out), but I’m thinking they have a connection somehow. (If any of you know, please feel free to leave a … Read entire article »
Filed under: Ghosts on TV
Haunt Jaunting Around the Blogosphere: The Ghost Hunting Parablog
Last week I received a very nice email from Daniel of The Ghost Hunting Parablog inquiring if I’d be interested in a link exchange. This was my reaction when I read his email: “Butter my buns and call me a biscuit!” (Wish I could take credit for that line. Alas, I saw it on a doormat once and have never forgotten what a great expression of surprise it is.) Why was I so excited? Because I aspire to to be like The Ghost Hunting Parablog one day. At least on Twitter, where they’re better known as @GhostHunterBlog. They’re nearing 7,000 followers as of this post. (And I was excited to actually hit 1,000? Shoot, you wouldn’t be able to butter my buns and call me a biscuit if I reach that many followers. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Uncategorized
Dark Stalkers: The House of Torment Serves Up Bloody Valentine Treat
A PR maven pal of mine shared this news flash with me: Austin’s Own Ultra-Vivid Haunted House Attraction, House of Torment, presents Dark Stalkers: a Psychological Thrill for an Immersive Valentine’s Experience like No Other. That’s right, if Valentine’s Day is as frightening to you as Halloween, or if you’d rather take your chances with creatures ripping out your heart instead of Love, Dark Stalkers might be just the thing for you. WHERE: The Permanent Facility in … Read entire article »
Filed under: Paranormal Tourism, Texas
Friday Fun(ny): Burglar Busted “Ghost Hunting”
I stumbled across this funny story posted on Ask Doc Paranormal’s blog in my RSS feeds yesterday. It’s about some dumb-dumb burglar wanna-be who got busted trying to pass his up-to-no good trespassing butt off as a ghost hunter wanna-be. It’s short, so I copy & pasted it here. I figured it’d make a good Friday Fun post –or, should I say Funny. It sure cranked my giggle box! Burglar Claims He Was Ghost-Hunting Here’s a novel defense. A 25-year-old Detroit, Michigan man, arrested for burglarizing a funeral home, claims he was only looking for ghosts. Spotted by an early-arriving mortician, the man later told police he had broken into the building for one reason only: It was the best place to search for wandering entities in the largely empty city, which has … Read entire article »
Filed under: Friday Fun
Mission Accomplished: Haunt Jaunts Reaches 1,000 Twitter Followers!
Back in December I was all fired up when Haunt Jaunts reached 500 Twitter followers. That blew me away. It was a goal to get there, but I didn’t think it’d happen so fast. And when I started Tweeting (Twittering, however you want to say it) back in September 2009, 1,000 seemed like some far off fantasy goal. One that’d probably take me a year (if not more) to reach. Nope, thanks to A LOT of really … Read entire article »
Filed under: Uncategorized
Talking Paranormal in Poland with Nathan from A State of Mind – Part 2
In Part 1, Nathan from A State of Mind gave some background on what drew him to the paranormal and his affiliation with it. In Part 2, he answers my questions about the paranormal in Poland –as well as a few other things. (I can’t help it. Inquiring minds want to know, so…I ask!) What’s the general belief about ghosts in Poland? How would people there view us over here or even in England traipsing all … Read entire article »
Filed under: Interviews, Poland
Talking Paranormal in Poland with Nathan from A State of Mind – Part 1
I’ve got to know Nathan from A State of Mind thanks to Twitter. You might recognize the name because (a) either you follow his blog too, or (b) you recall @AStateofMind was one of the Best Twitter Followers winners in the HJ Best of 2009 Awards. Recently Nathan left a comment on one of my blogs (discussed below) that sparked the following exchange. Because I had so many questions, and because he was kind enough to … Read entire article »
Filed under: Interviews, Poland
Save the Date: HJ’s One Year Anniv Bash
I got to thinking last night about where I was at this same time last year. It’s hard to believe a year has passed –or all that’s happened in that time. Last year at this time I was miserable. I’d just had my second round of chemo, all my hair was gone, the tumor hadn’t shrunk enough yet so my left arm and hand were still useless and throbbing, I was doped up on morphine, I pretty much was lucky to get out of bed, into the shower and downstairs most days, pain flares would often have me howling in gut-wrenching agony until I could get more morphine in my system (which would gratefully make me pass out), and my pukey bucket was never far from my side. One good thing: I had lost a lot of weight so … Read entire article »
Filed under: Haunt Jaunts - General
Beliefs About Ghosts: East vs. West
Last month I came across a very interesting post titled “Oahu Ghost Tours” in my Google Alerts. You know me, if it’s got something to do with paranormal tourism, I gotta check it out. It wasn’t so much that the title was so interesting as what I discovered in the post. I certainly didn’t find any of the ho-hum sort of thing I was expecting at first blush. Instead, I found ScottiTee’s post very enlightening and thought-provoking. WHO’S SCOTTITEE? ScottiTee’s blog is The Fox Spirit. Here’s the description of his blog: An examination of the Fox Spirit found in Asia. Originated from China they are found in many parts of Asia. Kitsune, Huli jing, or Kumiho. This is my own personal opinion and experiences. A lot of information I have read elsewhere. I don’t … Read entire article »
Filed under: China, Ghosts, Paranormal Tourism
Talking Haunt Jaunts with Julie from Above the Norm
I’m continuing something I set out to do for 2010, which is chatting with other bloggers about Haunt Jaunting. The wonderful and wordsmith-gifted Julie from Above the Norm graciously agreed to participate, so she’s the next lucky victim -er, I mean subject –of my experiment. Why Above the Norm? After spending the night at the Copper Queen Hotel in Bisbee, AZ, Mike and I tried to start an organization of sorts for all our ghost hunting friends. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Interviews
Damn That NatGeo’s American Paranormal “Haunted Prison” Episode!
I finally had the chance to watch National Geographic’s American Paranormal “Haunted Prison” episode all the way through. Loved it, because it showed real science and procedures. However, I also hated it…because it showed real science and procedures. REASONS WHY I LOVED IT THEORIES – Oh my. What a novel concept. Using real scientists in different disciplines to look for ghosts –and from a radical perspective. Even though most of the scientists assembled for the project seemed to be skeptics and felt ghosts were science fiction, they conducted their tests on the assumption, “If ghosts were real, what are they made of?” in an effort to figure out how best to “capture” one. EXPERIMENTS – Until I saw it with my own eyes, I could hardly believe it. They were actually conducting experiments using … Read entire article »
Filed under: Ghosts on TV, Historic Haunts, Pennsylvania
Eastern State Penitentiary’s Ghost Hunt Prices
In “The Dark Side of the Ghost Hunters Effect” I wrote “…if you want to investigate there with your team? Be prepared to shell out upwards of two grand (if not more)…for four hours.” in reference to Eastern State Penitentiary’s paranormal investigation prices. That seemed to get a lot of people’ goats. And one person’s particular interest. THE QUEST FOR THE TRUTH Vince Wilson of Ghost Tech Magazine wrote me last week saying he liked my article so … Read entire article »
Filed under: Historic Haunts, Pennsylvania
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