Lay Down Your Head, (for) Nick Reynolds

I am profoundly depressed over the death of Nick Reynolds of the Kingston Trio. Their music was the voice of my childhood and one of the most incredible concerts I've ever been to was June 2006 in Columbia to see The Trio play. I probably freaked them out that a 20 something girl was gushing THAT much over them (and singing every word to every song they played). I was in bliss. Don't even ask me how hard I cried the day John Denver died or how I'll feel when Kris Kristofferson, Peter Yarrow, Paul Stuke, Mary Travers, Bob Dylan, Jackson Browne, Don MacLean, Judy Collins or Joan Baez die. I don't even want to think about. But I'm so sorry it's Nick tonight. His harmonies were so beautiful and pure.

This week a little bit of the song died away. Rest in peace, my troubadour of folk...say hi to John Denver for me in Heaven!
(Minute 1:49 they get into the song you never knew they wrote. You might recognize it...)


This is even better...thanks Smothers Brothers!


I play a bongo for you tonight, sleep well, brother...

Haunted KC ~ Vaile Mansion

Want to visit a really haunted house this weekend? Try the Vaile Mansion In Independence, MO.

I went there a few years ago during Christmas time and the house was all het up in Victorian Christmas overload. I broke one of my cardinal rules of museum-seeing. Never go when this kind of crap is going on unless you really don't carry what you see.

Since I had heard it was haunted and my BFF had a freaky experience/feeling when she went one non-special evented weekend, I was mildly intrigued. I ended up disappointed. Too much was going on around me for me to actually get a feel for the place. Plus, I have a personal aversion to Victorian decorating and they go WAY overboard. I do plan on going back at some point to check it out.

Strange USA has a creepy description of the Vaile Mansion. Check it out.

Ghost Vigil, a group of paranormal researchers also did an investigation of the house. They have great background info on it, very interesting.

So, get off the couch, and go outside and play as my mom would say.

Freaky Friday ~Weekend Events

I'm looking at a VERY busy weekend, so I'm not sure how much (if any) ghost posting I'll be able to do, but I'll give it my Moxie best.

Do you need something super scary to get you thru the weekend?

Check out Mary Anne's blog. She always has the best list for stuff going on. Check out the list of Haunted houses and pumpkin patches. Very fun stuff.

Have a great weekend!

It Could Be Worse, He Could Have Chosen Admiral Stockdale

Remember that guy? Yeah, I forgot about him too. As the VP debates (slaughter) begins, at least Sarah Palin isn't an Admiral Stockdale...or is she? We'll see soon enough.

In the meantime, go relive history...VP Master deBaters!

The Lady in the Attic

My maternal grandpa bought the house I spent most of my childhood in (Kindergarten thru college) as a retirement get away. It's on a lake in the suburbs of Kansas City. My parents still live there, having bought it from Grandpa when he decided that despite the great fishing and swimming, the stairs were too much for him.

It's an awesome old house. The original part was built in the late 1920's as a fishing cabin and then in the 1950's two more stories were added and in the very late 1960's it was expanded once again to include a garage and workshop room.

Grandpa bought the house in the early 1970's right after the final addition was added. In fact, above the garage you can see where the previous owner was planning to add another bedroom by the roughed-in window frames that never became windows.

Grandpa knew that the previous owner had died suddenly, but didn't know the circumstances until a few years later after my mother had a car wreck with my brother and I in the car. When describing it to our next door neighbor, she paled and said, "That's exactly where Anne (not her real name, but the former owner of our house) died."

Yep. In a car wreck.

I guess my grandpa and mom got the chills and then shrugged it off.

When my gradpa moved in, some of Anne's stuff was still there. She collected antiques and 3 very pretty, ornate large mirrors are still in one of the closets in the attic (unless my mom moved it, which I doubt because she's a little freaked by them).

One night, when I was a freshman or sophomore in college, my mom and I were up in the attic which was also used as a bedroom, wrapping Christmas presents. We were talking about the house and Grandpa (who died in 1986) and how I still felt like Grandpa was still there (WAY more on him later). My mom was agreeing with me (I come from a loooong line of "sensitives").

I then casually asked about the mirrors. I remember sneaking up there when I was little and dancing in front of them (these were my I-want-to-be-a-ballerina days) and I asked my mom again about Anne.

She laughed and said that she had recently gone to city hall to research the property lines for a new sewer (or something like that) and she was reminded of Anne's name. My mom told me that she had been sure that our neighbor was just trying to scare us about that accident all those years ago and she looked her up in newspaper when she was doing some of our geneological research. (My mom's weird. She figured that while she was there, why the hell not look?)Apparently our neighbor was right. She did die on the slippery hill where we got hit head on.

Creepy.

Then I told my mom that I thought she was still there. I asked my mom what she thought and before she could answer, the lights went out as if on perfect cue. I kid you not. Total darkness and the bulb wasn't burnt out.

We weren't all so much that interested in wrapping stuff anymore.

Once we got downstairs, I asked her if she had ever had anything like that happen when my parents' bedroom was up there. She then told me how she would wake up in the middle of the night and have an old lady standing above her staring down at her with an angry expression on her face. That's why they switched bedrooms. My mom is convinced Anne still thinks the house is hers and we have no business being there.

Ha! Wonder what she thinks about my stubborn German Grandfather still hanging around? But that's another story for later...

Moxie's Top 20 Scary Books And You Should Read Them Too!

