Ever have a day that starts off so well, you just know it's going to be a great one? You get things done, nothing seems too difficult, and you're clipping right along.

And then by dusk, you just end up wanting to cry under your bed through no fault of your own?

Oh, maybe it's just me then. 

Kindle Book Give Away!

My next book is out!  Yay.  The Midnight Queen is the second book in the Prophets of Shadow series that started with The Twilight Saint.  If you want a free kindle copy of either book, let me know and I'll send you one!

Aiela has spent her entire life sheltered from the world. Her only dream has been to escape the quiet island life she's know and find adventure in the world outside. After the death of her mother, Aeila escapes to the University, a world filled with technological wonders and exotic people. But her own history is dark and the secrets behind her birth may destroy everything that hold Aiella together.

 

Buy The Midnight Queen Now!

 

Show More

Show Less

My Black Friday Wish List: Johnny the Skull

I saw a commercial for this and I've decided that this is what I want for Christmas.  What more could a girl ask for?  Johnny Skull lets you pretend to be a real ghost hunter.  You get to shoot ghosts and hunt the dead.  Perfect.  Johnny the Skull is an electronic game that projects ghosts on the walls and ceiling as it swivels its head in all directions. You shoot at the ghosts with an electronic gun and the person that shoots the most ghosts wins.  This looks like wonderful ghostly fun.  The box even reads "I see dead people."   I think this is all that's going on my Black Friday Wish list.  The rest can wait.  It isn't worth facing the terror that is Black Friday for anything else.

Boomerang Generation, or as my mom put it: "Welcome home; now get the fuck out."

Happy Thanksgiving to all! I'm done moving out of my old apartment, which (if any of you read my Twitter, know) was a horrible terrible HORRIBLE ordeal. Mostly because I was packing it all myself. Thankfully, my dad came up at the last minute and helped me drag the last of it to storage and transported what I wanted to keep back home. And when I tell you that man can PACK a truck, I do mean it. I thought it would take three or four trips to get all my crap to storage. One, guys. ONE. And when we got there, he strung up rope and hung my clothes from it like a clothesline. Because my dad is obviously a genius.

I owe my dad in large part to fitting entirely too much shit into such a small area 

I want to say I was really sad about leaving my apartment, but really I was so friggin' tired of moving and so overwhelmed by tiredness and dust, that I mostly said good riddance and got the Hell out of Dodge. Regardless, I still took some "reminiscent, empty house" photos. Whatever.

An empty house never looked SO BEAUTIFUL.
(Also: bye F-town. You've been good to me.)

So....I've now been officially inducted into the Boomerang Generation. I'm crashing with my parents until I can find a job, which hasn't been forthcoming as of yet. Today I applied for a job about seven states away today, and will snap it up if I am offered the chance (which will almost assuredly not happen, given the fact that I've been so ridiculously un-hireable as of yet). I've also been applying for science jobs across the state that may or may not utilize my legal "prowess," and haven't heard back from any of them. Yesterday, I finished finding, printing, and highlighting all the classes I'm using to claim eligibility for the Patent Bar (it took a couple of hours), which I credit in large part to the workspace I've set up in my parents' new house. I'm in a closet y'all, which is ideal for me. Not too much room, not too many distractions, but not so small that it makes me feel like stabbing my eyeballs out. 

Behold....the glory.
(Also known as "where the magic happens.)

In order to keep myself further occupied, I've been planning out my mode of attack regarding getting into shape/becoming a super-sexy-beast. I hate the routine I've managed to get into, but hadn't changed it due to my life being in flux and the inability to plan more than a week into the future. Now that I've moved, though, and am settled into a place I'm likely to be for a few months, I'm ditching the excuses and recommitting to being a sexy mid-twenties lady. I refuse to allow unemployment, laziness, and advancing age turn me into a bigger slob. Now I'm trying to figure out the perfect cardio playlist. Do y'all have any suggestions?

I hope y'all have a wonderful holiday, eat until you can't move, and take long, tryptophan-induced naps. 'Tis the season. 

Ghostly Comments and Fabulous Stories

I love comments on my blog.  They make my day and teach me more about the paranormal than I could learn writing any of my books.  I'm so grateful for my followers and their knowledge of ghosts, hauntings, and haunted locations.  I even like the negative comments.  I love to hear from folks who set me straight on my facts and make sure that every one of my stories is historically accurate and correct.  I love history and I'm glad I have people who make sure I never go astray.  I want to celebrate some of the amazing and wonderful stories I've gotten in comment form on this blog. Thank you all for posting these stories and know they have often made my day.  Here are some of the wonderful stories I've collected from comments!  They are all anonymous.


