The above drawing was made by the child of a client who requested an investigation. With this exercise the child was asked to draw what she had seen, and this is what she produced: “The Monster in the Closet.” Although there were numerous other paranormal claims taking place within the home, claims that involve children are especially concerning and are always handled with vigilance and extra care. We arrived at about 7pm last night and investigated until 4am this morning. It was a very thorough investigation, and although all the evidence hasn’t been examined yet, it will most likely warrant ongoing contact with the client.

Situations like this remind me of when I was a little girl – I was afraid of a monster who lived under my bed. I would cry for my Dad who would swoop in with a broom yelling and swatting at it. He would go so far as to chase the monster out of my room, down the stairs and out the front door. He would stand in the doorway and yell, “Get out and don’t come back!” All the neighbors probably thought he was crazy, but it made me feel safe & secure and I’d fall asleep within minutes.

Although my personal childhood experience was not rooted in anything paranormal, and what my Dad did was nothing more than theatrics, I liken what I do now as a more elaborate version of what my Dad did for me when I was little – I basically chase monsters and help people feel safe in their own home. That is what ghost hunting is all about, ultimately – helping people.

Even if doing so means all the neighbors think you’re crazy.

Artwork at The Friendly Toast in Cambridge, MA.

Oh, Boston you’re my home.

An extreme close-up of Layla’s paw.

These first 40 (or 34…whatever…) years have been pretty awesome. Sure, I’ve had my shitty days, but I can’t say it any better than Sinatra can sing it: Regrets, I’ve had a few. But then again, too few to mention. So far the good in my life has outweighed the bad by such a large margin that the only word to describe it would be ”lucky,” and for that I am tremendously thankful.

Some of the milestones, memories and life lessons I’ve learned…

• First movie I ever saw: Star Wars
• First television memory: The Monkees
• First kiss: 3rd grade, Eric Leip
• I’ve been to hundreds (if not thousands) of concerts. Most of them Pearl Jam.
• Out of all the awards and trinkets I own, my most prized possession is a cocktail napkin I swiped from a Rose Garden reception at the White House. I even framed it.
• I’ve participated in 5 Super Bowl halftime shows.
• Best 3 sunsets: #3. Over the Rockies. #2. Over the Pacific. #1. Over the Badlands.
• I was once almost killed by a buffalo. (Fact: Buffalo are fast! And did you know they are strong enough to overturn a car?)
• Life lesson learned the hard way: Always get the extra car rental insurance. Always.
• So far I’ve had 5 major surgeries and several minor procedures. I am missing just about every organ you don’t actually need to live.
• Always trust your gut: This cat needed a home and my apartment didn’t allow pets, so I bought a condo. It was the best snap decision I ever made.
• I’ve had the pleasure of raising a pint with sports stars, rap stars, rock stars and Bering Sea crab fishermen. The most fun to party with? Hands down – crab fishermen.
• The most important life lesson I’ve learned: The only things you truly take with you are your experiences, and that’s the meaning of life – to relish the human experience. That’s what the meaning of my life is, anyway. At least for the foreseeable future.

Now on to the next 40. Or 34. Whatever.

Over the years a lot of people have asked me where my creativity comes from, or how I come up with ideas. Honestly, sometimes you don’t know you even have an idea until you see something and then suddenly it grabs hold of some other long forgotten image or bit of information in your head and they have an evening of unbridled passion. The result can be either you wind up doing a walk of shame wondering how your brain could have ever gone there, or you’re left with a fun little idea that you love so much it makes you giggle.

Case in point: Earlier this week I did the above doodle of The Walking Dead’s Daryl Dixon as Pig Pen from the Peanuts cartoons. Why? Because a while back I read an interview with Norman Reedus (the actor who plays Daryl) and he said of his character…

He cleans up every once in a while. I’m always asking Donna our makeup person for more dirt. It’s become kind of a joke on set that I don’t want anyone dirtier than me. Same with blood. I get jealous if another person has more blood and dirt than me.

When I read that quote it made me think that if Daryl the adult was so dirty, Daryl the child must have been even dirtier. That vision of a childhood Daryl then morphed into Pig Pen and that was… well… that. Of course, I had to doodle the thought out otherwise Daryl as Pig Pen would have been stuck in my brain dirtying it up.

So to answer the initial question: Creativite inspiration comes from everywhere, and you don’t have to be an artist or designer to have a creative mind. Einstein was able to formulate complex theories on how our universe operates by watching a rock drop into a pool of water, or by looking at a clock while riding on a train. It makes me think all the answers are out there – it just takes the right set of eyes to look at them at the right moment.

So start looking.

One of my first paranormal investigations was at an old armory that was currently being used as a community center. They were perplexed by a shadowy figure that kept appearing by the door in several photographs. The above left photo is one of the original photographs from the client. The photo on the right I took during our investigation (again, one of several). I was able to recreate the figure almost exactly using nothing more than a standard camera auto-flash. Although the wood grain in the door was not in the shape of a human head and shoulders – slight indentations reflected the flash in just the right way to create that effect.

There is a psychological phenomenon called Pareidolia which is basically the mind’s ability to see familiar patterns in complex shapes. (The Rorschach inkblot test is a good example to illustrate how Pareidolia works.) Unfortunately, for our investigation the above evidenced photos show a psychological phenomenon, not a paranormal one.

Welcome to roughly the kabillionth version of this website. I started it sometime back in the mid-90s under AOL’s free web space. Over the years it has had various looks as well as domains, and has been ripped down and re-built too many times to mention. (Yes, I kill my darlings.)

The previous incarnation of this site was for my final portfolio project for RISD’s Web Design and Development program. Although at the time the site served its purpose (it helped me graduate) – it didn’t serve my personal needs much, and as a result I didn’t care for it much. It was nothing more than an exercise in branding. I can understand why the good folks at RISD wanted me and the other students to brand ourselves and thus, our sites. However, I have worked for an NFL team since 1999. I work in one of the most brand managed industries out there. I rattle off PMS numbers and logo usage guidelines in my sleep.

Needless to say, I do not want my personal site to become that. I want this to be like my little home on the web - comfy, welcoming, somewhat minimalistic and where I can gab about anything and everything that strikes my fancy. I’m still working away at this, and plan on having my portfolio up here soon, so please have a seat on some of the mismatched furniture and stay for a while. I’ll put some coffee on.

Taken at the Salem Witch Trials Memorial in Salem, MA.

Headstone from a historic cemetery in Salem, MA.