Saturday, February 2, 2008

Random Things

Women Of Esoterica on Untamed Dimensions
Richelle Hawks and I were interviewed by Adam Gorightly the other night for his Untamed Dimensions podcast. It was fun. You can listen to it here.

Texas UFOs
I haven't commented too much on the Texas UFOs, what's there to say? Everyone else is saying it. I did comment a bit on it on my recent Trickster's Realm column for Tim Binnall's site.

Binnall of America
Speaking of Binnall of America, I wore my UFOs Are Real; Get Over It hoodie sweatshirt today. Nice and cozy for a cold rainy Oregon day. No one commented though; however, this is Eugene, so not surprising. You can order cool things like the sweatshirt at Binnall of America. If you do, you'll be supporting the site! (No, I don't get a damn penny from them!)

UFO and Fortean Entertainment
Glad Torchwood is back for its second season. I love that show!

I didn't see the Sci Fi UFO Hunters; did watch the other one on History channel though. I thought it was interesting, but my first thought was "where are the women?" and the program's getting some criticism. I haven't delved into that much but whatever they may have exaggerated, or whether or not the entire thing was a hoax (hmmmm...) there are some very suspicious connections concerning the entire case. Typical UFO Trickster stuff to be sure.

Bigfoot Threads
What is it about the JREF (James Randi Educational Forum) and Bigfoot threads? They have something like eight seperate threads about Bigfoot. I comment here and here about the Bigfoot thread wackiness.

Books
I don't know if it's menopause (oh, grow up!) winter, working too hard or what, but lately I've been coming home and finding I'm asleep by 9:00 pm. I hate that! I have several books I'm reading, or trying to, but am slow at it because I fall asleep every night. Last night I fell asleep in Red Moon. That's the book written by David Michaels and Daniel Brenton. (Daniel has the blog The Odd Little Universe of Daniel Brenton.) It's well written and very enjoyable. Lots of twists and surprises. I also have some Mothman books I want to get to, as well as contactee Dana Howard's book Beyond the Valley. I'd like to finish them soon. Maybe I need more vitimins.

Monday, January 21, 2008

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.)

Sunday, January 20, 2008

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

Sunday, January 13, 2008

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.

Friday, January 4, 2008

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!

Tuesday, January 1, 2008

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!

Sunday, December 30, 2007

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.