About St. Bernard's Preparatory School:

I go to SBP and I dorm in the girls dormitory. I've heard so many ghost stories, and I kind of believe all of them. One is about how during camp one summer, a counselor in the girls' dorm woke up to a voice in the hallway on the top floor. She thought it was a camper, so she went out into the hallway and faced towards the bathroom, because the bathroom lights on both floors are always on, and she saw a little 'girl' standing there, and she told her to go to bed, but she saw it was a boy and she got freaked out and went back to her room. I have no idea if this story is true, but weird things have been happening in the dorms, apparently, but I believe it is my eyes playing tricks on me. Another one happened just last year in the guys' dorms, and this is something I heard from one of the guy's friends, but the boys say the boys' dorm is in sections and not just a long hallway like the girls' dorm, so in one section there were three boys in three different rooms, but all in the same on.

About Ghosts and Pregnancy:

Hi there :-) I was googling this topic because I am 8 weeks pregnant with second child. We live in a very old house (built in late 1800's). Last night I was in the bathroom and turned as I sensed someone standing next to me. No one was.. But it happened again a minute later and I had this incredibly strong sense of someone gentle placing their hand on my lower back then leaving. It was unnerving but not scary which was just bizarre. I am a scientist and have never really believed any paranormal activity is possible. I wonder if possible? Or crazy hormonal hyper vigilance? Lol :-) 

From Waverly Hills Peneteniary Post:

I never had a paranormal experience per say, but I worked on construction remodeling the Farview state penitentiary, inWaymart,PA. for the criminally insane.It was a creepy place, They had these weird paintings of clowns, flowers,etc... I guess to help keep the patients calm. I worked there for months and never had anything happen until this one day, I was working in the basement, there was a long hallway that had rooms to the one side.I was working in one of the rooms by myself, jack hammering a part of the floor to install new pipes, out of nowhere, The hairs on the back of my neck stood up, and a chill ran up my spine, I threw the jack hammer down and spun around like a cat, but nothing was there. It felt like someone was right behind me, it freaked me out. Later in the week I was talking to a guard and he told that was the morgue I was working in. I bet if they had someone do an investigation there, they would have an eventful experience.


From Searcy State Hospital Post:

The things you hear at this place is enough to drive a sane man into being placed into the confines of the place. I worked for the PD of Mt. Vernon and have gone there several times for various reasons. I have seen some things that if told would not be believed. Every time I've been on or near Sercy, I've felt the presence of the paranormal..most in my family including me are sensitive to the paranormal.

From Kildare Castle/McCormick Post:

My family purchased this home in early 1966 from Jackie Smith Blackwell (a friend of "Eunice" on Andrew Jackson and a whole different story). We lived in this home during 1966-1967 years. I was in the 6th grade at Chapman Jr. High. It truly was a wonderful place to live. We have many memories that we frequently share. I love that it had a furnace in the basement for heating with forced air using the old style radiators in the rooms. It actually has a small room with a window in the attic, on the front of the house, where you can see the grounds. It was spooky climbing into the attic and not knowing what might be discovered; you had to go through a crawl space to get into the room which was about 6' x 8' in size. From the first floor main kitchen you get to the basement by going down a spiral shaped wooden staircase. One night I had to go turn off the basement light and I was barefoot; never grab and pull a metal chain when barefoot on a concerts floor! On my way down those stairs a bat flew at me. There is a large closet with beautiful stained glass on the double doors in the main living room; this must have been used for storing fine china and linens that were likely used for entertaining on a grand scale. The main floor had 10 or 12 foot ceilings, fireplaces everywhere and 3 kitchen areas. It had beautiful bear claw bathtubs throughout! There was a full bath in the basement as well. If my memory serves correctly, a total of 52 rooms including those in the basement. We loved sliding down the wood banister of the stairs from the 2nd floor to the 1st floor; these stairs are located just inside the main front door. Directly under the stairs on the first floor (at the highest end) was a door that opened to one set of stairs that went from first floor to basement. We actually had a water battle on the second floor one Saturday morning after breakfast but before we began our weekly cleaning. Now you know how my Saturday's were spent during that time. To turn the light on or off you pushed a button. And the elevator, yes it had one, however, it's known as a "dumb waiter" (not sure of spelling) and to go up or down you pulled a rope that was at least 1 inch in diameter and it was the original rope! There was a push button light switch in the dumb waiter. Today it still has the original fire escapes. In the basement is a wine cellar with the original wine racks, at least during the time we resided in the house. My favorite room in the entire place at the time, of course, was the round tower bedroom located on the 3rd floor. This will be on the left side if you are looking at the front of the house from the street. It has a huge veranda out back on the main floor. The small windows above the doors could be opened but it was difficult. At one time there was a small house to the right off the main house; we always believed a groundskeeper had lived in it at some point in time. The last I saw, this small house was rubble. It was rumored that the McCormick's had planned to cover the roof with silver dollars. At the top of the tall windows to the left side of the main entrance (in the upside down V) is the date and initials, McC, 1886. I always hoped to buy this place again someday and restore it to as much of its original glory as possible and make it into a bed a breakfast. I may attempt to post again and include some pics. Hope you enjoyed reading of my living experience.