In keeping with the theme of Banned Books Week, and as yet another shout out to my gal pal, here's 20 Book Reviews in One Post! All of course center on my scary theme for this month! I'm pretty sure most of these have been banned at one time or another. If not, pretend?

These are my Top 20 Books that Scared Me and You Should Read Them Too List. It's heavy on the Stephen King. I know this, but I don't care. I've read almost everything that man has ever written and I shall unabashedly claim him as one of my favorite authors of all time. So, here goes, let me know if I didn't read something that I should.

These are in no particular order because I don't choose specific favorites. It's like choosing between children and I don't want to be in a "Sophie's Choice" sitch. (A really great book, but not all that scary, except the whole Holocaust thing.)

Just to let you know, I'm cheating and getting the synopses from the authors' own website when available...It will save me time.

1.“It” Stephen King
The Gist: "A promise made twenty-eight years ago calls seven adults to reunite in Derry, Maine, where as teenagers they battled an evil creature that preyed on the city's children. Unsure that their Losers Club had vanquished the creature all those years ago, the seven had vowed to return to Derry if IT should ever reappear. Now, children are being murdered again and their repressed memories of that summer return as they prepare to do battle with the monster lurking in Derry's sewers once more."

Why this scared me: 6 words...Fucking Evil Clowns In Storm Drains. Screw the movie. Like every single SK movie, with the exception of "The Shining" (original) this movie sucked. This book is probably the scariest thing related to storm drains, innocence and unfinished business that I have ever read. It's the reason I avoid walking near storm drains to this day. That and the fact that Handsome does a scarily accurate rendition of Tim Curry's "We all float down here..." which he says anytime we are anywhere near a storm drain.


2.“Pet Semetery” Stephen King
The Gist: The road in front of Dr. Louis Creed's rural Maine home frequently claims the lives of neighborhood pets. Louis has recently moved from Chicago to Ludlow with his wife Rachel, their children and pet cat. Near their house, local children have created a cemetery for the dogs and cats killed by the steady stream of transports on the busy highway. Deeper in the woods lies another graveyard, an ancient Indian burial ground whose sinister properties Louis discovers when the family cat is killed.

Why this scared me: It was the very first Stephen King book I ever read. When I was about 12 I snuck it out of my parents' collection and literally read it with a flashlight under the covers. My youngest brother was the age of Gage Creed at the time and I had ~just~ gotten my first pet, a black cat named Midnight. As a parent now, no way am I reading this book until Darling's at least 16.

3.“Silence of the Lambs” Thomas Harris
The Gist: Clarice Starling, a precociously self-disciplined FBI trainee, is dispatched by her boss, Section Chief Jack Crawford, the FBI's most successful tracker of serial killers, to see whether she can learn anything useful from Dr. Hannibal Lecter. Lecter's a gifted psychopath whose nickname is "The Cannibal" because he likes to eat parts of his victims. Isolated by his crimes from all physical contact with the human race, he plays an enigmatic game of "Clue" with Starling, providing her with snippets of data that, if she is smart enough, will lead her to the criminal. Undaunted, she goes where the data takes her. As the tension mounts and the bureaucracy thwarts Starling at every turn, Crawford tells her, "Keep the information and freeze the feelings." Insulted, betrayed, and humiliated, Starling struggles to focus. If she can understand Lecter's final, ambiguous scrawl, she can find the killer. But can she figure it out in time?

Why this scared me: There are so many reasons. I've never seen the movie all the way thru, but the book really freaked me out. (Oh, stop gasping!) I guess I can sum up my fear in the fact that all white women fear serial killers.

4.“Dracula” Bram Stoker
The Gist: Um, duh!

Why this scared me: Um duh, it's a classic and I was really curious to read the book after seeing the movie. He wrote it in 1897 and it still scares people today. 111 years and it's still scary. If you haven't read it, you should.

5.“The Historian” Elizabeth Kostova
The Gist: "The Historian" eschews the extravagant gore and even more extravagant pose-striking of the modern vampire novel. It's a multi generational mystery about the search for the tomb of the medieval Wallachian (not Transylvanian!) tyrant Vlad Tepes (the real-life Dracula), conducted by a handful of historians who become convinced he is still alive -- or, rather, undead. The main narrator is an unnamed 16-year-old girl, whose father initiates her into the cause when she discovers a mysterious book -- blank save for a woodcut of a rampant dragon, hidden in their library.

Why this scared me: Ok, you won't pee your pants over this one, but it's one of my favorite books of all time. If you liked the style of "The DaVinci Code" this might suit you. I agree with the Salon reviewer, "it's a fine Bordeaux to Dan Brown's overcaffeinated Diet Coke." This book is meant to be intellectually savored. It's smart and it's a wild Communist ride thru the 1950's and 1970's. Just read it. Please? It's awesome. I'm almost scared to go to the library just in case one of Vlad's books show up and I'm chosen.

6.“The Witching Hour” Anne Rice
The Gist: The first in the Mayfair Witches series, The Witching Hour introduces the fictional Mayfair family of New Orleans, generations of male and female witches. This tight-knit and deeply connected family, where a death of one strengthens the others with his/her knowledge. One Mayfair witch per generation is also designated to receive the powers of "the man," known as Lasher. Lasher gives the witches gifts, excites them, and protects them. Unsure as to exactly what this spirit is, the Mayfair clan knows him variously as a protector, a god-like figure, a sexual being, and the image of death. Lasher's current witch is Deirdre, who lies catatonic from psychological shock treatments.

