Educate me

So, someone didn't like what I said about Shannon Sylvia in my last post. Told me that I should "educate" myself before making comments. That Paranormal State was filmed a year before Shannon joined Ghost Hunters International.

Excuse me, "anonymous" out there. This is a blog of MY opinions. As a fan of these shows, I think it's silly seeing one person be the customer on one, and then an expert on the other - getting into arguments with more seasoned 'hunters' about debunking methods. And did you not read Shannon's biography on SciFi's own website? Honestly, I don't care about the fact that she was on both shows. It's stupid that, as it was so rudely pointed out to me, Paranormal State was filmed LAST year, meaning 2007, when according to SciFi she had already hired Ghost Hunters to her home in 2005, which led to her joining New England Paranormal - before she went onto Ghost Hunters International.

Aside from all this 'education,' there was no need to comment rudely on an opinion that I wrote on my own blog. It was an opinion about a TV show.

So, here's some education for you "anonymous." Happy reading.

http://www.leominsterchamp.com/news/2007/0112/Front_Page/003.html

From SciFi.com:
Shannon Sylvia, the newest member of the Ghost Hunters family, hails from Leominster, Mass., just outside of Boston. Shannon's experiences growing up in a small, historic town rife with paranormal activity sparked in her a strong interest in the field, and she has dedicated a great amount of time to investigating unexplainable incidents that for years plagued her parents' home, as well as her own.

Those domestic experiences with the supernatural led to Shannon's relationship with New England Paranormal. First hired by Shannon in 2005 to investigate the activity in her home, the group soon asked her to join their team. Since then, she has worked with the group on many cases throughout New England. She continues to take every advantage of opportunities to expand her knowledge of paranormal investigating by attending conferences as well as devouring countless books on the subject.

Totally weak!

When the show Paranormal State premiered, I had to watch it. It's about ghosts - of course, I'm going to watch it. But after about three episodes, I had to admit that I didn't enjoy it as much as Most Haunted or Ghost Hunters. So, I stopped watching.

Well, it's a week night. Nothing on TV. I checked Comcast OnDemand and 'hello' there are some episodes of Paranormal State. Thought I would give it another chance.

WEAK!!! In the episode about a condo building that used to be an old school house, the owner is the same woman investigator from the current season of Ghost Hunters International. Are you kidding me? At first I though, it couldn't be the same person. Why would a 'ghost hunter' need help from a group of college students to determine if her place was haunted or not? And the way she was acting on Paranormal State, she was like the victim who didn't understand about the ghostly sounds she and her husband would hear.

Yes, I looked it up. It's the same person on both shows. Totally weak!!! According to her bio for Ghost Hunters, she's been interested in the paranormal her whole life, ever since she experienced something when she was a kid.

OK, I know these shows are for entertainment only - but don't make it so painfully obvious and use someone from a popular show where the person is trying to disprove hauntings, to her being the 'victim' in her own home by ghostly children.

I take my TV too seriously, don't I? ;)

So Sudden

Thank you to everyone for your prayers about Tiny. Unfortunately, our little one has passed away. Again, cancer was the cause, and it had spread so fast we didn't really have time to prepare for anything. My parents took Tiny to the vet this afternoon, and x-rays confirmed that cancer has spread throughout her body. She was yelping in pain. They had to let her go.

As moms and dads to our little furry ones, this is the most difficult decision to make. It's not really a decision though - it's the right thing to do. It's just hard to say that final goodbye and to let go.

I was in jury duty today, so I was not even able to say goodbye. I didn't get to say goodbye... and that's the hardest thing to accept.

We will miss you Tiny.




Now they're both gone...

Say a little prayer

It's 2006 all over again. This time our other dog, Tiny, is sick. Dad called me tonight, very upset. Turns out Tiny has not been eating the last few days. Today, she was throwing up white foam, and her legs were cramping. What else could I say but, "Take her to the vet!" Of course, my parents didn't want to - because they were afraid that the vet would put her to sleep. Easier said than done, but it's not what you 'want', but what is 'right'.

If Tiny is suffering, then it's time to let her go. She is a couple years younger than Bubbles was, but this year she reaches 15. The same age that Bubbles was when he had to leave us. I'm not as close to Tiny as I was to Bubbles, but my heart is breaking just the same. I hope I've convinced my parents that taking her to the vet tomorrow, no matter the outcome, is the right thing to do. Even if they don't want to. Unfortunately, I've been called into Jury Duty, so I can't go over to my parents house as I'd like to.