Fundamentals of the Patent Bar Exam

Since I've been girding my loins in anticipation of (finally) registering for the Patent Bar Exam, I've spent a lot of time on the US Patent site. Unfortunately, the instructions are not necessarily all that clear, and the process is definitely more than a little daunting. The next few days, I'm going to be writing a series of articles discussing (1)what the patent bar is; (2) whether you are eligible to sit for the exam; (3) the process by which you go about applying for said exam; and (4) how I plan to study for the exam.

Today, as indicated by this particular blog's name, I'm going to discuss the fundamentals of the Patent Bar Exam (PBE). The PBE is a 100-question standardized test administered across the United States in two ways: first, you can sit for it in a "commercially administered" environment. This simply means that you go to any one testing center in your state and take it at your leisure (within the six hour time constraint and within 90 days of being allowed to sit for the exam, of course). Second, you can request that the United States Patent and Trademark Office (the USPTO) administer your exam. If I'm not mistaken, there is a difference of prices between the two, the first option is computerized while the second is paper, and the USPTO administered exam does not allow you to pick the day on which it is administered or where it is taken. It is only administered in one place: at the United States Patent and Trademark Office in Alexandria, Virginia. I'm picking the first option, as I've already missed the 2012 exam time-frame and do not wish to wait until next summer before I take it, and I also prefer knowing instantly whether I passed or failed the exam (the waiting time is eliminated if you take it electronically).

Speaking of passing or failing the exam: I've heard that the failure rate is really high. While I'm not sure of the actual numbers from this year since they vary so widely, I am assuming that it includes all people taking the exam. Not only lawyers are allowed to take this exam (I will be discussing that particular topic in my next entry)--rather, anyone that meets prerequisites can take the exam, and then the distinction of patent agent v. patent attorney comes into play. If you take and pass the exam while you are a non-lawyer, then receive your license to practice law, you can apply to be formally recognized as a patent attorney. However, in order to pass, you must score 70% or higher. Although I mentioned previously that this exam is 100 questions, only 90 questions are actually scored. This means you have to get 63/90 questions right to pass.

The day of the exam, the test is split into two sections. In the morning, you have 3 hours to answer 50 questions. You repeat this process in the afternoon. You'll be provided with a computerized copy of the MPEP and will be expected to utilize your time wisely. At lot of resources are available for people who want to take the test. You can find old examinations and answers here. You can also find a lot of info from previous test-takers here, including test questions asked recently and people discussing nuances of the law. I'll be using these sites the next couple of months as I prepare to take my exam.

Thanks for reading my first entry regarding the PBE. I hope I've broken down things in a cohesive manner, but if you need to fill in any gaps, please visit the USPTO. Be sure to tune in soon for my next blog entry regarding whether or not you're eligible to sit for this exam. If you have any specific questions, feel free to ask me and I'll try to answer them.

How to study for your law school finals....charts style

Due to the volume of people who happen upon my blawg while searching for law school charts, I decided I would give a brief tutorial as to how I used to create my charts for law school finals, as well as show you the style in which I drafted them. You're going to have to click these images in order to see the larger size, but it should be suitably ginormous when you do.

If you have ANY questions, please feel free to comment or email me at ms.dr.juris@gmail.com for more information.

Only 33 More Shopping Days Until The Apocalypse

According to some, the world is about to end.  Since I like to be prepared, I'm getting ready for this apocalypse.  I've even put up my end of the world clock because I don't want to miss the apocalypse when it happens.  That's right, according to my end of the world clock, there are only 33 more shopping days until the world ends.  Better take advantage of those black Friday sales to load up on gas masks and bulk food, because you won't survive if you don't.  If you think it is going to be a zombie apocalypse, you should probably load up on ammo too.  In order to get ready for the end, I've  exhumed an old blog post I did about Mayan prophecies and ghosts.  I hope you enjoy it. 

Many books, blogs, and papers have been written about the Mayan prophecies regarding 2012 and the end of the world. Many believe that, according to the Mayan prophecies, the world will end on December 21, 2012. This is special fun for me since this is the day before my birthday. It is also the solstice. I love Mayan history and have been lucky enough to travel to some old Mayan ruins and talk to some Mayan people about their history and mythology. Since today marks the beginning of the end, I thought it would be an excellent time to revisit my trip to Chichen Itza. During this trip, our amazing guide spoke to us about the 2012 prophecies and about the ghosts that haunt these awe inspiring ruins.

