Realizing I’m well overdue for writing a blog, I’ve decided to crank up MS word and start tapping some computer keys. I’m having trouble coming up with a good topic, though. See, in the background, Syfy’s Ghost Hunters keeps stealing my attention. Ohhhh, it’s the reveal. I hope that they captured some spooky EVPs. Yikes, Jason’s sporting a fairly deep bellybutton wedgie through his shirt. That’s scary enough.

Moving on…Yes, I’m a Sci-Fi nerd and authentic paranormal investigator. Well, not quite. Sarah and I once went on a Ghost Walk in St. Augustine. EMF detectors in hand, we shuffled along in a 90-degree swelter, paying $20 a piece to roam back alleys.

By the end of the night, I walked away $40 down. I did, however, break my streak of 27 years without a migraine. It’s funny how headaches work. Pressing heat and one woman screaming every three minutes about how she “captured an orb” on her Kodak camera… Let the throbbing begin.

I don’t mean to sound critical of the gal. She just seemed so convinced that she caught earth-bound apparitions – or as I call them, pollen. Sorry, but I don’t invest much faith in her scientific approach, especially when her photographic equipment is made of cheap plastic. Even so, she made the night entertaining.

Truth be told, I’m a wimp when it comes to everything paranormal. I’m not sure if I believe in hauntings, but I don’t want to find out if they’re real – at least not in person.

So why did I spend that Florida night ghosting (that’s what the cool investigators call it)? Well, I don’t know. I guess I’m complex.  Either way, I can appreciate what Ghost Hunters has done for Syfy, virtually taking the network from an unknown to a haven for geeks like me.

Marketing alone, the series’ name goes hand in hand with about every promo the channel runs. In fact, they’ve franchised the show – rolling out Ghost Hunters International and Ghost Hunters Academy. Talk about branding.

As business owners, I guess we can learn something from the show’s model. Let’s face it; they’re selling the chance to see the unseen. Every episode kind of mirrors the last. Still, a growing number of people keep watching, waiting for a glimpse of something, anything… They just don’t know what it is.

Call it wonderful packaging. Call it innovative advertising. But Ghost Hunters continues to scare the masses of fans – and the primetime competition.

Hey, I think I just wrote a blog.

Most of my friends know I’m a fan of Hank ‘Rutherford’ Hill and his beer-guzzling, mower-riding, alley-loitering buddies. Yep, Yep, Mmm-hmmm; The Rainy Street crew makes Sunday nights just a bit brighter.

Recently, Fox pulled the plug on the series (King of the Hill) after a 13-year run. On the outside, I say with great sorrow: Propane man, you will be missed but not forgotten. On the inside, I scream “Got dang it. Now that just tears it! (Hankism – era 2001).”

After all, the cartoon characters of “Arlen, Texas” brought more personality to the screen than many of today’s real-life TV celebs. No, I’m not delusional – I fully understand they’re animated fiction. I don’t spend my days writing letters to Hank (even though he does have a Facebook page). Read more…

With Stanley Cup finals in full swing, the PlayStation controller has been more like an umbilical cord for Steve on nights the Penguins are not playing. I think he believes he can keep cup hopes alive by winning on the video game. So on PlayStation evenings, I get to watch anything I want on TV. FREEDOM!

The other night I flipped through my choices on our movie on-demand channels and saw “The Business of Being Born.” It’s a documentary produced by Ricky Lake about maternity care in the United States. After a bad experience with her first child, she opted to have a home birth with the second. For many people (myself included), the idea of giving birth to a baby at home is both a foreign and scary concept. Read more…

I have loved movies since I was a kid. Some of my best memories are going to the local video rental store – Take One – with my dad and stocking up for the weekend. There were four I always begged to get: Star Wars (the original), Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Hobbit and Watership Down. To this day, they remain some of my favorites.

In the past couple of weeks, I have talked Steve into watching three movies. To many people, this is normal. Not in our household. Steve has a hard time staying still and not talking for 1.5+ hours. Read more…