MRSA and Morgellons: Jangled Messages

I moved my MRSA and Morgellons: Jangled Messages article to my Mating Hedgehogs blog. It's also up at Book of Thoth.

Mating Hedgehogs

Revamped Mating Hedgehogs a bit, felt the staid blue was too serious for the blog.

UFO Digest: "Are You Qualified?"

My rant on skeptibunker James McGaha on UFO Digest: "Are You Qualified?" (Ignore the text about Dana Howard, it looks like when they put the article up they inadvertantly added some text from my previous article on Contactee Dana Howard.)

Gleaning From “Numb3rs”

Is it ironic that a “scientific” TV show, appreciated by skeptics, is also one of my favorite shows -- and that I’ve gotten so much esoteric-Fortean use out of the show?

Numb3rs is a favorite show of mine. I like the combination of mystery, crime solving, science and mysticism. It’s also set in L.A., where I was born and raised, and I like the three lead mensch-like characters.

Besides entertaining me, Numb3rs has given me a bit of inspiration three times now for my esoteric writing. Awhile ago, I wrote an article about semantics and perceptions of UFOs, and used an example from a Numb3rs episode. In that example, the main character Don Epps, FBI agent, said, of UFOs: (paraphrasing)

“We don’t know what a UFO looks like, so how do we know one when we see one?”

That line inspired me to write several articles on the topics of UFO semantics and definitions, as well as denial and debunkery. (See my American Chronicle articles for more.)

In another episodes, the character Charlie Epps (Don’s younger, math genius brother) told his crime solving colleagues to “throw on more data.” The team was not making any progress in trying to solve a case; “throw in more data” was the solution. By including more data, the character explained, more patterns, more information, will be revealed, and the agents would get closer to solving the crime. That was the inspiration for a column I wrote recently for UFO Magazine: Throw On More Data:

What got me thinking about the UFO phenomena in light of Numb3rs was what the character Charlie (young math professor genius) said to an FBI agent when the agent asked for help in solving a mystery. No matter how many times the agent went over the data he had, he just couldn’t figure it out, yet he knew he could, knew there was an answer. If only he had the right formula, or was shown some way to get at it. The math genius told him to “throw in more data.”

Throw in more data. And by doing so, said the character, we can begin to see a “connectivity” between the clues that will lead the agent to his solution.

Throw in more data. And yet that what much of UFOlogy doesn’t do. We don’t see a “connectivity” because we’re divided, we argue, -- we downright fight and attack at times (forget the skeptoids,sometimes we’re our own worst enemies) -- we pick a theory or two and stick with it. More data, especially data that throws us off, is rejected. After all this time, we’re still arguing over nuts and bolts versus an ETH, or an ultra terrestrial theory. ~ (UFO Magazine, 2007)

This past Friday’s episode, about a serial rapist, served as another inspiration. It turned out the rapist had a MRSA (antibiotic resistant staph infection) STD. One of the agents, in explaining MRSA to her co-workers, said (again paraphrasing)

“There’s only one type of antibiotic that can kill it, but doctor’s don’t want to give it out.”

That line had me thinking about my own MRSA infection, the disconnects and jangled messages from various sources -- including doctors -- and so I wrote an article about MRSA and Morgellons and this oppositional juxtaposition in MRSA and Morgellons: Jangled Messages.(Hopefully it will be up at Book of Thoth in a day or two.)

So, thanks Numb3rs for your contributions to my continued inspiration!


Notes:
Image credits:
http://www.daemonstv.com/images/cbs/numb3rs1.jpg
amazing-tv-shows.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

American Chronicle

UFO Magazine
Book of Thoth

I Dunno . . .

You might have noticed I haven't been posting much recently. A lot of reasons; feeling that crud thing going around, MRSA infection, work, and the New Year. I don't know why, but the New Year thing always gets me down. I don't like it. No matter how crappy the old year was, I don't want to let it go. Or maybe I expect too much from the beginning of the New Year; yet it stays the same. I don't know what I expect, January isn't even over and we have eleven months to go. I dunno . . . can we say "ambivalent?"