Chichen Itza is one of the most monumental of a series of Mayan ruins in the Yucatan area. My fascination with the Mayan culture began with my trip to Chichen Itza. We were lead through the sprawling ruins of the fallen city by an amazingly knowledgeable Mayan guide that explained to us that Mayan history came in phases and that the ruins were in layers depending on their period of origin. There were the Olmec, Toltec, and Classical Mayan phases, none of which were surviving when the first Europeans set foot on the shores of the New World.


One of the most fascinating things our guide explained to us about the Mayans had to do with the 2012 prophecy. At the time we travelled, the 2012 prophecy was far less well known. Our guide told us that the Mayan calender was cyclical and that the Mayan's believed that the world was born and died many times. He talked about the last apocalypse. He said that it was an apocalypse of water and that the earth was covered in a great flood. He said that when that age, the age of water, was brought to an end by the flood a new age was born, an age of fire. We are now in the age of fire. In 2012 our age of fire will end in fire and an age of ether will be born. The end of the world will also be the beginning of a new world. This is interesting to me because so much is said of the end of the world in 2012 and so few people discuss the possibility of a rebirth. The Mayans viewed death as a rebirth and ends as a new beginning. So, if their calender ends and something does happen in December it seems probable it may be something wonderful. The end to the bad things and the world of fire that has come before and the birth of a new age could be something very positive.

The history of Chichen Itza itself is bathed in blood. The Mayan's were deeply religious and believed that it was a great honor to die for the gods. In the Popul Vuh, the Mayan Bible, the Mayan's lay out their faith in sometimes tedious details. Their faith was deep and long and they were willing to die for it. In fact, some of the best athletes that competed in the famous ball courts were sacrificed. The Mayan's didn't fear death and see sacrifice with dread and horror. They saw death as a passage to the next world. Chichen Itza was the site of mass sacra fices. Chichen Itza may have also died in violence. Some archaeological evidence shows that in 1221 a great civil war may have contributed to the disappearance of Mayan Culture in the great cities at the time. By the time the Europeans saw Chichen Itza, it was already a ghost city.

What is most interesting about the ghosts that are said to wander these old ruins is that it is not the great pyramids that are haunted. The places where the sacrifices went on and where the stone was stained with blood remain quiet. It is the old observatory that is said to be haunted by the specters of old priests and Mayan men. Many tourists and guides have described seeing specters wandering this site. The Mayans were brilliant astronomers and were able to compute the circumference of the earth long before Europeans. They mapped the stars and predicted astrological events so perfectly that we can still count on their astrological predictions to come true. The observatory was in many ways the most important place to them as their religion was deeply connected to the movement of the stars. It therefore seems appropriate that it is this place that the ghosts cling too. The ghosts of the sacrificed have gone to the embrace of the gods, but those that searched for knowledge in the light of the stars are still lingering, searching for answers in the night sky.

I HATE HATE HATE PACKING

I'm finally moving from my apartment (back into my parents' house until I find a job....fail) and am feverishly packing. I packed for a while during October and the last time I was in town, but left stuff because I didn't know when I would *officially* be moving out. I gave my notice a week or so ago. Then I started packing kinda for real.

Yesterday, my wonderful boyfran and I loaded up my house furniture that I wanted to keep, leaving my bedroom furniture alone (because that shit is new and if we fucked it up, I was going to cut someone). The things I didn't want, we put on the curb. The definition of hysterical? Watching a couple of frat guys claim your old pink particleboard desk. After our first trip, one of my dear friends came over to assist with the bedroom furniture. By seven o'clock p.m. we had moved all my furniture to my storage unit.

This is after actually cleaning up the living room. 

The rest of the house, however, is a joke. There are dustballs everywhere and I woke up this morning barely able to breathe. My dogs also made this trip with me after being MIA for several months (bf was starting to get pissed that he hadn't seen them). Crackers is sullen, having been pulled from outside where she can eat whenever the hell she feels like it and run around doing things that are generally looked down upon in my household. The second dog, Rosy, (who used to be an outside dog) came inside and told me she's never going back outside EVER. Except to pee.

So now I'm alone again, packing up the rest of my shit and wondering if I would actually miss anything if I just were to throw it all away.

I don't think I would.

I assure you this is a lot more shameful in person. 

No...really.

How Moving and Remodeling Affects Hauntings

It is commonly believed that haunting activity can be stirred up by remodeling.  I have heard countless ghost stories with this theme.  Some of my favorite stories about remodeling are from private interviews with people.  For example, one Alabama woman told me the haunting in her house was so negligible that she thought it was all folklore and her imagination until she remodeled the house and then the ghosts started appearing in broad daylight on her front porch.  Neighbors called to see who was milling about their house.  Another story that comes to mind as an example of this had to do with an old hotel that sat vacant for many years.  Finally, it was remodeled and renovated and the quiet hotel exploded with paranormal activity.  Similar stories are all too common. 