The younger years... Cocoa, Chelsea, Toby, Tiny, and Bubbles.
(Cocoa has also left us. She was taken in by a family friend, and last year died suddenly from an unknown illness.)

This is MY year!

Gong Hay Fat Choy! This is MY year folks! Year of the Rat! Whoo hoo!!!



OK, so my picture isn't of a rat. It's of my very first pet ever. My hamster, Baby. He started out with the name M.C. Hamster (the person he was named after was BIG at the time, ok?) But after I brought him home, he was lovingly renamed "Baby" by my mom. Baby has long since left us, but his spirit still blooms in the rose tree in our backyard. This is my absolute favorite picture of him. And see? He's got his hands together like he's bowing for the new year. So, for now, and I'm sure Monte will understand, I have to post Baby's picture up to celebrate Chinese New Year!

Ready for a little Yelp?

My friend recently turned me onto a new review site called Yelp. I had never heard of it before, but now I'm hooked. I'm a writer at heart, but it's a calling that I've kind of put on hold for a few years now. It's hard to find inspiration for things to write about, but with Yelp, I can put all my opinions out there for all to see. Of course, they're just opinions about food and such, but it got my writing juices flowing again. I still haven't really established what style of writer I am, and how many different ways can I think of to describe a dish is good? This is a test for myself.

Check it out - Yelp.

A little OC in SF

Hubby decided that he wanted to go shopping today in Downtown SF. Wow - what a rare occasion. We put on our rain gear and headed out. We were running across the street from Barney's NY towards Macy's, and there was a group of people with their umbrellas who had reached the sidewalk before us - but then they stopped right there to wait for the rest of their group. I was annoyed because if they didn't move, I would have to go around the group to get off the street. Attitudes change when it's rainy and windy - I don't mind getting wet, but not when it's because other people are in the way.

Anyway, they moved, and as they were all walking into the doors of Macy's the sole man of the group of girls turned around as he had the door open for them, and it was George. I looked around the group of girls and saw Lauri. And then I recognized Ashley. For those who don't know, I'm a fan of the show The Real Housewives of Orange County. Lauri is one of the housewives who just married George this season. Ashley is Lauri's oldest daughter. The other girls were George's daughters, but I don't know all their names. I didn't recognize Mackenzie until later on, because she's now a blonde too. HA! A mini-celebrity family sighting.

We separated as they went upstairs and we headed downstairs for some food. After some yummy pizza from Wolfgang Puck's we headed up to the shoe department. And there they were again. They were taking pictures with some other fans. I walked around and looked at shoes a bit, then I bumped into them again while they were waiting in line to pay.

After seeing them three times within an hour, I decided to go over and talk to Lauri, who was standing aside with Ashley. She's so nice! Very down to earth. I congratulated her on her recent wedding and how beautiful it was, and she was so happy. Any newly married woman loves to talk about her wedding, and I love anything to do with weddings, so we had a good conversation. George joined in a few minutes later and we talked about where they would be going for their honeymoon and some of the other places they've been already. I decided that I didn't want to ask for a picture because it would be kind of awkward at this point. I'd rather just talk. I wished them well and we all headed in our different directions.

We're back home all nice and warm and dry now. It's been a good day. Got a new top, some make-up, and talked to a 'celebrity'.

New show du jour!

I've been turned on to Dexter! It's a Showtime original series, and we have HBO, so I have to catch up now. I'm only on episode 3 and I'm hooked! It's one of those disturbingly good shows. Dexter is a man who likes to kill - we see that this started from a very young age. His father basically trains him to use this 'urge' for 'good'. Dexter becomes a blood analyst for the Miami police, and usually ends up taking matters of dealing with murderers in his own sick way. Vigilante? Doing society a favor? Murdering with an excuse? You decide.

Another movie review. We recently saw The Holiday, with Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet, Jack Black, and Jude Law. For a 'chick flick' I liked it. Of course, it's predictable, but you're still left wondering at the end. I love Kate and Cameron - so maybe I'm biased, but I enjoyed this movie. Two women, during a rough patch at romance decide to go on Holiday though a house exchange service. So, Cameron flies to Surrey, England, and Kate flies to L.A. You'll have to watch to see what happens.