Why this scared me: I picked up this book randomly at a Kansas City Public Library booksale 3 or 4 years ago. I had no idea what I had done until I started reading. This is truly one of my favorite books that I have ever read. It's the best in the series (sorry "Lasher" and "Taltos") and it wisks you away to Scotland, Haiti and New Orleans. If you are a fan of historical fiction as well, you will particularly love this book.

7. Harry Potter series
The Gist: Um, seriously, what rock have you been hiding under. I won't even look it up for you. Sorry.

Why this scared me: I routinely reject pop culture and all things trendy. Plus, I thought juvenile fiction was beneath me. Then I read the first few chapters to a girl I was baby sitting in 2001. I was hooked, Handsome (NOT a reader) was hooked. If you didn't weep at the end of books 6 AND 7, well, you're heartless. Rowling gives me faith in 21st century literature.

8.“Phantoms” Dean Koontz
The Gist: CLOSER…
They found the town silent, apparently abandoned. Then they found the first body strangely swollen and still warm. One hundred fifty were dead, 350 missing. But the terror had only begun in the tiny mountain town of Snowfield, California.
AND CLOSER…
At first they thought it was the work of a maniac. Or terrorists. Or toxic contamination. Or a bizarre new disease.
AND CLOSER…
But then they found the truth. And they saw it in the flesh. And it was worse than anything any of them had ever imagined…

Why this scared me: I broke my Koontz cherry on this one. Just read it. There are no words...just chills...

9.“The Exorcist” - Wm. Peter Blatty
The Gist: Again, um...duh. You've seen the movie, just read the book. MUCH scarier to me.

Why this scared me: Handsome actually knew one of the priests that performed the real exorcism from when he was in the seminary. He was a priest at SLU. The "real" story differs from the book which differs from the movie which...well, just read it as a fictitious story and you're fine.

10.“The Monster at the End of This Book” Jon Stone
The Gist: Lovable, furry old Grover is distressed to learn that there's a monster at the end of this book! He begs readers not to turn the pages, but of course kids feel they just have to see this monster for themselves. Grover is astonished--and kids are delighted--to discover who is really the monster at the end of the book!

Why it scared me: Um, I was like 4 when my parents and I first read this book. To this day, I have found no other book that was more thrilling or suspenseful. You know how it's going to end, but the suspense is still palpable. Handsome and I bought it before Darling was even born so we could read it to her. A true childhood classic.

11. The Vampire LeStat series Anne Rice
The Gist: A journey thru time and reality in order to capture the "essence of vampires". I hated the movie and didn't want to read the book, but because Anne Rice sucked me into "The Witching Hour" and "Blood Canticle" was a cross over book, I gave it a whirl and it was so much better than the film...

Why it scared me: I'll admit...I was heavy into the "Buffy The Vampire Slayer" series when I was introduced to these books. I also have a fear of veins. I panic when I have to give blood. My veins, bleeding...it scares me. So people/things that survive on it, double scary. Anne Rice is a master story-teller. Even if you aren't a "horror/sci-fi" reader, pick it up any way and enjoy something historical and intriguing.


12.“The Dollhouse Murders” Betty Ren Wright
The Gist: Discovering an old-fashioned dollhouse in a dusty attic, Amy is unaware that the dollhouse holds a deadly, forgotten secret about a past, and the dolls decide that Amy must learn the truth.

Why it scared me: I was 12. This book is the reason I stole "Pet Semetery" from my parents. It's thrills, chills, and everything a 12 year old would love in a haunted story. Still one my favorite books. An American classic.

13.“Bag of Bones” Stephen King
The Gist: Several years after his wife's death, novelist Mike Noonan still suffers writers block. A dream inspires him to return to the couple's summer retreat in western Maine, a lakeside house called Sara Laughs. Shortly after arriving, Noonan is caught in the middle of a custody battle involving the daughter of an attractive young widow and the child's enormously wealthy grandfather. He also discovers that Sara Laughs is haunted and that his late wife, Joanna, still has something to tell him.

Why this scared me: A classic, truly real ghost story of true love. I read this book at least once a year. The love Mike feels for his wife/girlfriend, the connection beyond what her life was...sigh...this is a must read. PLEASE! It's got great stuff in it. I grew up living on a lake. Water attracts intrigue.

14.“Heart of Darkness” Joseph Conrad
The Gist: Heart of Darkness has been considered for most of this century not only as a literary classic, but as a powerful indictment of the evils of imperialism. It reflects the savage repressions carried out in the Congo by the Belgians in one of the largest acts of genocide committed up to that time. Conrad's narrator encounters at the end of the story a man named Kurtz, dying, insane, and guilty of unspeakable atrocities. More recently, African critics like Chinua Achebe have pointed out that the story can be read as a racist or colonialist parable in which Africans are depicted as innately irrational and violent, and in which Africa itself is reduced to a metaphor for that which white Europeans fear within themselves. The people of Africa and the land they live in remain inscrutably alien, other. The title, they argue, implies that Africa is the "heart of darkness," where whites who "go native" risk releasing the "savage" within themselves. Defenders of Conrad sometimes argue that the narrator does not speak in Conrad's own voice, and that a layer of irony conceals his true views.

