I haven't posted here in a long time, and I'm sorry for my absence for those of you who used to read my blog.  I've had some serious life changes that have occurred since I had my back surgery last September, and things have not been going very well at all.

Supposedly the surgery went well, and I healed like I was supposed to...but something has gone wrong and no one can figure out what it is.  I'm in excrutiating pain all the time, and I can't seem to convince anyone that the pain is real.  It runs in to my right leg, but it's unlike any back pain that I've ever experienced before in that it causing the muscles in my leg to hurt.  Now, I'm working again full time, so I know that my leg is getting plenty of exercise and that muscle deterioration shouldn't be a huge factor.  I walk with a more profound limp than ever before too.  I've got SERIOUS hip pain...and that's what's kicking me down...and also why I'm hardly ever online anymore.  Hopefully, you folks out there that have had Lumbar Lammy's in the past can give me some input.  Does this type of thing happen???  Has anyone else actually been worse after back surgery than they were before it?  If so, what can be done, and why can't my lawyer seem to do it?

On another note, I'm attempting to get back into jewelry again.  I really enjoyed my jewelry hobby, so I can't see any reason why I shouldn't pick it up again now that I HAVE to be out facing the world again.  I've spent the last 4 months just lurking in the D&E Juliana Jewelry group on Yahoo learning all that I can learn on the subject so when I finally do decide to say something  or make a new posting of jewelry I can say it with a modicum of knowledge, rather than just going in and winging it like I usually do.  Overall, I'm really pretty excited about the directions I'm going in this part of my life!

Diepart has an investigation schedule in May in St. Louis at a very famous haunted hotel.  Stay tuned, and I'll get a report up here when it finally happens!

Ciao for now!

I didn't think that this week was ever going to end...it was just one thing after another! 

It all started last Saturday.  The diepart ghost hunting gang (www.diepart.com) packed up our bags and headed to Villisca, Iowa to investigate the most notorious murder site in Iowa history.  It was June 10th, 1912 when J.B. Moore, his wife, their 4 children and two visiting children were all brutally bludgeoned and hacked to death in their sleep at approximately 5 o'clock in the morning by some maniac or maniac's weilding an axe.  The first 6 deaths went pretty fast, but the visiting children's murder was a bit more on the brutal side, as they apparently woke up during the attack.  Perhaps the strangest thing about the murders though, was that the murderer covered all of the mirrors in the house with a blanket before he left, and this gave the murder a supernatural type of spin.  Enough said on that...when I get going on this story I even freak myself out! 

The house is a nice little place.  It's kind of a Dutch revival style home, but the most notable feature from the outside of the home are these Amityville Horror house style windows that remind you of eyes...kinda creepy looking from that perspective outside.  Other than that though, the house really doesn't give you any bad vibes or anything.  It has been turned into a mini-museum sometime within the past twenty years, and the period decoration was really quite exciting!  They had everything down pat from the upright piano in the living room to the old victorian era Ice Box in the kitchen...a real ice box, not a fridge.  Perhaps the most notable thing about the house is that there is NO Electricity!  That posed a problem for us, as we need electricity to run the video camera's and laptop recordings.  This was however easily rectified with a VERY long set of extension cords.  The place is lit strictly with kerosene lanterns, and it was just so neat to spend an evening working in a period house with that type of lighting!  Spectacular photo's and original art don the walls.  The home has a real cozy feel to it, as it's much smaller than it looks from outside.  Overall, I was very impressed with what they've done to the place.

Unquestionably, the most unsettling thing about the house is the fact that there are still marks on the ceiling where the axe swung up and cut the plaster ceilings.  Very eerie.

We didn't have very high expectations for this house.  We had visited this axe murder site only a year ago, and the resulting investigation yielded virtually NO results.  No EVP's were gathered, No paranormal photo's were taken, and we pretty much declared the place dead...no pun intended.  It was the results of other paranormal groups that lured us back there.  Several groups have since visited the home, and have declared it a virtual hotbed of paranormal activity.  I'm really glad we went, as this time we actually got some minor yet impressive results.

The entire time I was in this house, I constantly heard "ghost chatter".  Ghost chatter are voices that you can hear outloud, but can't make out what they are saying.  Many times ghost chatter isn't audible to the human ear in real time, but is captured rather clearly on audio recording.  This time it could be heard clearly by many of our investigators.  EVP (electronic voice phenomenon) recordings were off the charts with activity, and in one evp I clearly hear a womans voice moaning "Burning in hell...ohhhhh!"  What an awesome capture.  Another unknown voice I captured on recording said "it's that dude from down by the river."  I don't know what that means, but one of the suspects questioned in the case was found close to a creek, sleeping with an axe in hand.  Perhaps I was getting a clue as to whom the murderer might be?  I'll never know for sure.

It was a really good time.  Only one thing went really wrong...I hurt my back again somehow, and this time it's really bad.  My whole back feels like it's trapped in a vice, and each movement I make feels like the screws are turning and making it tighter.  My legs don't feel like my own, and sometimes they even feel like they are going to collapse out from under me.  The worst part is, I don't even know what may have happened this time.

Enough for now.  I know how you folks love to read these long drawn out posts...Sorry!  I have to do one more thing though!  Please look at my items for sale!  I've got that really incredible Hattie Carnegie parure up for sale again, and the reserve has already been met!  Woot!  

If you have been reading my blog, you know that I am no longer employed due to a back injury sustained on the job back in June, and the inevitable discharge after not returning to work after 12 weeks of FMLA leave.  You know how when life hands you lemons, you can make lemonade?  Well, I guess in a way that happened to me today.