Ray Farrel from P9 Paranormal gave an explanation for this phenomena that made a lot of intuitive sense to me.  He said, "Similar to a ghost or spirit held in a location because of an unfulfilled need, are those that are very aware of where they are but have 'gone into hiding' or are terrified of 'moving on'. Many hauntings stem from souls that have a stained life history and refuse to budge from our dimension through fear of what their fate is in the next. It is sometimes the case that their need to continue their misdeeds will overcome their need to stay hidden and if other opportunities present themselves, such as a potential 'victim' coming along, then they will betray their presence. Others though will not dare give themselves away - until something happens to make them feel unsafe."

It seems that any change in the landscape of a location bound haunting can lead to an increase in activity.  We are moving in the next 2 weeks and for many years, my sons and I have come to believe that my mother-in-law wanders about our house from time to time.  She's a pleasant spirit that just makes some noise and turns faucets on and off.  However, as we pack to leave, the activity has become just down right creepy.  At this point, we hope it is her because if it isn't I'm glad we're getting out of house.  There has been some interesting activity surrounding our animatronic Halloween witch.  She's been broken for many years and my husband propped her up at the front door.  She used to have a motion sensor that would cause her to cackle and threaten to eat people.  That motion sensor is so broken you have to punch her in the nose to get her to work.  While my parents were visiting, she went off almost constantly for over an hour, even after she was unplugged.   That could be explained away by itself, but now the baby toys that you touch and sing cute little songs have begun singing on their own and shadowy figures have been seen by both my sons.  Is this another case of alteration in the environment of a haunting causing increase paranormal activity?  Or is it a case of us going crazy with moving stress?  At this point,  anything is possible.  It is probably more likey that we all going crazy.

Monsters, Queens, and Books!

Over the last few weeks, I have been working very hard to finish editing The Monster Hunter's Manual, my first middle grade book.  I am excited to be working with a new editor at Our Street Books.  She has been wonderful to work with and I feel like The Monster Hunter's Manual will be one of my best books.   It is the story of two brothers who are force to move to France and live in a haunted castle with their eccentric aunt after their parents die.  It is the first in a series of books about Gabriel and Alex's adventures in France fighting zombies, ghouls, werewolves, and many other things that go bump in the night. 

I am also preparing for the release of my new post apocalyptic fantasy novel, The Midnight Queen. It is the sequel to The Twilight Saint.  Here is the cover art for this tragic tale of violence and deception.   In a deperate future, a dark queen rises from the ashes of oblivion to unify a broken world.

 

The first book in this series is The Twilight Saint.  It is available at amazon.com

I'm hoping to get back to searching for more ghostly tales for this blog next week.   Krampus day is coming up and the winter solstice always brings dark tales of ghosts and witches!

Standard Attorney

        Please let this email serve as our response regarding your firm representing our company to collect a debt owed in the amount of $800.000.00USD against the company below,

Standard Steel Fabricating Co , Inc 

8155 1st Avenue S

Seattle, WA 98108

The debt was incurred as a result of failure to pay the balance of the steel materials delivered. The delivering was effected August of 2012 but as of now the balance payment has not been made. I hope you can assist us in getting our money. 

We look forward to your prompt response and your retainer agreement.

Regards,

SHOJI MUNEOKA

Chairman and CEO.

NIPPON STEEL & SUMITOMO METAL CORPORATION

6-3, Otemachi 2-chome,. Chiyoda-ku. Tokyo. Japan. 100-8071

http://www.nssmc.com/index.html/

The Haunting on Larrabee Street

This haunting story has always been one of my favorites because it does not have a history. The haunting on Larrabbee Street has often been compared to the Amityville case, however, the house on Larrabee Street didn't have the history the Amityville house had. It is a haunting that is unexplainable. The spirit that haunted Allen and Deborah Tallman came from nowhere.


The Tallman's moved into the house on Larrabee Street in Horicon, Wisconsin in 1986. At that time, they had a little girl and a boy who was about 6 years old. Deborah Tallman was pregnant. The Tallman's loved their new home and began a fairly typical America life in their new home. Although they loved their new home, The Tallmans immediately began having difficulties in the house. They were plagued by a rash of sicknesses and their cat went crazy, climbing the walls and screaming all night. Deborah was close to her family and her family usually spent a considerable amount of time visiting Deborah. These visits began to decrease in frequency following the Tallman's move into their new home. Both Deborah's mother and sister indicated they felt sick in the Tallman home. They felt sick and suffocated.