Why this scares me: The humanity of man. Not a classic horror story in the true sense of the word, but nevertheless...it scared me to walk down the street next to other people I don't know.

15.“The Talisman”/”Black House” Stephen King/Peter Straub
The Gist:
"The Talisman": Twelve-year-old Jack Sawyer wants to save his mother's life. To do so, he must revisit unanswered questions from early childhood and face the truths his late father understood. Jack's quest takes him into parallel worlds, one of which provides the answers he needs. Frank Muller enters the fantasy with abandon. His performance shifts invisibly between the childish visions of a young Jack to the self-serving evil of his antagonist's inner thoughts. As always, Muller's characterizations steal the show. Werewolves, boys, rotten evangelists, and Jack's mom come alive far beyond the level at which the text gives them soul. Ancient black jazz musician Speedy Parker drops in and out of the story as another performer entirely, or so it would seem. Our level of disbelief is not only suspended, it flies right out the window on Muller's capable wings.

The Gist: "Black House": In the seemingly paradisaical Wisconsin town of French Landing, small distortions disturb the beauty: a talking crow, an old man obeying strange internal marching orders, a house that is both there and not quite there. And roaming the town is a terrible fiend nicknamed the Fisherman, who is abducting and murdering small children and eating their flesh. The sheriff desperately wants the help of a retired Los Angeles cop, who once collared another serial killer in a neighboring town.
Of course, this is no ordinary policeman, but Jack Sawyer, hero of Stephen King and Peter Straub's 1984 fantasy The Talisman. At the end of that book, the 13-year-old Jack had completed a grueling journey through an alternate realm called the Territories, found a mysterious talisman, killed a terrible enemy, and saved the life of his mother and her counterpart in the Territories. Now in his 30s, Jack remembers nothing of the Talisman, but he also hasn't entirely forgotten

Why this scared me: Umm...'cause it did. Not a true "horror story" but, little kids, that grow up and are still haunted, that's scary. It's intriguing for even non-horror fans, if they can suspend "belief".

16.“The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” Washington Irving
The Gist: ''The Legend of Sleepy Hollow'' takes place in Sleepy Hollow, New York, a snug rural valley near Tarry town in the Catskill Mountains. Constructed from German tales but set in America, it is a classic tale of the conflict between city and country, and between brains and brawn. Ichabod Crane courts Katrina Van Tassel, but is frightened away by his rival, Brom Bones, masquerading as the headless horseman. The story demonstrates the two qualities for which Irving is best known: his humor, and his ability to create vivid descriptive imagery.

Why this scares me: My first introduction into the genre. The story of Ichabod Crane is well written, suspenseful and scary. If you haven't read the words of this American Classic, do it. It's a lot more scary than you'd think.

17.“The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” Robert Louis Stevenson
The Gist: Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde[1] is a novella written by the Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson and first published in 1886. It is about a London lawyer who investigates strange occurrences between his old friend, Dr Henry Jekyll[2], and the misanthropic Edward Hyde. The work is known for its vivid portrayal of a split personality, split in the sense that within the same person there is both an apparently good and an evil personality each being quite distinct from each other; in mainstream culture the very phrase "Jekyll and Hyde" has come to mean a person who is vastly different in moral character from one situation to the next. This is different from multiple personality disorder where the different personalities do not necessarily differ in any moral sense. Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde was an immediate success and one of Stevenson's best-selling works.

Why this scares me: I lived it. If you have never listened to "Jekyll & Hyde" the incredible score/musical by Leslie Bricusse and the illustrious Frank Wildhorn, listen to this and then go read the book.


18.“MacBeth” William Shakespeare
The Gist: Ummm...DUH! Banquo...MacBeth Senior...uhh...

Why this scares me: Ok, it's a play. Granted. It's still haunted. The summer before Handsome was to perform this play, their theatre caught fire. We had a friend who didn't believe in the MacBeth myth in theatre and, I fucking swear, right after he said the words:"MacBeth, MacBeth, Macbeth, what a bunch of bullshit!" the fly system let go, fell on his head and he got 14 stiches. I saw it. Coincidence, maybe...if you're oblivious...

19.“Midnight Voices” John Saul
The Gist: At the heart of this spooky tale are the children, Laurie and Ryan Evans, who are unwittingly exposed to danger when their recently widowed mother marries widower Anthony Fleming. The too-good-to-be-anything-but-evil Fleming lives in the Rockwell, a building rumored to be inhabited by witches and vampires, that has the children in the neighborhood terrified

Why this scared me: A true haunting. It appealled to my helpless mother, holy shit, there's a malevolent spirit attacking my child instinct. I stayed up until 3 in the morning reading this. I pictured some of the hotels gone apartments in KC history and shuddered.

20.“Creepers” David Morrell
The Gist: Morrell takes a creative kind of breaking-and-entering as the premise for his latest thriller (after Nightscape), a gripping story that demands to be read in a single sitting. Disguising himself as a journalist, Frank Balenger, ex-U.S. Army Ranger and Iraqi war veteran, joins a group of "Creepers," also known as infiltrators, urban explorers or city speleologists—men and women who outfit themselves with caving gear to break into and explore buildings that have long been closed up and abandoned. Though what they're doing is technically illegal, participants pride themselves on never stealing or destroying anything they find at these sites. They take only photographs and aim to leave no footprints. Balenger joins a group of four: the leader, Professor Robert Conklin, high school teacher Vincent Vanelli and graduate students Rick and Cora Magill. This gang infiltrates the Paragon Hotel, an abandoned, seven-story, pyramidal Asbury Park, N.J., structure built in 1901 by eccentric, hemophiliac Morgan Carlisle. Balenger and the professor have a special agenda, but the others are there simply for the thrills. Things quickly begin to unravel in life-threatening ways once the intrepid infiltrators penetrate the building—they aren't the only ones creeping around the spooky hotel. Morrell delivers first-rate, suspenseful storytelling once again.