The call came due to my affiliation with the Ghosthunting group "Diepart".  Today, while I was working on a script for a new local television series being developed here in Iowa called "Ghost Town", I got a call from the executive producer, who off handedly promoting me to producer status.  When something like that happens, what can you do except say this:  Wow...me?  A television producer?  Kewl!  Sure...why not...I'll give it a go!  (I need to clarify...this is an indy studio, and work is gratis until profit is attained through product, so there's no money in it for a while...sigh)  Anyway...it looks good on a resume I guess, if you are somewhere where that really matters.

The studio is called Dark Art Films, and it's a brand new studio opening in Des Moines.  Their object is to produce paranormal based television shows, and possibly branch into horror films.  This is a dream job, if I can hold out long enough without making any money.  Hopefully, the experience will be invaluable, even if I don't make it thru the long haul. 

So, I gotta wonder...now what?  LOL!  I haven't got a clue in the world what I'm supposed to do!  I guess it's all trial by fire! 

Anyone got a lemonade recipe I can borrow?

Well, I told ya' all I was going to do it, and here is the outcome for all of you folks out there in blogland who wanted me to keep you posted. I'm back from the hunt, with fresh tales of my latest ghost hunting escapades.  This time, the DIEPART team (www.diepart.com) responded to a request for an investigation at "Sapphires Gentlemens Club" in Waterloo, Iowa.  It was a rather eye opening night (lol), but unfortunately there were no full bodied apparitions to be seen--at least not the type WE were looking for.  Overall, I'd have to say the trip was a bust (literally, no pun intended--heheh).  Don't get me wrong--I'm not saying that there aren't strange things happening on the premesis, but lets just say that it wasn't our night.

We arrived on the site at about 1:30 am, and just kind of milled around the bar area until closing at 2 am to get the feel of the place and to talk to some of the employees and patrons who may have witnessed bizarre phenomenon, trying to get an idea of where the "hot spots" were within the establishment.  I did my archivist job dilligently, attempting to write down as many stories as I could before the place cleared out.  Not many of the patrons had stories to tell, but nearly all of the bartenders did, as did some of the dancers and bouncers.

Approximately 40-45 years ago, the building that now houses "Sapphires" was the rather ritzy, upper class "Hummel's Restaurant", serving up a glamorous atmosphere and the finest cuisine to the rich and elite of Waterloo.  One day, the restaurant burned to the ground and the owner, "Harry "The Horse" Hummel perished in the fire along with his beloved restaurant.  It is not known whether this fire was due to arson, and although there is speculation on the subject, there was not time to persue the thought through historical investigation due to the time constraints of being out of town for this investigation. 

Time passed and a new two-story building was built on top of the remaining foundation of the building, replacing the three-story building that once belonged to the restaurant.  Since then, the location has been a host to several gentlemen's clubs and topless bars, including "The Golden Dolphin", and "Tuxedo's".

The bar owner reports seeing "Harry" on several occassions, and states that he is a rather tall man in his 40's.  Everytime she see's him he is wearing a brown suit.  When he appears to her, it's only for a few seconds and only in one specific place within the bar area, and she insists that his appearances are real and not a figment of her imagination.  The other employees of the bar do not see an actual apparition, but nearly all of them, save one, report having had run-in's with "Harry". 

1. One bartender has been pummelled with Ice from the ice well while tending bar.
2. One bouncer reports having tables tipped over and chairs shoved to the side one day while opening.
3. Voices are heard and the names of the employees are whispered in the basement area of the establishment, and boxes and cans are chucked at passer's by as they stock coolers or tap new kegs of beer.
4. From time to time, food can be smelled cooking...very good food!  It can only be smelled coming from the north side of the building however.
5. Female patrons and employee's alike have reported having their hair played with while sitting at the bar waiting for open or close time.

The place is very active.  All of the employees stated that Harry had been very active this week too, perhaps in anticipation of our arrival.

Well, if Harry was awaiting our arrival, he was doing it as quietly as he could.  After closing, we placed laptop computers with parabolic mic's, Digital Voice Recorders, Video Cameras, and a huge variety of controlled experiments around the building to entice him to come out and play with us, but to no avail.  After three hours of recordings and hundreds of pictures taken in and throughout the entire building, we decided to pack it up and rip the evidence that we had gathered onto CD's to check it all out in more detail. 

Jeff, one of Dieparts lead investigators, DID come away with some EVP evidence, but these were basically low grade EVP's and not considered good, solid evidence of haunting.  Then again, just the existence of EVP alone doesn't merit a rating of "haunted", as EVP can be gathered nearly everywhere on the planet. 

This also doesn't mean that the stories of "Sapphires Gentlemens Club" are completely unwarranted and are simply wild tales either!  Diepart has decided to classify this establishment as an "ongoing investigation", and plans a return trip sometime during the daylight hours or the early evening hours while the establishment is normally closed, which is when the majority of activity is reported to occur.  Perhaps there is some sort of "time" factor that influences whatever it is that's happening at this place.  There have been too many sightings to completely dismiss the case.

Hope you enjoyed, although there wasn't much to report.  The diepart site should be updated with this investigation soon, so keep your eyes peeled for the evp evidence that was gathered from this ghosthunt, and from all the other hunts that we've been on in the past!

 

 

Wow...I wonder what's up with that? I just posted a blog about tonights ghost hunt in Waterloo and now it's not even showing up in my base blog! Maybe I'm not allowed to say the phrase "strip club" in my blog? I've not received an email about it yet, so I doubt that that's the reason...I guess I'll find out if this post disappears eh? A shoot...never mind...there it is. I wonder why it didn't show up a few seconds ago when I was writing this?