Paranormal

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Hold on, man. We don't go anywhere with "scary," "spooky," "haunted," or "forbidden" in the title. ~ Shaggy- Scooby Doo

You may never guess from my mild-mannered appearance, but I have a thing for the paranormal. I loved reading ghost stories and science fiction as a kid. And although I haven’t done as much reading for fun in the last while as I’ve been in school, I still have a soft spot for the spooky and weird in my recreational reading material.

I’ve noticed lately that this longtime penchant of mine might actually be a little trendy now. Maybe it's just the season, but I’ve noticed that there are several ghost hunter and ghost investigator shows in the TV mix these days. The idea here is that official ghost investigators set up their super-sensitive recording/electronic equipment in a supposedly haunted spot to see if they can capture some physical evidence of the spirits (just how one becomes an “official” ghost investigator is still a little unclear to me). There are also several more shows where people talk about their own ghost stories – personal experiences with seeing ghosts, living in a haunted house or being haunted themselves. There’s even a show about celebrity ghost stories (well, of course there is). And of course you can always find something about UFO’s, cow mutilations, and crop circles somewhere on cable TV. So, just like I was drawn to several Richard Peck ghost novels as a kid, I am drawn to these ghost investigator and UFO shows now. I am compelled to listen to the EVP’s (Electronic Voice Phenomenon) captured by the sensitive equipment. I watch the orbs captured through the night vision goggles, and I guess I’m as interested in the next geek in whether the Egyptians and Mayans could have built their pyramids without E.T. .

I realize that it would make this blog about a million times more interesting if, after that introduction and admission that I am somewhat “paranormal,” I launched into my own ghostly or E.T. experience…

…but I got nothin’.

To the best of my recollection I have never experienced any sort of unexplained phenomenon. And apart from my unfortunate propensity to form judgments about people only moments after meeting them; I do not appear to have any discernible psychic ability. And to top off this lifetime-long paranormal dry-spell, I have driven through the American Southwest between Utah, Arizona and New Mexico dozens of times and have never, not once, seen anything that even remotely resembles any type of UFO (although there may have been a few alien life forms at some of the rest stops).

Maybe it’s because I’ve never experienced it personally that I can watch the ghost investigators and listen to the ghost stories and not be creeped out by them. It’s not that I don’t believe in ghosts or spirits (or UFO’s for that matter), but I guess the absence of actual personal empirical evidence helps me to keep it in the realm of entertainment.

To be honest though, even though I like watching these shows and hearing the theories, I’m not sure that personal experience with paranormal phenomenon is something that I would, or even should wish for. Kind of like taking some drug like heroin. It might be thrilling, it might be compelling, it might be life altering. But it also might open some doors that it’s just as well to keep closed.

Maybe if it happened spontaneously some dark and stormy night in an old abandoned…nah, I’m probably better off just sticking to other people’s stories. Anyone got any good ones?

Happy Halloween Season Everyone.

P.S. I am still looking for UFO’s every time I drive to New Mexico.