Why this scared me: I'm a closet claustrophobe. I hate small, confined places. Especially if they are underground. This book is Thriller Extraordinaire!!!! I loved it! Just go get it...Read it and enjoy. If you're a rebel against the conformatities of society (where you should and shouldn't be)....you'll love it!

21. BONUS!!!!! “The Time Traveler's Wife” Audrey Niffenegger
The Gist: THIS IS A BONUS RANKING....It's not horror, it's not Sci-Fi, it's not a Romance Novel...it's somewhere in between. Just read it...This clever and inventive tale works on three levels: as an intriguing science fiction concept, a realistic character study and a touching love story. Henry De Tamble is a Chicago librarian with "Chrono Displacement" disorder; at random times, he suddenly disappears without warning and finds himself in the past or future, usually at a time or place of importance in his life. This leads to some wonderful paradoxes. From his point of view, he first met his wife, Clare, when he was 28 and she was 20. She ran up to him exclaiming that she'd known him all her life. He, however, had never seen her before. But when he reaches his 40s, already married to Clare, he suddenly finds himself time travelling to Clare's childhood and meeting her as a 6-year-old. The book alternates between Henry and Clare's points of view, and so does the narration.

Why this scared me: A life partner that spontaneously time travels and doesn't know where he'll end up? Scary. A spouse that is only semi-available to his twin soul? Horrible, yet he loves her. And she loves him. And it's a beautiful, yet sometimes confusing book. Read it anyway. Please!

The Ghost Posts ~ Day One!

Are you ready? Is your seat belt buckled? Here we go!

Welcome to Moxie's Month of Horror! (Or something like that...)

I wanted my first post to be about the different types of spirits that people are most likely to encounter. As sort of the "paranormal wrangler" for the museum I work for, I've been involved in several different investigations (I'm working on a post about the Do's and Don'ts of Ghost Hunting) and I can tell you that even the "experts" don't agree on the different types that exist.

For me, most of my encounters can be broken down into three different very vague groups.

Residual Energy: This is the type of ghost most people encounter. These are the "leftovers" in the ghost spectrum. They aren't true hauntings, because they are more like snapshots of a certain dramatic/traumatic time in someone's life. Every day, people walk around giving off energy. Lifting my fingers to type this is exerting energy. If you believe energy cannot be created or destroyed, then you understand this. Our emotions are also exerted into energy. So if you feel or do something that is extremely dramatic, your energy can sort of be trapped where it is exerted. I'm pretty sure dying is the most dramatic exertion of energy that most of us experience, so it makes sense that most of these "ghosts" are found in the place where they died. They can scare the shit out of you if they died violently, but you aren't going to be hurt by them. It's kind of like a tape that is on a perpetual replay. You may hear them/see them, but they aren't going to try to make contact with you. Most often these are the type that show up as orbs, mists, ect on film.

Hauntings: These are true ghosts. These are people/animals that don't know they are supposed to pass over, or they simply don't want to. They may or may not even know you are there. They have unfinished business or they are searching for someone or they are scared of moving on to the other side. These are much more rare than the Residuals, but are more common than you think. These are spirits to be wary of because their agenda is more important than yours. For whatever reason they are sticking around, they don't care if they scare you. They are on a mission or they are just lost and don't realize they should go. They can sometimes be convinced to move on, but if they don't, and it freaks you out too much either move or call in a professional. These sightings are much more vivid than the residuals and most people who see these can remember facial features or can recognize some sort of emotion that the spirit feels. Not all are bad, some are very helpful. They tend to show up as stronger, more shaped mists, shadows, or full blown people images on film.

Demons: Bad shit, my friends. These are extremely, extremely rare and absolutely should NOT be played with. Yes, I believe they exist and you just shouldn't screw around with them. Not at all. I've had two instances in my life where I wondered if that's what I experienced, and I did not like it. At all. These are destructive spirits that were never human and there only purpose is to hurt. This is call in the priest/shaman/medicine man territory. This is scary shit and they are very prone to attaching themselves to people and/or places and they are very difficult to detach. Avoid at all costs. Typically they show up as very dark shapes/shadows.

These are just very generic categories and there are people with a lot more experience in this stuff, so, if you are still intrigued, check out some of these articles I randomly found:

http://www.ourcuriousworld.com/TypesofGhosts.htm

http://www.newenglandparanormal.com/learn/learn_2.htm

http://ezinearticles.com/?Types-of-Ghosts&id=226270

http://www.paranormalghostsociety.org/ghosts.htm

http://www.ghoststudy.com/types.html

I received 7 stories for the contest and I'm planning on posting one a day for the 7 days before Halloween. The winner will be chosen by popular vote (and I get the final vote casting when it comes to a tie) and will be announced on Halloween.

Tomorrow I'll start getting into my own stories, I promise...

Number 4's the winner

I forgot to add this, but, by an overwhelming majority (um everyone who shared their opinion), Number 4 wins!