Trickster's Realm
Anyway, I feel myself getting back to normal. Look for my new Trickster's Realm column to go up sometime tomorrow on Binnall of America. The article is about We TV's program Alien Abductions: True Confessions.

New Blog
Yes, it's true. Trickster Northwest, focusing on UFO and paranormal things in the Pacific Northwest.

Dana Howard
Synchronicity is still happening around Dana Howard. Co-blooger Richelle Hawks over at Women Of Esoterica found this tee-shirt. She also mentioned to me she found a signed edition of a book by contactee Dana Howard; I'm jealous! I recently bought one of her books as well; I found it on eBay. And more synchronicity; it was the only Dana Howard book listed on eBay, and the bookseller was right here in Eugene, about two miles away from me. Somethings telling me to pursue this, I think.


Frustrations
With MP3 players, CD drives, and software. Nothing at all to do with the paranormal or UFOs unless you think my laptop is haunted, or being controlled by MIBS from their remote location inside an unmarked, black helicopter. Nope, just had to share. I have a Mac, believed the computer geeks who insisted the SanDisck would play on my Mac, which it didn't, even after the Lepoard upgrade, now the CD drive is acting snooty. Sigh.

Scared? Probably, But It’s Not What You Think

(And hey Jeremy, if you’re reading this . . .)

My husband listened to the interview I did with Jeremy Vaeni on his Culture of Contact podcast tonight for the first time. Regarding the whole hypnosis thing, he said, concerning the decades between then and now, that “enough time has gone by” to go about this calmly. He, as well as myself , have gone from avoiding the issue pretty much (he wouldn’t even talk about it for years) to seriously considering regression.

In that interview, I mentioned that it’s fear that’s been keeping me from going under. That’s true, but, while I’ve told myself it’s fear of the aliens or whatever they are, my husband said something that was interesting:

What if we find out nothing happened?

What if we find out that there were no aliens, no orbs or craft or UFOs? Just, a big fat nothing. I admit that that’s been a silent, tiny thought at the back of my mind. I picture a small, slimy black-green paisley shaped entity slithering about in the deep shadows of my brain, daring me to go there and find out what it really is.

Interesting comment: “What if we find out nothing happened?”

Which is more frightening? Aliens of some kind, or a big nothing? If it’s a big nothing, then what did we experience? Why did we experience missing time? (twice too.) Were we, are we, nuts? Drugged without our knowledge?

At least with aliens, it’s a done deal. Still frightening, probably, but also something you can point to and say “Ha! It was them all along, the bastards!”

If it turns out to be a big blank, there’s nothing to grab onto.

There’s also the possibility that it isn’t quite a big black nothing, but not aliens either, just something silly. Like seeing a big pumpkin on the road, and, tired from the long drive on the back of a motorcycle, dozed off and had a dream about flying glowing pumpkins that chased us all over the road. (That later led to dreams of being held against my will under bright white paralyzing light, while "they" whom I could sense, though not see, were watching me from above. While I stood there paralyzed, screaming like I've never screamed in my life, as they dragged my husband away. As I spent months afraid to go to sleep. As I continued to have more UFO sightings. And felt "their" whoever "they" are, in the room with me; confirmed by others. My foreknowledge of the appearance of UFOs. The many times I floated out the door with the help of my little friends when I was a kid. You know, like that.)

So here we have the unknown, and faced with fear. Maybe it's the memory of the fear (those damn dreams were fucking frightening and still give me the creeps when I remember them all these years later) rather than the fear itself. Maybe by now it's settled into a dull anxiety.

Meanwhile, there's still bills to pay and dishes and laundry and the stuff of everyday living, that could give a damn if you've seen aliens or not.

Onward!

Dolan: UFOs are Real: So Now What?

UFO researcher Richard Dolan once again sums it up perfectly: UFOs are Real, So Now What?