It took more than a year for the haunting to escalate and culminate in the events that lead to the Tallman's fleeing their comfortable home. Deborah had her baby girl and the children began to complain more and more about things in their room. The little boy said that a hideous, diminutive, old woman would come into his room at night. The little girl was plagued by visions of monsters. The Tallman's grew more and more tired as their children kept them up night after night. Even their attempts at time away from home were thwarted when the babysitter saw furniture moving on it's own.

The children's nightmares could be brushed off as childhood fancy, but when Allen began to hear things and see things the Tallmans called their preacher. The preacher came into the home and told the Tallmans that their home was in the grips of something from the devil. He told them that the only way to dispel the evil that had been growing in their home was to go to church more. The Tallman's listened to the preacher to no avail. Things got worse. Windows in the basement relocated on their own, the refrigerator door remained open on it's own, the children continued to be visited by nocturnal terrors. Allen saw the garage catch on fire and when he rushed to extinguish the flame he saw a green eyed demon above the door. Allen even saw a full bodied ghost that rose from the floor in a a kind of fog and took form just long enough to tell him that he was "going to die."

Desperate, the family called the preacher again. The preacher came and told them to play church music all the time. The family listened. They listened and their was a brief reprieve before the entity came again. This time the entire family and the babysitter saw the specter just long enough to turn them all white with fear and send them fleeing into the night.

After the Tallman's left their home, the house became a local sensation and lines wrapped around the neighborhood with curious spectators hoping to catch a glimpse of some random terror. Many spectators claimed to have been successful in their desires. Many claimed to see snow blowers running up and down the driveway by themselves and furniture being flung around inside the house. Of course, none of these stories have ever been confirmed, but the stories themselves turned the Tallman house into a local legend that grew with time. Stories of the house being a gateway to hell and blood dripping from the ceilings proliferated and a media frenzy swept incidents out of control.
Despite this, and despite accusations that it was a hoax on the Tallman's part, the Tallman's have shown nothing but the desire to stay out of the spot light. They've turned down interviews and even rejected Oprah when she invited them to be her guest. They seem happiest forgetting the horror on Larrabee street.

Aswang in Bulacan

Recently, Brgy. Balubad, Bulacan was covered in terror. Poultry and livestock animals were found dead. One of the owners of these animals was shocked seeing his animals with wounds. They were as if sucked by an unknown being. Rumor has it that an aswang was roaming in there place.

News

[Taken from a News Website:]

‘Aswang’ sows fear in Bulacan RESIDENTS of a barangay in Bulacan, Bulacan now fear for their lives after a series of killings of their animals that some people believe are done by a nocturnal monster locally known as "aswang." Hog raisers in Barangay Balubad said they believe that a monster is the one responsible for the death of their swine. Mat Tansinsin, owner of four pigs that were found dead on the morning of September 8, said he was surprised when he saw his hogs lifeless with scratch and bite marks all over the body and with massive blood loss. A certain Benigno Dela Peña lost twenty four ducks to the ‘monster’ on the first day of the ‘aswangs’ attack’ and after a week another twelve ducks and six chickens. “Tanggal ang mga bituka ng kanilang mga alagang hayop ng aking nadatnan at ang ipinagtataka ko ay kung bakit wala man lang tumahol na mga aso sa mga oras na nilalapa ng ‘aswang’ o nilalang ang aking mga alaga,” (Intestines of my animals were taken apart when I found them. And what wonders me is, why dogs didn't bark at the time when aswang, or whatever kind of being it was, ate my animals.) Dela Peña said. Ason Mahinay, a resident of the place said the night before the livestock were found devoured, she saw a huge dog roaming around their barangay. A day after she saw a big cat. Sa aming lugar sa Bisaya, ‘pag ganyang pabagu-bago ng itsura ang isang hayop, may posibilidad na ito ay isang aswang, (In our town in Visayas, when an animal shape-shifts in different figures, there's a possibility that it was an aswang) she explained. The incident is now being investigated by the local police and the municipal agricultural office. Published : Monday, October 08, 2012 00:00 Written by : Manny Balbin

Some experts explain and speculate the reason of the animal deaths. They said that it wasn't an aswang who killed them, but a wild animal only. However, paranormal experts believe that it was definitely an aswang.

Sources:
http://www.journal.com.ph/index.php/news/provincial/39367-aswang-sows-fear-in-bulacan

This whole apartment thing ain't working out anymore....(Or: I'm too old for this shit)

I go to bed around 1:00 (adjusted time) last night, savoring the extra hour to myself.

Then, around 4:30, I'm awakened by a woman's moans. I'm disoriented, worried, and blind (I've got 20/600 vision). I also hear "no."

I jump to my feet, grab around for my glasses. Can't find them. I rush to turn on the light. I'm pissed my gun is in the other room, not that I'd be able to shoot anyone if a woman were being assaulted outside of my window, since I can't see one foot in front of me.

