Ghosts, ghosts, and more ghosts

So I have once again been a bad , bad , blogger. But, I think that I have devised a way to stay on track with my blogging and also make myself more disciplined as an artist. It's all about habit and work flow! But more of that later.
So, I have been busy planning, stewing, and making. There has been a lot of digital artwork, blog making for others, and a lot of web code reading-it makes my head go numb. That and the heat. I'm a little white dutch boy stuck in the desert. Not good. I don't like the heat. I had several bad nick names growing up. Quinn the Eskimo, Mike Mayonnaise, Mikie likes it, and many more. We moved a lot- so nothing really stuck-so I got a different one every time we moved. But "Mike Mayonnaise" was grand. I used to be so white and pale that kids would ask me if I was an albino. Its hard to see it now. Not that pale now.

So back to what I promised many weeks ago.
The ghosts. So a few weeks back Mystic Paper had another visit from a group of paranormal researchers (ghost hunters). Kim and Jennifer asked me if I wanted to hang with this group and keep an eye on the store. I said "Yes".
For those that don't know-Mystic Paper is haunted along with the half of the building that was the antique store. It has been rumored that many of the downtown Mesa structures have a haunted past. Has anyone ever taken the "Ghost Tour of Mesa"?
So that night a group of eight showed up after hours. This group reminds me of the candy that falls out of a pinata. You never really know what your going to get. Different sizes, shapes, and colors. Your local neighborhood ghost hunter is a special type. Its not everyone who spends Saturday nights crawling in and out of attics, basements, and strange erie places in the dark. Trying to find evidence of something that scares the hell out of people.

As I have mentioned a few times on my blog- I have something of a strong love for ghost hunting. Also certain folklore and myth. I often dabble off to certain locations to document and photograph my own experiences. One of these days you will see a book. One of these summers I will do a three state tour. Then a west coast tour. Then a middle America tour. The most strange places of Arizona- The strange places of the North Pacific. Or a gallery show of all these places. Or a coffee table book.If I should ever create my own artistic getaway or art retreat- you can easily put it together that there will be an "October Haunted Retreat".
My love for this stemmed from childhood experiences. We moved a lot as I mention all the time. You move enough times you are bound to experience a ghost or two. When I was in fourth grade we lived in a haunted farm house in Northern California. The longer we lived there- the worst things got. The house fed on the energy. Later we found out after compiling everyones stories and information that we had a poltergeist. The haunting in our house was a combination of two things. An angry death had occurred in the house years prior (not known at the time), also a mixture of violent and drug induced energy had been going on in the house before we moved in. The other thing that added to the poltergeist energy was my brothers and sister - it is rumored that young children share the energy of a haunting. Somehow the energy of a haunting can be shared with a youth. Its a power exchange. So it is rumored on many different levels. But that is the basic thinking.

When we moved into the house it was a mess. We spent several weeks building new walls and remodeling before we could move in. The people prior had used the living room as the garage and just knocked out the wall of the house. The reason we took it over was because my step dad and mom fell in love with the acreage. Five lush acres of oak trees and a pond with a stream. Plus a damn good price on it all.
Anywho- after a few months -kids had nightmares, things moved in the main hallway, maggots on the front porch every morning, shower curtains floating down hallways, kids seeing things, dead animals. At night you would feel something next to your bed. You could hear whispers. One night I awoke to find this dark shadow with a face of an old woman in the hallway that came into my room- and stood above me until I screamed for my parents. The best is one of my little brothers started having visions of what the place looked like fifty years prior. So after about three years of all this-we moved. My parents tried to sell the house, nobody wanted it. So the bank took ownership. It fell into disarray. I have been back to this house several times since. But I keep my distance(because all though I have been told that it can not happen) I don't want it following me. After that I have vacationed and lived in several other places with minor hauntings. Old theaters are the best. I'm an actor- fifteen years ago-I was in a different theater every two or three months. Theaters are packed with energy that does not want to leave. Every October I make it a habit to visit several prime haunted locations. Some turn out to be a scary experience-others somewhat minor. Its a hobby. Maybe something more some day. I have sat in on a few paranormal investigations before- gone to a few workshops, and a few group meetings. Most have been uneventful. Good for a laugh. More than just one laugh. Try a lifetime. However I will gladly take a world with all the crazy and weird-than a world without. So more about the Mystic Paper Night in a bit. I need to finish a quick project. I will come back. Promise.