(Like my Parry Hotter font?)

Last Call for Stories

So, tomorrow's the big day. I've gotten more stories from some of my favorite bloggers (looks like we've got a contest!) and I'm still figuring stuff out, but if you still want a chance to be in the contest, I've got to have them by midnight tonight.

In the meantime, if you feel like having a Trick or Tini, enjoy the recipe. I've got lots of fun posts planned for the next 31 days!

Happy Banned Books Week!

Heather over at Age 30+ A Lifetime of Books reminded me that it's Banned Books Week. She's asking for reviews of banned books so send some in if you've read any on the list. The ALA has a list if you need inspiration.

Fight stupidity, go to the library and read something great this week!

Still Undecided....

So, um, wow! I caused a little flurry with my last post. My finger hovered over the publish button and I did it anyway. I figured that people would come down on me for it and explain Obama's idea of foreign policy more succinctly.

I'm still unconvinced and undecided.

I still don't know who I'm going to vote for in Nov. And I want to vote for one of them without reservations. And I still have reservations.

Granted, no one could possibly mistake me for a conservative, but I do have strong conservative views when it comes to foreign policy, and um, that's about it.

Like almost everyone else in America, I already knew who I thought was going to win the first debate. Most people stick with their candidate no matter what. I already knew I was going to like what McCain had to say.

Just like I already know I'm going to like what Obama is going to have to say in Round 2 when it turns to domestic policy.

For me, this election comes down to what we need to do first to put the country back on track.

Do we fix the stuff at home first? Our schools, our economy, our government? Is this possible with the world hating us some much and threatening to 9/11 us again? Which candidate is going to make my life as an average American better AND safer four years from now?

I'll probably vote for Obama, probably. McCain's way of handling the "War on Terror" appeals to me as the best way to get us out of there without causing another Vietnam/Afghanistan(1980's)/Somalia. But that's about it.

Honestly, when he chose Palin as his running mate, that swayed me more towards Obama. The thought of McCain dropping dead and the beauty queen running the country scares me 8 ways to Sunday.

But, I'm sorry, Obama's lack of political experience and NO experience in the military scares me just as much. We've seen how the one term Governor ran the country, I'm scared Obama's got the potential for some major screw ups.

All of the hypotheticals don't matter. One way or the other, someone will be elected in Nov. and the country will move on. No one is as bad as Bush. Either one of them will do a better job.

I apparently watched something completely different last night.

Honestly? I'm not a pro-McCain or a pro-Obama voter. I'm dead set in the middle. I can't make my mind up. And I truly would like to. I don't want to pull another 2004 election where I passively-resisted voting for the President on the ballot and instead voted with an informed choice for my state and local elections.

I'm a true "Undecided" that hoped the debates would sway me one way or the other.

So far?

Meh...

I agree with both of them on certain points, but I am shocked that that anyone could think that Obama beat McCain last night.

Umm...kids? What kind of Kool-Aid were you drinking? It must have been Obama MaMa, because I didn't see it.

Then again, I have a degree in American history and I know what happens when we pull out of the Middle East/Latin America pre-maturely.

Umm...hello? Read your history books, kids...Afghanistan in the 1980's? Those who do not learn from history... and all of that.

We're f'd if we pull out too early without the foreplay of diplomacy.

I'm kinda regretting that only one of them gets to be president. Foreign Policy wise, I'm with McCain. Domestically, Obama has my vote hands down.

I'm shocked, as an educated American that anyone could disagree with McCain last night. He has spent the last 30+ years understanding foreign policy as a soldier/POW/Senator.

Kids, regardless of what you want to believe, he knows his shit. At the same time, I understand that we need to get the hell out of there.

My father is a Vietnam Vet. Some of my closest friends just came back from Iraq. I hate the shit that f'd them up.

I worked for a company that gave loans to active duty/retired military during 9/11. I pray for them everyday. I heard their stories up close, days after it happened as their sons/husbands/fathers were sent off into the Atlantic/Pacific to places unknown to them...they were scared, they were shocked...but every single one of them were brave.

My sweet, genius cousin John is there right now. I miss him. I pray for him. I constantly worry for him. He's Special Ops. He's the one going in, pulling people out of the hovels and interrogating them. I flash back to my sensitive, incredible father and I pray John never has that PSTD...Until it's your family that is affected/scarred, until you stand across the room and scream for your PSTD father to wake up because if you touch him he'll toss you across the room, you have no room to talk.

I hate this election because I'm not sure which is most important for America right now...security abroad or security here.

Don't jump to conclusions, it's a harder question than it seems, if you have the education and/or intellect to really have an opinion, please...really. really. REALLY think...

This is a brink of American history that our generation has never known before. It's like the "Choose Your Own Adventure" books when we were kids, except this time the stakes are so high we can have a "Do Over".

I don't know if it Obama or McCain, but I feel the pressure of history on our shoulders this election...

I'm trying to make the right choice, how about you?

The Ghost Posts: The Prequel

Ok, guys, I'm serious about doing at least 31 posts that are ghosty/paranormal related during October. Last week I sent out the call for your very own ghost stories. I've got a gory one from Emaw and a heart string tugger from XO (yeah, I'm surprised too, but it almost made me cry).

Frankly, I'm kind of disappointed in only 2 entries. Maybe you're a procrastinator like me and just waiting for the last second to send in your entry. SEPT. 30 is the the deadline!!! Dude! That's next Tuesday! Hurry UP!