Then I realize it's either (a) my neighbors having sex, with her being extremely vocal or (b) my neighbors blasting porn.*

As that awareness washes over me, my heart settles from about 220 beats per minute to a (still high) 150 beats per minute. And my worry turns to fury. I turn to the wall and beat on it three times, vowing to myself to call the authorities and report a domestic disturbance if it didn't cease (it WAS a domestic disturbance...they were disturbing me).

Ms. Oooh-Yes-Oooh-No shuts the fuck up.

But it takes me about twenty minutes to get rid of that adrenaline and settle back to sleep.

Undergrads. Can't live next to them. Can't shoot them with my 9.

*I'm guessing porn, due to her sounding JUST LIKE a fucking porn star. And owing to the fact that as soon as I banged on the wall, all noises stopped. Headphones? 

The Breathtaking, Haunted Beauty of The Linn-Henley Library

Halloween is over.  It was an amazing Halloween this year.   For one, I got to speak at The Birmingham Public Library Archives or the Linn-Henley Research Library.   I have been fascinated by this old building and its hauntings and history for years so telling ghost stories in this library was like achieving a big goal for me.   The Birmingham Archives is a building of uncommon beauty.   When you step in, you are greeted by some of the most striking murals ever to grace the walls of an old building.   These murals were done by Ezra Winter and each scene represents the amazing literature of the world.  One mural shows a scene from A Thousand and One Arabian Nights.  Another mural shows a picture of Krishna for the Bhagavata Purana.   Walking through the library is like walking through a living, breathing work of art.

The beauty of the library is amplified by the uncanny quiet that fills the building like a tangible presence.  The silence makes the building feel haunted and this feeling is not false.  The staff at the library are happy to tell tales of Fant Thornly, a former librarian who wanders the halls of the old building at quiet moments.  Many have seen Fant wandering the archives.  The have smelled his cigar smoke lingering in quiet corners and heard him riding up and down on the elevators.  One electrician described seeing him standing in the very doorway of the room that I told my ghost stories in.   One librarian picked a picture of Fant out of a stack of old photos she was given and named him as the ghost she saw in the room I spoke in.

The Linn-Henley Research Library was built in 1927 and was the Birmingham Public Library until 1984. At this time the primary library was moved across the street into a modern building of glass and harsh angles. The two buildings are attached by a catwalk and the architectural differences between these two buildings that are connected like Siamese twins are so vast that they should be in different countries. But the two buildings are bound together by their common purpose.

In 1984 when the old building was partially abandoned it took on a new purpose and became the archives where the old books were stored and the history was kept. There are no stories of bizarre deaths here. There are no horror tales of Indian burial grounds or murdered children, but the ghosts that have been described in this building are so terrifying that some of the librarians have refused to go back into the stacks alone and without every light on. Many staff members know about the haunting in a general sort of way. They know that doors open and close on their own and phantom noises fill the building when it is empty, but a few report an even more active haunting. They describe seeing Fant in the shadows.

As I told my ghost stories on Halloween day, it was wicked fun to be able to share the tales of the ghost that haunted the very room we were standing in.   Some of the staff believe many of the tales told of Fant are fancy, but even the skeptics believe that there has been to much activity in the library to be able to explain it all away.   Fant still wanders the Linn-Henley building and I hope he was listening when I told my ghost stories.  That would be a real honor!

   

Red flags while job hunting

As I've mentioned eleventy billion times, I'm hunting for a job. Most recently, I had a lead on a criminal defense position in a satellite office close to where I'm situated now. Since criminal law is ultimately where I want to end up, I applied and got an interview, which I attended and bitched about earlier. I also sent him a revamped appellate brief, which is actually pretty good.  And then I spent last night driving seven hours to make it to another pseudo-not-really-but-kinda-is-an-interview this morning.

And now that I've met with him, I can tell you I'm tired, disgusted, and pretty fucking disillusioned. But never fear...from my failings, I can give you some pointers on detecting red flags set forth by an employer (okay, just this employer). 

(For the record, I'm pathetically ridiculously proud of this image.)

Red Flag #1) Doesn't value your time

I got to his firm twenty minutes early, following a three-hour long car drive. After waiting forty-five minutes, I was told he was held up in court and couldn't make it. They also acknowledged that they were requesting something unusual that required the judge to clear the courtroom, which meant it would occur at the end of the docket. This tells me (a) this delay was entirely predictable and (b) even with this knowledge, no one cared enough to inform me about the almost-certain delay.

Red Flag #2) Lack of preparation

I try to give employers the benefit of the doubt on this one, particularly since they are typically inundated with resumes and cover letters and ALL THE THINGS. However, he hadn't read my resume, and spent the first ten minutes in silence reviewing it.