My Neglected Friends

Not my friends in the non-blogger internet world, but my on-line friends. This is about them.

This is about PT also known as patchouli_troll, and Beau/crptidhunter, and so many more.

When I first got into the on-line world of UFOs and other paranormal things, I moderated or co-moderated a lot of Yahoo groups. (I still do but have pretty much ignored them.) Two people in particular that did this with me; in fact, were doing it long before I came along, were PT and beau, also known as cryptidhunter.

PT started the Yahoo forum Fortean Phenomena, and it was going strong for a few years. I’m not sure what happened, one of those Yahoo glitches, but a few years ago, that forum got sucked into cyberspace so PT had to start over. She did, with Fortean Phenomena Again, which is still going strong. Co-moderators are beau/cryptid hunter, myself, and ufoluvsscoobss, also known as PunkinPie.


Patchouli Troll (PT) and beau were very helpful to me years ago; encouraging and funny. PT lives in Oregon and we’ve been in contact a few times; and I truly consider all three of them friends.

I’m writing about them because since I’ve been doing all this blogging and writing, I haven’t been too involved in any of the forums; mine, or the ones they’ve started or that I co-moderate with them. I just wanted to give them a big thanks and a plug for their forums.

Before the blogging fury, there were forums, and the operators of these forums helped set the way for bloggers, I think. I know they did for me.

So PT, beau, and PunkinPie, and others out there, hello and Happy New Year!

Culture of Contact Interview with Jeremy Vaeni

Do I come out and finally acknowledge I've been abducted? Do I sound like Minnie Mouse or Ertha Kitt? Find out on Culture of Contact!

Lehmberg and Vaeni Podcast and Beer

Vaeni Interviews Alfred Lehmberg for Book of Thoth


Very cool, just listened to the interview of Alfred Lehmberg by Jeremy Vaeni on Book of Thoth. It’s great!

One thing that’s great is the appreciation of Lehmberg for Lehmberg’s sake that Vaeni has. Hmm, not sure if that makes sense. What I meant was that, as we know, there are many who don’t get Lehmberg, who don’t like him, who don’t take the time to try. Vaeni is someone who does.

What’s always neat, when listening to audio, is matching the person’s voice to how you’ve imagined they’d sound. Lehmberg pretty much sounded like I’d thought.

Jeremy Vaeni is truly great; and I’m not just saying that because he just interviewed me (to air Tuesday or Thursday on Culture of Contact.) He’s open, funny, honest, and very curious, as well as creative.

Fascinating interview, between two fascinating people.

http://www.book-of-thoth.com/book-of-thoth-podcasts.html#

Gender

Jeremy asked me about gender differences, and you’ll just have to listen to that interview for specifics. Mainly because I don’t remember what the hell I said. But after listening to Lehmberg, I had to laugh: he said (I’m paraphrasing) when someone sneers, he wants to eat their face. And I admit that I feel exactly the same way! But I’ve become passive aggressive; from getting into it with the skeptoid types, to just avoiding them. Unfortunately, this sneer trait goes beyond the skeptoids and there’s many a UFO researcher, supposed adults who should know better, who stoop to such tactics. I think both reactions may be gender based; the sneering, as well as the justifiable reaction of eating their face.

So I appreciate the face eating when I see it, and that’s one of the many reasons I respect Lehmberg. But me, I’m still in my avoidance mode, and just prefer to ignore those idiots.

But go Alfred! And all else who don’t suffer fools gladly.

UFO “Mavens” I’d Love to Sit Around and Have a Few Beers With

Alfred Lehmberg
Lesley
Tim Binnall
Jeremy Vaeni
Kithra
Nick Redfern
Richelle Hawks
Farah Yurdozu
Tina Sena
Snoopy the Goon

I don’t know if all of the above mentioned drink or not, but it’s the spirit of the thing that counts.

Me! On Culture of Contact!