I'll even sweeten up the deal. The winner will receive a fabulous (dirt cheap from Big Lots or Wal-Mart)holiday (Thanksgiving or Christmas or Hanukkah (sp)) prize from me. I'm letting people vote on the best story. The prize will be hand picked based on the particular nature of the winning author. I'll mail you the equivalent of a White Elephant Gift that you can regift for the office Christmas gift exchange. Hey, I'm just saving you time.

It doesn't matter if it's funny, scary, semi-made up, just send them in. And tell your friends and neighbors to send in their stories. (As an advertising professional, Moxie loves her some viral marketing.) I don't even care if it's a silly story of how you got scared of the silhouette of the stuffed animal in the closet when you were 5, thinking it was a monster. I'll take your Ouijas, your Bigfoots, your UFOs AND your ghosts. It doesn't even have to be a Kansas City story, out of town readers. (Am I starting to sound desperate?)

I'm getting ready. I've already started a list of stuff I'm going to post. (I f'in made a list and that doesn't happen often. I'm being organized!)

I'll take your suggestions on the top 10 scariest/most haunted places in KC, books you've read, movies and mythical creatures.

Just email me at: moxiemamakc@gmail.com or sassypilgrim23@gmail.com

In the meantime, get ready for Oct. 1 and tell me which of these "The Ghost Posts" logos you like best, m'kay? Not my greatest design work, but I half-assed it due to other real life obligations. Gimme a break, hm?

Ballad of a Selfish Mother...

Psst, Internets, lean in a little closer. I've got a secret I don't want to tell my husband, but I need to get it off my chest.

I'm glad he's starting rehearsals for another show next week.

I feel like a bad wife and a selfish mother. I do. But at least I can admit it to you, O, Anonymous Internet. (See why I don't tell my hubby I have a blog?)

Handsome's been on an acting hiatus for the last 2 months and it's been great having him home in the evenings. We make/eat dinner together, watch some tv, do a house chore or two, play with the kid, bathe the kid, read to the kid, put the kid to bed, argue with the kid to "stay in bed and go to sleep!" We're regular Ozzie and Harriets. I guess this is what other couples do most evenings.

"Normal" is weird for us. For our entire relationship of almost 12 years, Handsome always goes off to rehearsal after dinner. It sucked at first when we were dating in college, but now I'm used to it.

Don't get me wrong. I was really looking forward to his "theater break". He had been going back to back with shows (some of them overlapping) for over a year and all the while working his 9 to 5. Poor baby was about to snap like brittle twig. He needed a mental health break. I enjoyed it for the first month or so and now I'm ready to "take back the nights".

Most of Handsome's rehearsals start at around 7 pm, which means he leaves the house by about 6:30, meaning I have about 2 hours of unadulterated Mommy/Daughter time to assuage my working mother guilt. But when Daddy's home, screw mommy. Only Daddy can read to her, wash her, argue about sleeping.

She's a daddy's girl and usually I'm fine with this (I was one too) except this last theater break I kinda feel usurped in my mothering. I'm a nurturer. That's what I do. But I haven't gotten the chance to do all the little things with her that I'm used to doing.

Yes, I know it's important for Handsome to spend as much time as possible with her. But I miss having tea parties and hiding in caves (bedroom closets) from bears. I know Handsome, as an actor, would be a lot more interesting to play with if I were a little kid (he's imaginative and does better puppet voices, I accept that all my voices sound like Oscar the Grouch or Beaker from the Muppets). Having Daddy home for longer than a 3 week stretch in the evenings is something Darling has enjoyed. It's a novelty.

Something else I'll enjoy? Absolute Remote Control. Not that I don't like Mythbuster Marathons and reruns of X-men and Family Guy just as much as the next red-blooded American gal, but you know, what if I want to sneak in a Lifetime movie (shut up, I know!) or geek out on the History Channel? I'm not good at sharing or waiting my turn.

Plus, since I have this super-secret blog, it would be much easier to blog in the evenings from home without someone looking over my shoulder. I won't have to feel guilty over my 2 hour on the phone conversations with my best friend.

I like the 8:30 (Darling's bedtime) to 10:30 (my bedtime) "Me" time. I can do whatever I want (as long as I'm in "Get back in bed!" yelling distance of Darling).

Every so often, he has "I'm a horrible father and husband" abandonment issues. He gushes guilt, I soothe, tell him it's fine, it's his dream, I love that he does it (and I truly do) and we eventually move on. He's enjoyed being home and being an eveningtime father, but I can tell the siren call of his mistress, The Stage is beckoning him. He's antsy. She's demanding.

I adore my husband. Since our time as a family/couple is so limited most of the time, we make it a point to take/pick up Darling from daycare everyday. Handsome and I IM during the day at work. We probably talk to each more than most couples that spend evenings together (I'm guessing. I didn't do the math).

He's my best friend and I couldn't stand to be without him in my life. He's also the best father I have ever known. Those two are like peas and carrots. They are the same type of person if you know what I mean. He adores her and bends over backwards to make time even when he doesn't have it to give to make her feel like the most important person in the universe. (He's good at that with me too).

But, sometimes, Internet, I feel guilty for being a tiny bit jealous of the bond they have. I know the Daddy's Little Girl thing is powerful, and she and I will be closer when she's older but I feel like crap that all the little things she and I do together every evening of her life is discarded just because Daddy's home. (I'm such a horrible person for admitting that.)Being able to do those things with her sort of balanced out the parental duty thing.