Awkward. Unnecessary. Story of my life.

Red Flag #3) Lack of interest in getting to know you

During my interview, he didn't ask me a single personal question. He also didn't listen to my answers, as evidenced by asking about several things I had already mentioned (not followups, either). I'm pretty awesome. Why wouldn't someone want to get to know me?!!?!?

Red Flag #4) Poor relationship with past employees

I shit you not, almost immediately after beginning my interview, this would-be employer (from now on called "WBE" for short) started loudly shit-talking the people that had formerly worked at this office. This shit-talking ranged from calling them terrible at their jobs to making veiled accusations that they somehow perpetuated fraud against his firm. I'm not just talking about one person--he talked shit about two previous associates AND his current law-clerk, whom he uses like his little Girl Friday.

Red Flag #5) Open demonstrations about lack of give-a-fuck regarding clients

This WBE invited me to meet him at the court for observation (I guess...the meaning wasn't super-clear to me, and remains rather elusive still). I got there, and within one minute, he tells me he arrived without the case file for his client. I can understand mistakes, but he's completely unapologetic about it. He's actually bordering on gleeful, telling both me and his client that he could be put in jail for being unprepared. I begin to wonder if this is part of his fucked up manipulation of the court system....

Red Flag #6) Lack of Discretion

I'm not sure what prompted this confession, but the WBE began to brag about blowing a .16 and being arrested, then making the DUI go away. There were (and still are) no words.

Red Flag #7) Tax Classifications

After my first meeting with this guy, I went to my CPA to discuss everything, and she equipped me with one question to ask him: would I be filing a 1099 or a W2? He told me today it'd be a 1099, which is for independent contractor status. When I asked how he would be showing the $2000 per month he'd be taking off for overhead, he told me it wouldn't show on my check and I wouldn't be able to write it off. He also told me I would be classified as an employee (which I don't think is feasible without much more worrisome tax implications), a status that is normally afforded a W2. I'm still confused about this.

Red Flag #8) Lack of "knowledge" about his firm

I don't care who you are. If the guy "in charge" begins to pretend or genuinely doesn’t know anything with regard to specifics about his firm, its incorporation, and tax/liability issues that may arise, then I don't really want to work for him. Because that's scary.

Red Flag #9) Use of offensive language

This is pretty self-explanatory. I'm in his office for three minutes today when he gets a phone call with bad news. He openly and explosively uses the term “mother fucker” several times. Unless you're Samuel L. Jackson "interviewing" someone, THIS IS NOT ACCEPTABLE in such a setting. (And I'm obviously no prude when it comes to offensive language, but there is a time and place, ladies and gentlemen!)

Red Flag #10) Asks for favors

This guy takes the cake with regard to the biggest WHAT THE FUCK moment I've probably ever had with a potential employer. While at home, I receive a call asking about the writing sample I've agreed to send him. Obviously, this is before any job offer has been made/considered. I explain I'm back home in the boondocks (another state away) for my little brother's livestock shows, and that I'll have to send it when I access high-speed internet (no joke, my parents still have dial-up).

After hearing I'm not in the state, he (hand to God) says, "Well, I guess that means you can't make an appearance for me in court tomorrow."

You're right. I can't. And I NEVER EVER WILL.

The end. 

The Next Big Thing

Helen Ellwood has nominated me for The Next Big Thing so here it is.

What is the working title of your next book?
Youthopia
This is the name of a kid's TV talent show. It's supposed to be an amalgamation of 'Youth' and 'Utopia'.

Where did the idea come from for the book?
I just wanted to write a kid's book which wasn't about wizards or vampires.

What genre does your book fall under?
Children 11-14 years.

What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?
I would like the kids' parts to be taken by unknown actors. If the adults have to be established actors then I think the main baddie could be taken by a chap called George Costigan. He played Bob in the film Rita, Sue and Bob Too and he's been in loads of other stuff. I used to know him when he lived near me.

What is the one sentence synopsis of your book?
A bunch of kids who don't know each other are thrown together and must join forces to overcome an evil scientist.

Will your book be self published or represented by an agency?
Agency is the preferred route.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
Can't remember. Probably about 3-4 months.

What other books would you compare this story to in your genre?
It's sort of a modern-day Famous Five. (Except there are seven kids in it - and no dogs).

Who or what inspired you to write the book?
Just got fed up hearing about all this Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings crap and wanted to write something that could actually happen. (Sorry, HP and LOTR fans).

What else about your book might pique the readers' interest?
One of the kids is in a wheelchair. At the end of the book it is revealed that they have all had some form of disability to overcome in their lives.

Anything else?
It's brilliant.

Thanks to Helen for nominating me for The Next Big Thing. I'm now passing it on to Carol.