For some reason, Jeremy Vaeni thought it'd be a good idea to interview me for a Culture of Contact podcast. Well, I know the reason -- he wants to out me as an abductee. You can find out if I admit it or not by listening to the interview, which should be available Tuesday or Thursday. I'll give an update when I know more.

I will say it was great fun, Jeremy is a great host/interviewer and I felt very comfortable. No doubt I came off like a bozo, but that's okay. I had fun.

Finding Paranormal References

Before I started writing non-fiction here in the UFO blogging world, I wrote a lot of prose, fiction, short stories, poems. My background is in creative writing; I was involved in public poetry readings, had my own little poetry rag going for a while, had some things published, editor of the arts magazine in college, creative writing workshops and programs, that kind of thing.

The other night I was going through my work, and came across a poem/prose piece I wrote a good ten years ago. Don’t worry, I’m not going to post the three pages of that piece here, but I found this stanza interesting:

All around our pink stucco house grow
gardenia, jasmine, honeysuckle,
I sit on the red concrete porch at dusk
and stroke the waxy leaves
of the yellowing brown gardenias,
crush the tiny twinkly jasmine petals,
lifting the tips of my fingers to my nose
inhaling and inhaling until I can’t smell anymore
I eat the crushed petals
I suck the juice from the honeysuckle
I hear crickets and freeway noises.
My mother and I look for spaceships in the night sky.

Where did that come from?

Then there’s this stanza:

I can taste the smoky scent of Natasha’s incense,
the tiny cones ashy red in the bronze turtle
that holds these foreign sticks of scents
I keep my gaze on the thin yellow line of light
that glows under the bedroom door.
I know if I do this long enough I will float through wood,
through Chinese red enamel,
past Wanda and Teresa and Nancy and Natasha
into the night, past the pine tree that guards our corner . . .
~ from The Mother’s Club, Regan Lee

I found it interesting I would include these paranormal/anomalous events in my childhood so causally in an otherwise not paranormal piece.

That last stanza refers to, of course, my many journeys with “them” -- the unseen but seen entities who came for me on many nights, floating me out the door and into the large tree on the corner, where I’d then go into their ship. It always stops at this point however: after I’m in the tree, and see their ship above me, waiting for me, that’s it. All I remember.

Orb Roundup

The holidays are almost over; New Year's is left. Hope everyone had a safe and good Christmas/Solstice holiday.

Blogs
In my ever expanding blog world, I have a new blog: The Skeptoid Zone.

I've been a lot more active on My Space with my OrangeOrb over there. I think I'll continue with it after all.

I really like what's going on over at Women Of Esoterica; having co-bloggers/authors is really nice. Lesley, Richelle and Kithra are great; I enjoy having the variety of articles and items.

Signal to Noise
Busy with various projects; including the next round in Daniel Brenton's Signal to Noise project. This one is about the Contactees. My second response should be up on Vintage UFO in a couple of days.


Gordon Kaswell
Gordon is an interesting person (UFO researcher and muscian) who's done unique -- and important - research on UFOs. There's much more to come on this, including a piece on him in a future issue of UFO Magazine.

Oregon UFO articles
Two items up on American Content on the Trent UFO case. I'm plugging this because it's a paying site; the more clicks, the more you get paid. With the .33 cents I've earned so far, I can finally retire in France. After all, we're all in the UFO field just for the money you know.

Books
Reading The Yowie by Tony Healy and . Still reading Captured! Both are interesting; The Yowie is very well put together and it's an enjoyable read. Recently finished Peter Guittilla's Bigfoot Files, which I enjoyed very much. And, still reading Red Moon, the book Daniel Brenton co-wrote with David S. Michaels.

Whatever it is you celebrate, have a safe and happy one!


Glitterfy.com - Glitter Graphics

Saucer Gossip and Silliness. . .

My recent item on: Saucer Gossip: A Bit of History and Silliness About the Trent Case

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/494571/saucer_gossip_a_bit_of_history_and.html