I've been so fussy this last week. I've been writing/designing like crap (both here and at work). I wonder how much of it has to do with the anticipation of getting back to normal next week.

I'm a person who adores routines. And my routine is totally messed up. I'm looking forward to next week and the sans-Handsome evenings.

Fucking selfish, aren't I? I hate me this week.

Comic Relief From Political Ads

I truly adore Top _#_ Lists. Maybe that's why I like cracked.com so much. Like almost everyone else I know, I'm sick of the campaign ads. Fortunately, the good folks over there decided to do a "What Campaign Ads Would Look Like If the Voting Age Was 6".

The ironic, not so funny thing about it is that a majority of the American populace could actually be swayed by these ads.

This Week In Review?

It sucks. Thank God it's almost half over...The only bad part is that I know Thurs-Sun is only gonna get worse....

Rest of the week? F you! I hate responsibility and being "conservative" minded at my job.

I might even vote for Obama....

Or I might not...

I am an enigma...


Nope, I'm just an Undecided!

Will the Real Next President give me a sign to vote for you?!

Humanity Isn't all that bad (some days)

While I pretty much get irritated by the glorification of fictional pirates and the recent glut of piratical consummerism (even IF Johnny Depp IS hot), I can always appreciate a good Fred Phelps & Fam shaming. There is probably no one who embarasses me more to be an American than him (and GWB). But then again I can't stand anyone who zealously spews hate in the name of a Higher Being.

I saw this over on Plog and honestly, I think the clouds are parting on my Angry Storm after yesterday. Maybe I am turning more like Pollyanna the more I mature.

(Pause for scornful laughter)

Maybe I need a band of fictional, romanticized pirates to chase Kansas City's attempted car theives...

Nevertheless, I think it's a brilliant way to deal with whackadoos like Phelps. Who knew ridiculous mockery of their hate/"religious" crusade would be such a powerful weapon?

Maybe it's a tactic we can employ in the Middle East? Or not?

No, truly, the lesson that we should get from this story is that Pasta and Pirates should only be harnessed for good against the forces of biogtry and hate.

I'm in a better mood today, btw, my neighbor is fine, but her car was ransacked too. No word on how her keys mysteriously ended up on our front porch before work or how the owner's manual to our car showed up there when we returned from work. Neighbors have been questioned, but no one knows anything. Kind of freaks me out still.

Call Me Polly F.N. Anna

Let me tell you how excited/happy we were to discover my husband's car was broken into sometime between midnight and 7:15ish this morning?

I was livid.

We should be happy that they didn't actually steal it. They did seem to have screw(driver)ed around with the steering column, but they were either too stupid to actually steal it or they got spooked away.

Nevertheless, they did take off with the CD player and a case that held about 20 cds which are going to be pretty difficult to replace. (He likes some weird obscure shit.)

The bright side? The Pollyanna moment?

Imagining the look on their face when they realize that they just stole a bunch of showtune cds.

MWAH HAHAHA!!!

Suck on THAT!

Hope you enjoy "Man of La Mancha" biotches! Bet there's a nice black market for "Urinetown" and Trans-Siberian Orchestra! I can't even imagine how much crack you'll be able to buy with "Cats". I bet your street cred is skyrocketing as you blare "Everything's Up To Date In Kansas City" from "Oklahoma" as you roll down Troost in somebody else's car. I want my "Trainspotting" CD back, but you can keep the CD Handsome's church choir made. You probably need it more than us.

*PS: Next time, fuckhead, pick a car that doesn't have a car seat in it, a dead give away that we have a small kid and wouldn't really appreciate/afford the expense of buying a new car after you trash ours. (Not that anyone can, but you know.)

**PPS: I'm kind of freaked out that my neighbor's work ID and work keys were laying on our front porch this morning. She was already gone by the time we left. I really hope she's ok/she didn't get robbed.

I've just been informed....

My 4 yr old daughter just informed me that she "was saved by Jesus so she's going to save Jesus". I'm unsure of how this fits into Catholic doctorine...

Rednecked Oom Pah Pah

I was lucky enough to go to the Royals vs. Mariners game Monday AND Tuesday night. What was not so lucky about my sojourn into Kaufman Stadium was the 7th inning stretch.

I am now whole-heartedly convinced that it is impossible for Mid-Westerners to sing the song "I've Got Friends in Low Places" without swaying. Please witness:


98.56 percent of the time, this involves alcohol.

Experiment and report back, but I'm pretty sure you'll find it's true....

Drink at least 6 overpriced beers (or a bottle of cheap wine, your choice) and try to sing that song without swaying next to your BFF/Significant Other.

Impossible.

I'm pretty sure Group Singing of Garth can fit into "I Love Ranch Dressing Vol. II"

I'm sure it's pure alcohol/Redneck physics, but I was a double Liberal Arts major so I can't really comment. You might want to test the theory against the song "Cotton Eyed Joe". I'm pretty sure you'll find similar effects.


btw: "I Love Ranch Dressing" is on my Christmas list. I plan on buying multiples for my in-laws. You should too. And subscribe to Cara's blog. It's a hoot as we say in the Mid-West.

Oh yeah and my dream baseball game would be the 1985 Royals against the late 1990's Mariners. It didn't happen in last few nights, but a girl can dream, right?